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The First Martyr (Acts 6:8-7:1; 7:51-8:4)

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 Sermon for Milledgeville and Centenary UMC [Slide] The First Martyr ( Acts 6:8-7:1; 7:51-8:4 ) [Slide] A line of souls await entry into heaven The angel asks the first man: Have you been married? Yes, I was. Welcome to Heaven. The next guy walks up. The angel asks, “Have you been married?” Yes, twice. You’re going to Hell. What? But... why? Listen, pal, Heaven is for martyrs, not for idiots.   What do you call people would just die to go shopping? Walmartyrs   [Slide] Today we’re talking about the first martyr of the Church. Do you know where we get the word martyr? It comes from the Greek which is spelled martys. It means witness or spectator. We came, we saw, but we didn’t have to die for it! Nowadays the word means someone who dies for a cause or is persecuted for a belief system.   The Martyrdom of Stephen Juan de Juanes [Slide] Stephen was introduced in the Book of Acts as one of seven men who were filled with the Holy Spi...
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Priesthood of All Believers (Acts 6:1-7)

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 Sermon for Milledgeville and Centenary UMC... [Slide] Priesthood of All Believers (Acts 6:1-7)   [Slide] A husband and his wife were always fighting each other. Neighbors could hear them yelling. The woman would shout, “When I die, I will dig my way up, out of the grave and haunt you for the rest of your life!” The whole neighborhood was afraid of her. At only 58, she died of a heart attack. She was buried at the local cemetery. Afterward, the husband went straight to the local bar and began to party. His neighbors asked, “Aren't you afraid she’s gonna dig her way up out of the grave and haunt you?” The husband laughed, “Let her dig. I had her buried upside down!”   [Slide] Today we are looking at an early Church fight. Widows, in the first century, were often destitute without their husbands. Therefore, the Church had an important mission to care for widows from the common purse. The church adhered to the instruction from Moses.   [Slide] When you finish tith...
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Signs and Wonders (Acts 3:1-16)

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 Sermon for Milledgeville & Centenary UMC... Signs and Wonders ( Acts 3:1-16 )   A guy in a wheelchair entered a restaurant and asked for a cup of coffee. The guy saw Jesus sitting nearby, so he told the waitress, "Give Jesus a cup of coffee on me.” The next patron to come in had a hunched back. He shuffled over to a booth, painfully sat down, and asked the waitress for a cup of hot tea. He saw Jesus sitting there and he too decided to treat Jesus. A guy on crutches entered the restaurant. He hobbled over to the bar, sat down and hollered, "Hey there, honey! Get me a cold beer! He looked around and asked, "Is that God's Son over there?" The waitress confirmed, so the man directed her to give Jesus a cold glass of beer. "On my bill," he said. As Jesus got up to leave, he passed by the man in a wheelchair, and the man with the hunched back and touched them saying "For your kindness, you are healed." They both praised God and dan...
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Church Life (Acts 2:38-47)

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 Sermon for Milledgeville and Centenary UMC... [Title] Church Life (Acts 2:38-47)   [Slide] A little girl was at church and told her mother she felt sick. Her mother told her to run outside and throw up behind the bushes. When she returned looking relieved, her mother asked if she was ok. The little girl said, “Yes, but I didn’t go outside. I found a box in the entryway that said, ‘For the Sick.’”   Did you hear about the priest who poisoned the communion wine? He was arrested for mass murder.   At the end of Acts Chapter 2, Luke gives us a snapshot of Church life for the early disciples.   [Slide] Peter told the crowds who responded to his preaching to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin. To join the Church is to make a change. Turn away from sin and turn to God in obedience. Baptism is a sign of belonging to the Church. We die with Christ to our former lives of sin and rise into new life empowered ...
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My Witnesses (Acts 1:4-11)

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 Sermon for Milledgeville and Centenary UMC... [Title] My Witnesses (Acts 1:4-11)   Today’s message is an introduction to the Book of Acts. As I mentioned last week, Acts is Luke’s sequel to his gospel account. It’s Jesus Part II. The Acts of the Apostles is the story of the early Church, the body of Christ continuing the ministry of Jesus.   [Slide] The key verse to understanding the Book of Acts is Acts 1:8.   You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.   [Slide] Here is an outline of Acts, broken down to three major sections patterned after Acts 1:8. Witness in Jerusalem (Acts 1-7), witness in Judea and Samaria (Acts 8-12), and witness to the ends of the earth (Acts 13-28). Paul’s ministry takes him from Antioch, to Asia Minor (Turkey) to Greece (Macedonia) to Rome, the center of the western world.   [Slide] Here ...
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