From Acts to the Ends of the Earth (2)

Obedience with Heart or Not

Good morning! I am so greatufl to be back with you this morning! We had a great time during out summer sabatical and enjoyed time with family and the Lord. I am looking forward to moving and continuing in the call of God on our church and our lives. The job of a pastor and anyone in the five fold ministry is the same purpose. It is not a Sunday Service or getting people saved. The call of the five fold is to equip the saints for the work of the minsitry. That means that God is wanting to use regular folk to fulfill his purpose. He is not looking for just the spiritual elite or those who can speak well or dream well but regular folk. He wants to use people who have a past people who are disregarded or He can use people of stature. His purpose goes beyond your agenda or your status. If you want to see the ends of the earth changed then we must be willing to be obedient. Today I want to look at obedience through 2 different lenses and the outcome of both. There are going to be some theological deep pockets but i promise we will come back up for air. I fully believe that with this word if you are to grab ahold of it will change the way we act as a church. It will truly move us to a position of obedience and truly see the move of the power and the presence of God in our lives. Today we are looking at from acts to the ends of the earth. Obedience with heart or not.

Jonah 1:1–4 NKJV

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up.

Fire Bible Chapter 1

God gave Jonah specific instructions to warn the people of Nineveh about his coming judgment upon them because of their wickedness, violence and evil ways.

One thing we must understand is that Jonah was not just being a disobedient little snot. He was not just running because he didn’t want to. Jonah actually in his own mind had a purpose for running. He in his mind was protecting the nation of Israel Assyria was the mortal enemy of Israel they were always coming against them. If He went and preached and God spared Ninevah it would continue to be bad for His people so He was prioritizing The nation over the call. So in his mind it was justice over mercy.

Fire Bible Chapter 1

It seemed that Jonah did not want God to have mercy on any nation but Israel—especially not an enemy like Assyria. Jonah had forgotten that God’s highest purpose for Israel was for them to be a blessing to all other nations by showing through their lives what it means to know and follow God.

Jonah ran the opposite direction of Ninevah He went to the other end of the known earth it was believed to be somewhere around 2500 miles difference. This is not just running but saying it’s not happening. at times we can believe that there are places we can go and we won’t have to do what God is calling you to do. Lets be real obedience is not about a distance obedience does not need a specific place. Obedience is found in the heart of man not in the location man finds himself. We want to see the ends of the earth then we must decided that we are going to be obedient. Usually this is where we stop. We stop at we must be obedient. Yes that is true but is obedience in your heart or not? That is the question today. Obedience moves the hand of God, but the heart reveals our love for Him. God can use your hands even when your heart is distant—He proved that through Jonah. But He doesn't just want to use you; He wants to know you. True obedience isn't defined by where you go or how far you run. It’s defined by whether your heart says, "Not my will, but Yours be done" before your feet ever take a single step. OBEDIENCE IS NOT A NEGOTIATION.

Jonah 1:12–17 NKJV

And he said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me.” Nevertheless the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them. Therefore they cried out to the Lord and said, “We pray, O Lord, please do not let us perish for this man’s life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O Lord, have done as it pleased You.” So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took vows. Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah’s disobedience caused an issue not just for him but those around him yet even his disobdience we see the mercy of God. He had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. THis wasn’t happenstance. This wasn’t because the men on the ship prayed this is because God’s will is going to be accomplished He his soverign over all things. YOu think your situation is to far gone or beyond repair. Let me remind you today that God is sovergein over all things including your mistakes. Jonah’s disobdience didnt result in the death of Jonah but in the soveregnity of God and His will be done. Lets be real honest here the fish wasn’t just a mode of transportation but it becomes a sanctuary for Jonah to repent and see the purposes of God some scholars and theologians believe that the eyes of the whale became ports for Jonah to see the sea and the world no man had known. Lets just see for a moment that what some looked at as a stopping point God was using as a place of repentance. I dont know about you but there have been times in my life where we don’t know the end from the beginning but God is looking in those moments to teach us his goodness and mercy. The fish wasnt punishment but mercy. So lets quickly summarize Jonah prays becomes fish vomit on the shores of Nineveh and he hears the Lord

Jonah 3:1–3 NKJV

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent.

Jonah hears God a second time go to Nineveh. So he goes and preaches and they hear

Jonah 3:5 NKJV

So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.

The King calls for a fast and calls upon the people to repent and turn towards God. This is a major victory

Jonah 3:10 NKJV

Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.

Well what a victory. Wow the obdience of the man of God saw an entire city saved and turned toward the Lord. lets focus for a moment though. Most preacheers would celebrate obedience and it leading to victory. That is true but its not just obdience God is looking for Obdience Heart or Not? Surface obedience will produce result but when soemthing happens you don’t like or aren’t prepared for the surface obedience will not sustain you. Obedience is a heart issue. Jonah had surface obedience. If Jonah 3 was the end of the book all would be amazing it would be a great story. But as I was studying this I found that Jonah is read every year on a special day in Israel it is read in the afternoon of Yom Kippur or the Day of atonment the most holy day on the jewish calendar. Why?

Jonah 4:1–10 NKJV

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. So he prayed to the Lord, and said, “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!” Then the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?” So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city. And the Lord God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant. But as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered. And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah’s head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself, and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “It is right for me to be angry, even to death!” But the Lord said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night.

Jonah went through the motions. He walked through Nineveh, preached the sermon, and fulfilled the external obligation.He obeyed with his feet, but his heart was cold. He negotiated instead of just being obedient.

The book ends abruptly with God asking Jonah about His compassion for 120,000 people (and their animals) who "do not know their right hand from their left". Jonah never answers. The story leaves us in suspense because the reader is supposed to answer.

I found something interesting during study.

During Yom Kippur As the day ends, the synagogue isn't just listening to a story about a prophet from thousands of years ago; they are being asked, "Will you leave this place with a changed heart, or will you just go back to your old ways like Jonah?"

Jonah proves that you can run 2,500 miles, deliver the perfect sermon, and see incredible results, yet still miss God entirely if your feet move out of obligation while your heart stays cold. True obedience isn't about covering distance or checking boxes Obedience is not a negotiation. It’s about having a heart that beats in sync with the God you serve.

Now I want to look through a second lens Jonah shows us obedience without Heart and a move of God. Lets learn from Jonah and realize that the heart is the most important aspect of obedience. our second lens is found in Acts this is the story of a call that creates a solid core of people who were willing to go the distance and have obedient hearts.

Acts 16:6–10 NKJV

Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.

This is a map breakdown of what we are reading here. I want to focus on Acts 16:9-10

Acts 16:9–10 NKJV

And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Paul was not permitted by the Spirit to go into those regions. The Spirit of God leads us into all truth and therefore the will of God so God’s will was not for those areas right now but it was so that the gospel could be taken to Europe and there lives could be transformed. It was a call to one man in the vision. It was a call to come and help. God called Jonah to a city and he ran Paul says immediately we must go to Macedonia. A heart fully surrendered to God doesn't debate, negotiate, or delay. Delayed obedience is often just disobedience in disguise—an attempt to buy time until we find a more comfortable option. Paul’s immediate response reveals a heart that was already pre-committed to saying "yes" before he even knew the destination. Paul was not able to go to those areas Paul didn't pout because his strategic ministry plans were shut down. He kept moving toward Troas until God gave him fresh direction. He trusted that a closed door from God is just as much a part of divine guidance as an open one. To often we are looking for open doors God’s blessing in this or yes that’s God’s plan but often times the shut door or a move away from our plan. Paul’s heart wasn't attached to his own roadmap, but to God’s guidance. Stepping into Macedonia meant leaving Asia and crossing the Aegean Sea into Europe. It meant entering unfamiliar Roman territory, new cultures, and eventual beatings and imprisonment in Philippi. Jonah ran because he didn't want to bring mercy to people outside his comfort zone and national pride. Paul jumped at the chance to cross cultural, geographic, and ethnic lines because his heart beat for what God cared about—the salvation of the lost, no matter who or where they were. True obedience isn't just carrying out a directive; it's the tempo and spirit with which you respond. Paul went immediately because his heart was already aligned with the Master. When God said "Go," there was no friction in Paul's soul to slow him down.

The heart is the leading factor Here. It is clear that Paul has a heart for God not just active movement for movement but for actual Obedience even if it means moving in a new direction. Obedience is not jsut steps but the right steps following a heart that is aligned with the Lord. It is that alignment that allows us to see true change and activation of the promises of God in our lives.

Acts 16 and Paul’s willingness to just go is a direct corilation form his heart for the heart of God.

Acts 16:12–15 NKJV

and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days. And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us.

This is the first step into Macedonia after a journey crossing the sea. This was a new culture a new place and there they find a place where prayer was customarily made This was a place where people who were monootheistic meaning they serve one God usually according to ancient scholars and theologians as well as archeology finds this was a place of jewish prayer. They followed and respected the torah and followed Yahweh but had not heard of Jesus or been introduced to the King. They only knew God from the reading of the torah. So when Paul and Silas go and bring with them the King of Kings they are introducing these people to Jesus. Acts 16:14

Acts 16:14 NKJV

Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.

The call to Macedonia has a deeper cut that we msut look at. The first convert Lydia

Lydia is A wealthy, aristocratic businesswoman at the top of society

She is referred to by her own name, not as "the wife of [X]." She owned a house large enough to lodge Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke, and host the newly formed church

When she accepted the gospel, "she and the members of her household were baptized." She managed servants, family, and likely trade assistants.

Despite her commercial success and high social position, her heart wasn't satisfied by Roman materialism. She took time on the Sabbath to pray by the river with other women seeking the God of Israel.

an Obedient Heart can get past any status you think you have. Just obedience doesnt make you open your home and do something counter cultural. but a heart of obedience is what brings you to that point. It is what brings you to the point of no matter the cost I am going to the ends of the earth.

Acts 16:16–19 NKJV

Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour. But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.

The slave girl was next. She was An exploited, demon-possessed girl at the very bottom of society 

When Lydia met God, she opened her house and used her wealth to support the Gospel.

When the slave owners encountered God's power, they dragged Paul and Silas to court because the Gospel hit their pocketbooks.

A heart of true obedience refuses to mix truth with deception. Paul cared more about the purity of God's name and the freedom of a tormented girl than about smooth sailing or easy publicity—even when doing the right thing got him severely beaten and thrown into a inner dungeon.

This is where we meet the thrid person in acts 16

Acts 16:25–34 NKJV

But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.

The jailer represented a Working-class, pragmatic Roman male holding down a civic job in the middle.

Paul’s heart of obedience shifted the entire moment. Human nature says, "The doors are open; let's run!" But Paul and Silas stayed—not just to prove their innocence, but to save the life of the very man who had thrown them into stocks.

Just like Lydia, the jailer's heart shift was immediately proven by his actions.

HARDENED JAILER ──► TRANSFORMED BROTHER

[ Stocks & Dungeon ] ──► [ Washing Wounds & Shared Meals ]

Lydia was reached through intellectual reasoning and quiet prayer by a river.

The Slave Girl was reached through spiritual confrontation and deliverance from bondage.

The Jailer was reached through a crisis event and radical, life-saving mercy.

The Gospel broke down every barrier in Philippi—gender, social class, economic standing, and ethnic background. Whether dealing with a Lydia and a woman of purpose, a slave girl's chains, or a prison's inner cell, God was looking for the same exact thing in all of them: a heart open to His grace.

Ultimately, the story of the early Church leaves us with an undeniable truth: God is not looking for begrudging, box-checking obedience like Jonah—a compliance that moves the feet while the heart stays cold, bitter, and self-interested. God is seeking a heart like Paul’s, completely surrendered and pre-committed to His guidance before the destination is even revealed. God isn’t looking for a negotiation. A heart truly aligned with God doesn't debate, delay, or demand a comfortable roadmap; it responds immediately, trusting divine stops, crossing cultural boundaries, and facing impossible odds, closed doors, or midnight prison cells to advance the Gospel. Whether reaching a wealthy businesswoman by a river, freeing an exploited slave girl, or showing radical mercy to a hardened jailer, true obedience flows from a heart that beats in sync with the Master’s. As we step into our calling today, the question before us isn't just where we are willing to go or what we are willing to do, but whether our hearts are so positioned in love for Him that we will say, "Not my will, but Yours be done," to see the power and presence of God reach the very ends of the earth. Today I fully believe that God wants to check some hearts. 2 weeks ago Dimari preached on are you ready? This is the hearts cry that sets up this message if you are ready then you are obedient at the heart not just the words. Obedience in action is good but a deeper spritual walk a hunger that goes beyond sunday will cost you but its a that heart that breaks down all status and all understanding to see whole regions changed. We are not asking for much we are not asking for you to just say ok but a willingness to truly be changed a willingness to say beyond me I will go no matter. Immediate non conforming non delayed just strict real focused obedience a heart cry a heart position Obedience in heart obedience in move. If we want to see real revival if we want to see a real move of the Spirit of God it is going to take true obedience it is going to take us to change some things. We must stop delaying we must stop looking for a comfort move but be willing to go counter cultural go radical and stop being “NORMAL” WE must stop negotiating out of obedience. We must recognize that obedience isn’t an ask its a command. The problem comes when we treat obedience as if we have a say. WE don’t We are commanded to follow and be obedient.

Today the altar is just that its the step into the new its the step into radical obedience. What is God asking you to do? Some its a call to the right direction You have been running from the call of God you have been running because it would cost you to much in your mind you created reasons why you created a false sense of hope and said God will understand for some of you the place you are in is about repentace and truly saying ok God I will go. For others in the room you find yourself in Jonah 4 God is merciful but you don’t think he should be you harbor unforgivness in your heart and you are chosing to keep it there. Then there are some that God has shut some doors and you are angry you are fighting and asking God is this even where you want me or how you want me to be. Yet God is asking you to just move because in your obedience He will reveal his divine plan. For some you are willing to go but you have seen no fruit of your labor. Are you listening and obeying in heart or in movement. The question then is not just am i willing to go the quesiton becomes am i willing to go where they are and is the spiritual authority I walk in actually flowing. Is the heart of the people i talk to transofmred or am i sharing my gospel. Do i walk in spiritual authroity to speak to the demonic see freedom from it but it cost me? in that cost do i sing hymns at midnight beaten bruised and in chains and see a jailer and his family saved? What is my purpose its obedience with heart or not. the choice is yours.

ALTAR OPEN ALTAR FOR ALL PEOPLE FOR ALL POSITIONS

1.) Repentance you are running from the call of God

2.) Place of forgivness for others and self

3.) Spirit baptism to flow

4.) Divine Impartation