Apostle Allison Smith Conliff opens with a call to live intentionally and do what is right before God, emphasizing that righteousness is not complicated, it is a choice. The preacher challenges believers to be careful about companionship and influence, warning that some “friends” will not take you where you need to go spiritually, and that maturity includes discerning who truly supports your God-given decisions. A key early takeaway is that self-control, especially “holding your tongue” instead of retaliating, can become a major spiritual victory, because it gives God room to defend you, open doors for you, and “handle your business” when you choose peace over payback.

From there, the sermon moves into Acts 18, focusing on the husband-and-wife ministry team Aquila and Priscilla as a model of spiritual partnership. Their unity, shared service, and consistent mention together in Scripture is presented as a pattern for marriages today: a strong marriage is one where Christ is not given “leftovers,” but is made the head and center of the home. The preacher highlights how their open home and faithful lifestyle helped many come to Christ, and stresses that serving God is not remnant-living but wholehearted alignment.

The sermon then centers on Paul’s ministry in Corinth and the opposition he faced. Paul is described as preaching, reasoning, and testifying weekly, yet encountering resistance and abuse. The preacher draws a strong parallel to modern believers: when you testify of what God has done, healing, deliverance, survival, some will try to reduce it to “luck” or “chance,” but faith recognizes it as divine intervention. Believers are urged to keep sharing their testimony even when people dismiss it, because God’s work in your life is not up for public approval.

A major theme is the urgency of responding to God now. Using Paul’s declaration (“your blood be upon your own heads… from now on I go to the Gentiles”), the preacher warns that there comes a point when opportunities close. This is developed into a broader appeal: mercy, grace, and salvation operate “on this side” (in this life) after death comes judgment. The sermon confronts the idea that a person can live recklessly and still expect heaven’s rewards, arguing that choices have consequences and that people will give account for the Word they received. The call is clear: if someone is not serving God now, they must decide to shift and serve Him “in spirit and in truth.”

To help believers endure pressure, the preacher introduces a practical spiritual principle: store up the Word. Just as people store water and supplies for shortages, Christians must store spiritual “food” for seasons of difficulty.

Another central section focuses on God’s encouragement in hard seasons. The preacher emphasizes that Paul, though bold, still needed reassurance, and God met him with a word: “Have no fear… do not keep silent… for I am with you… no man shall harm you… I have many people in this city.” The congregation is taught that God knows when believers are under pressure, and that sometimes what people with “great faith” need most is simply a fresh word from God to keep going. The sermon reinforces that God’s calling is what sustains ministry; self-sent ministry collapses under pressure, but God-sent work is upheld by God’s voice and protection.

The message broadens into pastoral exhortation about the chaos of modern life, violence, sudden death, instability, and argues that church is not social gathering but empowerment for survival and victory during the week. Listeners are urged to come alert, ready to receive spiritual “fuel,” because the Word equips believers to withstand the enemy’s attacks. The preacher also stresses training the next generation: if the church does not train youth in God’s ways, the enemy will train them through devices, school influences, and culture.

Rec. Date: 20th October, 2024