Preach The Word

Secular -

A pastor was known for his powerful sermons, but one day he decided to try something new to engage his congregation. He announced that next Sunday, he would preach while standing on his head!

The church was buzzing with curiosity. The day finally arrived, and as the pastor stood on the pulpit, he began his sermon upside down. The congregation was in stitches, laughing and trying to understand the message.

He spoke about viewing life from a different perspective and how important it is to turn our lives around. “Sometimes,” he said, “we need to get a little upside down to see things right!”

After the service, everyone was impressed by his creativity, and many complimented him. However, one elderly gentleman approached the pastor with a concerned look.

“Pastor,” he said, “I have to admit, I couldn’t quite follow your message today. You were upside down the entire time!”

The pastor chuckled and replied, “Well, it was meant to be a lesson in perspective! Sometimes, when we turn our lives around, we can see things in a whole new light.”

The elderly man nodded and said, “I understand that, but next time, could you at least warn us? I almost fell out of my pew trying to keep up!”

Historical/Cultural Context -

Luke was a physician and a travel companion of the apostle Paul. He wrote the book of Acts. The earliest possible date of Acts is immediately after the events that Luke recorded in, which would have been c. A.D. 62. Acts is addressed to “Theophilus,” about whom nothing more is known. Luke’s broader audience consisted primarily of Gentile Christians like Theophilus who had already “been taught” about Jesus.

Biblical Text -

Acts 8:1–14 NKJV

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. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. And there was great joy in that city. But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the great power of God.” And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time. But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done. Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,

-[Prayer]-

Life Principle - You Are Either Growing Toward Christ, Preaching The Gospel In Everything You Do Or You’re Going Backwards.

Life Point- Are You Growing Toward Christ?

Exegetical -

Acts 8:1–3 BSB

And Saul was there, giving approval to Stephen’s death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. God-fearing men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.

Homiletical -

Last time we looked at this book we discussed Stephen’s martyrdom. Did you know that Saul, who later became Paul, was there and approving of the action against him?

From that day a great persecution broke out against the Christians in Jerusalem which was considered the epicenter of the church at that time.

Here is the problem. Jesus told the Christians to go to all the world, but a vast majority stayed there. I believe that when we don’t listen to God he uses circumstances to accomplish His will. They were told to be witnesses to all the earth but the majority weren’t doing it.

Matthew 28:18–20 BSB

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Acts 1:7–8 BSB

Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

We know that there was a great Diaspora of the Jews long before this time. I like to call this the great Diaspora of the church.

So what happened?

Well Saul took it upon himself to persecute and arrest Christians. So what do you do when it looks like that might be you and you are living in fear for your life as you know it? You run away, you go to another country or another town even. That is exactly what the Christians did at this time.

Then we have this little phrase that Stephen was mourned deeply and buried. Stephen, if you recall, was a very wise and bold witness for the Lord and because of that is why he was stoned to death. Also, he was becoming one of the most well-known Christians amongst the church because of it. This is why he was chosen to help solve the issue of the distribution of food to the widows.

Acts 6:8–10 BSB

Now Stephen, who was full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. But resistance arose from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and men from the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. They began to argue with Stephen, but they could not stand up to his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.

We know that when Paul was Saul that he was zealous for what he thought was the truth and he began to destroy the church in order to please the Jewish leaders and thereby pleasing God. But as we will find out later he did not please God.

When your time comes to be counted amongst the faithful, even possibly in the face of imprisonment or even death for your faith, will you be counted amongst the righteous or will you shrink back?

This is where your daily walk with Christ and strengthening your relationship with Christ comes in. If you aren’t actively feeding your soul the Word of God and spending time in His presence through prayer then you are going backwards.

In your walk there is no place to say that you have arrived and you can stop these disciplines now. You are either going toward Christ or away from Christ. The choice is yours.

Illustration -

Since the time of the early church there has always been martyrs for the faith. Even in recent times.

A recent example of martyrdom for the Christian faith is the story of the 21 Coptic Christians who were martyred by ISIS in Libya in 2015. These men, mostly Egyptian migrant workers, were captured by ISIS militants and executed on a beach in Libya for refusing to renounce their Christian faith. A video was released showing the men in orange jumpsuits, lined up and kneeling on the shore before their execution.

The men were given the choice to convert to Islam or die. However, they chose to remain faithful to Christ. Their final words, “Lord Jesus Christ,” were reportedly uttered as they were beheaded. Their faith drew global attention, especially within the Christian community. The 21 martyrs are remembered in Coptic Church, and they are honored on February 15 each year.

The martyrs’ story is one of steadfast faith and devotion in the face of extreme persecution.

This is just one modern example of Christian persecution around the world today. There are many others out there.

Life Point - Are You Preaching The Word Wherever You Go?

Exegetical -

Acts 8:4–8 BSB

Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ to them. The crowds gave their undivided attention to Philip’s message and to the signs they saw him perform. With loud shrieks, unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, and many of the paralyzed and lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city.

Homiletical -

I love the first part here. “Those who had been scattered preached the Word wherever they went.”

That is our mandate. To preach God’s wonderful love wherever we go.

What are we preaching?

Romans 5:8 BSB

But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

This one verse emphasizes how deep the love of God goes. You might die for your friends, but would you die for your enemies? It shows the grace of God and His power.

Romans 5:10 BSB

For if, when we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!

This verse hammers home the previous one.

How do we come to the Faith? We must first come to terms with the fact that we are sinners on our way to hell and are in need of a savior and that if we call upon the name of the Lord in Faith we will be saved.

Romans 3:23 BSB

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 6:23 BSB

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 10:13 BSB

for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

The rest of this passage talks about Phillip the deacon. Some people will say that the miracles of God are past and that He doesn’t do them anymore; or that they were for the Apostles only. I beg to differ a bit on that. Phillip is a deacon and God used him in marvelous ways, as you will see here and later.

So Phillip goes to the Jews most hated enemies. The Jews were racist against the Samarians because they were half breeds. They were part Jewish and Gentile. But Phillip gets over this stigma and goes to preach the Gospel to them.

He draws the attention of Crowds because of the miracles God used him to do. Specifically he healed the sick and those who couldn’t walk or were paralyzed. He also cast out demons and the came out with a loud shriek.

It says that because of this they gave him their undivided attention. Yeah, I think I would too.

Does God still do these things today?

Yes He does

One relatively recent case involving a Baptist minister occurred in 2018 with Pastor Shane Shaffer of the First Baptist Church in Paxton, Illinois.

Shaffer reported performing a deliverance after being called to help a family who believed that one of their members was experiencing demonic possession. The individual in question exhibited extreme aggression, violent outbursts, and supernatural strength, which are common signs associated with possession. The family, who had exhausted all other means of help, turned to Shaffer.

Pastor Shaffer prayed fervently over the individual, using Scripture and commanding the spirit to leave in the name of Jesus. After several hours of intense prayer and spiritual warfare, the individual experienced a breakthrough, becoming calm and peaceful. The pastor and those present believed the person was freed from demonic possession.

Is this kind of thing happening all the time? Around the world, I believe it is. It’s just not reported all the time.

We don’t go seeking these experiences, but when it comes up we should be able to take care of it.

I love the last part of this message too. There was much joy in that city. Did you ever noticed that where God is, there is joy that follows?

Why?

Because where there is death, God brings life. When I was unsaved all I knew is that I was dead in my trespasses and sin and now I am alive in Him.

Acts 17:24–28 BSB

The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands. Nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands. God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’

Illustration -

David Livingstone, the famous 19th-century Scottish missionary and explorer. Livingstone dedicated his life to bringing the gospel to Africa, often traveling into uncharted territories and enduring extreme hardship.

Livingstone was not only committed to spreading the gospel through preaching but also through his actions. He sought to bring both spiritual and physical liberation to the people of Africa, campaigning against the slave trade and improving local living conditions. His journeys took him thousands of miles across Africa, often facing dangerous wildlife, diseases, and hostile tribes. Yet, wherever he went, he sought to make Christ known.

Even as he faced severe illness and personal hardship, Livingstone remained resolute. His famous quote, “I am prepared to go anywhere, provided it be forward,” reflects his unyielding commitment to spreading the gospel. In his final years, despite deteriorating health, Livingstone continued his missionary work. When he passed away, his African companions found him in a posture of prayer.

David Livingstone’s life is a powerful example of someone who preached the gospel wherever he went, not just with words, but also through his actions of love, service, and justice.

Life Principle– You Are Either Growing Toward Christ, Preaching The Gospel In Everything You Do Or You’re Going Backwards.

Call to Action – altar call….