Next Gen Missions
Acts 16–18 shows how God raises up the next generation of missionaries from inside the local church, sends his people into the hardest places, and uses boldness and faithfulness to build something that lasts.
In this message, Senior Pastor David Rose walks through Paul’s journey from Philippi to Athens to Corinth and what it means for ordinary people called to the marketplace, the mission field, or the seat right next to someone who doesn’t know Jesus.
Key Takeaways
- God raises up missionaries from local churches. (Acts 16:1-5)
- God sends the faithful by the Spirit to difficult places. (Acts 16:6-40)
- God can use difficult settings for lasting (Acts 17:1-15)
- God stirs the hearts of His people for their culture. (Acts 17:16-34)
- God uses boldness and faithfulness to build His church. (Acts 18:1-23)
Further Study
- In Acts 16:1–5, Paul finds Timothy in a local church, raised up by his mother and grandmother. Who in your life is doing that kind of formation work with the next generation? What role are you playing in it? (2 Timothy 1:5; Deuteronomy 6:6–7)
- The Spirit blocked Paul from entering Asia and Bithynia, redirecting him toward Macedonia (Acts 16:6–10). Have you ever had a door close and later recognized God’s redirection in it? How do you tell the difference between resistance and the wrong direction?
- In Philippi, the first converts were a wealthy businesswoman, a slave girl, and a Roman jailer — three very different people (Acts 16:14–34). What does that range tell us about who the gospel is for? Does your personal witness reflect that same reach?
- The Bereans “received the word with eagerness, and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). How do you respond to preaching? Do you take it at face value, or do you bring it back to the text?
- In Athens, Paul quoted poets and philosophers rather than Scripture, building a bridge to the gospel through their own culture (Acts 17:28). What does your culture care about? What questions might help someone examine what they actually believe?
- God told Paul in Corinth, “Don’t be afraid, but keep on speaking, and don’t be silent, for I am with you” (Acts 18:9–10). What fears most often keep you from sharing the gospel? What does God’s promise of presence do to those fears?
The Gospel
If you have questions about what it means to be a Christian, we would love to talk with you about it.
Reach outWe have all sinned. We have rebelled against a holy God, and that rebellion carries real consequences. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). It’s the verdict on every human life apart from Christ.
Yet in love, He sent his Son. Jesus, fully God, fully man, lived the life we couldn’t live and died the death we deserved. On the cross, God poured out His judgment for sin on Christ. Three days later, He raised him from the dead, proving that the payment was accepted and that death had been defeated.
This is the gospel. “Christ died for our sins… He was buried… He was raised on the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4).
Salvation isn’t something you earn. It is received by faith, by trusting that Jesus really is who he said He is, and that what He did is enough. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).