Sunday, May 17, 2015

The message today at NRN - the Pebble Plan - The Lord's message rang out from you....






Acts 8:1-4; Acts 1:8

INTRODUCTION: Good morning! This morning we’re going to talk about having a vision for our lost world.  We see this “world vision” mentality in the book of Acts throughout the TV series A.D. In virtually every episode, the church is acting upon the final words of Jesus, given to them on His last day on earth. Have you ever thought about your last day on earth?  It’s a sobering thought that most of us try hard not to think about, but it is coming. Each and every one of us has a trip to take one day. Death is stalking us all.

“Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies—so the living should take this to heart.”        Ecclesiastes 7:2 (nlt).

You know what that means to me?  It means that we should be sober minded:

Whether you are rich, poor, famous, or common, you will have a last day—and that day should be an exciting moment because your life counted. It was invested in eternal things.                1 Peter 1:13

Have you ever considered what you will say in that final hour—your very last words made with your very last breath—when your time finally arrives?

If you had one last message to convey to your loved ones, you would probably take the time to clearly communicate your final wishes, right? You would tell them the most important thing on your heart . . . your last will and testament.  Billions have already left us and crossed over into eternity. Some thrilled. Others fearful.

Let’s consider these final words of some of the most famous:

England’s Queen Elizabeth I: “All my possessions for a moment of time.”

Evangelist Henry Ward Beecher: “Now comes the mystery.”

Hollywood mogul Louis B. Mayer: “Nothing matters. Nothing matters.”

President George Washington: “I die hard, but I am not afraid to go.”

Inventor Thomas Edison: “It is very beautiful over there.”

Pastor John Wesley: “The best of all is: God is with us.”

After four hundred years of silence, God had something to say too, but He did it in an action . . . one that launched His invasion plan of earth. Without fanfare or fireworks, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob penetrated our darkness on the first Christmas, and He did so in dramatic simplicity to some poor, smelly shepherds in a small town called Bethlehem.  By taking the form of a helpless baby, a remarkable event that forever changed the history of the world, He came with one purpose . . . to die at the hands of His own creation and pierce our darkness.

As Isaiah said, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:2).

And now consider these last words. The last words of Jesus Christ on the cross, perhaps the most significant of all dying words ever uttered. He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30), or in the original Greek TETELESTAI, which is a business term that means “paid in full.”  When you make your last payment on your home or car, the bank acknowledges your debt as satisfied and stamps your banknote with “Paid in Full.” That is what Jesus meant when He said, “It is finished.”  Your debt is paid.

Imagine that.  Jesus, the Creator of all, became the Passover Lamb of Egypt that the Angel of Death bowed to and had to acknowledge that His blood was the perfect covering on the doorposts of our heart, where Death would no longer reign.  The end result?  His sinless death killed death forever. That’s Christianity in a nutshell. Death died. God died for us to kill death. Amazing!

Two weeks ago we conclude the message that day with this passage:

And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.  Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.                                                                                         Acts 8:1-4

Last week in Episode 6 of AD The Bible Continues you saw this portrayal of Peter speaking the church – to be the church!


But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”                              Acts 1:8

This is the Pebble plan: The rest of Acts is a Ripple Effect of this Great Event!
  
The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it…                 
                                                                 1 Thessalonians 1:8  
“rang out” is EXECHEO  in Greek, it means to sound forth, to ripple as if a pebble had been dropped into a pond.  Paul is commending the Thessalonians for their example of sharing the good news with their region, and the Holy Spirit chose that particular word EXECHEO to reinforce the pattern of their evangelism efforts.
That dropped Gospel pebble creates a ripple effect that reaches out in a progression of rings. If you picture sound waves emanating from a source, in this case Thessalonica, you get an idea of God’s plan to reach the whole world as the Gospel message ripples out from there.  Jerusalem would be the epicenter of this Gospel earthquake.

Ripple Effect - a situation in which one event causes a series of other events to happen (Merriam-Webster)   Jacob Kounin coined the term "ripple effect" in 1970 to describe caused change through a single and simple act.


The Ripple Effect:  

The Pebble – The final words to the Apostles: taken from - Acts 1:8
  
1. We need DIVINE power. 

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit come on you ….  Acts 1:8 

But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.                                                     John 16:7

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.                                                        John 14:16

2. We are called to SHOW   and  TELL what He has done.  

… and you will be my witnesses…                       Acts 1:8

And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.                                                             2 Timothy 2:2

In Acts chapter 8 we read the account of Philip going to Samaria and there –proclaiming Jesus the Messiah:

Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city.                                                                Acts 8: 4-8

Whenever you proclaim your faith – be ready for trouble…

 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery.                                          Acts 8:9-11

Philip continued to be faithful and continued to show and tell what Jesus has done!  Here is the result:  You will see it portrayed this evening ---


 Here is what the Bible tells us:  But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.                                               Acts 8:12-13
 
3. We need to be willing to MOVE

…in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”                                                                                                                                              Acts 1:8 


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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”                                                                                   Matthew 28: 19-20


PRAYER



Worship: I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever

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