UNSTOPPABLE THEN and NOW An Unlikely Missionary

Transcription

1 UNSTOPPABLE THEN and NOW An Unlikely Missionary The central verse in the Book of Acts is found in chapter 1 verse 8. I d like you to read this verse with me. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Jesus last words to his disciples set the stage for everything that followed in the Book of Acts followers of Jesus received the Holy Spirit and were empowered as his witnesses, and the Good News of Jesus Christ was proclaimed in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. This first Sunday of June marks the start of our summer long trek through the 2 nd half of Acts. Last summer we explored chapters 1-12, and I intended to stop there, but as we went through that series I realized we needed to keep going, because there was so much good stuff in the 2 nd half of the book as well. So we ll be walking through chapters this summer. The full name of Acts is, The Acts of the Apostles, but that s a misnomer, because while the apostles are prominent figures in Acts, the source of everything recorded in this book is the Holy Spirit. We ve titled this series, UNSTOPPABLE, because under the power of the Holy Spirit the truth of the Gospel is unstoppable; Jesus Church is unstoppable; and, as followers of Jesus Christ, you and I are unstoppable. We added the tag-line, Then and Now, to the title, because we want to emphasize that the work of the Holy Spirit didn t end with Acts chapter 28. This book ends very abruptly. Luke, the author, doesn t tell us what eventually happened to Paul, we re left in the dark about the spread of the Gospel around the world and we don t learn anything more about the persecution of believers in the early church. Some speculate that Acts doesn t come to any resolution because Luke wanted us to get the message that we are living out Acts chapter 29 we get to participate in the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit as a continuation of what s recorded in the Book of Acts. My hope is that through this series, you and I are re-energized by a fresh understanding of what the Holy Spirit living in us means. Let s face it, most of us wouldn t characterize our lives as unstoppable, and yet, walking in the power of the Holy Spirit, unstoppable is what we are. Do you remember Jesus words from John 14:12? I tell you the truth, anyone who has 1

2 faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. Our response to that statement is probably the same one that Jesus disciples had. How is it possible for us to do greater things than Jesus did? The answer is, the Holy Spirit. After his death and resurrection, Jesus returned to Heaven, but in his place He sent the Holy Spirit, and through Him we can do even greater things than Jesus did. Acts chapters 1-12 has a number of prominent characters: Peter and John, Philip, Stephen, James, Barnabas and many others. But in Acts chapter 7 verse 58 we re introduced to a young man named Saul who guarded the cloaks of those who stoned Stephen. This Saul, later known as Paul, became the main figure in the 2 nd half of the Book of Acts and in the early church. Since Saul/Paul plays such a central role in Acts I thought it would be helpful for us to have him tell us a bit about himself You probably know me best as Paul the Latin name I was known by later in life but growing up everyone knew me as Saul. I was named after Israel s first ruler, King Saul. My name change symbolized a radical shift in my life. I m known today as the missionary, church planter and leader in the early church who wrote nearly half of the books in the New Testament. To appreciate who I became you need to understand who I was. I was a true Jewish blue-blood a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees. I was a citizen of the Greek city of Tarsus as well as a Roman citizen a unique combination for a Jew. My father was a devout observer of the Jewish Law. While I was still a boy, dad became concerned about non-jewish influences shaping me, so he moved our family to Jerusalem, where I studied under Gamaliel. Under this renowned scholar s tutelage, I was destined to become a prominent Jewish leader. As I grew into young adulthood my understanding and fervor for Judaism also grew. I became aware of a new sect known as Christianity whose fanatical adherents claimed that a man named Jesus, who had been crucified, had been resurrected by God. These people seemed intent on undermining the Law which we Jews so revered, and disrupting our worship at the holy temple. I determined to do everything in my power to stop them. One of these outspoken, Christian leaders was a man named Stephen, who so infuriated a group of my people that we stoned him to death. I didn t actually throw any stones, but those who did stone him laid their garments at my feet while I gave my silent approval. Stephen s death energized and emboldened us. Persecution of Jesus followers intensified and many of the Christians scattered to surrounding regions and countries outside of Jerusalem. They thought they were safe leaving Jerusalem, but they underestimated my zeal. I asked the high priest for letters that I could take to Damascus in Syria to extradite Jews who called themselves Christians. 2

3 It was on the way to Damascus, where I intended to apprehend these Christians that Jesus apprehended me. A light flashed from heaven and I fell to the ground, stunned. Laying on the ground a voice called to me, Saul, Saul why do you persecute me? Who are you, Lord? I replied. And what the voice said shocked me, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do. When I staggered to my feet, I couldn t see a thing. I was blind! My traveling companions led me into the city and after 3 days a Christian named Ananias came to me. He placed his hands on me and told me that the same Jesus who had appeared to me as I travelled to Damascus had also appeared to him and instructed him to come and pray for me so that I could regain my sight. As soon as he prayed, scales fell from my eyes and I was able to see again. I was filled with the Holy Spirit and then I was baptized. I spent several days with the Christians in Damascus and then I began preaching in the synagogues that Jesus was the risen Son of God. People who heard me couldn t believe that just days before I had been persecuting anyone who professed belief in Jesus and now here I was powerfully proclaiming the same truth I once denounced. I was so effective in my preaching that the Jews in Damascus made plans to have me killed just as I had done to others. How ironic. Who, other than God, could have foreseen the radical changes that took place in my life? Certainly not I. Saul s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus marked a dramatic shift in his life. To help us more fully grasp the magnitude of this shift, I d like to highlight 3 seismic changes that took place in Paul s life. Saul, the persecutor of Christians became Paul, the proclaimer of Christianity. Saul hated Christians. These followers of Jesus called into question much of what he believed as a devout Jew and they seemed intent on pinning the blame for Jesus crucifixion on the Jews. Saul was the ringleader at Stephen s execution he didn t dirty his hands throwing stones at Stephen, but he sat off to the side watching over the cloaks of those who did the stoning and giving his approval. After Stephen was martyred great persecution broke out against the church and once again, Saul was at the center of the storm. Chapter 8 verse 2 says, Saul began to destroy the church. He went from house to house dragging out men and women and taking them to prison. Saul was so intent on rounding up Christians that he received permission from the high priest to go to Damascus in Syria and capture Christians from the synagogue there. 3

4 After his Damascus Road encounter with Jesus Paul became the number one evangelist of the Christian faith. He traveled a total of over 5,000 miles on 3 separate missionary journeys. He planted as many as 20 churches throughout Asia and Europe. And he authored 13 of the books we have in our New Testament. Public enemy #1 of the Christian faith, became its greatest promoter. The 2 nd seismic shift that took place in Paul s life was this Saul, the defender of the Jewish faith became Paul, the missionary to the Gentiles. Saul was raised in a strict Jewish home. Several generations in his family were Pharisees and Saul eagerly followed in their footsteps. In his own words he said, I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. Galatians 1:14 Devout Jews like Paul and his family did everything they could to steer clear of Gentiles. They didn t interact with them and they did what they could to avoid any contact. It s very likely that Saul s father moved the family from Tarsus to Jerusalem when Saul was a boy, so he wouldn t be contaminated by Gentile influence. Gentiles were taboo. But when Saul encountered Jesus he was given a new mission. The Lord said, This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. Acts 9:15 The Pharisee who avoided Gentiles at all cost became God s chosen mouthpiece to non-jews all across Europe and Asia. And the third major shift that took place in Paul s life was that Saul, the rigid legalist became Paul, the Apostle of Grace. In his letter to the Philippian Church Paul describes the focus of his life prior to meeting Jesus: Circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. Philippians 3:5 & 6 Before his Damascus Road encounter with Jesus, Saul completely bought into religion marked by legalism and works righteousness. He believed that his worth in God s eyes was determined by how successful he was in living his life in strict adherence to the law. After meeting Jesus Paul came to understand that righteousness wasn t achieved through human works, but through God s grace. Immediately after listing his Jewish credentials 4

5 for the Philippian believers in the verses I just read Paul writes about the shift that took place in his perspective, But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. Philippians 3:7-9 As we trace Paul s journey and the growth of the 1 st Century Church through chapters of Acts, it will be helpful for us to keep in mind that Saul s encounter with Jesus on the Damascus Road led to a 180 degree turn-around. The strict Jew, who zealously defended the faith of his fathers and persecuted followers of Jesus became a passionate follower of Jesus Christ who boldly proclaimed that Jesus was the Son of God to Gentiles and embraced the truth in his own life that salvation comes through faith in God s grace. While our focus today is Paul and the 1 st Century Church, there is also much we can learn from the transformation that took place in Paul s life. The themes I ll be highlighting from Paul s life are critical truths for each of us as we seek to live our lives in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we walk through these themes I encourage you to look for one of these themes specifically connects with you and your life From Paul s life we learn that an encounter with Jesus changes everything. When Paul wrote the words I m about to read from 2 Corinthians 5:17, he wasn t writing theoretically, nor was he referring only to what he had seen in the lives of others. Think about these words in light of the changes Paul underwent in his life: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! Paul knew first-hand what it was like to become a new creation. I had the blessing of growing up in a Christian home. It was all I ever knew and when I put my trust in Jesus, it wasn t anything dramatic. But through the years I ve seen some dramatic turn-arounds as people walking hard and fast away from God, encountered Him, repented (that word literally means to turn around and go in a different direction ) and then began to walk in step with God. We ve heard many testimonies here at baptisms and many of you have either experienced the dramatic change in your own life or watched it play out in the lives of people you love. An encounter with Jesus changed everything for Paul and 5

6 encountering Jesus still leads to dramatic change for people today for those who first take the step of inviting Him into their lives and for those experience his ongoing, life-changing power in their lives. A 2 nd truth we learn from Paul s life is that in God s hands, our weaknesses become strengths. This was a favorite theme of Paul s. In 2 Corinthians chapter 12 Paul references a thorn in the flesh that he believed hindered his effectiveness in ministry. We don t know the nature of Paul s thorn whether it was physical, emotional or spiritual but whatever it was, Paul wanted to be done with it. Three times he prayed asking God to remove it, but the Lord said, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Paul then was able to write, Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ s power may rest on me. That is why for Christ s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Paul endured incredible hardship throughout his ministry, but he came to understand that his hardships, his weaknesses and his shortcomings were opportunities for Jesus to dis play his power. That s why Paul could say he delighted in difficulties. We like it when things go well. We prefer victory to defeat; success to failure; wisdom to ignorance; health to sickness; and, comfort and security to uncertainty and instability. We prefer strength, but God often shows Himself most clearly through our weakness. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:7, But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. God s magnificent treasure shines through our frail human bodies, because the treasure of Jesus, not us, is what God wants people to notice. Paul s life reminds us that in God s hands, our weakness becomes strength. The things we re ashamed of and try to hide are the very things God is able to use to display his power and glory. Paul s life also reminds us that even though we walk through places that don t make sense to us or which we d like to forget, God is able to redeem all of our experiences. I ve titled today s sermon: An Unlikely Missionary, because Paul is probably the last person anyone, including Paul, would have ever expected to become a follower of Jesus Christ. But Paul was a perfect fit for the new role God had for him. He may have been an unlikely missionary, but He wasn t ill-equipped. As a Jew born in the Greek city of Tarsus, who was also 6

7 a Roman citizen, Paul had a multi-cultural awareness that few others had. His familiarity with Jewish history and the Law and his training under the respected Jewish scholar, Gamaliel, laid the foundation for him to be unmatched as an apologist for Christianity, after he saw the light and became a follower of Jesus Christ. On several occasions during his missionary work, Paul used his status as a Roman citizen to open doors that would have been closed to others. Prior to coming to Christ, Paul never would have envisioned himself as a Christian, but his upbringing and his life experiences uniquely shaped him for the roles in which he flourished as a missionary, church planter, defender of the faith and New Testament author. Think about your life have you ever wondered about the path you find yourself on? Have you been frustrated not understanding how a certain phase of life you re in fits in the big picture of what God has for you? Do you find yourself floundering, feeling like you lack meaning and purpose and excitement in your life? Remember that God hasn t forgotten you. He knows exactly where you are and where your path leads. And He is able to redeem all of your experiences even ones you d like to forget for his plans and purposes. Paul s life reminds us that: an encounter with Jesus changes everything. Studying Paul s life reinforces the truth that in God s hands, our weaknesses become strengths. And Paul s story shows us that God is able to redeem all of our experiences. My hope is that Paul s life is an encouragement to each of us today and that as we walk through this series over the next 3 months we ll be reminded that with the power of the Holy Spirit living in us and working through us, you and I just like the Apostle Paul are unstoppable! 7