The Epic Life - Bob Hallman

19-Let the Walls Fall Down, Part 2 (Acts 10:24-48)

Instead of embracing God’s call to reach all nations with the Good News of God’s love and His promised Messiah, the Jews became proud, arrogant and ethnocentric. The Jews had turned what God had meant to be a blessing into a wall of hostility!
And God’s message through Acts 10 is loud and clear: “Tear Down This Wall!”
 
To facilitate that plan, God orchestrated a divine appointment between two of His obedient servants:
 1) Peter, a Jewish believer
 2) Cornelius, a Gentile God-fearer
Bob Hallman gave this message in 2006.

18-Let the Walls Fall Down, Part 1 (Acts 10:1-23)

God’s plan:
To reach ONE man: Abraham
To reach ONE nation: Israel
To reach the world: Every tribe, nation and tongue
To fill heaven with worshippers and prepare for Himself a Bride
But instead of embracing God’s call to reach all nations with the Good News of God’s love and His promised Messiah, the Jews became proud, arrogant and ethnocentric.
Jews considered Gentiles to be spiritually unclean. The inside of a Gentile house was unclean. Having Gentile inside your own house made that home unclean
The Gentiles hated the Jews.
The Jews had turned what God had meant to be a blessing into a wall of hostility!
And God’s message through Acts 10 is loud and clear: “Tear Down This Wall!”
 
                       

16-The Transformed Life (Acts 9:19-31)

The Bible’s prescription for spiritual health is clear, but too often Christians would rather die (or have others die) than change.
 In contrast, we have Saul’s conversion in Acts 9:1-18.  It is one of the most dramatic examples of transformation in the New Testament.  And it wasn't a temporary, superficial change; it was deep, it was total, and it was permanent!
One moment Saul was persecuting the church …Then next, he was seeking to fellowship with the saints.
One moment, Saul was opposing Jesus ….Then next, he is on his face before Jesus, calling Him Lord.
One moment he is seeking to stamp out the gospel ... Then next, he is proclaiming the gospel.
One moment, Saul is inflicting pain and suffering on believers in Christ …Then next, he is enduring suffering for the sake of Jesus, the Messiah.
This is what salvation is supposed to look like.  It is a revolution!  It is a transformation!!  It is a miraculous, dramatic reversal -- first of one’s beliefs, and then of one’s behavior.

14-A Divine Appointment (Acts 8:26-40)

Over the years I have come to believe that there is no such thing as “coincidence” for the man or woman who is surrendered and yielded to God.  Every conversation, every “chance” meeting, every opportunity to serve is divinely orchestrated by God. I call them “Divine Appointments.” 
Divine appointments: “Being supernaturally guided to the right place at the right time in order to say or do the right things for the advancement of God’s purposes in the world.”
Everyday, we have the choice (often many times a day) to either participate in these exciting intersections of the human and divine, or to ignore them -- either out of ignorance or disobedience.  The path we choose makes the difference between the abundant life Jesus Christ promised and a rather lifeless, dull and stagnant existence on the sidelines.
There are few stories that illustrate this truth more powerfully than the divine encounter between Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch.As you will recall from our previous studies, Philip was one of the seven deacons who were selected to minister to the widows and orphans in Jerusalem.  After the martyrdom of Stephan, a severe persecution broke out against the church and the believers fled.  Philip ended up in Samaria where he preached the gospel and performed a number of miracles with remarkable results:  A revival broke out and a large number of Samaritans came to Christ (Acts 8:4-5).
  Acts 17:26  “From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.”
Pastor Bob Hallman gave this message in 2006.

13-What Money Can’t Buy (Acts 8:1-25)

Simon discovered magic tricks but not the power of the Holy Spirit!
Noteworthy things that this passage teaches us:
God’s sovereignty trumps even the most powerful forces of evil.
It is possible to believe and still not be saved.
We have to make a decision regarding who and what we allow to influence us.
We must be on guard against false teachers and cults (some that may even spring up with the church).
The true Gospel demands radical change and should be evidenced by dramatic transformation of a person’s values, priorities, and goals.
Money can’t buy what we truly need -- forgiveness and new life.
Pastor Bob Hallman gave this message in 2006.

12-Stephen: A Profile in Courage, Part 2 (Acts 7:1-8:1)

Chapter 7 contains the longest sermon in the book of Acts. It is Stephen's brilliant defense that focuses on the two charges brought against him by the Sanhedrin.
 
Pastor Bob Hallman gave this message in 2006.

11-Stephen: A Profile in Courage, Part 1 (Acts 6:8-15)

The New Testament contains numerous examples of courageous Christians who faced persecution and martyrdom with courage and grace.  One such example in the early church was Stephen.
Pastor Bob Hallman taught the series of Acts at Crossroads Christian Fellowship Kauai in 2005-2006

10-Strategic Leadership (Acts 6:1-7)

The church was only a few months old but its numbers had already grown (by some estimates) to over 20,000 people. That kind of growth is beyond incredible – it is supernatural! That kind of growth had to have been thrilling and exhilarating.  But it also brought logistical and administrative challenges that the apostles never could have imagined just a few months earlier when they sat stunned and dejected following the crucifixion of Christ.
Pastor Bob Hallman taught the series of Acts at Crossroads Christian Fellowship Kauai in 2005.

09-A Line in the Sand (Acts 5:12-42)

“A Line in The Sand”:  No one is sure of the origins of this phrase, but the most recent use of this saber-rattling phrase was by President George Bush, Sr. during the Gulf War.
Despite the phrases’ uncertain origins, we understand its various meanings:
It can refer to “a point of decision”
It can refer to taking a stand
It can serve as a threat: “Cross over at your own peril”
In our text today, we will discover all three definitions being used -- both by Israel’s religious leaders as well as by the apostles.
Pastor Bob Hallman taught the series of Acts at Crossroads Christian Fellowship Kauai in 2005.

08-The Danger of Looking Good! (Acts 5:1-11)

The biggest criticism you hear about the church is that it is full of hypocrites.  That, by the way, is not  a new concern.  There were few characteristics that Jesus condemned more severely than hypocrisy (Matthew 23: “Hypocrites” 7 times)
The truth is, we are all prone to hypocrisy because we aspire to be better than we are:
Aspiring to be Christ-like is not sinful -- in fact it is good!
However, misleading others into believing that we are more Christ-like than we actually are is sinful and qualifies us as hypocrites!
The text we are studying today is in sharp contrast to the sincerity and integrity of Barnabas’ integrity and generousity in Acts 4:36-37
Pastor Bob Hallman taught the series of Acts at Crossroads Christian Fellowship Kauai in 2005-06