Acts 29
Notes
Transcript
Acts 29
Acts 29
We spent the last 37 weeks traveling through the book of Acts.
It has been a joy and a journey for me and I’m sure for you as well.
What I want to do this morning is highlight some key insights into the book and then I want to give you all the opportunity to speak up and out about how we can best join the mission of God in our town.
As we looked at last week the Acts ends pretty abruptly.
Paul makes it to Rome.
Meets with Some Jewish leaders.
Shares his heart with them.
Some believe the message, and some reject the message, but that doesn’t stop Paul from proclaiming the Kingdom of God.
In fact, let’s look at it together.
30 He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him,
31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.
Luke, under the inspiration of the HS, leaves Acts open ended as if to say, continue preaching the kingdom.
Continue reaching the end of the earth.
Continue what Jesus started, what Peter, Paul, and the Apostles continued.
Just think about it. We are here today b/c the mission of God didn’t end in Acts.
People kept telling about this Jesus who suffered, was buried, and rose again.
Most of you are here today b/c someone shared that message with you.
And if you haven’t heard that message, I will Share it with you shortly.
So the book of Acts is the Story of How began the Early church.
It is the history of God establishing his church for the world to see.
This morning we are going to look at two overarching themes in the book of Acts and as we do so I want you to think about and meditate on how we can best integrate this into our church body and ministry.
Let’s Pray.
The First thing I want us to see is that God puts his Followers on a Mission.
Mission
Mission
From the very beginning of Acts we read
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
I told you when we began this series that this is the key verse and theme to the entire book.
The early followers of Jesus were to be witnesses to the end of the earth.
And thank God they were. Because we stand here today knowing the truth about Jesus b/c they were faithful to his mission.
The first thing we see is that when we are on mission for God we are not alone.
We, like those first believers, receive power from the HS.
We are guided by the HS.
We are transformed by the HS.
We are empowered by the HS to be God’s witnesses.
We are not alone on this journey.
The God of the universe.
The God who planned and orchestrated his plan is living and dwelling with us.
The work of the mission is difficult.
The work of the mission is warfare.
But thank God we don’t have to do it alone.
God is with us.
Jesus tells us the role of the HS in the gospel of John.
As Jesus is approaching his crucifixion he tells his disciples that he is not leaving them alone, but the HS is going to come.
7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;
10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer;
11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
Here’s the Good news for those who trust Jesus and follow after him they have the HS.
They have access to God.
They have access to truth.
They have access to power.
We as Jesus followers need to proclaim this truth to a world lost without him.
We speak the truth that comes from the HS.
We read the truth in the bible that came from the HS.
We stand on the truth that saves.
We are witnesses to what he has done in our lives and in the lives of others.
We are to be Jesus’ witnesses to the world through the power of the HS.
What does it mean to be a witness on Mission for God?
It means that we are to proclaim the good news of the gospel to a dying world.
Proclaim that salvation is found in Christ alone.
Proclaim that the kingdom of God has come.
If you were here last week we spoke about the kingdom of God, but in case you weren’t I think it bears repeating.
The kingdom of God is where heaven and earth overlap and meet.
Kingdoms need a King.
The King is Jesus.
Kingdoms need rule.
Jesus came and established his rule through humility and sacrifice.
Kingdoms need people.
Jesus calls people to himself to show others the light and to tell them about the new kingdom that has come.
Jesus redeems all those that come near to him.
Jesus governs his people.
Kingdoms need law and order.
Jesus’ law and order for his followers is to love God with every fiber of your being and to love others as you love yourself.
Jesus established this kingdom through his life, death, burial, and resurrection.
And when we turn toward Jesus we get to be his ambassadors.
The Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us and our lives are mini-kingdoms ever where we go.
We are to shine his light in the darkest of places through the proclamation of truth.
He rules and reigns our hearts.
He guides us into love for God and love for others.
So as followers of Jesus we must be his witnesses by proclaiming his message.
We also have to recognize that God is involved in his own mission.
That he doesn’t leave us alone to figure it out.
Another theme through out Acts is the providence of God.
God is always moving his mission forward.
He is always accomplishing his purposes.
We see this in Acts 6-8 after Stephen is put on trail and stoned, that God uses that event to send out his people from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria.
That even in the tragedy God uses it to spread his message.
Paul’s family, history, and training equip him to be one of the greatest missionaries for Jesus ever.
The zealot that wanted to squash out the Jesus movement became the Zealot that would give his own life for Jesus.
That in the face of persecution, beatings, threats on his life, and imprisonment he would not stop telling others about the goodness of God.
He would not stop talking about Jesus and his resurrection.
And God strategically used Paul and his situations to move his mission from Jerusalem to Rome.
God is not going to be distracted by what is happening in the world.
He is not overcome, overwhelmed, or thwarted by the events of the world.
He is in control.
We think that there is a ton of political problems here in the world today.
But I can assure you that this is true for the early church too.
Remember the Jewish People were occupied by an outside force, Rome.
They were ruled over with an iron fist.
They were taxed relentlessly, and if there was any hint of uprising they were squashed like a bug.
But God didn’t stop his mission b/c of the Roman Government.
In fact, it’s important to see that God used the oppressive and suppressive government to aid in his mission.
But Luke doesn’t record in great detail the Roman occupation.
He didn’t overly politicize or focus on the politics of the time.
Because it didn’t and doesn’t matter what the earthly kingdom looks like when we have the eternal, overcoming, greatest king sitting on the throne.
Our goal shouldn’t be to have political power and influence, but to have Kingdom of God influence.
That’s what absolutely matters.
Let’s not get distracted by the temporary things of this world, let’s be occupied by the eternal things that matter.
I can promise you this if you want to make a truly lasting impact on your neighborhood, community, county, state, and nation it’s not going to be because of a donkey or elephant.
It’s gonna be because of the gospel of Jesus.
The gospel is what changes people.
The gospel is what changes hearts.
The gospel is reaching people while on the mission that God has sent us on.
So when we are empowered by the HS to proclaim the gospel to those far from God that’s not the end of the story.
We are to make Disciples.
This is in conjunction with proclamation.
It is not enough to call for people to convert to belief in Jesus, we also need to help equip them to follow after Jesus.
There are plenty of people today that claim to love Jesus and believe in Jesus, but there are far fewer that are actually following and obeying Jesus.
And I do believe that the church, as a whole, is partly to blame for this.
Because most churches are happy enough to have a convert to their beliefs.
They are happy enough to check off a baptism off their list.
But believing and trusting in Jesus is the first step on a long journey.
That’s the reason I am so passionate about discipleship.
Helping people to think rightly about God, the bible, and how to live out the life they are called to by being followers of Christ.
Many are overwhelmed by the story of the bible.
Many don’t know how important it is to open your bible and read what God has said.
We want quick fixes.
We want easy solutions.
We can be content coming to worship once a week and then merely surviving.
We aren’t called to merely survive.
We are called to live a life abundantly in Christ.
That’s what these early Apostles and Paul were really keen on too.
In fact, Jesus in the great commission says
Matthew 28:19-20 “19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””
So we need to make disciples. How?
By teaching them how to know Jesus.
Obey Jesus.
Read the bible.
Love others.
None of these things come naturally.
But that should be our desire when we believe and trust in Jesus.
On this mission that God has called us to we are not alone.
We are given the holy spirit to lead us, teach us, and empower us.
God also has given us each other.
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
When God called us to be a part of his mission and to make disciples, he has called us into a family.
He has called us to be here for one another.
To learn and grow with one another.
To break bread with one another.
To pray with one another.
I’ve harped on this many times, but it is important that we recognize that when we are a community of believers.
We are stronger when we are together.
We are stronger when we are involved in one another’s lives.
Not in a meddling or nosey way but in a way that actually cares about one another.
A way that wants to build deep and meaningful relationships.
We can’t live the life God has called us to alone.
We need one another.
Not just to know about one another, but to know one another on a deep and spiritual level.
We are not called to be spiritual roommates, but spiritual brothers and sisters.
Living on mission together.
So that when we get burned out.
When we get overwhelmed.
When we feel broken.
When we feel unworthy.
When we feel alone.
We grab one another and speak life to each other.
We minister to each other.
We show love to each other.
We encourage one another.
But in order for this to work as it is designed by God we have to be open, honest, and real with one another.
We have to be willing to open up to one another.
We have to be willing to be vulnerable.
We have to be willing to be corrected.
We have to be willing to be humble and open.
We can’t accomplish God mission without one another.
God doesn’t send us on a solo mission.
He calls us to a family that can conquer the world if we follow him and encourage one another.
God give us the HS, a family, and truth to proclaim on this mission he has established.
So what is the message of the mission.
Simply put, the message of the mission is the gospel of JC.
The reality that the kingdom of God has arrived.
I don’t know if you noticed it as we journeyed through Acts, but the main characters aren’t the apostles, disciples, Peter, James, John, or Paul.
The main characters are the word of God and the HS.
We’ve already talked about the role of the HS on God’s mission, but let’s talk about the Word of God as the message.
You can be on a mission for whatever message you want to relay.
But God has given us both a mission and a message.
They are both based on what he has done and what he is continuing to do.
Message
7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
24 But the word of God increased and multiplied.
49 And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.
20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.
No less than 22 times are the phrases word of God or word of the Lord used in Acts.
So for Luke to repeatedly use those phrases means that there is something going on here.
So what is the Word of God or Word of the Lord?
The Holy Scriptures.
The Bible.
And not just the New Testament, but the Old testament as well.
The reality is that when these early followers of Jesus were proclaiming the gospel through the Old Testament.
We as the people of God don’t need to neglect the Large chunk of God’s word known as the OT.
We believe and hold fast to the fact that all of the bible is God’s inspired word.
And that it all points to Jesus, the message of redemption, the message of God coming to save his people and bring restoration to all that is broken.
This takes form in the gospel message.
That all people are separated from God b/c of our sin and rebellion.
And that sin and rebellion keeps us from a holy and righteous God.
So Jesus comes to live the perfect life.
To be the sacrifice for our sins.
To come and cleanse us.
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
So if we Love, trust, and follow Jesus we get to be in right standing with God.
But if we don’t love, trust, and follow Jesus we stand as his enemies.
This truth is revealed to us in the Word of God.
The kingdom of God has come and we are it’s ambassadors.
We are the ones who are privileged and commanded to tell others about the good news of the gospel.
The good news of the kingdom.
The good news of the restoration.
The good news of Jesus.
And when we share the message with people, there will be mixed reception.
Some will believe.
Some won’t believe.
Some will take time to believe.
Some will consistently reject.
I want to take a burden off of you.
You don’t have to convince, coerce, or compel someone to believe in Jesus.
When someone one responds to the message of Jesus they are made alive.
They were dead and now they are alive.
You don’t have the power to raise the dead.
Only God can do that.
The HS draws people.
The HS convinces and convicts someone of their need to Trust Jesus.
But they need to hear the message.
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
You wanna have pretty feet?
Preach the good news.
Tell people about Jesus.
Someone told you.
Whether you heard it the first time in church or from somewhere else.
The response was from hearing.
Telling people about the good news of Jesus is how we live out our calling.
As FBC Louise we desire to Exalt Jesus and Love People.
The most unloving thing you can do is keep the truth about Christ from them.
If you had news that could save a life would you keep it to yourself?
That’s what happens when you don’t tell people about Jesus.
One of the ways that you can ease into the conversation if you feel like you don’t know enough about the bible is to share you testimony.
How God changed you life.
How you were once one way and now you are another.
How God Changed your desires.
How he gave you a love for the things you used to hate.
We love stories.
So share yours.
You will be shocked by how open people are to hearing about your life change.
Listen being on mission for God and sharing his message are simple, but they aren’t easy.
It will take an attitude of prayer.
A supernatural boldness.
But I know that if you ask God will give it to you.
So how do we live on mission and bring forth his message?
That’s what the remainder of this service is going to be focused on.
But before we get there, I want to be candid with you.
The truth is, if we don’t find a way to engage this community.
If we don’t find a way to reach people with the gospel.
If we don’t find a way to join God on his mission, we will soon be a simple blip on the radar.
We will be irrelevant and shut down.
It’s important to come and worship together.
It’s important to be a part of each other’s lives.
It’s important to serve the church with our abilities.
It’s important to have meals together.
It’s important to be a church.
But we can do those things and become inwardly focused.
We can do those things and bolster ourselves.
We can do those things and neglect those far from God.
We can absolutely become a self-focused, self-centered church body where we do nothing but consume teaching, preaching, and food.
We can do those things, but they aren’t what we are supposed to be about.
We are supposed to be about the mission of God.
Living for him.
Telling others about him.
Giving generously from the gifts we have received from him.
My question to you.
Are we going to be a church body that lives in the comfort of these walls for the next 5 or 10 years?
Or
Are we going to live boldly and see lives transformed by the gospel of Jesus.
Are we going to be the kingdom to the community.
Are we going to give ourselves to the mission of god with our time, talents, energy, and finances.
Church growth would be nice.
and if I’m being honest I have been encouraged to see new faces since you all called me to serve here.
But we will not grow, if we don’t go.
If we don’t minister to the people of this community how will they know that we love them.
How did the church in Acts Grow?
Through the meeting of needs and the preaching of the gospel.
That’s what we need to be about.
Are we going to Join God on his mission or are we going to sit back and let it pass us by?
The time is now.
The time to make a commitment is now.
Okay, now what I want to do is take some time to talk about how you think we are doing.
How you think that we can improve.
How you think we can join in with what God is doing here in Louise and the surrounding Community.
You can also take this time to let me know how you think I am doing.
What I can do better.
But I want open, honest, and frank discussion.
My desire is for our church to transform and impact Louise.
I want people to come to know Jesus.
I want people to come and worship Jesus.
But I can’t do it alone.
We have to be on Mission together.
I will ask a couple of questions to get the discussion going:
Mission
How can we join God on mission today?
What are areas where we can serve one another and the community?
What area are you gifted in that you aren’t using those gifts for God?
Have you engaged with your five in any way?
Do you know five people who need to know about Jesus?
Message
Are you learning and growing in your relationship with God?
If you aren’t a part of SS, GG, why not?
What areas do you need help growing in knowledge of the message of the gospel?
Misc
Are you committed?
What steps do you need to take to demonstrate commitment?
Trust, Baptism, Membership, Service?