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Lessons from Acts – Unified – Not Uniform

Brian Hopkins

October 20, 2025

In the Garden of Gethsemane on the night He was betrayed, Jesus prayed that His disciples would be one just as He and the Father are One. But that doesn't mean we should be cookie-cutter duplicates of one another - all striving under our own power and by our own will to do the same old things we believe are "the right things to do." Rather, it means that we should be united under the guidance of God's Spirit that by His power and in His will we may apply the individual spiritual gifts that He has given all of His children. If we rely upon our own power to accomplish the things we ourselves have determined, we will be ineffective in accomplishing the mission God has assigned to us - to share the Gospel of eternal salvation in Jesus alone, and to raise up disciples of Jesus to carry on the mission of building God's Kingdom together in true unity of mind and spirit.

Lessons from Acts – Prayer-Power-Provision

Brian Hopkins

October 12, 2025

Jesus warned His apostles that they would be brought before rulers to give a defense for their Gospel testimony and that they were not to wonder what they would say in those moments - that God's Spirit would give them the right words at the right time. Such was the case when Peter and John were brought before the Sanhedrin to explain by what power and in whose Name they had healed a lame man and were preaching the Gospel. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter gave a powerful testimony, saying that there is only one Name given by whom we must be saved - the Name of Jesus of Nazareth. After they were released and reported what had happened to the other disciples, all of them offered prayers of thanks and praise giving God all the glory for the miraculous healing and for Peter and John's release. In response, God's Spirit powerfully shook the place they were praying.

Lessons from Acts – The Holy Spirit

Brian Hopkins

September 28, 2025

Throughout history, God has placed His Spirit upon various people at various times for His good purposes. We see a good example of this in the book of Numbers chapter 11 when God poured out His Spirit upon the leaders of the clans of Israel in response to Moses' cries for help. But many years afterward, the prophet Joel foretold that God would one day pour out His Spirit upon all people. The fulfillment of that prophecy came just a few days after Jesus ascended back to His Father on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus' apostles just as He had promised at the last supper, and reiterated just before He was taken up.

More Things To Do

Brian Hopkins

September 21, 2025

Paul concludes his letter to the Colossians with some instructions about prayer. He asks them to pray for him and those who are with him in Rome - not that they might be release from prison, but that God would open doors in their current situation to share the Gospel effectively with those around them. He advises the Colossians (and us) to be specific in our prayers, to always pray with thankful hearts, and to pray always in the Spirit. But he also gives a warning to always be watchful so that we don't fall into temptations from the spirit of our enemy.

New You – Better Life

Brian Hopkins

September 14, 2025

In the last part of Colossians 3, Paul gives instructions regarding our relationships with others - particularly our family members, our employees, and our employers. Over the years there has been a great deal of misunderstanding about this passage - so much so that preachers often simply skip over it to avoid controversy. However, it is really quite simple to understand these instructions. They reflect God's sovereign design for human society. Jesus is head of all. If men, women, and children simply submit ourselves under His authority and let all our words and actions reflect His lordship over them, the divinely ordained order for our human relationships falls right into line.