Sermon Outlines

The Beginning of the Church (Acts 1)
We learn the importance of the Church, from the Church before it was the Church.
   1. Jesus gathered His followers (1-5)
     The Church is founded by Jesus and empowered by the HS.
   2. Jesus commissioned His followers (6-11)
     Jesus commanded us to witness “to the end of the earth.”
   3. His followers waited and prayed (12-14)
     The Church is still called to gather and wait on the Lord.
   4. His followers waited and prepared (15-26)
     Jesus set up an authority structure in the Church to manage ministry efforts.

The Coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2)
The first time Christians were filled with the Spirit shows us what it looks like.
  1. The power of the Spirit (1-13)
   The Holy Spirit powerfully fulfills Christ’s promise and work in and through us.
  2. The power of the Gospel (14-39)
   Anyone who has experienced the saving power of the truth of Jesus will share it.
  3. The power in the Church (40-47)
   The church is the home of those who follow Jesus, living and growing in their faith.

Our God Heals (Acts 3)
God still does miracles today that demonstrate His love for us.
  1. Rise up and walk (1-10)
   Jesus heals, physically and spiritually, just not always on our timeline.
  2. Why do you marvel? (11-16)
   We should expect God to work in our lives, and recognize it when He does.
  3. Repent and be converted (17-26)
   The way God works should grow our faith and dedication to Him.

To Be Bold Like Jesus (Acts 4:1-31)
True followers of Jesus begin to look, sound, act, and even suffer like Him.
  1. Bold as a preacher of Christ’s salvation (1-12)
   Since we expect to be opposed like Jesus was, we preach shamelessly as Jesus did.
  2. Bold as a witness of Christ’s goodness (13-22)
   When we share what God has done in our life, God’s goodness is too good to argue.
  3. Bold as a member of Christ’s body (23-31)
   After the challenges of serving the Lord, we gather with the church to pray and be refilled.

God’s Design for the Church (Acts 4:32-5:16)
Faithful Christians help their church be what God intended it to be.
   1. A church that gives everything (4:32-37)
     Everything we have is the Lord’s, and the Lord works through the church.
   2. A church that trusts, not tests (5:1-11)
     The Lord sees our hearts, so we can’t fake our faith or our service.
   3. A church that does God’s work (5:12-16)
     The church changes the lives of its members and the community.

God’s Work is Unstoppable (Acts 5:17-6:7)
The Lord works through His disciples despite opposition, persecution, and conflict.
   1. The Lord’s work sets captives free (5:17-32)
     God set His apostles free from prison, like He sets us free from sin and death.
   2. The Lord’s work is not vulnerable (5:33-42)
     Work apart from God amounts to nothing, but the work of God can’t be stopped.
   3. The Lord’s work grows as we grow (6:1-7)
     God’s work isn’t dependent on us, but the fruit we bear is His fruit.

The First Martyr (Acts 6:8-7:60)
To be full of faith is to bring Jesus to the world without fear.
   1. Saints don’t always prosper (6:8-15)
     Just because you’re faithfully serving the Lord, doesn’t mean it’s going to go your way.
   2. People don’t always learn (7:1-50)
     Learn from the past, don’t turn from the Lord like so many of God’s people have.
   3. Sharing doesn’t always work (7:51-60)
     A true life of faith gives everything to God, even if that means suffering or death.

Along for the Ride (Acts 8)
God is going to reach the world, are we ready to be a part of it?
   1. Scattering the Gospel (1-4)
     God works through all circumstances to reach the ends of the earth.
   2. Correcting the Gospel (5-25)
     We want to make sure we’re following God for the right reasons.
   3. Preaching the Gospel (26-40)
     We want to be ready for God to use us at any moment.

Saving the Unsavable (Acts 9)
There are no limits to who the Lord can save.
   1. Confronted by Christ (1-9)
     Fighting against the Lord hurts ourselves and others.
   2. Obedient to Christ (10-19)
     Sometimes the Lord sends us where we don’t want to go.
   3. Protected for Christ (20-30)
     Be wise but don’t be afraid of danger when serving the Lord.
   4. Resurrected like Christ (31-43)
     The Lord creates powerful new life in the lives of Christians.

How to disagree with God (Acts 10:1-11:18)
We want the wisdom to let God change our stubborn minds.
   1. Receiving a message from God (10:1-23)
     God responds to people who truly seek Him, even if they seek Him in the wrong place.
   2. Accepting the message from God (10:24-48)
     God often teaches and corrects us in a way that’s contrary to our current opinions.
   3. Discussing the message from God (11:1-18)
     It’s important to test if a message is from God by comparing it to the word of God.

The Hand of God (Acts 11:19-12:15)
The Lord intervenes to grow His Church in the face of adversity.
   1. The hand of guidance (11:19-30)
     We must trust God to guide our lives and ministry how He sees best.
   2. The hand of protection (12:1-17)
     We must trust God to protect us or allow us to suffer as He sees best.
   3. The hand of judgement (12:18-25)
     We must trust God to judge His enemies when He sees best.

Truth By Comparison (Acts 13)
The truth of Jesus is clear when measured against anything else.
   1. Real vs. Fraud Ministry (1-12)
     The true work of God is directed by Him and can’t be replicated without Him.
    2. Old vs. New Testament (13-41)
     There’s only one true God, whose plan continues from creation to His future kingdom.
   3. Accepted vs. Rejected Gospel (42-52)
     The same truth that is passionately believed by some will be passionately attacked by others.

Serving God Can Be Tough (Acts 14)
Sometimes successful ministry feels like our efforts are continuously being stopped.
   1. The gospel causes division (1-7)
     Even if we preach truth with grace, those who hate God will hate us too.
   2. The gospel is twisted by culture (8-20)
     People will misunderstand our faith through the lens of popular opinion.
   3. The gospel leads to sacrifice (21-28)
     Followers of Christ follow His example of sacrifice to minister to others.

How to Disagree in Church (Acts 15)
Orderly debate can be healthy, but stubborn disunity is harmful.
   1. Disputing about doctrine (1-12)
     Our disagreements are important enough to discuss and align on.
   2. Learning from leaders (13-31)
     It’s the job of the church to clarify and unify what we believe.
   3. Dealing with division (32-41)
     Even in a unified church, misalignment can cause division.

Walk, Live, Serve by Faith (Acts 16)
   1. Obedience to the Holy Spirit (1-15)
     A. Willing to do what we don’t want (1-5)
     B. Willing to not do what we do want (6-10)
     C. Willing to keep doing what we’re doing (11-15)
   2.Trust in the Lord’s Plan (16-40)
     A. God works in our suffering (16-24)
     B. God works in our setbacks (25-34)
     C. God works in our salvation (35-40)

How to Share Our Faith (Acts 17)
Sharing our faith can actually be more natural than keeping it to ourselves.
   1. Speaking to the critics (1-9)
     We don’t cause controversy, but we’re ready for God’s work to cause it.
   2. Speaking to the curious (10-15)
     To discern truth, one must both be open-minded/curious and thoughtful/critical.
   3. How we can share (16-21)
     We share our faith by meeting people where they’re at.
   4. How people can respond (22-34)
     When we share our faith; some don’t listen, some need more, and some believe.

How to Serve in Ministry (Acts 18)
Serving God and others is one of the most practical ways we follow Jesus.
   1. Value work in ministry (1-5)
     Most Christians are called to serve bi-vocationally; full-time work and ministry.
   2. Value God’s voice in ministry (6-17)
     God leads us through opposition, discouragement, fear, challenges, and lengthy processes.
   3. Value partnerships in ministry (18-23)
     In ministry there’s discipleship, which builds friendships that support each other.

Seeing Transformation in Christ (Acts 19)
Growing in our awareness of God’s work helps us trust and rely on Him more.
   1. Completing our faith (1-10)
     The Lord responds to our initial belief by deepening our understanding and calling.
   2. Replacing our sicknesses (11-22)
     The power of Jesus isn’t a formula, but we should expect it and rely on it for change.
   3. Challenging our priorities (23-41)
     People get angry at or ignore Jesus because He gets in the way of our unhealthy desires.

Devotion to Serving the Lord (Acts 20)
The Gospel drives us to the ministry of God’s word and the blessing of giving over receiving.
   1. Prioritize studying the Word of God (1-12)
     The early church wasn’t rushing home after church, they carved out as much time as needed.
   2. Prioritize serving others over self-interests (13-24)
      Paul chose to humbly serve through tears, chains, and trials instead of doing what’s comfortable.
   3. Prioritize teaching others to do the same (25-38)
     By word and deed, Paul taught others to study and serve as he did.

A Man on a Mission (Acts 21)
Following through on what God calls us to takes determination, graciousness, and faithfulness.
   1. Two cents worth of advice (1-16)
     We’re careful to encourage people without discouraging them from serving the Lord.
   2. Willing to go the extra mile (17-26)
     We’re willing to adjust our behavior to be unified with Christinas who are sensitive.
   3. No good deed goes unpunished (27-40)
     We don’t let what the world does wrong distract us from reaching it with God’s love.

Faith When Things Aren’t Going Well (Acts 22-23)
When we struggle we’re encouraged that God has a good plan for us.
   1. Our ministry in the struggle (22:1-22)
     Our testimony is a powerful tool for sharing Jesus.
   2. Self-defense in the struggle (22:23-23:10)
     We should defend ourselves, without compromising ourselves.
   3. God’s hand in the struggle (23:11-35)
     God uses the times that our life is tough for His purposes.

The Seriousness of the Gospel (Acts 24:1-25:12)
The life or death stakes of the message of Jesus disrupt our lives and those we share with.
   1. The Gospel makes enemies (24:1-21)
     We expect the message of Jesus to be divisive, so we want to be blameless when we share it.
   2. The Gospel predicts judgement (24:22-27)
     We don’t want to avoid the difficult truths of the message of Jesus that convict those who hear them.
   3. The Gospel reveals unrepentance (25:1-12)
     When confronted with the message of Jesus, people either repent or live captive by their rejection.

The Gospel in Every Situation (Acts 25:13-26:32)
Every Christian needs a missionary mindset to see opportunities to share Jesus.
   1. We’re where we need to be (25:13-27)
     No need to be anxious, because God has you where he wants you to serve Him.
   2. We have what people need (26:1-23)
     No need to be shy about your faith, because it makes too much sense in context.
   3. We remove barriers to belief (26:24-32)
     No need to be discouraged by rejection, because we remove excuses to facing God.

God Uses Us in Life’s Wrecks (Acts 27:1-28:10)
We trust God is always at work and we’re ready for Him to use us.
   1. Remember wisdom (27:1-12)
     We can only control what we can control, so be faithful with that.
   2. Remember hope (27:13-26)
     We don’t lose hope when we actually believe what God tells us.
   3. Remember to care (27:27-44)
     We earn people’s trust when we live out what God teaches us.
   4. Remember grace (28:1-10)
     Our salvation is undeserved grace, and we’re never done sharing it.

To the End of the Earth… (Acts 28:11-31)
Acts teaches us to share Jesus with the world by being who God calls us to be.
   1. Paul arrives in Rome (11-16)
     Our identity is being a part of the church that Jesus started, leads, and calls us to serve in.
   2. Paul connects with the Jews (17-24)
     Our mission is to share the message of salvation while demonstrating the love of Christ.
   3. Paul’s teaches those around him (25-31)
     Our duty is to study God’s word, live out what we learn, and teach others to do the same.