The End of Passivity

Passivity is a Plague

Today all around the world people have taken significant action to guard against a plague that has proven to have lethal consequences for some.

Governments are shuttering in fear, states and counties count the toll of the infected, dismiss the healed, and stoke fear with the death that has occured to this point.

For the believer in Christ there is another plague we are facing. One that has the power to shut the windows of heaven, withhold our blessings, and the potential to cause many to lose their faith.

Passive Christianity appears to be crept in and made its bed inside of our congregations, has silenced the prophets and has eviscerated the supremacy of scripture from the pulpit and has left only traces of the of what was to be the most powerful force on earth-the body of Christ teetering on the brink of decimation

Modernity taught humanity they do not need God. Post-modernity taught humanity that truth is relative. Together they have stood opposed to Christianity as it threatens their way of life

But the promise we see in scripture is that God has set a remnant that will turn this world upside down and return God’s people to faithful worship of Him who has called us His own. That those who have been filled with the Power of the Holy Spirit will do signs and wonders, will speak His Word with authority, they will set the captives free, they will bind up the broken hearted, they will do all the things Jesus did and more as reconciliation draws close to humanity.

We must break the chains of Passivity and Live in the Power of the Holy Spirit

Acts 17:26–29 ESV

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for “ ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “ ‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.

We encounter Paul in Athens

Paul was provoked by the Spirit

He had been sent away because of persecution

Engages a culture set on Placing Self Above God

Philosophers arguing for modernity

Philosophy

Epicurus: Hedonism- pleasures of the flesh is the ultimate good

defy the existence of God. Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then from whence comes evil?

Stoicism- doesn't deny God but places man made religion as the god

Focused on the religious path to move the soul into the Cosmic God

Elevated self religiosity above the relationship with the one true God

Culture’s Attempt to silence truth.

Jews, Greeks, Philosophers, Religious

Athenians accustomed to hearing the latest and greatest

Life in God

In Him we Live

In Him we Move

In Him we have Being

Nothing that is man made can seat itself above God

Knowing the Heart of God

Samuel is told to not look at external characteristics- God sees the heart

The Psalmist declares create in my a new heart, renew a steadfast spirit in me

Solomon: Lean not on your own understanding

Paul says the Spirit knows the mind of God and reveals to us

Acts 17:16 ESV

Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.

Be so in tune with what the Spirit is revealing that your heart breaks for what breaks God’s heart

Paul sees the idol worship but is broken because of the Spirit

These people gathered to worship

They worshipped manmade things

They knew about the God but did not Know Him

They worshiped tradition

Its more than simply gathering to gather its coming to a relationship with Christ

The End of Passivity

Product of Passivity

Twisted Faith

Richard Dawkins:

“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully

i. He worshipped at the altar and never heard from the angels…

Acts 17:30–31 ESV

The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

The Athenians had the statue to the God Unknown they would no longer have this excuse

The charge to teach well what God has declared as the time is fast approaching

You will be mocked, you will be unjustly persecuted, you will not be well liked

this is the work Jesus is seen doing taking a stand for what is right even at the cost of His life

each will be held to account for their work

While I feel bad for Dawkins who will likely die an avowed atheist and hater of God… I feel worse for the one who taught him erroneously as they caused him to stumble into unbelief

Called to Turn the World Upside Down

The accounts of Paul’s work tell of a man who was on fire for Jesus as he led many to be reconciled with Christ.

This is the work of the church empowered… that as many as would hear our voice would abandon their fleshly desires that they would be brought into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Acts 17:6–9 ESV

And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

Paul as he preached

Was hated because he upset their pursuit religious endeavors

Provoked jealousy because he was preaching good news, binding the broken-hearted, and setting the captives free

Was persecuted because the things of this world could not compare to the riches of the kingdom

Turn the world upside down

The greatest charge they had against the movement was it turned their world upside down.

Today, the world identifies the Christian Church as the most hateful, divisive organization and demands it transform to be more accepting of what Epicurus wanted-satisfaction of the fleshly desires.

The church now puts on a show brings people together does its best to not upset the order of things. Gives a 30 minute speech sprinkles a little Jesus but only enough to be able to still call themselves Christian

We were not called to fear the things that could hurt the flesh rather we are called to be concerned with God who can destroy our flesh and condemn our soul to eternal suffering

Church you were never call to pursue the things of this world. You are impressed with the image of God, you were called to turn this world upside down in pursuit of the one true God.