There are fewer areas of the Christian life where we tend to throw our hands in the air in surrender more than evangelism, but Sunday’s passage can give us hope! Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Hopeful: The Book of Acts
TEXT: Acts 16:11-15
TITLE: The Rest of the Story
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Only God opens hearts to the gospel, so don’t give up on giving Jesus to those around you!

POINTS:
I. Paul preached the Gospel
II. Lydia listened to Paul intently
III. The Spirit opened Lydia’s heart

SERMON EXCERPTS:
”Paul did what he always did—gave them Jesus. He could have given them unforgettable stories. He could have given them his amazing testimony. And maybe he did a bit of that. But Paul always had one song to sing, one message to bring to others—the gospel!”

“We should never underestimate our audience. God has you in that place with that person. The Holy Spirit is with you and the gospel message saves—Speak to them about Jesus!”

“Never underestimate the power of LISTENING. In a time too many in the church world rely on bells and candles, video clips and power points, artistic expressions, and group dialogue, LISTENING is seen as outdated and passe. …LISTENING to the gospel is to interact with God Himself. Faith comes through hearing”

“God came to Lydia and opened her heart to listen, meaning, He opened her heart to embrace and believe what she was hearing. The imagery of a door is natural here. This door is different, however. Spiritually speaking, the door of the heart has a handle on the outside, not the inside.” 

“Throughout Acts we encounter hopeful, happy, grateful, strategic, courageous, advance-the-gospel-at-all-costs Christians. But all along, God is the hero because only God can open the closed heart to the good news of Jesus according to His mercy and grace. And He does in His mercy and by His grace!”

“The gospel is the glorious message of salvation. Regeneration is the glorious explanation of how we come to willingly and freely believe it, even though we can’t fully comprehend it.”

QUOTES:
Anthony Hoekema - “Since the heart stands for the inner core of the person, we may assume that the opening of the heart describes regeneration. This led Lydia to respond believingly to what Paul was saying—to accept it, to embrace it, and to act upon it….One can only respond in repentance and faith after God has given new life!”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Ephesians 2:1-5
1 Corinthians 2:14
John 3:1-14
Ezekiel 36:26-29

APPLICATION:
- How do you arrange your Saturday night or Sunday morning so that, when you get here, you can LISTEN to the preached Word, LISTEN to the Spirit of God, LISTEN to the encouragement of others? It matters.

- Attend SGU in October! Because the effects of studying the doctrine of Regeneration are greater gratitude, deeper humility, stronger affections for Jesus, and bolder witness.

God is the Great Evangelist and He loves to open hearts to the glory, beauty, majesty, and sufficiency of His Son. So, here’s our application—Don’t give up!

1. Anxious mom and dad—Don’t give up on your unsaved child

2. Weary husband or wife—Don’t give up on your unbelieving spouse

3. Frustrated friend—Don’t give up on your stubborn friend

Sometimes God saves the first time, and sometimes He saves the 1000th time. That’s up to Him!