Acts message 18
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 3 viewsNotes
Transcript
The Church Moving Forward With Its Mission
The Church Moving Forward With Its Mission
Acts 8:1–8 (NKJV)
1 Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.
4 Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.
5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.
6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
7 For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.
8 And there was great joy in that city.
Intro: But up until the death of Stephen, the gospel had only been preached in Jerusalem. (1000s had be saved)
Since the gospel was only in Jerusalem, it was only being preached to the Jews.
The spreading of the gospel was a commandment. You are to GO. Share the good news, the gospel of Jesus. Salvation.
Acts 1:8 (NKJV)
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
But Jesus also told them persecution would happen.
Moving forward during difficult days VS 1-4
Moving forward during difficult days VS 1-4
VS 1
Saul of Tarsus.
Some may have been a little reluctant to kill Stephen, Saul enjoyed it.
consenting : taking pleasure.
Saul looked with approval on the murder of Stephen. He did not see it as murder. Religion blinded his eyes.
13 although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
Look at the rest to VS 1
VS 1 “At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.”
(We’ll get back to persecution)
Except the apostles.The apostles remained in Jerusalem. Perhaps they felt the place of danger was the place for them to be.
maybe the apostles still thought of the Jerusalem church as the mother church, and thought they should remain with her no matter what.
2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
And men of piety and reverence toward God carried Stephen to his burial and made great lamentation over him, this lamentation accompanied by the beating of the breast
(We are not told who these devout men were, some believe these were of the church)
The church had lost a champion of the faith. Last week :Christlike life. He was a example the that many would follow.
There had been persecution before, but only against the Apostles. But VS 1
“at that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. “
So they scattered. (The scattering of seed)
If seed is in a bag, it has to be scattered. Keeping the gospel in Jerusalem was like keeping seed in a bag. It had to be scattered to do its mission.
Acts 1:8 (NKJV)
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
They (the religious bullies) wanted the stop the preaching of the gospel, so they murdered Stephen. What happens? The gospel is spread to others places like Jesus had commanded.
But now the persecution is going to get worse.
3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.
Amplified Bible Chapter 8
3 But Saul shamefully treated and laid waste the church continuously [with cruelty and violence]; and entering house after house, he dragged out men and women and committed them to prison.
Saul now a mad man. He “made havoc of the church,” and the verb here describes a wild animal mangling its prey.
He had his hit list. He entered every house where a believer lived. There was hardly a home where his cruelty was not felt.
When it says “dragging them” that just what he was doing. He was using cruelty and violence.
Years later Paul would speak of his ways against them.
11 And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.
God would still show Saul grace and mercy.
4 Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.
God used something bad (Stephens death) to spread the gospel.
What will God use in your life to spread the Gospel.
Cancer. (Regina)
Cancer. Maybe you have caner.
Maybe the death of a loved one that is a Christian
Notice who shared the gospel. “Those who scattered:
It wasn’t the apostles who preached the gospel first outside of Jerusalem; “those who were scattered” (8:4) did. Remember, every Christian is a missionary!
Acts 1:8 (NKJV)
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Moving outside our comfort zone. VS 5-8
Moving outside our comfort zone. VS 5-8
5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.
6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
7 For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.
8 And there was great joy in that city.
Phillip: One of the 7 chosen (deacons) Ch6
When this church choose deacons They had chosen their deacons well.
One became the first great martyr of the faith; another became the first great missionary of the faith.
Look where Phillip went: Samaria.
Do you know who was in Samaria. Samaritans.
The Samaritans who populated the region of Samaria were a mixed people of partly Jewish and partly Gentile origin. Most Jews considered them unclean and outside the covenant community of Israel
Jesus had been there.
John 4:39 (NKJV)
39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.”
He preached Christ to the Samaritans. Not Judaism, but Christ! Not religion, but Christ!
Maybe the woman that Jesus met was there.
The preaching of Christ to needy hearts cannot help but win a response.
Acts 8:6 (NKJV)
6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
Philip didn’t preach religion to them They already had religion What they needed was Christ.
A lot of people have religion, but they don’t have Jesus.
The Samaritans ready to hear the gospel, as they had their own longings and ideas about a coming Messiah
25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”
It could be that their hearts were prepared to receive it because both John the Baptist and Jesus had previously ministered there
The seed had been planted.
You can plant the seed. But you can also reap the harvest.
7 For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.
Demons and disease fled before the power of God in Philip.
8 And there was great joy in that city.
Of course there was! Revival always produces rejoicing.
The Samaritans realized that God had visited them, and they were filled with gladness.