Acts: Not Thoughts

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Closer Nights - Wednesday Nights at 6:30 PM

(2nd Service) Serve 101 - Immediately after service

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Opening Story: Thinking about getting ready vs. actually getting ready

Have you ever had a dream that you were getting ready for the day.

I’ve taken a shower, brushed my teeth, gotten my clothes on…and then woke up to realize that I was extremely late

ALL OF THE THINGS HAVE BEEN DONE IN MY MIND…BUT IT’S ONE THING TO THINK SOMETHING AND ANOTHER THING TO ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING

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Intro: Definition of Act

Today we open a series of conversations around the book of Acts

I am doing something I have never done before…I am taking my text from the title of a book.

Act: take action, take steps, take measures, take the initiative, move, make a move, do something, proceed, go ahead, make progress, make headway, be active, be busy;

(informal); get moving

(antonyms); do nothing

Today we are opening our study of the book of Acts by simply reading the title of the book

Todays message is; Acts, not thoughts.

This book is not simply acts of history…this is “ACTS OF THE APOSTLES”

I want us to juxtapose their lifestyle…their acts with the acts of their religious predecessors.

We can’t fully appreciate the revival that they represent if we don’t understand the deadness of what was before them.

IN ORDER TO DO THIS WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE CULTURAL DISCONNECT BETWEEN OUR TIME AND THEIR TIME.

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Relativism: The Outcome of Enlightenment

We are living in the ultimate evolution of the enlightenment

When the age of enlightenment happened men began to come to the conclusion that they could formulate their own opinions about God and the reality of his existence.

This has given birth to the concept of relativism

YOU DO YOU: IF IT MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER THAN YOU CAN BELIEVE IN THAT.

This thought process has invaded the church.

47% of millennial Christians believe it is inappropriate to share their faith with non believers.

This belief is based in the fact that to push my opinion of truth on someone else is rude.

It is not the opinion of this church that Jesus is the way into heaven…it is the absolute truth!

This is not a statement I make in an attempt to be exclusive...

The gospel is an exclusive truth with an inclusive posture.

Standing by the principles of God’s Word regarding social issues is not building fences for exclusivity

It is simply identifying the parameters of truth.

Modern Christianity has torn down all walls to be welcoming…Orthodoxy invites everyone to the gate.

WE LIVE IN A SOCIETAL CONTEXT THAT CELEBRATES THE LACK OF RELIGION

TR:So It’s hard for us to imagine the type of culture that Jesus was born into.

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Jesus’ society was very religious

Anti religion was not the case when Jesus entered the equation.

Their society was largely religious...

Paganism was a large part of Roman culture, The persians had always practiced polytheism, Jews were always pursuant of Jehova and his acceptance.

relativism was not a large obstacle for Jesus and even the apostles in the early church…

Their largest obstacle was dead religion.

As we approach the conversation of the acts of the apostles…I think it’s important to understand their theological predecessors

The group that came before them as the ambassadors for Jehova.

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Introduce the pharisees

One of the primary antagonist in the historical narrative surrounding Jesus is a group called the “Pharisees”.

I believe pharisee’s are a great picture of many who have been in church for a long time.

Maybe you’re new to this church thing and so this might not apply to you

If so let this serve you with a warning about an easy trap to fall into.

They became known for a couple of things that the church today can still find an element of pride in being known for...

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(A) They were known for what they knew

The Pharisee’s were experts on all things pertaining to the holy scriptures.

Root of word Pharisee is “pe-res”

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised I. Name

Another remote possibility is that, since prš can also mean “expound” (Jastrow, pp. 1241–44), there would be a connection between “Pharisees” and biblical exegesis. This view could be supported by Josephus’s statement that the Pharisees were “the most accurate exegetes of the law

The word exegete simply means to draw truth out of a scriptural text.

The Pharisees knew the scriptures inside and out

They had to learn the first five books of the Bible by the time they were twelve years old.

THESE INDIVIDUALS WHO KNEW EVERYTHING THERE WAS TO KNOW ABOUT THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS…WERE UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE SON OF GOD WHEN HE WAS WALKING THE EARTH

They were more concerned with what they knew than they were with who they knew

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(B) They were known for what they didn’t do

Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Pharisees)

pharisaios (Φαρισαι̂ος, 5330), from an Aramaic word peras (found in Dan. 5:28), signifying “to separate,” owing to a different manner of life from that of the general public

The most common translation for pe-res which is the root of pharisaios means to seperate

The culture of Jesus day knew the Pharisees by the fact that they were separated from everyone else.

They wore fancy robes, touted their lack of sin, and made sure everyone knew all of the lengths they went to in order to be considered holiness.

How often is the church world more known for what we lack than what we have??

The church doesn’t go there

The church doesn’t do that

The church doesn’t allow this

Don’t misinterpret me, I believe we should live differently from the world around me...

Our lifestyle should be markedly different from those who are far from God…but that difference should not be the defining characteristic of our lives.

The difference in our lifestyle should be a discovery not a definition.

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You will know them by their fruit

The fruit of the Spirit should be what incites the investigation of the non believers into our lives.

They want to know why we can have joy

They want to know how it is that we have peace

They are curious how we have found fulfillment.

From that curiosity we get to share Jesus…As we share about Jesus they are effected by the Holy Spirit...

The same Holy Spirit bears witness with the difference of our lifestyle and leads them into the truth as well.

May we be more well known for being for the gospel than for being against sin.

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The Pharisees were a group of learning not a group of loving

Just a quick survey of the Pharisees in scripture shows us that they are a group that is all about mental ascent

They spend much of their time formulating and refining their thoughts

Ultimately this is what our faith is…it is a belief system born out of our thoughts.

We need to carefully study and evaluate what we believe…we should spend time studying and getting clarity on our thoughts around what the Bible says.

But the trap of the pharisees is that of knowing much and doing little.

THIS IS THE RECIPE FOR DEAD RELIGION

James 2:14–26 NKJV

What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Quickly, I want to look at three passages of scripture from the gospels that show us a state of the pharisees knowing and not doing.

This is the context of religion before the birth of the church...

The book of Acts is the story of revival

We study it in order to learn the steps to revival

It’s my hope that as we see these truths we will be a people of Acts not just thoughts.

Here are three acts the Pharisees didn’t take…or three things the Pharisees didn’t do.

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1. The Pharisees Didn’t Worship

Luke 7:36–40 NKJV

Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” So he said, “Teacher, say it.”

Luke 7:44 ESV

Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

Simon took the presence of Jesus at his table for granted.

He didn’t even enact customary practices in order to make the son of God feel welcome

He was satisfied to have him sit at His table and have discussions surrounding religious controversies.

Have you taken the presence of God for granted?

Can we come to a worship service, drink some coffee, sing some songs and come home without ever truly engaging with the one it’s all about.

One of the greatest ways that we can be a church of acts…is to be a church that acts on our worship.

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So much opportunity…but so little outcome

I’ve had the privilege of being in some of the greatest facilities in our nation

i’ve seen some of the most talented musicians and singers “lead worship”

And I’ve watched people stand idly by and be satisfied to simply display their talent or watch others display their talent..

Often we have turned moments intended for encounter into masterful displays of talent.

We leave impressed but not impacted

We see remarkable gifts without ever encountering the eternal giver of the gifts.

My prayer for Awaken Church is that we would not leave in awe of the gifts on display.

My prayer for Awaken Church is that we would enter with the posture of Mary…not Simon

The posture that understands the weight of his presence being here

The posture that doesn’t take the opinions of others into consideration when displaying our affection for Him

The posture that doesn’t take a conservative approach

MAY WE BE A CHURCH THAT ACTS ON OUR WORSHIP!

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2. The Pharisees Didn’t Change Inwardly

Matthew 23:23–25 ESV

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.

Maybe you are like me and you grew up around all things church.

I learned when to raise my hands

I learned when to respond to the altar call

I knew how to speak the lingo

Many of us have learned how to wear the cloak of Christianity

2 Timothy 3:5 NLT

They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!

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How many people in our churches in western civilization have come to know the truths about God and the transformation He can bring…but have yet to enact any kind of change in their own lives.

The reason we don’t see a change in our lives is not because of God’s incapability…we don’t see a change in our lives because of our disinterest.

WE WANT TO KEEP OUR ACTIONS THE SAME BUT HAVE HIM REMOVE THE CONSEQUENCES.

An Acts church doesn’t invite people to encounter God so they can get out of hell…it invites people to encounter God so they can get hell out of them!

Our society will not be changed by positive thinking regular living individuals

Our society is in need of some individuals to come fully surrendered before the God of heaven and allow Him to change us from the inside out!

May we be a church who acts on the grace that’s been given by giving God access to perform surgery on our inner man.

How can we know if we’re living like a pharisee by not changing inwardly

If you look godly but consistently think impure thoughts

If you speak in tongues but gossip about everybody else

If you raise your hands and then put them on someone who isn’t your spouse

If you talk about generosity but don’t pay your tithes

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3. The Pharisees didn’t see potential in the present

Matthew 23:30 NLT

Then you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would never have joined them in killing the prophets.’

The pharisees spent all of their time looking longingly at the past.

Their entire view of God was based on what he had done

They were so focused on what God had spoken during the time of Moses and the prophets, that they didn’t even see the fact that Jesus was readily available to them.

John 5:39 NLT

“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!

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The pharisees couldn’t bring themselves to see that the time for a move of God was not in the past…it was not in the future it was now.

What events are you making prerequisites to a move of God?

When I get a better job

When I find the right church

When I get married

When I have kids

When something happens in government

The enemy is a master manipulator....He uses chronological and conditional changes as a primary reason to get many of us to not believe for revival.

When the church is in better economic position

When we have more people serving on all of our teams

When we can hire a bigger staff

Revivals of the past have not taken place when conditions appropriated…Revivals of the past have taken place when revivalists initiated.

We don’t have to wait for anything to turn around…We just need to turn it on!

We are a church that is praying…We aren’t praying because we’re out of ideas for things to do in our services.

REVIVAL HAS ALWAYS HAD ONE POSTURE!

Asbury pictures

WE’RE PRAYING BECAUSE I’M HUNGRY FOR THE PRESENCE OF GOD.

We’re praying on Thursday with the worship team

We’re praying on Wednesdays at closer nights

We’re praying on Sunday’s before service

We’re praying in service on Sunday’s

WE AREN’T WAITING ON A MOVE OF GOD…WE’RE ENACTING ONE!

May we be a church that acts by seeing value in the present stage of growth, development, and purpose!

Awaken Church will not be successful when it is large…Awaken Church will be successful when it is fully obedient

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We are going to be an Acts church…and that begins by being a church that does more than just think about it...

Acts…not thoughts.