2. In a world where people question 1.The existence of God 2.The creation of the world 3.The depravity of man 4.The judgement of God 5.The promise of heaven IS THE CHURCH STILL RELEVANT ?

3. The promise of the church A reminder : (a) of his coming (b) of his dying (c) of his victory (d) of his presence (e) of his principles (f) of his purposes

4. The purpose of the church To tell the world of God’s marvellous ways : He sent heaven’s best for earth’s worst He loves those who hate him He blesses those who trust him He calls his creation to follow him He will redeem the earth which was Made for Him !

5. The perseverance of the church Despite : Opposition Persecution Defamation Prosecution Ridicule Attack The church still marches on !

6. In a society which has decided : Faith is not needed Prayer does not work The bible is not true Lives are not transformed God does not heal Morality is man made We are the masters of our soul Does the church have something to say ?

8. The early church (1) Proclaimed the Lordship of Jesus To the crowd in the city To the beggar at the temple To the rulers at the city hall To the people at Solomon’s colonade THEY NOT ONLY PROCLAIMED IT – THEY PROVED IT !

9. The early church (2)Proved the necessity of prayer 1:14 constantly in prayer (wisdom) 2:42devoted to prayer (growth) 3:1going to the place of prayer (healing) 4:31they prayed & place shook (power)

10. Prayer is the most important thing in my life. If I should neglect prayer for a single day I would lose a great deal of the fire of faith. ( Martin Luther)

11. The early church (3) Lived by the word of God Ch 2: devoted to the apostles teaching Ch 4: obedient to God – not to men teaching & proclaiming Jesus Ch 6 refused to neglect God’s word IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO RIGHTLY GOVERN THE NATION WITHOUT GOD & THE BIBLE !

13. The early church (4) Shared what they had with others they gave to the needy (ch2) they helped the sick & poor (ch3) they sold what they had for others (ch4) they organised help for widows (ch6)

14. They lived the Jesus way They made a difference !

15. The early church (5) Suffered for what they believed Ch 4 – jailed for helping Ch 5 - jailed for healing Ch 6 – jailed for preaching Ch 7 – persecuted for their beliefs but the church grew....and the gospel spread What they had was not only worth living for – it was worth dying for

16. The early church Experienced the reality of God They heard his voice They felt his touch They knew his presence They experienced his power They proved his faithfulness They saw his hand at work Proved the reality of God

17. IN THE PAST IN THE PRESENT !

18. ARE YOU A MEMBER ?