Message: “When God Acts”
Acts 1:1-8
“In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus to do and teach, until
the day when he was taken up…..” (Acts 1:1-8)
Jesus isn’t finished yet and we are all part of His plan.
- Our Charge is singular: YOU are My witnesses
- Our Confirmation is certain: Our King IS alive!
- His Kingdom is unstoppable / His Spirit is moving
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem
and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
There are 2 main types of Believers in this world:
The “what’s in it ? ” Christian
The “it’s !” Christian
“In this world, they are going to persecute you!”
“They will hate you, because they hate Me!”
– Jesus
“When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.”
– Corrie Ten Boom
WE STAY FOCUSED ON THE REASON WE ARE HERE! What is that reason, church? To people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We see in Acts, that when God acts, some people will:
- Oppose You!
- Persecute You!
- Be saved because of you!
This cross is not just a part of our history. This cross is everyday life. The cross demands much of a man. This cross is the only hope any man will ever have and it is the only hope he will ever need.
For years, I didn’t give thought to what Dr. Luke invested in Theophilus. Think about what Luke is telling us (look at the lengths he went to in order to reach and develop “Theo”):
“….I myself have carefully looked into everything from the beginning. So I also decided to write down an orderly report of exactly what happened. I am doing this for you, most excellent Theophilus. 4 I want you to know that the things you have been taught are true. “ (Luke 1:3-4)
Luke invested a huge amount of his time / inconvenienced himself / paid a tremendous price / sacrificed much / put himself in great danger all in order to reach and to grow Theophilus.
Who’s on your “most wanted” list?