SPEAKER_01: Now, today is our previously on the Book of Acts sermon.
SPEAKER_01: We spent a year and a half, the better part of a year and a half, going section by section through this wonderful historical account of the church's mission, convictions, and spiritual disciplines.
SPEAKER_01: And we just before moving on, we want to revisit some of those key themes.
SPEAKER_01: Now, within the church, how many know that there are many things throughout the years, from age to age, from culture to culture, that change and should change, by the way.
SPEAKER_01: So music styles and dress and gathering spaces and styles of service, orders of service, these things change throughout history and from culture to culture.
SPEAKER_01: And the Bible allows liberty for those things, but how many know there in the Bible are non-negotiables that should never change?
SPEAKER_01: And that includes the mission of the church, the essential doctrines of the church, spiritual disciplines laid out in scripture, and by the way, moral absolutes that the Bible is very clear on.
SPEAKER_01: Well, today we're going to look at some of the marks of a healthy church that we looked at throughout the book of Acts that must never change.
SPEAKER_01: So here they are: the Great Commission, the power of the Holy Spirit, unity, the word, and prayer.
SPEAKER_01: So our aim today is simply to help you grow, evaluate your life in each of these areas, and grow in them.
SPEAKER_01: Doing so, listen, if you'll take this to heart today, it will strengthen your Christian life.
SPEAKER_01: But here's the other thing it will do: it will embolden and amplify your witness to the lost world.
SPEAKER_01: So the main theme of Acts, as we've talked about many times, is found in Acts 1.8.
SPEAKER_01: It's a theme and it also serves as the outline for this wonderful book.
SPEAKER_01: And so it talks about the unchanging mission of Christ's church.
SPEAKER_01: If we lose that mission, if we veer from that mission, all that we're doing today is in vain.
SPEAKER_01: And so Pastor Ron is going to remind us of Jesus' mission for his church.
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: There were the eleven disciples in Acts 1.8.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus gave them this verse, which is really a theme verse of Acts.
SPEAKER_00: He said, But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.
SPEAKER_00: So the words I want to focus on today is you shall be witnesses to me.
SPEAKER_00: Witnessing is a call for every Christian as a way of life.
SPEAKER_00: You had the apostles, they heard these words.
SPEAKER_00: This is the great commission that we read about in Matthew 28.
SPEAKER_00: He said, to go into all the world and to preach the gospel, to teach all nations, to baptize, to make disciples.
SPEAKER_00: And we remember the words of Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: He said, For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost in Luke 19:10.
SPEAKER_00: So we are all called to be witnesses, every single one of us.
SPEAKER_00: We can see that witnessing was a way of life.
SPEAKER_00: Notice the words that Jesus says, you shall be my witnesses.
SPEAKER_00: It is part of our identity.
SPEAKER_00: And I want to say to you today, you've got to see it to be it.
SPEAKER_00: You've got to see it to be it.
SPEAKER_00: We are all called to be witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_00: Be my witnesses.
SPEAKER_00: It doesn't take special people to share the gospel, it takes faithful people.
SPEAKER_00: So the word witness at its heart, it's a legal term.
SPEAKER_00: A witness points to a person who testifies to what he or she has seen or knows.
SPEAKER_00: In Scripture, the row is never neutral.
SPEAKER_00: A witness is accountable before the God, before God, to state the truth and if necessary, to seal that testimony with life itself.
SPEAKER_00: It even comes from the word witness, martyr.
SPEAKER_00: Come, it's the same word.
SPEAKER_00: So how can we be witnesses of these, of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ?
SPEAKER_00: How can we be his witnesses?
SPEAKER_00: The Bible says that we are witnesses of these things.
SPEAKER_00: Acts 532, it says this very important words in the book of Acts.
SPEAKER_00: It says the disciples said this, and we are witnesses to these things.
SPEAKER_00: And so also is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.
SPEAKER_00: So the Holy Spirit is also a witness.
SPEAKER_00: Now, we are all called to be witnesses.
SPEAKER_00: And there are two types that we see in the book of Acts.
SPEAKER_00: One of them is as you go, that's everyday life.
SPEAKER_00: As you go, be prepared to be a witness.
SPEAKER_00: You never know when an opportunity is going to come.
SPEAKER_00: Then we also see in the book of Acts, I would call it go with God.
SPEAKER_00: So that's like Peter when he preached on the day of Pentecost.
SPEAKER_00: He was ready, right, with the sermon.
SPEAKER_00: And then as you go would be an example, Philip, when he spoke to the Ethiopian eunuch, right?
SPEAKER_00: It says the Spirit of God said to go and to speak to this man about Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_00: One time I was I had sued a guy.
SPEAKER_00: I got pretty upset because he slid up an icy hill and hit me head on.
SPEAKER_00: And I only had liability on the car.
SPEAKER_00: So I was pretty upset.
SPEAKER_00: Nice Mustang.
SPEAKER_00: And so, you know, I it came day for the lawsuit.
SPEAKER_00: And it was in my home county, Fleming County.
SPEAKER_00: Well, my dad told me the guy was out of work, his wife was pregnant, and I got kind of worried.
SPEAKER_00: And I thought, well, I'm not even going to worry about this money.
SPEAKER_00: It's an old car anyway.
SPEAKER_00: So, you know what?
SPEAKER_00: I heard the voice of the Holy Spirit that day.
SPEAKER_00: He said, Go see your grandma.
SPEAKER_00: It was her birthday and tell her about me.
SPEAKER_00: So I went over and talked to my grandma and I prayed about what scripture to share.
SPEAKER_00: It was not a scripture you would normally share.
SPEAKER_00: It was the parable of the vineyard, parable of the workers who worked all day in the heat of the sun.
SPEAKER_00: So I went and shared that scripture with my grandma.
SPEAKER_00: It was her birthday.
SPEAKER_00: Tears started streaming down her face.
SPEAKER_00: And that day, I didn't have much money for a birthday gift, but she gave her heart to Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: She received eternal life.
SPEAKER_00: It was that moment in time.
SPEAKER_00: That's what I'm talking about.
SPEAKER_00: As you go to listen to the Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_00: Now I will say there have been many times I've missed it too.
SPEAKER_00: One time I got a Facebook friend request at 4 o'clock in the morning.
SPEAKER_00: It was an old it was an ex-husband of a friend of the family.
SPEAKER_00: I got it at 4 a.m.
SPEAKER_00: in the morning.
SPEAKER_00: And I rode over bed.
SPEAKER_00: I looked at it.
SPEAKER_00: I said, that's odd.
SPEAKER_00: I got that friend request.
SPEAKER_00: The next day, the man had died of a drug overdose.
SPEAKER_00: I never got to talk to him.
SPEAKER_00: But I kind of wondered if I maybe if I'd have listened.
SPEAKER_00: You know, maybe the Lord was trying to get my attention because he thought of me, you know, in the last moments of his life and sent me that Facebook request.
SPEAKER_00: So I regret that.
SPEAKER_00: But the Lord is merciful.
SPEAKER_00: So what is the message of the witness?
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to sum it up.
SPEAKER_00: The message is Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: That's the message.
SPEAKER_00: Apostle Paul, you can study about that in Acts 17.
SPEAKER_00: He actually preaches, you know, he said to the Jew, I became a Jew.
SPEAKER_00: To the Greek, I became a Greek.
SPEAKER_00: To the Greek philosopher, he became a Greek philosopher.
SPEAKER_00: So he used apologetics, what we call apologetics, to preach to them in Acts 17.
SPEAKER_00: So the message, we there's a lot of preparatory work when we witness, and we have a meeting here the second Sunday of each month, Kay and I leave a little workshop.
SPEAKER_00: You're always welcome.
SPEAKER_00: It's to help us to learn to be effective witnesses.
SPEAKER_00: I invite you to come second Sunday of every month, 9:30.
SPEAKER_00: So we are all called to be witnesses of Christ, and it's a way of life.
SPEAKER_00: Let's pray that God will help us be faithful in that.
SPEAKER_02: So you heard the witnessing was a way of life to the early church.
SPEAKER_02: Can you put yourself in their shoes for a minute?
SPEAKER_02: Think about how they did it.
SPEAKER_02: You know, you're standing there, you're looking at the God of the universe in the eye.
SPEAKER_02: And he says, go into all the world.
SPEAKER_02: Start with your city, then go into your county, go into your state, go into your nation, and then by the way, you're going to spread the good news of my coming to all the world.
SPEAKER_02: Now you're looking the God of the universe in the eye, and he tells you that.
SPEAKER_02: How did they do it?
SPEAKER_02: That seems like an impossible task.
SPEAKER_02: What if they can't remember everything that Jesus taught them?
SPEAKER_02: What if persecution comes?
SPEAKER_02: What if somebody puts them in prison or kills them for the message that they're speaking?
SPEAKER_02: What if that comes to us today?
SPEAKER_02: Well, if you're sitting there and you're asking yourself those questions, y'all, I've got good news for you.
SPEAKER_02: They were empowered by the Holy Spirit of God to do all the things that Jesus had said.
SPEAKER_02: And that same spirit that empowered them then empowers us today to follow that same mission.
SPEAKER_02: And so today, if you're asking yourself, why would I listen to this guy?
SPEAKER_02: Well, if you'll give me five minutes, I'd like to remind you that if we want to be like the early church, we must live by the power of the Spirit as well.
SPEAKER_02: And so Acts chapter three has this story.
SPEAKER_02: It's one that just kind of makes me think of everything that I kind of find in Acts about the Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_02: And so we're going to be in Acts chapter 3, and I'm actually going to skip down to verse 3.
SPEAKER_02: And it starts this way it says, Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he, now this is a guy who has been lame from birth, he cannot walk, he asked to receive alms.
SPEAKER_02: And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, Look at us.
SPEAKER_02: And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.
SPEAKER_02: But Peter said, I have no silver and gold, but what I do have, I give to you.
SPEAKER_02: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.
SPEAKER_02: And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.
SPEAKER_02: And leaping up he stood and began to walk and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
SPEAKER_02: And all the people saw him walking and praising God and recognized him as the one who sat at the beautiful gate of the temple, asking for alms, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
SPEAKER_02: Now listen to this.
SPEAKER_02: While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's.
SPEAKER_02: If you saw a miracle, I feel like we would do the same thing, right?
SPEAKER_02: And when Peter saw it, he addressed the people, Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this?
SPEAKER_02: Or why do you stare at us as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?
SPEAKER_02: So you're there and this thing happens, and what you see is that Peter and John are just kind of going about their normal day, right?
SPEAKER_02: They're going to the temple at the hour of prayer.
SPEAKER_02: And as they go, they run across this guy who's been lame from birth.
SPEAKER_02: They've probably walked by this guy several times.
SPEAKER_02: Matter of fact, if you think about it, Jesus may have also walked by this same guy.
SPEAKER_02: You never know.
SPEAKER_02: And so they've seen this guy day in and day out, and yet he hasn't been healed yet.
SPEAKER_02: What you see is that they look at him and they say, look at us.
SPEAKER_02: And so my first question to you, if you want to live like the early church, is are you looking for opportunities like the early church did?
SPEAKER_02: You know, God puts people in our path.
SPEAKER_02: Are your eyes open each day to the one that God wants to reach through you?
SPEAKER_02: For instance, when you're at the grocery store, the gas station, when you're at work, has God put somebody in your path for you to reach with the gospel of Jesus?
SPEAKER_02: You know, God puts people in our path, but sometimes he also sends us.
SPEAKER_02: If you look at Acts chapter 8, the disciples start going out from their kind of main place where they're at because of persecution.
SPEAKER_02: And one of the places that they end up is Samaria.
SPEAKER_02: What's funny about Samaria is that nobody likes the Samaritans if you're a Jew because they consider them kind of half-breeds and things.
SPEAKER_02: They have some kind of uh prejudice and hatred in their heart.
SPEAKER_02: Did you know that there is no room for that in the kingdom of God?
SPEAKER_02: The people we reach or the area we preach is something that God has called us to.
SPEAKER_02: And we must be looking for opportunities.
SPEAKER_02: Are you praying for opportunities to reach people?
SPEAKER_02: Number two, if God were to put someone in your path, are you willing to act?
SPEAKER_02: Peter and John, they're walking along and they come across this guy, and what we see is they are willing to do something for this man.
SPEAKER_02: What could God do if our in our world, if God's people were empowered by the Spirit and willing to do whatever he gives us to do?
SPEAKER_02: It takes seeing, but it also takes action.
SPEAKER_02: It takes bravery and boldness.
SPEAKER_02: My question to you is are you willing to be uncomfortable for a moment to make a difference for eternity?
SPEAKER_02: The early church did and saw amazing things.
SPEAKER_02: They saw miracles, they saw thousands saved.
SPEAKER_02: But what you see is that they're careful to recognize and emphasize the source.
SPEAKER_02: If you remember in verse 11 and 12, the first question Peter asked all these people as they run up is why do you think by our own power we made this man walk?
SPEAKER_02: If God uses you, my question is, will you do the same?
SPEAKER_02: Will you point people to the one who actually did all of those things?
SPEAKER_02: Can I tell you that nothing dries up God's blessings faster than mistaking his power for your own?
SPEAKER_02: And so we must remember that all good things come from God.
SPEAKER_02: Miracles, but also abilities.
SPEAKER_02: You know, we um take a buffering every week, and one of the reasons why we do that is because God allows us to participate in his story.
SPEAKER_02: But what we must realize is that God gave us the job, God gave us talent, God gave us time, God gave us treasure.
SPEAKER_02: Will you be like the early church to take everything that God has given us and give it to God to serve him?
SPEAKER_02: Peter and John did all this, and yet they got arrested and their lives were threatened.
SPEAKER_02: If you ever had bad things happen to you while you're trying to serve God, you know, you start the small group and maybe nobody comes, or you invite a whole bunch of people and everybody comes the first time, and then nobody comes the second time and the third time.
SPEAKER_02: You know what you do?
SPEAKER_02: You go, man, this just wasn't God's will.
SPEAKER_02: I was I was wrong.
SPEAKER_02: I shouldn't have done this.
SPEAKER_02: But if I can remind you, the message often, almost always, comes with opposition.
SPEAKER_02: So how will you respond?
SPEAKER_02: In Acts chapter 4, the early church responded through uniting.
SPEAKER_02: They had prayer meetings and they did this all the time.
SPEAKER_02: You see this when James was killed and Peter gets arrested again.
SPEAKER_02: They ask for boldness, and what you see in Acts chapter 4 is they ask for continued signs.
SPEAKER_02: If you look at Acts chapter 4, you look at Acts chapter 4, there we go.
SPEAKER_02: In verse 29, what you'll see is that the Bible says, And now, Lord, this is them praying, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your servant Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: 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 they continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
SPEAKER_02: You see, the Holy Spirit comes both with power, but also the boldness.
SPEAKER_02: And often we forget that the miracles can also be for boldness, for bravery, for that to preach the gospel.
SPEAKER_02: So let me give you just quick three practical points of application.
SPEAKER_02: Number one, ask God for opportunity to do his will.
SPEAKER_02: Number two, ask God for boldness and support.
SPEAKER_02: And number three, ask God to fill you with his spirit.
SPEAKER_02: May you live by the power of God's Spirit, unified with God's church, to fulfill God's mission both here and across the world.
SPEAKER_02: Pastor Chris, come tell us more about unity.
SPEAKER_01: So, in addition to enduing believers with power, the Holy Spirit has many other works, one of which is unifying the people of God.
SPEAKER_01: In Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 3, the apostle Paul writes this to the church be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit.
SPEAKER_01: And the word spirit in your Bible is likely a capital S.
SPEAKER_01: Because, why?
SPEAKER_01: Because we as the people of God cannot manufacture unity, not biblical unity at least.
SPEAKER_01: The Holy Spirit is the one who brings about unity in us, and he is the one that maintains it, because he is the one that baptizes each of us who are in Christ into one body.
SPEAKER_01: And he is the one, how many know-that breaks down barriers, racial barriers, cultural barriers.
SPEAKER_01: That's the work of the Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_01: But like every other gift of grace, you and I have a part to do as well.
SPEAKER_01: We must appropriate or pursue or act out the unity that the Holy Spirit puts in our hearts and our church.
SPEAKER_01: What is unity as far as the Bible is concerned?
SPEAKER_01: Well, let me talk about quickly what it's not.
SPEAKER_01: Unity is not uniformity.
SPEAKER_01: That's important.
SPEAKER_01: Unity is not uniformity.
SPEAKER_01: In other words, when you become a Christian, you do not become a robot.
SPEAKER_01: Listen, you don't have to be like me, you don't have to like pickleball.
SPEAKER_01: All right?
SPEAKER_01: You don't have to like the foods I like.
SPEAKER_01: You can like Pepsi, you can like Coke.
SPEAKER_01: It doesn't matter.
SPEAKER_01: We can disagree within the church on things like music style, dress codes, communion practices, service times, Bible translations within reason, and a carpet color, and uh even politics.
SPEAKER_01: How many know these things often divide us, but they should not?
SPEAKER_01: We're called to be in you uh in unity.
SPEAKER_01: So we can hold all of these preferences and yet still walk in unity.
SPEAKER_01: We can be distinct human beings, keep our personalities because, again, unity is not uniformity.
SPEAKER_01: Are you with me?
SPEAKER_01: So what is it?
SPEAKER_01: Let me just give you quickly four dimensions of unity within the church.
SPEAKER_01: Number one, the early church were unified in mission.
SPEAKER_01: The church was unified in mission as Pastor Ron talked about.
SPEAKER_01: The mission of Christ was to go into all the world and preach the gospel.
SPEAKER_01: We could say it like this: the mission of the church, which has not changed, is to make Jesus' name known amongst the nations.
SPEAKER_01: It's our job this morning that if you're here and you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ, that we make Jesus' name known to you.
SPEAKER_01: Because we have seen throughout Acts thousands upon thousands of lives changed.
SPEAKER_01: And your life can be changed this morning too.
SPEAKER_01: Your past can be washed away.
SPEAKER_01: You can be made new in Jesus if you'll come to him today.
SPEAKER_01: The mission hasn't changed.
SPEAKER_01: Secondly, they were united, the church in proximity.
SPEAKER_01: In Acts 2, verse 1, Luke writes, when the day of Pentecost arrived, they, these Christians, 3,000 are excuse me, at this point, it was 120 in the upper room.
SPEAKER_01: They were all together in one place.
SPEAKER_01: Acts 2 46, day by day, these new Christians, now thousands, attended the temple together every day.
SPEAKER_01: And they broke bread in one another's homes.
SPEAKER_01: Wow.
SPEAKER_01: That's what Christian life is supposed to look like.
SPEAKER_01: You know, you've heard people say, well, I'm a Christian, but I'm not into all that organized religion.
SPEAKER_01: I don't go to church.
SPEAKER_01: Well, I'm sorry.
SPEAKER_01: I would question if that's you, the reality of your faith, because the Christian life has never been about me and God.
SPEAKER_01: It is about we and God.
SPEAKER_01: And we are meant to worship together, to take the Lord's table together, to witness together, to serve together.
SPEAKER_01: Beloved, we are to use a cliche, we are better together.
SPEAKER_01: Look at the person next to you in front of you and behind you, and just know you need that person, and that person needs you.
SPEAKER_01: They were united in proximity.
SPEAKER_01: Number three, they were united in doctrine.
SPEAKER_01: They devoted themselves.
SPEAKER_01: Acts 242.
SPEAKER_01: Pastor Hunter will talk more about this, but they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, not their own interpretation of scripture.
SPEAKER_01: Boy, that's what people like to do in the church today with no historical understanding of the text, with no biblical training.
SPEAKER_01: Well, I there's a question that I despise in the modern church.
SPEAKER_01: What does the text mean to you?
SPEAKER_01: I've heard teachers ask that, well, what's that mean to you?
SPEAKER_01: Who gives a rip what it means to you?
SPEAKER_01: What matters is what does the text mean to God?
SPEAKER_01: What does He want to say to you?
SPEAKER_01: What's the truth of the text?
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
SPEAKER_01: Oh, we get into trouble when people start interpreting the text on their own.
SPEAKER_01: I'm sorry, I'm preaching.
SPEAKER_01: Ron and Ben got me fired up.
SPEAKER_01: They preached so well.
SPEAKER_01: Finally, they were united in heart.
SPEAKER_01: And oh, church, don't miss this.
SPEAKER_01: It's the thing I love most about this church.
SPEAKER_01: Acts 4.32.
SPEAKER_01: Now the full number of those who believed, watch this, were of one heart and soul.
SPEAKER_01: No one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.
SPEAKER_01: By the way, this is not socialism because it's voluntary.
SPEAKER_01: The early church was so unified that it's as if their hearts were knit together.
SPEAKER_01: That is, friends, what I feel in this church.
SPEAKER_01: When I'm away, I was away two weeks ago just in another church, and I like the people, but I like you a lot more.
SPEAKER_01: Just saying.
SPEAKER_01: Hope they're not listening.
SPEAKER_01: No, we're we have a connection with all believers, but those believers in which we do life with, I hope you feel this if you go to this church regularly, our hearts are knit together.
SPEAKER_01: And it was so much like that in the early church that they did not, did you read the text?
SPEAKER_01: Did you notice it's not even this is my house, and that's your house, and this is my car?
SPEAKER_01: Listen, it's ours.
SPEAKER_01: Actually, it's God's.
SPEAKER_01: And so if somebody was without food, it was as if everybody else was that without food.
SPEAKER_01: And so they just shared their possessions because they were so enamored with Christ, the things of this world no longer mattered to them.
SPEAKER_01: So as Christians, we must pursue unity.
SPEAKER_01: All right?
SPEAKER_01: We must guard.
SPEAKER_01: Listen to me.
SPEAKER_01: You and I must guard from divisiveness, from a divisive spirit, like that's happening in our country right now.
SPEAKER_01: The Bible says a house divided against itself cannot stand.
SPEAKER_01: No church that's divided will stand.
SPEAKER_01: I want to be like the the capital C church, united in Christ, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
SPEAKER_01: Glory to God.
SPEAKER_03: What was the most important thing in the early church?
SPEAKER_03: I would argue that that was the word.
SPEAKER_03: If you remember anything from my point today, it is this God's people live by God's word.
SPEAKER_03: We see in Paul's writings that he uses the scripture to correct and demonstrate good theology.
SPEAKER_03: Second Timothy chapter 3, all scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
SPEAKER_03: Also, we see in Acts 2.42, and they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship of the breaking of bread and to prayer.
SPEAKER_03: So we know that the apostles' teaching is considered scripture.
SPEAKER_03: Peter says this about Paul's letters in 2 Peter chapter 3, and count the patience of the Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given to him.
SPEAKER_03: As he does in all of his letters when he speaks in them of these matters, they are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction as they do the other scriptures.
SPEAKER_03: All that being said, we see the people of the early church dedicate themselves to the study of the apostles and the study of the Word of God working through the apostles.
SPEAKER_03: They devoted their lives to it, even if it means it cost them their life.
SPEAKER_03: We do see people in the book of Acts devote themselves to the Word and the teaching of the Apostles.
SPEAKER_03: In Acts chapter 6, it sets up church leadership.
SPEAKER_03: These people who are selected are to be living in this idea out already.
SPEAKER_03: They were people of the Spirit, willing to serve and to love people, and all that comes from devoting themselves to the Word of God.
SPEAKER_03: We do this today when we select our deacons and our elders.
SPEAKER_03: We look for someone who already lives this lifestyle out.
SPEAKER_03: They are people who are full of the spirit, willing to evangelize, people of unity, students of the word, and people that are dedicated in prayer.
SPEAKER_03: We look for people that have these disciplines already.
SPEAKER_03: It is important that as Christian people, we are students of the word.
SPEAKER_03: It is not something that we just tack on after we are given some sort of responsibility inside of a church building or in any other organization.
SPEAKER_03: This is a lifestyle that we live.
SPEAKER_03: So we are people who have, we look for people who have these disciplines already, not people who want position and will do these things after getting that said position because it's a requirement.
SPEAKER_03: I know this in my own life.
SPEAKER_03: I was 18 years old and wanted a position more than I wanted a relationship with God.
SPEAKER_03: And it took God putting me on my butt to realize that only one thing matters.
SPEAKER_03: That's Him.
SPEAKER_03: And how do I get to know Him?
SPEAKER_03: That's through His Word.
SPEAKER_03: Everything else becomes second when you realize that the fact realize this fact.
SPEAKER_03: When you understand what it really is, it is the way that we understand the characteristics of God Himself and His plan of redemption.
SPEAKER_03: The popular saying is this God's people live by God's word.
SPEAKER_03: We see this perfect picture in the next chapter over, chapter seven.
SPEAKER_03: Stephen, a deacon proclaiming the word of God, was captured and held and held on trial.
SPEAKER_03: And when he was uh when pressure was applied to him, he had to defend his faith to the Jewish leaders.
SPEAKER_03: The word of God poured out of his soul.
SPEAKER_03: When push came to shove, the word of God that purified his heart poured out a beautiful display on how Christ is the one that fulfilled the law and the prophets.
SPEAKER_03: So, like Pastor Jerry said in his last sermon in the sermon series of Acts, true integrity is what comes out when pressure is applied.
SPEAKER_03: So if you consume the word of God, then godly things will come out when pressure is applied, like Stephen.
SPEAKER_03: So when we become people of the word naturally, the next step is we become people of prayer.
SPEAKER_04: Today I get the privilege of talking about prayer.
SPEAKER_04: You know, Acts two forty-two says, and they devoted themselves to the apostles' teachings and fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and the prayers.
SPEAKER_04: You know, in the early church, when they began, there were thousands that came and they were different in many, many different ways from their lifestyles, some to their language.
SPEAKER_04: But once the church formed, they were committed to four simple but impactful commitments.
SPEAKER_04: God's word, fellowship, worship, and prayer.
SPEAKER_04: Notice that prayer was not an extra step.
SPEAKER_04: It was not something they just thought of after the fact.
SPEAKER_04: A lot of us like to think of prayer like one of those emergency breaking the case.
SPEAKER_04: Having one of those glasses into prayers behind it says, break in case of emergency.
SPEAKER_04: The first church wasn't or only used in emergency when it came to prayer.
SPEAKER_04: The Bible says they were devoted.
SPEAKER_04: That word devoted means faithful, consistent, ongoing.
SPEAKER_04: Prayer was part of their daily lives.
SPEAKER_04: Many people think prayer is just about asking for things, but it's much deeper.
SPEAKER_04: It's how we develop our relationship with God.
SPEAKER_04: It's about the way we grow our faith and our hearts are changed, our strength is renewed.
SPEAKER_04: That's what devoted prayer does and is.
SPEAKER_04: You know, the early church understood this, and I think we forget it from time to time.
SPEAKER_04: But the truth is, a church cannot thrive without prayer.
SPEAKER_04: Programs matter in the church.
SPEAKER_04: Planning things out helps.
SPEAKER_04: But the power of God moves through praying to the people.
SPEAKER_04: In the book of Acts, if we follow the story, every major thing that happens revolves around prayer.
SPEAKER_04: Before Pentecost, they prayed.
SPEAKER_04: When they had struggles, they prayed.
SPEAKER_04: When they sent out missionaries, they prayed.
SPEAKER_04: When Peter was in prison, they prayed.
SPEAKER_04: Prayer wasn't their last resort.
SPEAKER_04: It was their first response.
SPEAKER_04: So the question is, what are you devoted to?
SPEAKER_04: I speak to myself here personally.
SPEAKER_04: We're devoted to many things.
SPEAKER_04: Our schedule, our jobs, our phones, our responsibilities.
SPEAKER_04: But are we devoted to prayer?
SPEAKER_04: Not just praying when things go wrong, but a living daily prayer.
SPEAKER_04: Because a praying Christian is a growing Christian.
SPEAKER_04: If I were to ask you the question, are you growing in your Christian walk?
SPEAKER_04: If you told me no, the first thing I'm gonna ask you is how's your prayer life?
SPEAKER_04: Because that's the first step.
SPEAKER_04: If you're not growing as a Christian, then your relationship with God might be suffering.
SPEAKER_04: You know, some people like to say, Well, I can't pray.
SPEAKER_04: I don't know the words to say, I'm not good at it.
SPEAKER_04: Let me tell you something today.
SPEAKER_04: God is not looking for you to have the right words.
SPEAKER_04: God is looking for a sincere heart.
SPEAKER_04: A simple, honest prayer matters.
SPEAKER_04: You know, James 5.16, the second half of it says, the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
SPEAKER_04: Did it say a prayer is effective if I know the right words?
SPEAKER_04: It's about our heart and how we come to the Lord.
SPEAKER_04: Because the right prayer brings peace when we have fear, it brings wisdom when we have confusion, and it brings strength in our moments, moments of weakness.
SPEAKER_04: The early believers also prayed together, and there is power in that.
SPEAKER_04: When we pray together, our faith grows stronger.
SPEAKER_04: Our church has provided an opportunity for everybody in here to pray together and to be strengthened.
SPEAKER_04: It's called Wednesday night prayer session.
SPEAKER_04: If our church is not succeeding, the first question, are you praying in your daily life?
SPEAKER_04: But the second question is, are you praying together with other believers?
SPEAKER_04: And that goes into sharing when our prayers are answered, but leaning when they're not.
SPEAKER_04: So here's the challenge.
SPEAKER_04: Make prayer a daily habit.
SPEAKER_04: Pray honestly, pray with others, and stay faithful even when it feels difficult.
SPEAKER_04: You know, the early church changed the world because they were devoted to my prayer.
SPEAKER_04: I would ask we don't admire them, but we imitate them.
SPEAKER_01: Start my closing closing with a um illustration that I opened the series with.
SPEAKER_01: In 1924, Caesar Cardini is said to have created what we now know as the Caesar salad.
SPEAKER_01: How many like Caesar salad?
SPEAKER_01: You're like, I'm hungry.
SPEAKER_01: Quit talking about food.
SPEAKER_01: The original recipe was a mixture of romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, croutons dressed in slurry, a slurry of egg, oil, garlic, salt, Worcestershire sauce, citrus juice, and often included anchovies.
SPEAKER_01: Come on, somebody.
SPEAKER_01: All right.
SPEAKER_01: So when you order a Caesar salad in this area, you'll receive a salad with romaine, fresh parmesan, croutons, and so-called Caesar dressing, right?
SPEAKER_01: And you could argue, well, this is close enough to the original recipe that we could call it a Caesar salad.
SPEAKER_01: But apparently, in larger cities, in other states, this is simply not the case.
SPEAKER_01: They've taken great liberty with what they call Caesar salad.
SPEAKER_01: There was an article that I read a year and a half ago in The Atlantic, written by Ellen Cushing, and here she writes a whole article about Caesar salad.
SPEAKER_01: And for some reason I read it.
SPEAKER_01: Here it is.
SPEAKER_01: Here's what she writes.
SPEAKER_01: She said, We are living through an age of unchecked Caesar salad fraud.
SPEAKER_01: Putative Caesars are dressed with yogurt or miso or tequila or lemongrass.
SPEAKER_01: They are served with zucchini, uh, zucchini orange zest, pig ear, kimchi, poed duck egg, roasted fennel, fried chickpeas, buffalo cauliflower fritters, and rice crackers.
SPEAKER_01: And listen to this, they are missing anchovies or croutons or even lettuce.
SPEAKER_01: That's true in these larger cities, and they call it a Caesar salad.
SPEAKER_01: And here's the point.
SPEAKER_01: What many call today in these larger cities a Caesar salad would be virtually unrecognizable to the Caesar Cardini family?
SPEAKER_01: Now here's my question.
SPEAKER_01: I can't help but wonder if those first century Christians and leaders in the book of Acts that we've read so much about, if they were to come to Richmond, Kentucky today, would our Christianity, our form of Christianity, be recognizable to them?
SPEAKER_01: So from the beginning, here was the aim, one of the main aims of this series was to help us evaluate ourselves as a church to say, hey, where are we faithfully exemplifying the true church?
SPEAKER_01: The first century church, the good parts.
SPEAKER_01: And then also for our individual lives.
SPEAKER_01: Am I living?
SPEAKER_01: How am I doing?
SPEAKER_01: Am I living like a first century Christian?
SPEAKER_01: And listen, none of us are here to beat you up.
SPEAKER_01: Why would we?
SPEAKER_01: We're here to invite you to live like a real follower of Jesus, like you see modeled in Acts.
SPEAKER_01: To share your faith, to live by the power of the Spirit, to walk in unity and have your hearts knit together with others, to enjoy and relish and meditate on and soak in God's wonderful word and to commune with Him in prayer.
SPEAKER_01: That's the invitation.
SPEAKER_01: So on your, you should have gotten a note sheet when you came in.
SPEAKER_01: This is on our website as well.
SPEAKER_01: There's five questions for you to take home.
SPEAKER_01: Number one, am I faithfully sharing the gospel with unbelievers in my sphere of influence?
SPEAKER_01: When's the last time you've shared Jesus with someone?
SPEAKER_01: Number two, am I dependent on the power of the Holy Spirit or on my own strength?
SPEAKER_01: Number three, am I pursuing unity with other believers or do I have a divisive spirit?
SPEAKER_01: Number four, am I regularly reading and applying God's word to my life?
SPEAKER_01: Am I faithful to the historical teachings of the church?
SPEAKER_01: And finally, am I faithful to pray both privately and corporately?
SPEAKER_01: And so today, at some point, before you leave today or when you get home, maybe with your family, really ask yourselves these questions and then say, Lord, what's one thing I can do this week to grow in one or two of these areas?
SPEAKER_01: Now I'm gonna close in a way that um that I didn't plan to close in.
SPEAKER_01: Um here's what we see throughout the book of Acts.
SPEAKER_01: Give me just a couple more minutes here.
SPEAKER_01: Here's what we see.
SPEAKER_01: We see thousands upon thousands of lives changed.
SPEAKER_01: People who were in darkness, murders, people that were into the pagan arts, good people who thought they were good and moral but lost beyond belief, the self-righteous, the broken, the hurting.
SPEAKER_01: We've seen as they carried the gospel, these these beginning with the apostles and spreading through all kinds of believers who shared the gospel from Jerusalem all the way to the ends of the earth, Rome.
SPEAKER_01: We've seen life after life after life changed that mission.
SPEAKER_01: I'm a life that's been changed.