INTRODUCTION
* X-Games / Extreme Sports: term for certain activities perceived as having a high level of inherent danger and that are counter-cultural (give examples...)
* The need for “extreme” with the Gospel
- high level of danger involved: both for the carrier and the receiver (souls are at stake)
- the counter-cultural nature of the Gospel
* Extreme situations demand extreme actions
* An extreme situation in Acts 19: Paul at Ephesus
- Ephesus became Paul’s base of operation during his third missionary journey
- Ephesus was the home of the Temple of Artemis (false worship was occurring)
- Ephesus was the leading city of the province of Asia and was approaching its zenith during Paul’s time there
* The situation we face today is extreme
- we’re closer to the end than ever before
- opposition to Christianity is growing; apathy is increasing among the church
- conservative estimate (calculating the world’s death rate and percentage of believers): every year 49.7 million die and go to hell = that’s 136,111 per day, 5,671 per hour, 95 per minute
* We must get extreme in living a life that fulfills the purpose of God
* Acts 19 = several examples of how intense/extreme God and his people get; the example is set for us
1. We need to practice extreme obedience (v. 1-7)
* The people had not heard that the Holy Spirit had been/was being given (v. 2); they obedience was shown in receiving John’s baptism (v. 3)
* We’ve settled for “simple obedience” (i.e., church attendance; giving), but God wants extreme obedience (beyond explanation)
- Luke 9:59-60
- Matthew 16:24
* Must be willing to lay it all on the line in obedience, even if it costs us.
* Verse 6: what happened as a result of their obedience
2. We need to engage in extreme proclamation (v. 8-10)
* Paul’s desire was to proclaim the Gospel, and he did so in an “extreme” manner...
- HOW he proclaimed: boldly (v. 8)
- WHAT he proclaimed: the kingdom of God/rule of Christ (v. 8)
- HOW LONG he proclaimed: continually (v. 9)
* The result of his extreme proclamation: saturation (v. 10)
- During this time three churches were established; some believe the seven churches of Revelation (chapters 2-3) were also planted by Paul during this time of extreme proclamation
* Our great need to engage in extreme population = Romans 10:13-15
3. We need to experience extreme power (v. 11-16)
* Text reveals that God’s hand of blessing was on Paul (v. 11-12): the handkerchiefs and aprons were tangible symbols of God’s power through Paul (miracles confirmed the work of the apostles)
* Verses 13-16 = the power of God gets noticed and people of God who experienced extreme power posed a threat to hell itself
* Extreme power was needed because of the extreme situation in Ephesus; the extreme situation in our world today needs to be faced with extreme power
* The power that is needed today comes only from God and the Gospel...
- Matthew 28:18
- Romans 1:16
* Our task is to not rely on what we can do, but to plug in to God’s power and allow him to work in and through us (see John 15:5)
4. We need to offer extreme repentance (v. 17-20)
* The result of seeing God’s power was to repent
* The repentance was extreme because it was biblical...it resulted in changed actions (v. 18-19)
* Today we need to repent of our apathy, our attitude before God, of making God our servant instead of our Lord, of our complacency
* Repentance begins with the people of God, the church!
* While repentance isn’t “fun,” it is a very fruitful experience = see verse 20
5. We need to be prepared for extreme opposition (v. 21-41)
* The real opposition was not Demetrius (he was the pawn), but Satan (he opposed the continuation of the Gospel)
* If we desire to see God move in our lives, our churches, and our communities, we must be prepared for extreme opposition (both in and out of the church)
* If we face no opposition it likely means that we pose no threat to the enemy
* Paul was prepared for any opposition he faced by being completely committed to the Gospel and the Christ it proclaimed
* If we are not prepared, we are prone to give up (see 1 Cor. 15:58)
