Pursuing The Mission- Making Christlike Disciples

PURSUING THE MISSION

MAKING CHRISTLIKE DISCIPLES

ACTS CH. 5:1-11, 38-40

INTRO-

I HAVE SHARED WITH PEOPLE WHAT THE LORD HAS SHOWN ME DURING MY PRAYER TIME. OUR CHURCH MOVING TO THE NEXT LEVEL. MOVING FORWARD WILL BE BY PRAYER AND THAT IT WILL NOT BE JUST BY THE ABILITIES AND TALENTS OF THE CHURCH. I MAKE NO APOLOGY FOR THAT AND WE ARE FACED WITH A DECISION, DO WE AS A CHURCH JOIN TOGETHER IN PRAYER AND BREAK THE BARRIER AND GO TO THE NEXT LEVEL, OR STAY AT THE SAME SPOT AND WAIT FOR IT TO FALL INTO OUR LAPS.

THIS MORNING SCRIPTURE IS ABOUT THE EARLY CHURCH. THEY BELIEVE THEY WERE ABOUT A YEAR OLD HERE. TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THOSE AROUND THEM, SOME WOULD SELL WHAT THEY HAD AND GIVE IT TO THE CHURCH TO DISTRIBUTE TO THOSE IN NEED.THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT IS REAL AND WHAT IS A EXCITED MOMENT. BARNABUS WAS A GENUINE CHRISTIAN (CH. 4) ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA WERE NOT. BARNABUS SOLD HIS LAND BECAUSE HE WANTED TO OBEY GOD AND PLEASE HIM. ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA HAD OTHER INTENTIONS. INSTEAD OF PLEASING GOD, THEY WERE MORE INTERESTED IN IMPRESSING OTHERS. ONE HAD A PASSION FOR GOD, ONE HAD A PASSION TO BE NOTICED AND PRAISED BY OTHERS. WIIFM “WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME” OUR MOTIVES ARE CRITICAL

ILLUSTRATION-

AN ELDERLY MAN ON THE BEACH FOUND A MAGIC LAMP. HE PICKED IT UP AND A GENIE APPEARED. BECAUSE YOU HAVE FREED ME, THE GENIE SAID, I WILL GRANT YOU A WISH. THE MAN THOUGHT FOR A MOMENT AND THEN RESPONDED, MY BROTHER AND I HAD A FIGHT 30 YEARS AGO AND HE HASN’T SPOKEN TO ME SINCE. I WISH THAT HE’LL FINALLY FORGIVE ME. THERE WAS THUNDERCLAP, AND THE GENIE DECLARED, YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED. YOU KNOW, THE GENIE CONTINUED, MOST MEN WOULD HAVE ASKED FOR WEALTH OR FAME. BUT YOU ONLY WANTED THE LOVE OF YOUR BROTHER. IS IT BECAUSE YOU ARE OLD AND DYING? NO WAY, THE MAN CRIED, BUT MY BROTHER IS , AND HE IS WORTH ABOUT 60 MILLION.

WHAT’S YOUR MOTIVE? ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA WEREN’T DOING IT OUT OF NEED, THEY WERE DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES.

THERE MOTIVE WAS TO DECEIVE THE CHURCH., MAKE THEM THINK THEY WERE MORE SPIRITUAL THAN THEY WERE.

THEY WERE TRYING TO DECEIVED GOD- LYING AND CONSPIRING TOGETHER TO LIE. THE LORD SEE’S ALL. THERE IS NO SECRETS WITH GOD.

THEY WANTED:

TO BE SEEN AS ONES WHO GAVE ALL FOR THE CHURCH.

THEY WANTED TO BE COMMENDED FOR THEIR SACRIFICE.

THEY APPEARED DEDICATED, BUT THEY WERE DECEITFUL.

THEY APPEARED FAITHFUL, BUT WERE FRAUDULENT

APPEARED SELF SACRIFICING, BUT EVIL.

DON’T WORRY, THIS IS NOT A TITHING MESSAGE. I AM NOT EXPECTING YOU TO SELL YOUR HOUSE AND BRING ALL THE MONEY IN. IF THE LORD TELLS YOU THAT...BE FAITHFUL

QUESTION-

HOW DANGEROUS IS IT TO HATE WHAT GOD LOVES AND LOVE WHAT GOD HATES? ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA WERE A COUPLE WHO USED A GOD GIVEN BLESSING IN A GOD FORBIDDEN WAY. THEY LOVED MONEY AND PRAISE OF OTHERS MORE THAN GOD. THE NUMBER ONE REASON PEOPLE SAY THAT THEY DON’T ATTEND CHURCH IS BECAUSE IT IS FILLED WITH HYPOCRITES. WOULD YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A HYPOCRITE? EVALUATE YOURSELF BASED UPON WHAT ONE MAN WROTE. HE SAID, I MET THE STRANGEST MAN THE OTHER DAY. HE SAID HE BELIEVES IN THE BIBLE, BUT NE NEVER READS IT. HE SAID HE THOUGHT WELL OF THE CHURCH OF WHICH HE IS A MEMBER, BUT NEVER ATTENDS. HE SAID A MAN SHOULD BE HONEST WITH GOD IN MONEY MATTERS, BUT NEVER TITHES. HE SAID THE YOUNGER GENERATION NEEDS THE LORD, BUT HE ISN’T LEADING THEM IN THAT DIRECTION. HE SAID THE CHURCH NEEDS DEDICATED CHURCH MEMBERS, BUT HE ISN’T ONE. HE SAID THE CHURCH SHOULD DO MORE MINISTERING TO PEOPLE, BUT HE DOESN’T HELP. HE IS CRITICAL OF THE WAY THE CHURCH IS RUN, BUT NEVER PARTICIPATES. HE SAYS PRAYER CHANGES THINGS, BUT HE NEVER PRAYS.

REV. 3:15-16- I KNOW YOUR DEEDS, THAT YOU ARE NOT COLD OR HOT. I WISH YOU WERE EITHER ONE OR THE OTHER. SO, BECAUSE YOU ARE LUKE-WARM, NOT HOT OR COLD, I AM ABOUT TO SPIT YOU OUT OF MY MOUTH.

ILLUSTRATION-

THE JOB OF THE CHURCH IS NOT TO IMPACT THE CHURCH., BUT TO IMPACT THE WORLD. IT’S LIKE A HUDDLE IN A FOOTBALL GAME. 67,000 PEOPLE DON’T PAY MONEY TO WATCH THE PACKERS HUDDLE. WHAT IF YOU WENT TO A PACKERS GAME AND FOR 2 ½ HOURS YOU WATCHED 11 MEN STAND IN A CIRCLE AND TALK? THAT’S NOT WHAT YOU PAID FOR 67,000 PEOPLE PAY TO SEE WHAT DIFFERENCE THE HUDDLE MAKES. WHAT THEY WANT TO KNOW IS, HAVING CALLED THE PLAY IN SECRET, DOES IT WORK IN PUBLIC? THE CHALLENGE FOR THE CHURCH IS NOT WHAT WE DO WHEN WE CALL OUR SUNDAY MORNING HUDDLE, BUT WHAT WE DO WHEN WE BREAK OUR HUDDLE AND HEAD FOR OUR SUNDAY MORNING ASSIGNMENT. WE ARE NOT TO HUDDLE UP, BUT GET SOMETHING ACCOMPLISHED.