Beginning
Acts 17:21-30
21 for all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.
22 Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. 23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. 24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: 28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. 30And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: (repentance is a new beginning, begin again)
· The first step before we can have a new beginning is:
· For anyone to experience a new Beginning in life we have to begin with an evaluation. We have to be able to orientate ourselves. Firstly where we came from, then, where we are presently and finally where we are going. It would be impossible to orientate ourselves, to determine where we are without an orientation point. A compass would be useless if the earth changed position all the time, navigation by the stars would be useless if the stars alway moved around. If continents moved, maps would be a waste to make etc… Can you imagine getting directions from someone who thinks he knows where they are, or thinks he knows where you are going?
· Not only in the natural would it be hard to find your way but in the paths of in your soul, in your spirit. Just like we depend on an unchanging enviroment around us, we need to have an unchanging orientation point in the spirit.
Rev 1:8
8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
· I am the first and the Last! We are willing to admit he is the beginning and the end, but we want to be the middle! (Acts 17:28 … For in him we live, and move, and have our being;..
Tradition show us this frame of mind. Baptism in the name of God as a baby and burial in his
name at the end, But there is little talk or teaching about the God of the Middle!
· Until you discover the creator you will never know your purpose! 2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away: behold all things are become new. The only true new beginning is in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ecc 1:9-10
9 That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there anything of which it may be said, "See, this is new"? It has already been in ancient times before us.
1. Admit your way is not working
Prov 16:2
2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.
Prov 14:12
12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
· Many of our methods are not working! Evangelism, Home groups, Church growth, etc..
2. In the beginning God…
Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Rev 1:8
8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
John 14:6
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Col 1:18
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
3. Count the cost in the beginning and
Be flexible to do what you have to do to continue.
Luke 14:28-33
28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
· Too many have begun without counting the cost and have been embarrassed about the results. What will it cost you to do something for God? Everything!
· for some of us we don’t need a new beginning, we need a decision to continue to the end.
· A new beginning isn’t always a new place or circumstance or something different. It may be just a new beginning of the the same thing. Rev. 2:4-5 ..you have left your first love. Remember where you have fallen from, repent and do the first works…
· The end of a thing is the goal, not always a NEW beginning!
Eccl 7:8
8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
· Beginning something new does not depend on who you are! But only on who he is!
Exod 3:11
11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
· It seems each time God asks us to do something we immediately go internal and ask who am I ?
4. A new planting has to take place with our words.
Mk 4:14 The sower sows the Word!
John 1:1-5
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
If Jesus is the Word and he is the beginning and the end then the word has to be the beginning and the end. (and everything in between)
2 Tim 1:13
13 Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.
Heb 4:14
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
Heb 10:23
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
Prov 18:20-21
A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.