Acts 28 Paul's work

Introduction

The life of a Christian church is rooted in Christ to do the work laid before her. What we have seen in Acts over the last few months is Christ building his church, Christ dispersing his Church, and the Church sending out it’s members, it’s ministers to proclaim Christ, to proclaim His Kingdom.

That the gospel message is both Jew and Gentile, that the gentiles are ingrafted in to the olive tree, that True Israel are all who belong to Christ.

The local church will also have a closing date, there is not one church from Acts that still stands present today. Even the tabernacle that Spurgeon Pastor while still going today will as well have a death date.

The church never dies, because it is the bride of Christ and the Kingdom of God is so much greater than a local body assembled. The beauty of the church is our relationship is not tied to this building or her name. In fact that is an idol for many, not just in this room.

The work of the bride countiunes until the day the Lord returns and all nations sit under His reign. Even then for all eternity the purpose of the church then becomes what is designed for her etneral purpose to the bride, to worship God. The great commission has a stopping point when all the elect are saved! Not a single one of us knows when that day is.

Yet the Kingdom of God is forever, the glory of God is forever, and God shall be worshiped forever. His Kingdom goes on forever and those who truly Israel, of Christ will build in His Kingdom for the glory of God.

Our passage today looks at the calling of Paul which is the calling of the Church not just a man. Paul was just a man who knew Christ and wanted the Church to know Christ.

Luke end this book and Paul rented a home in Rome for two years preaching the Kingdom and Jesus. It’s like where is the Marvel ending, where is the cliff hanger?

This is the beauty of the Christian Church it’s not a super hero movie, it’s not something that special people do, it’s ordinary and beautiful. She has a very distinct purpose.

First She is to know Christ and glorify Him

Second she is to build the Kingdom

Third She proclaims Christ.

Paul and his ministry, the ministry the church of acts, and your ministry at Waughtown and beyond Waughtown is in the ordinary.

Knowing Christ

What set the church apart in acts from the modern false church of today? She knew Christ. Peter loved Christ and that is why Christ chose Peter to establish the church, not be a Pope but to establish it. Peter do you love me?

The men like Stephen who was martyred, loved Christ.

Paul who rents a home in Rome to preach the gospel, loves Christ.

The key to being a Christian who is part of the Church is to love Christ. Listen all local churches have a death date, sometimes the community like ours just does not desire the gospel, sometimes she just gets old. One thing we all have in common is we are not 20 anymore and can’t do the same things.

We all will face death. But what goes on is the love of Christ no matter if we are on our death bed or the local church that we spent 8 decades with is coming a close.

Christ was loved at Waughtown Baptist Church, you did not come this far because you hated Christ. Christ was deeply loved in this building not because of her building but because Christ called you His, to love Him. In your love of Christ this church has stood for many generations.

Yet take this very love you have for Christ and go to the next local church and bring that love that Christ has taught you to teach a younger church, a younger people.

The purpose of the Church and the little church is to love Christ. Do not loose that love for that love is eternal and be gifted for generations to come.

Building the Kingdom

The best toy every created was not a Nintendo, it was not a football, thou those things are really cool. It is legos, those little expaseinve plastic toys that hurt when you step on them.

With a lame kid (much like I was) my buildings with legos looked like garbage, but then are some kids that are building cities that you would pay rent to shrink yourself to live in them.

The right mind, the right perspective, and the imagination the world of Lego's is endless.

The Kingdom of God is endless and filled with endless purposes that glorify God. God gave man in the garden a mandate to rule and have dominion. That never stopped because of the curse, it just became harder.

Jesus taught us to pray thy Kingdom come. The earth, heaven they belong to God. One day the two will meet togehter forming the New Heavens, the New Earth. We are redeemed to be a part of this Kingdom, to have life better than Eden and in Eden man had dominion.

His dominion was not himself but rather to give back to God. God to this is day is advancing His Kingdom in ways we can see and also not see.

There is so much like in the Kingdom of God that only comes through the Son. In our next sermon series will walk through Mark’s gospel and see Christ Kingdom for in Mark’s gospel the focus is truly the Kingship of Christ.

Paul would preach thy Kingdom come and build as if the Kingdom is here. That is the duty of the Christian Church today. You can do this in your job, in your home, in your local church, in your community.

Proclaiming Christ

The Church proclaims Christ and His Salvation. This is the ongoing work of the church.

Appliciation

Knowing Christ for yourself

Do that which He called you

Proclaim Christ to yourself and others