Pastor digs deeper into "Who was Theophilus?" He is mentioned 2 times in the New Testament:

• Luke 1:3-4 "With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught." Theophilus evidently had come to know Jesus. "Most excellent" possibly denotes a position of significance or of high authority.
• Acts 1:1 "In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach…"

Theophilus means:

• Lover of God
• Friend of God
• Loved God

Theophilus was a common name.

Some Suggested Identities given for Theophilus

• Ageneric name for every believer - but this is not an accepted idea
• Unknown high ranking Roman
• Civic leader in Antioch
• Paul's defense attorney
• Jewish High Priest (37-41 A.D,) This suggestion has been gaining popularity over the past few years. It is possible that perhaps Theophilus was an individual who was part of the ruling elite as a high priest and that he became so dissatisfied by what he was seeing and so overwhelmed by what he was seeing in Jesus that he actually became a follower of Jesus and thus removed from high office as a result. There is no proof of this, but what a story if this is true, that one of the people instrumental in Jesus' crucifixion, actually saw the Light and came to faith.

God changes hearts! God does the impossible! God turns lives around through faith in the risen Savior.

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This teaching is from Matthew 18:21-35, the Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor, and Matthew 19:1-12 on the topic of Divorce.

Peter asks Jesus if he should forgive someone seven times. Jesus responds with seventy seven times. The meaning of Jesus saying seventy seven times is that forgiveness in the face of genuine repentance does not keep track of numbers and Jesus is calling us to forgive as we have been forgiven.

Then Jesus tells this "Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor," a story where a servant of a king owes millions of dolors to the king. When the king call the debt to account and be paid, the servant begs the king to be patient with him and that he will repay it. The king has compassion and forgives the entire debt!

But then this servant of the king has a man that works for him and this man owed the king's servant a few thousand dollars and the king's servant calls this man debt to account. When the man pleads to the king's servant for time to pay but the king's servant has the man thrown into jail until he could get the debt paid.

When the king heard about the lack of compassion he confronted his servant saying he had shown compassion and forgiven the debt to him, and that he should have done the same thing to the man that owed him money. The king placed his servant in jail for his lack of compassion until he could pay it off.

The story highlights how God, who has forgiven us an immeasurable debt, desires that we show the same kind of mercy to others and if we don't then Jesus says we really don't appreciate what the Father has given us.

We are called to forgive as we've been forgiven, to treat others in the same way God treats us. We're called to reflect the incredible goodness of God. And that is shown in the act of forgiveness.

God's way is grace, mercy, forgiveness and love like He's given us. The Gospel of Jesus frees us from bitterness that destroys.

If we harbor hatred and resentment it eats away at us and destroys faith. God's call is to live life on His terms.

In the second half of today's teaching, Jesus confronts a challenging issue, "Is Divorce Lawful?" He talks about how we are created male and female and that marriage is a covenant between them with God.

The follow up questions is "Why did Moses permit divorce?" It is because of hard hearts, but it is not God's planned way. The Bible recognizes that divorce is a reality.

Today, we are living in a culture where divorce is widely practiced and what the New Testament calls us to is to recognize just as Jesus pointed out, it's not the way the Father intended, and we are to bring hope and encouragement to those who are victimized by divorce. The Bible also calls us to lovingly let people know the truth of divorce.

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Matthew 17:22-18:20. Topics: children of the Living God; kingdom of the Living God; the miracle of the four drachma coin; greatness is based on humility; childlike vs childish; total dependency on God; spiritual growth and maturity; binding and loosing - by speaking that when one comes to faith he/she is forgiven and saved vs. those deciding against God, that it is a decision with eternal consequences; God desires all to come to know Him; His love is great; the warning of being of the world and following the worldly culture; that of following natural instincts vs following the Holy Spirit.

Acts is a book filled with dramatic events, amazing characters and has great application for the Christian life. It is a powerful book showing the acts of God through the Holy Spirit and how He acts in the lives of those He calls!

This study will take us through the book of Acts one chapter at a time with a specific look at Then - things that really happened. It's not a storybook but a history book of what really happened. And Now - it is dramatic application for today. It's a record of what really happened long ago but these things are still happening today and it shows us what God wants in the lives of His followers today.

Chapter 1

In verses 1-2, Luke is identified as the author of the Book of Acts. In volume, Luke wrote 27.5% of the New Testament. He was a physician and accompanied Paul on some of his mission trips.

Then and Now

• Proofs then - verse 3 - the disciples and others saw Jesus after His resurrection.
• Proofs now - historical, archeological, scientific and documentary evidences. What has happened in the last 100 years shows evidence for the biblical message. There have been many pieces showing that early believers really did believe Jesus was alive. They were bold and courageous in sharing that news. More and more confirmation comes through archeology as we are finding the very places where these events took place. And unearthing little things that show that what Luke wrote really is accurate.
• Power then - verse 8 the disciples were to stay in Jerusalem until they received the gift that God the Father had promised to give them - the Holy Spirit - who would give them power.
• Power now - we today receive the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ and the Holy Spirit gives us the power to live the Christian life and to be effective witnesses for God.
• Purpose then - verse 8 - Jesus told them to be His witnesses
• Purpose now - we are to testify by our life example, words and actions that Jesus is alive, risen and the Messiah and Savior. We are to bring Jesus to family, friends, neighbors, and to the ends of the earth - We have the same mission - it is still our purpose today.
• Promise then - verse 11 - Jesus ascended to heaven and then the angels promised His return.
• Promise now - the second coming of Christ is the heart of the New Testament teaching and the heart of a believer's witness. Jesus is returning!
• Prayer then - the theme of prayer is found throughout the book of Acts. Verse 14 - tells us they were constant in prayer.
• Prayer now - we are to pray for God's will to be done. We are to put into practice praying as this is what Jesus taught and gave example to.
• Provision then - verses 23 and 26. A disciple was needed for replacing Judas and Matthias was added to eleven apostles.
• Provision now - God never runs out of resources. God provides for His children!

This week's READING ASSIGNMENT:

Acts chapter 1

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Salvation in Jesus Christ is free - but there is a cost to discipleship. Jesus said, "If anyone desires to follow me, let that person take up his or her cross and follow me daily." Daniel and his companions remind us the the cost can be huge, but the reward is far greater!

Matthew 16:24-17:22. Topics: Discipleship is more than having head knowledge, it is complete surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ and living for Him. Jesus continues to reveal who He is. Jesus' transfiguration and the words from heaven, out of the cloud from God the Father says, "This is my Son...Listen to Him!" These are words for us today, too!

This week's text is Matthew 16:1-23. Topics: A growing opposition against Jesus and who He says He is; Peter's confession; a discerning teaching on who/what the "Rock" is on which Christ will build the church; an insightful look at the "gates of Hades;" and Jesus shares predictions of what is to come.

This week's text is Matthew 14:34-15:39. Topics: Jesus heals both Jews and Gentiles; an examination of some of the traditions in light of what God's Word says; the feeding of the 4,000, and how this event differs from the feeding of the 5,000 that took place earlier.