The Global Focus | Bishop Kyle Searcy | 9am

ACTS 28 (Chapter 11)

The Global Focus

Acts 11:1-30

¹ Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.

² And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him,

³ saying, “You went into uncircumcised men and ate with them!”

⁴ But Peter explained it to them in order from the beginning, saying:

⁵ “I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came to me.

⁶ When I observed it intently and considered, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air.

⁷ And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’

⁸ But I said, ‘Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any time entered my mouth.’

⁹ But the voice answered me again from heaven, ‘What God has cleansed you must not call common.’

¹⁰ Now this was done three times, and all were drawn up again into heaven.

¹¹ At that very moment, three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent to me from Caesarea.

¹² Then the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover, these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house.

¹³ And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter,

¹⁴ who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.’

¹⁵ And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning.

¹⁶ Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

¹⁷ If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?”

¹⁸ When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.

¹⁹ Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only.

²⁰ But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus.

²¹ And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.

²² Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch.

²³ When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord.

²⁴ For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.

²⁵ Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul.

²⁶ And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

²⁷ And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch.

²⁸ Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar.

²⁹ Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea.

³⁰ This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul

 

I.               THE GLOBAL GOD

1.    The Apostolic Mandate

Acts 11:1-18

 Apostles and Brethren

Apostle – Sent one, special messenger, envoy, delegate, one sent by God.  Ex. My primary Gift

Brethren – fellow believer, spiritual family member

 

2.    The Gospel Expansion

Acts 11:19

¹⁹ Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only.

 

·      Phoenicia (Modern Day Lebanon) – 237 Miles from Jerusalem

·      Cyprus – An Island in the Mediterranean – 253 Miles from Jerusalem

·      Antioch – Modern Day Turkey - The Roman military and administrative capital – 455 Miles

 

3.    The Antioch Seed

                      Acts 11:20

 ²⁰ But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they        had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus.

 

*Antioch became a major missions base launching to the Nations

 

4.    Barnabas Sent Out

Acts 11:22-24

²² Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch.

²³ When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord.

²⁴ For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.

 

5.    The Mutual Benefit of Global Connectivity

Acts 11:27-30

²⁷ And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch.

²⁸ Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar.

²⁹ Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea.

³⁰ This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul

 

 

II.             GLOBAL APOSTOLIC CENTERS

 

1.    They are mission minded.  They believe in transforming neighborhoods and nations.

 

2.    They embrace the 5 expressions of Jesus’ Ministry DNA

Ephesians 4:11-13

¹¹ And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

¹³ till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

 

3.    They empower people in the workplace not just the church place.

 

4.    They believe the influence of the gospel must go to the ends of the earth.

 

5.    They see Church Planting as the most effective way to reach new converts.

 

6.    They believe in making disciples. Paul always looked for disciples, not just members.

 

7.    They operate in the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit.

 

8.    They believe the only hope for a nation is renewal and awakening to change the nation.

 

 

 

III.            THE GLOBAL CONDITION

1.    The Ratio of Protestant Missionaries

§  1,448 Ministers per million people in the United States

§  56 Missionaries per million people in Africa

§  30 Missionaries per million people in South America

§  20 Missionaries per million people in Korea

§  15 Missionaries per million people in India

§  3 Missionaries per million people in Indochina

Moreover, much of Europe with its 480 million people is largely unevangelized. And virtually all Communist-controlled countries are closed to mission’s work.

 

More than two billion of the earth’s inhabitants are either pagan, atheistic or non-Christian. There are 800,000,000 Communists, all militant atheists. There are 700,000,000 Muslims, all anti-Christians, and there are almost a billion Indians and Chinese and other kindred Asians.

—Lippincott

 

§  Billion people alive

§  2.3 billion Christians

§  42.2 % of world’s population unreached (Less than 2% Christian) – 8791 people groups

§  Unevangelized people groups (more than 2% Christian) but still not evangelized

 

            BENEFIT OF MISSIONARIES

·     Areas where Protestant missionaries had a significant presence in the past are on average more economically developed today, with comparatively better health, lower infant mortality, lower corruption, greater literacy, higher educational attainment (especially for women), and more robust membership in nongovernmental associations.  

· One stereotype about missions is that they were closely connected to colonialism. But Protestant missionaries not funded by the state were regularly very critical of colonialism.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reference Notes

 

Missionaries that traveled to the remote pacific islands certainly made an impact on the mindset of the people.  During World War II, on a remote island in the Pacific, an American soldier met a native who could read, and the native was carrying a Bible.  Upon seeing the Bible, the soldier said, “We educated people no longer put much faith in that book.”  The native, from a tribe of former cannibals, replied, “Well, it’s a good that we do, or you would be eaten by my people today.”  

 

“I challenge any skeptic to find a ten-square mile spot on this planet where they can live their lives in peace and safety and decency, where womanhood is honored, where infancy and old age are revered, where they can educate their children, where the Gospel of Jesus Christ has not gone first to prepare the way.  If they find such a place, then I would encourage them to emigrate thither and there proclaim their unbelief.” 

 

 

In search of answers, Woodberry traveled to West Africa in 2001. Setting out one morning on a dusty road in Lomé, the capital of Togo, Woodberry headed for the University of Togo's campus library. He found it sequestered in a 1960s-era building. The shelves held about half as many books as his personal collection. The most recent encyclopedia dated from 1977.  Down the road, the campus bookstore sold primarily pens and paper, not books.  "Where do you buy your books?" Woodberry stopped to ask a student.  “Oh, we don’t buy books,” he replied. “The professors read the texts out loud to us, and we transcribe.” 

 

 

Across the border, at the University of Ghana’s bookstore, Woodberry had seen floor-to-ceiling shelves lined with hundreds of books, including locally printed texts by local scholars. Why the stark contrast? 

The reason was clear: During the colonial era, British missionaries in Ghana had established a whole system of schools and printing presses. But France, the colonial power in Togo, severely restricted missionaries. The French authorities took interest in educating only a small intellectual elite. 

More than 100 years later, education was still limited in Togo. In Ghana, it was flourishing.

 

 

OCTOBER IS MISSIONS MONTH

Home Impact

September / October

·       September 24^th Outreach Clothing Pantry

·       October 12^th Mobile Food Panty (Fed 600 families)

·       Helped through Benevolence (Hundred +)

·       Embrace Grace Small Group, First Choice, Cope

·       Sheridan Heights – Recently full lawn Overhaul

·       The Brotherhood

·       Sunday Morning Services

·       Breakthrough Services

·       Small Groups

-       Given Away Gas (300)

-       Car

 

 

NATIONS

September / October

Ghana

Tanzania

Uganda

Kenya

Zambia

Germany

Sierra Leone School Impacting hundreds

 

·       2023 GHANA AND SIERRA LEONE

 

GHANA & SIERRA LEONE          October 8^th - 23rd

Includes Flight, Hotel, Transportation and Food

TOTAL                                   ~ $4550.00

 

 

GHANA                     October 8^th – October 19^th

Includes Flight, Hotel, Transportation and Food

TOTAL                                               ~ $3,000.00

 

 

SIERRA LEONE      October 17^th – October 23^rd

Includes Flight, Hotel, Transportation and Food

TOTAL                                               ~ $2,800.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix

 

The Impact of Christianity when it enters a nation: 

As an Atheist, I Truly Believe Africa Needs God" 

A couple of days ago a British atheist published an article in London’s The Times: 

“Now a confirmed atheist, I’ve become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people’s hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good. 

I used to avoid this truth by applauding – as you can – the practical work of mission churches in Africa. It’s a pity, I would say, that salvation is part of the package, but Christians black and white, working in Africa, do heal the sick, do teach people to read and write; and only the severest kind of secularist could see a mission hospital or school and say the world would be better without it. I would allow that if faith was needed to motivate missionaries to help, then, fine: but what counted was the help, not the faith. 

But this doesn’t fit the facts. Faith does more than support the missionary; it is also transferred to his flock. This is the effect that matters so immensely, and which I cannot help observing. 

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2008/12/29/as-atheist-i-truly-believe-africa-needs/   

 

 

“You have one business on earth – to save souls.”

― John Wesley

 

“I will go anywhere, provided it be forward.”
― David Livingstone

 

“Never pity missionaries; envy them. They are where the real action is -- where life and death, sin and grace, Heaven and Hell converge.”
― Robert C. Shannon

 

“Untold millions are still untold.”
― John Wesley

 

“Go straight for souls and go for the worst.”
― William Booth

 

“The best remedy for a sick church is to put it on a missionary diet.”
― David Livingstone

 

“The mark of a great church is not its seating capacity, but its sending capacity. – Mike Stachura”

 

“I have but one passion: It is He; it is He alone. The world is the field and the field is the world; and henceforth that country shall be my home where I can be most used in winning souls for Christ.” – Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf

 

"If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.– C.T. Studd

 

“People who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget that they too are expending their lives… and when the bubble has burst, they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted.” – Nate Saint, missionary martyr.

 “I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light.” – John Keith Falconer

“The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed.” J. Hudson Taylor

 

“Go ye’ is as much a part of Christ’s Gospel as ‘Come unto Me.’ You are not even a Christian until you have honestly faced your responsibility in regard to the carrying of the Gospel to the ends of the earth.” – J. Stuart Holden

 “I believe that in each generation God has called enough men and women to evangelize all the yet unreached tribes of the earth. It is not God who does not call. It is man who will not respond!” – Isobel Kuhn, missionary to China and Thailand

When James Calvert went out as a missionary to the cannibals of the Fiji Islands, the ship captain tried to turn him back, saying “You will lose your life and the lives of those with you if you go among such savages.” To that, Calvert replied, “We died before we came here.”

“’Not called!’ did you say? ‘Not heard the call,’ I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible and hear him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help.   Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father’s house and bid their brothers and sisters and servants and masters not to come there.  Then look Christ in the face – whose mercy you have professed to obey – and tell Him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish His mercy to the world.” – William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army

“It is not in our choice to spread the gospel or not. It is our death if we do not.” – Peter Taylor Forsyth

“If a commission by an earthly king is considered an honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?” – David Livingstone

 

“The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become.” – Henry Martyn, missionary to India and Persia

 

“We talk of the Second Coming; half of the world has never heard of the first. – Oswald J. Smith”

 

“This generation of Christians is responsible for this generation of souls on the earth! – Keith Green”

 

 

“If ten men are carrying a log – nine of them on the little end and one at the heavy end – and you want to help, which end will you lift on?” William Borden, as he reflected on the numbers of Christian workers in the US as compared to those among unreached peoples in China.

 

“The Gospel is only good news if it gets there in time. – Carl F. H. Henry”

 

 

“The best way to encourage your church in missions [may be] to stop talking about missions for a time and, instead, talk more about the gospel. I’ve seen churches that have tried to get their members excited about missions without being excited about the gospel. The result was pitiful.” 

 

“Extensive travel and international experience are not prerequisites to missionary work. A love for the gospel, a faithful life, an affirming church, and a willingness to go are. Missionaries aren’t world travelers with full passports. The best missionaries tend to go to one place and stay there, sometimes for the rest of their lives.”

 

“Being long-term focused [means] doing short-term trips with the long-term mindset. Rather than just providing ‘missions experiences,’ consider trips that support the work of existing long-term teams to whom you are committed.”    Andy Johnson, Missions: How the Local Church Goes Global

 

 

SAVING WIDOWS FROM SUTTEE- Widows no longer burned in India  

 

Before the coming of Christ, widows were ostracized, despised, and frequently buried or burned alive at their husband’s death. For countless centuries India’s cultural custom of suttee (or sati), the burning alive of widows, was an integral part of Hindu culture. By God’s grace, as a result of the tireless efforts of Christian missionary William Carey, the British authorities in 1829 outlawed the practice of suttee. When this ban went into effect, many Indians “cried that the foundations of Hindu society would be shaken if widows were not burned alive.” (India – A Short Cultural History). Others argued that the British ban on suttee violated Article 25 of India’s constitution that gave people freedom of religion (Sati, Widow Burning in India).  

This legal ban on suttee (known as Carey’s Edict) is still in effect today, although since the 1990’s there have been numerous attempts to revive the custom with open glorification of suttee widow burning and instances of teenage widows being cremated on their husband’s funeral pyres. Dr. Schmidt notes: “In light of the current, almost worldwide promotion of multi-culturalism, which argues that all cultures and religious are essentially equal, the desire and efforts to bring back India’s pagan custom of suttee may gain momentum in the future.” (Under the Influence).  

History records that, before the coming of Christianity, widows were burned by American Indian tribes, by the Maori in New Zealand, by the Chinese, the Finns, and the Scandinavians.  

 

 

Jesus changed the world in so many ways.  One 19^th century poet named James Russell Lowell put it this way,

 

“I challenge any skeptic to find a ten-square mile spot on this planet where they can live their lives in peace and safety and decency, where womanhood is honored, where infancy and old age are revered, where they can educate their children, where the Gospel of Jesus Christ has not gone first to prepare the way.  If they find such a place, then I would encourage them to emigrate thither and there proclaim their unbelief.” 

 

 

REMOVING THE VEIL- women able to not wear a veil once married  

Christianity also pioneered other freedoms for women including the removal of the veil. Women at the time of Christ were veiled by the Assyrians, Babylonians, Chinese, Egyptians, Greeks, Hebrews, Romans, and Samarians. There were cases of Romans divorcing their wives for leaving the house unveiled. Greek women were required to wear a veil after marriage. Even among the Hebrews, the rabbi’s taught that it is a “godless man who sees his wife go out with her head uncovered. He is duty bound to divorce her” (Kethuboth 2). However, the lack of any specific reference in the Gospels, or anywhere in the New Testament, to women having to veil their face, led the Church to increasingly discontinue the practice. While Paul in 1 Corinthians 11 urged the women in Corinth to cover their heads in church, he made no reference to veiling their faces. And in 1 Timothy 2:8-9 where Paul tells the woman to dress modestly, and not to braid their hair, he makes no mention of any veil. So worldwide Christianity has led the trend to disperse with the veil.  

 

FREEDOM FROM FOOTBINDING- Chinese women liberated from practice  

Similarly, the Chinese practice of foot binding, where girls from an early age had to have their feet tightly bound forcing the four smaller toes of each foot up and under against the fleshly part of the foot (frequently causing severe infection and even on occasion gangrene) was only abolished under the influence of Christianity. This cruel custom, which crippled many Chinese women, was only outlawed by the Chinese government in 1912. It was Christian missionaries who led the crusade to abolish foot binding in China. 

 

 

 

 

One afternoon he attended a required lecture that brought his vocational drift to a sudden end. The lecture was by Kenneth A. Bollen, a UNC–Chapel Hill professor and one of the leading experts on measuring and tracking the spread of global democracy. Bollen remarked that he kept finding a significant statistical link between democracy and Protestantism.  

 

Woodberry set out to track down the evidence for Bollen's conjecture that Protestant religion and democracy were somehow related. He studied yellowed maps, spending months charting the longitude and latitude of former missionary stations. He traveled to Thailand and India to consult with local scholars, dug through archives in London, Edinburgh, and Serampore, India, and talked with church historians all over Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa.

 

In essence, Woodberry was digging into one of the great enigmas of modern history: why some nations develop stable representative democracies—in which citizens enjoy the rights to vote, speak, and assemble freely—while neighboring countries suffer authoritarian rulers and internal conflict. Public health and economic growth can also differ dramatically from one country to another, even among countries that share similar geography, cultural background, and natural resources. 

 

In search of answers, Woodberry traveled to West Africa in 2001. Setting out one morning on a dusty road in Lomé, the capital of Togo, Woodberry headed for the University of Togo's campus library. He found it sequestered in a 1960s-era building. The shelves held about half as many books as his personal collection. The most recent encyclopedia dated from 1977. 

Down the road, the campus bookstore sold primarily pens and paper, not books. 

"Where do you buy your books?" Woodberry stopped to ask a student. 

"Oh, we don't buy books," he replied. "The professors read the texts out loud to us, and we transcribe." 

 

Across the border, at the University of Ghana's bookstore, Woodberry had seen floor-to-ceiling shelves lined with hundreds of books, including locally printed texts by local scholars. Why the stark contrast? 

The reason was clear: During the colonial era, British missionaries in Ghana had established a whole system of schools and printing presses. But France, the colonial power in Togo, severely restricted missionaries. The French authorities took interest in educating only a small intellectual elite. 

More than 100 years later, education was still limited in Togo. In Ghana, it was flourishing.

 

 

What began to emerge was a consistent and controversial pattern—one that might damage Woodberry's career, warned Smith. "I thought it was a great, daring project, but I advised [him] that lots of people wouldn't like it if the story panned out," Smith says. "For [him] to suggest that the missionary movement had this strong, positive influence on liberal democratization—you couldn't think of a more unbelievable and offensive story to tell a lot of secular academics." 

 

But the evidence kept coming. While studying the Congo, Woodberry made one of his most dramatic early discoveries. Congo's colonial-era exploitation was well known Colonists in both French and Belgian Congo had forced villagers to extract rubber from the jungle. As punishment for not complying, they burned down villages, castrated men, and cut off children's limbs. 

In French Congo, the atrocities passed without comment or protest, aside from one report in a Marxist newspaper in France. 

 

But in Belgian Congo, the abuses aroused the largest international protest movement since the abolition of slavery. Why the difference? 

Working on a hunch, Woodberry charted mission stations all across the Congo. Protestant missionaries, it turned out, were allowed only in the Belgian Congo. 

Among those missionaries were two British Baptists named John and Alice Harris who took photographs of the atrocities—including a now-famous picture of a father gazing at his daughter's remains—and then smuggled the photographs out of the country. 

With evidence in hand, they traveled through the United States and Britain to stir up public pressure and, along with other missionaries, helped raise an outcry against the abuses

 

Woodberry already had historical proof that missionaries had: 

· promoted widespread printing, 

· educated women and the poor

· led nationalist movements that empowered ordinary citizens, and 

· fueled other key elements of democracy. 

Now the statistics were backing it up: Missionaries weren't just part of the picture. They were central to it

 

In spite of Smith's concerns, Woodberry's historical and statistical work has finally captured glowing attention. A summation of his 14 years of research—published in 2012 in the American Political Science Review, the discipline's top journal—has won four major awards, including the prestigious Luebbert Article Award for best article in comparative politics. Its startling title: "The Missionary Roots of Liberal Democracy." 

 

"[Woodberry] presents a grand and quite ambitious theory of how 'conversionary Protestants' contributed to building democratic societies," says Philip Jenkins, distinguished professor of history at Baylor University. "Try as I might to pick holes in it, the theory holds up. [It has] major implications for the global study of Christianity." 

 

"Why did some countries become democratic, while others went the route of theocracy or dictatorship?" asks Daniel Philpott, who teaches political science and peace studies at the University of Notre Dame. "For [Woodberry] to show through devastatingly thorough analysis that conversionary Protestants are crucial to what makes the country democratic today [is] remarkable in many ways. Not only is it another factor—it turns out to be the most important factor. It can't be anything but startling for scholars of democracy." 

 

 "We don't have to deny that there were and are racist missionaries," says Woodberry. "We don't have to deny there were and are missionaries who do self-centered things. But if that were the average effect, we would expect the places where missionaries had influence to be worse than places where missionaries weren't allowed or were restricted in action. We find exactly the opposite on all kinds of outcomes. Even in places where few people converted, [missionaries] had a profound economic and political impact."

 

 

 There is one important nuance to all this: The positive effect of missionaries on democracy applies only to "conversionary Protestants." Protestant clergy financed by the state, as well as Catholic missionaries prior to the 1960s, had no comparable effect in the areas where they worked. Independence from state control made a big difference. 

 

"One of the main stereotypes about missions is that they were closely connected to colonialism," says Woodberry. "But Protestant missionaries not funded by the state were regularly very critical of colonialism." 

For example, Mackenzie's campaign for Khama III was part of his 30-year effort to protect African land from white settlers. Mackenzie was not atypical. 

 

· In China, missionaries worked to end the opium trade. 

· in India, they fought to curtail abuses by landlords. 

· in the West Indies and other colonies, they played key roles in building the abolition movement. 

· Back home, their allies passed legislation that returned land to the native Xhosa people of South Africa and also protected tribes in New Zealand and Australia from being wiped out by settlers.

"I feel confident saying none of those movements would have happened without nonstate missionaries mobilizing them," says Woodberry. "Missionaries had a power base among ordinary people. They [were] the ones that transformed these movements into mass movements." 

·  

He notes that most missionaries didn't set out to be political activists. Locals associated Christianity with their colonial abusers, so in order to be effective at evangelizing, missionaries distanced themselves from the colonists. They campaigned against abuses for personal, practical reasons as well as humanitarian ones. 

"Few [missionaries] were in any systemic way social reformers," says Joel Carpenter, director of the Nagel Institute for the Study of World Christianity at Calvin College. "I think they were first and foremost people who loved other people. They [cared] about other people, saw that they'd been wronged, and [wanted] to make it right."

 

The Nations' Educators:

 

While missionaries came to colonial reform through the backdoor, mass literacy and mass education were more deliberate projects—the consequence of a Protestant vision that knocked down old hierarchies in the name of "the priesthood of all believers." If all souls were equal before God, everyone would need to access the Bible in their own language. They would also need to know how to read. 

 

"They focused on teaching people to read," says Dana Robert, director of the Center for Global Christianity and Mission at Boston University. "That sounds really basic, but if you look worldwide at poverty, literacy is the main thing that helps you rise out of poverty. Unless you have broad-based literacy, you can't have democratic movements." 

 

As Woodberry observes, although the Chinese invented printing 800 years before Europeans did, in China the technology was used mostly for elites. Then Protestant missionaries arrived in the 19th century and began printing tens of thousands of religious texts, making those available to the masses, and teaching women and other marginalized groups how to read. Not until then did Asian authorities start printing more widely. 

 

Pull out a map, says Woodberry, point to any place where "conversionary Protestants" were active in the past, and you'll typically find more printed books and more schools per capita. You'll find, too, that in Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia, most of the early nationalists who led their countries to independence graduated from Protestant mission schools. "I'm not religious," says Grier. "I never felt really comfortable with the idea of [mission work]; it seemed cringe-worthy. Then I read Bob's work. I thought, Wow, that's amazing. They left a long legacy. It changed my views and caused me to rethink."

 

What They Brought the World: 

 

William Carey. David Livingstone. Hudson Taylor. These are the rock stars of the modern missionary movement. Here are eight other missionaries who were bellwethers for global democracy. 

 

CONGO Alice Seeley Harris,  - A UK Baptist, Harris and her husband, John, were among the first people to use photography to promote human rights. In the early 1900s, colonialists used forced labor to extract rubber from the Congo's jungles—and villagers who resisted were castrated, burned, or had limbs cut off. The Harrises traveled throughout the United States and Britain disseminating photos and giving lectures detailing the abuses.

 

 

BOTSWANA John Mackenzie - The British missionary partnered with a chief named Khama III to protect his land from being occupied by white settlers in South Africa. Their efforts birthed a pivotal land protection agreement. If not for Protestant missionaries, Botswana would most likely not exist today. 

 

SOUTH AFRICA Trevor Huddleston - The Anglican missionary to South Africa earned the nickname Makhalipile—"dauntless one"—in part for publishing Naught for your Comfort, a devastating critique of South African racial policies. His writings and later leadership with the Anti-Apartheid Movement helped turn British public opinion against apartheid. 

 

INDIA Ida Sophia Scudder -She vowed to never become one. But then Ida Sophia Scudder watched three women die needlessly one night at her parents' missionary bungalow and knew God was calling her to the mission field. Scudder addressed the plight of Indian women and the fight against bubonic plague, cholera, and leprosy. In 1918, she started one of Asia's foremost teaching hospitals, the Christian Medical College & Hospital. 

 

INDIA James Long - Sent to Calcutta at age 22, Long was an Irish Anglican priest who played a key role in the Indigo Revolt of 1859, when rural indigo farmers rebelled against British planters. Long translated and published Nil Darpan, a play written by Dinabandhu Mitra about the poor treatment of indigo farmers, for which he was fined and briefly jailed. He is remembered today as a key preserver of Bengali education, literature, and history. 

 

JAPAN Guido Verbeck - Guido Verbeck was a Dutch political adviser, educator, and missionary hired by the Japanese government to establish a new English school system in Nagasaki. He went on to lead massive change in Japan's education system, set up an exchange program with the States, and began the first Bible study in modern Japan. 

 

CHINA Timothy Richard - Amid China's famine of 1876–79, Timothy Richard, a Welsh Baptist, helped lead one of the first major humanitarian relief efforts in modern history. While in Shanghai, he helped produce almost 300 books, campaigned with the Anti-Footbinding Society, and consulted with the governor of Shanxi Province to find a university. 

 

CHINA Eliza Bridgman - In 1864, 20 years after sailing to China, American missionary Eliza Bridgman opened a school for girls in Beijing who otherwise would have suffered prostitution, forced labor, or starvation. Bridgman's school was eventually folded into Yenching University, one of the first universities in China. Now Peking University, today it is China's most prestigious university.

 

 

 

 

This short excerpt from another article tells how Christianity began to impact the entire Roman empire as it spread:

"And such impact began soon in the Roman Empire, itself. Former professor of sociology Dr. Alvin Schmidt notes Elwood Cubberly’s observation that the biblical teachings of Jesus Christ challenged “almost everything for which the Roman world had stood” (How Christianity Changed the World, Schmidt, p. 44). Dr. James Kennedy writes, “Life was expendable prior to Christianity’s influence… In those days abortion was rampant. Abandonment was commonplace: It was common for infirm babies or unwanted little ones to be taken out into the forest or the mountainside, to be consumed by wild animals or to starve… They often abandoned female babies because women were considered inferior” (What If Jesus Had Never Been Born?, pp. 9–11).

The Romans promoted brutal gladiatorial contests where thousands of slaves, condemned criminals and prisoners of war mauled and slaughtered each other for the amusement of cheering audiences. Roman authors indicate that “sexual activity between men and women had become highly promiscuous and essentially depraved before and during the time that Christians appeared in Roman society” and that homosexuality was widespread among pagan Greeks and Romans, especially men with boys (Schmidt, pp. 79–86). Women were relegated to a low status in society, where they received little schooling, could not speak in public and were viewed as the property of their husbands (Schmidt, pp. 97–102).

As professing Christianity spread in the region, those parts of its teachings that corresponded to biblical truths had a profound impact. Pagan practices were confronted with biblical principles concerning the status of women and the importance of the family (Ephesians 5:22–33; 6:1–4), the sanctity of human life as made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26), and the sinfulness of sexual immorality and homosexuality (1 Corinthians 6:9–10). Eventually, Roman emperors even outlawed the branding of criminals and crucifixion and terminated the brutal gladiatorial contests that had flourished for nearly seven centuries—implementing one of the most important reforms in the moral history of mankind (Schmidt, p. 63–65). In the words of historian Christopher Dawson, the changes brought about by the spread of these ideas marked “the beginning of a new era in world history” (Religion and the Rise of Western Culture, p. 25).

Such changes were not limited to the West. The influence of biblical principles abolished suttee in India—the practice of burning widows on the funeral pyre of their husband. It stopped the killing of wives and concubines when tribal chiefs died in Africa, discouraged cannibalism, and helped to end the global slave trade in the 1800s (Kennedy, pp. 16–17)."

My notes,

· to counter the infanticide towards babies and small children, Christians launched the first orphanages, and began to adopt these children abandoned by the Romans

· Christians traveling throughout Rome brought with the Biblical perspective that woman had value, and that marriage was sacred, between a man and a woman exclusively.  For instance, the normalizing of weddings for the masses from an excuse to have a drunken party, into a solemn, joyous ceremony where people dress up and make public, binding vows, was brought by Christian influence.

https://www.tomorrowsworld.org/magazines/2016/november-december/how-christianity-changed-the-world

Authority and the Church | Pastor Tre Townsley | 11am

Authority and the Church

I. Authority defined

A. The power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience

B. A person or organization having power or control in a particular sphere (political)

C. Authority is not the same as power

Luke 9:1 Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and

authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.

1. Power (dunamis) is force, might, or the miraculous ability to do something

1 Kings 18:45-46 45  Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became

black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away

and went to Jezreel.  46  Then the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah; and

he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

2. Authority (exousia) is delegated influence to have something done.

Genesis 22:9-10 9  Then they came to the place of which God had told him.

And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound

Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.  10  And Abraham

stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

II. 4 Characteristics of Authority

A. The strength of your support determines the effectiveness of your authority

Exodus 5:1-2 Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus says

the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the

wilderness.’ ” 2  And Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice

to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.”

B. Authority always leads to a higher name

Luke 10:19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions,

and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Acts 4:7   And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, “By what power

or by what name have you done this?”

C. Authority must be transferred from one who has authority

1. Acts 19:13-15 13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon

themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits,

saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 14 Also there

were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. 15 And the evil

spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”

2. Matthew 28:18-19a 18  And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All

authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  19  Go therefore

and make disciples of all the nations…

D. Authority is always purpose driven

Matthew 6:9-10 9  In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be Your name. 10  Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it

is in heaven.

III. Challenges to Authority

A. When it is not recognized by the recipient

1. Ignorance

Exodus 4: 1-2 1 Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not

believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The Lord has not

appeared to you.’ ” 2  So the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He

said, “A rod.”

2. Because of sin (shame)

Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God;

And your sins have hidden His face from you,

James 5:19-20 19  Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and

someone turns him back,  20  let him know that he who turns a sinner from the

error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

Joshua 7

B. When it is not exercised

1 Samuel 2:12-36 12  Now the sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know

the Lord.  13  And the priests’ custom with the people was that when any man

offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged

fleshhook in his hand while the meat was boiling.  14  Then he would thrust it into

the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; and the priest would take for himself all that

the fleshhook brought up. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came

there.  15  Also, before they burned the fat, the priest’s servant would come and say

to the man who sacrificed, “Give meat for roasting to the priest, for he will not

take boiled meat from you, but raw.” 16  And if the man said to him, “They should

really burn the fat first; then you may take as much as your heart desires,” he

would then answer him, “No, but you must give it now; and if not, I will take it by

force.” 17  Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for

men abhorred the offering of the Lord. 18  But Samuel ministered before

the Lord, even as a child, wearing a linen ephod.  19  Moreover his mother used to

make him a little robe, and bring it to him year by year when she came up with

her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.  20  And Eli would bless Elkanah and his

wife, and say, “The Lord give you descendants from this woman for the loan that

was given to the Lord.” Then they would go to their own home. 21  And

the Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived and bore three sons and two

daughters. Meanwhile the child Samuel grew before the Lord. 22  Now Eli was very

old; and he heard everything his sons did to all Israel, and how they lay with the

women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.  23  So he said to

them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the

people.  24  No, my sons! For it is not a good report that I hear. You make

the Lord’s people transgress.  25  If one man sins against another, God will judge

him. But if a man sins against the Lord, who will intercede for him?” Nevertheless

they did not heed the voice of their father, because the Lord desired to kill them.

26  And the child Samuel grew in stature, and in favor both with the Lord and men.

27  Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Did I not

clearly reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in

Pharaoh’s house?  28  Did I not choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My

priest, to offer upon My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod before Me?

And did I not give to the house of your father all the offerings of the children of

Israel made by fire?  29  Why do you kick at My sacrifice and My offering which I

have commanded in My dwelling place, and honor your sons more than Me, to

make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel My

people?’  30  Therefore the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I said indeed that your house

and the house of your father would walk before Me forever.’ But now

the Lord says: ‘Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those

who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.  31  Behold, the days are coming that I

will cut off your arm and the arm of your father’s house, so that there will not be

an old man in your house.  32  And you will see an enemy in My dwelling

place, despite all the good which God does for Israel. And there shall not be an

old man in your house forever.  33  But any of your men whom I do not cut off from

My altar shall consume your eyes and grieve your heart. And all the descendants

of your house shall die in the flower of their age.  34  Now this shall be a sign to you

that will come upon your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they

shall die, both of them.  35  Then I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who shall

do according to what is in My heart and in My mind. I will build him a sure house,

and he shall walk before My anointed forever.  36  And it shall come to pass that

everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of

silver and a morsel of bread, and say, “Please, put me in one of the priestly

positions, that I may eat a piece of bread.”

C. When it is abused

Hophni and Phinehas

Overcoming Spiritual Hinderances | Bishop Fred Adetunji | 9am

Overcoming Spiritual Hindrances 1Co 16:8 But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost.  9 For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries. 10 Now if Timotheus comes, see that he may be with you without fear: for he worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do.  I. There are spirits assigned to hinder your progress. Two types of enemies 1. The enemy in you 2. The enemy next door  II. The enemy in you is worse than the enemy next door A. Pride is the enemy in you James 4:6 say God resist the proud but give grace to the humble,  Pro 16:18 pride go before destruction and haughty spirit before a fall B. Unbelieve is the enemy next door Mar 6:4 But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. 5 And he could do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. C. The one next door could be a person you sleep with D. The one in you is worse than the one in them E. For your adversary to win, he must find a doorway through Pride or Unbelieve. F. The enemy next door is always knocking at the door, waiting for you to give him access through your speech.  that's why it is written    John 14:30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. III. If I dare open my mouth Mat 15:11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.  Luke 22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. IV. Hindrance is just a test of faith Hebrews 11:6 says: "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for he who comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. Every open door has an enemy attached to it. Who don't like it? Sometime they mean well but don't understand Example of this is Peter, in Matt 16:23 Mat 16:21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying,Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. 23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offense unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. V. God is your doorkeeper. Other people can't keep you out of your purpose; obstacles can't keep you from what God has ordained for you. Rev 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; Offense: GK skandalon meaning: the movable stick or trigger of a trap, a trap.  Any impediment placed in the way and causing one to stumble or fall Who is your number one adversary? A. Mr. Flesh Galatians 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. B. The only one who can stop the plan of God is you. When you allow this things to overcome you C. You do not want to surrender to your Mr. Flesh D. This is how flesh will cause you to fail 1. Fear: Joshua 1:9, Deuteronomy 31:6, 8 Jos 1:9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. Deu 31:6 Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. 2. Sin:  Psalm 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: Previous as the mounting surround Jerusalem Psalm 125:3 For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity. 3. Criticism: other people's perception about you Rom 14:13 Let us not therefore judge one another anymore: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way   4. Too much freedom:  1 Cor 8:9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak.  5. Unforgiveness: is a spirit, Matt 5:23-24 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and the rerememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer the gift. 6. Asking Amiss:  James 4:3,  Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Matt 7:11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? 12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets It will take faith like the Roman centurion to overcome the spiritual Hindrance, you have to keep pushing.

ACTS 28 Prayer & Alms | Bishop Kyle Searcy | 10am

ACTS 28

“Prayer and Alms”

 

Acts 10:1-48

¹ There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment,

² a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always.

³ About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!”

⁴ And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?” So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.

⁵ Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter.

⁶ He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do.”

⁷ And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually.

⁸ So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa.

⁹ The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour.

¹⁰ Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance

¹¹ and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth.

¹² In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air.

¹³ And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”

¹⁴ But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”

¹⁵ And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.”

¹⁶ This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.

¹⁷ Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate.

¹⁸ And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there.

¹⁹ While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you.

²⁰ Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.”

²¹ Then Peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, “Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?”

²² And they said, “Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you.”

²³ Then he invited them in and lodged them. On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him.

²⁴ And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends.

²⁵ As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.

²⁶ But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself am also a man.”

²⁷ And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together.

²⁸ Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

²⁹ Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?”

³⁰ So Cornelius said, “Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,

³¹ and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God.

³² Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.’

³³ So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God.”

³⁴ Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.

³⁵ But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.

³⁶ The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all—

³⁷ that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:

³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

³⁹ And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree.

⁴⁰ Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly,

⁴¹ not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.

⁴² And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.

⁴³ To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”

⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.

⁴⁵ And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.

⁴⁶ For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered,

⁴⁷ “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”

⁴⁸ And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I.               CORNELIUS

 

II.              MEMORIALS

 

a.     A Bit About Cornelius

b.     Touching God’s Heart with a Memorial

 

III.            GIVING

 

Giving was the Key

Prayer was also giving 

1 Timothy 2:1-3

¹ Therefore, I exhort first of all those supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,

² for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

³ For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.

 

Giving Moves GOD to Prompt Heavenly Activity, break protocol, shorten processes

1.     Prompt Heavenly Activity

a.     Vision of the Angel to Cornelius

Acts 10:3-4

³ About the ninth hour of the day, he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!”

⁴ And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?” So, he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.

 

b.     Vision to Peter

Acta 10:9-11,16

⁹ The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour.

¹⁰ Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance

¹¹ and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth

 

                              ¹⁶ This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again

 

c.     The Holy Spirit speaking to Peter

Acts 10:17-20 

¹⁷ Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate.

¹⁸ And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there.

¹⁹ While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you.

²⁰ Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them

 

d.     The Holy Spirit Falling on the Gentiles

Acts 10:44-46

 ⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.

⁴⁵ And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.

⁴⁶ For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God

 

2.     Break Protocol

Matthew 10:5-6

⁵ These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.

⁶ But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

 

The Jews always started with the Jews everywhere they went then to the gentiles once rejected. Mark 1:12; Mark 6:2; Luke 4:16; Luke 6:6; Luke 13:10; Luke 13:14

 

 Even Paul the Apostle who was called to the Gentiles did the same.  Shorten Processes. Acts 13:14; Acts 13:42; Acts 15:21; Acts 18:4

 

 

3.     Shorten Processes

The process for receiving the Holy Spirit was already laid

Acts 2:38

³⁸ Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit

 

           

 

 

Don't Resist The Holy Spirit | Pastor Kyle Searcy | 9am

DON’T RESIST HOLY SPIRIT

Acts 6:1-14

1 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint

against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily

distribution.

2  Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we

should leave the word of God and serve tables.

3  Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy

Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;

4  but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

5  And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and

the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from

Antioch,

6  whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.

7  Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem,

and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.

8  And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.

9  Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians,

Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen.

10  And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.

11  Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words

against Moses and God.”

12  And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized

him, and brought him to the council.

13  They also set up false witnesses who said, “This man does not cease to speak blasphemous

words against this holy place and the law;

14  for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the

customs which Moses delivered to us.” 15  And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at

him, saw his face as the face of an angel.

Acts 7:1-60

1 Then the high priest said, “Are these things so?”

2  And he said, “Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham

when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,

3  and said to him, ‘Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will

show you.’

4  Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his

father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell.

5  And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when

Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants

after him.

6  But God spoke in this way: that his descendants would dwell in a foreign land, and that they

would bring them into bondage and oppress them four hundred years.

7  ‘And the nation to whom they will be in bondage I will judge,’ said God, ‘and after that they

shall come out and serve Me in this place.’

8  Then He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham begot Isaac and circumcised

him on the eighth day; and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot the twelve patriarchs.

9  “And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him

10  and delivered him out of all his troubles, and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of

Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

11  Now a famine and great trouble came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers

found no sustenance.

12  But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first.

13  And the second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became

known to the Pharaoh.

14  Then Joseph sent and called his father Jacob and all his relatives to him, seventy-five people.

15  So Jacob went down to Egypt; and he died, he and our fathers.

16  And they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a sum

of money from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem.

17  “But when the time of the promise drew near which God had sworn to Abraham, the people

grew and multiplied in Egypt

18  till another king arose who did not know Joseph.

19  This man dealt treacherously with our people, and oppressed our forefathers, making them

expose their babies, so that they might not live.

20  At this time Moses was born, and was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his

father’s house for three months.

21  But when he was set out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him away and brought him up as her own

son.

22  And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and

deeds.

23  “Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of

Israel.

24  And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed,

and struck down the Egyptian.

25  For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by

his hand, but they did not understand.

26  And the next day he appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and tried to reconcile

them, saying, ‘Men, you are brethren; why do you wrong one another?’

27  But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a

judge over us?

28  Do you want to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?’

29  Then, at this saying, Moses fled and became a dweller in the land of Midian, where he had

two sons.

30  “And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a

bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai.

31  When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he drew near to observe, the voice of the

Lord came to him,

32  saying, ‘I am the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of

Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and dared not look.

33  ‘Then the LORD said to him, “Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is

holy ground.

34  I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt; I have heard their groaning

and have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.” ’

35  “This Moses whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the one

God sent to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the Angel who appeared to him in the

bush.

36  He brought them out, after he had shown wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the

Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years.

37  “This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, ‘The LORD your God will raise up for you

a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.’

38  “This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the Angel who spoke to him

on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, the one who received the living oracles to give to us,

39  whom our fathers would not obey, but rejected. And in their hearts they turned back to

Egypt, 40  saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods to go before us; as for this Moses who brought us out

of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’

41  And they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifices to the idol, and rejoiced in the works

of their own hands.

42  Then God turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the

book of the Prophets:

‘Did you offer Me slaughtered animals and sacrifices during forty years in the wilderness, O

house of Israel?

43 You also took up the tabernacle of Moloch, And the star of your god Remphan, Images which

you made to worship; And I will carry you away beyond Babylon.’

44  “Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He appointed, instructing

Moses to make it according to the pattern that he had seen,

45  which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with Joshua into the land possessed

by the Gentiles, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers until the days of David,

46  who found favor before God and asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob.

47  But Solomon built Him a house

48  “However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says:

49 ‘Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the

LORD, or what is the place of My rest?

50 Has My hand not made all these things?’

51  “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as

your fathers did, so do you.

52  Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold

the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers,

53  who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”

54  When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their

teeth.

55  But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus

standing at the right hand of God,

56  and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of

God!”

57  Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord;

58  and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at

the feet of a young man named Saul.

59  And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

60  Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.”

And when he had said this, he fell asleep

Resist – antipiptō – collide, fight against, strive against, oppose, struggle against

I. WAYS WE RESIST

1. Quench Him

1 Thessalonians 5:19

19 Do not quench the Spirit

Quench – sbennymi (spen yi me) – put out, stop, extinguish

2. Grieve Him

Ephesians 4:30-31

30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day

of redemption.

31  Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from

you, with all malice.

32  And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God

in Christ forgave you.

We grieve the Spirit by living like the unbelievers (4:17-19), by lying (4:25), by

being angry (4:26-27), by stealing (4:28), by cursing (4:29), by being bitter (4:31),

by being unforgiving (4:32), and by being sexually immoral (5:3-5).

3. Fight Against Him

You are not aligned with His agenda.

II. CAUSES OF RESISTING HOLY SPIRIT

1. When He doesn’t come the way, we imagined he would

2 Kings 5:9-14

9 Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of

Elisha’s house.

10  And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven

times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.”

11  But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself,

‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his

God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’

12  Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the

waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went

away in a rage.

13  And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the

prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How

much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”

14  So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying

of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he

was clean.

2. When He chooses to use someone seemingly more than he uses you

John 12:17-19

17 Therefore, the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his

tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.

18  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done

this sign.

19  The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “You see that you are

accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him

3. When our hearts have been hardened by pride

Matthew 12:9-13

9 Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue.

10  And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him,

saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—that they might accuse Him.

11  Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and

if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?

12  Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to

do good on the Sabbath.”

13  Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and

it was restored as whole as the other.

Luke 13:10-17

10 Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.

11  And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years,

and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.

12  But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are

loosed from your infirmity.”

13  And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and

glorified God.

14  But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had

healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which

men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the

Sabbath day.”

15  The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on

the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?

16  So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has

bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the

Sabbath?”

17  And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all

the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him

4. When we are in pain

Luke 7:18-23

18 Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things.

19  And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, “Are

You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”

20  When the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to

You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’”

21  And that very hour.

III. HOW NOT TO RESIST HIM

1. Soft Heart and Tender Spirit

A few names given to rebellious Israel.

 Stiff-necked. Acts 7:51

 Stubborn Rebellious generation Ps 78:8

 Stubborn and rebellious heart. Jer. 5:23

 Hard hearts Psalm 95:7-11

2. Love God more than self

Luke 9:23

23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny

himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me

3. Pray He won’t let you miss Him

Psalm 19:12-14

12 Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults.

13 Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have

dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great

transgression.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in

Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.

Acts 28 Pt. 4

Acts 28

The Power of Prophetic Decrees

But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. 2  And he kept back

part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the

apostles’ feet. 3  But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit

and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? 4  While it remained, was it not your

own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing

in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” 5  Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell

down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. 6  And the

young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him. 7  Now it was about

three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8  And Peter

answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?” She said, “Yes, for so much.”

9  Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the

Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will

carry you out.” 10  Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the

young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband.

Ex. William Branham

I. WE GOVERN IN THIS WORLD

1. Dominion

Gen 1:26

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let

them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over

the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the

earth.

Psalm 115:16

The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’s; But the earth He has given to the

children of men.

2. Many Things Won’t Happen Unless We Initiate Them

Ex. Prayer – Lord’s Prayer

Do a study on how many times Jesus just spoke to things

Ex. Storm Peace be still; Demons “Go”; Withered Hand Stretch out; Rise take up

your bed and walk

II. WE GOVERN THROUGH WORDS

1. Say

Mark 11:22-24

So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23  For assuredly, I say to

you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and

does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done,

he will have whatever he says. 24  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask

when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them

2. Words are Adjudicated

Mark 12:37

For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be

condemned

3. Small Words Accomplish Big Things

James 3:1-12

My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall

receive a stricter judgment. 2  For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does

not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.

3  Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their

whole body. 4  Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by

fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.

5  Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a

forest a little fire kindles! 6  And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The

tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on

fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. 7  For every kind of beast and

bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by

mankind. 8  But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly

poison. 9  With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who

have been made in the similitude of God. 10  Out of the same mouth proceed

blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. 11  Does a

spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? 12  Can a fig tree,

my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt

water and fresh

Ex. Laws are either spoken or written words

III. HOW TO AWAKEN THE POWER OF WORDS

1. Stay Conscious of the Power

Jer 1:9-10

“Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. 10 See, I have this day set you over

the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and

to throw down, To build and to plant

Ex. Sword from my office

2. Stay full of the Holy Spirit

Acts 13:6-13

Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain

sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, 7  who was with the

proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and

Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8  But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his

name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from

the faith. 9  Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked

intently at him 10  and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil,

you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways

of the Lord? 11  And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall

be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.” And immediately a dark mist fell on

him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.

3. Partner with God

Psalm 19:12-14

Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. 13 Keep back Your

servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me.

Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression. 14 Let the

words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight.

Psalm 141:3

Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips

Ex. Gathering to Capture Saddam Hussein

Ex. Prayer for first Black President

4. Pray in Tongues Often and Release an Unction When You Sense One

Acts 28 Pt. 4 | Bishop Kyle | 9am

Acts 28

Hold the Line

Chapter 5

Acts 5:1-41

1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession.

2  And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain

part and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

3  But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back

part of the price of the land for yourself?

4  While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control?

Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”

5  Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon

all those who heard these things.

6  And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him.

7  Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.

8  And Peter answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?” She said, “Yes, for

so much.”

9  Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord?

Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you

out.”

10  Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in

and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband.

11  So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.

12 And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people.

And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch.

13  Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly.

14  And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,

15  so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at

least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.

16  Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and

those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

17 Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the

Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation,

18  and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison.

19  But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said,

20  “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.”

21  And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. But the

high priest and those with him came and called the council together, with all the elders of the

children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.

22 But when the officers came and did not find them in the prison, they returned and reported,

23  saying, “Indeed we found the prison shut securely, and the guards standing outside before the

doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside!”

24  Now when the high priest, the captain of the temple, and the chief priests heard these things,

they wondered what the outcome would be.

25  So one came and told them, saying, “Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the

temple and teaching the people!”

26  Then the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence, for they feared

the people, lest they should be stoned.

27  And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked

them,

28  saying, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled

Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!”

29  But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.

30  The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree.

31  Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and

forgiveness of sins.

32  And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to

those who obey Him.”

33 When they heard this, they were furious and plotted to kill them.

34  Then one in the council stood up, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in

respect by all the people, and commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little while.

35  And he said to them: “Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding

these men.

36  For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four

hundred, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing.

37  After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people

after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed.

38  And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this

work is of men, it will come to nothing;

39  but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.”

40  And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they

commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

41  So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to

suffer shame for His name.

42  And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus

as the Christ.

There is a Line

1. Religious Hypocrite Line

Matthew 15:7-8

7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their

heart is far from Me

Matthew 23:1-3

1 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples,

2  saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.

3  Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do

according to their works; for they say, and do not do.

a. Hold up standards for others they are not even trying to keep

Matthew 23:4

4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but

they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

b. Showoff

Matthew 23: 5-7

5 But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad

and enlarge the borders of their garments.

6  They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues,

7  greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’

c. Fake

Matthew 23: 14

14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and

for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore, you will receive greater condemnation.

d. Not trying to be Right

Matthew 23:25-26

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the

cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.

26  Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them

may be clean also.

2. Believer Unbeliever Line

2 Corinthians 6:14-18

14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has

righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

15  And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an

unbeliever? 16  And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the

temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I

will be their God, and they shall be My people.

17  Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch

what is unclean, and I will receive you.”

18 “ I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the LORD

Almighty

Believers Unbelievers 2 Cor. 6:14-15

Good Evil Matthew 12:35

Obedient to the Word Disobedient to the Word 1 Peter 2:1

Not judged Judged already John 2:18

Not die in sins Die in sins John 8:24

Children of God Children of the devil John 11:52, 1 Jn 2:10

Light Darkness Ephesians 5:8

Have hope Hopeless 1 Thessalonians 4:13

Bought with a Price Unredeemed 1 Cor 6:20/Ro 2:9-19

Alive in Christ Dead to sin Eph 21:10

James 4:4

4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity

with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy

of God

There are times you want some distinct from you

3. Church World Line

a. Israel didn’t get it

Exodus 19:4-6

4 You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and

brought you to Myself

5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you

shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.

6  And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words

which you shall speak to the children of Israel.

Deuteronomy 14:2

 2 For you are a holy people to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a

people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples who are on the face of

the earth.

Deuteronomy 26:18-19

 18 Also today the LORD has proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He

promised you, that you should keep all His commandments,

19  and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, in praise, in

name, and in honor, and that you may be a holy people to the LORD your God, just as

He has spoken.

 They wanted a King

 They Wanted Golden Calp

 They sought out Baal Worship

1 Peter 2:9

9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special

people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into

His marvelous light

.

Holy nation Evil generation Deuteronomy 1:34-35

1 Peter 2:8

As Disciples Held the Line:

Acts 5:14-19

a. A Great Harvest

14 Believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women

b. Extraordinary Miracles

15 They brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at

least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.

c. Geographic Dominance

16 Multitudes gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and

those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

d. Persecution

17 Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the

Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation, 18  and laid their hands on the apostles

and put them in the common prison.

e. Supernatural Deliverance

19 But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and

said,

20  “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.”

Acts 5:29-32

f. Bold Witness

29 But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather

than men.

30  The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree.

31  Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to

Israel and forgiveness of sins.

32  And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has

given to those who obey Him

Acts 5:42

g. Nothing to Lose

42  And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching

Jesus as the Christ