Walk Worthy Series

Walk Worthy

Ephesians 4:1-6

CCCAG, March 27th, 2022

Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-6

Introduction

I have a small confession- I’m a bit of a skeptic about most things. I want to see evidence of whatever someone says is true or claims is true.

That’s different from being a cynic. A cynic doesn’t care what the truth is as long as they can gloat over another person being wrong or failing in life.

Don’t be a cynic, but I’d widely encourage a healthy skepticism about most things.

I’m a child of the 1980’s. I was into hairband music and heavy metal. One of the songs that came out in the late 80’s was a song by the group Poison called, “Something to Believe In” in which the song lists a series of scandals and failures by famous people that rocked them to their core.

In the church we saw this in our lifetime. Anyone here over the age of 45 or so remember the televangelist scandals of the late 80’s and early 90’s where many of those who were held in very high regard rapidly and in quick succession came to ruin as it was discovered that they were not following the message they preached.

For many, it destroyed their faith in the ministry, the church, and even the Gospel message.

We all need something to believe in. We need that rock solid proof that what we believe is really real.

That is why when you find something or someone that is the real deal- it’s so refreshing.

I want to share something that taught me the difference when it comes to our faith.

Many of you have heard me talk about a man named Peter Chun.

He was visiting the USA when I was very young in the faith, doing a short term itineration to help raise money for a special project for the underground church in China.

My pastor recommended that I hang out with him on my next day off. At our first church, we had a room that we set up like a very nice hotel room or small apartment for visiting missionaries or guest speakers. He told me to come and meet him on Wednesday at noon and maybe we could all go out to lunch.

I thought, sure- he seems cool, and is really well known as a missionary to China. I thought it would be neat to hang out with him. Wednesday came around and I drove to our church, go there about 1145 and checked in at the office and the secretary told me that Pastor Claire and Peter were in his room. This was a large building so it was a bit of a walk, and as I got closer, I hear wailing, really loud wailing. The door to the room was open and I saw both Pastor Clair and Peter laying face down on the floor in prayer. Peter was speaking what I assumed was Mandarin Chinese, and Pastor was praying in English and tongues. What I found out later was that is one of Peter’s church’s that he founded and oversaw was raided by the Chinese officials and they had executed the pastor of the church on site in front of his wife and kids. Peter was praying with such intensity that he had sweat through his shirt, his hair was soaked, and the only way I could describe the feeling in the room was that there was an overwhelming feeling of God in that room, that made me sink to my knees by the couch and begin to pray….even though I really at that point didn’t know what to pray for.

About 2 hours later, Peter stood up. He was a mess, there was a noticeable dark stain on the carpet where he was laying. He said in his broken English that he felt God release him to go to lunch now, but he had to get cleaned up. Without saying anything, he stripped off his shirt and I saw the scars all over his body where both North Korean and Chinese jailers had whipped and beaten him over the years for being a Christian missionary.

During his 25-year ministry, He had spent almost 10 years in prisons all over Asia for proclaiming the Gospel, and I didn’t realize it then, but I was looking at a man who carried the same Spirit that the Apostle Paul carried.

I want you to think about that as we open today’s message. We are going to hear the heart of a man who, like Peter Chun, had set up underground church’s, been imprisoned, beaten, scourged, and even killed and revived for the sake of the Gospel. We should remember that when we listen to his words-

Paul is the real deal, speaking to us from the city of Rome, around 60 AD.