Devoted to Prayer

Introduction

Introduce Self

Dismiss Children

Connection and celebration moment: Great time in our Connect Seminar last week. Looking forward to Grow Seminar today. Wonderful conversation with two young people about Baptism this morning. God is doing great things around here. Thank you for being apart of it all.

We are continuing in our series “if my people: a call to prayer” in Acts 2:42.

The book of Acts was written by a doctor named Luke, the same one that wrote the gospel of Luke. He wrote that gospel and this letter to the same person. A man name Theopolis. It was written about 3o years after Jesus’ ressurection.

The title of this message is “Devoted to prayer”

Hav you ever found yourself with a quetionnable level of ddevotion to prayer?

Can I tell you something? This may hit hard for being early in the message. you ready?

Your devotion to prayer is not a problem. It is a symptom of a problem.

You see, your devotion to prayer is a reflection of your devotion to Jesus.

Through this message today I want you to feel encouraged to devote your lives to Jesus. I want you to feel challenged about any moments of unfaithfulness in your life. Not so you can feel guilty but so that you know the truth of the Christian life.

I want you to know the truth about living a victorious Christian life. Why? Because I believe each of you in this room and listening online can live that life. You have to knnow that it’s not possible to do that by just giving God 1 hour and 15 minutes out of the 168 hours you have each week.

I beleive you can do this when you see that the problems that should be driving us to Jesus often distract us from Jesus. And those problems are not special to our time in History. They have existed from the beginning. They just have more visibility in our lives now.

After todays message I want you to decide that you will be devoted to Jesus despite the distractions. I want you to choose to give God more than 1 hour a week.

How can you we make this happen? By seeing what the Apostle’s did when they had many of the same distrractions in their day, when we see what happens when we choose devotion to Jesus over the distractions, and decide daily to follow Jesus.

Let’s read the passage and then I’ll provide a little context for you to it

Acts 2:42 “42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Exegete:

Ok, the year is approx 33 AD.

Jesus has died and been raised from the dead. He has been seen of 500+ people and the followers of Jesus have gatherred back together in the upper room.

They are learning from the apostles the way of Jesus. They are enjoying fellowship with oen another. They eat together and spend time in prayer.

I tell you, when I think of where they are at in life it seemms as though this would be easy to do.

I mean they have literally just had their faith made site. Devotion to Jesus would be easy right because that is all you have to worry about as a Christian in 1st Century Jerusalem.

Or…is it?

I had a young man ask me one time, what was going on outside the BIble. Now, when I got asked this it took me a minute to understand his question but he was asking me what was taking place in the world while the events of the Bible are happeninng.

To be honest, while I know all of world history isn’t contained in the pages of scripture, I hadn’t thought about it as it pertains to the events taking place. This question helped me in my journeey as a pastor and is part of why I’m big on understanding the context of a passage.

So while the apostles were here in the upper room living out devoted lives to Jesus…what was happening around them.

Context/illustration:

Here are some major historical facts about Jeruslaem during this time period.

Let’s start with what is happening in Jerusalem, the local world the Apostles knew about. As Christians during this time period there was much to be concerned about.

Roman occupation

Jerusalem was under the control of the Roman Empire, which had a significant military presence in the region. The Romans were seen by many Jews as oppressors, and there was widespread resentment towards their rule. As a Christian, you may have been concerned about the potential for conflict between the Jewish people and the Roman authorities, as well as the impact that this conflict could have on your own safety and well-being.

Religious divisions

There were several different religious groups in Jerusalem at the time, each with their own beliefs and practices. As a Christian, you may have been concerned about the tensions between these groups, which could manifest in violent clashes and persecution. For example, the Pharisees, who were one of the dominant religious groups in Jerusalem, were known for their hostility towards Jesus and his followers.

Persecution

Christians were a minority group in Jerusalem at the time, and they faced persecution from both Jewish and Roman authorities. As a Christian, you may have been concerned about the potential for arrest, imprisonment, or even execution for your beliefs.

Messianic expectations

There were many Jews in Jerusalem at the time who were eagerly awaiting the arrival of a messiah, who they believed would liberate them from Roman rule and restore the kingdom of Israel. As a Christian, you may have been concerned about the potential for conflict between these messianic expectations and the message of Jesus, who preached a different kind of kingdom that was not based on political power or violence.

To summarize, in their day they had: Political unrest, religious division, religious persecution, and a culture that was opposed to the message Jesus was preaching becuase they wanted God to do somethign differrent.

Sound familiar?

Now, let’s zoom out for a minute look into what was taking place in rome

Crucifixion of Jesus

According to the Christian tradition, Jesus of Nazareth was crucified in Jerusalem in 33 AD.

Roman conquest of Britain

In 43 AD, the Roman Empire invaded Britain, beginning a period of Roman occupation that lasted until the 5th century AD.

Reign of Emperor Augustus

Augustus was the first Roman Emperor, and he ruled from 27 BC to 14 AD. His reign saw significant expansion of the Roman Empire and the establishment of a new system of government.

Reign of Emperor Tiberius

Tiberius succeeded Augustus as Emperor in 14 AD, and he ruled until 37 AD. His reign was marked by political and military instability, and he is known for his harsh and sometimes cruel rule.

Reign of Emperor Caligula

Caligula ruled as Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. His reign was marked by extravagance, cruelty, and paranoia, and he was eventually assassinated by his own guards.

Reign of Emperor Claudius

Claudius ruled as Emperor from 41 AD to 54 AD. His reign saw significant expansion of the Roman Empire, particularly in Britain and the Middle East.

Reign of Emperor Nero

Nero succeeded Claudius as Emperor in 54 AD, and he ruled until 68 AD. His reign was marked by extravagance, corruption, and persecution of Christians, and he was eventually forced to commit suicide in the aftermath of a rebellion against his rule.

Now what about in the world?

Han Dynasty in China

During this time period, the Han Dynasty was in power in China. The Han Dynasty was one of the longest-lasting and most significant dynasties in Chinese history, and it oversaw significant advances in areas such as art, science, and governance.

Formation of the Kushan Empire

In the early 1st century AD, a new empire emerged in Central Asia and South Asia, known as the Kushan Empire. This empire was a significant player in trade and cultural exchange in the region, and it lasted until the 3rd century AD.

Parthian Empire

The Parthian Empire was a major power in the Middle East during this time period. The empire was known for its military prowess and cultural achievements, and it was a significant player in the ongoing conflicts between the Roman and Persian empires.

Reign of Queen Boudicca

In Britain, Queen Boudicca led a rebellion against Roman rule in 60 AD. Her rebellion was a significant challenge to Roman power in Britain, and it resulted in significant destruction and loss of life.

All of this going on during a time Christianity was flourishing.

Pagan saccrifices in temples, child sacrifices taking placce in different parts of the world, homosexuality not uncommon in the roman empire, and various other things happening.

All of this conflict going on around them and in the world yet they were still devoted to Jesus.

Apply:

Have you ever felt disttracted by all of the conflict going on in the world right now?

Various political issues taking place…Reglious freedom under attack....Wars and rumors of wars taking place...

I’ve spoken recently on how distracted we are as a people. Average attention span is 8 seconds. We see more ads, listen to more people, and hear about more going on around us than probably any other time in history.

How are those distractions impacting your devotion to Jesus?

Are the distractions leading you to live more like Christ? Or are they keeping you from following Christ?

“Pastor, should I keep my head in the sand and not know whats going on around me?” Fair question.

Does you keeping your head out of the sand and knowing all thats going on in the world through the various news sources you listen to help you be more faithful to Jesus and bring God glory? If not, then go ahead and dig a hole and stick your head deep down in it.

I’m gonna be a little controversial this morning, I hope thats ok.

First let me tell you

I. Devotion to Jesus is never Devoid of Distraction

There will always be conflict and distracction in the world. There will always be something good for you to giv your attention to.

I don’t like to get politcal but I need to this morning to make my point.

In 1st century Jerusalem they had people that wanted them dead becuase they followed Jesus. They had people that wanted to rebel against the roman empire.

Do we find the Apostles engaged in the political activity of the day? not in scripture, not to my knowledge. I’m I telling you not to be involved in the political process? no.

I’m wanting you to see something vitally important this morning. Don’t miiss it becuase I may be speaking on something that gets you emotionally chrged politically.

The Apostles and 1st century Chritians had a number of things to distrcct them from following Jesus, just like we do. The time we live in is not so different than the time they lived.

They did not allow the distractions and conflict around them to keep them from being devoted to Jesus.

If yyour involvement in political ccauses, if the talking head news figure you are following gets your heart pumping and rage building about the other side of the politcal aisle, and it turns you to anger adn not to Jesus…maybe you need to turn that off, walk down the street, and find someone to talk to about Jesus.

You arre most likely not a person that will impact the world with your writing or speech. Few have that ability. You can however impact your friends, your fmily, and your community by just focusing on 1 person.

Don’t let the distractions of this world, keep you from being devoted to Jesus.

last thing and I’ll move on.

In American Christianity who is mostly made up of politically conservative indidivudals there is always talk about the various political events and theirr coorelation to prophecy. If your concern or outrage over such things doesn’t lead you to tell more people about Jesus before He comes back but it does lead you to social media debates, constant sharinig of the other sides evils, and a mindset that says those who are against me politically are my enemy and can’t be redeemed…your are not devoted to Jesus, you are devoted to Self.

Changing someones mind about a political ideaology will not lead them to Heaven but changing someones mind about Jesus will lead them not only to an eternal relationship with God, it will problaly change their politics as well.

Be devoted to Jesus despite the distractions.

What happens when we are devoted to God like the Apostles? I believe we see God do things like He did in the Apostles day.

No, I don’t meant he sign gifts.

Look what happened just in this passage

Acts 2:43-45 “43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. 44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.”

Exegete:

The word fear in this passage doesn’t mean the ame thnig we use it for today. It is meant to convey and awe or wonder.

They were seeing God work in and through the Apostles. They were unified in their walk with Jesus and pursuing after Him.

In verse 45 we see them deciding to liive communially. First off, this is not soccialism or any form of govnerment wealth distribution.

This is people deciding on their own free will to give towards others. Let’s make sure we don’t think Jesus or the BIble teaches socialism.

What was leading to their devotion here? What was leading to God doing the works He was doing?

I want to be apart of that. I want to be apart of a movement of God. Don’t you?

Then how?

Illustrate:

LLet me ask you a question....did you know the human brain is incapable of thinking of something in the negative?

It’s true. I don’t mean you can’t have a negative emotion about something.

Let me demonstrae.

Everyone look up here please. I want you to clear your mind for a moment and be ready to an image into it.

BNefore I do let me tell you

‘Do NOT to think of pink elephants. Whatever you do, don’t think of pink elephants. Do NOT think of pink elephants with big sunglasses and fluffy pink coats and shiny pink leggings. Do not think of pink elephants. Seriously! Stop! Don’t think of pink elephants. Have you stopped thinking of pink elephants yet? You know, the ones in the coats and the leggings – the pink ones?

Now … think of blue monkeys. Imagine big, fluffy, friendly, blue monkeys swinging from vine to vine. Imagine blue monkeys everywhere. Imagine big huddles of blue monkeys eating banana bread, telling jokes and laughing so hard they fall on their fluffy blue bottoms. Dark blue, light blue, middle blue – so many blue monkeys.

What’s happened to your pink elephants now?’

Research by Daniel Wegner, a professor at Harvard University, found that when we try to not think of a thought, one part of our mind will avoid the thought, but another part will keep checking to make sure the thought isn’t coming to mind. It’s ironic, but the process our minds engage to not think the thought, actually makes us think the thought.

So what happens when we allow the disractions of the world around us to enter our minds?

They consume our thoughts.

Even when we see it and say “I’m not going to think on that” We are still thinking on that.

What should we do?

Apply:

Phil 4:8 “8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

2 Cor 10:5 “5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”

Paul wrote so that you and I would know that we can take captive, we can take control of our thoughts. That’s often, in our context, based on wht we are allowing our selves to be exposed to.

When we allow ourselves to be exposed to media, music, tv, etc. that distracts our attention from God, it’s hard to see God move.

However, when we choose to be like the Apostles that put their focus on jesus we will be devoted to Jesus.

II. Devotion to Jesus leads to developments for Jesus

When yyou re foccused and devoted to jesus you will be more in tune with the need for Jesus in the world round you.

What’s your focus throughout your week? What’s your focus on each day? Do you focus on Jesus?

Be careful to not think of other things beccuse we just learned its difficult for me to tell myself not to think about something.

Be intentional in choosing ot think on Jesus.

Thinking on Jesus will result in living with and for Jesus. Living with and for Jesus will result in an impact on those around you for Jesus where you wil see development for Him.

Then in verse 46

Acts 2:46 “46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,”

Exegete:

This is pretty quick point. Noticce how often they were making decisions to be devoted to Jesus.

daily.

Illustrate:

Have you ever heard of the 10,000 rule?

Basically it says if you do something 10,000 horus you will be an expert.

Now there are arguments about this becuase the quality of an exercise comes into play as well as if its a buncch of hours at once or if its small amounts over time what the difference is.

The 10,000v rule came up from someone aying that a tudent can spendd 10,000 hours on a partcualr hobby, musical instrument, sport, etc. and be an expert by the time they are 20 or so.

Argumments aside, if you spend 10,000 hours doing something, you are going to be proficient at it. You are obviously dedicated to it and further in your journey than most.

Now how you get to that 10,000 hours can look different. 15 minutes a day, an hour aday, etc.

And you will give 10,000 hours to something. Every year we give 8,760 hours to a number of different things. The question is what will you give it to?

I believe you will give it to what you are focused on.

Apply:

Are you focused on Jesus enough to say you are trying to reach 10,000 hours for Him?

That could be 15 minutes every day.

That could be an hour or a more day.

Don’t say you don’t have the time. Don’t say you don’t have the capacity. Don’t say that it’s just one more thing on your plte.’

You make time for whats important. You have capacity for Jesus and you’ll find you have capacity for more. If I can only have one thing on my plate a day, I want that to be Jesus.

How could you work out your daily schedule to give time to Jesus?

What if you tithed your tiem?

That’ 17 hourrs per week.

4.5 hours between Sunday morning and Wednesday night groups

now all you have left is 12.5 hours. 12.5 hours over 7 days. That’s abotu 1 hour and 45 minutes per day.

I’d challenge you to spend that time on anything that fits into Phil 4:8, evangelism, prayer, Bible Study, etc. And see if your life doesn’t change.

Devotion to Jesus isn’t about big deccisions made on Sunday.

III. Devotion to Jesus is about your daily decisions

When you make the dailyy decision to be ddevoted to jesus despite the distractions you will major developments through Jesus in and through your life.

Time of Response