Acts 6:7; 12:24; 13:49; 19:20

Bringing the sermon home:

As we journey through the life of the first Christian church and the churches they planted, we consider the implications of four different statements summarizing the growth of the church in the book of Acts where “the Word” (i.e., the gospel) is treated as though it is a force all its own. Upon reflection, Luke’s point becomes clear: the power to change lives resides in the Word itself. As Paul wrote in Romans 1:16, “the gospel… is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” While it’s true that no one will believe unless they hear and that no one will hear unless someone tells them, the power resides in the Word shared.
 
As such, not only must we be diligent to continue to grow in our knowledge of God’s Word and to share God’s Word with others, but we must also be diligent not to alter or dilute God’s Word, sapping it of its power. Furthermore, if it is “only God who gives the growth” (1 Cor 3:7), we must be diligent to follow the pattern of the first Christians in regularly praying together for God to bless our ministry of the Word to one another and to our neighbors (Acts 4:29; 6:4; 12:12).
 
Leaving Acts and skipping ahead to the end of the Apostle Paul’s life on earth, we see these same principles continuing to compel him to share the Word with others, even though doing so has brought him great suffering and his imminent death. Knowing that the Word of God cannot be bound, he declares that he endures everything for the sake of the salvation of others. Not only is the Word what changes lives, but the Word is what compels sacrifice. In the end, every church must say, “the Word did the work”.

Follow-up article: "I did nothing; the Word did everything"



Sermon Outline:

1. The Word is what changes lives. (Acts 6:7; 12:24; 13:49; 19:20)
2. The Word is what compels sacrifice. (2 Timothy 2:8-10)