In our world, there is so much sorrow, misery, and sadness.

We see indicators all around us that reveal to us that most people are looking for something,

anything, that can bring them true joy. In this study on joy,

Scott Pauley will take us to God's Word and help us discover the source of true, lasting joy.

And as we study the Bible together, we will find that God's joy is readily available to us

through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

All of us can agree that the great need in our world right now is a spiritual awakening.

We need God. We need divine intervention.

A work of grace and the power of the Holy Spirit that will turn men back to the Lord.

One of the marks of spiritual awakening when it comes is real joy, not passing joy, not fleeting emotion, not some sensationalism or shallow sentimentality,

but that deep-seated joy that is connected to the work of the Holy Spirit.

And you find the joy of spiritual awakening very early in the record of the First Church, the New Testament Church.

We turn our attention today to Acts chapter number eight to see the joy of spiritual awakening.

And interestingly enough, it is couched in the context of a tremendous difficulty.

Some people think when spiritual awakening comes, it'll be good circumstances. But in fact,

real revival usually has come at the darkest times in human history. So when things and people

are at their worst, God does his very best. That's what gives me such hope at this particular time

in history, because I believe that God is still able to give a spiritual awakening.

Let me read to you the opening verses of Acts chapter 8.

The Bible says, and Saul was consenting unto his death.

And at that time, there was a great persecution against the church, which was at Jerusalem,

and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

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