Reality Student Ministries

Acts 27

Dean — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 23:23:24 +0000

In this chapter, we read of of the events written by Luke. We see all these events unfold as Paul heads to Rome sailing through the Mediterranean Sea. The trip was dangerous and carried much risk. The winds are contrary to their journey, but they continue to sail on. Paul warns all on the trip that they may be injured or die and the ship and it’s cargo will be damaged. Regardless of the warning, those in charge of the ship sails on. The ship sails close to the islands they pass to avoid the weather and strong winds. As the winds arose, the ship was tossed about. The wind is called Euroclydon, which means ” A cyclonic tempestuous northeast wind which blows in the Mediterranean”. The sailors lose control of the ship by the island of Cauda, which is south of Crete. As the ship is cast to and fro for a number of days, the crew begins to jettison things on the ship. Paul stands among the men again and changes his message to them. In verse 22 he tells the men to “be of good cheer” because no one will loose their life. He tells them an angel of God conveyed this to him. The ship drew near to an island, but the crew knew not where they were due the overcast skies. As the ship moved near to the island, they feared it would crash into the rocky shore of the island. They were ready to abandon ship but in verse 31 Paul tells the men, “Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved”. Paul urges them to eat. He gives thanks to the Lord for His provision. With renewed energy the crew makes a decision to head the ship for shore. They run the ship aground. The ship breaks apart as they do this. The soldiers make a decision to kill Paul and the other prisoners, but the centurion was willing to save Paul. All those on board make it safely on shore.

We see a number of applications here. The first, no matter what the circumstances Paul shows us we must place our hope in no other person or being than Christ. Time and time again, as we have walked through his life in Acts, we see he does not waver or have any reservation of this. The second would be to always be ready to share the message of the gospel. Here again, throughout the book of Acts, we see Paul do this whether the person is a regular guy or a powerful king, even when his life is in jeopardy. On a personal note, I really like verse 31. Like many other illustrations in the Bible, the place we can be we the safest is with Jesus. He is the ship we must abide in. There is salvation in no other.

Spaghetti Feed

Chad — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 06:51:58 +0000

Come and Join us for an all Church Spaghetti feed on Sunday, May 2nd. We will be serving a spaghetti lunch after both services. It will be $5 per person of $20 for a family of four, or more. Contact Chad Carpenter for more info.

Acts Chapter 3

Chad — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:33:25 +0000

In Acts chapter 3 we see Peter and John going to the Temple. They came across a man laying at the gate called Beautiful. This man was carried to and put there daily so he could ask money of those entering the Temple. When he asked Peter and John for money, Peter replied and told him that they did not have money but what they did have was Jesus. Instantly, the lame man was healed and he got up and began to jump around and praise God as they entered the Temple. All the people saw this and when they recognized him as the lame man who sat at the gate, they were filled with amazement.

Peter then took the opportunity to preach the Gospel to the people and gave credit to God for the healing of the lame man. Peter went on to tell the people that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies, and, ultimately, they were responsible for crucifying Him. He then called for the people to repent of their sins and turn to Jesus.

There are couple thing we can take from this chapter:

1. The Jews missed Jesus.

The lame man sat at the gate every day asking for money but never recognized his need for Jesus. Like many of us, he regularly came to church but it was nothing more than a means to an end. He was so focused on his physical situation that he didn’t see his spiritual need. This was typical of the Jewish people. You see, not long before this particular day, Jesus had been right in front of these same people, healing, forgiving sins, and loving the unlovable. They did not recognize Him for who he was. Even though there was more than enough evidence to support Jesus’ claims, the Jews were always asking for more signs. This, sadly, was the case for the nation of Israel through out the Bible. Despite all of the amazing things that God had done for them through out their history, they always asked for more.

Let us not be guilty of the same thing. Let us recognize who Jesus is and our need for Him.

2. Peter and John gave Jesus.

Peter and John didn’t have money but they did have Jesus. Most of us have people in our lives who are not believers. When was the last time you took an opportunity to give them Jesus? As a result of this, chapter 4 tells us that many people gave their lives to Jesus. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians that the Gospel is a stumbling block to some and foolishness to others but our duty, as believers, is to preach Christ crucified. It’s not our job to make it make sense. It’s our job to simply preach the Gospel and let God work in people’s lives.

Let us take every opportunity to preach the Gospel to those around us. But, more than just uttering words from our lips, we must live it, also. We see in Acts chapter 2 that the believers were able to praise God and have favor with men and, as a result, the lord added to their numbers daily. This means that when those who were not believers saw what was going on in the Church that they wanted to get in on it. This is why people responded when Peter preached. As the actions of our life and the words we utter both line-up with the Gospel, God will do amazing things.

Acts Chapters 1-2

Stewart — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:51:16 +0000

On Tuesday night, I had the great privilege of introducing the book of Acts and teaching through the first two chapters. During our study we learned that one of the big themes about Acts is “Witness”. The word “Witness” is used all over the book in some form or another. Jesus tells the disciples that they will be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth. The word witness is used in chapters 1-2 four times in the ESV Bible, in fact. The coolest part about being a witness for Jesus is the fact that it isn’t expected to be done in our own strength. If you’re like most people, you know how easy it is to make an excuse about WHY you believe you can’t do something. Too tall, too short, too fat, too skinny, too smart, not smart enough! We can come up with a reason if we just think hard enough, but Jesus promises to do His work through us, by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is what He promised to His disciples before he had ascended into Heaven. He told them that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them, and the Power He would give would be for the purpose of making them witnesses.

If you weren’t there on Tuesday night, I highly recommend reading through chapters 1 and 2 of the book of Acts, and get acquainted with the events leading up to the first church. Then ask yourself, “Is that same Spirit still available for me if I just ask the Lord and wait?” . The answer is YES!

Perhaps right now you’re desiring to have the Lord fill you with His Spirit so you can be empowered to be His witness. Well, it’s as simple as asking. From your heart, pray something like this, “Lord Jesus, I love you, and I thank you for redeeming me! Now, Lord, I ask for the power of Your Spirit to be in me, in order that I may be a witness for you. I ask this according to your will, and in your name, AMEN.”

Summer Camp!

Stewart — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:29:50 +0000

Hey folks, we are starting to work on our plans for this year’s Summer Camp! If you weren’t there last year, then you certainly missed out. We had an awesome time at the Antone Ranch, swimming, hiking, playing hide-and-seek in the dark while the leaders fooled everyone into believing there was a cougar prowling around… you know, fun stuff like that!

The Book of Acts

Stewart — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:20:56 +0000

We started our current study in the book of acts on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010.
Join us every Tuesday night at 6:30pm at the Youth Building as we explore the amazing events of the book of Acts, and learn how the same things are still possible today!