Click Here to Watch the Video
(Our class is in the ALL IN video - check it out)
(Our class is in the ALL IN video - check it out)
Imagine what God would do if over 3,000 people attending our church across 3 campuses were ALL IN to our mission to help people in the Upstate connect with Jesus to change their world???
For the next 5 weeks we will dive into the book of Acts and see what it looked like for ordinary people, from all walks of life, to be ALL IN to spreading and living out the gospel of Jesus Christ. Sunday morning messages on all campuses - Downtown, Harrison Bridge, and Five Forks will be hearing the same message, delivered by their campus pastor. Additionally, Connect Groups on all campuses will be going through the same curriculum from the book of Acts.
We are all at different places in our walk with God and our engagement in our church mission. No matter where you are now, let this time in Acts be used by God to guide you to taking your next step. There's no doubt the Holy Spirit did, and will still do, amazing things through believers who obediently put His mission above themselves.
To be "ALL IN" is first and foremost an attitude that says:
- I am part of a mission that is bigger than I am and therefore I put my own preferences aside and consider how I can be a more integral part of the mission God has given our church.
- How can I use my time, talent and treasure to further reach the Upstate with the message of Christ's love?
Practically, being "ALL IN" looks like this:
- Attending worship on a weekly basis
- Connecting in a small group
- Giving as God has given to me
- Actively engaging in at least one ministry of the church or our community
- Sharing my faith by developing relationships with my neighbors
- Allowing our Core Values to influence my thinking and guide my behavior
The next 5 weeks in our Connect Group, we will explore the lives of six individuals from the book of Acts in order to demonstrate how their faith in God motivated them to take the next step in their spiritual walk. When they took that step - Family and friends noticed and were greatly influenced to become Christ-followers as well as the gospel began to spread "in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)
The individuals we will be studying include: Lydia, Barnabas, Priscilla and Aquila, Cornelius, and Philip.
This Sunday's lesson will be posted on the blog by Thursday.
Here is a NOTE from Kathy Robinson:
This Sunday's lesson will be posted on the blog by Thursday.
Here is a NOTE from Kathy Robinson:
I hope you’re as excited as I am about our All In initiative starting this Sunday!!
All In Guidebooks will be handed out in all the services. However, for those in your groups who will attend service at 11:15, i.e. after your group meets, please direct them to pick up a Guidebook in the Worship Center lobby BEFORE they come to their group time. If you could send them out an email, text, or however you best communicate with them prior to the weekend to let them know, that should simplify things for Sunday.
Guidebooks contain the Connect Group Lessons as well as sermon notes, testimonies and other good information related to the All In initiative. We will have a limited number of extra guidebooks in the resource room on the 2nd floor of the North Building, across from the old Children’s Media Center on the E-wing, in room 233 in the C-wing, and in the Delta for those people who didn’t get the message to pick theirs up from the Worship Center.
An Introduction to the Book of ACTS
With a flick of the fingers, friction occurs and a spark leaps from match to tinder. A small flame burns the edges and grows, fueled by wood and air. Heat builds, and soon the kindling is licked by orange-red tongues. Higher and wider it spreads, consuming the wood. The flame has become a fire.
Over 2,000 years ago, a match was struck in Palestine. At first, just a few in that corner of the world were touched and warmed; but the fire spread beyond Jerusalem and Judea out to the world and to all people. Acts provides an eyewitness account of the flame and fire - the birth and spread of the church. Beginning in Jerusalem with a small group of disciples, the message traveled across the Roman Empire. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, this courageous band preached, taught, healed, and demonstrated love in synagogues, schools, homes, marketplaces, and courtrooms, and on streets, hills, ships and desert roads – wherever God sent them, lives and history were changed.
Written by Luke as a sequel to his Gospel, Acts is an accurate historical record of the early church. But Acts is also a theological book, with lessons and living examples of the work of the Holy Spirit, church relationships and organization, the implications of grace, and the law of love. And Acts is an apologetic work, building a strong case for the validity of Christ’s claims and promises.
The book of Acts begins with the outpouring of the promised Holy Spirit and the commencement of the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This Spirit-inspired evangelism began in Jerusalem and eventually spread to Rome, covering most of the Roman Empire. The gospel first went to the Jews; but they, as a nation, rejected it. A remnant of Jews, of course gladly received the Good News. But the continual rejection of the gospel by the vast majority of the Jews led to the ever-increasing proclamation of the gospel to the Gentiles. This was according to Jesus’ plan: the gospel was to go from Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (1:8). This, in fact, is the pattern that the Acts narrative follows. The glorious proclamation began in Jerusalem (chapters 1-7), went to Judea and Samaria (chapter 8 and following), and to the countries beyond Judea (11:19;13:4 and on to the end of Acts). The second half of Acts is focused primarily on Paul’s missionary journeys to many countries north of the Mediterranean Sea. He, with his companions, took the gospel first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles. Some of the Jews believed, and many of the Gentiles received the Good News with joy. New churches were started, and new believers began to grow in the Christian life.
As you read Acts, put yourself in the place of the disciples – feel with them as they are filled with the Holy Spirit, and thrill with them as they see thousands respond to the gospel message. Sense their commitment as they give every ounce of talent and treasure to Christ. And as you read, watch the Spirit-led boldness of these first-century believers, who through suffering and in the face of death take every opportunity to tell of their crucified and risen Lord. Then decide to be a 21st century version of those men and women of God.
WEEK 1: UNITED IN A MOVEMENT
TODAY’S CHARACTER: LYDIA
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES: ACTS 16: 11-15, 40
MAIN POINT: As Christ followers we’re called to be unified around His mission.
INTRODUCTION
Were you raised in a Christian family or did you come to faith by some other influence?
When did the Lord first open your heart to saving faith?
Do you believe the faith you have influences other people?
Do you believe the faith you have affects your life purpose?
Each of us has our own individual story in the journey of faith, but every believer in Christ shares the same testimony. Jesus is Lord! Regardless of how you come to faith, when the Lord opens your heart it should spill over into the lives of everyone who knows you. It should also change what drives you. Lydia was a woman who exemplified this truth.
UNDERSTANDING
Let’s unpack this biblical text in the Book of Acts to discover what the Scripture says (and means) about responding to the gospel message. Paul received a vision which prompted him to go to Macedonia to evangelize there. (Acts 16:9-10).
READ ACTS 16: 11-15, 40
11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. 13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left.
What qualities and characteristics do you notice about Lydia from these verses?
Lydia came from Thyatira in the Roman province of Asia. Thyatira was located in a region of Asia called Lydia. Quite possibly, Lydia was not the woman’s given name but the name by which she was known in Philippi. Thyatira was noted for cloth dyed purple with a dye manufactured from the root of the madder plant, which was native to the Lydian region. This ‘royal’ purple dye was reserved for finery, and Lydia was probably a businesswoman of some means. Luke identifies Lydia as one “who worshiped God.” This term was used of Gentiles who attended the Jewish synagogue and believed in the one true God. Many of them, like Lydia (and Cornelius in Acts 10), became Christ-followers. (Converts were first called Christians in the city of Antioch).
How did Lydia express her desire to know the one true God?
What do verses 14-15 reveal about our role in sharing the gospel with our families?
How does this truth influence the way you think about your role as a spiritual influence in your family or home? What is your responsibility? What role does God play?
As Paul preached to the women about Jesus, Lydia responded to his message. The wording of verse 14 is important for our understanding of Christian witnessing. We are not responsible for the faith of our children or others in our families (or friends, for that matter). We are responsible only for giving a faithful witness to the gospel. No doubt Lydia also shared the gospel with her family by telling them of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection as she heard from Paul.
According to verse 15, what was the first thing Lydia did after her family was saved and baptized?
What moved Lydia from being a ‘worshiper of God’ to joining Paul and Silas in the mission? What united Lydia, Paul and Silas?
Paul and Silas were thrown in jail and then miraculously released. Afterward, the city officials told the two men to leave the city. Before leaving, Paul and Silas stopped by Lydia’s house, where the church had gathered.
From verse 40, what can you also infer about Lydia’s newfound faith, how it impacted her life, and her relationship to the church?
How did Lydia’s actions impact the spreading of the gospel?
What demonstrated that Lydia was “ALL IN”?
What could it have looked like if Lydia wasn’t fully committed to the mission once she was saved?
What could be the impact if “the full number” of our church members were “ALL IN” with the mission of our church?
APPLICATION
What truths from this story in Acts apply directly to your life?
Would you say that people in your life know that you follow Jesus Christ? Why or Why not?
How does the gospel message change what is most important to you?
What evidence is there in the past year that you are growing in your relationship with Christ?
Are you ‘ALL IN’ with our church’s mission? What’s the difference between church activity and being part of a mission that’s bigger than you are?
What next step is God prompting you to take toward being more engaged in our church’s mission?
Check any or all that may apply.
PRAYER
Thank God for opening your heart to the truth of His Word and drawing you to Him. Thank God for allowing you to be a part of a mission that is bigger than you are. Ask Him to show you each day how you can live out that mission in order to impact the lives of those you encounter for His glory. Pray that our group would be united also to each other in such a way that we would rejoice and grieve with one another and encourage each other in the journey of faith.
Hope to see everyone this SUNDAY!!
In His Love,
David & Susan
Teacher's Notes:
What demonstrated that Lydia was “all in”?
What could it have looked like if Lydia wasn’t fully committed to the mission once she was saved?
Hope to see everyone this SUNDAY!!
In His Love,
David & Susan
Teacher's Notes:
UNITED IN A MOVEMENT
Video: Podcast - Gloria Gaynor
Today’s Character: Lydia Scripture References: Acts 16: 11-15, 40
MAIN POINT: As Christ followers we’re
called to be unified around His mission.
BOARD: topics of discussion.
Were you raised in Christian family or did you come to
faith by some other influence?
When did the Lord first open your heart to a saving faith?
Do you believe the faith you have influences other people?
Do you believe the faith you have affects your life
purpose?
BOARD: Each of us has our own
individual story in the journey of faith, but every believer in Christ shares
the same testimony. Jesus is Lord! Regardless of how you come to faith, when the
Lord opens your heart it should spill over into the lives of everyone who knows
you. It should also change what drives
you. Lydia was a woman who
exemplified this truth.
UNDERSTANDING
Let’s unpack this biblical text in the Book of Acts to
discover what the Scripture says (and means) about responding to the gospel message.
Paul received a vision which prompted him to go to Macedonia to evangelize
there. (Acts 16:9-10). Paul was
always prepared to just go.
BOARD: Read Acts 16: 11-15, 40
11 From Troas we
put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on
to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and
the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several
days. 13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river,
where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to
the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman
from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a
worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s
message. 15 When she and the members of her household were
baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the
Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
Vs. 10 the pronoun we indicate that Luke, the author of
Luke and Acts, joined Paul, Silas, and Timothy on their journey. He was an
eyewitness to most of the incidents in the book of Acts.
Vs. 12 Philippi was a key city in the region of Macedonia
(northern Greece today). Philippi was about 10 miles inland. It was a Roman
colony. Paul founded a church during his visit. Later he wrote from prison
thanking the church for their support for him.
Vs. 13 inscribed on the arches outside the city of Philippi
was a warning against bringing an unrecognized religion into the city. This is
why the prayer meeting was held outside the city by the river.
Vs. 13, 14 After following the Holy Spirit’s leading into
Macedonia, Paul made his first evangelistic contact with a small group of
women. Paul never allowed gender or cultural boundaries to keep him from
preaching the gospel. He preached to these women, and Lydia, an influential
merchant, believed. This opened the way for ministry in that region. God often
worked in and through women in the early church.
Vs. 14 Lydia was a dealer in purple cloth, so she was
probably wealthy. Purple cloth was valuable and expensive. It was often worn as
a sign of nobility or royalty.
Vs. 15 Why was Lydia’s household baptized after Lydia
responded in faith to the gospel? Baptism was a public sign of identification
with Christ and the Christian community. Although all members of her household
may not have chosen to follow Christ (we don’t know), it was now a Christian
home.
What qualities and characteristics do you notice about
Lydia from these verses?
- She
worshiped God having a prayer time with others on the sabbath
- Lydia
was a worshipper of God before the Lord Jesus entered her heart
- Lydia
lost no time in confessing her Lord
- Lydia’s
testimony was blessed to those in her own home, says that she and the members
of her household were baptized
- Lydia’s
faith showed itself in good deeds, she responded with hospitality to Paul and
Silas asking them to stay at her home
- Appears
that she was the beginning of the first church in Philippi
- She
was an influential person of means
Lydia: 4 components
1. Her Posture, she
was a worshiper, she listened
2. The
Heart work, she understood – she placed herself in a position to hear
the Lord.
3. Her
Response to what she understood – she was baptized, her whole
household was baptized.
4. Her Service – She
was ALL IN - Can you be a follower of Christ and not serve others? A total
personal commitment to Christ – that’s a heart change!
Lydia came from Thyatira in the Roman province of Asia.
Thyatira was located in a region of Asia called Lydia. Quite possibly, Lydia was not the woman’s
given name but the name by which she was known in Philippi. Thyatira was noted for cloth dyed purple with
a dye manufactured from the root of the madder plant, which was native to the
Lydian region. This ‘royal’ purple dye
was reserved for finery, and Lydia was probably a businesswoman of some
means. Luke identifies Lydia as one “who
worshiped God’. This term was used of
Gentiles who attended the Jewish synagogue and believed in the one true
God. Many of them, like Lydia (and
Cornelius in Acts 10), became Christ-followers.
(Converts were first called Christians in the city of Antioch).
Lydia is a seller of purple of the city of Thyatira.
Thyatira, mentioned in the book of Revelation, is said to be the least
important of the seven cities. It was more important commercially than
politically.
How did Lydia express her desire to know the one true God?
- Lydia
worshipped God. The chief deity of the city of Thyatira was
Apollo who was worshipped as a sun-god. She was probably not a Jew. Yet, the
Bible says Lydia worshipped God so she must have been seeking the truth like a
lot of Gentiles were at that time. A lot of people worship God but they are not
saved. Lydia was one of those people.
- Lydia's
heart was opened by God. She listened intently to what Paul and
the others were saying. The Bible says she "heard us." God put Paul
in the right place at the right time. God opened Lydia's heart to receive the
truth that she was seeking. God will always make sure that the person who seeks
Him, finds Him. And God always puts a person who He can trust with the gospel
message in the path of a sinner.
- Lydia
listened and heeded to what was said. She not only listened but
she regarded with care. The things that he was saying spoke to her heart. God
had already opened her heart to receive the gospel and now she acted upon what
she heard. She got saved. Lydia was Paul's first convert in Macedonia. The
dream that Paul had, in which there stood a man who beckoned him to come was
now answered.
- She
placed herself in an environment of worship meeting by the river
on the sabbath and she is listening. Listen is an active skill whereas hearing
is a passive skill. Listening is full attention to what is being said and the
reason behind it. Listening to understand.
BOARD: What do verses 14-15 reveal
about our role in sharing the gospel with our families?
How does this truth influence the way you think about your
role as a spiritual influence in your family or home? What is your responsibility? What role does God play?
- Be a
witness and plant a seed, let God do the rest
- God
opens the heart
- We are
not responsible for the faith of our children or others in our families (or
friends, for that matter). We are responsible only for giving a faithful
witness to the gospel.
BOARD: Question asked earlier: Do you
believe the faith you have influences other people?
When she and her household (oikos) were baptized . . .”- makes
it clear that it was her household.
Tim Keller: The Main Method of Evangelism
In the book of Acts, especially in the chapters 10 and
following, the “main method” of evangelism of the early church emerges. It is
not a program or a well-oiled scheme — it is what we will call “oikos
evangelism”. “Oikos” is the Greek word for “household”, but we must
be careful not to read into this term our own concept of the family. A Graeco-Roman
household contained not only several generations of the same family, but
also servants, families of servants, friends, and even business
associates. Essentially, new believers shared their faith with other members
of their “oikos”, and thus people came to faith through web networks
of relationships.
Not only church history, but modern research has shown that
the vast majority of persons come to faith through the witness of a friend,
relative, or associate — not through massive programs or campaigns.
3 Principles of Oikos Evangelism
1. Definition. An “oikos” is a web of common kinship
affinity (relatives), geographical affinity (neighbors), vocational affinity
(co-workers), associational affinities (special interest colleagues), and plain
friends.
2. Advantages. Oikos evangelism is the most
personally demanding of all the methods of evangelism, because it requires
primarily that you be a changed person, transformed by the gospel. Your life is
the main attractor and the main evidence for the truth of the faith. In “oikos”
evangelism, your life is under observation by those who don’t believe. You
can’t run and you can’t hide! If your character is flawed (or even
unexceptional), you won’t be effective. “Oikos” evangelism is therefore very non-manipulative.
The person outside the faith is, in a sense, “in the driver’s seat”. He or she
gets to raise questions and determines at what speed the process proceeds.
There is no “canned” presentation. He or she also has a personal knowledge of
the evangelist, and thus gets a very good and fair view of what Christianity is
all about and how it works in someone’s life. In short, all the “advantages” of
oikos evangelism are for the unbeliever, not the believer. No wonder it is so
effective!
3. Pre-requisites. Essentially, the pre-requisite is
that the gospel changes us. Until that happens, we will be ineffective
witnesses.
First the joyful effects of the gospel in our
own lives must give us an enormous energy for witness. How can we keep our
mouths closed about such a wonder? If that energy is not there, we must repent
and seek God until it flows.
Second, the humbling nature of the gospel must
lead us to approach non-believers without superiority and with lots of respect.
Since we are saved only by God’s grace and not our goodness, we expect to often
find wisdom and compassion in non-Christians which at many points may exceed
ours. Is that humility and respect there? If not, we will be ineffective.
Third, the love experience of the gospel must
remove from us the fear of others’ disapproval. Is this boldness increasing? If
not, we must repent and reflect on the gospel and God’s acceptance with us
until this fear diminishes.
These three-character qualities are absolutely necessary.
Put another way, if you are not effective in reaching others for Christ, it is
because of a lack of joy, a lack of humility and gentleness, or a lack of
boldness. Which is it?
If the gospel fills us with joy, humility, and
confidence, then we will not treat non-Christians as “evangelism cases” —
people that we relate to, talk to, and care for only in order to win them over
to our side. That is to objectify and dehumanize them, and, ironically, it is unwinnable.
We should not love people in order to evangelize them. Rather, we should evangelize
them in order to love them. The more these dynamics are present in our lives
the more we will draw in new people like a magnet (Acts 2:47).
That’s a faith that
influences other people?
As Paul preached to the women about Jesus, Lydia responded
to his message. The wording of verse 14
is important for our understanding of Christian witnessing. We are not responsible for the faith of our
children or others in our families (or friends, for that matter). We are responsible only for giving a faithful
witness to the gospel. No doubt Lydia also shared the gospel with her family by
telling them of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection as she heard from Paul.
According to verse 15, what was the first thing Lydia did
after her family was saved and baptized?
- She invited them to come stay at her home. She
started the first house church.
What moved Lydia from being a ‘worshiper of God’ to joining
Paul and Silas in the mission? What united Lydia, Paul and Silas?
- Being all in for Christ
- The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s
message of the gospel.
BOARD: Paul and Silas were thrown in
jail and then miraculously released.
Afterward, the city officials told the two men to leave the city. Before leaving, Paul and Silas stopped by
Lydia’s house, where the church had gathered.
BOARD: 40 After Paul and Silas
came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the
brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left.
From verse 40, what can you also infer about Lydia’s
newfound faith, how it impacted her life, and her relationship to the
church?
- Lydia’s
all in participation is what began the first church in Philippi
How did Lydia’s actions impact the spreading of the gospel?
· It is
no exaggeration to say that without the partnership and resources of Lydia,
Paul’s initial evangelizing efforts may have never given rise to the
flourishing community of Christ-believers at Philippi, who remained a source of
encouragement and support to him throughout his ministry.
What demonstrated that Lydia was “all in”?
· Her
life was changed and all she wanted to do was live for Christ.
What could it have looked like if Lydia wasn’t fully committed to the mission once she was saved?
· Lydia
would just have remained an onlooker with her faith. It would not have been a
faith that influences others.
What could be the impact if “the full number” of our church
members were “ALL IN” with the mission of our church?
BOARD: MAIN POINT: As
Christ followers we’re called to be unified around His mission.
APPLICATION
What truths from this story in Acts apply directly to your
life?
Would you say that people in your life know that you follow
Jesus Christ? Why or Why not?
How does the gospel message change what is most important
to you?
What evidence is there that you are growing in your
relationship with Christ in the past year?
Are you ‘all in’ with our church’s mission? What’s the difference between church activity
and being part of a mission that’s bigger than you are?
What next step is God prompting you to take toward
being more engaged in our church’s mission?
Check any or all that may apply.
⃝ Membership ⃝ Baptism ⃝ Regular
Giving
⃝ Sacrificial giving ⃝ Bible study group ⃝ Serving with children/students
⃝ Mentoring someone/Being mentored ⃝ Host Team
⃝ Prayer ministry ⃝ Seasonal
projects/Local missions
⃝ Women/Men’s Ministry ⃝ Other______________
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