HoHum:
“Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” Acts 2:41, NIV. Much present day evangelism seeks to make coming to Christ easy. Many today would be appalled that Peter made the cost of coming to Christ so high. How could he expect them to turn their backs publicly on their culture? How could he ask them to risk becoming outcasts among their families and society? How could he demand that they accept as Messiah the very One their leaders had rejected and executed? They would no doubt predict that the results of Peter’s sermon would be minimal.
Such was not the case, however. Those who had received his word accepted the conditions and were baptized. Further, they amounted to more than an insignificant handful; there were added to the church that day about three thousand souls. Not only that we find that they followed through. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Acts 2:42, NIV.
WBTU:
We tend to base our decisions on one of 4 motivations in life: circumstances, conveniences, criticisms or convictions. Only decisions based on our convictions will last and leave a legacy.
The people who have made the greatest impact on this world, for good or bad, are those who had the deepest convictions like David. They were not the smartest people, the brightest people, the most educated, the wealthiest or even the most famous.
If we are going to build convictions, we need to build them on something that’s going to last. Everything changes. Fads change, fashions change, psychology changes, even science textbooks change. There is only one thing that never changes. That is the truth of God.
“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands for ever.”” Isaiah 40:8
If the church is going to change the world we need to have strong convictions. We find the actions of the early church outlines in Acts 2:42, but what convictions lead them to these actions? We find these convictions coming from the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels
Thesis: 6 Convictions of the church that change the world
For instances:
1. It’s all about God.
The church is not about me or you or about profit, politics or anything else. It’s about God.
“For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory for ever! Amen.” Romans 11:36, NIV.
Loving God and exalting Him is more important than anything else. “Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” Matthew 22:37, 38, NIV.
British actor Michael Wilding was once asked if actors had any traits which set them apart from other human beings. "Without a doubt," he replied. "You can pick out actors by the glazed look that comes into their eyes when the conversation wanders away from themselves."
2. Only the church will last forever
“On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Matthew 16:18, NIV.
This means a lot but I want to focus on the fact that nothing will overcome the church. Nothing on earth will last forever- no business, government or nation. The church will overcome and endure. Nothing will overcome the Church. It has the strength of God Himself to overcome the gates of Hades or hell. Hell will not win the final victory over the church. Jesus doesn’t say that there will not be sorrow, danger, and pain for the church. He does say that the final victory will go to those who have been blessed by the Father to see Jesus as their life and hope.
What does this conviction mean for us? If we’re all going to live together forever, we better get along. It’s not enough just to love God, we must love the church, Christ’s bride, as well. Christ died for the church, the whole church, anyone who has accepted Jesus Christ.
Love is more important that personal differences in the family of God. Love is more important than political differences. We need to love our brothers and sisters in Christ
3. God expects me to love everybody else
Life is not about the acquisition of things or achievement or popularity. It’s about learning to love. “The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”” Mark 12:31, NIV.
So who is our neighbor? Jesus was asked this and he gave the story of the Good Samaritan. The short answer is everybody is our neighbor. That means we are to love the unlovely, those who are different and difficult.
It’s easy to love people who agree with us and are safe. ““If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them.” Luke 6:32, NIV.
God wants to love even our enemies. “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” Luke 6:35, NIV. God demonstrates his love even to those who go against his will. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8, NIV.
When Graham Stains and his two young boys were brutally burned to death by Hindu extremists in India, Gladys Stains and her teenage daughter stood by the three graves of their beloved, praying that the murderers would come to know the love of Christ. The song they sang on national television still reverberates, “Because He lives, I face tomorrow.”
4. The whole world needs Jesus
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” Matthew 28:19, NIV. Does it say, go and make disciples of some nations? No, all nations. Give a plug for missionaries who are coming, David Morris in October, Jim Newman coming in the Fall, Kerry Allen from Ohio
To keep the good news a secret is criminal. If we knew the cure for a dredged disease- like cancer or AIDS- and we didn’t share it, that would be criminal. We have something much better than that. We know the cure for the human soul. We know the cure for the deepest needs of humanity. We need our past forgiven, a purpose for living, and a home in heaven- we need Jesus
“So from now on we regard no-one from a worldly point of view.” 2 Corinthians 5:16, NIV.
People are not objects to serve us or please us, they are priceless souls that Jesus shed his precious blood for. They are worthwhile and valuable.
“Send picture first, then I’ll reply”- this is a common message in the personal ads and it makes a lot of sense. But let me ask this question: When it comes to whom we love, do we send out the message, “Send picture first?” We may say it in different ways. For instance, we may say, think or judge: “I have to see if you’re good enough.” “I’m not sure you’re worthy of my love.” “You need to act the way I expect before I’ll love you.” We don’t just do that with strangers who cross our path. We often make these judgements about the people closest to us.
God did send a picture first- the picture of Jesus, his body broken and stretched out on the cross, dying for our sins.
5. Everything is possible with God
“Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”” Matthew 19:26, NIV.
These two thoughts mark the two great lessons that man has to learn in the Christian life. It often takes a long time to learn the first lesson-that in the Christian life man can do nothing, that salvation is impossible to man. And often a man learns that, and yet he does not learn the second lesson-what has been impossible to him is possible with God.
A famous missionary to China said these words: “There are three stages in any great work attempted for God: impossible, difficult, done.”
6. History’s conclusion is inevitable
The Bible tells us how it’s going to end. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14, NIV.
Never before in the history of the world have we had the capacity to preach the gospel to all nations like we do today. With modern technology, with travel being made easier, with language becoming less and less of a barrier thanks to computers, the gospel can now be preached around the world.
The results from the mission field are astonishing. People are coming to Christ in places we can hardly believe. Muslims are having dreams about Jesus and are seeking out Christians and coming to Christ, churches in third world countries are sprouting up in record numbers. Great population centers like China and India, the two most populated countries on the earth, are experiencing hordes coming to Christ.
Here we do not see these things, but they are happening. Even so, Jesus says, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”” Luke 18:8, NIV.
I've read the back of the book and we win,
no more livin' in darkness we'll be living at home with HIM.
You see there's no need to worry about it if you're born again.
I've read the back of the book and we win.
