"Who's In Charge Here? Rules. Acts 15:1-29

It seems to be a reality of life and ministry: Things are going very well. Changed lives are showing themselves as being on the right road. Ministry is happening, in that there are open doors and people are coming to understand the Light of the Gospel... Then, stuff hits the fan!

It is called LIFE but still can get you down. You are doing the best you feel you can do yet life seems to unravel around you and you feel all so alone. Does this happen to you?

Pain and discouragement run in your face. Sleep gets interrupted. Relationships are strained. There seems to be “a dark cloud” following you and you can't give it the slip. You become aware of distention around you. Rebellion.

In our passage today, such a thing is happening to the early Church. There was opposition but it was from the pagan world and that is to be expected. People in Derbe and other placed stoned Paul. There is anger expressed toward the Gospel and they are reminded, as we are, that

“We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22.

But what we are finding here in Chapter 15 is a pain from another source. From within the Body.

ILL: You have had some pain in the foot for a while. It started sometime last month-can't be sure when-you are now aware of the pain. It seems to be located around the big toe. You decide to look into the situation but you really will put it off until last night. Once you take off your socks, you see that it is much worst than you first thought. The big tow is red-black really. There are signs of deep infection under the big toe nail. The ingrown nail is now black and you can see some white of infection. What do you do? Put your sock back on and hope it goes away by the morning.

Well, that is exactly what you did but now, Sunday Morning, it really hurts and you notice that there is a little red line moving up beyond your ankle and on it's way to your knee. What to do? You had better deal with it but you don't have time. You really don't want to be late to service so you put your loose shoes on and walk out the door. On your way to ICCS, someone on the train accidentally steps on your sick toe and you are in pain!

This is exactly NOT what the early leaders of the Church did when this problem came up. They addressed it right away. They went to the authority and asked them for help and for clarification. It was becoming a disturbance to the Body. People's lives were being shaken.

You can hear some singing Frank Sinatra's Song: “I did it my way.” Here is the problem. Some believing people from Jerusalem came out from the main church and started to speak out without the backing of the leaders of the main church still in Jerusalem and teaching with the 'sound' of authority that people needed to come to Christ their way. They were more than suggesting that the new Gentile believers were not real believers UNTIL they followed the Jewish laws to the last jot and tittle.

(See Matt 5:18 The meaning of the passage is very clear. Not even the smallest letter or even its decorative spur will ever disappear from the "God Breathed" Word until all is fulfilled. In fact when heaven and earth are replaced by a new heaven and earth, the Word of the Lord will have accomplished its purpose and will be fulfilled in every detail even to the very letter. http://www.bible-history.com)

They would insist that the new Believers become Jews first and THEN they could grow in the Faith. It is like, me as a missionary from the US, insisting that all Japanese believers MUST speak English and take on American names and follow the American Church calendar if they are to grow in the Faith. How strange is that? Not to strange as many have tried and done just that. Wrongly, yet did it.

So these people from the main church told people that they needed to become Jewish men by being circumcised--, according to the custom taught by Moses, or they could not be saved - This was thrown right into the face of Peter and Paul and still after what had happened back in Acts 10 with the Gentile Believer Cornelius and the others who followed.

This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with these false teachers. All that Paul and Barnabas had done and with all they had seen and taught, still there were people out there who were not to affected by the Truth of experience or reality or the Word of God! These new teachings were suggesting-not really saying outright-that the Gentiles could not experience real joy now nor could they enjoy the Joy of God in eternity-and no forgiveness because they were not keeping the Jewish laws in the here and now. Had there been a mistake? Had the gentile Believers not understood the REAL message?

The local Churches north of Jerusalem took this one on! They brought some of their own men together and sent them with the appointment of Paul and Barnabas to go up to the leaders of the Church and find out how to deal with this problem. The infected toe was going to be dealt with!

Again, these men came from the main church and taught which sounded like the voice of the main church and 'shared' this teaching that really put the Gentile Believers and Jewish believers into a tailspin. They spoke like they had authority but they did not. In fact, this one issue and one's like it has been the pain of many groups ever since.

1. Who is in charge here?
2. Who is the one with Authority?
3. Who's word can be trusted?

Authority and rebellion has left its mark and it's effect on church groups thorough history.

And it goes way back. Take Moses and one man named Korah. A long story but to keep it short, Korah felt that Moses was not the only one God could speak thru, so he got some men to go along with him and they had a show down. Not like the old west with a shoot out but a show down nonetheless. Here on one side was Moses and his brother Aaron and on the other Korah, Dathan and Abiran. See this in Numbers 16:1~. Look what happened! The earth opened up and took those who were against God's men into an early grave. All of them. The New Testament lesson: You shall know them by their fruit.

Let's look at verse 8: 8

"God, who knows the heart..."

And at Acts 1:24

Then they prayed, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen..."

This is the only place such words appear in the Scriptures. The Knowing-Heart! To know this is to understand the way of a Sovereign Lord. Do you know that He knows your Heart? Do you care? Do you know that even though He does know you, He still loves you as much as He loves the ones who were spreading the faults teaching? Love the sinner; hate the sin. Can we understand that? Can we practice that?!

How about people in the world that make us angry? The terrorist? The one who plots to kill innocent people-men and women-boys or little girls-make no difference to them. Do you have a love for them? Believe God Does!

Are there people in history that had done bad things to your ancestors and now become the focal point of some real personal anger on your part? What place does that have in our lives? I suggest that the Gospel can touch those areas and bring healing. His Word deals with the innermost parts of man. Anger and hostile feelings are at the root of rebellion and rebellion never come to any good. Deal with it. Pray right now. You may need to deal with it but you may not want to. Deal with those areas right now.

Once Peter and his group got to the first all-Church council-ever, he speaks out of his heart and out of his own experiences. Read with me starting with verse 7 with this quote of Peter. What does he mean? He was the one who was going to bring the Message of Salvation to the Gentiles. God made the choice. Peter was the ONE!

Verse 8: God knows the heart-we already looked at that verse. God knows and has accepted them by giving them the same Holy Spirit. Not a Spirit for the Jews who need laws and needs to be kept in bondage to the law and another Spirit to those outside the Faith. One Spirit and one Body. God had made no distinction between them and anyone else, for he purified their hearts by faith.

Same Blood from the same Cross from the Same Savior. He died for those who were from a Jewish background and He died for them who were from a Gentile heritage. That is the package called the Gospel. Good News for all people!

After this exchange by Peter, see what affect it had on the group. Verse 12

The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.

Why?

When God tells us His Story, we are to be still! What can we add to His perfect ways? How can we turn people's heads with anything less than His Wondrous works in our lives? When we tell of His changes in our lives, we are not bragging. We are reporting what He has done. He has done ALL things well! ALL THE TIME! Him working IN ME!

Now, action was needed. James, who is the head of the Church, spoke up. "Brothers, listen to me." This shows that he had power in the group. It looks like his word stands out over the rest by his statement. And what does he say: He calls Peter his old name of Simon and relates how God first worked in the hearts of non-Jews. He calls to mind an Old Testament passage from Amos and Isaiah of the rebuilding of His family. His way. His timing. Via His People/Church. The Church is His Avenue of Grace to the world.

James also says that they should not make things hard on the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20

Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.

Just hold to four things. To abstain from food that had been polluted by idols would mean meats offered to idols, as it would be known that the foods were used in some form of worship.

While in Osaka a number of summers ago, I visited one of my teachers in her home stay house. Her caregivers were not believers in the Lord. It was a very hot day and the Lady of the house offered half of a cold melon and offered the other half to the photo of her departed husband. She left the room and I ate the wonderful melon. Looking at the other half, I wondered what to do: should I replace my empty melon with the cold half at the family alter? No, this verse came to mind.

Secondly, keep from fornication (sexual immorality). This would mean ALL sorts of unclean behavior, such as adultery, incestuous relations, any form of prostitution-which was common among the Gentile idol worship. This would also cover porno and any immorality of any kind.

Thirdly, things that are strangled. This was also a practice of the pagan temples, to strangle the animal in a cruel method in order to keep the blood inside the animal as it was thought to taste better that way. Cruel method.

Lastly, the dealing of blood. Genesis 9:4

"But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it."

Some basic things. This was not really dealing with the dangerous issues these zealous Judaizers had been spreading. This letter caused each person to see that the main thing God was interested in was how we walk. What we do in the society. What we do with our relationships. How we conduct ourselves in our worship. Were we really acting like Children of God under Grace? Transformational.

Looking at this another way, we need to ask ourselves, what cultural dos and don'ts have we added to the Gospel as condition for fellowship or for belonging? Are we asking the other person to conform to our image of God? Or are we conforming to the Biblical image of God? The Biblical image of worship? (We are made in His likeness.)

A good litmus test for the presence of the saving grace of God in our hearts is whether there is an overflow of JOY at the news that another has found the Savior. Not, “oh, you need to get cut.” That is the appropriate response to people of any cultural group that come into Salvation. JOY!

These, so-called spokespersons for the main church, were insisting on circumcision and living under the Jewish law that was so very hard even for them. Misery loves company, I guess. That was putting God to the test. Their views were that the true test of spirituality was external. Paul sure understood that as he was one of their more verbal supporters until God showed him the better way. By using the experiences and the realities of what happened to the Gentiles, the early church better understood that it is through the Grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they were. Salvation is a Gift. Pure and simple.

The 61st chaplain of the US Senate, and the one time Senior Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Hollywood, California, Dr. Lloyd John Ogilvie once said:

“The struggle for faith alone never ends. It's a part of our own inability to accept a gift. And deeper than that: we want to be loved because of what we do for God.”

So we live with guilt that we aren't good enough/do enough/or feel accepted by His Perfect standard. But the Truth be known, we are loved! We have become good enough IN JESUS. He has done all that was necessary for us to be called Children of God-under His Grace. And indeed, His Love accepts us. We are prized and highly esteemed in His sight.

Colossians 1:21-23 says:

“21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now He has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation- 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the Gospel. This is the Gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant."

Like the hearers of this letter, we need to be glad with the Good News that we do not need to be burdened with anything beyond following His Teaching. How we live our life comes down to this! What we do as we walk around in this world-or attitudes-our talk-our practices-all are connected to the Gift our Lord gave to us when He went to the Cross on our behalf.

He died for us. Took our punishment. We were the ones who were guilt of sin and filled with corruption. We deserved death but He, in His Splendid Mercy gave us Grace.

The closer we get to Him the more of His Grace we can experience and know. We do not need to be like the ones who spoke out of cultural bondage-nothing can be added to the Gospel. We need only follow the Teachings of our Lord and watch how we walk. Not as the world walks.

1 John 1:5-7 says:

“This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the Light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the Blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all (every) sin.”

The ongoing role of the Church is to do just what Judas and Silas were doing; encouraging and strengthening its members. Let US do that with all of you. Let us pray for you. Talk with you. Listen to you. Teaching and instructing ourselves under the Authority of God's Word. Check out the Bible yourself and see if we are doing the job aright as we teach and preach the Word of God as we look to the next 17 years and beyond.

And may the God of ALL Mercy fill your hearts with His Joy as you seek ways to serve Him without condemnation!

To Derbe and Beyond! 2.11 Acts 14:21-28

“To Infinity and Beyond!” was the famous line from the “Toy Story” movie. While that line was entertaining, the real toys could not really go anywhere. They were limited to the power in their batteries and yet, they started to do incredible acts of heroism. Saving other toys from destruction, from being locked up in a Toy collection forever or from being blown up or pulled apart by a neighborhood boy-bully.

Within this passage, To Derbe and Beyond! , we will be looking at what a church planter can look forward to as they move the Gospel around their area. What are they to teach? They too were limited to the power of their battery. Yet, they will be doing incredible acts of evangelism because of the indwelling Power of God's Spirit. Let's stand up to give Honor to the reading of the Word of God.

(Please Read Acts 14:21-28)

A while ago, I made mention that: "A religious faith is always one generation from extinction." How do we pass on the Gospel within our own families? How can we guard our Faith from extinction? Does it matter what that Faith is based on? Whether in a busy European city or on a calm South Pacific Ocean atoll, we must be on our guard to falsehood and cultish teaching. How do you know the difference? As we mentioned before from

1 Peter 5:8

“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

First, we must really know what we believe. Last week, we recited the Apostle's Creed before we took the Bread and Juice of Communion. I asked: “Believer, what do you believe?”

A while ago, a struggling believer once said…
“Though I am an old Doctor of Divinity, to this day I have not got beyond the children's learning-the Ten Commandments, the (Creed), and the Lord's Prayer; and these I understand not so well as I should, though I study them daily, praying with my son John and my daughter Magdalen.” -Martin Luther wrote that in his Table-Talk. This speaks of family time sharing and praying with and for the family!

Let's start there: The Creed was used to teach and remind believers to ready them for Baptism and for life.

1. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth: Basic statement of who is our God. The God of Genesis with the creation of all that we know to be around us and a lot that is around us we haven't got a clue about! We are defining our central control and central Being of our Faith. I believe in God, the Lord and Creator of all that is.
He is ALMIGHTY!

2. And in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord: I also believe in His Son, known in history as Jesus of Nazareth. This One is the only begotten of the Father. No one uses that term any more so a definition is needed. From an old English word- Beget. But what I feel shows us a better meaning is that Jesus is and has been Eternally one with the Father yet was born as a human in Bethlehem. This Son was the Son of the God of Creation we first encounter in the beginning of this creed. He is the One Dr. Luke wrote about in his Gospel and in the book of Acts-so that we might believe in Him. Read Luke 1:3-4.

He had no beginning-He always was and IS and Forever more will be. He co-exist with the Father-part of the Triune God. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary: This is how Jesus came to become human. He was fully human and still Divinely One with the Father. The FACT that Mary was a virgin is a very hotly contested issue and one that needs to be understood fully. IF this one area falls from a person's belief system, it undercuts the Truth of Jesus' Miracle birth. The communist government of a nation to our west is printing Bibles with at least this one fact missing from it's pages. It is to undercut this miracle birth of Jesus so that in years to come few would know of the Truth. They print that she was only a young woman or girl. It is important to KNOW that the OT predicted that a young VIRGIN would give birth to the Promised One. Jesus' deity somewhat rests on this!

4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: The suffering of the Savior was one of the misunderstandings during the years right around Jesus' life and ministry and a few years beyond. They were looking for a military leader who would crush Roman rule and restore the Throne of David in Israel. By using the Roman name of Pilate, it gives the sense of when this happened. A part of real history. It also shows us HOW Jesus was to die, also something that was foretold many years before. That He indeed died-not fell asleep-or change into another body of one who looked like Jesus, or disappeared, but really died. Over 5,000 saw Him alive after the resurrection. This would tell those who follow this testimony how and when Jesus was killed.

He descended into hell: Well, to tell the truth, this was added later to this creed and many of the early copies of the creed did not include this. It became entwined with a difficult teaching of where did Jesus 'really' go during those three days. Some later teaching was that He went to speak with the dead Father's of the Hebrew Tribe and released them from whatever held them back from entering Heaven. Some taught that Jesus went into a limbo state where souls could still make the choice to follow or not follow Jesus. This would allow for a 'second chance' theory that Scripture just does not support. We have placed that line in light print only to recognize that it was in some of the creeds but not the one we hold to or repeat.

5. The third day he rose again from the dead: This was one of the main central teachings of Paul and the early teachers of the Faith. Unless He really did not raise from the dead then our faith and all we hold dear to our salvation is foolishness. He rose from the dead to prove that He did indeed have the Power He said He had over Death and Sin. The early Believes' cry:

He is Risen! He is Risen, indeed!

-would be the central teaching that would keep Christianity different from any world faith/religion. Our God is Alive!

6. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty: The bodily ascension or raising of Jesus physically was also predicted by the Prophets as to a proof of Who He really was. He would also return that same way as the angles said He would in Acts 1. He was not a spirit but the real Body of Jesus.

7. From thence (from there) He shall come to judge the quick (living) and the dead: The Promise of His return floods the NT. He will return to earth to call His Church to Himself and to bring final judgment on the world. He will return from Heaven to the earth to set up His Forever Kingdom. The judgment of God will happen at the end of time!

8. I believe in the Holy Ghost: The Third Person of the God Head. We do not believe in three Gods, nor do we believe that one is separate from the other. The God Head is Three in One. While the word Trinity does not explicitly appear in the New Testament, its basis however is established by the New Testament: The coming of Jesus Christ and the presumed presence and power of God among them had implications for the early Christians.

"The Holy Spirit, who's coming was connected with the celebration of the Pentecost. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were associated in such New Testament passages as the Great Commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19); and in the apostolic benediction: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14)."-

Taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

9. I believe in the holy catholic church: Meaning the Church universal and not the one Roman Catholic church based in Rome. Belief of the Body of Christ around the world is tied to yourself in purpose and message to reach the world with the Message of the Gospel of Jesus' Salvation.

the communion of saints: We are surrounded by such a cloud of witnesses as we find in Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

10. The forgiveness of sins: This is what Jesus accomplished on the Cross; He died for our sins and paid the only price that would cover our disobedience of God's Laws and commands. His Blood cleanses us from all sin.

11. The resurrection of the body: The goal of our walk, to be raised into life from our death and to be forever with the Lord.

12. And the life everlasting. The final resting place of all who believe. Life that will be everlasting in the presence of our God and Father, His Son and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen. The end or I agree.
__________
Here we have Paul returning to the very places he had faced some very hard times. People who wanted him dead, yet he returned to: 22

strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith.

The teaching was strongly based on staying with the Gospel-even in tough times.

"We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said.

During these visits of undetermined time, he goal was to set up a church government that would work on it's own, as it were, to bring the teaching in line with what the Council back at the Mother Church in Antioch had taught.

Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for each church and supported them and in truth gave birth to them with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
To me, this is very telling of the need to belong to a local Body of believers. We are to function as one in conduct and belief and in the society we live in. We are answerable to one another with certain guidelines that are there to build us up in the faith. These whom Paul and Barnabas were setting up in the office of elder were therefore responsible for the well being of the local church and accountable to the Mother Church in Antioch.

Along with their setting up the church, the preaching of the Gospel was still their bread and butter, as it were. The mainstay of the message was the Gospel. And when it was shared, spoken, preached, there were results: 21

They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples.

And in verse 25

and when they had preached the word in Perga,

Making their way back home, they returned to the place were it all started. The place where they were set apart to the ministry of the Gospel by the laying on of hands after a time/period of prayer and fasting. To where they had been committed to the Grace of God for the work they had now completed.

All this was the Work of God's Spirit! The Spirit of God used willing men to bring His Great Message of Salvation to the Gentile world and even some Jews believed along the way.
Now, they gathered the local church together and had a mission's conference. They reported what had happened. They told stories of how the Spirit of God had moved them from city to city. They showed their scars and told of the beatings. All this without a Power Point! Their power point was the Working of God in the loves of those who heard and believed because they went in obedience to the call. They spoke of how the Power of God had opened the door of Faith to the Gentiles.

If we are to reach the 170,000+ people in Tokorozawa for Christ, we need to go. We need to reach out into their lives. Take some risks and talk of the Power of God. Take the Power for Living booklets and the Gideon Bibles to those who are called to believe. Do you know who they are? No, and neither did Paul and Barnabas. They just went with the Power of God on them and they spoke of a changed life and they gave witness of that changed life by their lifestyle.
Just like what we are to do here in our city. To ready them to hear the Good news, we need to be sure we have prayer support for such an adventure. After they prayed and fasted, they sent out the group to evangelize the area for Christ. Are you going to be part of the problem or part of the solution? With Christ on our side, we can make a huge difference in this city of Tokorozawa. We can join with other pastors and their communities and work hand in hand with them to be a front line of Christ's Men and Women who are walking in obedience with God's call to love those who need to know.

And it will take time. Stay around, if you can. Verse 28 said that too! 28

And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.

Next Sunday is our THIRD Sunday of the month. This means we will be having a great time after the service with our monthly Covered Dish Love Feast. Pleace bring some food to share and enjoy a meal with your friends at ICCS. Right after the service.

The Witness in Lystra Part 2: Acts 14:8-20

When it comes to moving into a completely non-Jewish city, Lystra seemed to be the place. In fact, at that time, it might have been one of the most pagan areas around that region.

Lystra was a fortified Roman outpost just south of Iconium, which was about 18 miles away. Paul and company had been encouraged to leave Iconium (via a possible stoning) so he started speaking in Lystra. There was no mention of there being a synagogue in this city. (Later in Acts, we find that there were Jewish believers there.) Before, Paul had been invited to speak in the Jewish service but not here in Lystra. No, he just started to speak to the crowds.

This passage first deals with the man who was lame.

8 In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking.

I am sure that such people as this cripple are found in most cities but this is the second big time such a person is found in the letter of Dr. Luke. Back when Peter and John were central to the message's proclamation, a lame man was sitting outside the gate to the Temple. He was looking for handouts or money. There was no proclamation of any Gospel-at that time, just: “What I have I give to you, in the Name of Jesus Christ, walk!”

Do you remember what happened? He not only got up, he danced! God's message was heard and understood and some people really hated to see that happen. BUT there was an understanding. Let's not get ahead of the story.

Paul, while he was speaking, saw or understood that the man, who was crippled, had the faith to be healed. That is some interesting bit of news…

1. God's Power Shown. Acts 14:8~10

While the man was listening to Paul, faith grew inside him. He was given Faith to believe and this was visually apparent to Paul. He saw that he had faith to be healed … What kind of faith was that?

Last week, we spoke of the man with the son who needed faith to support his little faith. Mark 9:20-25 “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

Now here, Paul sees a new kind of faith. Visible Faith. It was seen in his eyes? Did his face shine? Was he was breaking out in words on his forehead that said: “I have faith to be healed!”?

All it said in this passage was that:

Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10 and called out, "Stand up on your feet!" At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

Paul KNEW where this man was spiritually, one way or the other. He had a faith that could heal him. Romans 10:13 says: "Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved." This lame man's faith was not a salvation kind of saving faith. It was physical. Yet, I can't believe that the man did not believe, as he became the topic of the drama that came up soon thereafter.

What kind of Faith do you have? Faith that needs help: an overcoming-your-unbelief-kind-of-a-faith! Or do you have a heart that can be seen as ready for faith to be healed?

Many are ill and sick at ICCS. It says in the Word that we are to pray for those who are sick, lay hands on them and anoint them with oil and ask God to heal them; to ask for forgiveness and confess our sins to one another. Here was a man who Paul saw that he had faith to be healed. Do you have that kind of faith? Do you need help in your unbelief that God can do a healing in your life?

What will it take to believe God for a healing? Are miraculous healings ALWAYS a sign of God's blessings? Is it the way to approach a non-Jewish/Christian worldview? Being called “Power evangelism” such a case could be understood and followed. Such acts of Divine Power would certainly be seen and understood by a pagan world as being divine. Or would they? That is the 'stuff' of our next point of being misunderstood.

Some say that “Rarely was church growth attributed to preaching alone…signs and wonders were the catalyst to evangelism.” John Wimber on church growth in 1986. Others would limit the use of signs and wonders to only the age of the apostles. I wonder. How can we limit God's Hand? Can He not do what He wants or does He need our permission to do what come divinely natural for Him; healing and creation?

As we spoke last week, when the Power of the Gospel is present, THERE is the working of God's creative power. The lady who touched Jesus' robe was healed because she touched a powerful robe or because she had the faith to believe in touching the robe, Jesus could and would heal her? She had visible faith as well.

The important item to remember is for healings of this kind to happen, the Gospel ALWAYS needs to be present and as the focal point of the work of God. God's Power to Save goes hand and hand with the Gospel to be made whole. Not all touches need to be healed but the Gospel will not return void. The Gospel will glorify God.

2. Power Misunderstood: Acts14:11-13

Well, the man was healed. He was sure happy. The crowd around Paul and Barnabas went crazy! And they went crazy in their own language!

Something was going on that the Team did not follow. I am sure this has never happened to you. The 'group' you are with speaks another language and you do not speak that language. They decide to go or do something and they begin to act on that decision. You are cut off from any understanding. They are really excited about this new plan yet you cannot find a clue what they are talking about! Some get their coats, while others do something else. All this excitement about something yet no one has told you. They are just caught up in the excitement and of course they feel you will follow and understand the whole thing.

There is both a total excitement and a total lack of understanding. They do not comprehend at all!
And you are left in the dark.
Then, they get you to stand up and give a message on the excitement they are all experiencing. You are lost.

Think how these men felt! The lame man needs an other name now that he is dancing around the streets! There is excitement! There is joy! There is gross miscomprehension!

It takes them three verses to learn what is going on! And what is going on? The people are yelling in their foreign language that the gods have come among them!

Talk about missing the point! Paul is responding to the lame man's acceptance to the Faith message. His message was about the way God had shown Himself to the world and all these people wanted to do was to offer them the blood of bulls!

Leaders and lay people alike were caught in this web of misunderstanding. They had given them new names and they were generally and honestly excited about what just happened. Problem was, it was not gods among them. Zeus and Hermes were not there in the flesh.

They misunderstood the message. BUT not the message they knew of. A while ago, it was reported that the two, Zeus and Hermes did visit earth and visited over 1,000 homes to find kindness and found no one to show kindness to them EXCEPT Baucis and Philemon. They took them in and took care of the god-made-flesh gods. The Roman poet who told this tale was known by the name Ovid. He wrote that the gods were so upset that caring was void in that region; a flood would destroy the area. The couple's shack was transformed into a marble-pillared, gold-roofed temple and they became the priest of the new temple. These folks did not want to be wrong again! They wanted to do it right and according to legend, offering the blood of bulls would be a good thing to do.

But they did not really hear what Paul and Barnabas were saying in their message. And what was the message? It was lost except in the healing of the lame man. HE understood it, it seems. But the real message was spoken even later.

The crowd's response was, in fact, the right one, IF such things could happen. They wanted to avoid divine punishment and passed on the blessing in the form of the flowers and the blood of the bulls. They saw these two gods as the ones who would ensure good harvest in that agricultural area. Zeus was the weather god and Hermes was his messenger.

Here Paul enters a problem most missionaries have when they attempt to reach a people group they do not know or understand. Here was Paul, a good Jewish boy with good Torah upbringing. He knew the Law and the Prophets BY HEART. He knew all the 600+ laws and had kept them since his youth. He was of the tribe of Benjamin. He was a First Class Jewish Man.

And here he was in a pagan city that saw him as a visiting god of weather. Blasphemy!

If Paul and Barnabas accepted the praise of the people and went along with it for a time, the real meaning would be lost for a lifetime. The manifestations of the miraculous left unchecked would lead them to reinterpreted this healing in the only way they could understand it: in terms of their non-Christian religious beliefs and values. In that way real problems would arise that would allow this misunderstanding to persists and become syncretistic, allowing other worldviews to maintain them over against Christian Truth claims of a Changed Life.

Unless the Holy Spirit can open the hearts of the new listeners of the Message, it would be lost in their world-view. Both Jewish and Pagan religions had teachings of the divine visitation that lived and walked on the earth. Where was the kingpin idea that would tie their hearts to the Gospel?

In Japan, I was told a number of years ago the kingpin was KANJI. Hidden in the KANJI of old was the message of Salvation. Mr. Kazama, a while ago, showed us the Message of the Gospel in the bamboo stick mats. Some feel it is in the fact that Japanese honor their ancestors as the key. Others feel that it is in the tea ceremony. The key is that it MUST be in the Biblical Teaching of the Gospel. And that is where he went next.

3. The Power Spoken; Acts 14:14~18

The number one way, back then, to show someone you are sick of them or that you violently disagree with them is to tear your clothes. They went at it with real gusto! This idea was revolting to them. “NO! We are not gods! We are only humans-like you!” They were not trying to blend in. They were not going to allow this misunderstanding take away the Glory of God. This MUST be cleared up!

They ran into the crowd to stop them from continuing with this worship thing. That was a very serious thing to do! Think about it. The people of Lystra were devoted followers of Zeus. They had this history of this happening before and they were not going to let it pass. Worship was necessary and worship is what they were going to get!

He goes for their gut in attacking this form of worship. He was not going to put on kiddy gloves. He hits hard.

Turn to Jeremiah 2: 5

This is what the LORD says: “What fault did your fathers find in me, that they strayed so far from me? They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves.”

Jeremiah 2:11

Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But my people have exchanged their Glory for worthless idols.

Jeremiah 10:3-16

3 For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. 4 They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter. 5 Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good." 6 No one is like You, O LORD; You are great, and Your Name is mighty in power. 7 Who should not revere You, O King of the nations? This is Your due. Among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like You. 8 They are all senseless and foolish; they are taught by worthless wooden idols. 9 Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz. What the craftsman and goldsmith have made is then dressed in blue and purple- all made by skilled workers. 10 But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God, the eternal King. When He is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure His wrath. 11 "Tell them this: 'These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.' "12 But God made the earth by His power; He founded the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding. 13 When He thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from His storehouses. 14 Everyone is senseless and without knowledge; every goldsmith is shamed by his idols. His images are a fraud; they have no breath in them. 15 They are worthless, the objects of mockery; when their judgment comes, they will perish. 16 He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these, for He is the Maker of all things, including Israel, the tribe of His inheritance-the LORD Almighty is His name.

Jeremiah 17:5

This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD.”

The Ten Commandments are not there to make our life more difficult. Not there to keep us so busy doing the right things that we don't have time to do wrong things. They are not mere suggestions! They are there to support the reason we are alive.
To Love God and to Enjoy Him Forever.

Paul's message follows this way of thought:
1. We are human beings like you.
2. We are really here to bring you Good News
3. Turn from these worthless things
4. Turn to the Living God

Who made heaven and earth and sea

Who let things go in the past BUT not now!

5. He has left for Himself a witness/testimony
6. He has shown His kindness by sending

Rain

Plenty of food

Fills your hearts with joy

Paul's message can become a model for those who are speaking God's Message to followers of a non-Christian followings or lifestyles. Finding common ground is important. All men are made in God's image with the ability to reason and evaluate life's experiences. Paul needed to know where in their religious belief system did they pull away for the Truth found in Scripture. How Good does the Good News have to be to be sought after without compromising the Truth? Such knowledge of the Divine needs then to be brought to a head with the understanding of personal consequences of this information. It is, indeed, not just a philosophy of life but one of life and death issues. Here is God who loves you and has provided all for your enjoyment; why not trust Him, love Him, serve Him?

It is hard to believe that this message almost does not work in stopping them. Kind of hard to stop a mob with Reason but then just when you think all is well, in walks the bad guys from Antioch and Iconium. When bad guys from two different groups get together, WOW, watch out!

Which brings us to the next point of PAIN.

4. The Pain of Growth: Acts 14:19~20

The people of Lystra were not allowed to worship who they thought was Zeus and Hermes. They were ready for a festival. Having been disappointed, they were really ready for the bad words from the gents from Antioch and Iconium. They were incited to riot and stoned Paul! Having done their worst, they dragged out, what they thought was a corps, outside the city limits and walked home enormously content with life, thank you very much.

Think of Paul's friends… They were horrified. They stood over the bloody heap of flesh and, to their amazement; Paul stood up and walked BACK INTO THE CITY AGAIN! Maybe he had hit his head! Maybe he was not able to understand what had happened! Why go back? Because he was not finished.

He spent the night in Lystra and on the next day, he and Barnabas left for Derbe.

This will not always happen this way. If it does go bad for you, you will need to remember this time in Paul's life and get up, dust yourself off and start afresh in the morning. Press on. Acts 14:22

“We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”

Even when there are miracles and powerful transformation of lives, times still can get pretty tough. There are no guarantees EXCEPT for the fact of His Word to us that He will not forsake us. Persecution will happen. Live with it.

His Word needs to be heard even in Tokorozawa and esp. in your homes.

Will you be part of the solution or part of the problem?

Next week, we go to Derbe. But, for now, let's prepare our hearts to come before His Remembrance Table to celebrate the Lord's Last Supper.

Witness in Iconium Acts 14:1~7

Let's look at this passage verse by verse and find just how Paul and his troupe did evangelism and how churches were planted in this area. When the attempts in the former city of Pisidian Antioch went amuck, this work started out fairly good.
READ ACTS 14:1~7

According to Matthew 28:18-20, the Great commission was: as you GO make disciples. That was the thing Paul did very well. In fact, as he went, he also stayed for a while in these places for evangelism and disciple making. The "why" of that will be made clear later.

They went to the Synagogue, as usual, to worship and ended up preaching there. As we saw last week, it was the custom of visiting Jewish men. Why did he keep doing this-esp after what happened in the last Jewish house of worship? It was his way. By looking at Romans 1:14-17, we can see how deeply he felt for his Jewish brothers who needed to hear and respond to the Gospel.

Romans 1:14-17
14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the Gospel also to you who are at Rome.16 I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For in the Gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."

That one truth was lost in the early church for many years. Martin Luther made that 'discovery' while studying his Bible and it changed the way of his life and the Church forever.

Paul believed without a shadow of any doubt that the Gospel needed to be heard and understand by all people. He set out to do that very thing in Iconium. (which became the center of one of the Easter Orthodox Churches we still have today). To live by Faith was his message.

How is that with you? How do you face the 'stuff' of life? Do you trust Him in all your areas of life? Salvation, yes, of course. A life partner, well, that is something else. Life work? Can He take care of ALL your needs? The importance of living by faith comes in many forms. It means to trust Him for your living. Period. Even in economical situations- in health- in the pressures around you PLUS your salvation? Yes, that Faith is supported by the fact that He WILLS you to have that Faith and to use it to live your life in the Power of His Holy Spirit.

We get some help from such passages as Mark 9:20-25

20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.21 Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?" "From childhood," he answered. 22 "It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."23 " 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."24 Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I command you, come out of him and never enter him again."

Maybe you need to ask God the same thing. Why not right now? Go ahead: ask God to help you overcome your unbelief.

Welcome back. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed.

How good was Paul's preaching? You can well believe that the Lord used his background of his knowledge of Scriptures. A few days after he came to Christ, he was preaching up a storm! He was not only full of knowledge of the Things of God but also he was filled with the Spirit of God. Can't do this work without His Spirit. In truth, you can for a season but you will either fall and you will fail. And the man was with integrity.

A message's truth is judged by the messenger's integrity. Looking at people in the public world and you might see what I mean. The expression, “What ever happens in a politician's private life is his own affair; it only concerns the public when it affects their performance in office.” I can't see how to separate the two. What you do and what you teach/preach/ and even advocate does effect the condition of your message.

This was the case with Paul and Barnabas; their lives were an open book. Their message was their lifestyle.

Paul's teaching was so effective that both sides of the room believed. His message was not one thing for the Jew and another for the Gentile. The message was the same. The basic message of Salvation is only found in Jesus was good for the growth of the Church then and it is good for the growth of the Church today.

That salvation is in Jesus, and we appropriate, or receive it by our belief in (trust in, reliance on) Him alone.Well, the success here was indeed refreshing. After he was kicked out of the last place they were at, this much success was good to experience. It became Paul's practice to stay-when allowed-in a location for an extended length of time. He would be strengthening the churches and working in other areas where outreach had already showed promise. Maybe it was good then, that he was kicked out of Pisidian Antioch so that these in Iconium who would believe could. God's ways are not our ways after all "a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed."

In fact, later we learn that the group was about half the population of that city. I could not find how big the city was but it was smaller than Ephesus and Srymura. But half of any city would be huge!

Think about it: Tokorozawa has about 348,000 people in it. Half that number would mean 170,000 believers! That would mean that 5,312.5 people would be coming to any of the 30 churches in this city. How could we do that? Want to try or would that be impossible?

Remember back in Mark 9: 23 " 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."?

Because of persecutions and sufferings, Paul purposely stayed there and continued with the ministry. He was able to do this because he relied on the Lord. When faced with difficulties in ministries we need to rely completely on the Lord and keep moving on with the task. We should not quit for the Grace of the Lord is sufficient to see us through.

Both men and their group were attacked once again. Once again, the unbelieving Jews gathered to their side some Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. In truth, they made their souls evil against them to the point of making plans to do them physical harm: to stone them!

This is certainly true in areas of the world where the Christian population is in the very low numbers or even in status quo. The lesson we can learn for Paul's group is that we must remain faithful-no matter the numbers against us. The attack was toward the missionaries and not against the local believers.

As in physics, I am told, that every action develops an equal and opposite reaction, so the spiritual climate in the preaching of the truth will always encounter opposition.

Back in Dr. Luke's first letter, he reported in chapter 8:12 “Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.”

Where belief is there is also darkness. When God moves, so does the enemy of the Lord.

1 Peter 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

So, be careful out there. In your relationships, keep it pure. In your social encounters, keep it above board. In all things, keep your heart honest.

Now, comes a wonderful verse:

3 So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of His grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders.

Again, Paul is interested in depth of Christian character and the willingness to teach solid teaching based on the Word of God. He was in the business of making dedicated followers of Jesus. He spent time going over the teachings of the Lord with profound boldness and courage. This was to prepare the young believers for what will be coming after them real soon in the form of widespread persecution.

The Lord confirmed the Message with His Grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wondersI can see a pattern here. Whenever God's message is exercised with power and truth and that is felt and embraced, BECAUSE He is there, there are signs and wonders. As long as the Gospel is central and present, His Holiness, His Holy Spirit is bearing witness to His Truth and to His Faithfulness.

His Grace then has room to work. His Grace then has a conduit of His pleasure to spread His Message into the hearts of those who are present.

Remember the time when the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years touched Jesus? He felt the power go from Him. God's Grace was present and there was the ability of Christ to heal-a miraculous sign-a wonder.

Many could see yet some did not come to faith. Because God was present there, He was able to touch people's lives-get into their souls, as He moved among them.

The signs and wonders were there to confirm the reality of the salvation message. Their purpose is to establish the Gospel Truth in its full and genuine authority. God raised Jesus from the dead and He was present right there in Iconium for all to see. And that brought some problems.

The city was divided. Some fell on the side of Paul's group and some on the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles. We spoke about mob violence before and this could get pretty ugly. I have never seen this personally but others have. We have read accounts of mobs breaking into churches in some countries and dragging the worshipping people into the streets where they hacked them to death in front of a number of witnesses and no one said a thing to stop them.

Many of our Brothers and Sisters around this world are suffering such things every day. Makes you want to stop and think---doesn't it? Am I ready for that? The fact that P & B moved out as in verse 6.

6 "But they found out about it and fled to … Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, 7 where they continued to preach the good news”

…was not being a coward but prudent and practical. They would keep on doing what they had done in the next city as the Lord kept opening doors of opportunities and guiding them to people who are open to the Message of Christ. Didn't give up.

Shortly afterwards Paul returned to organize the church he had founded (Acts 14:20-back to Derbe; 16:2 to Lystra).

1. They would keep speaking words to edify the young church.

2. They would be bold in their own faith by showing their perseverance.

3. The Lord would show His divine confirmation of their message with miracles.

4. They would show tactical prudence in the face of opposition.

5. and they will be persistent in witnessing to the Truth of God's Message of Grace and Love.

Giving today's world-do you see any evidence of such behavior today in the church? Places where the good suffer, where they are jailed and beaten? Look with me this last verse. Hebrews 11:33-40

33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated- 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Does that want you to take greater risks for God?God has planned something better for us who believe.

The Just are saved by Faith.

The Message is... (Acts 13:14-52

In Pisidian Antioch
The human spirit comes under a great many attacks during our lifetime. Sometimes a form of bondage results because of outside political and economic domination. The resulting condition becomes in itself, a system of control. The people we are meeting in this passage needed relief from both problems. Paul’s message of a dying and risen Lord who has the power to give life and meaning to everyone’s life still goes a long way even in today’s society. This hope longed for was echoed by the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “We will speed the day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing. Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, I'm free at last.”

This freedom comes with a cost; with the Blood of Jesus.

After visiting the synagogues and arguing with the Jews of Antioch, Paul said these words which changed the course of the history: “From now on, we turn to Gentiles.”

Paul and his group started their trip into the inner countryside of Asia Minor. Note that it does not say, ‘Barnabas and Saul’ but ‘Paul and his companions.’ There is a change in leadership as Paul takes the leading role of the outreach to the, then, outside world. In route, John Mark leaves the troupe and heads home to Jerusalem. This will come up later as a point of disagreement between Paul and Barnabas.

They take a river ride up a valley into some fairly rugged and hostile areas which were filled with all sorts of bandits and onto an area that was a plateau of well over 3600 feet. (1236 meters)

It is in this area they come to a Roman garrison city. The founding “fathers” were army veterans and was the main outpost for a number of Roman settlements to their south. It is here at Pisidian Antioch that we can get a short glimpse of what a worship service looks like. After they had taken a seat, a section of the Pentateuch or the first Five Books of Moses were read.

*Creation, Adam and Eve, Noah and the Flood, the Patriarchs and the Matriarchs, and ends with the descent of Jacob and his family to Egypt.
*The commandment of circumcision, the promise to Abraham that he would receive the Land of Israel and that his descendants would be a blessing to the rest of the world. http://ohr.edu/judaism/survey/survey1.htm

Here, it is called the Law and the Prophets. The leaders call on these visiting strangers to share a word of encouragement to the group. It is his right to choose any passage and talk about it.

When it is all done, a translation into the local language would follow. The idea was to exhort and comfort the Jews as they lived in a pagan land as Faithful to their Lord.

Paul stands and waves his hand to gain their attention and addresses the Jewish men and those who are worshipper of the Hebrew God. He shows the men how God had been faithful thought history by rehearsing a few of the key events in their historic past that ended with the promise given to the Hebrew nation. In these passages, Paul outlines how the Lord had chosen them, how He lead them and how the Father’s of Old had responded in belief so that they could received those promises.

According to his words in Verse 20, all this history took place within a short period of time…only 450 years. This brought them into Egypt, there for 400 as workers, 40 years of wilderness wandering with Moses and ten years to battle the people of Canaan for the land that was promised them 450+ years before.

He moves on to the stubborn hearted people’s desire to be like the other nations—have a king. God gives them King Saul (Paul was named after him as he too was from the tribe of Benjamin.) He was not God’s first pick. He was looking for the likes of David. Look at verse 22

After removing Saul, He made David their king. He testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'

This is the heart cry of the Lord even now. Has He found in you a heart that is toward the Lord? “A man after My own heart; he will do EVERYTHING I want him to do.” We are not talking about a robot or one who has no will of his or her own. What we talking about here is a person who wills to be doing what the Lord wants of him. For the reasons you are made: to obey God and to enjoy Him forever. It is really beyond our life-it truly belongs to God, Himself.

As you may know, the life of David was rocky at best. He had his problems with obedience. So what was it that God liked about David so much?

He knew how to love God and he knew how to worship.

Do you know how to love God? Giving Him first place in your affections. First place in your desires? Seeking Him first.

Do we know how to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth? We all need to improve on that one, don’t we?

Now, on to verse 23 "From this man's descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as He promised.”

Here again, is the core of the message. This Man Jesus came from the family line of King David. He was promised to the World even before David lived! And now, here He is; the Promised One, just as God the Father promised, the Savior, Jesus, the Christ!

According to the Gospel accounts, the coming of Jesus was proceeded by the preaching of John the Baptizer. His message was to repent, turn from your sins and be baptized. This was to be a ritual washing as a visible outward sign of an inward changed heart in preparation of the soon coming Messiah. He pointed to the fact that the Promised One was not himself but another, ‘whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.' He was not putting himself down but lifting up the Name of Jesus!

Paul now gets very personal with the group. He calls them “Brothers, children of Abraham, and you God-fearing Gentiles.” He reminds them, for some for the first time, that the message of salvation has been sent to them. This is key. If the message would mean anything to anyone, these people who are hearing it would understand that it is theirs to embrace. To hold on to. To have become their own.

Galatians 4:4 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law,

Those in Jerusalem did not recognize who Jesus was so they killed Him. They had their systems of belief that were really set up or founded on a faulty belief system. The people’s lack of knowledge was not simply their ignorance but they had a false understanding, a false path in knowing and thinking that lead them away from the Truth and from a right relationship with the God of the Bible in Jesus Christ.

This is so common, especially today. One of the great sadness of our human nature is that “religion” can really blind a person to the real way of Salvation. IF Salvation is from God, why follow a man made road to get there? Go to the source. Jesus has said that knowing the Truth will set you free. He is the Way and the Truth and the Life. Being religious was not the answer then, it is not the answer now! Trust in Him and you will find your resting place.

And, according to Paul’s sermon, the people of Jerusalem asked Pilate to take His life. Three times Pilate spoke up to end the so-called trial but they were determined to kill Jesus. Then they buried the Lord in a borrowed tomb.

Here, Paul begins to address what would be a major heresy of the early church. Did Jesus really die? Was He really only asleep. Did the coldness of the grave revive His body allowing Him to recover?

This is our third time doing the Alpha Course. Nicky Gumbel has given a number of proofs to the reality of the death and resurrection of Jesus. He wrote this in his booklet "Why Jesus?" (Because this booklet being under a copyright restriction, I can't print it here. You can contact ALPHA International Publications, Brompton Road, London, England SW7 IJA, UK for details.)

Paul also emphasizes the historical reality of the resurrection. Later, he would write to the Church in Corinth:

1 Cor 15:13-16 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that,we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that He raised Christ from the dead. But He did not raise Him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.

Paul continues to bring out that the Gospel is centered on the resurrection: that Jesus is alive.

32"We tell you the Good News: What God promised our fathers 33 He has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus.”

Therefore, Paul continues: I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.

Verse 39

Through Him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.

And I want us to know, and for me to remember as well, that only through Jesus could my sins be forgiven: I could be justified before our Holy Father and that He could see my sins no more.

That is the message we need to take to the Nations. The message our families and friends need to hear. It is not the matter of forcing this Jesus thing down their throats, but to explain that only thru Jesus can any sin be removed from our lives. He is the Way. He is the Truth. He is the Life.

40 Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you: 41 "'Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, for I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you.'"

But someone IS telling us! Don’t remain in the seat of uncommitted! Don’t let our hearts grow cold or indifferent. Don’t wander around trying this idea out and that way to find truth because in anyone else but Jesus is foolishness. The Bible told us back then and is now repeating the claims that Jesus is on our side and willing to give us His forgiveness for our many sins. He has provided the WAY to His Home.

And how did the people in Pisidian Antioch receive this message? Some believed—as they should—yet some rejected the message. They were “filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying.” Paul and Barnabas tried. They gave it their best shot and some disbelieved. What can be said about that? Try your best and leave the rest to the Lord. In fact, the message may not have been rejected because of your poor way to present it, it was rejected because they refused to believe the truth as found in Holy Scripture. See Verses 46-49.

It kept on spreading…

Resulting in v52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

That is what happens when we walk in a way that pleases the Lord. It is also the by-product of a life that is obedient to the way of the Lord. Are you filled with Joy and are you filled with the Holy Spirit?

May God give you an understanding heart as you think on these things. God to Jesus. He is the only one who can carry the load you are carrying...because He carried the Cross for you as well.

Where We Have Been...

Where We Have Been... Acts 13:4-12
The following is an outline of what we have been looking at since last September. This may look a little short this week, but if you follow the outline with your open Bible, you will see how, over the course of time during those early years of the Growing Church, how the early Believers held up under good times and hard times. They followed the Message with a heart that was open.

Acts 1 The Command and the Promise

Acts 2 The Day of Power

Acts 3 What I Have I give To You

Acts 4 On Trial Powerful Prayer (4:25-26)

Acts 5 Share or Horde Ananias & Sapphina

Acts 6 Seven Chosen To Serve Stephen

Acts 7 Stephen Speaks / Dies

Acts 8 Intro to Saul Church Scattered “Can't Buy It!”

Acts 9 Saul's Fall…To RiseActs 10 Cornelius Called

Acts 11 Peter Explains His Actions Antioch Sends Out Two

Acts 12 Prayers That Really Worked --Herod Dies

Not By Lots But By Holy Spirit God Speaks

13:4~12 TWO WENT OUT “BY THE HOLY SPIRIT” proclaimed The Word of God

What elements? … (see below) * Helper in John Mark. He had seen God Work (chapter 12) Now he is growing/learning.

Meet a man named Elymas, the sorcerer (Bar-Jesus)

Meet a man named Sergius Paulus He wanted to hear the Word of God.

God deals with Elymas -into a cloud of darkness!

Paulus believed when he saw what happened to Bar-Jesus! Amazed at the teaching about the Lord. (Be more than amazed at the Work of Jesus in a life--be open to it for a change in your life.)

WHAT ELEMENTS? * … Same things as before.

The Gospel is the Message… And that means a changed life is a wonderful example of such a good news in a person. The Message is that Jesus is alive and living in the hearts of those who have turned to Him. He is alive and has been offering His forgiveness for our sins. That is the Gospel.

“The Gospel is the Message and the Message is the Lord”

Get to know the Lord by listening to the Message

Be in a place where that can happen-location- attend a Bible believing fellowship and be under authority of a Bible believing group. Have an open heart to the 'things of God.'

Who'd you want to be? Bar-Jesus or Sergius Paulus? Both were in the dark.

One stayed there and the darkness was increased!

Both saw the Light

Both heard the Message!

One remained in the dark

One believed in the Light! Be more than Amazed! Get to know the Lord by taken action on the Message.

Read the Bible and let it capture your heart. Let lust go and fill your heart with His Word so you will not fall from His Grace / heart.

Flee youthful lust.

1 John 2:16 (NIV) For everything in the world-the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-comes not from the Father but from the world.
2 Timothy 2:22 (NIV) Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.This message is not just for the young men in our midst but for all people.We are to be a Holy people. And we need each other to get there.

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This Next Sunday is our Covered Dish! That means you can bring some food or drink to share with your Friends at ICCS. The meal starts right after the service and goes until all the food is gone--or 2:15--whichever come first! If you want to come for the meal-why not come for the first course and come before 10:30 for the Worship Time. See you at ICCS on Sunday!

New Year's Service: God's Promises

INTRO: NEW YEAR's resolutions...

What sort of resolutions or promises stick? What sort of things has the Lord asked of you to promise? Do they last? How many promises have you broken? How many promises has He broken?

Maybe He has a better record in keeping promises than we do.

When I look at the things in His Word regarding His Promises, I need to rehearse what it really means to my heart. If I am looking for good things all the time then I will miss out on some important pain. When we consider the pain of the Cross…we come up lacking.

I have known some physical pain. Kidney stones have attacked my body over eight times. I, of course, have never experienced Birth Pain, but I do have sympathy pains when I see women close to her due date!

I have experienced death in my family. Very hard to work with that: in the words of Martin Luther “We must view 'our' sufferings as part of Christ' 'own' sufferings and that Christ will also provide the strength to endure.” But when I see how Jesus dealt with pain and loss, I feel much better.

When He heard of the death of His good friend Lazarus, what was His response?

John 11:17~44
What did Jesus do with this situation? It wasn't a resolution but He did remind Lasarus' sisters of a great promise.

John 11: 25 and 26.
“Do you believe this?"

Do you believe this? We can cry over the deaths of our loved ones. We can miss them. We can also remember that Jesus had promised a great promise in that story. If you believe, you will live.

This is not based on your power of suggestion. It is not based on your family ties to the church. It does not matter how much you give to the work of God. It all depends on where your faith is based. Is it found in Jesus?

Have you ever had the Call of God on your life? Has He called you from the grave cloths and set you free?

If you were to die today, what evidence of a changed life would you show Him-(who'd know your life anyway!) What could you tell Him that would allow you passage into Heaven? If your life is based on Him and on His Death and His Resurrection, than you will be allowed in. If you have not put your trust in His Name, you are not allowed in.

It does not matter if you are well spoken or well read. Whether you have a good job or if you are homeless. If you had a hard life and now need some rest. It only matters IF your name is written on the Lamb's Book of Life!

We first read about such a book in Philippians 4:3. Very much connected to being in the work of the Gospel.

Revelation 20:11-15
Have faith in God.

Believe on the Name of Jesus and you will be saved. Another one of His Promised comes in the area of hanging in there. We are talking about Perseverance!

Perseverance is the steady and continued action or belief, usually over a long period of time and especially despite difficulties or setbacks along the way. A Biblical view is based on God's Grace and Mercy. It is all about His Work in us over a long steady period of time.

James 1:2-6
Again, there is a long walk of obedience over time, in some cases, plodding along, but ever moving toward the mark-toward the calling of God on your life. These must be a finishing of its work in our lives that will give Glory to His Name. Mature and complete. Over time/not over night. And then there is the one who deals with life during trials…

Look at James 1:12
Can you get your heart around this one? The promise is given to the faithful ones who stood the test over time. It is important NOT to give in-not to give up. Hang in there! Persevere to the end. He will hold you up. He will not let you down. And when you have hard times, remember Hebrews 12:7-
Endure hardship as discipline…

Ephesians 4:22
Who can trust the heart? The Evil one has been hard at work to bring us down. He has plans for our downfall. He knows our hearts as being the place where he once lived and had his being. His ways are in conflict with the Things of God yet they seem so close sometimes. “For my best interest.” “It is better this way…” “God wants me to be happy…” “I know that the Bible teaching this way but I know what is best for me…”

That is the way we USED to walk but not now. We are Children of the Light, so we need to walk as we are in the Light. Not as we used to do-for our own interest but rather for the interest and for the Glory of God. There is always a way of escape.

1 Corinthians 10:13
Not that He will take away the hard times, but He will be there with you. In your pain. In your fear. In your seemingly aloneness. You are His Son/His Daughter. He loves you with an everlasting Love. He is your resting place. Your Rock. Your fortress. Your Comforter or your Paraclete.

John 14: 26.
The Holy Spirit will teach us. This is His Promise. Paraclete means "one who consoles - a comforter" or "one who intercedes on our behalf - an advocate". Here in John, Paraclete may be translated in English as "Counselor", "Helper", or "Comforter".

John 14:16
Jesus says "another paraclete" will come to help His disciples, implying Jesus is the first Paraclete, the 1st real Helper.

Jesus was there to reassure Peter after Peter denied the Lord three times. He assures Peter that he will be brought back and help lead others to Jesus-so be strong.

He is not done with you. He will be there for us. He is our Helper in times of trails and pain.

His Promise is for Joy as well.
Hebrews 12:2
He found it to be JOY to be on the Cross? Was He feeling joy as in “happiness” there? No, it was joy in that He was doing JUST what the Father wanted Him to do. To be just where He wanted His Son to be. To be at the Work of the Father. It pleased the Father.

Does our life please Him? Are we were we need to be? If not, how do we get there? We can KNOW that He is ready to bring His Spirit into our lives as that is His Will for those who trust Him. Do we trust Him? Really trust Him?

His Promises never fail. Lamentations 3:33.
And: GOD DOES NOT MAKE PROMISES HE CANNOT KEEP. We can look at an OT account of Balaam and Balak, who wanted Balaam to curse Israel. He could not. Three times he tried so as to get a lot of material wealth. God sets the table straight. He says in Numbers 23:19 His Word stand! We are thankful for that. His Word never changes. His promised will hold the test of time.

He promises answered prayer.
Luke 11:9
Attitudes toward with your neighbor, spending time with Jesus and in prayer with the Father all matter when it comes to your prayer life. If you lack in either one, your prayers are affected.

We live in a community. Because of that, there is no room for falsehoods and lies. We know that but at times such things find their way into our fellowships and that brings trouble. He promises to stay with you.

John 15:7
The key is IF YOU REMAIN IN HIM. It takes work. It takes time, sweat and yet it does work! This does not happen over night! MY WORDS REMAIN IN YOU…This is the evidence of the Changed Life.

The main point of the image is the intimate union of believers with Jesus. The disciple's very life depends on this union. As branches, believers either bear fruit and are pruned to bear more fruit or do not bear fruit and are thrown away and burned. Make this the year of fruit bearing. Get involved with Alpha, Grow Zone, Bible study, Parenting classes, etc.

Romans 4:13.
RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT COMES BY FAITH: My responsibility in God's Promises is to look to them in Faith believing. Believing God for Salvation of family members, concerns, future, plans. GOD CAN BE TRUSTED!