Thematic Bible: Effective
Thematic Bible
Preaching » Effective » By paul
Then Paul got up and motioned with his hand and said: "Fellow Israelites, and you who reverence God, listen! The God of this people Israel chose our forefathers, and made this people important during their stay in Egypt, and then with an uplifted arm He led them out of it. Then after He had fed them forty years in the desert, read more.
He destroyed seven nations in Canaan and gave them their land as an inheritance for about four hundred and fifty years. And after that He gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. Then they demanded a king, and for forty years God gave them Saul, the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin. Then He deposed him and raised up for them David to be king, to whom He bore this testimony, 'I have found in David, the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all that my will requires.' It is from this man's descendants that God, as He promised, has brought to Israel a Saviour in the person of Jesus, as John, before His coming, had already preached baptism as an expression of repentance, for all the people of Israel. As John was closing his career, he said, 'What do you take me to be? I am not the Christ; no, but He is coming after me, and I am not fit to untie the shoes on His feet.' Brothers, descendants of the race of Abraham, and all among you who reverence God, it is to us that the message of this salvation has been sent. For the people of Jerusalem and their leaders, because they were ignorant of Him, by condemning Him have actually fulfilled the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, and although they could not find Him guilty of a capital offense, they begged Pilate to have Him put to death. When they had carried out everything that had been written in the Scriptures about Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb. But God raised Him from the dead, and for many days He appeared to those who had come up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and they are now witnesses for Him to the people. So now we are bringing you the good news about the promise that was made to our forefathers, that God has fulfilled it to us their children, by raising Jesus to life, just as the Scripture says in the Second Psalm, 'You are my Son, today I have become your Father.' Now as a proof that He has raised Him from the dead, no more to return to decay, He has spoken this, 'I will fulfill to you the holy promises made to David.' Because in another psalm he says, 'You will not let your Holy One experience decay.' For David, after having served God's purpose in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid among his forefathers, and so he did experience decay, but He whom God raised to life did not experience it. So, my brothers, you must understand that through Him the forgiveness of your sins is now proclaimed to you, and that through union with Him every one of you who believes is given right standing with God and freed from every charge from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. So take care that what is said in the prophets does not come upon you: 'Look, you scoffers! Then wonder and vanish away, for I am doing a work in your times which you will not at all believe though one may tell you in detail.'" As they were leaving the synagogue, the people kept begging that all this be repeated to them the next sabbath, and after the congregation had broken up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism allied themselves with Paul and Barnabas, and they kept talking to them and urging them to continue to rely on the unmerited favor of God.
He destroyed seven nations in Canaan and gave them their land as an inheritance for about four hundred and fifty years. And after that He gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. Then they demanded a king, and for forty years God gave them Saul, the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin. Then He deposed him and raised up for them David to be king, to whom He bore this testimony, 'I have found in David, the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all that my will requires.' It is from this man's descendants that God, as He promised, has brought to Israel a Saviour in the person of Jesus, as John, before His coming, had already preached baptism as an expression of repentance, for all the people of Israel. As John was closing his career, he said, 'What do you take me to be? I am not the Christ; no, but He is coming after me, and I am not fit to untie the shoes on His feet.' Brothers, descendants of the race of Abraham, and all among you who reverence God, it is to us that the message of this salvation has been sent. For the people of Jerusalem and their leaders, because they were ignorant of Him, by condemning Him have actually fulfilled the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, and although they could not find Him guilty of a capital offense, they begged Pilate to have Him put to death. When they had carried out everything that had been written in the Scriptures about Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb. But God raised Him from the dead, and for many days He appeared to those who had come up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and they are now witnesses for Him to the people. So now we are bringing you the good news about the promise that was made to our forefathers, that God has fulfilled it to us their children, by raising Jesus to life, just as the Scripture says in the Second Psalm, 'You are my Son, today I have become your Father.' Now as a proof that He has raised Him from the dead, no more to return to decay, He has spoken this, 'I will fulfill to you the holy promises made to David.' Because in another psalm he says, 'You will not let your Holy One experience decay.' For David, after having served God's purpose in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid among his forefathers, and so he did experience decay, but He whom God raised to life did not experience it. So, my brothers, you must understand that through Him the forgiveness of your sins is now proclaimed to you, and that through union with Him every one of you who believes is given right standing with God and freed from every charge from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. So take care that what is said in the prophets does not come upon you: 'Look, you scoffers! Then wonder and vanish away, for I am doing a work in your times which you will not at all believe though one may tell you in detail.'" As they were leaving the synagogue, the people kept begging that all this be repeated to them the next sabbath, and after the congregation had broken up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism allied themselves with Paul and Barnabas, and they kept talking to them and urging them to continue to rely on the unmerited favor of God.
Preaching » Effective » By philip
So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian official, a member of the court of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, her chief treasurer, who had come to Jerusalem to worship, and now was on his way home. He was seated in his chariot, reading the prophet Isaiah. So the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join him in his chariot." read more.
Then Philip ran up and listened to him reading the prophet Isaiah, and he asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" He answered, "How in the world could I, unless someone teaches me?" And he begged him to get up and sit with him. Now this was the passage of Scripture that he was reading: "Like a sheep He was led away to be slaughtered, and just as a lamb is dumb before its shearer, so He does not open His mouth. Justice was denied Him in His humiliation, who can tell of His times? For His life is removed from the earth." "Tell me, I pray, of whom is the prophet speaking," asked the official of Philip, "of himself or of someone else?" Then Philip opened his mouth, and starting from this passage, he told him the good news about Jesus. As they continued down the road, they came to some water, and the official said, "Look! here is some water! What is there to keep me from being baptized?" Omitted Text. So he ordered the chariot to stop, and Philip and the official both went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
Then Philip ran up and listened to him reading the prophet Isaiah, and he asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" He answered, "How in the world could I, unless someone teaches me?" And he begged him to get up and sit with him. Now this was the passage of Scripture that he was reading: "Like a sheep He was led away to be slaughtered, and just as a lamb is dumb before its shearer, so He does not open His mouth. Justice was denied Him in His humiliation, who can tell of His times? For His life is removed from the earth." "Tell me, I pray, of whom is the prophet speaking," asked the official of Philip, "of himself or of someone else?" Then Philip opened his mouth, and starting from this passage, he told him the good news about Jesus. As they continued down the road, they came to some water, and the official said, "Look! here is some water! What is there to keep me from being baptized?" Omitted Text. So he ordered the chariot to stop, and Philip and the official both went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
So Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began to preach the Christ to the Samaritans. As the crowds continued to listen to his message and continued to see his wonder-works which he was performing, with one mind they became interested in what was said by Philip. For many of those under the power of foul spirits cried out and the spirits came out of them, and many paralyzed and crippled people were cured. read more.
So there was great rejoicing in that city. There was a man named Simon in the city, who had kept the Samaritan people thrilled by practicing magic there and by claiming to be a great man. Everybody, high and low, kept running after him, saying, "He is certainly what is known as the Great Power of God!" They kept running after him, because for a long time he had thrilled them with his magical performances. But when the people came to believe the good news proclaimed by Philip about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were constantly baptized.
So there was great rejoicing in that city. There was a man named Simon in the city, who had kept the Samaritan people thrilled by practicing magic there and by claiming to be a great man. Everybody, high and low, kept running after him, saying, "He is certainly what is known as the Great Power of God!" They kept running after him, because for a long time he had thrilled them with his magical performances. But when the people came to believe the good news proclaimed by Philip about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were constantly baptized.
Preaching » Effective » By azariah
Preaching » Effective » By peter and other apostles
Then Peter stood with the Eleven around him, and raising his voice he addressed them, "Men of Judea and all you residents of Jerusalem, let me explain this to you, and give close attention to my words. These men are not drunk as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: read more.
'It will occur in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all mankind. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will have visions. Your old men will have dreams. Even on my slaves, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will become prophets. I will show wonders in the sky above, and signs upon the earth below, yes, blood and fire and smoky mist. The sun will turn to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. Then everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.' "Fellow Israelites, listen to what I say. Jesus of Nazareth, as you yourselves well know, a man accredited to you by God through mighty deeds and wonders and wonder-works which God performed through Him right here among you, this very Jesus, I say, after He was betrayed, in accordance with the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you had wicked men kill by nailing Him to a cross; but God raised Him up by loosing Him from the pangs of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held by the power of death. For David says of Him: 'I always kept my eyes upon the Lord, for He is at my right hand, so that I may not be removed. So my heart is glad and my tongue exults, and my body still lives in hope. For you will not forsake my soul to Hades. Nor will you let your Holy One experience decay. You have made known to me the ways of life, and you will fill me with delight in your presence.' "Brothers, I may confidently say to you about the patriarch David, that he died and was buried, and that his grave is here among us to this very day. So, as he was a prophet and knew that God with an oath had promised to put one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw the resurrection of the Christ and told of it, for He was not forsaken to Hades, and His body did not undergo decay. I mean Jesus whom God raised from the dead, to which fact we are all witnesses, So He has been exalted to God's right hand and has received from His Father, as promised, and poured out upon us the Holy Spirit, as you see and hear. For David did not go up to heaven, but he himself says: 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, Until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet."' "Therefore, let all the descendants of Israel understand beyond a doubt that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ." When they heard this, they were stabbed to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Peter said to them, "You must repent -- and, as an expression of it, let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ -- that you may have your sins forgiven; and then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, for the promise belongs to you and your children, as well as to all those who are far away whom the Lord our God may call to Him." With many more words he continued to testify and to plead with them to save themselves from that crooked age. So they accepted his message and were baptized, and about three thousand persons united with them on that day.
'It will occur in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all mankind. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will have visions. Your old men will have dreams. Even on my slaves, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will become prophets. I will show wonders in the sky above, and signs upon the earth below, yes, blood and fire and smoky mist. The sun will turn to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. Then everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.' "Fellow Israelites, listen to what I say. Jesus of Nazareth, as you yourselves well know, a man accredited to you by God through mighty deeds and wonders and wonder-works which God performed through Him right here among you, this very Jesus, I say, after He was betrayed, in accordance with the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you had wicked men kill by nailing Him to a cross; but God raised Him up by loosing Him from the pangs of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held by the power of death. For David says of Him: 'I always kept my eyes upon the Lord, for He is at my right hand, so that I may not be removed. So my heart is glad and my tongue exults, and my body still lives in hope. For you will not forsake my soul to Hades. Nor will you let your Holy One experience decay. You have made known to me the ways of life, and you will fill me with delight in your presence.' "Brothers, I may confidently say to you about the patriarch David, that he died and was buried, and that his grave is here among us to this very day. So, as he was a prophet and knew that God with an oath had promised to put one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw the resurrection of the Christ and told of it, for He was not forsaken to Hades, and His body did not undergo decay. I mean Jesus whom God raised from the dead, to which fact we are all witnesses, So He has been exalted to God's right hand and has received from His Father, as promised, and poured out upon us the Holy Spirit, as you see and hear. For David did not go up to heaven, but he himself says: 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, Until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet."' "Therefore, let all the descendants of Israel understand beyond a doubt that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ." When they heard this, they were stabbed to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Peter said to them, "You must repent -- and, as an expression of it, let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ -- that you may have your sins forgiven; and then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, for the promise belongs to you and your children, as well as to all those who are far away whom the Lord our God may call to Him." With many more words he continued to testify and to plead with them to save themselves from that crooked age. So they accepted his message and were baptized, and about three thousand persons united with them on that day.