I. The Importance of the Church (Acts 20:28)
- A. Its Inception: When Christ started His earthly ministry (Rev. 1:5; Rom. 10:13; Acts 16:31; Jn. 3:16)
- B. Its Impact: Salvation of souls, the transformation of lives
- C. Its Indispensability: The only institution God uses for the present dispensation (Matt. 5:13)
II. The Insurrection Against the Church (Acts 20:29-30)
- A. Enemies from Without (Acts 20:29) – Analogy of the “wolves”
- 1. Move around as a pack
- 2. Typically, operate in the dark
- 3. Attack the young, weak and sickly (Eph. 4:27; 2 Cor. 2:11)
- 4. Attack subtly (Gen. 3)
- B. Enemies from Within (Acts 20:30) – Beware of petty differences, strife, divisive and contentious spirit etc. Instead, practice the following:
- 1. Do everything in love (1 Cor. 13:1-3; Matt. 22:39; Gal. 5:1)
- 2. Have a forgiving spirit (Matt. 18:21-35; Matt. 5:23-24)
- 3. Value others above yourself (Phil. 2:3-5; Rom. 12:10; 3 Jn. 9-10; Rom. 16:17; 2 Thess. 3:6; 2 Thess. 3:14-15; Matt. 12:25; 1 Cor. 1:10; Acts 20:28)
III. The Invincibility of the Church (Acts 20:31-32)
- A. Depend on God (Matt.16:18; Col. 1:18; Matt. 18:20)
- B. Deepen Our Relationship with God
- 1. Prayer (James 5:16)
- 2. The Word of God (2 Tim. 2:15)
