SPEAKER_01: Welcome to Sermons from the Way Church KC, a community of listening saints in Kansas City, following the way of Jesus and pushing back darkness together.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you, River.
SPEAKER_00: We're at our point this morning where we we read God's word, so if you'll stand in honor of his word, please.
SPEAKER_00: And we're reading in Acts chapter 1.
SPEAKER_00: I'll be reading verses 12 to the end of the chapter.
SPEAKER_00: Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath-day journey away.
SPEAKER_00: And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room where they were staying.
SPEAKER_00: Peter and John, and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James, the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the zealot, and Judas, the son of James.
SPEAKER_00: All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer together with the women, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
SPEAKER_00: In those days, Peter stood up among the brothers.
SPEAKER_00: The company of persons was in all about 120, and said, Brothers, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.
SPEAKER_00: Now, this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle, and all of his bowels gushed out.
SPEAKER_00: And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akildama, that is, field of blood.
SPEAKER_00: For it is written in the book of Psalms, may his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it.
SPEAKER_00: And let another take his office.
SPEAKER_00: So one of the men who have accompanied us during all this time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us, one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.
SPEAKER_00: And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justice and Matthias.
SPEAKER_00: And they prayed and said, You Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.
SPEAKER_00: And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
SPEAKER_00: You may be seated.
SPEAKER_02: Amen, amen.
SPEAKER_02: Well, welcome everyone to the Way Church.
SPEAKER_02: My name is Zach.
SPEAKER_02: I'm the uh lead pastor here at the Way Church, and we are a new church plant who exists to follow the way of Jesus and push back darkness together.
SPEAKER_02: Um we launched Easter Sunday of last year, and so we're just putting one foot in front of the other, and God's building a sweet, sweet family here.
SPEAKER_02: And if this is your first time here, we're glad you've decided to join us.
SPEAKER_02: You are welcome here.
SPEAKER_02: Um you belong here, and we'd love for you to be a part of our way family.
SPEAKER_02: Um, real quick, I just want to recognize someone.
SPEAKER_02: Um this man up here on the front row in the DSAT is Pastor Nathan.
SPEAKER_02: He pastors a church called Radiant Church in Wichita, Kansas.
SPEAKER_02: And uh this man's uh at his church, he gave me one of my first ever opportunities to preach.
SPEAKER_02: Um and so it's just really it was such a sweet surprise to see you and your son and family and friends walk through here uh this morning.
SPEAKER_02: And so, man, just grateful for you.
SPEAKER_02: Um because you know, you were believing in me early, early on in the journey.
SPEAKER_02: So uh very grateful for you.
SPEAKER_02: You should meet this guy.
SPEAKER_02: He does a lot of really cool mission work.
SPEAKER_02: The Lord is using him in Wichita and to the ends of the earth in a really cool and special way.
SPEAKER_02: So make sure to shake his hands um before you leave today.
SPEAKER_02: So, if you can't tell, our projectors are down.
SPEAKER_02: Um we had, you know, there was a big storm this past week, right?
SPEAKER_02: And uh we had a power surge.
SPEAKER_02: Power went out here at the church.
SPEAKER_02: We were up here till 11 o'clock working on the projectors, and one of them was not happening, it wasn't working.
SPEAKER_02: We actually got this one up and running.
SPEAKER_02: But me being me, I decided I'm going to try to mess with the the ratio to get it like kind of squared up, and I just completely ruined it, and it was like this, and so we decided like, hey, we'll just turn it off.
SPEAKER_02: But did you know there were no projectors in the book of Acts?
SPEAKER_02: Right?
SPEAKER_02: Like, they didn't have lyrics on the screen in the book of Acts.
SPEAKER_02: So uh let's just keep it rocking, keep it rocking, and I think worship was such a sweet time without any lyrics.
SPEAKER_02: So maybe we'll just take the screens down completely.
SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
SPEAKER_02: No, we'll we'll get it up and running.
SPEAKER_02: Uh but anywho, two weeks ago we began a new sermon series.
SPEAKER_02: Yes, bless you.
SPEAKER_02: A new sermon series through the book of Acts titled Living by the Spirit and Following the Way.
SPEAKER_02: Living by the Spirit and Following the Way.
SPEAKER_02: What we're doing in this Acts sermon series is we're taking a deep verse-by-verse dive into this book.
SPEAKER_02: And I believe that this book, the book of Acts, serves as kind of your church planting playbook.
SPEAKER_02: So for us as a church plant, we're gonna read, we're gonna study what the book says, and then we're gonna try to put these things into practice.
SPEAKER_02: Uh, week one, we looked at how the disciples were waiting on the Lord.
SPEAKER_02: And then last week and in week two, we talked about what it looks like to be Holy Spirit-empowered witnesses of Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_02: And our kind of key text last week was Acts chapter 1, verse 8, which talks about being witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.
SPEAKER_02: So for us in our context, that is our neighborhood of Rosedale, that's this city of Kansas City, that's the Midwest, kind of regionally, the United States, kind of on a more uh broad scale, and then the ends of the earth, the nations, the ends of the earth.
SPEAKER_02: Um this week, though, we're gonna be looking at Acts chapter 1, verses 12 through 26.
SPEAKER_02: So if you've got a Bible, um you can turn there.
SPEAKER_02: If you don't have a Bible, we'd love to give you one right outside of our sanctuary doors.
SPEAKER_02: Uh, we have Bibles for you to have, for you to mark up, for you to keep.
SPEAKER_02: Um additionally, though, um, because we don't have slides, I I introduced this tool last week and I'm gonna tell you about it again.
SPEAKER_02: So we have sermon notes on our website.
SPEAKER_02: If if that's something that would be a value add to you, you can go to www dothetwaykc dot church slash sermon notes.
SPEAKER_02: Thewaykc.church slash sermon notes.
SPEAKER_02: And that's like fillable notes where you can fill it in yourself.
SPEAKER_02: Um like I said, if it's a value add to you guys, it's something we'll keep doing.
SPEAKER_02: Um, but if it's not, we'll toss it out like the projectors.
SPEAKER_02: Um anyway, let's get into it.
SPEAKER_02: So, what I believe is that this passage is a blueprint for the church.
SPEAKER_02: It's a blueprint for how the church, how the early church, before it ever preached a sermon, before it ever planted a church, how they discerned God's will through prayer, through meditating on scripture, and through selecting God ordains leadership.
SPEAKER_02: What I think we see is it's not a playbook just for like corporate efficiency, for uh getting the wheels running down the track, but for kingdom faithfulness.
SPEAKER_02: Not corporate efficiency, but kingdom faithfulness.
SPEAKER_02: What I believe we will see in today's text is a picture of the community of the early church.
SPEAKER_02: Before they've even begun, before the Holy Spirit has even descended upon them, before any of it, there is unity in the community.
SPEAKER_02: And our kind of key phrase this morning, our key phrase in this morning's text, which we pull directly from the text, is this phrase, one accord.
SPEAKER_02: One accord.
SPEAKER_02: And this phrase, one accord, it's not just poetic, it's a deep theological signal.
SPEAKER_02: In Greek, the Greek word for it, it's a word that's used ten times in the book of Acts to describe the supernatural unity of the early church.
SPEAKER_02: People who were brought into harmony, not by likeness, but by the Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_02: And you know what's so kind of cool, as God would have it, this past Tuesday in our men's way group, we actually talked about unity and division within the church.
SPEAKER_02: And so it's it's pretty cool how today on Sunday, that's what we're preaching through.
SPEAKER_02: It's like almost as though God has a plan.
SPEAKER_02: That's what I say to Ashton and Roman a lot.
SPEAKER_02: I'm like, you know, it's almost as though God has a plan.
SPEAKER_02: And I say that tongue in cheek because clearly God has a plan.
SPEAKER_02: So here's where we're going this morning.
SPEAKER_02: Just as with the early church, for us is the way church case, there must be unity in our community.
SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna make a blanket statement about community.
SPEAKER_02: Maybe you agree with it, maybe you do not.
SPEAKER_02: I think that we all, as humans, naturally desire community.
SPEAKER_02: Is that true?
SPEAKER_02: However, we often want it on our own terms.
SPEAKER_02: We often want community on our own terms.
SPEAKER_02: Like if you really think about it, there's different social clubs that you can join, there's fraternities and sororities at universities, there's neighborhood associations.
SPEAKER_02: You can find community around a sports team.
SPEAKER_02: Like, there's community around the Kansas City Chiefs here in this city.
SPEAKER_02: Um, there's there's Facebook groups on social media that present to you a digital version of community.
SPEAKER_02: And the list goes on and on.
SPEAKER_02: I'm sure that you could fill in the blank and uh list out some picture of community that you may see.
SPEAKER_02: And here's what I think I think all of them, they're presenting pictures of community on its own terms, on our own terms.
SPEAKER_02: So often we we unite around common interests.
SPEAKER_02: Maybe we unite around similar upbringings, maybe we unite around similar socioeconomic statuses.
SPEAKER_02: Maybe we unite based upon similar looks.
SPEAKER_02: Maybe we unite based on similar language.
SPEAKER_02: And again, the list goes on and on.
SPEAKER_02: I'm sure you could insert something into the blank there of a way of commonality that we, that humans, unite.
SPEAKER_02: The reality is that we re we curate communities that reinforce our preferences.
SPEAKER_02: But I think what we see in the book of Acts is that the early church, it was not a preference-based community.
SPEAKER_02: It was simply a spirit-born, holy spirit-born, mission-driven family.
SPEAKER_02: And I think that's the thing about the church.
SPEAKER_02: That's what we'll see today, is that when it comes to unity within the community of the body of Jesus Christ, it cannot, hear me, it cannot be on our own terms.
SPEAKER_02: It can only be upon Jesus Christ's terms.
SPEAKER_02: The church is not built on mutual interests, it is built on mutual surrender to King Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: This might ruffle some feathers.
SPEAKER_02: Come on.
SPEAKER_02: The church, it's not where we find our people.
SPEAKER_02: It's not where we find our people.
SPEAKER_02: It's where God makes us his people.
SPEAKER_02: Amen.
SPEAKER_02: The church isn't where we find our people, it is where God makes us his people.
SPEAKER_02: And what we see in today's text is that Christ calls us to be in one accord.
SPEAKER_02: It's not about getting along, it's not about finding the ideal community.
SPEAKER_02: We can often be searching for that ideal community, going from place to place, searching for the ideal community.
SPEAKER_02: No, it's about aligning ourselves under the Lordship of Jesus Christ for the sake of his mission.
SPEAKER_02: And you know, when I think about aligning under the banner of something, I think it's very easy to think about sports, fair.
SPEAKER_02: Um, so often sports teams will align under the shared vision, the shared mission of victory, of championships.
SPEAKER_02: Um this one might not work, but I hope it does.
SPEAKER_02: Um who here is a basketball fan?
SPEAKER_02: I am.
SPEAKER_02: Cool, cool.
SPEAKER_02: So, NBA Finals, the team that won is the Oklahoma City Thunder.
SPEAKER_02: I uh grew up in Oklahoma, so I am naturally a Thunder fan.
SPEAKER_02: And I think that this team was very unique compared to other teams that you see in the NBA.
SPEAKER_02: Um, they had shared interests, they had the common banner, they were under the common banner of winning a championship, the common mission.
SPEAKER_02: And I think what made them so unique is how they were united.
SPEAKER_02: They were a very specially united community.
SPEAKER_02: They did all of their interviews post-game as a team.
SPEAKER_02: Um they really had a love for the city of Oklahoma City.
SPEAKER_02: Um, they were they were always down to share the spotlight.
SPEAKER_02: Like they weren't trying to, you know, like, yeah, Shea Gilgis Alexander won the MVP, but he was trying to shine the spotlight on his teammates as well.
SPEAKER_02: They were really good about building each other up.
SPEAKER_02: It was a special team.
SPEAKER_02: It was special unity in that community of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
SPEAKER_02: And I think that that's like a good picture of unity, of being in one accord for the mission of NBA championships, but it's not the full picture.
SPEAKER_02: It in no way, shape, or form is the full picture.
SPEAKER_02: The full picture, I think, that we see from the text is this.
SPEAKER_02: Here's our big idea for this morning.
SPEAKER_02: Our big idea.
SPEAKER_02: In the body of Christ, being in one accord in prayer, the word, and leadership leads to fulfilling God's purposes for this church plants, for the global church, and for remaining in his will.
SPEAKER_02: To put it simply, we should be in one accord in prayer, the word, and discerning God's will for leadership.
SPEAKER_02: Family, this picture, this calling for us to be in one accord, it is essential to us as a young church plant.
SPEAKER_02: So the three things we will consider this morning: one, being one in one accord in prayer, two, being one accord in the word, and three, being one accord and prayerfully choosing leaders.
SPEAKER_02: I'll pray and then let's dig in.
SPEAKER_02: Heavenly Father, thank you for bringing us here today.
SPEAKER_02: Lord, I pray that we today would grow closer to you, that you would move me out of the way, that you would speak through me, that your uh living, breathing word would be made clear among us.
SPEAKER_02: Lord, bring us into one accord, bring us into unity this morning.
SPEAKER_02: We love you, we praise you.
SPEAKER_02: And all God's people said, Amen.
SPEAKER_02: All right.
SPEAKER_02: Point one, one accord in prayer.
SPEAKER_02: I know my wife's looking at me like my intro was long.
SPEAKER_02: I think it was.
SPEAKER_02: One accord in prayer.
SPEAKER_02: The word of God says in Acts chapter 1, verses 12 through 14.
SPEAKER_02: Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day journey away.
SPEAKER_02: And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room where they were staying.
SPEAKER_02: Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the zealot, and Judas the son of James.
SPEAKER_02: All these, with, here it is, one accord, were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
SPEAKER_02: So right off the rip, we see the disciples return to Jerusalem from all of it.
SPEAKER_02: Right off the rip, what they're doing is displaying obedience.
SPEAKER_02: This journey back to Jerusalem, it was no small act.
SPEAKER_02: It was about three-quarters of a mile, a Sabbath stay journey, is what the text says.
SPEAKER_02: But I think what we see is that the real journey, it was obedience.
SPEAKER_02: A journey back to dependence on God together.
SPEAKER_02: What they're doing is they're responding in obedience to Jesus' command in Acts chapter 1, verses 4 through 5.
SPEAKER_02: Those verses say, And while staying with them, he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which he said, You heard from me.
SPEAKER_02: For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.
SPEAKER_02: So as Jesus called them to, they are obedient to be in Jerusalem and wait on the Holy Spirit's arrival.
SPEAKER_02: And upon returning to Jerusalem, they go up to an upper room.
SPEAKER_02: And this very well could have been the same upper room as where the Last Supper took place.
SPEAKER_02: We don't know for sure.
SPEAKER_02: I like to think it was, but that's entirely speculation.
SPEAKER_02: Either way, though, what we can undeniably say is it was significant.
SPEAKER_02: One commentator I wrote, read, wrote this, as Patrick Scheiner notes, the mission of the church begins in a house.
SPEAKER_02: We see that in Acts chapter 1, verse 13, Acts chapter 2, verse 2.
SPEAKER_02: And it also, the book of Acts also, the mission of the church also ends in a house.
SPEAKER_02: This signals that God's presence is no longer confined to temple walls, but it fills homes and ordinary places with extraordinary prayer.
SPEAKER_02: The author Luke then goes on to list the names of the disciples, and there's clearly one name that's now missing from the list.
SPEAKER_02: It's this guy named Judas.
SPEAKER_02: And just as a refresher, if you weren't here for our series through the Gospel of Luke, or you haven't been in the Gospels in a while, Judas he betrayed Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: He became part of the plot to have Jesus arrested and killed.
SPEAKER_02: And we'll talk more about him in a bit, but just kind of click that in your mind.
SPEAKER_02: Moving on, verse 14, though, this is the key verse in this section of text.
SPEAKER_02: Verse 14, all these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer together with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus and his brothers.
SPEAKER_02: So not only does the text show us that the disciples are obedient, it also shows us that the disciples are in one accord.
SPEAKER_02: They're united.
SPEAKER_02: They are united in prayer, they are devoted to prayer, they are united in their devotion to prayer.
SPEAKER_02: The twelve, the women, Jesus' mother, Mary Magdalene, and his brothers, Jesus' brothers, all in one accord in prayer.
SPEAKER_02: And so I think what this shows us is that prayer, it's not a prelude to the action, it is the action.
SPEAKER_02: Prayer is not something that we do before the work.
SPEAKER_02: Prayer is the work.
SPEAKER_02: As one commentator puts it, prayer is the great connecting link between world history and the heavenly session of Christ.
SPEAKER_02: So often, our world, corporations, businesses, they're driven by strategy, right?
SPEAKER_02: A lot of us may work in corporate America.
SPEAKER_02: It's driven by strategy, right?
SPEAKER_02: But the church?
SPEAKER_02: The church is to be driven by prayer and supplication.
SPEAKER_02: And it breaks my heart that a lot of times in the Western church, that's not always what it looks like.
SPEAKER_02: A lot of it is strategy.
SPEAKER_02: But my hope for us as the Way KC is that we are a church driven by deep prayer, devotion to prayer, one accord in prayer.
SPEAKER_02: Because the reality is the Spirit moves most powerfully in the soil of prayer.
SPEAKER_02: Family, how many of us want to see acts-like movement in our city?
SPEAKER_02: Amen.
SPEAKER_02: The presence of women and Mary and Jesus' brother, who, Jesus' brothers who were previously skeptical, if you look at like John, the book of John, the fact that they were included in this formation of the early church and in these one accord prayers, it shows that they had undoubtedly now believed in Jesus' death and resurrection.
SPEAKER_02: But it also shows us the welcoming nature of the early community.
SPEAKER_02: And I think it also shows us the transformative nature of the early community.
SPEAKER_02: Is my daughter taking a grumpy back there?
SPEAKER_02: Amen.
SPEAKER_02: So the idea of being in one accord in prayer, this idea being conveyed here, is that they were showing an ongoing persistence in prayer.
SPEAKER_02: They understood the reality that they could not discern God's will together if they were not in prayer together.
SPEAKER_02: And that's important because they had some big decisions to make.
SPEAKER_02: Obedience and unity in prayer among believers are essential to discerning God's direction in our lives.
SPEAKER_02: Just as it was for the early church, so it is for us.
SPEAKER_02: Prayer is not a filler that we utilize while waiting.
SPEAKER_02: It's not something that we use to transition the worship team offstage.
SPEAKER_02: It's not something that we just start and end a service with or start and end our day with or start dinner with.
SPEAKER_02: Like, that's not, I mean, that's yes, that's a piece of prayer, but it's not the whole pie.
SPEAKER_02: Prayer is the work of the church in dependency on the living God.
SPEAKER_02: So, with that in mind, for us as a church, we should consider it the utmost of importance.
SPEAKER_02: Churches today, they must cultivate a culture of prayer across demographics.
SPEAKER_02: That's men, women, leaders, staff, laypersons, all of the above, we should be devoted to prayer.
SPEAKER_02: Don't matter who you are, doesn't matter where you're sitting, we should be in one accord in prayer.
SPEAKER_02: And just as a little aside, what's so cool about the book of Acts is that almost every major turning point, every major turning point in this book, we find prayer.
SPEAKER_02: Acts chapter 1, verse 24, prayer.
SPEAKER_02: Acts chapter 8, verse 14 through 17, prayer.
SPEAKER_02: Acts chapter 9, verse 11 through 12, prayer.
SPEAKER_02: Acts chapter 10, verse 4, prayer.
SPEAKER_02: Acts chapter 13, verses 2 and 3, prayer.
SPEAKER_02: Prayer fills this book as the early church is being birthed.
SPEAKER_02: The early church, it wasn't driven by programs or policies or procedures or church polity.
SPEAKER_02: No, it was driven by prayer and presence.
SPEAKER_02: So if we want to, as a church plant, if we want to discern God's will as this church plant in Rosedale, we must be a people of prayer.
SPEAKER_02: We must be in one accord in prayer.
SPEAKER_02: But not only that, point number two, we must be in one accord in the scriptures.
SPEAKER_02: One accord in the scriptures.
SPEAKER_02: Verse 15 through 20 of Acts chapter 1.
SPEAKER_02: In those days Peter stood up among the brothers, the company of persons was in all about 120, and said, Brothers, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.
SPEAKER_02: Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle, and all his bowels gushed out.
SPEAKER_02: And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akadama, that is field of blood.
SPEAKER_02: For it is written in the book of Psalms, may his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it, and let another take his office.
SPEAKER_02: That's like a tough text, right?
SPEAKER_02: That's like uh you're like, whoa, that's in the Bible?
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it is.
SPEAKER_02: But there's some things we can pull out of it.
SPEAKER_02: Peter, he doesn't avoid the pain of Judas' betrayal, right?
SPEAKER_02: Like that's a difficult thing.
SPEAKER_02: Jesus Christ being betrayed.
SPEAKER_02: But Peter, he doesn't avoid that.
SPEAKER_02: He interprets it through Scripture.
SPEAKER_02: He points to the Psalms to interpret the betrayal of Judas.
SPEAKER_02: And I think that like this is how the church is to grieve faithfully.
SPEAKER_02: Not with like speculation, not with uh finger pointing, but with revelation.
SPEAKER_02: And I think that the same is true for us.
SPEAKER_02: Like, we should not avoid difficult things, difficult conversations, but we should interpret them faithfully through Scripture.
SPEAKER_02: Peter says that the phrase, the scripture had to be fulfilled.
SPEAKER_02: And I think that what that shows us is his deep confidence in the Spirit's authorship.
SPEAKER_02: 2 Timothy 3, 16, all scripture is God breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.
SPEAKER_02: Peter sees the truth that all scripture is God breathed.
SPEAKER_02: And what's crazy, he even goes so far as to link Judas's fall with God's purposes.
SPEAKER_02: Not as like an accident, not as happenstance, but as prophecy fulfilled.
SPEAKER_02: This is some tough truth to wrestle with.
SPEAKER_02: But like, one commentator he says this he writes that Judas' fall previews the fate of those who oppose Jesus Christ's kingdom.
SPEAKER_02: Yet even Judas' betrayal didn't disrupt the kingdom, it fulfilled the scriptures.
SPEAKER_02: God's plan still stands firm.
SPEAKER_02: And what Peter, how Peter views Judas, he sees Judas not just as a betrayer, but as a tragic guide down the wrong way.
SPEAKER_02: The Greek word, this is what's so interesting, the Greek word for guide, it relates to the word for the way.
SPEAKER_02: The Greek words hodos for the way.
SPEAKER_02: And the Greek word for guide, it's the opposite.
SPEAKER_02: It's, you know, it's in contrast to the way of Jesus, Judas chose the path of destruction.
SPEAKER_02: But the way of Jesus is the path of life.
SPEAKER_02: Amen.
SPEAKER_02: Peter points to the Psalms.
SPEAKER_02: He points to two Psalms, Psalm 69, 25, and Psalm 109, verse 8.
SPEAKER_02: And Peter's use of these Psalms, it shows a picture of hope.
SPEAKER_02: Seeing even tragedy as foretold and woven into God's redemptive plan.
SPEAKER_02: Judas's betrayal, it didn't derail the mission of God, it was a tool for the mission.
SPEAKER_02: So what I think we should see, family, is that scripture shapes both the interpretation of events and it should shape the decision-making processes.
SPEAKER_02: And so I think for us it is much the same.
SPEAKER_02: Church leaders, church members or partners, as we call them, church attenders, first-time guests, wherever it is that you sit today, we must be word saturated.
SPEAKER_02: Discerning God's will for your life, discerning God's will for this church, it requires alignment with the scriptures.
SPEAKER_02: Not just operating based on feelings or consensus, but the word of God.
SPEAKER_02: Because the reality is you don't need like a vision board to hear from God.
SPEAKER_02: You just need an open Bible.
SPEAKER_02: Because hear this the Spirit of God speaks through the Word of God to shape the people of God.
SPEAKER_02: The Spirit of God speaks through the Word of God to shape us, the people of God.
SPEAKER_02: Scripture isn't merely commentary, it is command.
SPEAKER_02: It guides the people of God, it guides us through storms, it guides us through betrayals, it guides us through leadership transitions, it guides us through all walks of life.
SPEAKER_02: So if we want clarity in the confusion, we must be tethered to God's word.
SPEAKER_02: So, do you have a difficult decision coming up?
SPEAKER_02: Turn to the word.
SPEAKER_02: Friend, are you walking through a trial?
SPEAKER_02: Turn to the word.
SPEAKER_02: Maybe you're sitting here today and you're nursing a heartache.
SPEAKER_02: If that's you, turn to the word.
SPEAKER_02: Or maybe you're figuring out how you're gonna make ends meet.
SPEAKER_02: Maybe you just got custody of your son back and you're trying to figure out how you're gonna make ends meet.
SPEAKER_02: Turn to the word.
SPEAKER_02: Whatever it is for you, whatever you're walking through today, this week, turn to the word.
SPEAKER_02: Because guys, we we must be a people who are in one accord in going to the scriptures.
SPEAKER_02: We're in one accord in the scriptures.
SPEAKER_02: And lastly, the last point that we'll look at in this text is point number three.
SPEAKER_02: One accord in prayerfully choosing leaders.
SPEAKER_02: Verse 21 through 26 of Acts chapter 1.
SPEAKER_02: So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, until the day when he was taken up from us, one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.
SPEAKER_02: And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justice and Matthias.
SPEAKER_02: And they prayed and said, You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place, and they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
SPEAKER_02: So, just what's going on in this text, the apostles they need to select Judas's replacement.
SPEAKER_02: The qualifications are to be a witness of Jesus Christ's resurrection and accompanying him from John's baptism.
SPEAKER_02: So this should hammer home kind of the apostolic role as eyewitnesses of Jesus' ministry from start to finish, thus kind of like underscoring historical credibility and this covenantal continuity that we see throughout the scriptures.
SPEAKER_02: The two candidates that are presented are Matthias and Joseph, and both were very likely faithful disciples.
SPEAKER_02: So what did the apostles do?
SPEAKER_02: Well, first they prayed.
SPEAKER_02: They prayed, and then they cast lots.
SPEAKER_02: Proverbs 16, 33, the lot is cast into the lap, but it's every decision is from the Lord.
SPEAKER_02: So casting lots, it was this rare but reverent decision-making method that was pre-Pentecost, pre-fall of the Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_02: And just as wherever you're sitting, maybe you're sitting there and you're like casting lots, like that's what is that?
SPEAKER_02: Like, it may seem archaic, but it's important that we understand this passage in its context.
SPEAKER_02: It was it was the apostles' way of saying we trust that God rules even the roll of the dice.
SPEAKER_02: God is sovereign over these things.
SPEAKER_02: And here's something that I found really cool while studying this week.
SPEAKER_02: Maybe you'll think it's cool, maybe you won't.
SPEAKER_02: Either way, I thought it was.
SPEAKER_02: This this right here, this is the last time that casting lots is used in the New Testament, in the Bible.
SPEAKER_02: After Pentecost, after the Holy Spirit falls, the Spirit then indwells the followers of Jesus and it guides believers directly.
SPEAKER_02: So we have no need to cast lots, to leave things up to lot casting.
SPEAKER_02: We have the indwelling Holy Spirit to help guide us in discernment and making decisions.
SPEAKER_02: The early church's leadership, though, it was foundational.
SPEAKER_02: It was spirit-led, it was scripture-informed, it was affirmed by the community at large.
SPEAKER_02: And I think, guys, I think the same is true or should be true today.
SPEAKER_02: Church leadership, it should be based on spiritual qualifications, not popularity, not charisma.
SPEAKER_02: Leadership within the church, it's not about charisma, it's about calling.
SPEAKER_02: It's not about visibility, it's not about a platform, but it's about faithfulness.
SPEAKER_02: Because what we see, both men were qualified, but the apostles, they entrusted the outcome to the Lord.
SPEAKER_02: And I think, if I can just be honest with you, I think that so often in the Western church we've gotten this backwards, we've gotten it wrong.
SPEAKER_02: We seek platforms over presence, we seek popularity over prayer.
SPEAKER_02: And I think it's just backwards.
SPEAKER_02: Like, as I read the book of Acts, that's not what this is telling us.
SPEAKER_02: Because, I mean, even if you look back at the Gospels, Jesus chose just completely ordinary men to carry out extraordinary authority.
SPEAKER_02: He chose completely ordinary women to carry out extraordinary authority.
SPEAKER_02: Not because of resume, but because of readiness, willingness, willingness to follow the way of Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: God doesn't need talent, right?
SPEAKER_02: God doesn't need to be you to be the most talented person.
SPEAKER_02: No.
SPEAKER_02: He just needs you to be faithful.
SPEAKER_02: He calls you to be faithful, and he will make you fruitful.
SPEAKER_02: You may have heard it said, I've heard it said, I don't know what pastor said this, but God does not call the qualified, he qualifies the call.
SPEAKER_02: And the reality that we uh leaned into last week from Acts chapter 1, 8, we all have a calling, we are to be witnesses.
SPEAKER_02: We are to be witnesses.
SPEAKER_02: There's not one of us in here who does not have a calling to be witnesses.
SPEAKER_02: Whether that's Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, the ends of the earth, wherever that may be, you have a calling.
SPEAKER_02: Faithfulness, a faithful witness.
SPEAKER_02: One last little tidbit, and then we'll land the plane.
SPEAKER_02: The choosing, the selecting of a 12th disciple, it's like that's important.
SPEAKER_02: Um, it has ties to the Old Testament, it has ties to Israel.
SPEAKER_02: Um, by choosing a 12th disciple, the apostles, they're they're reconstituting Israel.
SPEAKER_02: They're symbolically restoring God's covenant people.
SPEAKER_02: The church isn't just moving forward, it's embodying God's ancient promises.
SPEAKER_02: If you look at Isaiah 49, 6, the word says, He says, It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel.
SPEAKER_02: I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach the ends of the earth.
SPEAKER_02: See that ends of the earth language?
SPEAKER_02: See that prophetic language pointing to Jesus?
SPEAKER_02: So, what what we should see is that this was like a symbolic reset.
SPEAKER_02: They weren't just filling a vacancy because they liked the number 12 better than they liked the number 11, or they like even numbers better than they like odd numbers.
SPEAKER_02: They weren't just fulfilling a vacancy.
SPEAKER_02: They were declaring that God's promises are still intact.
SPEAKER_02: The church, God's renewed people, was thus launched into mission.
SPEAKER_02: So, Ashton, you can come up and close us.
SPEAKER_02: Um but just a few things of note.
SPEAKER_02: Maybe this morning, you're sitting here, you're realizing you've been living life on your own terms.
SPEAKER_02: Maybe you've been trying to discern God's will without ever surrendering to God Himself.
SPEAKER_02: And the truth is, apart from Jesus Christ, we are all like Judas.
SPEAKER_02: Walking a path that leads to destruction, betraying the Lord Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: We've betrayed the God who made us by choosing our own way.
SPEAKER_02: The Bible says that all have sinned and fall and fallen short of the glory of God.
SPEAKER_02: And that's kind of dire, but there's good news.
SPEAKER_02: Jesus didn't just come to show us the way, He is the way.
SPEAKER_02: He is the way.
SPEAKER_02: He lived this sinless life that we could not live.
SPEAKER_02: He died the death that we deserve to die on the cross.
SPEAKER_02: He bore the punishment for our sins, for Peter's sins, for all the apostles' sins, for my sins, for your sins.
SPEAKER_02: And three days later, he rose again, conquering death and opening the way back to the Father.
SPEAKER_02: The call of Jesus Christ, it's not just to know about Him, but to follow Him, to turn from sin, to trust in Him, and to walk in new life by the Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_02: So if, like, you're sitting here this morning and you've never repented and believed in Jesus, today can be the day that you stop walking your own way and start walking the way of Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: The risen Jesus, the risen Christ, the King of Kings, is still calling disciples today.
SPEAKER_02: The question is, will you follow him?
SPEAKER_02: As usual, I'm a hundred percent willing to pray with you to answer any questions you may have.
SPEAKER_02: I don't have all the answers, but I'll do my best to answer them and go research if I don't.
SPEAKER_02: I'd love to pray with you to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.
SPEAKER_02: That opportunity is always there.
SPEAKER_02: But for those of us who have called on the name of Jesus, just to kind of recap, here's our takeaways from today's text.
SPEAKER_02: We're to be in one accord in prayer.
SPEAKER_02: That means we're devoted and united in dependence on God.
SPEAKER_02: We're to be in one accord in the word.
SPEAKER_02: That is confidence in and submission to the Holy Scriptures.
SPEAKER_02: And we're to be in one accord in leadership, prayerfully, spirit-guided discernment.
SPEAKER_02: As a church plant, for us, as a young church plant, this passage, it's like both a mirror and a model.
SPEAKER_02: Because I think what it shows us is that being in one accord is not optional.
SPEAKER_02: Though our natural instinct and our natural bend is toward division, we're to fight for unity for being in one accord.
SPEAKER_02: Because being in one accord, it is essential for spirit-empowered gospel advancement.
SPEAKER_02: So wherever you're sitting, ask yourself this are you a part of the church's unified prayer?
SPEAKER_02: Not just our church, I'm not saying just the Way KC, but the big C church.
SPEAKER_02: Because in some ways it does.
SPEAKER_02: Because the fact of the matter is, all scripture is God-breathed.
SPEAKER_02: This is God's word.
SPEAKER_02: The living God is communicating to you.
SPEAKER_02: Or are you seeking God's will with others?
SPEAKER_02: Are you seeking your will alone?
SPEAKER_02: So, like those first believers, may we return to our upper rooms, to the secret place, to places of prayer, to places of scripture reading, to places where God prepares us for his mission.
SPEAKER_02: Family, Judas chose his own way and it ended in a field of blood.
SPEAKER_02: Jesus walked the way of the cross and it opened the way to life.
SPEAKER_02: One died in shame, the other rose in victory, and now he calls us.
SPEAKER_02: Calls each one of us.
SPEAKER_02: Not to follow our feelings, but to follow his voice.
SPEAKER_02: Family, may the way KC be a people who are in one accord.
SPEAKER_02: We're gonna close.
SPEAKER_02: Um, Ashton's gonna sing a worship song, but I asked her to kind of give us some time just to pray.
SPEAKER_02: Just to spend some time in prayer.
SPEAKER_02: And my hope is that you're praying in one accord.
SPEAKER_02: That's my encouragement to you, is that we pray in one accord.
SPEAKER_02: What I'd ask is that you pray for our church, that we would be in one accord as a church family, that you pray for the global church, that we that globally we'll be in one accord, that the lost are found, and that we would seek first the kingdom of God.
SPEAKER_02: So go ahead and stand to your feet if you will.
SPEAKER_02: Stay seated if you might, and you can pray however you feel comfortable praying.
SPEAKER_02: Pray with a brother or sister around you, pray by yourself, pray out loud, pray quietly, whatever it is, that's fine.
SPEAKER_02: Um yeah.
SPEAKER_02: Heavenly Father, thank you for bringing us here today to sit under your word, to worship you, the living God, the God who asks us to be in one accord as a church family.
SPEAKER_02: We love you, we praise you, thank you for sending your son Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: It's in his name we pray.
SPEAKER_02: Amen.
SPEAKER_01: Thanks for listening.
SPEAKER_01: Join us Sundays at 10 30 a.m.
SPEAKER_01: in the Rosedale neighborhood of Kansas City.
SPEAKER_01: Or find us anytime at the wakeac.church.