What Do You Really Need? | Acts 18:24–19:7
Years ago, my daughter had a preschool teacher named Miss Vanessa. Whenever a teary child ran up to her from the playground, she didn’t rush to fix their problem.
She knelt down and asked one simple question:
“Honey, do you want me to hear you, help you, or hug you?”
Brilliant! Before you can meet a need, you have to know what the need really is.
That holds in our spiritual lives too. When we’re discouraged, anxious, stuck in the same sin, or just worn out, we reach for the usual fixes: another book, a better routine, more discipline, trying harder.
Some of those things help. But what if we’ve gotten the diagnosis wrong?
This Sunday we continue “My Story…My Song” in Acts 18:24–19:7 and arrive in Ephesus, a city obsessed with spiritual power. There we meet a brilliant preacher who was missing something, and twelve disciples whose answer to one of Paul’s questions will stop you in your tracks.
Their stories point to the thing many of us forget:
Jesus didn’t come only to show us the way to life.
He came to give us life.
If you’re tired of living the Christian life on willpower, or you’ve wondered whether there’s more to faith than knowing what you’re supposed to do, this Sunday is for you.
Come expecting good news. And bring someone who needs it too.
See you there,
Pastor Ben
Sermon Outline
What Are You Afraid of Now? | Acts 18:1–17
Big Idea: We find courage to face our fears when we trust in Christ’s presence, protection, and purpose.
1. Paul’s Reasons to Be Afraid (Acts 18:1–9)
A long, hard road: Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and now Corinth
“I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling” (1 Cor. 2:3)
You can be faithful and afraid at the same time
2. Jesus’ Reasons Not to Be Afraid (Acts 18:9–10)
His presence: “For I am with you.” We are not just watched by God; he is with us.
His protection: “No one will attack you to harm you.” Our enemies don’t get the final word. Jesus does.
His purposes: “I have many in this city who are my people.” Just because we can’t see what God is doing doesn’t mean he isn’t doing anything.
3. What Is Your Fear Keeping You From Doing? (Acts 18:9–17)
Fear can silence our witness
Fear can silence our love (2 Cor. 6:11)
Fear can silence our hope
The Savior Who Faced Our Fears
Jesus faced Gethsemane and the cross so he could say to frightened disciples, “I am with you always” (Matt. 28:20).
Key Line: Don’t let what you’re afraid of determine what you’re faithful to.
Small Group Discussion: What Do You Really Need? | Acts 18:24–19:7
Heartbeat: Jesus didn't simply come to show us how to live. Through his death, resurrection, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, he came to give us life. The question isn't simply, "What do I need to do?" but "Am I resting in what Jesus has done and depending upon what he is doing in me?"
1. Invitation: Miss Vanessa would ask a crying child, "Do you want me to hear you, help you, or hug you?" If someone asked you that about your spiritual life right now, which would you choose, and why? What does your answer reveal about what you've been carrying?
2. Ownership: We can know something is true without living as though we believe it. Where is that gap most evident in your life right now? Perhaps you believe in forgiveness but still carry guilt, believe in providence but still try to control the future, or believe in justification but still feel the need to prove yourself.
3. Dissent: Apollos was gifted, knowledgeable, and passionate about the Scriptures, yet he still needed someone to explain the way of God more accurately. What makes it difficult for us to receive correction, especially from someone we might consider less knowledgeable or experienced? Where might pride be keeping you from growing?
4. Discovery: John the Baptist could call people to repentance, but only Jesus could accomplish salvation and give the Holy Spirit. Why is that distinction so important? What changes when we understand that Christianity is not primarily about what we do for God, but what God has done for us in Christ?
5. Ownership: Where are you trying to accomplish through sheer determination what God has called you to pursue in dependence upon his Spirit? What does self-reliance look like in that particular struggle, and what might genuine dependence look like instead?
6. Possibility: Jesus hasn't left us to live the Christian life alone. He has given us his Spirit. If you genuinely lived in the light of that promise, what might change about your ordinary Monday? Think about your prayers, your relationships, your temptations, or the responsibilities that currently feel overwhelming.
7. Commitment: What is one area of your life where you need to stop relying upon yourself and begin consciously depending upon Christ? What is one specific way you can practice that dependence this week, and how can your group pray for you?
Call to Worship: Psalm 29:1–11
“Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name;
worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness.
The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders; the LORD is heard over many waters.
The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.
The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the LORD strikes with flames of fire.
The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;
the LORD shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare.
And in His temple all cry, “Glory!”
The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the LORD is enthroned as King forever.
The LORD gives His people strength;
the LORD blesses His people with peace.”
Confession of Sin
Leader: Almighty and gracious God, You are the Lord of glory, whose voice shakes the wilderness and whose power rules over all creation. Yet we confess that we so often live as though everything depends upon us.
Congregation: We trust in our own understanding, rely upon our own strength, and seek to establish our own righteousness. We have been slow to hear your Word, reluctant to receive correction, and quick to believe that we already know enough.
Leader: Though you have given us your Holy Spirit, we confess that we often live in self-reliance rather than dependence upon you. We have tried to overcome sin through determination, pursued holiness in our own strength, and forgotten the riches of your grace in Jesus Christ.
Congregation: Forgive us, Lord, for looking to ourselves for what can only be found in your Son. Open our eyes to see Jesus more clearly. Renew our hearts by your Spirit. Teach us to rest in his finished work and to walk in the new life he has given us. For we ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Assurance of Pardon:
Hear the good news of God's grace from Titus 3:
"But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."
Brothers and sisters, this is the good news of the gospel!
Our salvation does not depend upon how much we know, how hard we try, or how faithfully we perform.Jesus Christ has accomplished what we could never accomplish for ourselves.Through his death and resurrection, our sins have been forgiven, and through the Holy Spirit, we have been given new life.Therefore, to all who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ, I declare this good news: Your sins are forgiven!
The Lord has saved us by his mercy, justified us by his grace, and poured out his Spirit upon us richly through Jesus Christ.
Thanks be to God!
