WEBVTT 00:00:00.120 --> 00:00:01.590 I'm going to invite you this morning to Acts. 00:00:01.740 --> 00:00:05.470 Chapter six is where we're going to be together today, Acts chapter six. 00:00:06.180 --> 00:00:13.180 And I want to tell you, as a church, one of the things that I, I really appreciate about going through the book of Acts, especially as I consider where we are as a church, as a 00:00:13.180 --> 00:00:20.220 nation, is this is a very refreshing book of the Bible to encourage God's people in every 00:00:20.220 --> 00:00:23.890 season of life, and especially in adversity. 00:00:24.460 --> 00:00:26.600 We have this tendency within us. 00:00:26.600 --> 00:00:28.010 It's just part of human nature. 00:00:28.200 --> 00:00:29.840 I'm not saying that this is a godly thing. 00:00:29.840 --> 00:00:36.840 I'm just saying this is the way that we think sometimes is when we go through adversity, we often look at our adversity as a moment that we've just got 00:00:36.840 --> 00:00:44.100 to kind of push the pause button on seeing things move forward in life in order to get past the hump of life, to get back to, living for 00:00:44.100 --> 00:00:46.340 Jesus and seeing God do great things. 00:00:46.520 --> 00:00:50.720 But the Book of Acts is really a book that challenges us in the midst of that. 00:00:50.920 --> 00:00:58.120 And the reason I say that is because when you look at the end of chapter five and you look throughout all of chapter six, what you discover 00:00:58.120 --> 00:01:01.850 is here's the early church in the midst of tension. 00:01:02.300 --> 00:01:04.480 But yet God is doing some incredible things. 00:01:04.519 --> 00:01:10.460 In fact, at the very last couple of verses, last two verses of Acts chapter five, Pastor Lincoln shared this with us last week. 00:01:10.740 --> 00:01:12.990 But you see the early church being persecuted. 00:01:13.060 --> 00:01:15.540 They're told to stop teaching about the resurrection of Jesus. 00:01:15.700 --> 00:01:21.740 They refused to do it because they tell us they would rather obey God than men, and they continue to proclaim Christ. 00:01:21.740 --> 00:01:26.130 Well, the leaders of that day bring the disciples and put them on trial. 00:01:26.320 --> 00:01:31.140 And because they refused to talk about Jesus, they beat them for proclaiming Jesus. 00:01:31.200 --> 00:01:33.240 And the disciples run away rejoicing. 00:01:33.940 --> 00:01:40.400 Now for most of us or all of us, that's counterintuitive to the way that we would often think, right? 00:01:40.420 --> 00:01:44.540 We think to yourself, if somebody beats me, I'm not going to be all cheery about it. 00:01:44.560 --> 00:01:45.600 That's just not the way. 00:01:45.600 --> 00:01:48.620 Even if my football team loses today, I'm not cheering about that. 00:01:48.620 --> 00:01:53.350 And by the way, if you miss church because your football team is playing, Jesus is going to make sure your team loses. 00:01:53.580 --> 00:01:53.700 All right. 00:01:53.760 --> 00:01:54.600 That's just I'm just kidding. 00:01:54.600 --> 00:01:54.960 I'm teasing. 00:01:55.000 --> 00:01:56.520 That's not that's not true. 00:01:56.540 --> 00:01:57.720 That's not that's not true. 00:01:57.960 --> 00:01:59.780 We know it's not true because the Dodgers won yesterday. 00:01:59.780 --> 00:02:01.590 And that's just Whatever. 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:02.260 All right. 00:02:02.300 --> 00:02:03.080 Whatever. 00:02:03.240 --> 00:02:04.760 God's not with that. 00:02:05.000 --> 00:02:05.140 I'm just kidding. 00:02:06.650 --> 00:02:07.390 That's all that's on the air. 00:02:07.620 --> 00:02:07.960 I'm sorry. 00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:08.490 If anyone watches. 00:02:09.060 --> 00:02:09.620 Okay. 00:02:09.759 --> 00:02:10.039 Okay. 00:02:10.080 --> 00:02:10.660 It doesn't matter. 00:02:10.840 --> 00:02:11.100 Okay. 00:02:11.100 --> 00:02:17.680 So all that to say, in the midst, I got sidetracked in the midst of challenging times. 00:02:17.880 --> 00:02:18.100 Right. 00:02:18.700 --> 00:02:23.380 I want you to know, often that is one of the most beautiful places for God to move. 00:02:24.400 --> 00:02:26.540 And the book of Acts reminds you that again and again. 00:02:26.600 --> 00:02:27.260 And here's how. 00:02:27.340 --> 00:02:28.020 Here's how we know. 00:02:29.480 --> 00:02:36.520 When the early church is persecuted, one of the reasons they're running away rejoicing is because that becomes 00:02:36.520 --> 00:02:43.580 a tangible moment for them to realize that the substance of their faith matters more to them than the 00:02:43.580 --> 00:02:47.460 temporal of this life, and even when it's going to cost them. 00:02:48.680 --> 00:02:52.080 And it's the same for you, right? 00:02:52.080 --> 00:02:58.760 It's easy to say you're a Christian when life goes your way, but what comes out of you when you're cut? 00:02:59.260 --> 00:03:00.520 Do you bleed, Jesus or not? 00:03:01.560 --> 00:03:08.560 And especially when we think about maybe even in your life right now, some of the difficulty that you might be going through. 00:03:09.300 --> 00:03:12.480 And we look at that and we're like, man, I just want to survive right now. 00:03:13.400 --> 00:03:18.770 But I want you to know, when you read the book of Acts, God has a plan that's much bigger than just surviving. 00:03:19.560 --> 00:03:26.560 And in fact, the way Acts chapter six starts out is it says to us now in those these days when the disciples 00:03:26.560 --> 00:03:30.840 were increasing in number, I mean, here we are in chapter three. 00:03:30.840 --> 00:03:31.560 They face persecution. 00:03:32.420 --> 00:03:34.690 Chapter five, they're facing it again. 00:03:34.900 --> 00:03:37.060 And we might think, the result of that. 00:03:37.060 --> 00:03:38.580 Then obviously the church is going to shrink. 00:03:38.580 --> 00:03:39.550 They're going through difficult times. 00:03:41.040 --> 00:03:48.100 And, I even think about that sometimes for us, like, to be honest when we look at attendance here at the church, I'm like, 00:03:48.240 --> 00:03:50.260 oh, we can't grow anymore. 00:03:50.260 --> 00:03:53.770 I've been saying that for like a couple years just because we've we're just a little pressed. 00:03:53.860 --> 00:03:54.420 Right. 00:03:54.420 --> 00:04:00.160 And then every year our numbers go up and I'm like, I mean, it takes a little bit as Americans, we like our comfort. 00:04:00.160 --> 00:04:01.020 We like our space. 00:04:01.180 --> 00:04:01.260 Right? 00:04:01.320 --> 00:04:05.010 There's a I mean, there's a little bit of not a lot, but a little bit. 00:04:05.040 --> 00:04:08.050 And being able to be a little bit comfortable in how we worship. 00:04:08.240 --> 00:04:12.660 And it's just it's a reminder of beautiful things that God is doing here. 00:04:12.660 --> 00:04:17.279 And, when you look at the early church and you see, they're going through persecution. 00:04:18.380 --> 00:04:21.720 And in the midst of that, rather than retracting, the church is growing. 00:04:21.760 --> 00:04:23.380 And we could say, well, how is that happening? 00:04:24.160 --> 00:04:31.620 And let me just tell you, one of the ways that we just see the reason this is happening for the church is because when people 00:04:31.620 --> 00:04:38.120 are being pressed for the sake of Jesus, they're demonstrating substance to who they are in Christ. 00:04:38.940 --> 00:04:40.780 And people see the reality of that. 00:04:40.780 --> 00:04:42.340 And they think, man, I want that. 00:04:42.340 --> 00:04:47.950 They have something that transcends the difficulty of what they're going through, and it's real. 00:04:47.980 --> 00:04:49.280 There's substance to that. 00:04:50.020 --> 00:04:57.570 And I think that that's putting a fire under the rear ends of people in the first century, and they realize I don't have what they have, and I want that. 00:04:58.160 --> 00:05:00.390 And, when I think about our country today. 00:05:01.320 --> 00:05:07.840 I think that we are heading nowhere fast as a nation like the trajectory that we're on. 00:05:08.160 --> 00:05:13.480 But with the trajectory that we're on, there is a growing hunger in our country right now. 00:05:13.580 --> 00:05:16.760 And I think that growing hunger is even exacerbated here in Utah. 00:05:18.120 --> 00:05:19.920 I have I've lived here for 20 years. 00:05:19.920 --> 00:05:21.280 I've lived here longer than I've lived anywhere. 00:05:21.580 --> 00:05:22.880 Utah is home for me. 00:05:23.000 --> 00:05:24.220 I love living here. 00:05:24.220 --> 00:05:25.450 I love the people here. 00:05:25.660 --> 00:05:32.980 And in my 20 years of being here, we're seeing more people desiring to know Jesus in the last couple of years than really the other 00:05:32.980 --> 00:05:34.060 18 years combined. 00:05:35.280 --> 00:05:40.940 And I think the reason for that is people know that there is some brokenness and they're looking for answers. 00:05:41.520 --> 00:05:48.820 And can I tell you, the best way to show substance to your faith is being willing to pay a cost, because Jesus 00:05:48.820 --> 00:05:50.220 matters more. 00:05:51.140 --> 00:05:58.460 I was reading an article this morning that said last year in our country, Bible sales were up 00:05:58.460 --> 00:05:59.360 22%. 00:06:00.560 --> 00:06:05.910 And this year in our country, Bible sales are up 36%, which I thought that's amazing. 00:06:06.180 --> 00:06:11.240 But then when you realize you can just download it for free, the fact that it's up at all is phenomenal, right? 00:06:11.240 --> 00:06:16.920 Like, and I'm not saying if you study the Bible on your phone, that's fine. 00:06:16.920 --> 00:06:19.360 You know, but I think it's convenient for Sundays. 00:06:19.360 --> 00:06:25.660 But there's something about just getting it in your hand, marking it up, even getting a study Bible, reading the notes. 00:06:25.800 --> 00:06:32.820 And but it's saying to us that in the midst of challenging times, people realize that there's a need there. 00:06:33.660 --> 00:06:36.600 There's a longing in their soul that they can't fill. 00:06:36.780 --> 00:06:43.360 And who better to demonstrate it than God's people and what better time to do it? 00:06:43.360 --> 00:06:43.900 Get this. 00:06:43.900 --> 00:06:47.720 Not not just when it's easy, but even when it's hard. 00:06:48.820 --> 00:06:56.080 I think one of the most beautiful times to do it is in the midst of adversity, because it's showing the substance of 00:06:56.080 --> 00:07:01.130 what is in you, because of the Jesus that you have in your life. 00:07:01.720 --> 00:07:05.230 And so when you look at chapter six, this is what we're seeing with the church. 00:07:05.300 --> 00:07:07.720 We're actually seeing at the very beginning there. 00:07:07.780 --> 00:07:09.180 They're increasing in number. 00:07:09.380 --> 00:07:12.820 But you're going to find that the second half of verse one that they have trouble. 00:07:12.920 --> 00:07:13.720 Let me skip ahead here. 00:07:13.880 --> 00:07:17.040 They have trouble within and trouble without. 00:07:17.520 --> 00:07:19.980 Trouble within is described the second half of verse one. 00:07:20.180 --> 00:07:24.140 Trouble without is described verse eight to verse 15, the pressure from the outside. 00:07:24.500 --> 00:07:31.630 But in verse one it tells us a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews, because their widows were being neglected in daily distribution. 00:07:32.940 --> 00:07:39.780 Now there are some problems that we get that are good problems, and there are some problems that we get that God can use them for good. 00:07:39.860 --> 00:07:40.880 But at first they don't feel good. 00:07:40.940 --> 00:07:46.940 And I would say sometimes the pain from within can be can they can be trouble. 00:07:46.940 --> 00:07:47.060 Right. 00:07:47.100 --> 00:07:48.550 But they can be good troubles. 00:07:48.560 --> 00:07:48.980 Right. 00:07:48.980 --> 00:07:50.860 Like trying to find a seat for people. 00:07:50.880 --> 00:07:53.500 Like that's a wonderful complaint to have. 00:07:53.500 --> 00:07:53.780 Right. 00:07:53.780 --> 00:07:56.700 I just think thank you, Lord, for what you're doing here. 00:07:56.740 --> 00:07:56.900 Right. 00:07:56.960 --> 00:07:58.740 As we're growing as a church. 00:07:58.780 --> 00:08:00.420 Just so rejoicing in that. 00:08:00.420 --> 00:08:03.870 And you know, as a church, we want to belong to things that have life. 00:08:04.600 --> 00:08:08.080 We want to belong to something that's making a difference. 00:08:08.920 --> 00:08:09.790 And it's fantastic. 00:08:10.300 --> 00:08:11.520 It's encouraging. 00:08:11.520 --> 00:08:13.580 It's inspiring to see that. 00:08:13.840 --> 00:08:14.910 And it makes me excited. 00:08:15.180 --> 00:08:18.280 Like every Sunday morning you're like, what new person are we going to meet today? 00:08:18.640 --> 00:08:19.710 I don't know, but it's going to be great. 00:08:19.840 --> 00:08:20.740 Let's go do that. 00:08:20.740 --> 00:08:21.120 Right. 00:08:21.200 --> 00:08:27.120 Let's let's see how God's moving in the hearts of people and what God wants to do, and not just new people like you. 00:08:27.120 --> 00:08:27.900 Old people too. 00:08:27.900 --> 00:08:28.820 I love you as well. 00:08:28.820 --> 00:08:34.200 I don't mean in age, but I just you've been a part of ABC, and you're a part of the meaningful difference that God is making here. 00:08:34.260 --> 00:08:35.299 And all of that is fantastic. 00:08:36.620 --> 00:08:43.820 I mean, you think about when the way God designed us from the beginning in the Garden of Eden, one of the interesting things I think sometimes 00:08:43.820 --> 00:08:48.500 we perceive the creation story a little bit backwards. 00:08:48.500 --> 00:08:54.400 And what I mean by that is we often think God when he when he designed the world, he designed, everything. 00:08:54.400 --> 00:08:58.060 And he created animals and birds and humanity in the Garden of Eden. 00:08:58.620 --> 00:08:58.970 And then he. 00:08:59.060 --> 00:08:59.550 And then he. 00:08:59.840 --> 00:09:01.060 He tells us go after. 00:09:01.080 --> 00:09:01.260 Right. 00:09:01.260 --> 00:09:03.180 Like be fruitful, multiply and subdue it. 00:09:03.260 --> 00:09:10.720 But one of the things I think is very interesting to consider about our design is the order by which he created humanity. 00:09:11.720 --> 00:09:12.740 And then the Garden of Eden. 00:09:13.480 --> 00:09:16.840 He tells us this twice in Genesis chapter two. 00:09:16.860 --> 00:09:19.500 But the verse that I threw up here is verse 15. 00:09:19.800 --> 00:09:23.780 But when he created humanity, he actually made Adam first, right? 00:09:24.420 --> 00:09:25.140 And then Eve. 00:09:25.160 --> 00:09:31.300 But when he made Adam, he didn't make the Garden of Eden until he first made Adam. 00:09:32.040 --> 00:09:34.810 I think sometimes we might think God made the Garden of Eden, and he put Adam in that. 00:09:34.820 --> 00:09:36.140 It's actually the opposite of that. 00:09:36.140 --> 00:09:38.720 God made Adam, and then he created the Garden of Eden. 00:09:39.680 --> 00:09:43.910 And I think part of the reason was this God was saying, look, I'm Adam, I'm going to do something here. 00:09:44.120 --> 00:09:45.100 I don't want you to screw this up. 00:09:45.440 --> 00:09:47.440 I want you to see it first before you go into it. 00:09:47.540 --> 00:09:54.580 This is this is kind of like, I feel like what my wife says to myself and the four boys that she runs in the head of 00:09:54.580 --> 00:09:55.500 our home, right? 00:09:55.500 --> 00:09:58.580 Like she creates this beautiful little garden for us in the house. 00:09:58.580 --> 00:09:59.500 It looks wonderful. 00:09:59.500 --> 00:10:01.820 And then we come in and we kind of mess it up. 00:10:01.900 --> 00:10:07.620 And it doesn't matter with our guys how much we look at, try to try to do things we can never do as well as she can. 00:10:07.780 --> 00:10:09.400 It's like, this is a god with Adam. 00:10:09.400 --> 00:10:11.330 He's like, here's the Garden of Eden, Adam. 00:10:12.020 --> 00:10:15.290 And then he takes Adam after he's created him and he puts him in the garden. 00:10:16.060 --> 00:10:21.360 And when God created us in the beginning, he created not the garden over the whole world, but he created a garden in the part of the world. 00:10:22.380 --> 00:10:26.780 And then he says, I want you to take this garden, and I want you to multiply it throughout the earth. 00:10:28.020 --> 00:10:32.400 And Adam, in this moment, he's really representing the priesthood. 00:10:32.480 --> 00:10:36.060 And what that means is Adam has this direct connection to God. 00:10:36.060 --> 00:10:38.680 He's living in direct relationship with the Lord. 00:10:39.040 --> 00:10:45.520 And when God told him to take the Garden of Eden and expand it, what he's what he's saying is, I've made you for relationship with me. 00:10:45.540 --> 00:10:52.510 And as you know me, I want the blessing of me to flow through you, that the substance of who I am is made known in this earth. 00:10:52.840 --> 00:10:55.660 As you expand my glory around the planet. 00:10:56.480 --> 00:10:57.680 And it's the same for us today. 00:10:57.680 --> 00:11:02.060 Now the difference between us now and Adam and Eve is that now we have the curse of sin. 00:11:02.260 --> 00:11:02.920 And so. 00:11:03.080 --> 00:11:07.620 So we're dealing with the thorns and the conflict that arise. 00:11:07.620 --> 00:11:11.020 But God calls the same for us in this world that we represent him. 00:11:11.020 --> 00:11:15.700 And as God transforms us, we impact the world around us, or at least we should. 00:11:15.700 --> 00:11:22.980 And even in adversity, maybe we should say, and especially in adversity, the way the glory of God is made known in the early church. 00:11:23.200 --> 00:11:28.100 There, moving forward in the call that God has given them. 00:11:28.220 --> 00:11:35.260 And they're seeing the impact that's made in the world and not despite adversity, but actually in adversity, because the substance of Christ 00:11:35.260 --> 00:11:40.370 is made known in their life, and the people around them are seeing the substance of what they are as Christians. 00:11:42.500 --> 00:11:43.880 These people really mean it. 00:11:44.960 --> 00:11:47.070 And what Jesus has done in them really matters. 00:11:48.540 --> 00:11:54.000 And what they have is transcending the struggle of this world that I want to belong. 00:11:55.020 --> 00:12:00.420 And so people are becoming a part of that and as they're becoming a part of that, they're beginning to expand. 00:12:01.920 --> 00:12:06.860 And as the church is expanding what their understanding is with expansion comes responsibility. 00:12:08.640 --> 00:12:09.630 And it's the same for us. 00:12:11.040 --> 00:12:15.880 And I think as you just naturally grow in this world, the older you get, the more responsibility you have. 00:12:17.040 --> 00:12:18.860 Sometimes when you're young, you just can't look. 00:12:19.040 --> 00:12:22.330 You can't get past wanting to grow older. 00:12:22.440 --> 00:12:25.540 And then when you're older, you're like, I want to be a kid again, right? 00:12:25.700 --> 00:12:27.240 Because you got all the responsibilities. 00:12:27.820 --> 00:12:34.940 But, one of the things that's interesting as a child when you when you make mistakes as a kid, as a kid, when you make mistakes, there's 00:12:34.940 --> 00:12:36.860 smaller consequences usually. 00:12:37.460 --> 00:12:39.760 And those become opportunities for you to learn. 00:12:40.360 --> 00:12:44.840 Because when you get older and you make mistakes, oftentimes the consequences are bigger. 00:12:45.600 --> 00:12:53.070 And consequences don't just have to be bad things, they can also be good things, like we can make positive consequences for our actions, 00:12:53.400 --> 00:12:54.020 right? 00:12:54.100 --> 00:12:58.800 But what you are intended when from a young age, to learn what it means to just nurture and grow as a human. 00:12:58.960 --> 00:13:00.790 And the same is true for you as a believer. 00:13:01.880 --> 00:13:05.840 And the Bible calls us as when we first come to Jesus as spiritual babes. 00:13:06.620 --> 00:13:13.740 But God's desire is to nurture something in you that as God gives you more responsibility, that you continue to see your 00:13:13.740 --> 00:13:17.920 influence in Jesus make a difference in the lives of people around you. 00:13:18.600 --> 00:13:25.920 And here's the early church doing this as they discover this pressure within, this growing pains that they go through. 00:13:27.100 --> 00:13:34.320 And then they in verse eight start to discover the pressure without as people try to get them to conform to who they are 00:13:34.320 --> 00:13:38.930 and or what the world is, they want them to just submit to their authority. 00:13:39.140 --> 00:13:43.620 But there there's something greater happening in them that they're not bowing the knee to this. 00:13:43.620 --> 00:13:50.720 In fact, in the midst of these challenges, you get this sort of this summary idea in verse seven of what continues to happen as the 00:13:50.720 --> 00:13:55.520 church sees some, some, some pain, growth within and also without. 00:13:55.520 --> 00:14:03.120 And it says verse seven, and the word, the Word of God continues to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem. 00:14:03.140 --> 00:14:06.340 And a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. 00:14:07.960 --> 00:14:09.000 I mean, that is incredible. 00:14:10.880 --> 00:14:15.000 And we come to challenges and we see them as obstacles. 00:14:16.340 --> 00:14:21.820 But what God is saying is really what they are in him are just opportunities for his glory to be made known. 00:14:23.140 --> 00:14:30.430 And sometimes when we go through difficult times in life, like we look at our challenges, we think, man, I just want peace or I just want to survive. 00:14:31.860 --> 00:14:38.920 And then you read verse seven, you realize, man, God's got so much more than just surviving that he took a moment that was 00:14:38.920 --> 00:14:39.470 difficult. 00:14:39.580 --> 00:14:46.660 And rather than just get past the hump, they're seeing the not only is this situation getting handled, but the church 00:14:46.660 --> 00:14:53.720 continues to grow and the glory of God made known through the community to the point where it's saying that they greatly multiply in 00:14:53.720 --> 00:14:54.520 Jerusalem. 00:14:54.580 --> 00:14:58.740 And even at the end of the verse that the priests are becoming obedient to the faith. 00:14:59.580 --> 00:15:05.490 The priests who are running the temple for the Jewish religion are now submitting their lives to Christ and becoming believers. 00:15:07.080 --> 00:15:07.710 And that is amazing. 00:15:09.580 --> 00:15:17.220 I mean, you think even about maybe your life this morning, some of us might be thinking everything's going great, job is going great, family's 00:15:17.220 --> 00:15:19.050 going great, church is going great. 00:15:19.420 --> 00:15:20.860 That's amazing for you. 00:15:20.940 --> 00:15:21.440 If that's you. 00:15:23.600 --> 00:15:26.380 But then some of us might be thinking, man, everything's falling apart. 00:15:28.460 --> 00:15:33.280 My home, my marriage, my kids, my job. 00:15:34.860 --> 00:15:35.850 And I'm just trying to survive. 00:15:38.040 --> 00:15:45.100 And then you look at a section like this, and you realize that is often the catalyst God uses to do 00:15:45.100 --> 00:15:52.420 things far more glorious than we could ever ask or think that the greatness of God wants more 00:15:52.420 --> 00:15:53.720 than just survive. 00:15:55.880 --> 00:16:00.060 He wants his people thriving in every circumstances of life and him. 00:16:00.060 --> 00:16:07.140 Doesn't mean it's not hard, but it does mean that there is a God who helps us transcend with a greater hope in 00:16:07.140 --> 00:16:14.560 the midst of the temporal challenges we face in this world, to the point that when the substance of Jesus is made known in my life and adversity, it 00:16:14.560 --> 00:16:21.760 resonates in the hearts of people that they long for something, they're hungering for something. 00:16:21.860 --> 00:16:26.260 And I, in the midst of this, get the privilege of demonstrating the glory of God. 00:16:26.440 --> 00:16:31.570 This is why the disciples rejoiced at the end of this chapter, or excuse me at the end of chapter five. 00:16:32.080 --> 00:16:36.760 And so this is why today we're going to talk about staying spiritually healthy as challenges arise. 00:16:36.800 --> 00:16:39.090 And I know that was a long introduction. 00:16:39.160 --> 00:16:41.970 So please know I'm going to give you the answers here very quickly. 00:16:42.680 --> 00:16:49.720 But I think one of the most beautiful ways to think about the Christian life is really the illustration we see in Genesis two and throughout the Bible, 00:16:49.780 --> 00:16:56.650 and the idea of gardening and even Jesus used parables and reflecting on the Christian life and relationship to gardening. 00:16:56.860 --> 00:17:03.460 And one of the reasons I think that's important to think about is because, for you and for me in our instantaneous generation of wanting everything. 00:17:03.560 --> 00:17:05.119 Now let's microwave it in 30s. 00:17:05.220 --> 00:17:05.940 It's done. 00:17:06.060 --> 00:17:07.859 I don't I don't know the well, it doesn't matter. 00:17:08.160 --> 00:17:10.680 But we just want things quickly. 00:17:10.680 --> 00:17:11.220 We want to be pleased. 00:17:11.400 --> 00:17:13.260 We just want to know a plus b equals C. 00:17:13.260 --> 00:17:13.800 Give me the equation. 00:17:14.040 --> 00:17:15.520 Tell me what I need and let's move on. 00:17:16.599 --> 00:17:19.040 But the Christian life is different than that. 00:17:19.540 --> 00:17:20.310 It's more organic. 00:17:21.960 --> 00:17:29.100 It's about learning what it means to walk faithfully in relationship to Jesus, and the substance of that relationship be made known 00:17:29.100 --> 00:17:30.390 in the way that I carry myself. 00:17:31.740 --> 00:17:39.300 And so this thought that we're talking about this morning is this is true for us as individuals, when we think about God 00:17:39.300 --> 00:17:45.260 wants to do a tremendous work not only in me, but through me, even in the difficulty I might be going through in life. 00:17:45.520 --> 00:17:51.700 So trouble from within, maybe in the home, trouble from without, maybe even at work or maybe to follow Jesus. 00:17:51.700 --> 00:17:56.310 There's just challenges that are put on you because you want to follow Jesus, and people around you don't want you to. 00:17:57.700 --> 00:18:02.230 Or maybe we even think about this collectively as a community when we're talking about building a bigger facility. 00:18:02.800 --> 00:18:05.570 And with more space comes more opportunity. 00:18:06.020 --> 00:18:08.640 And with that, there will become moments of tension. 00:18:09.800 --> 00:18:16.660 But how will we navigate through that is important, because with that tension comes opportunity to honor Jesus with our lives. 00:18:17.420 --> 00:18:24.290 And so what does that look like now when the early church is facing this struggle here, here's something I think is important for us to think about. 00:18:24.780 --> 00:18:28.980 We have this tendency when we go through hardship to kind of retract to what's most important. 00:18:29.740 --> 00:18:34.400 We kind of become primal because when life is going well, we're kind of living in a luxury. 00:18:34.620 --> 00:18:37.010 We're just appreciating all sorts of things. 00:18:37.020 --> 00:18:41.670 But when things get hard, we kind of we kind of retract to, okay, let's get back to the basics. 00:18:41.880 --> 00:18:44.560 What's most important, because this is going to define who we are. 00:18:44.800 --> 00:18:45.900 This is going to carry us through. 00:18:46.100 --> 00:18:47.930 And this is exactly what the early church does. 00:18:49.180 --> 00:18:56.560 This is one of the reasons why, when I read the Bible some of my favorite passages are passages like John chapter 13 to 17. 00:18:56.560 --> 00:19:03.800 Jesus's final moments with his disciple, or one of my favorite epistles is the Book of Second Timothy that Paul writes to his young protege 00:19:03.800 --> 00:19:08.140 Timothy, that he's been discipling over these years because Paul knows he's about to die. 00:19:09.020 --> 00:19:16.020 And the final words he's sharing, you just kind of read that thinking, what are the what are the thoughts that Paul just wants to get to the cross and his and his 00:19:16.020 --> 00:19:23.060 final moments are Jesus wants to say to his disciples in the upper room in Acts chapter six, as the church is facing this struggle, they're kind 00:19:23.060 --> 00:19:26.740 of coming to that place of saying, look, this is what refines us. 00:19:26.760 --> 00:19:34.480 This is critical for us, especially when we think about the way God wants to use us in life, and particularly in 00:19:34.480 --> 00:19:35.560 challenging seasons. 00:19:36.360 --> 00:19:36.740 So what is that? 00:19:36.760 --> 00:19:38.260 Let me give you some quick answers here. 00:19:38.320 --> 00:19:42.960 Number one is this Revere God's Word and pray. 00:19:44.800 --> 00:19:46.600 Revere God's Word and pray. 00:19:49.020 --> 00:19:56.460 And you see in the verse two and in verse four the leaders of the church emphasizing this, It says verse 00:19:56.460 --> 00:20:03.560 two, and the 12 summoned the full number of the disciples and said, it is not right that we should give up preaching the Word of God 00:20:03.560 --> 00:20:04.630 to serve tables. 00:20:05.100 --> 00:20:05.610 And in verse four. 00:20:05.780 --> 00:20:09.250 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. 00:20:10.680 --> 00:20:14.760 Now in the church, they recognized a need, and it was wonderful. 00:20:15.020 --> 00:20:22.020 They wanted to serve the need, but they're also recognizing that sometimes good things can take our eyes off the 00:20:22.020 --> 00:20:22.850 great things. 00:20:24.180 --> 00:20:32.180 And sometimes doing a good deed can be wonderful, but never at the expense of what defines who you are, because 00:20:32.180 --> 00:20:39.600 you can get lost in the sea of doing and fail to recognize the beauty of what started the journey and what continues 00:20:39.600 --> 00:20:41.250 to grow you in the process. 00:20:42.480 --> 00:20:44.340 And for us as God's people. 00:20:44.540 --> 00:20:45.620 That's the Word of God. 00:20:45.740 --> 00:20:47.620 This is why we go through it verse by verse. 00:20:47.620 --> 00:20:51.600 As a church, I don't just want to know God's Word. 00:20:51.700 --> 00:20:54.720 I want to get it in me to refine my soul. 00:20:54.740 --> 00:20:56.840 So intellectually I do want to understand it. 00:20:56.840 --> 00:20:59.290 But deeper than that, I wanted to shape who I am. 00:20:59.320 --> 00:21:00.150 And so it's important. 00:21:00.320 --> 00:21:05.920 It's critical for my life to turn it in my being so that it becomes who I am. 00:21:05.940 --> 00:21:11.040 So that when I'm squeezed by the pressure of life, the beauty of Jesus comes out of me. 00:21:11.100 --> 00:21:18.140 It's why for me, I find it perplexing when I when I encounter people that tell me they're Christian, but then tell me 00:21:18.140 --> 00:21:22.170 they don't read the word, I think to myself, how does that how can that even work? 00:21:23.280 --> 00:21:23.460 Right? 00:21:23.460 --> 00:21:30.540 You have a God who desires to be made known in your life, who has made himself known through His word, but how can you follow a 00:21:30.540 --> 00:21:31.850 person that you don't know? 00:21:33.000 --> 00:21:35.680 How can you follow someone without spending time with him? 00:21:36.540 --> 00:21:36.680 Right? 00:21:36.680 --> 00:21:43.800 And so the Word of God becomes a critical component of the life of the believer to understand who God is and who 00:21:43.800 --> 00:21:45.000 we are in light of that. 00:21:45.040 --> 00:21:51.120 And prayer quickly follows it, because prayer is more than just us coming to God and telling him what we want. 00:21:51.760 --> 00:21:54.750 It's us seeking God, asking him what he desires of us. 00:21:56.000 --> 00:21:57.820 Lord, help me know who you are. 00:21:58.780 --> 00:22:02.480 Lord, help me follow after you, Lord. 00:22:02.500 --> 00:22:08.060 Allow your word to just develop in the depth of my soul that it becomes who I am. 00:22:09.060 --> 00:22:11.780 And so the Word of God is central to the church is what we're saying. 00:22:11.960 --> 00:22:14.000 In the midst of all the things we could get busy with. 00:22:14.140 --> 00:22:19.720 We don't want to distract ourselves from this thing that's intended to guide us. 00:22:20.740 --> 00:22:21.780 And more than that. 00:22:22.440 --> 00:22:27.760 Not only do they Revere God's Word, but this next point is duly important in relationship to the Word of God. 00:22:27.760 --> 00:22:31.230 It's this be surrendered and wise. 00:22:33.600 --> 00:22:35.380 Be surrendered and wise. 00:22:36.540 --> 00:22:37.180 Verse three. 00:22:37.180 --> 00:22:44.460 You see that it says, therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the spirit 00:22:44.460 --> 00:22:48.770 and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 00:22:50.040 --> 00:22:52.300 Now here's what they're saying is like, here comes a challenging moment. 00:22:52.300 --> 00:22:53.480 How are we going to get through this challenging moment? 00:22:54.380 --> 00:22:56.720 Let's look for people really surrendered to Jesus. 00:22:57.840 --> 00:23:04.900 Let's find some leaders among us, life fully committed to Christ, that we can just get behind us as we move forward in these challenging 00:23:04.900 --> 00:23:05.540 times. 00:23:06.060 --> 00:23:13.060 And so he tells them specifically for this particular need related to the Hellenistic Jewish widows, that they want to 00:23:13.060 --> 00:23:14.180 find some individuals for that. 00:23:14.240 --> 00:23:16.510 And this is the way they describe him, full of the spirit and of wisdom. 00:23:17.260 --> 00:23:21.040 The idea of full of the spirit literally means surrendered, right? 00:23:21.040 --> 00:23:28.220 In fact, I would say the idea of being surrendered and wisdom are interconnected to one another because Proverbs chapter nine verse ten says 00:23:28.220 --> 00:23:31.080 this the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. 00:23:32.100 --> 00:23:36.660 Meaning, you're never going to have the wisdom that God desires for you to have until you're your surrendered to him. 00:23:37.920 --> 00:23:42.250 And what God's desire for your life is for you to live for a purpose. 00:23:42.380 --> 00:23:45.880 And you discover that purpose as you walk in relationship with him. 00:23:45.880 --> 00:23:53.240 Meaning, the primary reason for which you were created is for relationship and God, and you will never fulfill or live out the reason for which you were designed 00:23:53.240 --> 00:23:56.400 until your life knows him is surrendered to him. 00:23:57.140 --> 00:24:04.300 That's why in Ephesians chapter five verse 18, it tells us every call, the life of the believer is to be filled with the spirit, which 00:24:04.300 --> 00:24:08.440 is another way of saying being surrendered to the spirit or being surrendered to the Lord. 00:24:09.500 --> 00:24:12.260 It's to say on the throne of my life, rather than me. 00:24:12.300 --> 00:24:12.680 Sit there. 00:24:12.680 --> 00:24:17.820 I realize I'm created for the Lord, and so I surrender myself to his authority over me. 00:24:19.180 --> 00:24:24.420 God shaped me, and this becomes important in terms of the Word of God and prayer. 00:24:24.480 --> 00:24:32.980 Because if we don't approach God's Word with that heart of surrender, what will end up doing is prostituting the Word of God to serve me rather 00:24:32.980 --> 00:24:35.980 than surrender my life for his glory to serve him. 00:24:37.680 --> 00:24:42.040 And so surrendering is about the attitude that I'm carrying as I'm engaging the Lord in His Word. 00:24:42.580 --> 00:24:43.220 Prayerfully. 00:24:44.560 --> 00:24:51.660 And what happens in that is that God shapes me with wisdom, and wisdom becomes critical for us as believers 00:24:51.660 --> 00:24:58.000 and learning how we navigate with the truth, and truth and wisdom are connected, but there's also a distinction to them. 00:24:59.020 --> 00:25:03.420 Meaning truth is incredible in that it transcends you. 00:25:03.480 --> 00:25:06.820 Like in our culture, we like to say what's true for you is true for you, which is a garbage. 00:25:07.420 --> 00:25:08.590 That's not real truth, right? 00:25:08.620 --> 00:25:10.920 Like truth was truth before you. 00:25:11.540 --> 00:25:13.230 And truth will outlive you. 00:25:13.720 --> 00:25:16.870 But hopefully you discover the truth because it should define you. 00:25:17.840 --> 00:25:22.570 And in so doing, you then learn how to apply the truth in what you're going through in this life. 00:25:22.620 --> 00:25:23.500 And that's wisdom. 00:25:23.500 --> 00:25:25.540 Wisdom is the application of truth. 00:25:27.200 --> 00:25:31.360 Lord, help me learn how to honor you in the season that I'm in. 00:25:32.900 --> 00:25:35.160 God, I just want to survive this moment. 00:25:36.440 --> 00:25:38.460 But, Lord, you have something far better planned. 00:25:39.760 --> 00:25:41.780 Lord, help me see your glory made known. 00:25:43.000 --> 00:25:49.730 God, thank you for the opportunity that I have before me to see the depth of my faith in the midst of these challenges. 00:25:50.160 --> 00:25:51.140 That's wisdom. 00:25:51.140 --> 00:25:51.240 Right? 00:25:52.340 --> 00:25:59.300 And it's really important to learn about surrendering to the Lord for us as believers and applying that wisdom. 00:25:59.300 --> 00:26:04.430 Because the opposite of that is, as first Thessalonians five tells us, it says, do not quench the Holy Spirit. 00:26:06.380 --> 00:26:13.620 And sometimes God will make our work in our hearts, make our lives sensitive to things that we just need to address before him, surrender to him. 00:26:13.880 --> 00:26:21.100 And sometimes we ignore those things, and in so doing, we quench the spirit and our life becomes 00:26:21.100 --> 00:26:24.220 dull to the work that God really desires to do. 00:26:25.220 --> 00:26:28.150 And over time, we just kind of drift further and further away. 00:26:30.040 --> 00:26:33.460 But God's heart for us is so much bigger. 00:26:34.600 --> 00:26:41.280 To see the beauty of what he desires to do in our lives as the glory of God would be made known. 00:26:41.280 --> 00:26:48.580 And, I think about doing ministry here in Utah and seeing the beauty of what Jesus is doing among us as a church and knowing our 00:26:48.580 --> 00:26:50.220 best days are still in front of us. 00:26:50.220 --> 00:26:52.060 And God desires to do a tremendous work. 00:26:52.240 --> 00:26:58.040 If we would just lead in this way and find the glory of God made known to us as we seek his face as a community. 00:26:58.240 --> 00:26:59.140 Surrender to him. 00:26:59.140 --> 00:27:06.960 Walking wisely as the truth of God churns within our soul to transform our lives as we're nurtured in his beauty, growing organically 00:27:06.960 --> 00:27:11.000 like the garden as it expands for us as a community and individuals. 00:27:11.000 --> 00:27:13.020 What he desires to do. 00:27:13.080 --> 00:27:20.360 And, one of the things that we've said from the beginning as a church that we just we want to do over and over again is treat every 00:27:20.360 --> 00:27:21.620 soul precious to the Lord. 00:27:22.680 --> 00:27:29.740 I remember before we started ABC going to the over here to Wines Park and just praying before God and just saying, Lord you Lehigh 00:27:29.740 --> 00:27:36.200 seems like a difficult place to plant a church, but God, I'm going to be here until the day I die. 00:27:37.080 --> 00:27:39.260 I just want to serve you with everything that I have. 00:27:39.260 --> 00:27:42.520 And so, God, if you just bring one soul, you bring 100 souls, I don't care. 00:27:42.840 --> 00:27:47.420 I'm going to treat every person like that one individual that just they matter to you. 00:27:48.300 --> 00:27:50.580 And because they matter to you, they matter to me. 00:27:50.900 --> 00:27:56.530 And one of the things that as a staff every Tuesday that we get the opportunity to do is we get to pray for needs. 00:27:56.640 --> 00:28:01.620 We talk about the next steps, where we're going as a church, but we also take time to recognize, okay, who was new on Sunday? 00:28:02.200 --> 00:28:02.980 Who do we need to pray for? 00:28:02.980 --> 00:28:03.740 That was new here. 00:28:03.780 --> 00:28:04.540 Who did you get to meet? 00:28:04.980 --> 00:28:09.820 And just we just get to be thankful that God continues to do a work here, but we never want to lose sight of that. 00:28:10.900 --> 00:28:13.200 Every soul in this room matters to the Lord. 00:28:14.440 --> 00:28:16.820 Every heart in what you're doing before God right now. 00:28:16.840 --> 00:28:17.980 It matters to him. 00:28:17.980 --> 00:28:23.020 It matters to us and the Word of God and surrendering to him crucial. 00:28:23.040 --> 00:28:25.480 So the early church walks through those things. 00:28:25.540 --> 00:28:27.140 Let me give you the last point, because I need to close here. 00:28:27.200 --> 00:28:29.780 But the last is this have compassion without compromise. 00:28:31.400 --> 00:28:32.820 Have compassion without compromise. 00:28:32.840 --> 00:28:33.520 And here's what you see. 00:28:34.560 --> 00:28:35.080 Verse five. 00:28:35.080 --> 00:28:37.180 And what they said pleased the whole gathering. 00:28:37.180 --> 00:28:44.520 And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip and Prochorus and Nakamura, and Timon and Parmenas, 00:28:44.580 --> 00:28:46.520 and Nicholas, a proselyte of Antioch. 00:28:46.520 --> 00:28:50.810 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. 00:28:51.200 --> 00:28:55.060 And it's not easy to see that necessarily that answer of compassion without compromise. 00:28:55.080 --> 00:28:58.920 But here's what I want you to recognize as they're listing off the names. 00:28:58.940 --> 00:29:04.320 The thing that's important to see in these verses is that every one of those names is a Greek name, not a Hebrew name. 00:29:05.920 --> 00:29:12.940 And the reason that's important is because you remember in verse one the problem they were facing they're trying to address is that the Hellenist, the Greek speaking 00:29:12.940 --> 00:29:14.570 Jews are being neglected. 00:29:16.080 --> 00:29:23.380 And they thought, and they're growing church, who better to minister to this need with compassion than the Greek Jewish people 00:29:23.380 --> 00:29:24.120 among us? 00:29:25.400 --> 00:29:32.940 And so the church, in order to minister well, chose the people among them who would be most compassionate to the brokenness of those individuals. 00:29:34.280 --> 00:29:41.380 Guys, can I tell you, for you, we all walk different paths in life, but those paths that we walk tend 00:29:41.380 --> 00:29:44.140 to shape who we are and the way that we care for those around us. 00:29:44.140 --> 00:29:51.280 Now, as human beings, we should care for everybody because we're all made in the image of God and at the same time not take away the uniqueness of 00:29:51.280 --> 00:29:58.470 the path that you've walked and the way that God has shaped compassion towards particular people in your life in order to love them well in Jesus. 00:30:00.100 --> 00:30:07.100 The way the church is making this impact is through by going to the places where they're most compassionate and caring for those around 00:30:07.100 --> 00:30:07.360 them. 00:30:07.400 --> 00:30:11.620 That's what these Greek speakers represent, and at the same time, they're doing it without compromise. 00:30:11.920 --> 00:30:19.300 Even when you look at Steve and it tells you he's a man full of faith in the Holy Spirit, meaning he 00:30:19.300 --> 00:30:26.620 knows as he goes throughout this world, not everyone's going to agree with who he is, and he's not going to let it go because it's defined who he is as an individual 00:30:28.120 --> 00:30:31.400 and therefore helps him better love those around him. 00:30:32.720 --> 00:30:40.030 When you look at the way the early church is just being refined in these moments, going, going back, retracting to these things that are most essential, 00:30:40.040 --> 00:30:41.860 that sets the precedent of who they are. 00:30:42.100 --> 00:30:48.210 It's is what this is, what's allowing them to move forward, even in adversity, that the glory of God would be made known. 00:30:48.860 --> 00:30:56.040 When you look at the end of this story and I got to end here, verse eight, it tells you and Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great, wonderful signs 00:30:56.040 --> 00:30:57.040 among the people. 00:30:57.700 --> 00:30:59.900 And in the midst of that, challenges arise. 00:31:00.660 --> 00:31:02.090 People come in and they persecute Stephen. 00:31:02.140 --> 00:31:03.640 And we're going to look at Stephen next week. 00:31:03.780 --> 00:31:05.240 But they come in and begin to persecute him. 00:31:05.240 --> 00:31:06.090 They put him on trial. 00:31:06.440 --> 00:31:08.320 They make false accusations against him. 00:31:08.500 --> 00:31:10.500 But look at this in verse 15. 00:31:10.500 --> 00:31:15.640 And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel. 00:31:17.300 --> 00:31:18.560 I mean, it's telling you. 00:31:18.840 --> 00:31:25.900 It was apparent the contrast between Stephen and the world, the beauty of Jesus still being made known in 00:31:25.900 --> 00:31:28.260 his life in the final moments of his life. 00:31:29.420 --> 00:31:33.390 Guys, this should be the truth of us as followers of Christ. 00:31:33.940 --> 00:31:37.680 No matter the circumstance, it's not going to change who I am. 00:31:38.760 --> 00:31:45.210 But I believe in a big God, and that big God wants to do more in our lives than just simply survive that. 00:31:45.480 --> 00:31:52.500 At the first century, this church thriving in conflict, God multiplying the community, he can do the 00:31:52.500 --> 00:31:53.520 same thing among us. 00:31:53.960 --> 00:31:55.000 I'll close with this last statement. 00:31:55.060 --> 00:31:57.790 There's an early church leader by the name of John Chrysostom. 00:31:58.660 --> 00:31:59.940 Chrysostom. 00:32:00.240 --> 00:32:01.180 And he. 00:32:01.420 --> 00:32:05.120 He was a leader in the fourth century, died at the beginning of the fifth century. 00:32:06.080 --> 00:32:11.120 And John, in the midst of persecution gave us this statement. 00:32:11.120 --> 00:32:17.780 He was martyred for his faith in the second exile, became so weak in his being exiled that he collapsed and died a martyr. 00:32:17.820 --> 00:32:19.860 But he said this is the mark of the church. 00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:27.100 When the spirit makes many souls, one heart and one mind, and no one says that anything he has is his own, and they belong to 00:32:27.100 --> 00:32:27.540 the Lord. 00:32:28.540 --> 00:32:32.000 And even in challenges the beauty of who they were in Jesus made known. 00:32:32.940 --> 00:32:39.810 I want to make a difference in challenging times, refreshing your soul in the richness of who you are in Christ.