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Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Acts: Ministry of Paul - As Simple as 2-3-4



As Simple as 2-3-4
9.25.16

Following Paul's arrival in Jerusalem in Acts chapter 21, we read where the people of the Jewish community rioted against Paul and attacked him at the Temple. He was rescued by Roman soldiers and arrested for interrogation. Paul made his appeal and told his story to the crowd that charged him, to the Roman commander, to Felix the Governor, later to Festus the Governor, and finally to Agrippa the King. His ordeal is recorded in Acts 21 through Acts 26 and spans over two years of imprisonment. Throughout this whole time Paul maintained his innocence and his right for a fair trial. He stood before the public and before kings, and every time he share his story of his time before meeting Christ and after. He even appeals to those who hear him to become like him (minus the chains) - a follower of The Way and a believer in Jesus as the Christ.

His evangelism example gives us a basic outline to follow: there are two stories (his and Christ's), three parts to his, and four to the story of Christ. Many people know the famous Jackson 5 song A-B-C, easy as 1-2-3. Go ahead, sing it in your head...you know you already are. Now rethink this song with the idea of A-B-C, easy as 2-3-4! I know, I know, it's not as catchy. But think of the A-B-C as ALL BECAUSE of CHRIST and the 2-3-4 as the 2 stories, 3 parts mine, and 4 parts Christ. This diagram might help you picture this better:


You know your story. Maybe you had a good life, good family, good education, brought up from birth in the church...maybe you had a rough life, with lots of obvious errors and wayward adventures...either way, you had to come to the point where you knew you had sinned, there was no way to make up for it, and then Jesus came into your life. What has life been since? What has he done in you to make a difference in not just your behavior, but your very core? That is your story.

Maybe you don't know all that much about Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and pending return. That's okay. There is a good book on the subject: The Bible. His life was predicted by prophets hundreds of years before his birth; his birth was announced by angels and witnessed by shepherds; he lived a spotless life, both in action and in thought; he died on a cross in a painful way because he tried to share with others that he was the way we too could have a perfect spotless life; he was buried and rose from the dead, spent 40 days with his disciples teaching and preparing them a little more before he left; and he promised that one day we will see him again!

Be prepared to share these stories. Being prepared makes us effective for Christ! If you would like to learn more about this evangelism/discipleship program click through 
to Ignite The World discipleship model. 


Our story opens the hearts of people to heart he good news of His story, and His story changes the hearts of people from dead to alive...forever! Now that is GOOD NEWS!

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Acts: Ministry Of Paul - The Stubborn Servant



The Stubborn Servant
9.18.16

Acts 21:1-16 tells us the story of Paul's travel to Jerusalem and his encounter with believers along the way. In verses 1 to 16 we read of how he is warned numerous times by fellow Christians not to go to Jerusalem or he will face persecution. Paul is stubborn in his trek and proceeds to the Holy City none the less.

Paul is no stranger to being warned by the Holy Spirit on where he should travel. In Acts 16 we read that he is directed by the Spirit:

"Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them."

Question: Stubborn or Submissive?

Twice Paul is warned not to go to Jerusalem by people being lead by the Spirit.


Acts 21:4 –  “Through the Spirit they [the disciples in Tyre] urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.” 

Acts 21:10,11 –  “A prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’”

Was Paul's actions simply his dogged determination to fulfill God's plan or his own desire to return to his home city? We have all seen those contestants on American Idol or other talent search shows that just know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are the next "big thing"! The rest of us of course know they can't carry a tune in a bucket, but that won't stop them from pursuing that dream. That is determination without discipline, without reality, and without clear understanding of who they are and what they are capable of. 

Paul of course knew his calling, his identity, and the risk (see Acts chapter 20). He was secure in who he was and what he was purposed for. We see this in his writings to the church in Rome.

Romans 1:10 – “In my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.

Romans 15:24 – “I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to see you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while.”

In fact, later in Acts 15 Paul asks for prayer as he is preparing to travel to Jerusalem and states that he knows that he will travel only when it is in the fullness of time in Jesus and in the joy of Christ. He is sharing his heart's desire but also recognizing that all things will happen in accordance to God's will. 

Paul appears to be demonstrating a stubborn submission to Christ and his will, but a definite determination to stay on the path laid out by God. It is this endurance to the end that helps Paul and us to see the plans of God come to fruition. 

Takeaway For The Week

Stubborn steadfastness to Christ produces endurance.


Thursday, September 8, 2016

Acts: Ministry of Paul




Riots and Revival
9.4.16


In every town that Paul traveled to and conducted ministry, there was either a riot or a revival. Often the one proceeded the other. In Ephesus he had served the people well and shared the Gospel to the point that it was effecting the business of local silversmiths and idol makes for the Temple of Artemis. One of the silversmiths, Demetrius, lead the crowds to riot against these Christian pioneers and riled them to take action against "the Way". We read this story in Acts 19:23-41.

Idols and Ideas

Demetrius was upset for two basic reasons: the Christian faith displaced his idols and upset his ideas. Read in verses 25-27:

“You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”

Three main ideas come from this passage. These same three things we struggle with today:

1. The idol of time.
2. The idol of money.
3. The idea of expectations (things we invest in and expect something back in return).

The Idol of Time

Time is a limited resource. We have 24 hours in a day. According to the Bureau of Labor , the average American day looks something like this:

Work 7.6 hours
Home care 2.4 hours
Leisure Time 5.5 hours (2.8 T.V. and 1.3 computer/phone)
Care for kids 2 hours (1 hour if over age 6)
Sleep 8 hours
TOTAL 25.5 hours average

We have managed somehow to over commit our days by one and a half hours! Search in your app store of choice and you will find thousands of time management programs. The goal? To squeeze in as much as possible and more! Much of what we do can be seen as doing for others, but a true evaluation of ourselves and our schedules will reveal for most a humble focus on one's self. We work and play to fulfill our needs. We seek our satisfaction above others whenever possible. And where in this hectic schedule will there be time for God? 

The Idol of Money

"The love of money is the root of all evil." 1 Timothy 6:10

Money is a neutral object. It has no inherent good or evil. What the money is used for tells of our hearts and intents. In 2014, according to the Giving USA Foundation, Americans donated $114 billion to churches. This seems generous, and is is to an extent. To put this in perspective, we should explore what this means per person and how it compares to the things we do for ourselves. 

$114 billion in donations mean an average of $360 per person in America. Before you complain that not everyone is a church attender, let me point out that 83% of Americans identify as Christian (ABC News). Americans spend and average of $1,100 per year on coffee (ABC News - Coffee), so shouldn't these "Christians" be more generous? 

Perhaps we are not more generous because we tend to spend our money on ourselves. Consider the following spending habits of Americans: (CNN Money)

Beer                             $83 billion
Lotto                             $69 billion
Infomercial Products $400 billion
Cigarettes                      $80 billion  
($170 billion in health related costs and $156 billion in lost productivity)

That is a total of over $950 billion spent on self pleasure and "things" we perceive a need to have. This is over eight times the amount donated to churches! This is just a short list which does not include things like movie tickets, cable/internet at home, video games, and the list goes on and on.

The Idol of Expectations

Demetrius and the others in Ephesus were dedicated to Artemis and her temple. They had invested greatly into the temple and expected a return on their investment. The temple was 450 feet long, 225 feet wide and 60 feet tall. To put that in modern size scale, it was the length of one and a half football fields long, as wide as the width of one and a half football fields, and as tall as a six story building. Impressive to say the least! They had poured into the temple and was looking for it to give back in the form of worship, business, and pride.

Our expectations come in many forms. One expression of expectations which effects the church today is an over commitment to youth sports. School teams, league teams, travel teams, all-star teams, etc. consume our family and youth in way unseen to date. In a season where kids have specialty coaches and position coaches as young as early elementary age, the expectations of these "temples" we are investing in are high. But are they realistic? Consider the following data from the Georgia Career Information Center (Pro Athlete):

                  Men BBALL  Wmn BBALL Football Baseball
% HS to college 2.9           3.1                  5.8          5.6
% College to pro 1.3           1.0                  2.0         10.5
% HS to pro 0.03           0.02          0.09 0.5


The effects of the pressure on family kids to compete? According to Travis Dorsch, professor at Utah State University, as much as 10% of a family's income is spent on sports (NY Times). Pair that with information gathered by ESPN, the average income of student athletes is between $35,000 and $100,000, or $67,000 median…which means families could easily spend up to $6,700 per year on sports or as much as $60,000 over a ten year sport career (age 8 to 18). Expectations involve the other two idols in a special way - they require us to sacrifice both time and money. 

Expectations have a negative effect on the family and Christians in particular. Weekend tournaments and regular Sunday games means that 25 % of Americans qualify as “regular attenders” – meaning 3 out of every 8 weeks (churchleaders.com) There are many good and positive reasons to attend church. The bible gives us instructions that we should "not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25) As the Day of Christ's return draws nearer there is all the more importance on coming together for collective worship, edification, and community. 

Please do not think I am proposing no sport! There are numerous benefits for organized sports in the lives of your athletes. Both male and female athletes learn teamwork, discipline, and other positive life-long effects by interacting with one another in practice and in games. But we are talking about a conscious decision by many families to place sports before faith. Practice of athletics before practice of personal belief. Any time there is an opportunity to cooperatively worship and you make a decision not to participate, then you are making a decision as to who is most important in your life at that moment: you or God. 

Passion is the problem. 

Many parents and kids and adults have passion for their work, the favorite leisure time, and personal agendas. This passion has to have purpose to be useful. 

          Passion without purpose is chaos.
          Passion with purpose is change.

Demetrius had passion, but his leadership resulted in chaos: "The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there." (Acts 19:32); but the passion of Paul and his leadership changed hearts and lives across a whole region: " And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia." (verse 26) Paul had lead practically the whole nation to Christ! That is a change worth pursuing!

Putting aside the idols of time, money, and expectations, we can pursue with passion the purpose God has for us so that we can live a life which causes a reaction! So what will be it be? Will people riot or rejoice over our life?