A Year To Build
Acts 14:19-23
How many are excited to be in the house of the Lord this evening? I am and I’m excited to be a part of this Church in this up coming year. Why? Because I have noticed some special things about this Church, since my family and I just started here just a few months ago. This is a Church were people pray for one another. And this is a Church that I have seen loves and respects their Pastor and his family very much.
Another thing that I noticed about this Church is that people come from all around to be a part of this Church. From what I can figure and I might be wrong, It’s about a 30 mile radius that people drive to come to this Church.
In just a few hours we will be starting the New Year. Some are glad to put this year behind them because of bad memories. But I can stand here and say one thing for sure, is that my family and I have seen God work in a tremendous way this past year, from complete physical healing to many coming to know the Lord as their personal Savior.
Church you can set here tonight and look ahead into this new year with confidence knowing that our God is willing and able to do great and mighty things in the lives of individuals and in this Church.
In this upcoming year let us expect the best. Why? Because we have the best!
Besides this being a place where people love and care for one another and pray for one another. This is a place that has Jesus. This is a Church that is open to the Holy Spirit.
Church listen to me tonight, better yet listen to the Holy Spirit tonight. Being open to the Holy Spirit is very important in the life of a Church. Friends a Church without the Holy Spirit or a Church that is not open to the Holy Spirit is like a brand new car up on blocks and no wheels on it.
You can go over to it and get into to it, start it up and get comfortable, after a while you can even turn on the heater and get warm and set there and listen to the radio. But guess what it’s not going anywhere. And the Church is the same
way without the Holy Spirit.
So with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit this coming year lets keep moving on and also lets start building for the future. Just like a carpenter needs
his or her tools to build with (Show Tools). We also have tools to build with.
And our tools are better than Craftsmen and Snap Ons that have a lifetime guarantee. Our tools that God gives us have an eternal guarantee. So with the help of the Holy Spirit and God’s word, I’m going to show you our tools needed for building up Christ Church.
First thing is to remember that our Bible is our multi-purpose tool. There’s not a nut out there it can’t tighten, and there’s not a problem out there that it can’t drive back home to where it belongs.
(Read Acts 14:19-23)
There are three things in this scripture that I would like to point out that can help us to continue to build up God’s Church. They are first Evangelism, second Exhortation, and third Edification.
The first thing is let us build through Evangelism. Take a look at verses 19-21.
(Read) Here we can see that Paul had just been stoned by some Jews and dragged out of the city and left to die. Then his disciples gathered around him as he was lying there probably thinking he was dead. Then all of a sudden Paul stands up and surprises them.
But look at what the Bible goes on to say he did. He gets up and walks right back into that city. What boldness! Maybe that was Paul’s way of letting the Jews know that he was still alive.
That’s what we need to do. We need to do like Paul did. We need to get back up and go out into the world and let them know that we are still alive and Christ is still alive in us.
We can clearly see that some of these people rejected the gospel. People are still rejecting the gospel today. But even if people reject the gospel, we still must love them. A good example of this was reported by Ralph Neighbor, pastor of Houston’s West Memorial Baptist Church.
He tells the story about a non-Christian that was sick in his community, that him and his deacon went to visit, this mans name was Jack. This is the story he tells.
Jack had been president of a large corporation, and when he got cancer, his company ruthlessly dumped him. He went through his insurance used his life savings, and had practically nothing left.
I visited him with one of my deacons, who said, "Jack, you speak so openly about the brief life you have left. I wonder if you’ve prepared for your life after death."
Jack stood up, and said with rage. "You ----- Christians. All you ever think about
is what’s going to happen to me after I die. If your God is so great, why doesn’t he
do something about the real problems of life?" He went on to tell us that he was leaving his wife penniless and his daughter without money for college. Then he ordered us out.
Later my deacon insisted we go back. And we did.
"Jack, I know I offended you," he said. "I humbly apologize. But I want you to know I’ve been working since then. Your first problem is where your family will live after you die. A realtor in our Church has agreed to sell your house and give
your wife his commission from the sell.
"I guarantee you that, if you’ll permit us, some other men and I will make the house payments until it’s sold.
"Then, I’ve contacted the owner of an apartment house down the street. He’s
offered your wife a three - bedroom apartment plus free utilities and an $850-a- month salary in return for her collecting rents and supervising plumbing and electrical repairs. The income from your house should pay for your daughter’s college. I just wanted you to know your family will be cared for."
Jack cried like a baby.
He died shortly thereafter, so wrapped in pain he never accepted Christ. But he
experienced God’s love even while rejecting him. And his widow, touched by the caring Christians, responded to the gospel message.
Just like Paul didn’t except the rejection of the Jews, the deacon in this story didn’t except the rejection of the man dying. He just loved him and in the process
the man’s wife came to know the Lord.
In verse 20 we can see that Paul and Barnabas left the next day for the city of Derbe. And in verse 21 we can see what happened (Read). Paul went to Derbe to reach lost souls; this was his main purpose in life.
Listen to what he says in 1 Cor. 9:16, "Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! Listen to that last part again, "Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!!! Repeat this with me again.
This is what made Paul the missionary that he was and this is why he founded so many Churches. Folks listen, Evangelism is vital to our existence as a Church.
If you don’t feel your smart enough to witness to someone, because of your education or just fear of felling.
Don’t worry about it, pray about it, and let the Holy Spirit take control. Just like I was just told a short time ago, "If God’s in control what are you worried about."
Besides even the Sanhedrin were astonished at what God did with two unschooled, ordinary men. "Those two being Peter and John."
Also in just a short time we will be starting a program, to help people witness. It’s called "Share Jesus Without Fear".
This coming year let’s make a promise to each other and to God to at least try to bring people to hear the gospel, to be living messengers of the gospel, and to always preach the gospel when the opportunity arises.
Jesus told his disciples in Mark 16:15 "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.
The second thing we can do is to build through Exhortation. Take a look at verses 21-22. (Read) To exhort is to encourage. How many here have ever been discouraged about something and felt like giving up. Or you taught a class or preached a sermon or song a song and you felt like you just didn’t get the point across.
Then later that day, someone comes up to you and says, how much your class or message or song really ministered to them. And they look at you with a big smile and say "Thank You, and keep up the good work."
Let us continue to encourage those who are discouraged. Let us continue to encourage those who feel like giving up, to keep pressing on towards the mark.
Inside our families lets continue to encourage each other. Also lets continue to encourage our Pastor and those in Leadership.
The third and final thing is, let’s build though Edification. To edify is to build up.
As we can see in verse 23 Paul builds up and organized the church. Also, giving responsibilities to leaders. We can also see that Paul prayed and fasted for those he appointed to be leaders.
Let us also do as Paul did, he appointed leaders for the churches and prayed for them. And you as a congregation have appointed new leaders for this up coming year, Continue to lift each one of our leaders in prayer.
I ask you tonight to go before God and ask him to help you to be a builder this year. One important thing we need to build this year is a bridge between the Church and the lost.
So in closing tonight let’s look at this coming year as the Harvest Time. This coming year will be a great year to build for the Kingdom. And tonight we have seen the Materials needed to build, Evangelism, Exhortation, and Edification. Let us rise up and build.
