Let's Connect
The Official Podcast of Connect Church in Rockdale, Texas, where we want to help you live a life that matters; one that is both on mission and has a purpose to know Jesus and make disciples.
Let's Connect
Episode 26 - What Would You Sacrifice for Your Faith?
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The early Christians in the book of Acts were willing to face persecution, imprisonment, and even death for their faith—rejoicing they were "worthy to suffer." We explore how this contrasts with modern Christians who often feel anxious when others are merely upset with them for their beliefs.
• Early Christians faced severe consequences yet remained joyful and steadfast
• Modern Christianity often reduced to a checklist mentality
• Following Jesus means taking the narrow, sometimes difficult road
• The Holy Spirit empowers believers but can be "quenched" through disobedience
• Authentic faith requires life changes and allowing correction from others
• Many use Christianity as a "spare tire" only in emergencies
• True discipleship means identifying with Christ at all times, not just in crisis
• Staying out of God's way allows Him to work through us effectively
Join us at Connect Church in Rockdale, Texas! We meet at the American Legion Hall with fellowship, donuts and coffee at 10:00 AM, and service at 10:30 AM. Everyone is welcome!
Welcome to let's Connect, the official podcast of Connect Church in Rockdale, Texas, where we want to help you to live a life that matters, one that is both on mission and has a purpose to follow Jesus and make disciples. So let's get started.
Speaker 2All right, welcome in to let's Connect, the official podcast of Connect Church. Right here in Rockdale, texas. I'm your host, bill Whitmire, and I'm here, as always, with our pastor, ken Ansel. Ken, how are you doing this fine hot?
Speaker 3summer day. Jennifer just came in and said it's hot out there. Yeah, I'm doing great man.
Speaker 2This is like your favorite weather, though.
Speaker 3Yeah, it is. And you know fall, I actually looked it up today. Fall's a month away and it bummed me out.
Speaker 2It's still going to be hot. I've got another month of it. It's still going to be hot, it's still warm. Yeah, I mean I'll go sit up there in that press box on Fridays for that first month or so, you know. And you have air conditioning in press boxes today, but everybody opens the windows and doesn't do it again, so it's like man Letting that air out.
Speaker 2Yeah, it's funny. Okay. So we have talked a lot about things that are going on and one of the things that we talked about this week in our men's Bible study here in Rockdale.
Speaker 2We've talked about, we've been in the book of Acts for the last few weeks and we're working our way through Acts, and so this week during Bible study we were in, you know, kind of bouncing around a little bit in chapters 5, 6, 7, and 8. And it's really a good section in there, because the main thing that you get in there at least it's what I get is that these people that are in those few chapters they would do things you know, months ago we talked about would you go to jail because you're a Christian?
Speaker 3Yeah.
Living Like Acts Christians Today
Speaker 2And in these chapters, in that part of Acts, these people, they did, they let God work through them and did God's work no matter what. Yeah, through them and did God's work no matter what. And so it just comes down to what are we willing to do?
Speaker 3in our day and era.
Speaker 3Yeah, we've got to get over ourselves and we have to. When we read God's Word like it's the real deal, these are real people, but they're ordinary people. Supposedly all of us have had a conversion experience. Right, we, nowesus, we're new creations, we've been forgiven of our sins and, like you know, the parable of the, the treasure in the field or the pearl of great price, right, we've, we're just, we're all about. You know, we're matthew six first. You know, seek first the kingdom. But there seems to be a disconnect between us reading the Bible and saying, yeah, we're like these people and then living out our everyday, mainstream, really somewhat nominal or minimal Christian life that comes down to checking the boxes, unfortunately. Went to church, read my Bible today, prayed.
Speaker 2Check, check, check, check, check, check.
Speaker 3Yeah, so yeah, these are people that love God and were willing to. I mean, they were just doing it and then the consequences weren't in their thoughts, you know they're like, hey, we love Jesus, we're going to serve him. Thoughts, you know they're like, hey, we love Jesus, we're going to serve him If it cost us our life or jail, or we just read about, you know, the guys being beaten in chapter five they left rejoicing, thankful. You know that they were worthy to suffer for the name of Christ. You know, and we just kind of chatted just before we started this about, I mean, we don't even like people to be mad at us about it because we love Jesus. You know like it worries us, it creates anxiety in our life when we just know someone's not happy because, you know, we ditched the family reunion to worship with our church family on Sunday morning, or they may not, you know, they may not want to talk to us as much, because, you know, because we're Christian and we have a relationship with God.
Speaker 2One of my favorite ones is they watch how they talk around you. Yeah. Oops sorry, they might say something. Oops, sorry, it's not me.
Speaker 3Yeah, I had two guys. This is our third tour in Rockdale and we love Rockdale, but coming back I had two different guys that I went to school with at two different times, basically say, hey, leave me alone. Like they knew, I was here to start a church plant a church and they're like hey, don't mess with me, you know I'm okay where I am and it's like whoa.
Speaker 2These are guys that I love and well, you mean like, yeah, I love, yeah it's uh. It kind of puts you in a weird place when you're, when you, but you're doing what god is working through you. You're doing what god needs you to do yeah and there are going to be people like that.
Facing Rejection for Your Faith
Speaker 2They're going to be people that you, that you greatly care and and maybe even adore, as a person that don't want anything to do with that. You know they don't want you, they don't want to a person that don't want anything to do with that, they don't want you, they don't want to hear it, they don't even want to be around you. And it's hard and I remember I can't remember how long ago it was, but somebody had said something to me well, the apostles didn't have to deal with this like we do now, but it was a different scale. But I always think back and I didn't think this at the time. I wish I would have, because it would have been a great thing to come back with.
Speaker 2But you know those guys, christ picked them, they left everything. I mean, they just walked away from their careers and followed Christ and had it all, so to speak. While Christ is there, they're doing everything, they're watching this, all these miracles and everything, and you got to feel almost bulletproof while that's going on. And then Christ is crucified and there's a hiccup big hiccup.
Speaker 1But there's a hiccup.
Speaker 2And then he's resurrected and he comes back and he spends 40 days with him and then he goes on and now they're on their own. There has to be some sort of feeling of you know. I think a lot of folks today, when they're by themselves and they're in a position where they could share the gospel or they could share their belief, they hesitate to do it because of almost like when you're by yourself, you have that fear. It's like a nakedness in your life that you're all on your own. And these guys had everything. They had Christ right there with them for three years in every day of their life, every phase of their life.
Speaker 3And then all of a sudden, you know now they're doing it on their own and yeah, I think one of the things, yeah, when you said it reminds me, you know, they we minimize maybe, the, the holy spirit, because jesus said, hey, I'm going, but I'm going to give you something better yeah, this, this, this, uh, this, this god that lives inside of you and empowers you and coaches you up and teaches you and shows you and strengthens you, and, and so do we minimize the. You know, 1 Thessalonians says don't quench the spirit, right, so, as we're consistently disobedient in our lives, if we are, then we're going to be, you know, just pouring water on this fire called the spirit, and then we're going to have what we have, which is maybe man, I don't know. We were just talking about how hard these podcasts are sometimes A dysfunctional Christianity.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 3And wonder why we're not experiencing more of the things that we're reading about. And one of the things I've said on Sunday morning and Monday night is as we look at the book of Acts. Man, I hate to just brag about what God's doing at Connect Church all the time, but we're really living a lot of this out. We're seeing it and it's pretty cool and I think it's because a guy told me yesterday had coffee with a guy that's not associated with our church.
Speaker 3He said, ken, god's blessing y'all because you're doing it right, and it's like I know all of us in leadership are like we're just staying out of the way, we're doing our best just to say, lord, we don't want to mess this thing up. And it's pretty exciting, and I think that's it. These guys, as they put God first in their life. I mean, it was an exciting life to live. And lots of times I think about why.
Speaker 3Why are people acting? You know people that claim Christ. Why are they acting this way or that way? And I think, well it's. You know, it's not. All we see is the outward symptoms of a bad heart. Right, like, well, they did that because their hearts messed up. And then I start. I heard a quote today from Matt Chandler that Paul David Tripp had said is sometimes we're looking at the fruit, like we're focused on the fruit, but the tree is bad. And so like how many bad trees out there? And then we wonder why no one can really stand up like these guys in the book of Acts can really stand up, like these guys in the book of Acts.
Christianity Costs Something
Speaker 2And I think some of those folks, some of those bad trees they've been that way for a while. They're still producing some fruit, but they're overall bad. And then they see some good trees come on the scene and that tendency to say, oh man, those guys, they don't understand what they're doing, or, yeah, that looks us, not just you and me, yeah, but any of us, and we're talking. You know it's hard for some people to do that, to stop and apply that to themselves. We've talked about this before. You get those people and they'll sit in church and they'll listen to your sermon.
Speaker 2They're like yeah yeah, preach it, preach it, and then they're kind of doing the side eye, looking at that person that they're thinking needs to hear this sermon, and all along it's them, it's them yeah, I remember one of the kids asked me one day after church and all of our kids are all grown and stuff.
Speaker 2but one of them was here on Sunday and asked me. He said who do you think they were talking to? Asked me he said who do you think they were talking to? Or who do you think that you know, was God talking to today through Ken?
Speaker 2And I said me and you and your mom and all of us, you know no one in particular, but all of us at the same time because, quite honestly, all of us you know, have an affliction and we all have a sinful nature, but we also all have to help each other, and that means that we have to keep doing what God has called us to do, even when it's tough.
Speaker 3Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So we all have every Christian's a. Did I interrupt you?
Speaker 3No, no, you're good Okay good, Every Christian's a struggling Christian, right. We just. We look really good on Sunday morning, though. Right, we're cleaned up. Teeth're good, Okay, good, Every Christian's a struggling Christian, right, we look really good on Sunday morning, though. Right, we're cleaned up, teeth are brushed. We put on Hawaiian shirts before we came.
Speaker 3Yeah, we're all looking good, but we've all got hurts, habits and hang-ups. Right, we talk about that. We all have baggage. We're trying to get rid of it, and there's no reason for us to think the seven guys in Acts 6 that were chosen to take care of the food pantry ministry for the widows, while they were full of the Spirit and had good reputations and full of wisdom, they weren't perfect. I mean, they had stuff at home. Maybe, you know, maybe some were going through a season where the marriage was hard or their kids were graduating and they were, you know, becoming empty nesters, and maybe the finances weren't as good.
Speaker 3We know that the Jerusalem church was poor because of the persecution that broke out on Christians. I mean family, you know, you worked for your family business and dad's like hey, you love Jesus. You know, get out of here. You know you got to leave the family business, you got to leave the family home. So there were a lot of poor people in Jerusalem. I mean, it wasn't easy, breezy, private jets flying you, you know. I mean they were walking down roads with green mud on them, you know, and barefoot. I mean that's why, Jesus, that's why foot hygiene the nurse probably not, you know foot hygiene was so important. And jesus is washing feet, yeah, and and we, just we refuse to wash feet we look for the easy christianity we've been talking about that.
Speaker 2You know there's, there's, there's the godly christianity that costs you something it does, yeah it does. You know? And that's a that's a great point. You know we've talked about that before in bible study. You know to be a Christian, most people come into this. They get saved, they get baptized, they join the church and and and okay, we're on. We're on easy street now.
Speaker 3Now, it's just a straight cruise right on into heaven. Yeah.
Speaker 2And and, and, and the guess what Nothing is tough. Yeah, you know, I mean I'll paraphrase because it's in there multiple times, but it's basically it says you know, stand by, yeah, you know, this road is a little bumpy and it's narrow. And you can take that easy big road that's flat, you know. Or you take that narrow road that's bumpy, but only one of them takes you where you want to go. No buckies on that narrow road, no, no, You're just getting slims, you know on the side with one pump. That's it.
Speaker 3So is that it, these guys that we're reading about in Acts, or anybody that read in Acts? I mean, Jesus said consider the cost. I mean we're always trying to kind of dumb it down, make it easier, like you're saying, become a Christian, it's great and it is great. But Jesus is like ho, ho, ho, hold on, Ken. Before you tell somebody it's going to be great, Let me tell you the truth. There's no buckies on this narrow road.
Speaker 2I mean, I look at these Sadducees and people in the Bible that were in those leadership positions and I'll be honest with you, I see our you know we talk about them a lot. I see our televangelists. I see these you know, these musical groups, all this other stuff and helping people to get on that easy Christianity motivated.
Speaker 2And the fact of the matter is it's easy to listen to music to get that beat in you and just keep going, but to carve that 30 minutes, that hour out of your day and sit down and study your Bible a little bit and spend some time in prayer and then to make those sacrifices you have to make on a daily basis and we call them sacrifices. But I've got to tell you, if you're walking with Christ and you're truly you know truly believing in Christ and you're working in Christ and you're letting Christ work through you, those other things they don't matter.
Speaker 2You know, we've talked about diet before, cause you know, the nurse is a big carnivore and people will say to me constantly well, what do you do about pasta?
Speaker 3I love pasta.
Speaker 1You don't eat pasta. That's what you do. Just don't eat pasta. That's what you do. You want to feel better.
Speaker 2You want to live better. You don't eat pasta. Well you know, people ask me all the time well, what about? You know, man, I love to play this kind of music or I love to do this. What do I do to replace that? You know, you replace it with healthy living, a healthy Christian life, and you replace it with God. And guess what? You're not going to miss it.
Speaker 3Yeah, life change. We have to make life changes, get new rhythms. You talk about digging deep into God's Word and we have to allow the Holy Spirit to dig deep in us. Right, I mean, I'm constantly being, you know, the Spirit going deep. Kenny, little Kenny Ansel from Rockdale, texas, you're not all that, you know Like you got stuff, dude, and it's ugly. When you remember the story about King David, you know he messes around with Bathsheba Both of them are married and his buddy comes to him and tells him a little parable-type story and David's like let's go get that guy. And his buddy goes dude, it's you, you're the one I'm talking about. And he's like, oh man, and that's how I feel and I welcome that. It hurts when the Spirit says you're the dude, you're the selfish, prideful person and you know what.
Speaker 2That person that comes and tells you that, in a loving manner, they're going to have their issues too.
Speaker 3Oh, yeah, because I hear this a lot.
The Holy Spirit's Role in Our Lives
Speaker 2Well, how can they tell me that, when they're just screwed?
Speaker 3up. You know what?
Speaker 1We're all screwed up in a certain way Right we all have that sinful nature.
Speaker 2I mean a lot of people. We had this discussion Once you're reborn as a Christian, I truly don't believe you're a sinner. You have a sinful nature still and you are going to sin, but you're no longer a sinner. But you know, because you have that sinful nature, because you're going to screw up occasionally, that little attitude oh, don't judge me, because I know what you've done.
Speaker 2Well then, tell me what I've done and let's share together to overcome that and do it in a loving manner, both give it and receive it. I think sometimes the giving it can be difficult because we don't want to tell our friends something. But, man, that receiving can be even more difficult than giving it.
Speaker 3Yeah, it's hard enough to hear it from the perfect Holy Spirit, let alone another human where we might have a bias towards. And yeah, I think you hit it too. Like these people in Scripture, in Acts, I mean, they're really identifying with Christ. You know, the word Christian means little Christ and it was a derogative when they first started using that you know, somebody calls you a Christian. It was, like you know, saying you're from Cameron or something.
Speaker 2I know you are, but what am I? Yeah?
Speaker 3Yeah, yeah. So so you know, but they, they so identified with Jesus and Christianity and being this new creation. And yeah, they still had sin, but they didn't identify with that sin. They were aiming towards that holy life, you know, and being set apart, living set apart, looking different from the culture. You know, they were salt, they were light, just like us. They were a city on a hill.
Speaker 2And that's where we need to. That's where our aim should be. Yeah, and I look at this part of Acts and you see, you know, stephen got stoned and when he was brought in and challenged he knew it wasn't going to end up good. Yeah, but he never gave in and he kept going with it. And there's other accounts in there of similar situations in which it was dread, it was prison. It was dread, it was prison, it was death, it was a life. I mean, when I say a life-altering thing, nowadays sometimes that's oh, so-and-so, won't talk to me anymore because he's mad at me.
Speaker 3That's not life-altering.
Speaker 2I'm talking about somebody got their arm chopped off or they got stoned, you know, and they were killed. You know that's life altering and these people, that's the example we need to follow. Luckily for us, the example's not nearly as hard as it used to be. You know, we might be shunned by some people, somebody might not want to be around us, somebody might talk about us, we might get our feelings hurt because somebody points out something to us that we need to look at and if that happens, okay, I'm not going to. You know that attitude. I'm not going to stop serving God. I'm going to make a mistake from time to time. I'm going to do something stupid, and I tell Melissa this all the time. I'm going to do something stupid, and I tell Melissa this all the time. I'm going to do something stupid. I know I was there, I saw me do it, but with that, I'm still going to keep doing what I can to serve God.
Speaker 3Yeah, trying to expand the kingdom. And yeah, when you say Stephen got you know, when they came at him, I mean it was like his walk-up song was Tom Petty's, won't Back Down. Not only did he not back down, he just said it. I mean he just told them, like you guys are messed up, but you don't have to be, jesus is here for you too, right? And then, as he died, he's like God, forgive these people.
Speaker 2Just like Christ I think it was Peter that you know when they came at him and he said y'all are the ones that did it. Yeah.
Speaker 3Yeah, you know, y'all think you're so good and y'all are the ones that killed Christ. I know, and we just fold up right. Are we too weak? Are we too soft? Have we got it too made in Milam County? I mean, everybody's got a kayak and a pair of running shoes and a treadmill.
Speaker 2Is that it? I think? Go back to those things. And you know there's three things you don't talk about, and of course religion's always one of them. And and it's difficult for people in society, not just from the standpoint of they might get made fun of or they might get shunned, but from the standpoint of they don't want to be seen, they might get embarrassed, you know, and that goes, that embarrassment that goes back to pride oh yeah, that's just yeah, that's just a prideful thing.
Speaker 2You know what? If I'm going to be embarrassed by that, then I'll be embarrassed all the time. That's fine. It's just like we talk about all the time. If you're going to think I'm weird because I want to have a relationship with God and I'm a Christian, man, I'm weird, I'm going with it you want to enjoy life now and forever.
Receiving Correction with Humility
Speaker 3Yeah, and that pride that goes back to yeah, we don't want people to think we're weird. We work hard to get a reputation that we want, right. We're the cool guy or cool girl or whatever. And then all of a sudden we're the Christian nut.
Speaker 2So much of it is. We use it you know people fall back on Christianity as that spare tire quite a bit. And to be that person that's just in the driver's seat driving around with a big old smile on your face and a license plate that says I love God you know, you're the weird one. But, a lot of folks, though. When it goes bad, you know I've got this or this happened to me, or I was in a wreck, or I've lost all my money or whatever, and they, they'll immediately, you know, they'll go digging down in the bottom of that trunk or they'll whip out.
Speaker 2They'll try to find that bible. They'll hit amazon to buy a new one because you can't find the old one. Yeah, you know and whatnot, and you know what, if that's what it takes for you to come back, that's what it takes. But once you're back, you need to be that guy driving the car with the license plate that says I love God.
Speaker 1And not the guy that has a license plate.
Speaker 3That's just generic and you know, has the coexist sticker on the back of their car. You know, wow, what are the other two things we don't talk about?
Speaker 2Carnivore diet and politics religion politics and carnivore diet.
Speaker 3I think one's different. Oh okay, I didn't know.
Speaker 2Yeah, now carnivore diet don't say that to the nurse I know I'm just playing.
Speaker 3I know she's gonna listen.
Speaker 2Yes, you'll listen to it this afternoon on the way home. She'll be like oh, man.
Speaker 3Well, I mean, I've been encouraged today with what we've thought together about and, man, I just I want to.
Speaker 2I love the lord, I want to live for the lord, but I'm not perfect yeah, and that's the thing is is none of us are, and all of us are. All of us should be working together on this oh yeah, and and that's what we try to do and, like you said, I I really feel like and I'm not trying to brag on the church either, but you're right we stay out of God's way. We talked about a while back we had a problem with where we were going to move to and somebody told me, man, it's a friend of ours and he's like we only got a week.
Speaker 2What are we going?
Speaker 3to do, and I said you know what God's going to handle this man? I was feeling the guy's pain though. Oh yeah, I was with him. We were tested, but it is that.
Speaker 2But we have to stay out of it. And so many churches, so many people, they want to get in the way, they want that easy Christianity. But you just have to let God work through you, but don't get in his way while he's doing it.
Speaker 3That's good, all right. I think it's your time to praise out of here, it is.
Closing Thoughts and Prayer
Speaker 2Dear Lord, we thank you for all that you do for us. Father, we love you so much. We thank you for this time that we get to share and we hope that it helps some folks out there. Father, we pray that you help us have that strength to stand up for you all the time, to be able to be that light that shines for you, and when we do slip, we ask that you help us to see that slip and that we ask for you. Know that we apologize for that to you, father, but I love you and I know we want you, working through us all the time, to share your name and to make you known and to bring people home. I thank you for all that you do in our lives, for it's in Christ's name we pray. Amen, amen, all right. Well, that is officially episode number 26.
Speaker 2This is let's Connect, the official podcast of Connect Church here in Rockdale, texas. We have services right now. We meet out at the American Legion Hall here in Rockdale, we have fellowship donuts and coffee at 10 o'clock and then we start service at 1030. Everybody's welcome and we look forward to seeing you. If you have any questions or comments, whatever podcast service you're using, you can text us, and if you'd like for us to talk about something, you can text us and let us know that as well. Till next week. We'll talk to you later you.
Speaker 1Thank you.
