Now What? (Part 2)
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Introduction:
Introduction:
I want to welcome you again this morning.
First, to those joining us online, we are so thankful for our online technology that allows you to be a part of our church family today.
I also want to welcome those who may be joining us for the first time today. I hope your time with us today is encouraging and helpful, and I look forward to meeting you.
I would also say if you are new to our church today, it would be helpful for you to know that we practice a form of preaching called “Expository Preaching”.
What that means, is we believe the Bible is best taught by taking books of the Bible and then breaking them down from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. Our goal, to better understand not only what God’s Word says, but what it means in our lives today.
Over the past three years we’ve been doing that through the NT book of Acts.
Now, if you are new today, you might be thinking, “Three years pastor? Wow! That’s a long time to be one book of the Bible. Pastor, how much longer do you think you’ll be in Acts?”
Well, believe it or not, you came on a historic day, because today is the final message from the book of Acts as we wrap up this amazing book.
A book that over the past three years has taught us not only how the church started, but how Jesus intends for us to accomplish the mission of taking the Gospel into the rest of the world.
That being the case, as we come to the end of our study, we come back to a question we asked last week, a quesiton that is fitting as we close out this study, and the quesiton is simply this, “Now what?” 2X
We asked that question based on Apostle Paul’s arrival in Rome.
A journey that had been full of all kinds of trials, storms, and challenges.
A journey that has finally brought Paul to his God ordained destination point, to the great city of Rome
So, now that he’s arrived, now what?
Well, as we learned last week, the now what consists of two focuses, the first being more of an inward focus and the second an outward.
Last week we looked at the inward focus as Paul stoped for a moment to reflect on all God had done. A moment of reflection that would prepare him for what was to come.
So, what did he focus on?
First, Paul took time to thank God as he thanked Him for the provision, comfort, and protection God had provided on his journey. Luke states it like this:
"On seeing them, Paul thanked God...”
Which was a reminder to us on the importance or recognizing and thanking God for his provision, comfort, and protection in our lives.
Second, as Paul thanked God, it created a confidence and courage in his spirit. Luke writes:
“On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage.”
The idea here is that through Paul’s thankfulness and praise to God, he gained greater strength.
Which was a reminder to us of why worship is so important. Because not only does God deserve our worship, but it’s in our worship that we are reminded of who God is and what He’s capable of doing in our life.
And the result is, we become more confident in our faith, which then gives us more courage to walk into where God is leading us.
Finally, as Paul thanked God and grew in courage, he began to experience the favor of God. Luke writes:
16 And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who guarded him.
While this may seem like an insignificant detail, this one statement speaks volumes to the kind of favor Paul recieved as he came into Rome.
Because instead of being sent to a Roman prison to await his trial before Caesar, Paul was given an apartment with one guard to watch over him.
Which means, even though he was a prisoner, Paul had unusual freedom to continue to share the Gospel in Rome. Paul had the favor of God on his life.
And what this reminded us of, is that even in our less than ideal situations, if we have the favor of God, then we have everything we need to accomplish what God has called us to do. Favor that comes as we strive to live out His Word and Will in our lives.
This now lead us to Paul’s outward Focus and our final message in Acts as Paul takes advantage of the favor he’s been given.
That being said, as we close out Acts today, we close out with Paul serving once again as a model.
A model of what our focus should be as we continue to walk out our journey of faith. And it’s a focus that consists of five actions. Actions that we’ve seen Paul continually take throughout the book of Acts. Actions we need to continually adopt into our lives as well.
And so, to get us started, we are going to jump to Paul’s first action of this outward focus, and I would state it like this.
As Paul came to his God ordained destination point:
Action #1 - Paul hit the ground running.
Luke writes:
Acts 28:17 (ESV)
17 After three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews...
What I want you to notice is that after Paul arrives in Rome, he lets only three days pass before he requests that the local Jewish leaders come and meet with him.
You might say, “Ok pastor, what’s the big deal about that?”
The big deal is that Paul has just spent the last two years fighting his way to Rome. A journey that’s involved extreme opposition, false accusations, imprisonment, and near death experiences.
Which means you would think, now that he’s arrived, that it’s time to take some R&R. That it would be time for Paul to catch his breath and relax for a little bit. After all, he’s been to hell and back.
Think of it like this. Let’s say you have a really hard day at work. A day where nothing goes right. A day where people are coming at you left and right. A day your boss nearly fires you. A day where you wish you would have just stayed in bed.
Anybody ever have a day like that?
Now, let me ask you something, “When you get home from a day like that, what do you want to do? Do you want to make supper right away? Do you want to jump into helping your kids do homework? Do you want to mow the lawn? Do you want to get back to work on the honey do list?”
No, you don’t want to do any of that, right? Why? Because you’re exhausted. You’ve just had a difficult day. You need to some time to unwind. You need some space to decompress. You need some Colgan to take you away. You need some R&R.
Think about this. Paul didn’t just have one day like that.
He had two years of it. So, how do you think Paul felt after two years of what he faced? Do you think he would have liked to take some time off? Do you think he would have liked to take it easy for awhile? Do you think he was hoping for some R&R?
You know what, I think in his flesh, he probably did, but in his spirit he knew he couldn’t do that. Why? Because Paul knew if he was going to accomplish the mission God had given him, then he couldn’t waste any time. He had to hit the ground running.
Now, you might be thinking, “Ok pastor, so are you saying as a Christian I can’t ever take time to relax? That I can’t take anytime to recover? That I need to be on my Jesus game all the time.”
No, I’m not saying you can’t ever take a break. We all need breaks. What I’m saying though is, if we are going to reach people for Jesus, we can’t let the urgency of our mission fall to the way side.
In other words, we need to understand that the time is short. That we have no idea how long we will have to do what God has called us to do.
Paul understood this.
The fact is, he had no idea when his trial would be. He had no idea what the outcome would be. He had no idea how long he’d be allowed to enjoy the special favor that had been extended to him. All he knew is he had today.
And so knowing the time was short, Paul took advantage of the time he had. And so after taking a few days to get his bearings, Paul quickly called a meeting with the local religious leaders.
Application: Here’s what this is saying to us.
The fact of the matter is, there are a lot of things we don’t know when it comes to accomplishing the mission of the Gospel.
For example we don’t know when Jesus is coming back. The Bible says that no man knows the hour.
Which means we need to live like it could happen at any moment.
This is what Paul is talking about in 1 Corinthians 7:29-31, where he writes:
29 This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, 30 and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, 31 and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.
While some may think this sounds a little extreme, the point Paul is making here is that as Christians we can’t get caught in the trap of living our lives solely for this world. That we need to remind ourselves that this world is temporary. That one day everything in it will be wiped away. We read about this in Revelation 21 where John writes:
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
What that means then is, we need to live with an expectancy and an urgency.
An expectancy that at any moment Jesus could come back.
Which then leads to an urgency that then causes us to take advantage of every opportunity we can to share the gospel.
Which leads to a second things we don’t know. And that’s how much time we each have or others have.
I’m reminded of this every-time I drive away from a cemetery after doing a funeral of someone who had an unexpected death.
I always think to myself, “A week a go that person would have never dreamed that a week later they’d be in a coffin.” Because the truth is, most of us don’t live with that kind of a temporal mindset. For some reason we think we have all the time in the world.
But we don’t. The time is short. We only have a small window of time to accomplish what God has called us to do. Which means, we need to live with an urgency.
An urgency to share the gospel with that friend, family member, or co-worker.
An urgency to teach our kids about Jesus.
An urgency to grow in our own walk with Jesus.
An urgency to take advantage of every opportunity God gives us to accomplish His plan and purpose in our lives.
Why, because we don’t know what tomorrow will bring.
Again, Paul understood this. He knew the time was short, so he hit the ground running and took advantage of the time he had.
And we must be willing to do the same. Because I can tell you right now, based on what is happening in the world around us, the time is shorter than ever. And it should create an urgency in us to reach as many people as we can with the gospel.
This leads to a second action that Paul took. Because not only did Paul hit the ground running:
Action #2 - Paul first appealed to those who would listen.
Luke goes on to write:
Acts 28:17 (ESV)
17 After three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews...
In this action Paul’s first move is to call a meeting with a specific group of people. A group that Luke identifies as the “local leaders of the Jews”.
So, a great question would be, Who were these leaders?”
More than likely they were the key leaders within the Jewish Synagogues that existed within the city of Rome at that time. Most scholars agree that number would have been somewhere between 11-13 Synagogues. And it’s to these Synagogues and leaders that Paul reaches out too.
Think of it like this, if a new pastor came into town and wanted to convey an important spiritual message to the Christian community, he’d probably begin by contacting all the churches and pastors in the community and asking them to meet with him.
In essence that’s what Paul is doing. He’s starting with those he would have a common link too and who would most likely listen to him.
Second, Paul shares his story with them.
Luke writes:
Acts 28:17–20 (ESV)
...and when they had gathered, he said to them, “Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 18 When they had examined me, they wished to set me at liberty, because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. 19 But because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar—though I had no charge to bring against my nation. 20 For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain.”
By way of introduction, Paul now gives these local leaders a recap of everything that has happened to him leading up to this point.
And in doing so he talks about the false accusations made against him by the Jewish Religious leaders. He talks about how those false accusations then led to an unjust arrest. And then he shares how the trials came to nothing and that even the Roman officials could find no justification for the charges laid against him.
He then tells them about his appeal to Caesar, and how the only way to overcome the false accusations of the Jews was to bring his case to Rome.
Which is why he has now called these leaders together. So he can explain to them what has happened and how it’s related to not only his faith, but their faith as well. Which is what Paul is talking about when he says:
20 For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain.”
In other words, “I’m here because what I’m about to share with you has everything to do with the hope we have as a people.”
And we know this is what Paul’s intentions are, because after sharing all of this with them, Luke says the leaders responded by saying:
21 And they said to him, “We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you. 22 But we desire to hear from you what your views are, for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against.”
Luke says after hearing Paul’s story, theses leaders are more than willing to listen to what he has to say because while they haven’t heard anything negative about Paul, they have heard negative things about this “sect”. And the sect they are referring to is Christianity.
And so after discovering that Paul is not only a Christian, but a major leader in the movement, they are eager to hear more.
Application: Here’s how this applies to us.
The fact is, as you seek out opportunities to share your faith, while there are a number of people you could start with, the best place to start is with the people who are most open to hearing what you have to say.
So, who are those people? Typically it’s the people you have the most in common with. Which means:
It could be a friend or family member you grew up.
It could be somebody you share a common religous heritage with. Maybe you both grew up Catholic or Lutheran.
Or it could be somebody you work with, and while you may not have a long history with them, your day to day interaction with them has created a relational bond that has given you the ability to speak into their life.
I know for me, my opportunities to lead somebody to Jesus on a personal level have mostly come through commonalities.
For example, one person I led to faith in Christ came as the result of our daughters playing basketball together. A common bond that brought us together week to week over a three year period. A commonality that eventually gave me the opportunity to share my faith.
This is what Paul is doing. He’s starting with people he has a commonality with.
And what your going to discover is that when you take advantage of these opportunities, more times than not, these individuals are going to be open to hearing what you have to say.
Why? Because while they may not have heard anything negative or think negatively about you, they’ve most definitely heard something negative about Christians.
But for some reason, you’re nothing like the Christians they’ve heard about, and so they say, “Tell me more.”
Which is why Paul starts with those who are most open to listening.
This then leads to what Paul shares with them, because after calling for the meeting with these specific leaders, Paul takes another action step:
Action #3 - Paul expounded the truth of the Gospel.
What I mean by expounded is that Paul explained and went into great detail into what he believed to be true about Jesus. We know this because Luke writes:
23 When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.
Luke says that Paul did more than just tell them about Jesus and that they needed Jesus. Paul took them to the scriptures and showed them what the scriptures said about Jesus and explained it to them.
In other words, Paul showed them what the Bible actually said about Jesus and what it means to be right with God.
Application: Here’s how this applies to us.
The fact is, as you share your faith with someone who is open to listening, more than likely that person already has a perspective or view of God.
In other words, there’s a good chance they already have some sort of spiritual or religious heritage. Something they grew up believing. Something they were told was true about God and their faith.
And as I said a moment ago, that’s going to create an opportunity to share your faith with someone who will probably be willing to listen.
But unfortunately there will be a challenge that comes with that. And the challenge will be convincing them that possibly what they believe about their faith isn’t true or that it’s misguided.
For example, when it comes to reaching people in our community, the easiest and hardest people to talk about your faith with are going to be those who have some sort of religious background. And we have many in our community like that.
And it will be easy because you both share a common core value. That value being the belief in God.
But what will be hard, is that there’s a good chance that person’s belief isn’t based on a relationship with Jesus, but instead on their religous upbringing or heritage.
Which means, their hope isn’t in Jesus, it’s in being Catholic. It’s in being Lutheran. It’s in being Presbyterian.
And the list goes on of denominational allegiances that religious people tend to have when it comes to their faith.
And as a result, what they believe may not be solely based on the truth. And now in love, it’s your job to show them the truth by pointing them to the Bible and explaining what the Bible actually says.
That’s what Paul is doing here. He’s pointing his religous friends to what the scriptures actually say about Jesus and salvation.
Which again is why you and I need to be vigilant in understanding what we believe and why.
Which means, your answer to somebody asking you for the reason for your faith can’t be, “Let me ask Pastor Brad”. It needs to be, “Let me show you what the Bible says.”
Let me show you what Romans 3:23 says where Paul writes:
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Let me show you what Romans 6:23 says where Paul writes:
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Let me show you what Jesus says when John writes:
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Church, we have to be able to take somebody to God’s Word and explain to them what Jesus has done for us. We have to be able to show them what the Bible actually says about Jesus and what it means to have a relationship with God. Because if we can’t do that, it’s going to be very difficult to lead somebody to faith.
I’m going to tell you right now, moving forward, we have to be more committed to doing this. More committed to reading our Bibles. More committed to understanding our faith. More committed to growing in our knowledge and understanding of what God’s Word says.
You say, “Pastor, how do I do that?” It starts by getting a good Study Bible. It starts as you join or start a Connect Group. It starts as you make understanding God’s Word a priority in your life.
It’s like anything. If you want to be good at it or understand it, you have to be willing to study it.
And if you’re not sure where to start with all that, come to talk to me because I would be happy to point you towards some resources.
Because at the end of the day, if we can’t explain our faith, then leading people to Jesus is going to be difficult.
This leads to another action step Paul took:
Action #4 - Paul stayed mission focused.
Luke writes:
24 And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved.
Luke says as Paul passionately explained the scriptures and pointed these men towards Jesus, that some were convinced, but others disbelieved.
And the truth is, that can be disheartening, especially when it’s people we share a common bond or relationship with.
But the reality is, not everybody you share your faith with is going to embrace Jesus like you have. Why won’t they? Well, Paul gives us an indication why, because after being rejected by some of the leaders, Luke writes:
25 And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:
26 “ ‘Go to this people, and say,
“You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
27 For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed;
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’
Luke says as some of the leaders reject Paul’s teaching, Paul quotes a scripture from the book of Isaiah. But it’s not just any scripture, it’s a prophecy. A prophecy concerning those who would reject the gospel. And Isaiah says the reason they will reject it is because their hearts are dull. And it’s the idea that their hearts are insensitive to the things of God. Which results in them not being able to hear or see the truth.
So, why are their hearts dull? They’re dull because their hearts are given to other things. Could be money. Could be power. Could be sensual or sexual desire. Could be a number of things. But they’re not given to the things of God.
And as hard as it is, we have to be willing to move on from that trusting that the seed we planted may one day take root. We have to stay mission focused.
This is what Paul does, and we know that’s what he does because Luke says after quoting this passage Paul goes on to say:
28 Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”
Luke says after being rejected by those who should listen, Paul says he will go to the people that will listen. And the people Paul is referring too are the Gentiles.
The people of which Paul has no commonalities with, no background with, but people who are looking for hope. People who are in need of a savior. Paul says, “I’ll go to them because they will listen.”
Application: Here’s what this is saying to us:
As we share and explain our faith with those we have a common background with, we have to be prepared that they may not listen, understand, or accept our faith in Jesus.
That you may have a family member that thinks you’ve lost your mind.
That you may have a friend who disowns you.
That at work you may become the ridicule of co-workers.
But in the midst of that you can’t lose heart. You can’t lose focus. You can’t give up. Instead, you have to keep pressing forward and reach the people who will listen.
People you may have never considered talking to before.
People you have nothing in common with.
People who others have rejected and want nothing to do with.
People who are looking for hope. People who are desperate for a savior.
And can I tell you right now, there are people like that all around us. People that God is calling us to reach. People that are broken. People that the religious have rejected but God has called us too reach.
You might ask, “How do you know that pastor?”
Here’s one way I know it. Last week I had somebody tell me we are no longer known as the church out by Taco Bell. I said, “Oh really? So what are we known as?” They said, “Well, according to one group in the community we are the church of nobodies.”
I was like, “Wow, what an arrogant statement for somebody to make.”
But then the more I thought about it, I was like, “Wow, what an amazing complement for somebody to give our church. Because they’re right. We are a church for nobodies. Because that’s who Jesus came to save. A bunch of nobodies. Broken people who had no hope and no future.”
Jesus himself puts it like this:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
Jesus came back to save nobodies. People like you and me.
But the good news is, while we used to be nobodies, through faith in Jesus, God has given us a place in His kingdom. And now we have a future and a hope.”
I love how the Apostle John puts it:
1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
John says in Christ we are no longer nobodies but we are children of God. And because of that we have a hope. A hope that will be revealed when Jesus returns.
So, yes, outside of Jesus, we are nobodies, but in Jesus we are Children of God, and God has given us a place in His kingdom.
Church, God has called us to reach nobodies, and that’s exactly what we are going to do. Because MCF is a church for the broken. A church where people who have no hope can find the hope that comes in a relationship with Jesus. A hope that transcends this world and leads us into the arms of a loving father.
So, like Paul, while we present the Gospel to those who should listen, we’re going after those who will.
This leads us to one final action that Paul takes as we close out this amazing book. And I would state it like this:
Action #5 - Paul lived out his days in the power of the Holy Spirit.
As Luke finishes out this book, he writes:
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.
I love how Luke finishes this letter, because in one verse he pretty much sums up the life of a Christian. And it consists of two primary components:
#1 - Proclaiming the kingdom of God.
Luke says even though he was a prisoner, Paul continued to proclaim the Kingdom of God. Which means at every opportunity Paul had, he shared the good news about Jesus. That’s what Luke is implying when he says that Paul “welcomed all who came to him...”
#2 - Teaching people about Jesus with boldness and without hindrance.
Which means two things.
First, Paul didn’t let anything stop him from sharing his faith. Luke says he shared it without hindrance.
What that means then is, Paul didn’t let the fear or threats of others stop him from proclaiming the gospel. Nothing was going to stop him from telling people about Jesus.
Now, you might be thinking, “Wow, that’s amazing pastor. Paul was pretty committed.”
Yes, that’s true, he was. But it was more than his commitment that allowed him to do that. And we know that based on one word that Luke uses here. Because notice again what Luke says. He says Paul was “teaching about the Lord Jesus with all boldness...”
There’s an implication in this statement, and the implication is that Paul’s boldness was of a supernatural nature.
This evidence of this goes back to Acts 4 when the first disciples faced threats for their faith. But instead of cowering they continued to peach the Gospel with all boldness. How did they do it? Here’s how Luke describes it as they respond to threats from the religious leaders to quit preaching about Jesus:
29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne,
Notice what they prayed. They prayed, “Lord hep us to speak your word with all boldness.” The same term used of Paul in Acts 28.
So, what happened when they prayed for all boldness? Luke tells us:
31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
Luke says as these early believers prayed that God would empower them with boldness, God showed up in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. And in that moment as the home shook with the power of God, the Holy Spirit equipped and empowered them to speak the word of God with all boldness.
Here’s what this is saying, Paul was able to share the gospel without hindrance because he was filled with the Spirit.
And here’s what this is saying to us. If we want to share the gospel with all boldness and without hindrance, then we need the empowerment of the Holy Spirit as well.
You might ask, “How do I get that?” You have to do three things:
First, you have to be committed to reaching people who need Jesus. I’m going to tell you right now, God doesn’t empower and equip Christians who aren’t about reaching the lost.
Second, you have to recognize your need for empowerment. In other words, you have to come to terms that you can’t do what Jesus has called you to do without His help.
Finally, you need to pray for it. Like the early Christians and Paul you have to daily ask the Holy Spirit to fill you, equip you, and empower you to share the Gospel.
This is how Paul shared the Gospel without hindrance. And he did it up until he took his last breath. Because following these two years in Rome, church tradition tells us that Paul was beheaded for his faith. That he paid the ultimate price for following Jesus.
Now, you might be thinking, “Wow pastor, what a horrible way for the story of Acts to end.”
No, I would disagree. I would say, “What a beautiful way for the story of Acts to end.”
Why would I say that?
I say that because according to Paul, this is the most honorable way to die. To die knowing you have lived your life fully for Jesus. To die knowing you left nothing on the table. Paul states it like this as he awaits his trial in Rome:
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
Paul basically says, “I know I’m at the end, but I have kept the faith. I’ve lived my life fully for Jesus. And now, a crown awaits me.”
And according to Paul, the same crown that awaited him awaits all of us who have committed our lives to following Jesus.
I’d say that’s an amazing end to an amazing story. The story of the church. The story of what Jesus has called us to do. The story of what awaits those who put their hope in Jesus.
So, as we come to the end of this amazing story, I’d like to close it out by asking you the question we started with, “Now What?”
In other words, based on what we’ve just learned, what will you do now? Because this message requires a response.
And so to answer that question, I’d like to challenge you with three closing questions:
Question #1 - will you commit to reaching people for Jesus?
I ask that question for two reasons:
First, your commitment to reaching people for Jesus is often an indicator of just how commited you are to following Jesus.
In other words, if you’re not concerned about reaching the lost, then you’re not concerned about what Jesus is concerned about. And if you’re not concerned about what Jesus is concerned about, then you have to ask yourself, “Am I really following the heart of Jesus?”
Now, when I say that, I’m not saying you’re not saved or you don’t have a relationship with Jesus. But I am questioning whether you really understand what His heart is.
Because His heart is for the lost and brokenhearted. Jesus puts it like this:
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
You see, following Jesus isn’t just about your own salvation, going to church, or feeling good about yourself.
Following Jesus is also about the salvation of others. Something that Jesus has called you to do. Something that a relationship with Jesus should produce in your life. Because that’s the heart of God. Reaching people.
Second, I ask that question, because if we are going to be a Biblical church, then our commitment to reaching the lost must be an ever growing focus.
In fact, as we go into our study of Revelation, what we’re going to discover is that Jesus doesn’t have al of patience or use for a church that isn’t reaching the lost.
Which is one of the reasons why we are doing “The Seven Letters” series. Because more than ever I want MCF to be a Biblical church. A church that Jesus is pleased with. A church that represents who He is. And a church that is concerned about the lost.
So what now? Are you ready to go reach some lost people for Jesus?
Question #2 - Will you give your life to follow Jesus?
In other words, are you willing to sacrifice whatever Jesus asks you to sacrifice in order to follow Him?
I know that seems like a radical question, probably because it is. But that’s what it takes to follow Jesus. It takes a radical commitment to give up anything and everything Jesus would ask of you. To make Him Lord of your life. And in the process:
To give up your desires and adopt His.
To give up your definition of safety and adopt His.
To give up your plans and adopt His.
To give up whatever He asks you to give up in order to go and do where He asks of you.
Because that’s what it means to make Jesus Lord of your life. It means you give Him the reigns of your life. You give up you.
And the good news is, when you give up you, Jesus makes a new you and gives you a new life. A radical life. A life full of true hope. A life full of purpose. A life that transcends this life.
So, what now? Are you ready to give everything to Jesus?
Question #3 - Will you pray for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
I close with this question, because if were going to reach our community, county, and world for Jesus, then we need help. We need the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Because without Him, we are like a boat stuck in the water without a sail or engine.
Can I challenge you in the days and weeks to come to make praying for empowerment a priority in your prayer life? That every day you would ask God to fill you with His Spirit. That you would ask Him to give you boldness. Boldness to declare His word without Hindrance.
Because I’m going to tell you right now church, if we’re going to overcome what’s going on out there, and what I believe is coming, then we need the Holy Spirit’s empowerment. We need him to fill us with His power and His strength. Otherwise, we are sitting ducks.
So, what now? Will you join me in praying for the empowerment of the Spirit. In asking God to equip our church and to fill us with all boldness to reach the world He’s called us to reach?
Because I believe just like God used the early church, and just like He used Paul, He wants to use our church, and He wants to use you and me.
The question is, “Will we embrace, “What now?””
Let’s Pray