Sweet Fellowship

Recently, spending some time in Psalms chapter 55. I came across the phrase, sweet fellowship and really always impressed when I see that phrase. And I really appreciate that description so much by David because when Fellowship is really working and a palace really interacting and what it truly is what God plans for it to be in our lives. It is really sweet, and probably a great activity. That I would like to have is just sit around sometimes and say, shared with me some of the sweet Fellowship experiences. You've had that mean this year last year, 30 years ago, I think all of us would begin to tell some stories that would be encouraging to, to the entire group because that's really, really precious experience. we're going to start this morning, we're going to look at the book of Acts start this morning and and the chapter to where the day of Pentecost has occurred.

Paul or Peter is Prince First Gospel. Sermon 3,000. People have been baptized and at the end of the day, you now have a church. I'm about three thousand Souls. I've seen some church growth in my life but nobody see me. The church girls like that there was no church this morning. There now is a huge church and then, where do we go from here? I would like to join us up something as I came across, studying this morning out that it would be virtually impossible to baptize 3,000 people in even a 24-hour. And they began bringing up all these possible. How, how would you do that? Where would you find a water source? This is time when there's no running water, all that kind of stuff about that, but if you look pretty, Hopefully, it's not in the scripture but in history, it certainly looks like there's 32 mikvahs on the east side of the temple porch. Now, 32 of those things with clean living water, as they would have been wouldn't be a problem at all to deal with a group of three thousand people. So Diaz, get in the way of what's possible. And sometimes we go to God, we look to the power that he shows over nature. But other times, we see the things were already pre playing the priest in order that could happen. And we have a description of this group of people at the end of chapter 2, after all this day of Pentecost has taken place, and it says, very simply you're familiar with this passage, but I'd like to share it again. They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to Fellowship to the breaking of bread into prayer. Everyone was filled with all at The Many Wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the Believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give them to anyone who had need every day. They continue to meet together in the temple courts, they broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere Hearts praising, God and enjoying the favor of all the people and the Lord added to their number daily. Those were being saved. Is it raining surprised that this crowd of people was drawing others to it? There on a daily basis? Other people were saying that, that's something I'd like to be a part of. That's something I'd like to know more about. There's nothing surprising about that and they contact so, this tremendous start Now, what do you think Satan is thinking at this moment. I don't know, might be a problem might not be. I think we can pretty safely assume as we can any point in time you start putting Great Fellowship together and you get people who are praying, you get people who are interacting, you get people who are trying to follow God's word, to get all that going and it's starting to really be dynamic. And then you know who's going to show up, Satan is going to show up. He's going to start doing everything that he possibly can. What's going on? And so Satan is going to do some things over the next couple of chapters. But we chip switch to Acts chapter 6. We have an entire chapter or Satan begins to systematically address how to disrupt this Fellowship of this congregation. And that's what we're going to look at today. Acts chapter 6. If I can't find the wipers.

In those days with a number disciples were increasing the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Braves use because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. I want Satan do first. Division. Just take these two groups and have you can play one against the other.

I'm trying to think of what that is, and I had it on my tongue and I'm having trouble getting it back divide and conquer. I think they come hardwired with the understanding that if you could play mom and dad against each other, you'll come out ahead. Typically, if you can, put your siblings against each other, anybody you can fit on the other side, taking fighting each other, then it's going to be to your advantage. And Satan looks like he peeks into this. Okay, let's use this one first. I miss when is vaguely, if not more dramatically a little racist oriented here. These people come from a different perspective. They come from different place. These Hellenistic Jews are people who have very strong. Greek culture are probably people who speak Greek. They're wrapped up in this Greek perspective and they would have been different from the Jews who been raised in Jerusalem. And so, it's not going to be too hard for Satan to find some ways to probable conflict. They already they already function a little differently in there and start to do that work of rubbing conflict in irritability and all those kind of things before people are starting to say. The first thing that the church's you're being unfair.

Difficult part of ministry, especially youth ministry. Is that when you spend a lot of time promoting Fellowship, then Satan is going to come in the back door and he's going to use those relationships to try to corrupt those people who are involved. This is a spiritual things and debate about it and get a little hot about it and invite other people who might have the same point of view that they have. So that their point of view, be more prominent than somebody else is. It's a pretty simple process division. Even used it. The Tower of Babel We divided, the language isn't divided the races at that particular point in time, that was division, that work to his advantage and he utilize it in that kind of way.

Unity comes at a cost. And any measure Unity that we have as a body comes because of the efforts that individual people put out today. The efforts of people decades ago, relationships that have been built and fostered, and encouraged, and grown, and developed in all those kind of things. There's a whole history of life and that's why. There it goes. So many infants passages of emphasize. The unity of the spirit in the bond of Peace. This is valuable. Protect it and hang on to it, Satan doesn't want to happen. It doesn't work though and the reason it doesn't work is because the apostles handle it. So, well, let's go for births to Denver 7. So the 12 gathered all the disciples together and said it would not be right for us to deflect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables brothers and sisters. You seven men from among you who are known to be full of the spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and you have our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word. What are Satan? Could have taken 12 hand chosen. Personally taught. Students of Jesus and got them to making sandwiches. Would that be a victory? Key Bank field Christ. Unity on the vine right there. Jesus has prepared these guys to do a special job to do a special task, he's invested, incredible time, and teaching them, and leading them, and molding them, and shaping them. And now, they're faced with this opportunity. How do we solve this problem? They could have solved it themselves, they could have made the food cook the food delivered, the food. But they were smarter than that. It's a Doug. This is a diversion and we're not going to be diverted for my primary task. There are other ways that this could be done shoes. Some people give this responsibility of this proposal please. The whole group, they chose Stephen, A Man full of Faith, the Holy Spirit, Philip procuress time, and Prometheus, and Nicholas, from Antioch convert to Judaism, April has been to the apostles who laid hands on the other the church dealt with it. The first bought it back to the apostles, this okay here, they got it, so they sent great. Now, if you look carefully at those names, the scholars point out that six of those seven names are Hellenistic. So there's a very heavy burden, placed here, very heavy emphasis on those who were feeling they were being left out, but this is not something that was for. So the congregation it was something that was very well. And look at verse 7. So the word of God spread the number of disciples in Jerusalem, increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the face. Didn't work, Satan tried division button helpful, he tries to this diversion, but he continues to try the version. He wants you to miss your purpose in life to do what other people want you to do. If you are setting God's not registered to do a certain pass and you never get to it because you get diverted by something else. In Satan's. It's back. It's it's okay. At least I've been able to do that. And then the look at the second part of the chapter, Satan's going to bring out the big gun. He's going to being out destruction. Looking for certain verse 8 and go down to verse 15. Now, Stephen A Man, full of God's grace and power perform. Great wonders. And signs among the people opposition a rose. However, from members of the synagogue of the freedmen is, it was called Jews of Cyrene in Alexandria, as well as the province's of cilia and Asia, who began to argue, but they could not stand up against the wisdom of the spirit, gave him as he spoke. Did they secretly persuaded some into say? We've heard Stephen speak Blasphemous words against Moses. And against God, the setup. So they started the people, the Elders of the teachers of the law. They see Steve and Rhonda before the Sanhedrin, they produce false Witnesses. Who testified this fellow never stopped speaking against this. Holy place, the insta law. We we we have heard them. Say this Jesus's bastards will destroy this place and change the customs of Moses headed down to us. All who were setting of the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen and they saw his face was like the face of an Angel, literally glowing. I think that would be a hint but apparently one that they weren't going to be particularly responsive to.

Satan's that's in motion. What's going to be the first death? Among the Christians Steven is going to be called before the Sanhedrin in chapter 7, then they're going to become so angry at what he has to say. But they are going to Stone them. Not remember when they wanted to kill Jesus, what did they do? With the pilot. Apparently they are so out of control, but they just take this matter into their own hands. Big big, big political most a, I'm part of this other part of the Sanhedrin with Satan is pulling out the very worst but he has, He doesn't want them to stay in the game, he's bringing out the big game-changer and thanks literally will never be the same. No. Did Satan think about that? Because the last time he used this tactic would be from my looking that scripture of the death of Jesus. And how did that work out? Didn't work out at all. Death wasn't successful. Jesus simply was resurrected from the dead and now here are these people literally thousands of them who are now, carrying up the banner and taking up the cry and behaving in such a way that other churches going to grow. And so Satan says, maybe the weapon do I have left? Psycho somebody their life. Play sets that into place, Jesus is Alive.

These guys are threatening to destroy that. They're not just sunk just about a man. It's a man of God. That we're focusing on. I'm going to look at our own lies. We looked at our own experience, isn't in all of our worlds. There still haunts. Avenue of death, we as individuals go through that transition, we have people that we love and care about you. Go through that transition and some very difficult time do with it. It's easy to start to wonder. Why can't that just be done as well? 1st Corinthians 15:26 as The Last Enemy to be destroyed. Is this? As in that passage later on that same chapter starting verse 54. And going out to 4:55 when the perishable has been closed with the imperishable and the Mortal immortality did the saying that is written will come true? Death has been swallowed up in Victory Guero, death is your Victory. Where o death is your steam, Jesus was the first indication of the lack of power. The death had and death continues to lose power because what are because what? Our Savior has done for us and there were actually practical good things that came out of Steven's being Stone. First of all, Christians are going to flee from Jerusalem and they're going to become missionaries in a number of different places and start taking the word away from that Central core it. So that's a positive thing happens there. Satan's out there always constantly looking, that he can treat us or his ultimate goal is to destroy is completely some of you. The screwtape letters by CS Lewis. If you're not familiar with that book it's very easy to obtain. It's even free on some websites. YouTube has audio presentations of that book or six different versions of that. So and it's all about Satan's teams all about 6. And it's all about how Satan and Lewis just does some really good things in terms of helping us to remember how incidental in subtle. He sometimes starts and moves along. The passage that I have to end with o. Speed alert. If sober mind your enemy. The devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour day you heard that fast but you probably don't listen to it. Even what is my God? If you're right with service is over until we have a problem on. The problem is there's a lion loose in the parking lot and it's hiding between and under the cars. So be a little careful when you leave today. Well, you probably have some other suggestions for what we're going to do about the lion this house here. But if it came every Sunday for like a year We might get a little more tolerant of it, usually he goes over there for, so I'll check here for it. I'll park here.

The intensity of our concern about the threat. Intolerance is a good thing in some areas, but when it's danger, it's a serious threat.

Not too long ago. I ran into a guy that I know fairly well over the years and he had a bandage all over this left arm. I want to do you said Kyle bit me. And I was thinking it's just run up the other Woodland by you and he I was picking him up. And I'm not a coyote Wrangler by any stretch of the imagination, but just as an observer, I could make a suggestion for how to not have that happen to you again.

I'm almost hit somebody if he went on this site Sears. I think we get like that was you know, I think I I'm closer than anybody else. He's not getting me. I can dance around him on quick and we start to see that. Satan is not going to get us.

And then we wind up with a indication second stronger, more powerful and more Wily than we even thought. Would you play with me?

You going to be thank you for the precious gift of your love and how that love. Motivated the gift of your son. Father, we thank you that you open the door to us that leave from this life to the next life. We know that Jesus has paid the price for us to go through. Father, we just asked that we might serve you in ways that are effective. Father, we pray that we won't allow division to grow up among us as we pray, that we won't be diverted by the various things that sings us to throw in our path. Father, I pray that even with the Specter of death and destruction, we continue to make a face continue to do. You continue to press on to the promise that you provide for us to return to life? Father, we thank you, we asked you to help us and forgive us, we pray all this, so, your son. I mean, This morning, we extend the invitation, you need to respond to that. We encourage you to do so while we says sing together,