The book of Acts contains a record of the events of the early church after the ascension of Jesus. God was faithful to bless and multiply the church both spiritually and numerically but as the church grew, persecution rose to meet it. Acts 9 is an account of God’s intervening hand in midst of persecution on behalf of the church. What He did helps us understand that His interventions are not interruptions, but an opportunity for God to witness Him work.
James instructed his readers to, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,” (James 1:2) His readers were followers of Jesus who were scattered across the known world as a result of persecution for their faith and he is calling them to consider their trials as a reason and opportunity to rejoice. How in the world would they do that? Why should they do that? And why should we do the same when we meet disruptions and difficulties in our life?
When it comes to following Christ, we’re not guaranteed a life without difficulty. While we live in this world, we will still face circumstances outside of our control and be challenged by those that deny the Truth. What should we do when this happens? Where can you find the confidence to keep pursuing Christ when it feels like everything is against you?
Ministering in the heart of the Philippines since 2015, Fil Kakilala is working hard to disciple new believers, train up new church leaders, and touch people’s lives with the gospel of Christ. The fruit of this ministry is evident, as many people are coming to know Christ and are being baptized!
In Acts 1:8, Jesus’ final message to His followers was: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.” There is no uncertainty in His statement–we will be His witnesses–the question is what kind of witnesses will we be?
Paul wrote to the church of Thessalonica and urged them “to aspire to live quietly, and to mind [their] own affairs” (1 Thessalonians 4:11). If we look at our lives honestly, that is not who we are nor is it how we live. Richard Foster wrote, “We crave things we neither need nor enjoy. ‘We buy things we do not want to impress people we do not like.’” He went on to say that, “Simplicity is freedom. Duplicity is bondage. Simplicity brings joy and balance. Duplicity brings anxiety and fear.” Jesus explained it this way: “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24).
As we continue to study the Essential Elements of Life in Christ, we will continue once again this week to consider a spiritual discipline that, while essential, it is not something that we practice every day. In fact, this particular element is practiced on a weekly basis by design. Of course, the element that I am referring to is the spiritual practice of Sabbath. I’m sure that many of you are aware of what the Sabbath is in a Jewish context, but today, I want us to realize that celebrating Sabbath is not just a Jewish thing! God intends for all followers of Christ to practice Sabbath rest.
In the early Church, there were three religious practices that were practiced regularly; Giving, Praying, and Fasting. Some where along the way, fasting fell off the bandwagon and became more of a diet plan. When we deny our selves the physical gratification of food, and put our trust in the word of God, the hold that the physical has on our lives begins to lessen. And the growth towards the spiritual, increases greatly. It’s time that we start making Fasting a priority in our worship.
As we seek to find significance in our lives, we need to remember that it is not about what we do for God that is important—it is discovering who you already are in Christ! “Since there is no one else in the Body of Christ quite like you, discovering your ministry identity—who you are in Christ—is absolutely essential.” When it comes to ministry, “you must discover and fulfill the design components which the Lord has strategically placed in you. You don’t need to DO anything, other than to learn to fulfill who and what God has already prepared” (Paul Ford). Ministry is about who you are—who God created you to be—not what you do in trying to serve Him! In our text this morning, we’re going to explore some lessons about ministry that we learn from Moses in Exodus 18. We will spend some time applying his father-in-law’s advice to our own situation here at Temple Rogers.
When Joshua was charged by God to lead the nation of Israel into the Promised Land, he was not given a series of military strategies or a five-step plan for success. Instead, God’s instruction included meditating on His Word day and night. Why this? What is so significant about meditation and how is it different than what we see portrayed in Hollywood or in Eastern cultures?