The Power to Move

1. Cast the vision

we do VBS as an outreach event. Invite your friends, neighbors, etc. ( “For the Son of man came to seek and to save what was lost.”)

Take invites to pass out (we will have the flyers on every seat in the north sanctuary and in the bulletins downtown). Share on your newsfeed from the “New Life Fellowship Aberdeen” Facebook page

2. Alert people to the needs

Volunteers – we need lots of volunteers! Volunteer online or at the table in the foyer.

Donations – we need lots of donations! Donate at registration table in foyer (money for snacks, crafts, general VBS needs)

3. Register children

– on our website or at the table in the foyer.

4. Mandatory VBS Volunteer training meeting tonight, July 7th, 7-8pm (childcare provided)

VBS will be July 15th - 18th

MAKE A MOVE (Power to Move)

What does it look like for us to “Make a Move”?

“Making your move” means when God speaks you move.

We serve a God who is ready to “make his move”.

Story of when I asked Ashley out on our first date.

I spent way to much money

I made her a special, dorky little book with horrible picture faces attached to permanent marker stick figures.

She wore a beautiful pink dress, we drove my stolen, then returned Acura Integra.

We went up into the Columbia river Gorge and enjoyed a five course meal.

She ate duck, I had quail. We both enjoyed our ritzy dinner looking the river from dinner.

She was out of my league, I wanted her so I decided it was time to “Make my move”

BIG PLANS REQUIRE BIG MOVES

God is Ready to make his move.

The Book of Acts shows us a God who is ready to “Make His Move”

He is moving in Jerusalem, He’s moving in Judea, now it’s time for God to continue the vision of reaching, “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.”

God is making His move for the ones he loves and he uses tragedy and persecution to advance his Kingdom.

Everything was good in Jerusalem, people were getting along, the church was growing, yet God had bigger plans.

God made his move, and the people were ready.

When God moved, they moved. When god spoke they listened. When persecution arose, God pushed the movement out beyond its current borders into uncharted territoryAND THE PEOPLE WERE READY!

Acts 8:1–4 ESV

And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.

The Growth of the Movement.

Movement Isn’t always what we ask for.

We want God to move, but it’s kind of nice to stay in the same place.

In the first

The people are forced to move against their will

What did they leave behind?

They left behind homes, family, friends but also comfort.

What did they keep?

They kept their newfound faith in Jesus Christ.

These people took massive financial, social and spiritual hits yet the one thing they maintained was their faith.

The story of Philip

What does it look like for us to “Make a Move”?

“Making your move” means when God speaks you move.

We serve a God who is ready to “make his move”.

Philip was ready, he knew the scriptures, he was ready to make his move.

Story of when I asked Ashley out on our first date.

I spent way to much money

I made her a special, dorky little book with horrible picture faces attached to permanent marker stick figures.

She wore a beautiful pink dress, we drove my stolen, then returned Acura Integra.

We went up into the Columbia river Gorge and enjoyed a five course meal.

She ate duck, I had quail. We both enjoyed our ritzy dinner looking the river from dinner.

She was out of my league, I wanted her so I decided it was time to “Make my move”

BIG PLANS REQUIRE BIG MOVES

God is Ready to make his move.

The Book of Acts shows us a God who is ready to “Make His Move”

He is moving in Jerusalem, He’s moving in Judea, now it’s time for God to continue the vision of reaching, “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.”

God is making His move for the ones he loves and he uses tragedy and persecution to advance his Kingdom.

Everything was good in Jerusalem, people were getting along, the church was growing, yet God had bigger plans.

God made his move, and the people were ready.

When God moved, they moved. When god spoke they listened. When persecution arose, God pushed the movement out beyond its current borders into uncharted territoryAND THE PEOPLE WERE READY!

The story of Philip

Philip didn’t ask for this, but he made the most of it.

Philip wasn’t led by fear or tradition. He was led by the Spirit.

Philip was ready to make his move.

Acts 8:5–8 ESV

Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was much joy in that city.

When people, like you and I, are filled with the Spirit and ready and willing to follow God, we will “Make our move” whether we think we’re ready or not.

Philip wasn’t ready to Make this move yet when it came, he was ready.

God performed through Philip signs and wonders, the Kingdom of God was advancing despite the persecution.

Transition: Philip pursued the will of God but it brought about some unique challenges.

Movement brings unique challenges

How a movement deals with challenges reveal the health of the movement.

A Healthy Movement has Protection

Acts 8:9–13 ESV

But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.

God begins to pour out his Spirit onto the cities of Samaria, how exciting!

One man named Simon takes part and jumps on the faith bandwagon. he was a street magician, who saw the power of God and wanted it for himself.

The Apostles are there to pray with the people and Simon asks for them to give him this power and they openly rebuke him and call him to repentance.

The apostles were there to protect the movement of God from the peoples own motivations.

Simon had his own ideas and the apostles knew it.

The Apostles were ready to make their move.

A Healthy Movement Engages

Acts 8:26–31 ESV

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

Philip follows the direct word of God and makes a move.

In the moment God asks Philip to Move, he moves.

What does it look like for us to “Make a Move”?

Philip knew this man was a Gentile. He knew he was an outsider. The guy had different colored skin than he had. He was dressed like royalty and philip was a common man. Yet God will use him to impact one soul that would reach all the way down into Ethiopia.

“Making your move” means when God speaks you move.

Sometimes it all starts with a simple question.

How do we engage in our world?

Making your move starts with what? Remember last week, It means being filled up so you are ready to pour out.

We can start by listening to the voices around us.

Philip was ready, he knew the scriptures, he was ready to make his move.

We can start by simply asking questions.

Story of when I asked Ashley out on our first date.

Downtown Portland, asking the guy for directions, not the best time to ask that question!.

I spent way to much money

The right question to ask your coworker who is frustrated and clearly has something going on, might be, “Is everything ok?”

I made her a special, dorky little book with horrible picture faces attached to permanent marker stick figures.

Is there anything I can do.

She wore a beautiful pink dress, we drove my stolen, then returned Acura Integra.

We went up into the Columbia river Gorge and enjoyed a five course meal.

Philip knows how the scriptures point to Jesus and is ready to show this guy Jesus.

She ate duck, I had quail. We both enjoyed our ritzy dinner looking the river from dinner.

“Want to come to church” - Don’t use this as a cop out.

God is Ready to make his move.

“Want to come to LifeGroup?”

A Healthy Movement has Testimony

Acts 8:32–38 ESV

Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.

Acts 8:3238

PHILIP AND THE ETHIOPIAN

The Ethiopian man was searching the scriptures looking for something.

The Salvation of the Ethiopian

The Ethiopian

Ancient Roman and Greek Historians didn’t know the breath of our globe today. They didn’t have access to google maps and so they would create what they thought was a reliable map of the world and when they talked about “the ends of the earth” and the place where the land would run out was Ethiopia.

We see the foreshadowing of the vision of God being accomplished.

WE FOCUS ON THE INDIVIDUAL BUT WE HAVE TO SEE THE BIGGER PICTURE>

THE ENDS OF THE EARTH ARE READY!!!

We may not know what the plan looks like.

A Movement led by the Spirit of God will be accomplished despite the circumstances that surround it.

(1st Service) SPEAK TO ABERDEEN AND VBS

Pray for Tina

Pray for the volunteers

Pray for the kids that come

(2nd service) SPEAK TO ROCK CREEK

The movement in Rock Creek will continue to grow, despite the circumstances that surround IT. WHY? BECAUSE GOD HAS A PLAN!

Pray for the Families.

Pray for the young men and women.

Pray for the leaders.

(3rd Service) SPEAK TO DOWNTOWN, PRAY FOR ARISE CHURCH

This movement Downtown will grow, despite the circumstances that surround it, WHY? Because God HAS A PLAN!

Pray for Team Leaders

Pray for the congregation

Pray for those who will one day come

(All services)

We know God has a plan but we don’t know what it will look like.

Movement brings Joy.

Acts 8:39 ESV

And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

Philip is taken away from the Ethiopian yet the Ethiopian isn’t bummed out.

“Ah man Philips gone, I was just getting to know him.”

Instead Philip introduced him to someone better.

The Ethiopian left with Joy because he had Jesus.

When Philip was preaching to the cities of Samaria they were full of Joy.

Acts 8:

Acts 8:8 ESV

So there was much joy in that city.

Joy is one of the tells that the Gospel had been there.

Riding the Max after a Portland Trailblazer win. You knew where everyone had been because everyone was celebrating the victory.

John 16:22 ESV

So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

The Lasting effect of Jesus’ Death was Joy.

Jesus took the sorrow of sin and in return gave us joy.

We have joy because Jesus “made the Move”

Christian joy is rooted in the death and resurrection of Jesus.

We think true joy is a funnel.

Do You Know Him?

Are you ready to make your move.

Offering