Acts 16 prt 2
Notes
Transcript
Last week we looked at two Gospel encounters -
Lydia
Slave girl
For Lydia the Gospel of the Kingdom of God freed her from the gospel of Rome - Trust in Rome for your fortune, power, comfort.
She immediately became a person of great generosity, opening her home to the new church in Philipi
For Slave girl - Jesus freed her from demonic possession, giving her back her own life.
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Today we finish Acts 16 by looking at two more Gospel encounters.
Our first encounter is found in -
Our first encounter is found in -
She continued doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out at that very moment.
But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market place before the authorities,
and when they had brought them to the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion, being Jews,
and are proclaiming customs which it is not lawful for us to accept or to observe, being Romans.”
The crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods.
When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely;
and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
They Chose Greed and Violence over the Kingdom of God.
They Chose Greed and Violence over the Kingdom of God.
The city refused the Kingdom of God for the culture of empire.
As the demon left the girl so did their hope for a profit.
Reminds me of the story of Jesus casting demons into pigs.
Tell story - man possessed - Legion - cast out into swine- towns people not happy - Leave
When we choose to place our financial well being into the hands of Government and not Yahweh , we are tying ourselves to something dangerous.
Where is our heart?
Do we care more about our 401K, our savings plan, our jobs or do we care about the people who are enslaved.
and when they had brought them to the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion, being Jews,
and are proclaiming customs which it is not lawful for us to accept or to observe, being Romans.”
Being Jews! - When we are motivated by greed, we see others as the enemy and become fearful of new people.
Notice, the city rejected the customs of Kingdom of God - Life, Joy, Beauty for all, for the kingdom of Rome.
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Side note -
This is why we are planting a church in Riceville.
Not to make traveling shorter for some.
Not to be a bigger church
Not to fulfill my dream
But to turn our cities upside down for the Kingdom of God!
Every rural community in Iowa needs to be invaded with the Love and rule of the Kingdom of God.
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But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them;
and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened.
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When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.
But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!”
And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas,
and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
And they spoke the word of the Lord to him together with all who were in his house.
And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household.
And he brought them into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, having believed in God with his whole household.
Why did Paul stay? Would you not have run out for freedom?
He cared more for the jailor than he did for himself - Missions 101
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Generosity Will Always Proceed Real Salvation -
Generosity Will Always Proceed Real Salvation -
Lydia was saved by the Gospel and immediately opened her home to the Apostles and the early church.
The Jailor and his family is saved and what to do they do?
Washed their wounds
Brought them to his house
Fed them.
The kingdoms of men may offer us
The kingdoms of men may offer us
wealth at the expense of others.
Security at the expense of others.
Peace at the expense of others.
And all we have to do is bow our knee and follow along.
But when the Kingdom of God shows up, it throws the world upside down.
But when the Kingdom of God shows up, it throws the world upside down.
Those who have allowed Jesus to take up his throne in their hearts
Become generous
They eat at the table of the prostitutes, druggies, immigrants, democrats and republicans.
They give to Jesus by giving to those in need.
They offer their wealth to the others
They offer security to the others
They offer peace to the others
And all of this is because they bowed their knee to Jesus as King.
When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”
And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly.
When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”
Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.”
And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham.
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
When we submit to the Good news that Jesus is King and no one else, it turns our world upside down -
It takes the greedy and self interested and turns them into
A Generous People
A Generous People
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Now when day came, the chief magistrates sent their policemen, saying, “Release those men.”
And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The chief magistrates have sent to release you. Therefore come out now and go in peace.”
But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us in public without trial, men who are Romans, and have thrown us into prison; and now are they sending us away secretly? No indeed! But let them come themselves and bring us out.”
The policemen reported these words to the chief magistrates. They were afraid when they heard that they were Romans,
and they came and appealed to them, and when they had brought them out, they kept begging them to leave the city.
They went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia, and when they saw the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.
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As I look Around Our Country I Wonder Aloud -
As I look Around Our Country I Wonder Aloud -
Will the Church be the people who unite this country through extravagant generosity?
Will we offer peace instead of hatred?
Will we offer our table of fellowship instead of behind the back comments?
Will we ever tire of winning politics in the human kingdoms
And become fervent for winning the hearts of our neighbors, enemies, strangers, the others?
Will we like Lydia and the Jailor act out of our Lords kindness to us and offer extravagant generosity to a world that needs the Kingdom of God more than they will ever need the kingdoms of men.
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