The Overcoming Christian: Conclusion

As we reach the end of the year, it is a good time to look back on the past year and look forward to the year to come. In our culture, people are much more likely to look forward than to look back. But there is a place for both. Today I want to spend a little time doing both.

This message completes our series entitled The Overcoming Christian. Here is a brief summary of the messages of this series. As I go through this summary, if particular topics prick your heart, if it seems as if you are weak in this particular area or topic, write it down.

The Overcoming Christian. Our main passage was portions of the first three chapters of Revelations, as well as Romans 8:37. We summarized the messages to the seven churches of Revelation as the following: 1. Do not forsake your first love. 2. Remain faithful in suffering. 3. Turn from all idols. 4. Turn from immorality. 5. Embrace the gospel. 6. Hold on. 7. Enter into relationship with Jesus. I mentioned the Nike symbol and said we are to be hupernikeo, more than overcomers, more than conquerors. Has your relationship with Christ grown superficial or weak?

The Expectant Christian

It is always interesting to listen to what foreigners think about Americans. One observation I have heard several times is that we are shallow. By this they mean that we are so rich and content in our “stuff” that we care little about things that really matter to the rest of the world – things involving relationships. I think there is some truth to this. In most of the rest of the world, when you become friends with someone, you become friends for life. This is true whether you remain living in the same area or not.

My grandmother, who lived her first 37 years in Germany, wrote letters to about a dozen people until her health began to fail in her late 80s. And letter writing for her doesn’t even begin to compare to what we call letter writing. For many Americans, letter writing means you send a Christmas card or perhaps a photocopied letter once a year. If it is personalized at all, the personalization consists of signing your name. We are guilty of this, ourselves. We have some “professional” contacts we send letters to every year, and we have some former friends that we only hear from once a year with the letter. But my grandmother wrote out full letters to each of her friends, and they wrote back. She sent at least one to each person every month, often twice a month. And these were long letters, giving details of what was going on in their lives.

The Fortunate Christian

My message today is entitled “The Fortunate Christian.” Do you feel fortunate? Do you feel fortunate when you get a flat tire and have to pull over to the side of the road? Do you feel fortunate when your roof starts to leak? Do you feel fortunate when you can tell you are coming down with a cold? Do you feel fortunate when you almost pass your class, but not quite? I can assure you that some of my students at Clemson right now do not feel fortunate.

We are so far talking about little inconveniences. What about the really big things? Do you feel fortunate when you lose your job? Do you feel fortunate when your spouse leaves you? Do you feel fortunate when you are told you have cancer? There are very few of us that would feel fortunate at moments like that.

The Boasting Christian

This week I started with a clip from the children’s video Frog and Toad. I played a portion of a story entitled “The Dream.” Here is a transcript:

Toad was asleep, and he was having a dream. He was on a stage, and he was wearing a costume. Toad looked out into the dark. Frog was sitting in the theater. A strange voice from far away said, “PRESENTING THE GREATEST TOAD IN ALL THE WORLD!” Toad took a deep bow. Frog looked smaller as he shouted, “Hooray for Toad!”

“TOAD WILL NOW PLAY THE PIANO VERY WELL,” said the strange voice. Toad played the piano, and he did not miss a note. “Frog,” cried Toad, “can you play the piano like this?” “No,” said Frog. It seemed to Toad that Frog looked even smaller.

“TOAD WILL NOW WALK ON A HIGH WIRE, AND HE WILL NOT FALL DOWN,” said the voice. Toad walked on the high wire. “Frog,” cried Toad, “can you do tricks like this?” “No,” peeped Frog, who looked very, very small.

The Humbled Christian

I began by showing a video clip from the Christian movie Flywheel. The scene features a used-car salesman who used to enjoy ripping people off while selling them used cars, but who has recently rededicated his life to Christ. Feeling conviction over his former ways, he decides to go give refunds to those he had ripped off. Initially, the people he meets are very appreciative, even overjoyed, and are so happy to see the money they don’t really care about the fact that he had ripped them off in the past. He talks to his wife about how easy this is, and says that he was worried about eating crow, but instead is eating cake. His wife warns him about being prideful, and he denies it. The next lady he visits, however, really takes him to task. Here is their conversation:

“You what? You cheated me?!”

“Well, I mean I just wasn’t very honest about it…”

The Thankful Christian

I want to start today with a familiar passage from Romans Chapter 1.

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. – Romans 1:18-20

This passage came to me as I was thinking about a hike we took on Tuesday with Mimi’s family. We took the hike to Oconee Station Falls, off of Highway 11. It was an absolutely perfect day for a hike, with mild weather, hardly a cloud in the sky, and gorgeous fall scenery. There was a breeze, and at times, so many leaves would come down at once that you could make a game of trying to catch them as they fell. Although the water levels were low, the falls were still quite impressive. Oconee Station Falls have moderate height but impressive width, and even with the low water, the water fell at full width. 

The Christian Family

Today I want to look at some verses, mostly from the Old Testament that speak, I believe, into what a family looks like that is devoted fully to God. Before I really begin, though, I want to acknowledge the situation in which one or more members of a family, perhaps the spouse, or perhaps a parent or a child, is not a believer. This is a terribly difficult situation, and I will talk about this in the second part of this message.

When it comes to the topic of strengthening fellow Christians within a family, one of the passages I want to look at is Deuteronomy 11. Now it is important to put passages such as this into the context in which they were intended. This is part of a long speech made by Moses near the end of the 40-year passage of the Israelites through the desert. Recall that their being made to wander for 40 years was a punishment for rebelling against God. This punishment came as a result of them refusing to enter the land the Lord had promised to give to them. After they heard the sentence, they tried to take the land anyway, and were defeated. 

The Persecuted Christian

Today, Nov. 11, has been declared the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. As I thought and prayed about how to bring the reality of persecution against Christians “home,” it struck me that every story of persecution is a local story. To say that millions of Christians are undergoing persecution is hard for us to grasp. But to hear of individuals and what they are going through is easier to understand. For this reason, I am going to read from news articles just in the past two weeks or so that focus on individual instances of persecution. These stories are abridged from stories on www.christianpersecution.info.

What we are doing reminds me of a repeated scene in the Wizard of Oz series of books. Glinda the Good has a giant magic book that records everything that goes on in the world. If you turn to the most recent page, you can watch the words magically fly on the page as the events happen. This is actually a pretty good analogy for something talked about in Scripture. The Bible really talks about a book that records everyone's deeds, good and bad. Praise God that we are not judged by the content of that book, but by the sacrifical blood of Jesus Christ!

The Christian Steward

As we continue in our series on the overcoming Christian, the focus this week is on what it means to overcome in the area of stewardship.

My main passage today is from I Chronicles 29. This passage is about the building of the Temple of God. David, you may remember, wanted to build the temple, but God told David that it was to be his son Solomon’s job. David gave Solomon detailed plans, revealed to him from God, and encouraged Solomon, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.”

In every sense of the word, Solomon was to be a steward. What is a steward? It is an overseer, one who carries out tasks appointed to him. A steward is entrusted with much: money, decision-making ability, and even the reputation of his master, so as to bring honor to his master.

The Prodigal Christian

Today we continue our series on the overcoming Christian – on what it means to run the race as a Christian, to achieve victory in our lives devoted to Christ. This week we will also have a time in which we remember the Lord through the sharing of the bread and cup, and we will have what we call a “sharing time,” where we gather in a big circle and where anyone who desires may share what the Lord has been teaching them.

But in preparation for our time of worship remembering the Lord with the bread and cup, I want to talk about what it means to be a prodigal Christian. What is a prodigal? According to the dictionary, a prodigal is a recklessly extravagant consumer. Synonyms include squanderer and waster. So what do I mean by prodigal? As no doubt you can guess, I am referring to the parable Jesus told of the prodigal son. We will turn to this parable shortly.

The Kneeling Christian

We began this week with a clip from the movie version of Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maude Montgomery. The scene is early in the movie where Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert are permitting the teenage Anne Shirley to live with them “on a trial basis.” It is nighttime, and Marilla comes into Anne’s bedroom as Anne climbs into bed. The following conversation ensues.

Marilla: Have you said your prayers?

Anne: I never say any prayers.

Marilla: What do you mean? Haven’t you been taught to say your prayers?

Anne: Since Mrs. Hammond told me that God made my hair red on purpose, I haven’t cared for Him since.

The Reluctant Christian

Right off the bat, you’ve got to be thinking, what does being reluctant have to do with being an overcoming Christian? It’s like the old Sesame Street short: “One of these kids is not like the others…”

This is my message to myself. I apologize if it doesn’t meet you where you are, but it’s chock full of Scripture, and the word of the Lord does not return void.

A while back, Carl mentioned that we would have a topical series based on the overcoming Christian from Revelation. Then, as time grew closer he asked if I would consider giving a message. Then, a few weeks ago, he asked if I had thought of a title to go in the program. I had some ideas, but not really a title. I think I said the Trepidatious Christian, then the Hesitant Christian, and then out popped the Reluctant Christian.

The Logical Christian

We have been going through a series on what it means to be an overcoming Christian. This week’s message title is “The Logical Christian.” This message today has two parts. The first part is a bit of a theology lesson. In order to talk about what it means to be a logical Christian, I want to talk about the Logos, the Greek word from which we get our word “logical.” We will see that this will help us understand the source of becoming overcoming Christians in the area of logic and reason. In the second part of this message I want to focus on some practical aspects of incorporating logic into your relationship with Christ.

Today we are going to look at a number of passages, but especially I want to look at the very beginning of the book of John.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. – John 1:1-1:5

The Emotional Christian

Last week we began a new series entitled The Overcoming Christian. We looked at Revelations chapters 1 through 3 and read of warnings to seven churches. Each of the warnings ended with the phrase “to him who overcomes.” We learned that the Greek word for “overcome” is nikeo, from the word nike, which means victory. In fact, the Greeks believed in a goddess Nike who was the goddess of victory.

I gave the picture of someone running a long race, getting slower and slower, eventually walking, but finally finishing (hours after the winners have crossed) as a good example of what nikeo is not. Nikeo is winning, not finishing. We are not supposed to just finish the Christian race, but to win. This series explores what it means to win, to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil, in our Christian “race.” I even said that I would “ban” the use of the phrase “Christian walk” during this series, instead calling it the “Christian race.” I closed with I Cor. 9:27, which says:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. – I Cor. 9:27

The Overcoming Christian

Is there anyone here who does not recognize this symbol? It is the symbol of Nike, the shoe maker. It is known as the Nike “swoosh.” What is this symbol supposed to represent? It is a wing. Why a wing? Believe it or not, this fits in with what we are going to talk about today. Our main text today is Revelations 1 and 2.

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. – Rev. 1:1-3

"I Would Heal Them"

Acts 28:1-28:31
We have been going through the Book of Acts, line by line, chapter by chapter, and at last, we are on the very last chapter. Honestly, I am very sad that it is coming to an end. I personally have learned and benefited so much from my time spent studying this book in depth, that it is currently my favorite book in the whole Bible. I have learned a lot about how to study a book in depth through this series, and hopefully each future book we go through line by line will become my new favorite as a result. Starting next week, though, we will take a break from book studies, and begin a series on what it means to really live as a Christian, as a follower of, as it says in Acts, “The Way.” The series is entitled “The Overcoming Christian,” and I will introduce the series next week.

But as I have said, I am sad to end this series on Acts. I think it has changed me. More than anything else, I think God has used it to enlarge my compassion. I have thought so much about what it must have been like to endure all the things the early believers had to endure, and I am more “raw” when I come face to face with the suffering that I see from time to time today.

Finding Peace in the Storm

Acts 27:1-27:44

We are now up to the last two chapters of the Book of Acts. Before we begin going through Acts chapter 27, let me bring you up to speed. Paul had been arrested in Jerusalem and brought to Caesarea. After spending two long years in jail, he finally had the beginnings of a trial, and Paul chose to “appeal to Caesar” rather than continue on trying to get a fair trial among people who lived by political favors without much regards for real justice. What this meant is that his trial would be taken up in Rome.

Rome is a long, long way from Caesarea, about 1500 miles one way. That distance is as a straight line; an actual journey, unless by air, is significantly longer. The most direct route at the time of Paul was by ship.

Living in a Political World

Acts 25:1-26:32

When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews, he left Paul in prison. – Acts 24:27

We have been going through the book of Acts, line by line, since the beginning of the year. Two weeks ago, we came to this verse at the end of the teaching. Paul had now been on several successful yet challenging missionary journeys. New churches were being planted and growing, entire towns were coming to faith in Christ, and the gospel was spreading as promised in Acts 1. After overcoming countless dangers, obstacles, and setbacks, the Holy Spirit made it clear to Paul that he was to go to Jerusalem, and that “bondage and affliction” awaited him. In city after city, as Paul got closer to Jerusalem, those around him begged him not to go and confirmed to him that, indeed, bondage and affliction awaited him. But Paul was determined to follow the leading of God wherever He led and whatever would become of him, and so at last he entered Jerusalem.

Reflections on Acts

Acts 1-24, Psalm 63

We have been going week by week, line by line, through the Book of Acts since the beginning of January. Last week we ended in chapter 24 with Paul waiting under arrest in Caesarea for two years. Paul’s ministry was seemingly put to an end, despite the Lord’s promise that he would be His witness in Rome. Poor Paul! This had to be so difficult – the people holding him were amazingly corrupt, callous, brutal, evil men. Paul was held without due process for political reasons, partly because he didn’t try to bribe his jailors. What about the promise? What was God doing? I hate to do this to you, but we are going to leave Paul in jail for another week.

As we come close to finishing the Book of Acts, it seemed appropriate to take one week out of the sequence and review the entire book up to where we are in Chapter 24. I believe it is helpful to study the Bible many different ways, and one of these ways has been called the “Bird’s Eye View.” Just as a fast-flying eagle can survey a very large territory very quickly, we are going to survey 24 chapters of Acts to see what we can learn from seeing all at once the “big picture.”

Take Courage!

Acts 22:30-24:27

The next day, since the commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them. – Acts 22:30

Let’s start with a little background. Where are we? What is going on? Despite repeated warnings by prophets and by the Holy Spirit that bondage and affliction awaited him, Paul had felt led by the same Holy Spirit to go on to Jerusalem. Once here, in a short time some Jews from the province of Asia recognized him and shouted out, accusing him of teaching against the people, the Law, and the Temple, and that he had defiled the Temple by bringing Greeks into it.

Things became chaotic, and in the uproar they began to beat Paul with the intention of killing him. Roman guards came and broke things up, carrying Paul up on stairs. Paul received permission to speak, and attempted to share the gospel with them. As he related how he had become a follower of Christ, once he mentioned that he had been sent by the Lord to reach out to the Gentiles, the crowd erupted again.

The Arrest of Paul

Acts 21:1-22:29

This Sunday I began with a video clip from the end of The Return of the King, the final movie in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The scene shows the departure of Frodo, Bilbo, Gandalf, and the elves on a ship to head “to the west,” from which nobody ever returns. Frodo’s friends only learn that Frodo is going with the party at the last moment, and the parting is extremely emotional. I showed this clip so that we could really “get into” the scene here in Acts. Beginning with Acts 20:37:

They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship. – Acts 20:37-38

Paul was saying farewell to elders at Ephesus. The scene was perhaps even more emotional than what you have seen and felt on this clip. Deep, even overwhelming emotion at a final departure is a universal part of human nature. As we are made in the image of God, I conclude that it is a part of the nature of God.

If Only I May Finish

Acts 20:13-20:38

But we, going ahead to the ship, set sail for Assos, intending from there to take Paul on board; for so he had arranged it, intending himself to go by land. And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene. Sailing from there, we arrived the following day opposite Chios; and the next day we crossed over to Samos; and the day following we came to Miletus. For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost. – Acts 20:13-16

From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. And when they had come to him, he said to them, "You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. – Acts 20:17-23

Greatly Comforted

Acts 20:1-20:12

When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said good-by and set out for Macedonia. He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, where he stayed three months. Because the Jews made a plot against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. – Acts 20:1-3

What and where was the uproar? We learned about this last week. The gospel had had such a great impact in Ephesus that a man named Demetrius, a maker of idols of Artemis, almost brought the entire city to riot. But God orchestrated events so that it led to nothing. Yet, because Paul had almost achieved “Superstar” status in Ephesus, and because he was once again the lightning rod for conflict and persecution, it was again time for him to leave and move on.

The Threat of the Gospel

Acts 19:1-19:41

I want to go back a few verses to the end of Acts 18 to put things in context today.

Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. – Acts 18:24-26

Since we will be spending some time in Ephesus, I want to give you some information about it. Ephesus is in western Turkey, on the coast of Aegean Sea. Sail west, across the sea, and you will be in Greece. Almost due west from Ephesus on the Greek coast is Corinth. Ephesus was a large city, perhaps half a million people.

Growing Together

Acts 18:1-18:28

Acts Chapter 18 begins with Paul leaving Athens and going to Corinth. Corinth was conquered by Rome about 200 BC. Around 150 BC, the Corinthians rebelled, and the Romans made an example out of Corinth and utterly destroyed them. The town lay mostly uninhabited and in ruins for one hundred years, until around 50 BC, it was rebuilt by Julius Caesar. About 25 years later (and about 75 years before Paul visits), it had grown sufficiently so as to become the capital of the province of Achaia. Compared to the ancient city of Athens, the rebuilt Corinth seemed all-new.

If you look at the map, you can see that Corinth actually had two seaports, one on the east and one on the west. Corinth sat on a narrow land bridge between these two bodies of water. Bringing goods from one port to the other through Corinth was a much shorter and cheaper prospect than going all the way around the south. Small ships and the cargo from large ships would actually be taken over land on large rolling carts from port to port. A special paved road was made for this purpose. Called the dialkos (which means “to carry across”) the road goes back before 600 BC.

To an Unknown God

Acts 17:1-17:34

Last week, we read that Paul and his party were in Philippi, where things were quite eventful, to say the least. We talked about how Paul cast out a demon from a slave girl who made money for her owners by being a kind of “oracle,” or truth-teller. Rather than thanking Paul, they were quite upset and had Paul and his party badly beaten and thrown into jail. Once in jail, a great earthquake (or was it angels?) released their bonds, and Paul made a friend for life with the jailor, who along with his family became followers of Jesus.

When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ," he said. Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women. – Acts 17:1-4

Believe and You Will Be Saved

Acts 16:16-16:40

We have been going through the book of Acts. Where are we? We are in the middle of Paul’s second missionary journey. In the beginning of Acts 16, they were in what is now Turkey, starting in Derbe, Lystra, and Iconium, and then in verse 8 it says they went into Troas. As you can see from the map, Troas is a seaport, and it was there that Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia calling him to come. They went by sea to Neapolis (verse 11), and then by land to Philippi. This is where they are now. Last week we talked about how the Lord opened the heart of Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, to respond to the gospel. She persuaded them to stay at her house, and they did.

On a modern map, where are they? Philippi is in Greece. Albania is a bit to the north. About 90 years prior to the point Paul is here (about 50 AD), the Battle of Philippi took place. If you read Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar back in your school days, the Battle of Philippi is the battle in which the heirs of Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and Octavian, defeated Caesar’s assassins, Cassius and Brutus. Ten year later (about 80 years before Paul is here), Octavian was declared emperor (Augustus Caesar) and he let many of his officers take over land around the city. There were a lot of wealthy people in Philippi, and it was known as a “little Rome.” For a little city, the monuments and buildings in the city were quite impressive. As the map shows, Philippi was part of Macedonia, the place Paul had been called in his vision to visit. Let’s now pick up our passage.

A Worshiper of God

Acts 16:6-16:15

Once again we are at the end of the month, and so we will have a shorter message today followed by communion and a sharing time.

I want to start back a bit, at the beginning of Acts 16 today. Recall that Paul and Barnabas had split up on this second missionary journey. Barnabas had taken Mark and gone back to the island of Cyprus, while Paul had taken Silas and gone back through Syria and Cilicia.

He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek. The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers. – Acts 16:1-5

Being a Spiritual Father

Acts 15:1-16:5

Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them. – Acts 15:1-4

Last week, we talked about how Paul and Barnabas returned from their missionary journey. Paul was much worse for wear, beaten to within an inch of his life, and left for dead, in Lystra. But God had done remarkable things through them and the gospel was spread through what is now Cypress and Turkey. We left them back in Antioch, reunited with the church body that had sent them off on their journey.

Leave the Results to God

Acts 13:49-14:28

The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. – Acts 13:49-52

We pick up the story from last week with Paul and Barnabas in Pisidian Antioch. Recall that Paul and Barnabas were sent out from the church at “regular” Antioch, and they sailed to Cyprus, seen people become believers at Paphos on Cyprus, where God also used Paul to cause a false prophet to become blind, and then sailed to what is now Turkey, where they traveled inland up to Pisidian Antioch. Here Paul gives an impassioned explanation of the gospel in the synagogue, but after encountering hostility and opposition, he took it to the streets, where many, many Gentiles became believers.

Salvation to the Ends of the Earth

Acts 13:1-13:48

In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. – Acts 13:1-3

Here we get a glimpse at the leadership team at Antioch. Note that there was plurality of leadership, not a single “head pastor” or anything like that. They were a really diverse group! Barnabas, from Cyprus (Acts 4:36), Simeon (a Jewish name) called Niger (a Roman name), Lucius from Cyrene, Manaen (raised in the court of a powerful ruler), and Saul (raised in Tarsus, then schooled by one of the “best” Jewish teachers in Jerusalem). All were quite different, and God used them all together, with their different experiences and gifts, to build up the local church.

Praising God

Acts 12:19b-12:25

This week we finish discussing Chapter 12 of Acts and then take communion together. Following this, we have a time of sharing together. If you are relatively new to our church, I should explain this. We truly believe what the Bible says – that God empowers all believers. He gives all believers spiritual gifts. And He uses all of us to teach one another, encourage one another, and pray for one another. Once a month, we take communion together and then have an “open mike” time. During these times, feel free to share whatever God has been teaching you in the past month. Or it may be something that strikes you even while others are sharing. If you have a “good word,” please share it. We believe that God supernaturally empowers these times. Don’t feel intimidated. Don’t feel that you think something is not appropriate if it is coming from “you” instead of somehow from “God.” This is how God works. If it brings Him glory, it is truly from Him.

I want to go back briefly to the beginning of Acts 12.

It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. – Acts 12:1-3

No Small Commotion

Acts 12:1-12:19a

Today you are going to have to bear with me. My introduction to our passage, Acts 12:1-19, will be as long as or even longer than my discussion of the passage itself! But I know of no better way to have you appreciate the shock of this remarkable turn of events in the history of the early church. Two of the main characters in Acts 12 are James and Peter. I want to give you a bit of history of these men, along with John, James’ brother, so that you can be prepared, or perhaps, a better way to say it is so that you can be unprepared for what happens in this chapter. Let’s dig right in.

After John [the Baptist] was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," He said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow Me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed Him. When He had gone a little farther, He saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed Him. – Mark 1:14-20

The Hand of the Lord

Acts 11:1-11:30

Today is Mother’s day. I believe the traditional thing to do is to give a message to mothers. For two reasons, I have decided mostly not to do this. First, we have been going line by line through the book of Acts, and we are currently up to Acts 11. As you will see, mothers don’t figure in real prominently in Acts 11. (They don’t figure in at all.) Second, I thought it might be more appropriate to address today’s message more to those people who mothers have to put up with, their husbands and children.

We are in Acts 11. Recall that last week’s passage looked at the remarkable way in which the Gospel, the good news about the saving work of Jesus Christ, came to the non-Jewish world. One thing that strikes me about Acts 11 is that it is filled with examples of God, godly behavior. Although this is really not the primary purpose of this passage – it is part of the narrative of the history of the early church, first and foremost, it also serves as a source of godly examples to follow. Thinking about this brings to mind Hebrews 12:1-2.

What God Has Cleansed

Acts 10:1-10:48

Today we continue our history of the early church as told by Dr. Luke in the book of Acts. We come to Chapter 10. This is a pivotal moment. God is about to smash some long-held beliefs and traditions to smithereens!

At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, "Cornelius!" – Acts 10:1-3

A centurion was a leader of a hundred (or so) Roman troops. He was part of the Roman government, which was generally hated by the Jews, because they worshipped false gods (and many of them) and because they had repeatedly tried to make the Jews worship their Caesar. Notice that even this town is named after Caesar: Caesarea.

Peace and Life

Acts 9:31-9:43

Each month, on the last Sunday of the month, we have a shorter teaching followed by communion together and then a sharing time, where anyone can contribute what the Lord has been teaching them, ask for prayer, and generally, be open to promptings of the Spirit so that we “build one another up in love.” This Sunday is such a Sunday.

We have been traveling through the book of Acts. Today, in a sense, “The last will be first and the first will be last.” I am going to take the passage a bit out of order. I will save the first verse, Acts 9:31, for last, because it leads so well into communion.

As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the saints in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, a paralytic who had been bedridden for eight years. "Aeneas," Peter said to him, "Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat." Immediately Aeneas got up. All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord. – Acts 9:32-35

A New Man

Acts 9:19-30

Last week John shared about the conversion of Saul, the person we now know as Paul. Recall that it was a miraculous experience: struck with a blinding light, hearing the voice of Jesus saying, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?” “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” He was struck blind, led into the city of Damascus, didn’t eat or drink for 3 days, and then was met by Ananias, who obeyed the Lord’s call and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." It says that something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and then he was again able to see. It also says he was baptized. This brings us to today’s passage.

Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, "Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?" – Acts 9:19-21

Blind But Now He Sees

Acts 9:1-19a

This is the second time I delivered a full length message on Sunday morning. After the first teaching, I had two strong reactions. The first came immediately and lasted for about 2-4 hours afterward. I thought, “As long as I live I will never do this again.” After a day or so, the Spirit must have been softening my heart, and I realized I needed to “get back on the horse”. Then, Carl asked, “When do you want to teach again?” (not “Do you want to teach again?”) Because it was already on my heart, I agreed to share again before I gave myself time to come up with an excuse why I couldn’t.

So, here we are. Acts 9:1-19a. The conversion of Saul. This is the great turning in Saul’s life, a great turning point in the early church and a great turning point in the history of the world. Saul returns to this story two other times in the book of Acts. In Acts 22, he gives his testimony before the Jews in Jerusalem. Later in Acts 26, he gives his testimony before King Agrippa. He uses the testimony of his conversion to demonstrate the power of Jesus Christ in his life.

The Good News

Acts 8:26-8:40

Happy Resurrection Sunday! He is risen! I am so glad we have a date in the calendar year specifically set aside to remember this fact. I like Easter - I like that except for a strange bunny and a bunch of eggs, it remains fairly uncommercialized. It is still a religious holiday. As we will see, today’s passage in Acts seems quite appropriate for this day.

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it." – Acts 8:26-29

God's Power Cannot Be Bought

Acts 8:9-8:25

Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, "This man is the divine power known as the Great Power." – Acts 8:9-10

What was it like to be Simon? He was a famous magician, the celebrity in Samaria. It is interesting – when I try to think of a modern day equivalent, I come up with people like George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Our culture views them highly – not as a divine power, but as exceptional producers, directors, makers of magic on the screen. They too have amazed all the people with their magic. They too enchant the rich and poor, the high and low – in Greek, the micros and the megas.

They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. – Acts 8:11-13

Joy Amidst Trials

Acts 8:1-8:8

Recall how last week we talked about Stephen, the first martyr of the church. Stephen was arrested by the temple leaders, charged with multiple things including blaspheming Moses and blaspheming God. Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, responded with a history lesson recorded in Acts 7 that ended with him calling his accusers stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears, and accusing them of being murderers. They responded by murdering Stephen. Acts 7 concludes and Acts 8 begins with the following:

At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep. And Saul was there, giving approval to his death. – Acts 7:57-8:1a

Seeing Heaven Open

Acts 6:1-7:60This week our passage is a long one: two whole chapters, including one of the longest chapters of Acts. There is enough material here to last for weeks, but I will focus on the charges against Stephen, Stephen’s God-inspired response, and the temple leaders’ subsequent vile actions. Acts Chapter 6 begins with a seemingly mundane problem: charges of being inequitable with regards to the handing out of food to the needy.

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word." – Acts 6:1-4

Counted Worthy

Acts 5:17-5:42

As we have gone through the Book of Acts, we have seen alternating periods of growth and attack. Consider:

Growth: 2:1-3:26 Pentecost; Peter heals cripple – the church begins and grows

Attack: 4:1-4:22 Peter and John arrested, told not to mention Jesus

Growth: 4:23-4:37 House where praying shaken, church continues to grow

Attack: 5:1-5:11 Ananias and Saphira – the threat from within the church

Growth: 5:12-16 Miraculous signs and wonders – the church grows beyond Jerusalem

Regarding Ananias and Saphira, how great a threat was this to the early church? We will never really know. But I am struck by the fact that Barnabus had his beginnings by doing ostensibly the same thing as Ananias: selling a field and laying the proceeds at the apostles’ feet. Barnabus went on to team with Paul – he had a major role in the early church. What would have happened if Ananias and Saphira became leaders in the early church? How much damage could they have caused? We don’t know, but it could have been enormous.

The Big Show

Acts 5:1-16

In the first four chapters of Acts, we have seen Jesus' Spectacular Departure through His Ascension into heaven. Jesus tells the disciples to remain in Jerusalem and wait. No easy task for fearful Galileans. However, we see the 120 disciples waiting together in homothumadon. Homothumadon is that one of a kind Greek word that occurs in Acts eleven times. Often translated "in one accord," it means everyone is on fire for God as one body in unison. Peoples lives harmonize together. Prior to the arrival of the Holy Spirit, we see this special oneness that can only be explained by Jesus' prayer for them and us. John 17:20-23. "I have given them the glory that you gave Me that they may be one as We are one." We see that prayer answered in Acts 1.

Then, we see the spectacular arrival of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The disciples are able to speak in more than 15 languages that they did not know. Then, they boldly declare the way of salvation. "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins." Acts 2:38. This growing group of disciples devote themselves to the apostles teaching, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. All of them were together and had everything in common. They had true fellowship, koinonia.