The Gospel: The Power of God
The True Human Community
June 18, 2023
Rev. Ross Jelgerhuis
Using Acts 9 (and related passages), the sermon highlights Saul’s dramatic conversion and Ananias’s vision as evidence of the gospel’s supernatural power to transform lives and relationships, commissions believers (to Jews, Gentiles, and rulers), calls them to expect suffering, and urges trust in the Holy Spirit as we participate in God’s mission that fulfills Scripture.
Summary
The preacher greets the congregation, points them to Acts 9 (and related chapters) and reflects on Ananias’s vision—a supernatural event that challenges a naturalistic mindset—before unfolding Saul’s conversion as a powerful validation of the resurrection and a strategic choice for spreading and defending the faith (noting his Roman citizenship). Saul is filled with the Holy Spirit, commissioned to take the gospel to Gentiles, Jews, and kings, and told he will suffer; from this the sermon draws application: believers should expect suffering for the gospel, rely on the Holy Spirit in personal witness, consider how the gospel changes how we relate to others, and persevere because God’s mission has been underway since the fall and fulfills Old Testament promise.
Key Points
- Opening and Scripture: greeting and direction to Acts 9 (and related passages)
- Ananias’s vision highlights the supernatural core of the gospel and challenges naturalistic skepticism
- The gospel’s power transforms hearts and relationships (Saul’s conversion as primary example)
- Saul/Paul as a strategic, credible choice for spreading and defending Christianity (Roman citizenship; conversion validates the resurrection)
- Saul is filled with the Holy Spirit and commissioned to reach Gentiles, Jews, and rulers
- God warns that gospel work includes suffering; believers should expect and endure it
- Practical application: trust the Holy Spirit in personal witness (example of the neighbor), be willing to be stretched and humbled
- The church’s mission continues God’s work since the fall and fulfills Old Testament prophecy; persevere in the good fight
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