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Remember: Hosanna Kite Rally and Easter Egg Hunt is this Sunday after service! Bring your kites, your kids, and your friends and come enjoy fellowship with us!!

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Unquenchable Passion for the Mission (Acts 13-28) (Paul) ------------------------------------------------------- God created each of us with a love or passion for some things in life (music, cooking, building, sports, and so forth). As Christians, our greatest passion should be to accomplish the mission of sharing the gospel with others. We should squeeze every drop of life out for people knowing Jesus. Application points: -- Don’t die naturally any less sold out than a martyr. -- Find what role you pay in the mission. -- Let THE Passion direct your passion and don’t stop until you die.

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Good News for Everyone (Acts 10) (Cornelius) ------------------------------------------------------- God loves ALL people, not just those that look like us, smells like us, or that we agree with. To give us insight into a very different culture and situations that we are not familiar with, Pastor David read part of his journal from his trip to Kenya. When Cornelius was praying, an angel showed up and told him that he would receive a message. Angels no longer share the gospel … that comes through us (Gal 1:6-9). We need to test what we hear. Remember, God will not say anything different from what he said in the first century. We’ve never met a common person. All human souls are immortal and we should do more than merely tolerate them. The power of God and the gospel changes lives. People you find revolting could become a brother or sister in Christ. Just as some people nudge the tax code to see what they can get away with, some people nudge God’s law to get away with as much as is possible. We need to be honest with our own prejudices (skin color, accent, person’s age, style of dress, educational status, nationality, political party, and so forth) so that we can share God’s love. Application points: -- Every person matters. Don’t live dismissive lives. -- Don’t try to limit Jesus. -- Be ready You never know when God will “show up.”

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Submit Your Passion to Christ (Acts 8:1; 9:1-9, 17-30) ------------------------------------------------------- Things that are our passion are from God. But we need to make Jesus Lord of everything … otherwise, our life will have tragic mistakes. We are motivated to running 100 miles an hour to pursue our passion, But if we have not submitted it to Christ, we will be running that fast in the wrong direction. Saul/Paul was always zealous for God, but thought Jesus was a pretender. On his way to Damascus, he received clarity on Who God and Jesus really are. Paul’s passion was always about people knowing God, and although he pursued it in a way that he thought was the right way, but it was wrong. God created us to be passionate about some things, but our passion alone is not enough to give our life meaning. Our passion becomes a conduit for our mission. If we do not submit our passion to Christ, then we do not know the direction He wants us to go with it. Once we submit our passion to Christ, we won’t be silent, even if some people get upset with us. Paul was not only given a passion, but also the commission to share his passion with the word. Like Abraham with Ishmael, we need to be careful not to try to force our passion instead of waiting for God’s timing. We should ALWAYS pray for God’s will and timing, and that He shows us what He wants us to do with our passion. Application points: -- If you keep “bloodying” yourself in life, check to see if you are resisting God. -- Embrace the change that Jesus brings. -- If God says “Do,” don’t wait for everyone else’s approval.