Series: Action [#24]
GROW AND GO
Acts 11:1-18
Introduction:
This has been a week of ups and downs. I have cried over great things and I have cried over bad things. At times, it has been a 2 steps forward and 3 steps back type of week. Through this, God has used Sunday School, Wednesday Night Bible Study, and the Sermons to help. As I prepared for this Sermon, I thought about skipping these verses. I wasn’t skipping them because I didn’t want to preach them, I was skipping them because the last 2 Sermons were about the very same thing. Obviously, God did not allow that to happen. Instead, God led me to look at this in a different way.
Acts 11:1-18
As Christians, we are called to…
1. Grow.
Peter had to realize that his being religious did not impress God. You and I do not get any bonus points from God when we act spiritual. We are to mature in Christ. Here is a list of mature choices versus immature choices:
* Teaching others rather than just being taught.
* Developing depth of understanding rather than struggling with the basics.
* Self-evaluation rather than self-criticism.
* Seeking unity rather than promoting disunity.
* Desiring spiritual challenges rather than desiring entertainment.
* Careful study and observation rather than opinions and half-hearted efforts.
* Active faith rather than cautious apathy and doubt.
* Confidence rather than fear.
* Feeling and experiences evaluated in the light of God’s Word rather than experiences evaluated according to feelings.
As Christians, we are called to…
2. Go.
The Great Commission tells Christians to go. What are you doing to help reach people with the Gospel before they die and go to Hell? God came to you when you needed Him. He did not withhold the Good News from you. To the 1st believers in the 1st Church, you and I were unfit for the Good News; because we are Gentiles. Peter’s 1st inclination, (as a good Jewish man) was to withhold the Gospel from people like you and me.
God had other plans and Peter followed God’s plans. Of course, if the Gospel is not withheld from us; then we should not want to withhold it from others, right?
How do you share the Gospel?
* Prepare the way.
When you or I want to tell people about Jesus, we need to smooth out the road first. Jesus told us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Prepare the way by loving them and praying for them.
* Know the way.
So, what will I say to them when they are ready to hear about God? Please do not walk them through your Bible. Instead, tell them your story of how you found Christ. If you are a follower of Jesus, you have not always been. The Bible teaches us that everyone must to turn to God from a position of recognizing themselves as a sinner. The story of how you recognized yourself as a sinner and turned to Jesus for forgiveness is your story.
* Show the way.
Keep lifting up Jesus to them. Keep praying for them. Be ready to share your story with them when they ask how you can handle life differently than most people.
Conclusion:
Are you growing as a Christian? Are you going as a Christian?
