acts: worship equals power

8/2/2019 Acts: Worship Equals Power

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Acts: Worship equals Power

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Index

Introduction .. 4

Chapter 1: In Search of Security. 5

Scripture Reading: Acts 1:1-22Chapter 2: In Search of Power.. 7

Scripture Reading: Acts 2: 22-40Chapter 3: Facing the Truth . 9

Scripture Reading: Acts 3:6-26Chapter 4: Facing Opposition . 11

Scripture Reading: Acts 4:23-37Chapter 5: The Truth .. 13

Scripture Reading: Acts 5:1-19Chapter 6: The Cost . 15

Scripture Reading: Acts 6:1-15Chapter 8: The Move .. 17

Scripture Reading: Acts 8:2-26Chapter 9: Changing Views . 19

Scripture Reading: Acts 9:1-19Chapter 10: The First Big Test .. 21

Scripture Reading: Acts 10:1-23Chapter 10-2: Back to Basics . 23

Scripture Reading: Acts 10:1-24-48

Chapter 11: Challenging Traditions 25Scripture Reading: Acts 11:1- 18Chapter 11-2: Challenging Traditions ... 27

Scripture Reading: Acts 11:19- 30Chapter 12: Secret Escape ... 29

Scripture Reading: Acts 12:1- 19Chapter 13: False Power 31

Scripture Reading: Acts 13:6-12, 38-50Chapter 14: From Hero to Villain 33

Scripture Reading: Acts 14:1-22

Chapter 15: One in Spirit . 35Scripture Reading: Acts 15:1-32

Chapter 16: Confidence in Mission ... 37Scripture Reading: Acts 16:1-18

Chapter 16-2: The Price of Confidence in Mission 39Scripture Reading: Acts 16:19-40


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Chapter 17: Ignorance Follows Reason .. 41Scripture Reading: Acts 17:1-23

Chapter 17-2: Where is the God with No Name? .. 42Scripture Reading: Acts 17:24-34

Chapter 18: Nothing will Happen . 44

Scripture Reading: Acts 18:1-17Chapter 18-2: Doing it Right 46

Scripture Reading: Acts 18:18-28Chapter 19: Spirit Power. 48

Scripture Reading: Acts 19:1-20Chapter 20: Moving Forward.. 50

Scripture Reading: Acts 20:1-25Chapter 21: Following Your Heart. 52

Scripture Reading: Acts 21:19-39Chapter 22: God is not Exclusive . 54

Scripture Reading: Acts 22:20-30Chapter 23: Choosing the Right Argument 56

Scripture Reading: Acts 23:1-21Chapter 24: From Past to Present . . 58

Scripture Reading: Acts 24:1-26Chapter 25: Doing it Right . 60

Scripture Reading: Acts 25:7-27Chapter 26: Nothing is Stronger than Testimony. 62


Chapter 27: When No One wants to Listen .. 64Scripture Reading: Acts 27:27-44Chapter 28: Setting the Truth.. 66



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Introduction

I chose the book of Acts because it relates so much to where many churchesare today. The new church was in search of its own identity. Today manyChristians and Christian leaders search for the same power and identity.

When we read through Acts, we find that Pauls life was focused on onething. That was worship. It was through worship that he stayed on track.It was through worship, that Paul was able to make bold statements. It

was through worship that Paul experienced Gods power. His gifts werenot healing, or many of the other things he did. He was first andforemost focused on Jesus Christ.

Acts is about how God works when He is the focus of your worship. Toomany times we say He is, but in practice we focus on things of the world.Read these short sermons. Chapter 7 is missing. In actuality it is a

sermon of Pauls that I skipped over. On the other hand there are severalchapters with two sermons.

Enjoy the scripture and the commentary. I believe that God uses our wordsto touch others. Not all will appreciate them, but if God gave them theyare for a purpose.

These sermons were delivered in 2011. They were given in a series to asmall South Korean church, in English, with the Senior Pastor

translating.


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Chapter 1: In Search of Security


Acts is a book of endings and beginnings for the disciples. They had followed Jesus, believed in

Him, and then found out that He was human and then God as well. They had to face the ideathat Judas had betrayed them, and they were seen as rebels to the Romans.

They had to make new decisions as to what to do next. It is easy to follow the hero until the

hero is gone. Then you find who the true believers are.

In this study of Acts we will find new perspectives. I think that many Christians are in the same

boat. A person falls into some hardship goes to church and becomes a Christian. Everything

seems fine until the next problem and the God they thought cared doesnt seem to want to

help them. They get frustrated, even angry, and then discover God is not that far.

We find the disciples in the area between frustration and rediscovery of God. Jesus has left very

clear directions to stay in Jerusalem. They were not to scatter and go back to their old jobs, but

wait until they had received as sign.

You can maybe imagine the discussion while they are waiting. The questions of what they are

waiting for. What was the sign? How long should they wait? Then there was Judas and his

death. Should he be replaced, and by whom?

That the disciples had to wait for a few days tested their resolve to move to the next step in the

process of propagating the gospel to the world. They had to put aside their desires to follow the

command of their Lord. The instructions were made very clear. They were to wait and the Holy

Spirit would come with power, and they would be the witnesses of Christ to the world.

There is a lot of discussion about the filling of the Holy Spirit and the power associated with it.

For some you need to practice tongues as a show of the Holy Spirit because it was done here.

To others the idea of tongues is dangerous because Satan can imitate these as well and lead

new Christians into spiritual slavery.

These disciples had given up their lives to follow Jesus for at least three years. They had

witnessed the miracles first hand. They had witnessed the attitudes and teachings of Christ firsthand. They were given this opportunity to be the heralds of good news to a people who

desperately needed hope. But they were Jews and the propagation to the world created a

problem.


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The idea of Spirit filling comes from a life totally committed to Jesus Christ. Not understanding

how God works, but making Him the hope of everything we do. To have Him be the teacher

through a close walk with Him.

God is never far from us. We may think that God is far at times because we cant see Him

working in our struggles, but He is there. The key to the power of the Spirit is giving up ourdesires for His. God wants 100% of your life so He can fill it with a new power.

Patience is also a key. The disciples had to wait and let God come to them. So often we run

after God. We get tired trying to figure out how God will fix our problems. We become a people

without power. We get depressed because God has not come upon us like other people. God

does not treat us like a group. He did that in the Old Testament, using prophets and kings.

Today He has opened salvation to the each person. Each person is responsible and each person

can have the seal and power of the Holy Spirit.

Our problem is that we want the power so bad we miss it. We become impatient. If youremember the challenge I made to you. Write the times when God has demonstrated His

power in your life. As you list them and they become more frequent you will find that the

power of the Holy Spirit is there.

The miracles we have seen in different countries at different times have usually diminished in

time. Did the power go away or did we lose focus? I think it is our lack of focus. The last part of

these verses say that the people devoted themselves to prayer. It was here that Peter showed

his leadership gift. It was here that the power of God was being demonstrated.

We do not know when God is coming back, but He did promise He would. Until then we needthe Holy Spirit to empower us. We are the disciples of the living God. We are sealed with the

Holy Spirit and He desires to show the world His power through us.


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Chapter 2: In Search of Power

Scripture Reading: Acts 2: 22-40

It is easy to get distracted by the tongues issue in this chapter, but a tongue is not the issue

here. It was the sign that Jesus had promised them.

Imagine if it was a sign they had to struggle to figure out. Like who was going to be the next

apostle. If you look at the whole of scripture God is usually not secretive in His directions. God

is a powerful and living God. Being secretive does not fit His character. This was a turning point

in the life of His disciples. He needed then to be put on the right path. He wanted them to

understand that the power they had seen as not just for Jesus, but also for them.

In Peters sermon we can imagine that the other disciples were not giving a different sermon

but the sermon in different languages. God didnt need an interpreter or complex equipment.

God just needed obedient disciples.

As Peter traced the life of Christ back to David the awareness of the deception of the

Synagogue was easy to see. David was a king that the people respected and knew well. David

plays a part in most Christian centered religions. This connection was important. Many times

we talk to people about the gospel but never bother to connect with them.

Many times we shout the gospel and no one wants to listen and we get depressed.

We do it because we are told to go out into the world. But God didnt ask us to be stupid or

ignorant of the people around us. Peters sermon is about what all those who were there had

seen or heard. Then he connected the teachings of David to that truth. Was Peter smart, or a

trained preacher? Not at all! He was a good fisherman perhaps, and a committed follower. God

gave the words to speak and he spoke them.

We live in a culture that is focused on academics and money ignoring what God wants to tell us.

We want to shout the gospel our way and with our techniques. God is not tied to our

techniques or limitations, but God has given us the Holy Spirit.

In verse 38 we find how we get the Holy Spirit. This is often missed in our theological debates. I

have found so many Christians looking for the Holy Spirit. They spend so much time searching

and praying that they live a depressed Christian life. If you remember when Jesus was baptized

by John, the issue of baptism came to a head. Whose baptism was real? When we are baptized,

in the name of Jesus the Christ and Son of God, we receive the Holy Spirit. When we are

baptized to be on a church membership we feel committed to that church. When we are

baptized into the family of God we are sealed by God. The seal being the Holy Spirit.


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In verses 38 - 40 we have the simple sermon that was talked about. We read,

38 Let your hearts be changed, every one of you, and have baptism in the name of JesusChrist, for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will have the Holy Spirit given toyou.

39 For the word of God is for you and for your children and for all those who are far off,

even all those who may be marked out by the Lord our God.40 And with more such words he gave his witness, offering them salvation and saying,

Come out from this evil generation.

Let your hearts be changed. (2) Have the baptism of Jesus Christ. (3) Receive the Holy Spirit.

The offer of salvation that came with a change of heart and baptism, followed by the Holy

Spirit. The challenge was to come out of the evil generation. This is the hard part.

If we were to look at the church today we would find that in developed countries the church

has had their moment of Pentecost. They have had people come out and be changed through

the power of salvation and the Holy Spirit.

I write in the past tense, because we find the church today moving closer to the generation and

culture of the day than the power of the Holy Spirit.

I was asked if you could get salvation if you went to a specific church. My response was that

there is no salvation in any church. It is only through a relationship with Jesus Christ. There is no

money to be paid to a church that can give you the hope of salvation, nor the peace that the

hope will give you.

Our message to those around should be come out of this evil self centered generation. Acceptthe salvation, which is free, because of the sacrifice of Jesus, and live a life of freedom to serve

the true God.

So often we look at the academics not the spirit filled message. Our hearts and minds are

clouded because of things that are not based on the message of God, but our culture. Let us go

out today and speak the same message as Peter. It is a simple message, but not one that is easy

to do.


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Chapter 3: Facing the Truth


Have you ever tried to tell someone the real truth? Like they are not so good at their job, or

their assignment is not done well, or maybe their child is not as smart as they think he/ she is.

The reaction is usually not very positive. We all like to think we are the best at what we do. We

like to think our ideas are of high value. In many Christian circles the gospel message is more

about how much of a sinner the other person is.

Many people I meet think Christianity and church is just about money. Preachers want money

for new buildings and expanding programs. People get mixed messages from the church and its

leaders, but when you are sick and struggling to live you see people as having more than you.

Christian or not it is not relevant.

In acts the leaders wore nice clothes and showed their position. Peter and John were perhaps

not dressed so well, but the man they met had much less than they did. In our search for the

Holy Spirit, we argue about the right way to get it, and miss the truth about ourselves.

The truth is that we are all like the sick man in life. Sin has made people sick, and do what this

man does. Many people go every day to church to find their hope for their life. If we were to

read the verses just before the ones we read today we would find that the man had gone to the

Temple for years. He had begged and waited for the one moment when he could walk again.

3:2 And a certain man who from birth had had no power in his legs, was taken thereevery day, and put down at the door of the Temple which is named Beautiful, requesting

money from those who went into the Temple;

Peter and John then meet him. The disciples having nothing to give, and no power to heal

themselves, ask the man to focus on them. What a strange request. Almost a joke, but the man

had to obey. The man had to hope that it was not a trick, but that he would get a few coins in

his hand to keep his life going.

We find here something that many people miss. The people around us who want help, like this

man, are not ready to listen to the truth. The first truth that the man had to face was thedisciples had no money to give them. You can imagine the disappointment the man would have

had when he heard this, but the disciples had much more to give him.

They offered him a new life. A life that would bring back hope for a future with his family and

friends. A future to be like other people. A hope to have a job and function in society like other

people.


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The truth was Peter and John had nothing, but they did have the power of the Holy Spirit. We

often ignore this power because we are too busy arguing about how it works, or if the person is

qualified. In reality we must see the truth about who we are. We are nothing without the Holy

Spirit. We are just normal people. We do have the same power that Peter and John had. We

just dont use it.

The truth is that we are scared of others opinions of us. We often question Gods timing and

control of events when things happen to us. Think of this sick man. He must have asked what

he had done wrong to not have healing. Why his was life so hard?

The last truth faced in this story was that of the leaders of the Synagogue. Their reaction was to

question on whose authority was this healing done. They were the power people. Who had not

consulted them for approval? We find this today in our churches. How can other people do

things without asking permission? The church has lost power, not because the Holy Spirit has

lowered His power, but because we have put ourselves between God and man. God wants us to

be in between as conduits of His power.

The truth that had to be faced was the truth of ignorance of who God truly is and was.The fact was that the leaders had killed Jesus, who was God, and covered up the truth of

His resurrection. In fact the truth was that the leaders could not give salvation to any

person.

The truth that they were the inheritors of the truth, and knew the truth which they hadstudied from Moses, until the present day, but had kept the truth from the people so

they could keep the power.

The truth that Jesus was still waiting for them, and wanted to bless them. The truth thatthey could only access the power of God, through giving up their own rights. That was

the hardest one. They had to give up their right to power and accept Gods power.

It sounds so easy, but then what would we do if we couldnt control our life? We feel insecure

in ourselves, when the Holy Spirit offers us security from now to eternity.

The truth is we have the power, like the disciples. The problem is that we must give upour rights to our power so that we can be true conduits of Gods power. We have

nothing to give people, except the hope of salvation and the empowerment and healing

through the power of the Holy Spirit.


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Chapter 4: Facing Opposition


I have heard so many say that you need to become a Christian so you can let your sins go. You

can be free because Jesus said the truth will set you free. Then the person prays a prayer andlife gets worse. What happened to this idea of the Christian life being so happy?

In reality it is true. When you have God on your side, who can be against you? I think if we are

to read scripture we would find that there is a lot of opposition from the moment we choose

God. This story shows just how God handles it.

We read just before the verses today that these simple fishermen were full of the Holy Spirit,

and had an answer. In a world of academics we put God to second place very often. We rely on

our own response. In the sequence of this story we find the Apostles had an answer that

challenged the leader of the Synagogue, but did not make them too angry. It was a challenge totheir authority as leaders of the chosen people of Israel.

In the verses we read today we find the apostles are home and the first reaction is a prayer

meeting which resulted in a manifestation of Gods power. The result was preaching without

fear. In our culture, western or Korean, we find that the fear of preaching what God has told us

to preach overrules the power of God. I say this, because it is never easy to risk your job. But

the preaching was not done without a prayer for it. Many people pray for North Korea, but who

prays for our leaders?

Read this prayer carefully. We find that the people did not pray against the leaders directly. Thedo acknowledge the state of their nation, and their city. They prayed for fearless courage and

God gave it to them. It was the beginning of the church.

Their message was the witness that Jesus had returned from the grave. This is significant. There

is a lot of pressure to accept a mixture of teachings. Our culture wants it, and for many

churches it is one way to get new members. As we studied the names of God before we found

the nature of the Christian God is different. No other God interacts in a relationship as our God.

No other God can give life after death. This one point makes the Christian God different.

The problem is that there are too many different kinds of churches who call themselvesChristian. It is confusing but our message should be the same. That is the second problem. The

message is different. In the sermons of the apostles we find that the message was the same.

There are many people who criticize Billy Graham for meeting with other church leaders, but

his message never changed. The message is simple. It is so simple that it is hard to believe. We

make it fit our culture. In this early church culture they focused on the facts that the Jews did


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crucify Jesus, and that He did rise again. There was no doubt about that. They had all been

witness to those facts.

In todays world what are we a witness to? Jesus is not here in person like He was then. We are

witnesses to the fact of the power of the Holy Spirit. They know that when we plan a program,

when we preach or witness, that there will be opposition. We need to tell people that whenyou accept Jesus Christ you will perhaps have a lot of changes. This is because, like the apostles,

there will be opposition. We also need to teach them the prayer that the disciples prayed here.

It is a great prayer to fight against the opposition they face. It is a request for power and it was

not alone.

The Holy Spirit had given wisdom to respond, and then power to continue without fear after

release. It is this experience with God that will strengthen the Christian. All the theology in the

world cannot make a Christian as powerful as the Holy Spirits power.

Why do we get opposition? Is it because of the rules we make? Or is it because we speak thetruth of the gospel? The opposition came because the truth of the gospel is hard to respond to.

The Holy Spirit came and took away the fear as they preached the truth of the Church? No! The

gospel!

Lets proclaim the gospel to the world without fear.


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Chapter 5: The Truth


What an exciting story.

This happened before TV police shows, and the technique was even more devastating.

In todays culture we find that many people want to follow the original thinkers, the original

creators. Then they produce it at a cheaper price and quality, but it looks the same.

If you have read or remember our study of Gods names we found that God is ALL KNOWING.

He sees every secret we have, but we forget sometimes.

In these verses we find some things that are common today. The first is that we like to follow a

good thing. Imagine this new church, full of people who were poor and sick, while others hadmore than enough. We do not find a command to sell their land, or house. This is different

than today. Today churches often demand money for building projects, or expansion programs.

Here it was a simple support for the work. The awesome trust in the Apostles, who had done

miracles, was immense.

Then there were a few who wanted to get on the band wagon, as we would say in English.

These are people who come to church to show how important they are. They have money,

perhaps a good community position, or job. If you remember the story of Nicodemas, you find

that he struggled with following Jesus. He struggled because he wanted to follow, but he didnt

want to give up who he was.

Ananias and Sapphira were these kinds of people. They wanted to look like good Christians.

They wanted to follow, but couldnt do one simple thing. No one had asked or demanded them

to sell their land and give the money to the church. No one had demanded that they give all

their profit to the church. For other people it was spontaneous. For this couple it was a plan to

look good.

The idea that we can lie when we deal with God is not true. The purpose of the land sale was

for the Church. The price given to the Apostles was less than 100%. The end was death.

I have always taught that God wants 100% of you, and everything you have. We have today

many Christians thinking that we only need to give God 10%, and we keep 90%. That is not

what we find here. If what you do is for God. God will give you the power. God also wants the

glory.


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I remember when I struggled with the idea of giving. When we give some money, advice, or

something to someone we want a return. I call this a string. Giving with strings attached is very

stressful. This is not the way we should give to God.

Ananias and Sapphira were trying to give to God a little bit and say they had given it all. Now it

does not say this exactly here, but in most cases this is what happens. In the end this lie costAnanias his life and his wifes life, but it was God who took the life not the Apostles.

The second thing is that, there was fear. Imagine the power of the Apostles. People were both

amazed and frightened. The leaders were especially annoyed, but they could do nothing but

grumble.

I have taught that we can have this same peace, power, and confidence. We really can. The

Holy Spirit hasnt changed, but we are fearful of the grumbling and the jail time.

We dont see many of these revivals anymore. It is hard to find the mentors to take the time for

discipleship. It takes a lot of money. I think other religions do better than us Christians. They are

often more focused on their leader. They will give up their life for the cause.

There are many in our churches today, who are like Ananias and Sapphira. We put them in

leadership positions, because they should be wiser. The ones who show power often get left

behind. They are ignored.

In this new church, they needed to see the power. There was not space for selfish leadership.

The leadership changed as it grew and entered the other world, through the Apostle Paul. They

had their troubles.

The new church in the end became corrupt, as we read in revelation. The new church lost its

power. We pray for the power. We seek for the power. Perhaps we have lost the power

because we fear our culture.

Ananias and Sapphira lost their lives due to their lying to God. The same happened in the Old

Testament when they disobeyed the Prophet at Ai, and kept some of the gold jewelry.

What are we keeping from God? It wont stop the power of God to fulfill His purpose. It will

take away the power of God in our lives.


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Chapter 6: The Cost


What has your commitment to God and Jesus Christ cost you?

I do not mean what has making wrong choices, or being arrogant cost you. Often we get caught

up with the issues of our job and our emotions cost us. Our passion to follow, like Peter in the

garden, causes us to do things that we shouldnt do.

In this story, we find the ultimate cost some pay for their faith. Not every had to pay the price.

Stephen was one of the first. Other Apostles also had to die for their faith. We dont hear of

people dying for their faith often in our country. We do hear that in China that the people who

have church without State authority are imprisoned.

That is why I asked the first question. In the Evangelical Free Church, a denomination in the

West, the issue of freedom to choose Christian leaders cost many their jobs. They did

eventually win and have the freedom, so the issue in China is not new.

We do see something in this story that we do not find in many of our fights for religious

freedom. The first issue is that there seemed to be an imbalance of care, due to ethnically

differences. This happened in Africa during a drought. The issue of who would get food was

different between Muslims and Christians. Muslims cared only for Muslims, while Christians

gave to all.

This is the first issue we find in the early church. The imbalance came from a focus on the

teaching not the care. The teaching came from a history of Jesus was for Jews. This led to the

imbalance of care. This is also an issue that we have today. I have had people that wont care

for those who are not members of their church. We must remember that the issue of different

Churches has not come yet, but it did.

The second thing we find in this story is that the disciples didnt get more powerful, it was the

word of God became more powerful. The power of what they were saying became more

powerful. This is very important for us as leaders. Whose gospel are we preaching? Are we

preaching a gospel that is form God or a gospel that is from our culture or denomination?

For this church the gospel was simple and clear. It was bathed with prayer and the power of the

Spirit was always talked about. The focus is not on the disciples but on the power of the Holy

Spirit. In todays world this is so hard to balance. For leadership to not want attention is painful.

But this is what Christianity is all about. It is about doing things different. We have the power to

change peoples lives when we are channels of Holy Spirit power.


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This power does not come without a cost. When you function with the peace, power, and

confidence we find through a relationship with the Holy Spirit it will cost us. We read here that

there was growing antagonism against the disciples. It was not just about a few Apostles, but it

was against the disciples who were preaching. The Church was growing and the power of the

traditional leaders was being questioned.

The poison began to infect the whole of the nation. The leaders, like Judas, paid people to

gossip and lie about what was said. This is what we find is a problem today. There are an

increasing number of false teachers. They tell people a false truth. In chapter 7 we find that

Stephen defends the truth from their own scripture. Stephen preaches a history from the

knowledge that the people had already been taught. He used their arguments which made

them even angrier.

The amazing thing about the gospel is that it is truly the sword of the Lord. It cuts to the truth

without culture barriers. It cuts to the motives of the teaching. Stephen was not a Ph.D. in

Theology. He was not an experienced orator. But he was full of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit

can answer the challenges we face better than we can. He can make us shine. When we do it

from our academic cultural thinking, we find ourselves with more questions. Most of the time

we dont want to make people angry.

This is the problem. We are scared of the cost. We hate angry people. We hate people talking

bad about us. We fall into the trap that we need to have only positive. What we find here is

that it is the message that the leaders were upset with, not the disciples. It was the show of

power that came with the message that made them angry, because people were following.

What are we scared of; making people angry, a lower life style, rejection, or death?


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Chapter 8: The Move


If you remember the Church story there was a problem between Jews and Gentiles. I cant

imagine that the Jews, of which Jesus was one of, would want to share him with the world. Hewas their prize possession.

In this chapter we have a conflict between Gods purpose and the Jews. It was not a real

conflict, but rather a piece of the design that the new church had not seen.

The new church had the power of the Holy Spirit. What would we do in this situation? B I think

we would want to lift up the Apostles and protect them. If I was a Jew I would want to follow

them.

God, as we find here, is not a God who stands still. To have leaders who are full of Gods power

would make us want to build large churches around them.

But God had not sent His Son for the Jews. The Jews had rejected Him, but God still did not

leave them out. The power was first shown to the Jews. I think this is important. It is important

because though we find the power and focus changing, we dont see God ignoring the Jews for

Gentiles.

God does move. Gods desire is that ALL people have a clear choice, though as the church grew

the church had problems. We find God moving here in a way that probably would not have

been our first choice.

When we read Philips story God uses a person who knows Hebrew to meet a person who has a

Hebrew book, but cant read it. It is like me asking you to read a Korean book to me but not

understanding what you are staying.

We find here one other scenario. The man Simon. In todays world we find many Simons. The

gospel was being preached and the power of the Holy Spirit was doing miracles through the

Apostles. It was exciting.

Then we find Simon who wanted to profit from this power. He wanted to follow, but he

couldnt give up the profit potential. This is where we are in Korea. Christianity for profit.

That may sound a bit hard and strong, but that is what you hear today. Preachers getting rich,

or continuously asking for money. The Simons are asking how they can get the power and

increase their wealth.


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For many people Christianity is about following Christ through the teachings of the church. I

know pastors in the Canada who see themselves, not as servant so of God, though that is what

they preach, but as a job.

Christianity is not about making money. Being a church leader is not about getting rich, but

demonstrating the power of God, so people can worship the true God. It is about doing thingsdifferently.

In a world where money is #1, where do we find Gods power?

A Buddhist on the TV this week, in an interview, was asked about his definition of happiness.

After he had stated his definition, the interviewer asked about money. Money , he said, was

both good and bad but didnt bring happiness.

The contrast between the two stories and their results could be a good lesson for us.

Simon, wanted to know the secret so he could get the popularity and power that would bringhim in more money. The result was -- May your money come to destruction with you, because

you had the idea that what is freely given by God may be got for a price.

Philips story is at the end of the verses today. A person, who had chosen to follow God, and

was obedient to God. Philips choice was based, not on envy, but on a desire for relationship.

Philip did not choose to go to the desert. God chose him, God empowered him, and God

rewarded him. The result was a deeper and more powerful relationship with Philip and his God.

In todays world we face many issues, like this new church. God was moving, and the church

was not always ready to move with Him. They had to be wise when they encountered theSimons. They needed to be obedient even when what God asked them to go in directions that

they didnt understand.

God was expanding his kingdom. He was opening the salvation, once only for Israel, to the

world. He is doing the same today, but the time for His return is coming soon. As we wait we

dont see God work as He did here, but in the end times, God will once more demonstrate His

power. We have a choice of being a Simon or a Philip.


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Chapter 9: Changing Views


When we read these chapters we can find ourselves in the story. We dont see too many

Philips. He went to the desert just for one man. He also stopped the chariot with a stranger. It isalways amazing how God works, if we are obedient.

In this chapter we have Saul. Saul was a driven man. He thought he was doing what God had

wanted him to do. The Synagogue leaders wanted this new group of Christians stopped. The

power they had demonstrated had created a following. The following had made the attendance

and perhaps the money to diminish. People were starting to question their teachings.

As we saw in the last chapter, God had started to move people out of their comfort zones. The

gospel, open to the world, needed people to take it to the world, but most did not want to go.

Philip was the first to be chosen.

If you were a Christian with Saul coming for you, what would you do? Most of us would

probably hide. We would never see Gods plan to use Saul. This was the problem in this story.

God had a plan, but the Church could only see the persecution. It was Gods challenge to them.

They had been taught the truth from the Old Testament, and in a very traditional fashion.

As an English teacher, in South Korea, I have found this to be true in how people learn English.

People have been taught to memorize, not experience English. For the Jews it was the same.

Their experience with God was more a memorization of scripture, not a personal experience.

In Acts we find that God wants everyone to experience a relationship with Him. This was a big

struggle for some of the Apostles. It was especially hard to lead a church full of people who

were bound by traditions.

Saul would challenge the Church to look at their values and traditions. God needed someone

who was both Greek and Jew. God needed someone who was strong enough to lead. God

chose Saul, because he was the best for the job. Saul just needed a few adjustments.

First Saul needed to experience God. Many people come to me and ask about God. It is easy to

give them answers, but I like to end with, Ask God to show Himself to you. This is importantbecause when God demonstrates Himself to you, you will be changed. This is very important

when people become Christians. When people become Christians, there is not always a

dramatic change in personality, like in Sauls life. Rather, there is a change in values and

relationship.


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Paul did not change his enthusiasm or drive. He was still a strong minded person. He was still

stubborn. The difference was his perspective on life. He changed from pursuing Gods will to

letting Gods will pursue him.

This is quite significant. Significant because we do what Saul did before he met God. Saul was

controlled by his desire to please God and his synagogue leaders. Was God pleased or not wasnot the issue. When God and Saul met face to face there was a big change. The change was that

God became the center of his life, not the synagogue leaders. This should be the focus of our

church leadership today. To increase our membership is great. To increase the relationship our

members have with God is more important.

When Saul met Jesus on the road, it changed his life. He did not have the same experience as

the other Apostles. God does not work the same way with everyone. He is not a cookie cutter

God. To do Gods work he needed not to be humble but to less feared by the people he was

ministering to. His previous life was the stimulus to go. Paul escaped to the Gentiles. God used

his past life to help Paul stay on track. God used his eye problem to, not lessen the passion, but

as a reminder of where his power came from.

Depending on God is what God wants. God wants 100% of us. He wants to have the glory in

everything. Paul wasnt distracted because of his eye problem. He had a relationship with God

that grew in power and wisdom.

God doesnt want to take who we are out. He wants to balance and empower us.


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Chapter 10: The First Big Test


In this chapter we find two people from different worlds. Cornelius, who came from the high

ranks of the army, and Peter, who was an Apostle, and considered a leader of the Jewish

Christians. Cornelius was leader of a group who the Romans thought were against them. Peter

and the Apostles were jailed by the Romans.

This story is not about the people, but about how God works. In this situation God had

prepared Cornelius first. From a human perspective we normally look at things ahead. The

problem is that we dont see how God is working for us. We see only our limitations.

Cornelius was a good man. In our understanding of scripture he wants a Christian, but he

desired to know God. He was not a Jew but he gave to the poor. Many people give to the poor.

For some it is from a sense of responsibility. For others it is a sense of hope to have a future

after death. Cornelius did it because he wanted to please God.

This is so different from Sauls desire to please both the synagogue leaders and God at the

same time. But both Saul and Cornelius were people of power. God knew that to move the

Church forward he needed power people. People who had the passion to serve, not just for

power.

Cornelius and Peter, though both leaders, also came from opposite backgrounds. Peter the

traditional Jew and Cornelius supporting Rome against the Jews. It makes a great story.

What God does is the same for both. He gave each of them a dream. God could have sent a

person like he did with Saul, but chose to give each a dream. Cornelius didnt know who was

coming, while Peter knew he was going to a gentiles house. This would become a problem for

Peter.

The first big challenge came to Peter. Peter had to consider all the teachings from his childhood.

He had to rethink the idea of God he knew. The God Peter knew had a lot of rules and going to

a Gentiles house was breaking the rules.

This is where we find many Christians today. They live by rules they have been taught. It

doesnt mean that the rules are wrong. It means that our view of God needs to be challenged.

This challenge is the focus of this set of verses.

We find that Peter was not the initiator of this meeting. Though both men had been told the

same vision, Cornelius was the one who moved. He did not have the same problems as Peter,

but Peter was ready. God had prepared both the sender and the receiver.


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Often we dont obey God very fast because we dont see what God has done ahead of us. I

could never have imagined that I could have done what I have, when I first came to Korea.

What I have become is because God had prepared people in front of me. I didnt see it.

At the same time we also look back at where we were. We start wanting the things we left

behind. This is the biggest mistake. We will find Peter doing this. To look back and desire forthings when God has so much more planned for us. Why would we do that?

To Peter the vision maybe caused him great stress. Was God changing his mind? Was God

changing all the rules? Had Peter believed something wrong? Im sure the questions in Peters

mind were hard to understand. Then came the knock on the door. Peter was told not to doubt

by the Spirit. God knew that Peter would have doubts. It was not only Thomas that doubted.

This first challenge was hard. It challenged everything that Peter knew about God and His Laws.

The challenge that Peter had to face. Peter did go with the men to Cornelius. He took other

people, whom he trusted with him, as witnesses.

When God does things He wants the world to know what He does. For Peter, it was a matter of

knowing he was doing the right thing. He went with the men but with witnesses he could

defend what he did and what happened.

We are challenged today. Many Christians are searching for truth. The truth that gives us the

power and confidence, when God wants us to move.

We need to challenge our traditions. We need to challenge our teachings. We need to

challenge our view of God. God will accept the challenge and we will grow in our spiritual lives.

Challenging our view of God helps us see God in His fullness.

How big is our God? Is our view of God centered on tradition, scripture, or experience? Is God

trying to set us free to move the world around us?


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Chapter 10-2: Back to Basics

Scripture Reading: Acts 10:1-24-48

Having grown up with many denominations and religions, I find some basic things that many

miss when they preach the gospel. The problem with so many religions and denominations is

that we have a hard time finding the truth.

What is the truth? The truth was missed by the Jews. That is why Jesus was rejected. The truth

is that Jesus came to set us free. Free from the many stresses we carry every day. If we were to

cut all those things that cause us stress away, what would we do? We would feel lost a little bit.

To not have to worry about things makes people uncomfortable.

There is a new movie out that helps us understand how to apply Buddhist philosophy in our life.

They also seek the inner peace. Actually, they use the same ideas we find in the Bible. There is

only one difference. Their hope is built on the power of self. They understand the natural

power of self much more than most Christians understand the power of God.

When Peter comes into the house he lets people know the issues. Then he defends the issue by

saying that God had given him a vision, which was backed up by Cornelius. He didnt go into a

long defense, as found in Pauls writings.

Peter was not a lawyer like Paul. He was a simple fisherman, who Christ had found. He was

passionate and sensitive. His message was simple. In this situation he could have made a long

winded sermon in defense, but he didnt.

This is where we often get the stress. We get all excited and want to defend the truth. We want

to show that our God is bigger than the others. In reality we dont need to do that. In reality we

need to let God do the talking.

We found this when Stephen gave his sermon. We find this here as well. The message of the

gospel is so simple. Our theology often gets in the way of the power of God. Peter was stressed.

He knew that God had called him to Cornelius, but it was against all the rules for a Jew. He had

to let God do the talking through the power.

The message was clear and concise. Jesus functioned in the power of the Holy Spirit. He did

miracle that everyone knows about. We, as followers, are following his orders, and with the

same power. The order is to preach the message that, this Jesus was given the power over the

living and the dead. He did not remain dead but is alive. It is through His name that we have

forgiveness of sin, and freedom from the stress that it gives us.


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When we speak like this not everyone will speak in tongues. But when we speak this simple

message, not arguing about the fine tuning of it, we will discover that the power of God flows

through us. This is the key to the power of God in our message.

Too often we argue about whos right. Who can defend their faith better? Even when a false

teacher comes, we argue with them. We try to make them understand that there is only onetrue way. What speaks much better is the power demonstrated by God.

We cannot change peoples minds, but we try hard. You only have to look through the Bible to

find examples of this, Moses and Pharaoh being just one example.

We can, though, live to a different standard. We can live as people who do not need to seek

inner peace, but already have inner peace. We can live as people of power and confidence that

comes with the freedom that Jesus forgiveness offers.

How simple is our message today? Are we trying to prove that our God is bigger than the

others? Is this part of our stress?


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Chapter 11: Challenging Traditions

Scripture Reading: Acts 11:1- 18

When I look at our culture, both East and West, we tend to hold to tradition. This is not always

a bad idea. In fact it often keeps us from making wrong decisions.

Traditions are good things most of the time. They help us feel comfortable and safe, but they

do make change harder. God chose Peter and Paul to make the changes. Each of these was

stubborn. They had demonstrated a high level of passion. There could also be no other for the

job.

A Korean got angry with me when I told him I am the best. He thought I was just arrogant. At

the same time I wrote him something like this. If God called me to meet you I am the best for

the job He wants done. It is this idea that we find in the new church and its struggle for growth.

Stephen, Philip, Paul, and Peter all had one thing in common. They went outside the boundaries

of tradition. They all had been taught right, but God had called them to bigger things. God had

chosen them to be the changers.

When we read the reaction that Peter had, the first decision to bring witnesses seems very

smart. This is a good lesson to learn for us. Though we like to do things on our own at times, it

is important to have witnesses.

Jesus was a good example of this. He did nothing in secret, except pray. Today we pray in public

and do other things in secret. In ministry this is important to note.

Peter was called of God. He had a vision from God, but it wasnt enough for the local leaders.

Peter had gone against all the traditions that they held to.

If the story was to end here, we would ask what should we do? In many churches Peter would

be put out, or his leadership taken away. The risk that Peter had taken was great, but God had

been the initiator. He had witnesses to the story.

The result was not a change in tradition. The result was in glory being given to God.

I have said many times that God wants the glory in EVERYTHING. As God challenged the

leadership, He didnt change the rules for the Jews. This is where we often get into problems.

We change our traditions that God has given to us, because our culture wants us to.

We often hold tight to our traditions. Peter struggled with what he thought God had done.

What God wanted to do was to show that the gospel was not for the Jews, but for the world.


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God wanted to show that the Jews were still special. What God had said in Leviticus was still

true.

The reaction was exactly that. The leaders Peter returned to were, at first, negative. In the end

it was positive. Peter didnt have to change his beliefs system. Peter had to change his view of

how God works.

God wanted to give life, freedom, power, and confidence to both Jew and Gentile. He wanted

the Jews to know that the Law that was given was still there. God had not changed the rules,

but had expanded the opportunity.

It is at the end of these verses that we find the Jewish leaders finally understanding this

concept.

Today we are challenged by our culture to change. We are challenged to change our traditions.

We need to be careful not to change traditions because culture asks us. Rather we need to

change our views of how God works. God wants to offer salvation to all. We must challenge the

methods. God will always challenge our views and traditions, but He never changes the rules.

We need to respond with giving Him the glory, as other people get new life through the name

and blood of Jesus Christ.


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Chapter 11-2: Challenging Traditions


When I read these verses I am reminded of something I was taught when I was in sales. It was

the idea that everyone knows at least 250 people and they will tell some of them about you.The idea that everything we do impacts the people around us is often not thought about. We

think of how our actions affect us. We think of our actions in such small terms, whereas God

thinks of them in such big ones.

These verses start with people telling people. These were people who had stoned Stephen.

They were witnesses to the power of God. They spread the gospel to other areas, but they had

kept the gospel in the circle of Jews.

Then one of these far away people went to the Gentiles. Again we see the breaking of the

traditional mold, but not Gods original Law. The freedom that Paul speaks about in Galatians is

seen here.

This first city was Antioch. A mix of Jews and Gentiles, and also the heart of commerce. It was

the perfect place to start a work. There is a key factor here. Though Antioch was a good

business choice, to start a multi cultural work, the key is that the power of the Spirit, was with

them.

We also find another interesting idea here. Saul, if you remember was rejected by the church in

Jerusalem. Now they are looking for him. They sent Barnabas to Antioch. We find that the

message has changed a bit from the gospel to how to continue.

It is easy to stay true to God when you see the power of God at work. It is when we dont follow

the path God has that the growth is there, but the power is not. Barnabas went to find Saul.

Though he was from the Jerusalem Church, knew that Saul was called of God. Saul, called Paul,

did not go to Jerusalem because they had rejected him. This didnt stop Barnabas.

It was at this time that Saul was introduced to a wider audience. This leadership, which

Barnabas showed, is needed today. To search out those whom the traditional Church has

rejected to meet those to whom they can minister best to.

We find that Antioch was not just a city of commerce. It was a city which, like Pyoungtaek and

Anseung (South Korean cities), was a hub of multiculturalism. It was where the new church

would come from.

We like to think that Pentecost was where the church started, but in reality it was Antioch.

Antioch was not where the Holy Spirit came first, but it was where the Church finally realized

that the gospel was for the whole world. It was the city where both worlds came together in

harmony.


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If you remember that at Pentecost, the people came from all over, but they were all Jews. They

were there to perform a ritual of the Law. They discovered a God they had not known before.

Was it that God had changed?

No! It was that God had opened the door to more than the High Priest. He was now available to

the people. In Antioch a few of these people realized that the hope of the Jews was now the

hope for the world.

This new understanding created a new understanding of the support later when it was needed.

When we read these verses we discover that God had, not only a plan, but if the gospel had

stayed only with the Jews, or only in Jerusalem, the future would have been much different.

The Book of Acts is more than a book about the churches beginnings. It is an expose of how

God, the Christian God, has things in His control. God didnt change His view of the world, but

the world had to change their view of God.


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Chapter 12: Secret Escape


When I read Acts I find the Disciples a little unsure of what to do, many times, but God is always

sure of His purpose for them.

In this chapter we find the first persecution. It is perhaps hard to understand why, these

people, who did not pose a threat, were always blamed. The spread of the gospel was going

fast. The disciples were being put to death, and Peter was rescued.

If you remember later that Paul and Silas were also rescued from jail as well. God wanted to

show the Jews that they were not abandoned. They promised were still in force. Remember

that the gospel that the Jews thought was theirs was now open to the Gentiles.

One other amazing thing is that King Herod had set 4 armed men to guard Peter. This shows us

how powerful God is. The gospel was not only a message, but a message with power.

I question myself sometime about this. Growing up in the church, I have seen and heard many

gospel messages, but of all of them I have rarely seen a power that would create both fear and

confidence, like we find in this book.

Imagine what Peter was thinking. He was just another martyr for his faith. Arrested and jailed,

ready to die, he was not ready for the miracle he was about to be a part of. It was not a miracle,

but an answer to prayer.

Many of us have been the answer to prayers we do not know about. For my degree verification

I had written on Facebook, I have to let go and watch God. That doesnt mean that I have to

stop praying. Many people prayed, and I should receive the papers soon. No a jail break, but

the situation was beyond my control. God had to do what He does best. I had to believe I am

where God wants me.

Answers to prayer are not about one moment in time. They are about having the confidence

that you are where God wants you. It may not be easy. It may be very stressful, but it is the best

place to be.

Many of our Christian problems today are because we are where we want to be, but not

confident it is where God wants us to be. Peter was ready to die, but not ready for the miracle.

Even those who were praying were not expecting the answer they received.


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This is the second problem with Christians today. I stressed a bit when the plan I had with the

papers ran into problems. First the postal strike. Then the transcript was opened. Then the

transcript was incomplete. It seemed that the time to get all the problems answered was not

enough.

The plans we make are often very good. My plan was great, but God had a better plan. It wasnot the quickest way, like mine, but it guaranteed that the problem would not happen again.

We often look for quick fixes, rather than a fix that will last through the next storm.

The prayers of the church were answered, but the church was not expecting it. We often pray,

but we dont trust God will answer them, many times. This lack of confidence in our prayer

takes away from the confidence God desires in our lives, as Christians.

Peter did die later. He died a very violent death. We cant ignore Herod in this story. He was the

reason that Christians were dying. Today we have many nation leaders, who persecute or allow

the persecution of Christians. It is even happening in the USA.

If you read the Old Testament, God has made a warning not to harm His people. In the Old

Testament, they were the Jews. In the Book of Acts it was the Christians. It doesnt mean that

Christians wont face persecution. It means that those who choose to go against Gods chosen

people without reason, will also be punished.

The choices we have today are not very different from the Book of Acts. Perhaps the biggest

difference is that Christians have added to the simple gospel. We have more confidence in our

system that we do in the God we have chosen to serve.

Do we pray expecting? Or, like the church are we surprised when God answers in a miracle? Are

we ready to die with confidence for our faith, like Peter?


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Chapter 13: False Power

Scripture Reading: Acts 13:6-12, 38-50

We read two passages to help understand this chapter. In the beginning of this chapter we find

a person who was against the Christians. Elymus was working miracles, as a way to distract

the Christians. The response was blindness for awhile.

This is not the first time that someone had tried to have the same power as the disciples. There

was Simon before. And before that there was Pharaoh, from the Old Testament. People always

try to imitate the power of the true God.

I grew up with shamanism at my front door. It was always a struggle with the Africans, because

of the power it had.

But Elymus was not just someone who wanted power. He wanted to destroy the Church. He

wanted to influence people like Herod to persecute the church.

But God cannot be killed. Gods purpose cannot be stopped. Elymus was a challenge to God to

prove himself more powerful.

What would we do if we were the disciples? Would we be brave enough to announce blindness

to the shaman?

This is where we find ourselves today. The church is not a new institution today, but it faces the

same problems. We know about the shaman, but often do not think he is as powerful asbefore. In fact many Christians still go to the mudang for advice.

Our churches often follow people who are powerful in our culture. They may have degrees and

grow churches but they are distracting to the real power of God.

There are people who would also want the power of God not to be active, because it takes

away from their power.

For Elymus, it would seem that he wanted to gain favor in the eyes of the rulers. The lust for

power is what drove him. So different than the apostle Paul, who started out wanting to please

God, but chose to follow the wrong leaders.

The church now faced another problem. How to help people know the difference between the

two powers? If you were to see two people who seemed to do miracles, how would you know

which one was true? Would the Christians you know be able to tell the difference?


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These questions are what the Church faced. Their response was perhaps not what you would

expect. I say this because we are worried about hurting others feelings. We are scared of

criticism.

Criticism, when done right is a good thing, but most will not tell someone they will be blind, or

even die, for what they do.

Throughout the book of Acts we find the boldness to say things. They were bold to stand up

and be counted as Christians. We also see that each time God has changed the minds of those

in power, or the people.

This is what is different from what we see today. Christians confront those who oppose them,

but the result is division within the church, not an empowerment of community.

We cannot go back to the time of Acts. The Church has grown much larger. The problem is the

same. One thing we do not have today is leaders who face those who oppose them, with the

same result.

We live in a culture of desire for peace. We dont want to rock the boat, or address issues head

on. The question I have then is how can the power of God be demonstrated? It is almost like we

want God to do thing quietly. We are becoming comfortable in our Christianity. We are

becoming lukewarm, and the power of God is not seen as a challenge.

In the book of Acts the church was challenging their culture. This challenge was met with God

demonstrating His power, which in the end turned people to God.

We all desire power! It is a natural human desire. Imagine what God could do with that desire.But, when God controls the power, He gets the glory. This is where we miss the mark so often.

It is the hardest thing for us to understand and accept.

We see here that the power of God, as demonstrated by the disciples, did not result in the

disciples getting the credit or attention. Rather we read that the result was glory to God.

What about our desire? We desire Gods power, but do we let Him have the glory?


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Chapter 14: From Hero to Villain


I am always amazed at how easily we change our minds about someone. You would think that

Christians would be different, but that is not true. Today we find the Apostles change, fromheroes to villains, but where were the Christians?

As I talk with people about church and Christianity, I find that they talk about the things that

their pastor does, how nice a person he is, etc. But, if there is a small accusation that praise

changes so fast.

Christians should be different. Christians should be wiser, because we have an all-wise God. We

should be tougher, because we have a God who never changes.

In this story we find three things. The first is that when the truth is preached, in the power of

God, there is both a change, often revival, and a challenge to the leaders. The revival is great. I

know people who are praying for revival in Korea.

The second half is the challenge. The challenge to their authority and power, results in Church

leaders following the people, so they can keep their members happy. This is the disturbing part

of this story. In other chapters the religious leaders were the leaders against the Apostles. In

this story they joined the people who were without faith, wanting to stone the Apostles.

The problem with all revivals is follow-up. Revivals separate people into two very different

groups. Where we would normally see harmony, there is division. In praying and desiringrevival we will find this separation naturally. When God works Satan works harder.

In these verses we find that the people had spread the gospel to new places. Places where they

wanted to make Paul and Barnabas gods in their religious system, because of a miracle. If we

consider what we have said before, we will find that if this was to happen, God would not get

the glory. When God demonstrates His power, He wants the glory.

The danger we find today, is that we want the security of position and power, more than the

power of God. This is where we find the church as it grows. It is also a part of Church growth

that we put aside. When the church grows, how to keep the divisions from happening is a greatchallenge.

The second danger is the influence from those who have entered from outside. The plan to

stone the Apostles was not successful in Iconium. Instead they followed the Apostles and

influenced the people to stone them in Lystra.


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The Apostles went from being heroes to villains. Heroes to the people, because their lives were

empowered and changed. Villains, because this life changing empowerment took the focus

away from the leaders, and focused it on God.

Imagine the idea that the people were turned against the Apostles in Iconium and Lystra. They

even stoned Paul, but they returned to them.

Logic would say that if the people change their minds so fast, perhaps it may be not be safe to

return so soon. Send other people, who can do it. But, evangelism is not only about revival, it is

about teaching to be strong. How not to be so changeable. How to be wiser?

In our prayers we often want revival, so we have to ask ourselves, what makes us so

changeable. The people were empowered, but changed their minds, so why go back to them?

We find the gospel went to other cities because of their empowerment. We also find that the

Apostles could not escape their opposition.

We like to feel safe and secure. We follow those who give us security. Imagine if the Apostles

did the same. Their security was in the POWER of GOD. Then returned to those who had

wanted to stone them to disciple them. Would we have done the same?

When we read this, our culture would say, Move on! Why go back? When we are secure in

our relationship with God, doing things which seem to be against culture can be the best.

Are we secure in the Power of God, or in our leaders, Church, job, family, etc?


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Chapter 15: One in Spirit


I read an article about Islamists making cities in Europe Muslim only. Actually they make parts

of the city closed to westerners, and the police do not go there except in emergencies.

It is not shocking, if you look at the powerless church we have today. It is not shocking when

you consider that God is setting the world up for His return. The question I have to ask is

Where are the Christians? This is not only in Europe but it is coming to America. I have said

regularly that Christians need to be a counter-culture, but the Islamists have beaten us to it.

The Islamists are doing what, the Pharisees and other leaders in the synagogue, are doing here.

They are imposing a religious Law onto the people which is not for other people. The Laws they

are using are not even Islamic, but an interpretation of a group of teachers.

Where I come from the arguments of what is Christian and what is not rage on. It can split

families, and churches. I have asked before, What is the purpose of Church, or Christianity? It

is to worship God. It is to give God the glory for His work. Why then is religion and Christianity

so hard?

If you remember that Christ told His disciples that He wanted to make the burden light not

heavy. We find in these verses the precise reason. The Law, as found in the Old Testament, was

hard. Any time the people did not conform they had to sacrifice. They had to work hard, like

slaves, to their God, in return God gave them victory and blessings.

In the New Testament we find that, though Christ had already set them free with His blood, the

bondage was still in effect.

The challenge to the leaders was, Why do you put God to the test by adding things which are

not in the Law? In a changing culture, the Laws were being redefined. They were added to

bring them into equal value of the original Law.

But this was not what Jesus wanted. He wanted them to understand the purpose of the Law,

not as a yoke and burden, but as a guide to access the POWER. The gospel is simple. The Law is

not hard. That is what makes Christianity so different from other religions and faiths. It is

possibly why so many Christians have no power. It is too easy.

The second issue we find here is that Gentiles need to conform to Jewish ideals to have

salvation. This has been an ongoing struggle. Today, even Christians fight over which rules are

right to secure salvation, or gain access to the power.


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This fighting has allowed Satan to push forward with false religions. The Church has become

almost powerless. The Law is still powerful and in effect. What we find there is to understand

that we are saved by the grace of God, not by works of the Law. That has not changed. The

principal of the Law has not changed. The Ten Commandments have not changed. So how

should we live if the Law is not the same?

As written here, we should stay pure in our relationship with Christ. We should not put things in

our life which distract us from that relationship. Sound so simple. The idea God wanted was for

His creation to be One in the Spirit. Not burdened by the Law on one side. Not burdened by the

culture changes that were coming to the new church.

When we are one with God, we are one in the Spirit with all Christians. We are not working to

gain anything from God. God has promised to bless us if we keep focused on Him. God doesnt

demand any more than that. Only we demand that.

When I was in Seminary I was always told to be concerned about what people thought of me.

My appearance, etc. was important. It is important.

What is more important is why we do it. If we do it to please people, or to please God. When

we live in the power of God, we react differently. We do not have to burden others with our

weaknesses, or problems living the Law. Rather the Law will be the reason we can come

alongside each other, in our struggle, experiencing the power of God together.


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Chapter 16: Confidence in Mission


If you look around you today, you will find many people who just do not know which direction

to take in their lives. Yet, there are other people who are very confident in where they aregoing.

When I was young, I needed someone like Paul. I had people who prayed for me every day. I

had people who wanted me to do things for them, ignoring who I was and the struggles I had.

The story of Paul and Timothy is a great story of what Christian leadership is about. This story is

also about how we should react when our plans do not come through.

A person misses their plane, and the plane crashes. A flat tire causes stress and delay when you

are on a tight schedule, only to discover that something tragic happened and you were saved.

We focus most of our attention on the relationship of Paul and Timothy. Today we want to put

these two ideas together.

I have told my son the way God works in my life in Korea. It is so different than in Canada. There

is a difference here than in Canada. I am older, that is true, but I would see myself as Saul,

driven by the desire to do Gods work. Now, I didnt kill Christians, like Saul, but I did make a lot

of mistakes. The world was not ready for me, just like the Jerusalem Church was not ready for

Paul.

In these verses today we find God changing lives, as the Apostles moved through the differentareas. The expansion of the Church was fast. Then there was a road block. A change!

What do we do in this situation? Do we stop! Do we try and pray it through! Or do we change

directions and keep going?

Most of us will not get a vision like Paul, and if we did we would take a long time to make sure it

was of God. What we find in Pauls life is his relationship was God was one of confidence.

Though Im sure there were conflicts and distractions, he was focused on God and His power.

If you had this attitude today, many people would think you were arrogant. On the other hand

if Gods power follows you, people will never question your ideas.

Pauls confidence was because of Gods demonstration of power. Pauls confidence came

because he obeyed God. It sounds so simple, but the two cannot be separate.


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Paul chose a young boy to mentor. Timothy was not an aggressive person. He seems timid and

shy. Quite opposite to Paul! A challenge to Pauls way, but a demonstration of Gods way in

leadership.

At the end of these verses we find a girl with demons. What she said was great. Who wouldnt

want someone helping you in the ministry, letting people know who you were? I think many ofus would consider this a plus, when we enter a new ministry.

Pastor Hwang, who is trying to minister to the mostly Muslim workers here. If one of them

would tell the others he was from the true God, he would see great things in his ministry.

But this was not what Paul needed. Paul, following Gods leading, had an audience already

waiting for him. His reaction to cast the demons out was to give freedom to the girl, not shut

her up.

At the same time her owners, who had made money from her, now could not make a profit.

This is where we often see the problem today. We are too scared of making others angry that

the power of ministry becomes impotent.

We do not set people free, but rather enslave them again. Not all of us can be Pauls. Not all of

us can be bold. There is no history which shows Timothy was like Paul. But we need more Pauls

in our Churches. We need more people to stand and be bold so that Gods power can once

again empower His Church, in Korea. We, ourselves, need to be obedient and not always try to

push through, but continue to focus on the people God has called us to.


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Chapter 16-2: The Price of Confidence in Mission


When I look at these Apostles, I wonder what we would have done. Accused falsely, beat with a

whip, and put in a dungeon, I think most of us would just cry.

I would seriously think about whether Christianity was worth it. But when we look at the world

around us, we find that people are suffering. The story, in the verses today, show us why

Christianity is worth more than other religions. We have a living God, who has power over

everything.

Imagine singing in jail. The focus of our story is not the beating and the hard times. Too often

we look at the hard times in our life and dwell on them versus living above them. Paul and Silas

show us how to live with our hardships, not without them.

How many times do we pray for less hardship? Paul and Silas functioned above it. God was their

only focus. It does remind me of the commitment my forefathers had to for Christ. Missionaries

who sacrificed everything for Christ!

Sometimes we fail to see the big picture. We dont see God for who he is or what He can do?

Paul could not have seen the jailer, as Christian material. The jailer was just doing his job. His

attitude came because he needed to be tough. God saw the inside of the jailer. He knew what

the jailer needed to make the change.

What do we know about our neighbors? We live in a world that has so many false truths. What

is true? What is false? People dont like to show who they really are. In our jobs we cant be

weak. In our family it is hard to show insecurity.

God is the only truth that is real. In the Apostles world it was the same.

What happens when we rise above our circumstances? We are empowered. As Paul and Silas

sing to the other people in jail, God acts. Our first response would be to get out of jail, and

forget about the others. What really happened was the jail was the safest place for them. They

were in the deepest part of the jail. The most secure. The earthquake was enough to set them

free, but why run? Running just confirmed the accusers attitude. Running made them fugitives.

Staying gave integrity. Staying allowed them to not only to minister to the jailer, but to achieve

Gods greater goal of adding to His kingdom.


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To Paul and Silas the beatings, jail time, and hardship were the price of ministry. It was the price

of their commitment to God. You dont find them running, or scared, even in the earthquake,

because their confidence was in God. Their confidence got them into trouble. Their confidence

saved the jailer from a sure death, by the Romans. Their confidence brought integrity so that

they could lead other prisoners from escape.

Confidence is a great thing. Today there are many people proud to hold on to traditions. They

are proud that they do not conform to this world, hold to scripture, and do things for salvation.

Their confidence is in the Law of Moses, not in a relationship with God. When this happens it

becomes not confidence but pride. Just like the accusers that followed Paul. Did he teach

against the Law? No! Did he teach against tradition? No! He taught a simple gospel that said a

relationship with the true God was the only hope of salvation.

Where is your confidence today? I think we have confidence in God in times when our life is

good. It is when our lives have hardship that we can test whether ours is true confidence or

pride in our obedience to the Law.


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Chapter 17: Ignorance Follows Reason


What do you see when you look around you in Korea?

I ask this question because at the end of these verses we find that Paul sees something.

Something that he saw as a opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

If you remember before Paul had circumcised Timothy to appease the Jews in the Church.

Timothy was half Jew so it was not a new question. Now Paul is speaking to a church of both

Jews and Gentiles. The problem between those two groups is that the Jews blamed the

Gentiles for Jesus death.

This was a tough issue, and even today people argue about this. Paul makes it very clear that

Jesus had to die. Jesus did not have a choice. Where would we be if Jesus had not died? Toargue about who killed Jesus is really not the issue. Jesus had predicted that He would die. He

also said He would rise again. To rise again meant that He, Jesus, could give us life.

He alone has broken the chains of death. There is no other god, religion, or leader who has

done this.

When you preach these things you will find that people want to argue about other issues. In

fact our churches argue about so many things, that we have lost power. We have leaders in our

churches, who do what the Jews did here. The Jews wanted to keep the argument of who killed

Jesus alive. They needed to argue because it gave them a purpose to keep separate. It kept the

Jewish people in the synagogue under their power.

What Paul was saying caused people to question their interpretation of the Law. Questions not

answered makes people want to go a different direction. We find here that the leaders did not

want to know the truth, they wanted power over people.


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Chapter 17-2: Where is the God with No Name?


This is a great sermon. What an opportunity. Remember last week I said that Paul took the

opportunity to preach the gospel. In these verses, Paul starts with who God is. I think asChristians and Christian leaders we have demoted this argument. What I am saying is that our

God does not belong in a building called a Church.

This idea must have seemed strange to both the Jews and Gentiles. God to the Jews lived in the

Tabernacle, or synagogue. God to the Gentiles lived in statues they could see. This God with no

name could not be placed in a monument or building, even though he was the Lord of them all.

We live in a world when Christians wear symbols to show they are Christians. This is nice and

the jewelry is beautiful, but it doesnt make us a Christian. It doesnt mean anything, when it

comes to our relationship with God.

These verses also tell us about Gods purpose for all people. Last week I referred to the idea

that we were made in Gods image. We desire to know the true God because He is not just an

ancestor but our Creator.

For Koreans and many other nations, making statues of ancestors is common. We keep pictures

in our houses to remember them by. This is not wrong. What is wrong is when we worship

these icons, when we give God equal status to them.

Gods power does not live in a picture, a body, or a grave. God is EVERYWHERE. We search for

Him and often cannot find Him. The good luck things we keep are nice, but what would happenif we understood God as bigger than a good luck charm?

God has given us everything, but we cant find it? Have you ever thought of why?

The people who came to Mars Hill came to give money and food to the gods. They thought they

could protect them. Today I find people stressed if they leave their prayer beads behind, or

something similar. They need it for protection on a trip.

Christians have their gods, but they are not stone carvings. We feel secure in our job. We feel

secure when we are healthy. We only feel secure if we go to church, etc. We see God as a

person who rewards us for doing things.

What Paul is saying here is that this that we cannot give God anything, which is not already His.

God does not need our gifts. God does not need us for anything. What God wants is a

relationship with us.


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God wants us to discover Him. He wants us to have a living relationship with Him, because He is

living. Gods sign to the world is the resurrection. Why do we look for more signs that He

acts: worship equals power

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