1. Kyle’s Teaching

2. Reading the Passage Read v.1-3: A VERY SIGNIFICANT MOMENT –Christianity is taken from the Jews to the Gentiles (do you know what it means? -> you & I are Gentiles!). –The Point: if they had never done this, you & I would never hear about Jesus Christ. Transition: Read v.4-7 –Humor: Sounds boring, right? Just a bunch of names & places… bla-bla-bla ASK: So are you bored with my teaching??!! POINT: These names & places are EXTREMELY IMPORTANT BECAUSE…

3. Point out the Importance They PROVE something VERY IMPORTANT about the Bible. Review: Do you understand what has happened? –They go to CYPRUS (an ISLAND) –They go & Preach at a SYNAGOGUE (ASK: do they understand what it means?) –They go across the entire REST of the Island (from town to town) preaching. –They end up in PAPHOS (which is the CAPITAL CITY) where they find 2 people: Bar-Jesus, and Sergius Paulus Point: SERGIUS PAULUS is the person I want to talk about… –BECAUSE: The GOVERNOR of Cyprus (entire island). ASK

4. The problem with Sergius Paulus FOR CENTURIES, Historians have ALWAYS believed –THERE NEVER WAS A PROCONSUL ON CYPRUS (an unimportant place) & SERGIUS P. NEVER EXISTED POINT: This is WHY you hear people say, “The Bible is just a bunch of FAIRY TALES.” (made-up stories) –BECAUSE: The “Bible is FULL OF HISTORICAL ERRORS.” –LIKE THIS “Error!”

5. The Point: “Why believe the Bible?” “It’s just a bunch of fairy-stories” –ASK: Have you ever heard this before? For example: –QUOTING FROM ARCHEOLOGIST: “As recently as 1902 [historians] believed that the historical value of Acts ‘shrinks until it reaches a vanishing point.” –ASK: Do you understand what he’s saying here? “The Bible is full of crap!” THE POINT: This is what ALL the historians believed (in 1902) -> REPEAT PROBLEM

6. UNTIL: Sir William Ramsay (1920) Who is? A famous British Archeologist. Point: RAMSAY ALSO believed the Bible was just STORIES, not HISTORY. –Until he went to Cyprus, started digging, and discovered a CORNERSTONE [explain] –It read: “Dedicated to Sergius Paulus, by Claudius” [Claudius is the Emporer of Rome] NOW Historians believe the Bible is a VERY ACCURATE HISTORY: –Those “ATTACKERS” are FULL OF CRAP!! ASK The dude Indiana Jones

7. Conclusion The Bible is not imaginary stories: it is HISTORY. –Not only that, it is the most ACCURATE HISTORY available from ancient sources. The Point: You can TRUST the Bible ABOUT HISTORY. –QUOTE FROM SCHOLAR: “After doing research work for many years in the regions described by Luke, Ramsey stated unambiguously that ‘Luke’s writing is unsurpassed in respect of it’s trustworthiness.”