The Gospel on Trial

Key Takeaways

How to endure when the world is against you:
1. Keep a clear conscience
2. Let the Word shape your words
3. Read the room
4. Be encouraged 

Study Questions

• Question 1

  What does it mean to have a "good conscience" according to the sermon? How is this different from being sinless? In addition to the sermon scripture, also reference 1 John 1:7-9.

• Question 2

  John described Paul's words as "truthful, tempered, and tethered." Can you give examples of what each of these looks like in everyday conversation?

• Question 3

  Francis Schaeffer said, "If I have an hour to share the gospel with someone, I will listen for 55 minutes and speak for five." How does this challenge or affirm your approach to evangelism?

• Question 4

  Paul contextualized his message for different audiences (synagogues vs. Athens marketplace) without changing the truth. What's the difference between contextualization and compromise?

• Question 5

  Jesus didn't shout encouragement from heaven—he "stood by" Paul. Why is God's nearness so significant when we're suffering or alone?

5-Day Devotional

DAY 1 DAY 2 DAY 3 DAY 4 DAY 5

Day 1 : Walking in the Light

READING :

1 John 1:5-10

DEVOTIONAL :

Paul stood before his accusers with a clear conscience because he brought everything into God's light. Walking in the light doesn't mean living without sin; it means living without secrets. A good conscience isn't the absence of guilt, but the absence of unconfessed guilt. What are you hiding in the darkness today? Jesus invites you to bring it into his light, where his blood cleanses and his grace restores. Freedom begins when secrecy ends.

Day 2 : Scripture-Shaped Speech

READING :

Psalm 119:9-16; James 3:1-12

DEVOTIONAL :

When Paul was struck across the mouth, Scripture flowed from his lips, both in rebuke and in repentance. His imagination, vocabulary, and responses were saturated with God's Word. Charles Spurgeon said of John Bunyan, "Prick him anywhere and his blood is Bibline, the very essence of the Bible flows from him." What flows from you when you're pricked? When pressure comes, when you're misunderstood or attacked, do your words reveal a heart soaked in Scripture or something else? Let God's Word have editorial rights over your tongue. Speak truthfully and say what's true. Speak temperately and say it under control. Speak tethered and say it under Scripture's authority. This week, memorize one verse that addresses your greatest struggle. Let it shape your words.

Day 3 : Contextual Witness

READING :

1 Corinthians 9:19-23; Acts 17:16-34

DEVOTIONAL :

Paul never changed his message, but he wisely adapted his approach. In synagogues, he reasoned from Hebrew Scriptures. In Athens, he quoted their poets. He read the room because he loved the people in it. Francis Schaeffer advised: "If I have an hour to share the gospel, I'll listen for fifty-five minutes and speak for five." True witness requires understanding. Who in your life needs to hear about Jesus? Before you speak, listen. Ask questions. Learn their story, their hopes, their wounds. Then season your words with grace, speaking the unchanging gospel into their unique situation. The resurrection of Jesus is the central truth everyone must grapple with. Help them encounter it in a way that reaches their heart.

Day 4 : God With Us in the Fire

READING :

Daniel 3:13-30; Isaiah 43:1-7

DEVOTIONAL :

When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the furnace, a fourth figure walked with them and they didn't burn. Where does your life feel like fire right now? Perhaps it's a diagnosis, a broken relationship, financial pressure, or profound loneliness. God's promise echoes through Scripture: "I am with you." He was with Jacob in the wilderness, Moses at the burning bush, Joshua facing impossible odds, and Paul in prison. Jesus is Emmanuel, "God with us", not shouting encouragement from a distance but crawling through the dirt to lie beside us, whispering, "You're not alone." In your fiery trial, look for the fourth figure. He's there, and the flames cannot consume what he protects.

Day 5 : Never Forsaken

READING :

Matthew 27:45-54; Hebrews 13:5-6

DEVOTIONAL :

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Jesus cried these words so you would never have to. On the cross, he experienced complete abandonment and separation from the Father so that you could experience eternal presence. Because Jesus was forsaken, you never will be. In his incarnation, he stood with you in suffering. In his crucifixion, he stood in for you in judgment. In his resurrection, he stands before God as your righteousness. Through his Spirit, he stands within you. At his return, he'll ensure you're never alone again. Whatever loneliness you face today—whether in rebellion, self-doubt, weakness, or fear—remember his promise: "I will never leave you nor forsake you." You may stand alone before the world, but you never stand alone before God.

Pastor Installation

Stewart Swain, West End’s Pastor of Discipleship, is installed as Assistant Pastor of our congregation and the Presbyterian Church in America

This Week’s Liturgy & Playlist

CALL TO WORSHIP

Leader: Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples!

All: For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!

Psalm 117:1-2

Confession of Sin

Father, we confess that our consciences are not clear before you, for we hide what should be brought into the light. We have failed to let your Word shape our words, and we have not loved others with wisdom, patience, and grace. Lord Jesus, you stand beside us, yet we often stand apart from you. Holy Spirit, convince us we are never truly alone, for you are with us. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:4-7

Looking Ahead

Join us next week for Acts 25:23-26:32.