Relentless

Relentless ..showing or promising no abatement of severity, intensity, strength, or pace

Chloe and her team

Acts 13:1-3 (ESV)

13 Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger (neeyer),  Lucius (lukeous) of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

A Rentless Church

Biblical leadership

Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger (neeyer), Lucius (lukeous) of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

Teaching..

Hosea 4:6 (ESV)

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

A Relentless church has

Biblical teaching

2 Timothy 4:2 (ESV)

2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

2 Timothy 2:15 (ESV)

15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

Forged in fire

Dont fake it faith. walk on your knees

Every story needs Jesus in it we are called to testify the test we have gone through

A Relentless church has

Diversity

Barnabas a Levite

Acts 4:36-37 (ESV)

36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.

Simeon (symeon). Called neeyer. In latin Greek and Hebrew this work means dark in color or in other words black. Mary called magdalan

Odds are better that this is his surname more than the color of his skin.. but there are arguments both way either way he was a respected teacher or prophet

Lucius of Cyrene

Acts 11:20 (ESV)

20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists[a] also, preaching the Lord Jesus.

Paul talks of a Lucius in Romans in which he calls him a kinsmen, so if he was the same one then he was a Jew.

Manaean friend of Herod the tetrarch was treated like a prince but without the power of a prince. They could only rule if the authorities gave them power.. but they where I a high place in the Roman empire..

Saul.

Romans 1:1 (ESV)

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God

Galatians 1:15 (ESV)

But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace,

So why is diversity important well first the word says that in the end God’s will bring as all together

Revelation 7:9a (ESV)

9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb

God will take the peoples of the world and make them his people!

We see throughout the early church in Acts 15, ephesians 2 and 3, Galatians 3 the Jews and gentiles coming together ..

Trevin wax once wrote an article entitled I want a Bigger Bible and in it he said

“The more voices we have access to, the bigger our Bible gets — the more we see what is there, behind our cultural blinders.”

I am thankful that this family has opened the door for all people to know Jesus.

After all wasn’t the reason Jesus went to the cross to reconcile us to his Father so that we would all be his sons and daughters who where made in his image to begin with?

Worships

Acts 13:2 (ESV)

. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

Worship and fasting set us apart .. things we worship..

Worship is our response to God’s grace. Worship is us expressing that God is worthy

Paul said his response to God’s grace in his life was to sacrifice his life that living on earth was for God and his death would mean his gain

Sometimes people ask.. how do I know if I am saved.

The word says by how you live your life by how you love If you know God you know love..if you do not know God you do not know love.. do you desire to follow God or the world? Two things that need to change in us to truly worship God

John 4:23-24 (ESV)

23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Heart and Mind

John Piper in his book Desiring God states,

Worship must be vital and real in the heart, and worship must rest on a true perception of God. There must be spirit and there must be truth. . . . true worship comes from people who are deeply emotional and who love deep and sound doctrine. Strong affections for God rooted in truth are the bone and marrow of biblical worship

Mind..

2 Corinthians 4:4 (ESV)

4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Matrix.. mind blown https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIlKVNd7L90

2 Corinthians 4:6 (ESV)

6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

I believe the better we figure this out the more open we are to be used by the Holy Spirit.

Heart

There is the words of Jesus that as a pastor I sometimes think over

Matthew 15:8 (ESV)

“‘This people honors me with their lips,     but their heart is far from me;

The first thing for us to get close to God is seek his forgivness and give him our lives

The second thing for us to get close to God is be obedient to his word.

Finally we get close to God and find a heart of worship when we are able to empty ourselves of this world and be satisfied with God and God alone

Lets ask our selves what satisfies you truly in this world..

Philippians 3:7-8 (ESV)

7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

Fasts

I love bull on the beach in ocean city

Bull final

Matthew 6:16-18 (ESV)

16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Acts 9:9; 13:2; 14:23

Reward

Fasting cleanses the body from built-up chemicals, metals, and other toxins. When you fast, your cells, tissues, and organs dump out the accumulated waste products of cellular metabolism as well as chemicals, heavy metals, pesticides, and solvents. Fasting revitalizes you in every way: mentally, physically, and spiritually. It also allows the overburdened liver to ‘catch up’ on its detoxification work. —Don Colbert, MD

It strengthens our prayer Ezra 8:3 Joel 2:12

Helps us seek God’s guidance Judges 20:26, Acts 14:23

Humbeling of self Psalm 35:13

Expressing repentance 1 samuel 7:6 jonah 3:5-8

Express grief 1 samuel 31:13

Concern over work Nehemiah 1:3-4 Daniel 9:3

Overcoming temptation Matthew 4:1-11

It is through fasting that our reward is clarification of Gods word

Isaiah 55:2 (ESV)

2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,     and delight yourselves in rich food.

So you see fasting is not what your giving up but who you are desiring more of

John 6:35 (ESV)

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

Prayer

Acts 13:3 (ESV)

Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

See pastor Jim’s sermon last week. QR code

Pleading woman to judge

Luke 18:1,6-8 (ESV)

And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart… 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily.

Unity

Laying of hands is a symbol of everyone in agreement

Playbook for any sport

Cheyenne juan wedding

Marriage and unity

Amy and I could not be more different than each other.

How important is it

Its what Jesus prayed for

John 17:23a “I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity

It reflects the gospel to the world

John 17:23b “Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

Unity grows the church

1 Corinthians 12:12 “…just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.”

Ephesians 4:3 “…until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

Unity demonstrates love

Colossians 3:14 “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

Unity keeps us focused on Christ

Ephesians 1:10b “…to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.”

Psalm 131:1 “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”

Our unity as the church is called to be a direct reflection of God.

Stays on mission

Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Some set out to go and plant churches and some set apart to go and build the local church

So lets apply this today

If you are saved have you asked the Lord how he can use you in ministry and if God asks you to change everything in your life are you willing?

Lew

Unsaved

Everything we do here at the macc is for Jesus and you. It is so that you can experience the hope that we have found forgiveness of sins, eternal life .. So that you can be close to your Lord and savior