Category: Books of Acts

Unleashed

Posted in Acts, attributes of God, Books of Acts, graceTagged , , , , , , Leave a comment

I had a dog as a boy. It was my job to take that dog for a walk. Actually, truth be told, the dog took me for walks. We lived near a large open space by a river, but I needed to keep the dog on a leash until we got to the space. Once we arrive, I would unleash the dog would bolt. It loved being free. Free to run unleashed and unhindered. The only trouble was trying to get my dog to go home. Have this story in mind as we come to today’s text.

The Book of Acts is amazing. Luke, the doctor, got and gathered all that we read. He lived and experienced much of it. Over the past year, we have learned about the early church, the spread of the gospel of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Each being unstoppable.

Today we arrive at Acts 20, which could be partnered with chapter 19 because of Paul’s travels to Ephesus. It begins with a really strange story where Paul preaches until midnight (possibly the longest sermon on record) and a young man named Eutychus gets super tired and falls out a window and dies. Do you know why his name was Eutychus? Because you Eutychus-sed too if you fell out a window. I know, right? I blame that joke on my wife. She’s hilarious.

Have you ever wondered why this story is in the Bible? Seriously. I’d like to think that Luke is pointing out one of Paul’s flaws or he’s being passive aggressive hinting at his long-windedness. Luke does seem to jab Paul for boring someone to death. Yet I don’t think the moral of this story is that if you fall asleep in church that God will strike you dead (I’m still here) nor is it a case for shorter sermons. Now don’t worry, I won’t preach until midnight. I might put myself to sleep. It’s what Paul does next that shows us the purpose of this story (v.10). Paul throws himself on the boy, hugs him, then tells the crowd, “It’s alright. There’s still life in him.” This strange story shows the power of God unleashed by raising a boy from death to life.

This should hit us today as it did them then. We live in a world where billions of people are uninterested in the truth. They are bored and spiritually fatigued. And we can become discouraged that no one wants to listen. Have there been times in your journey of faith when you felt that you lifeless? You felt bored? You were tired? Maybe you can relate to Eutychus. You’ve heard all this? You’ve been here? You’ve sat there? I don’t know if this was Eutychus, but it might be you. Like Paul in this story, has someone come alongside you? Taken you in their arms? Believed that there was life in you? If there was someone like that for you, would you take a moment to remember and thank the Lord for that person? [Take a moment] … Maybe you can think of someone that you need wrap your arms around and speak life into.

From here, Paul returns to Ephesus. What we see is a continuation of the Eutychus’ story. However, instead of one man, Paul will put his arms around an entire church and speak life into them. This will be his last visit to Ephesus. He will never see them again. These will be his final words to them in person. He wants to say the main thing that he wants them to remember it for the rest of their lives (Read vs.32-38).

In a sense, Paul with words throws himself on them. There is one word that he repeats over and over. Did you catch it? What was it? It was grace. Now grace is a stunning word. What is grace? It’s a word we love, but no matte our church background it is a word we just can’t quite wrap our minds around.This will be the focus of my message today…

  1. Unleashed Grace of God

“And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace”

Acts 20:32 (cf.v.24)

Paul wanted the church more than anything to remember the unleashed grace of God. It’s as if he says. “I want you to remember the gospel.” And I want to you to think about it too. Its bigness. Be wowed by it. Live in it. Breath it in. Relish in the inheritance you have in it. Remember that you were sinners saved by grace. That you were chained and unfree. That you were asleep and dead. Remember all that Jesus has done for you. That grace cost him his life. And Jesus threw himself on your body, he took you in his arms and said, “There is life in you!” And by his resurrection power, Jesus has raised you from dead to life.

As a parent, I’ve learn a little about grace. Mostly how little I give it. When my daughter’s disobey they have a consequence. I don’t like giving them consequences. Often I will give them an extra job like sweeping the porch or taking out the trash. Now if I were to step in during the consequence and say to my daughters, “Enough, let me take out the rest of the trash.” That would be mercy. Now if I were to step in and say, “Enough, let’s go get some ice cream.” That would be grace. It is undeserved. It’s unexpected. I admit that’s a weak example of grace. If God’s grace were ice cream you’d be swimming in an ocean of it and it’d be all your favorite flavors. Grace is more than ice cream as good as that sounds.

Paul echoes Acts 20:32 when he wrote the Ephesians years later. He said, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins…gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. …we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ…even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:1-5) Think about God’s grace. God unleashed to you an undeserved grace. It is good to remember it and commend it to others! [Reflect with someone: How have you see God’s grace unleashed this week?]

  1. Unleashed Grace through Generosity in You

What Paul says next is actually a bit surprising. He says, “I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Acts 2:33-35

Again, these are Paul’s last words to this church. He pours out his heart and says, “I have showed you my unleashed generosity.” Now this isn’t an isolated thought. This second thought is heavily connected to the first. If you know the gospel, that God unleashed his grace on you in Christ, then grace will be unleashed through generosity in you to others.

To help us understand this, Paul gives us two real-world application: First, we are all inclined to the hidden power of greed. Paul said, “I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold.” (v.33) It’s interesting that the last thing Paul says is a personal reflection and a warning to the church to watch out for greed. Would that be the last thing on your lips? It must mean that there are few subjects more important than or there are few problems bigger than greed.

No one thinks that greed is their problem. We can spot it in others, but not ourselves. Now Jesus addressed greed this way, “Where your treasure is there your heart will be also.” (Mt. 6:21) So, your money, your time, your talents, your treasures all reveal what’s really going on inside you. If you’re honest with yourself, you will find it is effortless and easy to spend on things that you think will save you or bring you significance or give you a sense of security.

Maybe it will help if I were honest with you. It is easy for me to spend money on books and glasses. I like books because I am hungry to be relevant, knowledgeable, or at least sound like it. I like glasses to look smart and fresh. My identity is somewhat wrapped up in this. Sadly and truthfully, my identity isn’t always wrapped up in what Jesus thinks of me or how I look to him. I can be greedy for approval, affirmation or acknowledgement. I have so much hidden greed. Can you relate? I can be like my dog on the leash choking instead of running in freedom.

What unleashes this freedom and causes us to run freely? Grace! If it weren’t for the Word of grace—the gospel—then God and his followers would be considered greedy or grouchy. Isn’t this what people sometimes think of God? Or Christians? That they are greedy and grouchy? Grace is the antidote to greed and grouchiness. If these are temptations for you, then consider fully God’s grace and generosity towards you. It’s a guaranteed remedy.

This leads us to the second real-world application that because of Christ’s grace we are conduits of the healing power of giving. Paul helps us to see this with the red-letter words of Jesus, who said, “It is more BLESSED to give than to receive.” (v.35) Do you believe what Jesus said? It isn’t clear where Jesus said this, but most scholars would say it is a paraphrase of Matthew 10:6-8, when Jesus said to his followers, “As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.”

Jesus not only said this, but he live it. He showed it. He himself was the greatest Giver. Jesus gave himself, so that you might receive life—eternal life. Jesus was rich, so that through his poverty you might become rich. He defined for us grace with skin on. It was through radical giving that He healed the world. He healed the sick and raised the dead to life to reverse the curse brought on us by sin. And every time you share the gospel or live out the gospel you become a conduit of Jesus’ blessing to the world.

Today, let God unleash his grace for you, in you, and through you. I commend you to the word of grace: If you know the gospel, that God unleashed his grace on you in Christ, then grace will be unleashed through generosity in you to others. [Reflect: Can you think of someone that you need wrap your arms around and speak life into?]

uncontainable

Posted in attributes of God, Books of Acts, UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

There are a lot of dangerous jobs in this world. My first job was at 14-years old and I cleaned carpets at elementary schools for the summer. It wasn’t dangerous other than the hot steam coming from the cleaning machine.

Investigative journalism is a dangerous job. The assignment will take a journalist into war zones and hotbeds to expose a crucial story the world needs to hear about. Often times these journalists are threatened, defamed, beaten, even killed for their stories. Like Marie Colvin an American journalist who for 25 years worked for the British newspaper The Sunday Times. She was one of the world’s leading war correspondents. She reported from war zones on 3 continents over the course of her career. Known for her bravery, she was blinded in one eye by an army rocket in Sri Lanka. She wore a trademark black eye-patch for the rest of her life. She was killed covering the siege of Homs during the Syrian Civil War in 2012.

Screen Shot 2020-01-13 at 6.43.38 AM

The Apostle Luke was an investigative journalist of sorts. He followed Jesus for 3-years and wrote about it in the Gospel that bears his name. Then he followed Paul and talked with eyewitness which he reported in the Book of Acts. It was these reports and his connection with Jesus that eventually got him killed.

Acts began with Jesus preparing to ascend to heaven and promising the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit came and empowered the Apostles. In Acts 3-4, Peter powerfully proclaimed the resurrection of Jesus and a beggar was miraculously healed. In Acts 5, the church begins to grow and spread despite obstacles.

Acts 6 concluded with Stephen, a glorified busboy (table waiter), accused of flipping the script on Moses and Temple-shaming (Personally, I think he shared how Jesus was greater than Moses and the Temple; 6:14-15). Stephen’s trial was like looking at Jesus’ trial in the mirror.

Screen Shot 2020-01-13 at 6.44.03 AMToday, we come to Acts 7. The chapter is Luke’s record of Stephen’s sermon before the Sanhedrin. It would be like preaching a sermon to 71 biblical scholars. No pressure, right? It was such a good sermon that he devoted an entire chapter to retell it. (And I have the task of giving a sermon on a sermon). Stephen’s sermon was simple, his source material was familiar, but the conclusion was sobering. So let’s hear Stephen’s sermon and may the Holy Spirit give us a radically different response than those who heard it the first time. (Read Acts 7:1-53)

Stephen’s sermon can be summed up two phrases: People will try to contain God, but God will not be contained. And if your God is uncontainable, then people will try to contain you. Or it could be summed in one word: UNCONTAINABLE.

1. People will try to contain God.

Screen Shot 2020-01-13 at 6.44.13 AMThere isn’t a person on this planet who hasn’t tried to contain God. You and I seek to contain God to at least three arenas—a place (a location, a land, a nation, a building), a possession (an image, an idol, a memory, an intellect), or a personality (love, goodness, grace, justice, wrath, etc.). all with the hope to explain God in a way that is understandable, definable, attainable, box-able and comfortable.

It doesn’t take long to realize that trying to contain God is like trying to contain the sky. It can’t be done. Although we know this and history tells us this, we still try and retry containing God.

Screen Shot 2020-01-13 at 6.44.42 AM
Left: Nike. Right: Nike in Athens

You might know the story of Nike was the goddess of victory. Nike was a goddess before she was a brand. In order to keep Nike, Athens cut her wings to keep her contained and controlled. Israel also had their turn by crafting God into a golden calf.

Stephen’s sermon wasn’t simply a history lesson. It was a lesson on the heart. Stephen got at the heart of every man. As Calvin said, “Our hearts are idol factories.” Stephen said the heart of the Sanhedrin was no different than their fathers (and that you are no different than your fathers). In what ways are you tempted to box up and contain God to a place, a possession or a personality? Think about it. You and I can be very creative.

2. God will not be contained.

Screen Shot 2020-01-13 at 6.44.54 AM

You may try to contain God, but he won’t be contained. God doesn’t fit a mold. He cannot be stuffed into a box. He bucks against boxes. Even the Book that describes him best, shares countless stories about his uncontainability.

Do you remember flannel graph? I didn’t grow up going to children’s Sunday School. So let me indulge by sharing Stephen’s sermon as a simple flannel graph lesson making up for my missed childhood.

Screen Shot 2020-01-13 at 6.45.15 AM

Stephen’s sermon covered 2,000 years of Jewish history all in the hope to prove that God could not and would not be contained. He used four major stories from the Bible (plus one if you take into account Jesus). It was like going to Sabbath School again for these 71 scholars:

1. Abraham (vs.1-9) — God appeared to Abraham, moved him, and blessed him. This is before there was a temple. Abraham didn’t need a temple to be close to God. God came close to him.

2. Joseph (vs.9-16) — Then God appeared to Joseph in dreams. Although, he was rejected by those closest to him, he became a ‘savior’ for them.

3. Moses (vs.17-43) — God appeared to Moses at the burning bush (again not limited a temple). Moses helped build the tabernacle. He was also rejected as a deliverer. With Moses, Stephen connected the dots for the Jews, “You have rejected Jesus, who was like Moses yet greater than him (and Moses spoke about), and you deny that Jesus has any right to be a ruler and a judge over you.”

4. David & Solomon (vs. 44-50) — God promised David a temple that his son Solomon built. Interestingly, God was the architect and engineer of this Temple. God ordered the supplies and didn’t spar any cost. It would have cost $220B (compared $1B to rebuild Notre Dame). God was worth the Temple, but he was worthy of much more. Solomon knew this and emphasized this in his prayer when dedicating the Temple, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27)

Stephen’s point was that you can try to contain God’s presence to a tabernacle or temple, but you still reject God and his special messengers. God was present in Jesus and you missed him. God is frisky and wild. He can’t be pinned down. God is unchangeable, unteachable, unlimited, and utterly uncontainable. Let that fill you with wonder and awe.

3. If your God is uncontainable, then people will try to contain you.

Screen Shot 2020-01-13 at 6.45.27 AM

Instead of wonder and awe, the Jews filled with rage. The Jews become like rabid wolves chopping down on Stephen. Rather than being convicted by his sermon, they were carnivorous. They gnashed their teeth and sought to give him hell. What was amazing is that Stephen was allowed to even speak a word or that he was given the time to share all of his sermon. It was certainly a grace of God that allowed him to finish it. But after he finished they contained him quickly (Acts 7:54-60).

It is not a coincidentally that Stephen’s story mirrors Jesus’ story. The Jews tried to contain Jesus and killed him, but the grave would not hold him. He burst out three days later in resurrection power. The Jesus story continued to spread through Stephen in a contagious missionary movement that is still spreading today.

Screen Shot 2020-01-13 at 6.45.36 AM

Acts 7 ends with Stephen stoned to death. That’s it. That’s all we have right now. (Until we read chapter 8.) As we continue to read through Acts, the fullness of the glory of Stephen’s death will be revealed. But what if all we knew was his death?  Can you still feel the weight of glory even without the rest of the story?

What do we learn from Stephen’s speech?

Stephen’s story reminds you to listen. May God give you ears to hear.

Stephen’s story causes you to relish in a God’s uncontainablity. Wonder and awe at him.

Stephen’s story calls attention to the scars you bear for following Jesus. Maybe like Marie Colvin or Stephen you have felt the stones of those trying to contain your God.

Stephen’s story encourages you to turn your gaze from the stones onto Jesus. May you not thrust Jesus aside nor ignore the threat he poses to your arenas of idols. Readily lay down your life for him as he did for you. You may not walk to the martyr’s stake, but you must walk in the Master’s steps.

wrecked

Posted in Acts, Books of Acts, counseling, faithTagged , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Shipwreck_sis_Fotor

wrecked: biblical truths to hold onto when life seems overwhelming

Remember summer vacations? What did you do as a child? I spent most of my summers in upper Wisconsin at my grandparents cozy cottage on Alma Lake. I loved it up there. The swims in the spring-fed lake were refreshing, fishing was superb, and fresh coniferous air was bountiful. Mmm, I can still taste dads north-woods fish fries.

There was one summer, I went fishing with dad. We puttered in our old aluminum fishing boat far from the cottage through a channel to a nearby lake. It was a beautiful day and the lake was so clear that it looked like a giant aquarium. I remember the fishing being great, however, in an instant, the situation changed. Winds picked up. Dark storm clouds rolled into sight over the tall pines. And a wall of rain was tromping it’s way across the lake.

We quickly picked up anchors, strapped on life jackets, and puttered as fast as we could back to the cottage. Our little 10hp Evinrude motor was no match for the storm. We were soon overtaken. The rain hit with a force that stung the skin. We had never seen bigger whitecap waves on this little lake as we did that day. Water from the rain and waves filled our boat and I was tasked with scooping out water because it was bogging down the boat. Needless to say we survived the storm, but we arrived to my grandparents cottage wetter than the fish we caught.

My boating story is minuscule compared to Luke’s masterful account of a storm on the Mediterranean Sea. Now, Luke is no sailor. He’s a doctor. Yet, in Acts 27. he describes with amazing accuracy the techniques used by sailors in his day to guard against shipwreck. Also, Luke weaves into the story biblical truths and themes repeated throughout the book of Acts. These are biblical truths to hold onto when life seems overwhelming. What do you do when life seems overwhelming? What truths do you hold onto?

1) GOD EMPOWERS THOSE WHO OBEY HIS SPIRIT (vs.1-20)

In the gospels, the disciples were weak and worthless, but in the book of Acts they became powerful and productive. How is that? The Holy Spirit empowered them. Power for life and ministry comes only through the Holy Spirit (vs.9-10). Real power belongs to God and is given by God. How is it that Paul perceived the voyage would be with injury and loss? The Spirit made Paul perceptive. It was already past the fast celebrating the Day of Atonement (September-October) and rarely did any ship sail between September and November because the sea was too dangerous and treacherous. Ironically, no one listened to the man empowered by the Holy Spirit and what happens is just as he said (vs.11-19).

There are two sure ways to to diminish the role of the Holy Spirit in your life and ministry. First, is to grieve the Holy Spirit (cf. Ephesians 4:30), wherein you do the things the Spirit doesn’t want you to do. Second, is to quench the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Thessalonians 6:19), wherein you don’t do the things the Spirit wants you to do. In either case, you decide to take the self-guided tour, ignore alarms to danger, and gravitate to your self-comforts when life seems overwhelming. Been there? Me too. It is a sure way to snuff out the power of the Holy Spirit.

On the other hand, there are many signs given in Scripture of a Spirited-empowered life. I will briefly give three. The first is comfort. In John 14:16, the Holy Spirit is our Helper and Comforter who promises never leave or abandon us. The Spirit helps us live free from fear, worry and anxiety. Second, is heeding caution. The Holy Spirit alarms us to danger. I don’t think He does it through hunches or fuzzy feelings, but through visible road blocks (Acts 16:7) and pure conviction. Third, a Spirit-empowered life walks with confidence. For we walk by faith not by sight. We believe God can be trusted. He is faithful. He comes through. He hears us. He is with us. And that gives confidence for life and ministry.

The question a Christ-followers doesn’t need to ask is, “Do I have the Holy Spirit?” The question I must ask is, “Does the Holy Spirit have me?” It is only the Holy Spirit who fills and empowers my life and ministry. Only He opens stubborn wills, awakens darkened hearts, and makes men alive with His Word. Without Him there is no hope (v.20). Without Him I am weak and worthless like Simon doing magic in my own power (cf. Acts 8), but with the Spirit I am powerful and productive even when everything around seems a wreck. God empowers those who walk with His Spirit.

2) GOD EMBOLDENS THOSE WHO BELIEVE HIS WORD (vs.21-26)

Paul’s ship incurred much injury and loss. It’s as if the storm spanked them. And while the situation has their attention Paul speaks with boldness (v.21), saying, “I told you so.” not to continue the spanking verbally, but rather to point them to his earlier words as being a prophetic warning from God (cf. v.10).

Like all spiritual fathers, Paul wisely mixes hard words with soft words and encourages the beaten and bruised words of hope (v.22-24 “take heart”). For that night, during the storm, Jesus came and assured Paul that the storm would not incur any loss of human life. He reminded Paul not to fear because he “will stand before Caesar,” which was a promise given by Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and confirmed by many others (cf. 9:15; 23:11). If God has said something nothing can deter it. It’s a sure thing. Nothing will make it untrue. Nothing can block His promises or plans. Not even the worst winter storm at sea or persecution on land will not stop Paul from getting to Rome. And God shows mercy to all on board because He has on mercy Paul. How do God’s words to Paul encourage you to “take heart” when life seems overwhelming?

Interestingly, when Paul speaks of God, he does not refer to Him as the Creator of heaven and earth, or the God of providence, or the God who rules over the wind and the waves. He refers to God to whom he belongs and serves. Paul considered his life as God’s possession. He is God’s bondservant (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:20; Romans 1:1). It didn’t take much convincing on the Damascus road and it emboldened him on route to Rome.

Paul, with boldness proclaims that what God has said will come to pass just as He has said (v.25-26; cf. Psalm 14:1). God is exact. He always hits the bullseye. Sometimes it is less difficult to believe in God than it is to believe in God’s says. This is especially true when you voyage through the valley of the shadow of death. Yet God’s Word is sure. Like Paul, let’s fix our eyes on the end goal. (cf. John 14:1-2) For Paul, the road that leads to Rome is the road that will lead Home.

3) GOD EXTRAORDINARILY PROVIDES FOR THOSE WHO SERVE HIM (vs.27-44)

We’ve come to the eye of the storm and it gets worse before it gets better. Almost like life, eh? Here’s what happens next: the soldiers cut the ropes to their only life boat (vs.27-32), the shipmen eat their last meal and dump the remaining wheat overboard (vs.33-38), then they throw the anchors into the sea in a last ditch effort to run the ship ashore (vs.39-44a).

In the midst of the chaos, when life seems overwhelming they are able to share in God’s provisions. They are encouraged by a meal and trust God for their next. And as God said, in the end, the soldiers spare the prisoners, and Paul and all 276 people survive the storm (v.44b; “…all were brought safely to…”; cf. 28:1). God provides and keeps His promises. Isn’t that all we need to know?

Do you reflect on God’s provisions? How God has brought you safely through? I have kept journals since I was 15 years old. Sometimes I read back a year or two and observe all that God has done through difficulties, disappointments, trials, hurts, struggles, hardships and wrecks.

  • 3.2.1996 – I lost my wallet with a newly acquired drivers license on a ski trip in Colorado. I found it later hallway sticking out of a snow bank. God provides.
  • 3.2.1999 – My beloved grandma Joan had recently passed away. I lived with her a lot while growing up. She left me enough money to pay for my college tuition for the next two semesters. God provides.
  • 3.2.2003 – I spoke to a group of teens in South Africa from Psalm 1. Later that night, a friend told me that one teen girl committed her live to Christ. Today she celebrates her 11th spiritual birthday. God’s provides.
  • 3.2.2004 – My aunt Karen overdoses on drugs and takes her life. My family is broken, but open and allows me to comfort them with the word of Christ at her memorial. God’s provides.
  • 3.2.2009 – Sarah and I fast from kissing during our engagement. Not easy. God provides.
  • 3.2.2014 – Learning Arabic in Chad. Following God to the ends of the earth. God provides.

God has brought me safely through. You too, I assume. May the words “brought safely through” be a banner of truth today and in the days to come. God extraordinarily provides. Paul later writes to the church at Corinth while in Rome, following the shipwreck,

“I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would but as a fool. Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that! But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.” (2 Corinthians 11:16-32)

Have you seen God empower you through His Spirit? Embolden you as you believe His Word? Seen Him extraordinarily provide for your needs? These are truths to hold onto when life seems overwhelming.

Communion Reflection: Remember what Paul did in the company of all the soldiers before they eat? He blessed the food and prayed (v.35). This is not the Lord’s Supper, but a simple meal prayer. Yet how is this similar to the meal Jesus shared with His disciples in the upper room? (cf. Luke 22:19-20) Jesus had the end goal in mind. It was His last meal before His death. In just a few short hours He would be wrecked, wrought, beaten and mocked, bearing the wrath of God in our stead. As we take communion, let’s celebrate with Paul a death march we’re all on keeping the end goal in mind.

Years ago, my wife, Sarah, wrote and sang this entitled, Shipwreck. It is so fitting to this text today. Listen and enjoy.

6 Essentials for Proclaiming the Gospel

Posted in Acts, attributes of God, Books of Acts, culture, evangelism, gospel, preachingTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

proclaim it

I have read dozens of books on evangelism. I have sat in conferences and seminary level courses on how to share my faith. I have equipped churchgoers with tools to present the good news to neighbors, strangers, and foreigners. On paper, I have a lot of knowledge and experience sharing the gospel, but in reality I still feel inadequate when it comes to personal evangelism.

I find the Book of Acts an indispensable and encouraging guide for proclaiming the gospel. It is heads above all other resources on evangelism available today. I am able learn all I need to know to share the gospel in the 21st Century by how 1st Century church did it. Acts is filled with case studies, one of which you and I will study together today. In this case study, I will share six essentials for proclaiming the gospel by plagiarizing another mans sermon, Paul’s sermon that is.

1) Stand in the midst the lost (Acts 17:22a)

Our text begins with “Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus,” literally it means “high place” and it rests above the city of Athens on top of Mars Mill. It was sort of a temple to the human brain, a forum for philosophical talks. Why would Paul stand in the middle of a crowd of philosophical eggheads? To understand Paul’s present situation you need to go back in Acts and hear the undergirding motivation for his trip to Athens (cf. 9:15; 16:10; 17:16ff). What you discover is that Paul has a deep rooted, God-given burden for people to hear the truth about Jesus. His burden for the lost leads him to stand in the midst of the lost.

You might ask, why doesn’t my heart beat for the lost, like Paul? Why do I struggle so much just to love my neighbor? Remember, a burden for the lost is birthed and nourished by the Spirit of God setting your heart blaze for the lost.

Charles Spurgeon said,

“The Holy Spirit will move them by first moving you. If you can rest without their being saved, they will rest, too. But if you are filled with an agony for them, if you cannot bear that they should be lost, you will soon find that they are uneasy, too. I hope you will get into such a state that you will dream about your child or your hearer perishing for lack of Christ, and start up at once and begin to cry, ‘God, give me converts or I die.’ Then you will have converts.”1

Undoubtedly, you have a burning passion for the gospel, however, one must never assume that just because one serves God as a career that you are actually living out the gospel or proclaiming it often and well. When was the last time you stood in the midst of the lost and spoke about Jesus? Does your heart ache for the lost? Will you die if God doesn’t give you converts? Stand among the lost.

2) Know the people to whom you are speaking (17:22b-23a)

Paul was in Athens, the seat of the worlds intelligentsia. It was home to philosophical legends like Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, and Zeno who have influenced human thought ever since. In Paul’s day, Athens was a city in philosophical flux, particularly between two parties of thought: the Epicureans (pleasure seeker) and Stoics (long-sufferer). Both quests for truth were polar opposite, and therefore, truth was thought of as unknowable, yet the people continued to spend their days talking about the newest philosophical fads at Areopagus (v.21). Athens was Starbucks on Steroids!

Paul knew the people to whom he is speaking because as he toured Athens he took good notes. He walked in the shadow of the Acropolis. He saw temples filled with a smorgasbord of gods. Upon invitation by the local philosophers, he said with kindness and clarity, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship…”

Are you a learner of people around you? What do you observe about their beliefs and culture that are different or even similar to yours? How would you describe their God? In their words and deeds, how do you see their beliefs lived out each week? How are they struggling? What questions are they asking? What do you observe?

Now you will never know another culture completely like you know your own, however if you walk around, sit with people, and ask questions you will learn a lot. Yesterday, I sat with a father who lost his 4-year old son through an unexpected accident. The boy who was sleeping on a mat when in the night a car backed over the boy crushing him to death. I regarded many men come to my neighbors mat, greet him politely, and then each guest proceed to repeat short prayers. I heard these prayers at least a dozen times within the 10-minutes that I sat with him. I was broken for him and the others who were praying. I perceived they are very religious.

3) Seize interest in the gospel by using common ground (17:23b)

Interestingly, Paul doesn’t rest with just learning about people and culture, he turns his observations into a provocative statement. Can you imagine ears perking up? Especially, as he says, “I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you…” Paul seizes their interest by using the one thing he has in common with the Athenians. What is their common ground? Worship. Paul sees at the heart of Athens is a quest to understand life, a desire to find meaning and significance, and a hunger to worship, even if they did not know exactly what it was they were worshiping. Isn’t that the quest of all men? People want to know what matters most. People want to worship something or someone bigger than them. Worship is at the heart of the matter.

Albert Einstein echoes this in his 1932 credo,

“The most beautiful and deepest experience a man can have is the sense of the mysterious. It is the underlying principle of religion as well as of all serious endeavour in art and science. He who never had this experience seems to me, if not dead, then at least blind. To sense that behind anything that can be experienced there is a something that our minds cannot grasp, whose beauty and sublimity reaches us only indirectly: this is religiousness. In this sense I am religious. To me it suffices to wonder at these secrets and to attempt humbly to grasp with my mind a mere image of the lofty structure of all there is.”2

A.W. Tozer clarifies Einstein’s words by saying,

“Worship is to feel in your heart and express in some appropriate manner a humbling but delightful sense of admiring and awe and astonished wonder and overpowering love in the presence of that most ancient Mystery, that Majesty which philosophers call the First Cause (the ultimate truth), but which we call Our Father Who Is in Heaven.”

Paul uses worship as a springboard to say, “This unknown God that you worship. Yeah, I know Him. And you can know Him too. This God you say you cannot know, in Him, I live, I move, I have my entire being.” It’s an audacious statement Paul makes and in a sense he says, “I know God, therefore, I know Ultimate Truth.” How is Paul so confident that God knowable? He met Him on the road to Damascus (cf. 9:5).

I find that the religious culture I live in can be accurately summed up by this phrase, “ignorantly worshipping an unknown God.” My heart is burdened when I see people praying to a God they do not believe is unknowable just to continue with religious traditions and expectations. My neighbor believes that if God wills he will go to paradise one day, but he will never really know the God that He is praying to, but I’m sure that he will always pray. A religious façade has become his god. The form of his worship becomes more important than the one he is worshiping.

Listen, if your faith is not rooted in Jesus Christ, you too are ignorantly worshiping an unknown God. If your daily life would go on as normal if God were no part of it, you are ignorantly worshiping an unknown God. When your devotion lies in the practices of your church or tradition rather than the person of Jesus Christ, you are ignorantly worshiping an unknown God. If your knowledge of how to worship exceeds your knowledge of who you are worshiping, you are ignorantly worshiping an unknown God. If the gospel ceased to be your sufficiency, dependency and satisfaction, you are ignorantly worshiping and unknown God.

4) Make sure your message is saturated in Scripture (17:24-29)

Have you noticed that Paul’s sermons are saturated with Scripture? What Paul understands it that the power in a message is always in the Spirit of God through the Scripture. Paul is not the authority, he has another authority. Scriptures are his authority. In short, Paul will use the Scripture to give the Athenians a crash course on God 101. And without a doubt, this is one on the most beautiful treatises on God in all of Scripture.

  • God is the omnipotent Creator (v.24a). Your world begins with God, not you.3
  • God is omnipresent (v.24b). You cannot limit or localize God. He doesn’t dwell in tiny hand-made shrines,4 He dwells in hearts.
  • God is completely self-sufficient (v.25). God doesn’t depend on us; we depend on God for everything.5 This is the most humbling verse in Scripture and a good verse to remember as you serve others.
  • God is sovereign sustainer and ruler (v.26). He is intimately involved within history and geography.6
  • God is a gracious pursuer (v.27; Romans 1:19-20). God has placed within each man a GPS (Godward Pursuit System), a homing beacon that is questing for the Most High.
  • God is a revealer (v.28a). God imprints Himself everywhere, even in secular poetry and art (creation and heart).
  • God is the life-giver (v.28b). God is the Father of all humanity.
  • God is eternally priceless (v.29; Romans 1:22-23). People make idols of God from precious things because they have a high view of God, but He is incomparable to any object or form.

Why does Paul give this treatise on God and His character? Remember, when Paul entered Athens, he was provoked within his spirit when he saw the city full of idols (v.16). He was deeply torn and his heart stirred because the God of Scripture is stirred by idolatry too. God is jealous and angered and does not share His glory with another. He is provoked to crush any substitute, “high place”, or Areopagus in this world and in your lives. God alone desires the high place because He is the Most High God. The Scripture says there is no adequate substitute for the living God.

5) Boldly proclaim the whole gospel: call for repentance (17:30-31a)

As Paul presents the living God to Athens, he doesn’t just say “Believe in Him.” Yes, belief in God is critically important, but it’s not the whole gospel. Many people believe in God, but it doesn’t change their life. That’s why Paul, like Jeremiah, walks into an idolatrous hot bed and proclaims, “Repent!” He says, “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom He has appointed.”

Who is “the man God has appointed to judge the world”? Jesus. Jesus is the blazing center of Paul’s gospel. Jesus is what makes the gospel shine. Athens could no longer claim ignorance or hide from the light. They were now cognizant of Christ, the Judge, and they stood before Him guilty and condemned (just as are those to whom you share the gospel). Yet Paul gave them a life-changing proposition: humble yourselves before Jesus and repent. If not, now, when? When Jesus judges you on the fixed and final day? It is better to face Jesus today as Savior than tomorrow as Judge.

6) Proclaim the gospel expectantly, but leave the results to God (17:31b-34)

Notice the different responses to the gospel? (vs.32-34) Not everybody responds with immediate repentance. Some doubt (mock), some wait to hear more, and some believe. We find out that at least two women were changed by the gospel, including a member of the Areopagus council. Even if no one believed, the mission to Athens wasn’t a failure. God be praised!

God calls us to proclaim the gospel (v.31b); he doesn’t call us to convert people. God holds us responsible for faithfulness; not fruitfulness. He calls us to scatter seeds, water and till peoples souls; not harvest them. Paul was simply a vehicle—a voice box of the truth. It took the Holy Spirit to convince people of that truth, it is the Spirit that opens eyes to have faith in His Son, like Lydia (cf.16:14). Conversion is the work of God and God alone. We can expect results in good faith. So let’s do God’s work in God’s way with God’s power and leave the results to Him.

In high school, I worked at Schmidt Sporting Goods. It was a great high school job. I got sweet deals on new shoes, Packer gear, and I got to watch sports while working. It was also a great opportunity to mingle with many unbelievers. During the evening shift the customer flow would slow and I’d have time to talk to other employees. Sometimes I wondered if I would ever see a breakthrough. No one ever came to church with me. No one repented and turned to Jesus. However, 10-years later, long after our days working together, I got an email from a fellow employee. He shared a story from that summer. He jump out of a boat into a murky lake. Unknowingly the water was shallow and he snapped his neck. As he lay in the hospital paralyzed he recalled our conversations at work, he also had another close friend who was shared the gospel with him regularly. He gave his life Christ that summer. The seed I planted, another watered and tilled, but God opened his eyes and produced a harvest.

You might not see the results of the gospel in your lifetime. Keep sharing. Continue praying. Never give up.