1 / 25

Overcoming Phobias: A Lesson on Fearlessness in the Face of Opposition

Explore the story of Stephen, a faithful follower of Christ who stood up for his beliefs and shared the gospel despite opposition. Discover how his example teaches us to overcome fear and proclaim the truth, even when met with harsh treatment.

kblanche
Download Presentation

Overcoming Phobias: A Lesson on Fearlessness in the Face of Opposition

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Identify the following phobias: • Ablutophobia • Brontophobia • Catoptrophobia • Ichthyophobia

  2. Identify the following phobias: • Pentheraphobia • Suriphobia • Cynophobia • Disposophobia

  3. Fear is all around us and in some cases can be crippling. In today’s lesson we will see how a follower of Christ stood for what he believed and shared the gospel, despite opposition.

  4. Fear No Man Acts 6:8-15; 7:51-60 family theme: Faithful to the Gospel

  5. Objectives: Know: Stephen stayed true to Christ and the gospel in the face of opposition. Think: Have the mindset that the gospel should be proclaimed, even if it is offensive. Do: Seek to present the gospel through your words and lifestyle.

  6. Empowered by the Spirit, Believers Can Be Faithful in Words, Actions, and Attitude Acts 6:8-15

  7. Empowered by the Spirit, Believers CanBe Faithful in Words, Actions, and Attitude Stephen maintained a Christ-like demeanor, even when people falsely accused him. His entire life testified to the gospel.

  8. The opposition and false charges Stephen faced illustrate that we are engaged in a spiritual warfare.

  9. We can use our words, actions, and attitudes to support the message of the gospel. • In what ways do we see antagonism and disdain for the gospel in our culture today? • How can we respond to opposition in a positive, biblical way?

  10. Empowered by the Spirit, Believers Can Faithfully Proclaim Truth, Even When It Seems Harsh Acts 7:51-53

  11. Empowered by the Spirit, Believers Can Faithfully Proclaim Truth, Even When It Seems Harsh Stephen was daring in his sermon and some may even say “harsh,” but he was truthful. God wants to break people’s hearts with the gospel, but often people are too offended and hard-hearted and refuse to hear the message of truth.

  12. We share the truth in love even if the message is harsh. • Describe a time when someone had to speak the truth to you, even though it hurt you very deeply at the time.

  13. We share the truth in love even if the message is harsh. • Why do so many people associate speaking the truth as an indicator of the absence of love?

  14. Empowered by the Spirit, BelieversCan Be Faithful Despite Mistreatment Acts 7:54-60

  15. Empowered by the Spirit, BelieversCan Be Faithful Despite Mistreatment Stephen died because of his faithfulness to the gospel. The gospel often brings on mistreatment because some people hate Jesus and hate His Word.

  16. The stoning of Stephen demonstrates that bad things happen because the world is a sinful place.

  17. With the Spirit’s help, we can stand strong in the face of mistreatment from God’s enemies. • What examples (biblical or modern day) do you think of when you think of courage in the midst of persecution?

  18. With the Spirit’s help, we can stand strong in the face of mistreatment from God’s enemies. • Why do some modern day believers struggle to live out their faith with Holy Spirit power as Stephen did?

  19. How can we be filled with the Spirit like Stephen was? • Confess and turn away from any sin. Un-confessed sin blocks the power of the Spirit in our lives. • Ask God to fill you with His Spirit.

  20. Surrender your life to the Holy Spirit’s control each day. • Obey God’s Word and the prompting of the Spirit. • Believe the Spirit lives in you and will guide and empower you each day.

  21. HomeConnection is a simple, downloadable page that gives parents: • A weekly Bible passage to READ togetheras a family • Suggestions to help them PRAY together as a family • Suggested activities to DO to put their faith in action • Available for FREE download at D6home.com

  22. Home Connection also provides the “take away” from each age level in D6 Curriculum. This way parents know what each family member is experiencing in his or her class. • Download your • free copy of Home Connection at D6home.com

More Related