The gospel message is the heart of Christianity. We are called not just to be experts of the gospel and to communicate the gospel well, but we are also commanded to defend the gospel. Leaders of churches have an even greater responsibility to defend the gospel both from within and from outside of the church. In Acts 15, we will discover how the early church leaders defended the gospel from attacks from people within the church.

In the Book of Acts we see a clear pattern of believers intentionally entering new areas, sharing the Gospel, beginning transformational discipleship, gathering believers into simple house churches, appointing local leaders (elders), and moving on to other areas with the intention of returning to strengthen these new churches as part of the growing multi-ethnic Body of Christ. In Acts 14:21-28 we see Paul and Barnabas returning to the newly established churches in Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch to strengthen the believers and appoint local leaders in the face of heavy persecution. Join us at JICF this week as we take a deeper look at the establishment of leaders in these early churches and how this relates to healthy, biblical forms of leadership in the modern church.

The message of the gospel requires a response from us. What would be a good and bad response?
Let us learn from what happens in Acts 14: 8-20.

As we continue to follow Paul’s and Barnabas’ missionary journey into the cities of Iconium, Lystra and Derbe, we can extract from the passage that they possess certain characteristics that made them effective missionaries. Let us discover more of what made them effective missionaries.

In Acts 13 we see the first missionary journey. We look at the ways Paul presents the Gospel to those he encounters on this journey and explore lessons we can take away to help us fulfill God’s great commission together.

“What is God’s will for my life?” is a common question among Christian. How do we figure out God’s will? How can we align ourselves with His will? In this sermon, we went through Acts 13:1-12 to find out.

The book of Acts is about how Jesus miraculously fulfills his promise to bring the gospel to the end of the earth. There were many insurmountable obstacles to the spread of the gospel. In Acts 12:1-15, one of the obstacles is the government’s violent persecution of believers. But God is sovereign and can overcome this seemingly insurmountable obstacle to fulfill his plan miraculously. As result, even believers today can trust God more and continue to share the gospel courageously.

In this sermon, we explore the reaction of the Jewish church in Jerusalem to the news that Peter had reached out to the Gentiles. Do we reach across barriers as Peter did to share the Good News with those who are ethnically and religiously different than ourselves? If not, why not? And if we desire to do so, how?

It is God’s desire for everyone to be saved, regardless of who you are. So far from the book of Acts we have seen how when social, economical, gender and cultural obstacles were addressed and overcome, multitudes were added to the early church. In this sermon, wee address the issue of prejudices against the gentiles and how victory over this obstacle resulted in the gospel being spread to every nation throughout the earth.

Up to this point in the book of Acts we have seen Peter in a number of contexts. Whether in his status among the apostles as in chapter one, or his gospel ministry in chapters 2 and 3, his boldness before the Sanhedrin in chapter 4 and 5, or his condemnation of sin in chapters 5 and 8, then later in his gospel presentation to the gentiles later in chapter ten. But the picture isn’t complete until we notice the pastoral tone of his apostolic ministry at the end of chapter nine.

In this important and touching story we see Peter continuing to do miracles as God has done through him many time up until this point, but we also see another side of Peter: a snapshot of how he acts and speaks. This snapshot shows us how he sought to act and speak in an intentionally Christlike way, drawing attention away from himself so that Christ would be glorified. This resulted in many people coming to Christ as the church played their role in witness.

How do you come across within your friendship group and in your workplace? Is Christ seen and heard?

Last Sunday, we witnessed the dramatic conversion of Saul when Jesus appeared to him. What does Saul then share with his fellow Jews – and what was the reaction of those that both rejected and accepted Jesus as the Messiah? How can share our faith today in Indonesia – and what reaction might we expect? And how can we ourselves be a modern-day Barnabas who we read mentored Saul (who we know as Paul) as a new believer who went on to do great things for our Lord

What are the characteristics of a true conversion? When the apostles and prophets preached the gospel, many people wanted to believe in Jesus. However, not all were true converts, such as Simon the magician. It is important for us to know the characteristics of a true conversion. We look at the dramatic conversion of Saul and see some of the characteristics of a true convert from Acts 9:1-19a.

On Sunday, we explored Acts 8:26-40, about Philip the Evangelist and the Ethiopian eunuch. This passage highlights the powerful work of the Holy Spirit and the profound impact of sharing the Good News. Come and be inspired by Philip’s obedience and the Ethiopian eunuch’s pursuit of God.

The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church’ is the famous saying by the church father, Tertullian. Persecution does not contain the gospel, but it helps trigger the expansion of it as we see in the Acts 8: 1 -25 and beyond.

Last Sunday, we read about Stephen being the first Christian martyr almost 2,000 years ago. In fact, the Apostle Paul reminded Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:12 that “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”. This Sunday, please join us to be encouraged by the testimonies of modern day Christians throughout the world who have been persecuted for their faith as we watch the video “The Power of the Persecuted Church”.

Has God ever put you in a situation where you have to defend God’s truth or confront sin? Think about current hot topics like LGBTQ. What did you do? Or what would you do if God puts you in a situation like that? In what situation should you confront or be more patient and tactful? Come and learn how Stephen reacted and learn how to apply the Bible in our various situations.

Stephen was a wonderful man, used by God in amazing ways. Yet his Christ-like ministry, while certainly used to draw people to Christ, provoked a familiar reaction from the Jews: Anger, slander and lies, leading to his arrest. Stephen’s very godliness and wisdom led to his persecution. Stephen’s lifestyle, ministry and character under trial is a much-needed example for us as we seek to stand for Christ and boldly speak the truth amongst people who could well react the same way the Jews did. Do you believe that God can use your life and words for His glory in your context?

What would you do if you have the greatest gift of all time and you want the whole world to know about it and to receive it? How would you empower a small group of your discouraged disciples to spread this Good News? Hear how the arrival of the promised Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus and makes him real to us.

As believers, we are all commanded to share the Good News about Jesus Christ. But as we present the evidence for the truth of the Good News, we should expect and be prepared for others to react in a variety of ways – and we need to understand what motivates others to react as they do!

Often, our discussions about God center on His love, forgiveness, and mercy, overlooking His holiness. God’s holiness and His nature are not two things, they are but one! God’s holiness is His nature, and God’s nature is His holiness. This holiness presents a dilemma for mortal beings—we are drawn to Him as our creator, yet we also feel small and unworthy in His presence. In the Old Testament, God’s wrath is portrayed as a response to human sin and disobedience, contrasting with human anger, which is often unjustified. The difference lies in the holiness and justification of God’s wrath compared to the often unholy and rarely justified wrath of humans.

After apostles Peter and John were released from jail, they did not stop preaching the gospel. This requires boldness in the face of opposition. In fact the early church believers joined them in prayer so that all of them would not be discouraged from doing God’s will (Acts 1:8). The persecution continued to intensify but that did not stop believers to talk about Jesus being the Messiah, and that only in the name of Jesus can man have salvation. Come and discover how the early church Christians lived out their faith so that we may emulate their boldness.

This week we are on Acts 4:1 – 22. We learn about how the Holy Spirit used Peter and John to witness with courage and wisdom.

This week we are on Acts chapter 3:11-26. We learn about Peter’s second sermon to the Jews after Jesus death and resurrection and seeing how he boldly proclaimed the Gospel them.

Often, we are busy with life that we miss out on ministry opportunities around us. Other times we don’t want to be inconvenienced so we just toss a little money to the poor as we go on our way. Do we have margin in our busy lives to allow the worship of our lives to flow naturally into spontaneous opportunities to serve others and proclaim the gospel? Peter and John give us an example of how their abiding relationship with Christ naturally flowed into an opportunity for Christ to be exalted publicly. Are we also ready for the unexpected, spontaneous ways in which God will provide opportunities to us?

As we study Acts 2:42-47, we unwrap about how the apostles directed the first Christians to use their time and resources – and lessons we can learn for ourselves.

Sharing the gospel is vital for fulfilling the Great Commission as it is a top priority for all Christians. However, are you unsure about how to share the gospel or what to say? This Sunday, we will learn how the apostle Peter shared the gospel. From his example, we can learn how to share the gospel faithfully also. Even seasoned evangelists can learn from Peter. Come join us this Sunday.

What would you do if you have the greatest gift of all time and you want the whole world to know about it and to receive it? How would you empower a small group of your discouraged disciples to spread this Good News? Hear how the arrival of the promised Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus and makes him real to us.

(Correction Timestamp 10:45 and 12:07, Jesus did not appear to 500 witnesses in the Gospel of Luke but 1 Corinthians 15:6)

Waiting for something is not the easiest thing to do in life, especially when it comes to God’s promises. Most of us find it extremely difficult to NOT do anything while waiting. We are like always antsy. Always trying to find something to do. It is extremely difficult to just “sit and do nothing”. As we go through Acts 1:12-26, I want us to pay special attention to the lives of the disciples. Their behaviors, their demeanors, their attitudes and their actions while they were waiting for something BIG to happen.

Our God is a missionary God. Our is also a global God . And therefore, His vision is that all the people on earth will come to know and worship Him. He wants each Christian to be part of this vision. The book of Acts tells us about how God empowered christian to do it and will continue to do so.