Finding Hope in the Middle: Acts 16 Explained

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Finding Hope in the Middle: Acts 16 Explained

Made New, Part 4

June 23, 2024 • Cam Lazier • Acts 16:16–32

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In this passionate weekly update from Bridgepoint Church, Cam, the student pastor, welcomes attendees and announces the upcoming summer camp. He then delves into Acts 16, focusing on Paul and Silas' imprisonment and their unwavering faith amidst adversity. Despite being beaten and jailed unjustly, Paul and Silas choose to worship and pray, leading to a miraculous event that impacts their jailer profoundly. Cam emphasizes the lesson of continuing to share the gospel and show love even in the midst of life's toughest challenges, inspiring listeners to persevere and trust in God's unchanging power and love.

Questions for Reflection:

* How does the story of Paul and Silas in Acts 16 encourage you to share Jesus in difficult circumstances?

* What can we learn from their example of worshiping God in adversity?

* Have you experienced a situation where your faith was tested? How did you respond?

* Reflect on a time when you felt God's presence even in challenging times.

* How does the gospel remain unchanged and relevant today, despite cultural and societal shifts?

* What inner strengths can we draw upon when facing hardships, similar to Paul and Silas in prison?

* How can we show love and kindness to others, even when facing personal struggles?

* What lessons can we learn from the jailer's conversion about God's transformative power?

* How can we cultivate a deeper faith that remains steadfast during difficult seasons?

* In what ways can we actively share the message of Jesus with those around us, regardless of our circumstances?

Finding Hope in the Midst of Suffering: How Faith Transforms Us Through Trials

June 30, 2024 • Tyler Crosson • Acts 20:22–24, Matthew 16:25–26, 2 Corinthians 4:16–18

As we wrap up the "Made New" series, Tyler explores an interesting aspect of Paul’s journey: God's revelation to Paul that his purpose would include jail and suffering. In our culture, there is a real temptation to see Jesus as a "magic eraser" to life's pain, something we simply add to our lives. However, neither Jesus nor the early church communicated or lived this way. Instead, it is in suffering that we find ourselves most dependent on God's presence to bring meaning to our pain. This challenging yet hopeful message delves into Paul’s experiences and the hope he found in being made new, even through pain. Tyler reminds us that, like Paul, we can find strength and purpose in our suffering through our faith in Jesus. Questions for Reflection: • How have you viewed pain or suffering, in terms of your faith? Does it bring doubts? Why do you think that is the case? • Do you have a story of the goodness of God or presence of God in the midst of pain?

Everyone, Everywhere

June 16, 2024 • Tyler Crosson

The Missing Piece: Where is your faith GPS headed?

June 9, 2024 • Brad Curtis • Acts 9:19–22, Galatians 1:1–5

For Saul, the story of God always led one single direction. Then, he was met by the Risen Jesus on the road to Damascus. This encounter changed everything for Saul as he wrestled with reworking the story of God and God's people around the revelation that Jesus was both Messiah and King. This was the missing piece he needed to make sense of the story of his own life and calling. For us today, the invitation is much the same; to not miss the missing piece of true life by missing Jesus. In a world that offers us so many of alternatives to make sense of who we are are the world around us, it takes an encounter with the Risen Jesus to change everything for us as well. Questions for Reflection: 1) What kind of things have you used to make sense of the story of your life in the past (money, power, statues, relationships, etc)? 2) What would it look like for you to re-work the story of your life around "the missing piece," Messiah Jesus? (More questions included in the Group Discussion Guide)