Being an Engaged Christian — Acts 2

0:00 Certainly happy New Year as we're all here together. I would like to just get started by maybe having testimony to the fact that it seems

0:13 is working in in among us. The lord's, the lord's been working particularly something that probably drew drew attention to that fact was just as we've been praying about what the lord would have us to bring before the body or to to be teaching. When Doug Torot gave his message which is well, the first of of the first of December which is just about a month ago. He particularly brought kind of an interesting approach where he went back and and and picked up the messages that have been given in the month of November and kind of connected those to to tell us and let us see what the lord has been bringing in front of the body at WBF and I I I appreciated that and we we see he he his message was focused on taking the next step. We had multiple things where encouragement.

1:09 I I I let off November by bringing a message of encouragement to to the to the group. Denzel gave a message from from judges seeing how god dealt in in the Old Testament and then Chris Schroeder would bring another brought another message of encouragement and Tim and and Mason brought a message on the glory of god during that time and see, then, we had this emphasis on the word being spoken or the word being preached even following into into December with taking this next step, transformational leadership that Bob brought before us and and Drew bringing about the the narrative or or snaps a snapshot of the whole the whole of scripture. So, today, I would like to at the here at the onset of our 2022, the New Year. The what the word that's on my on my heart today is engage. And we're going to talk a little bit more about that as we as we get into this message.

2:23 The word engage. Let's let's pray as we as we get started. Our heavenly father, we would like to to pray now as we we see ourselves set before you. Father, we realize that we're at the at the very beginning of a new year. We realize that you are real and that you are are working among us.

2:48 We we understand that sometimes we we miss things that you're trying to show us because we're not paying attention. Sometimes, we miss things that you're trying to show us because we're distracted or or we're not interested but father, we pray that you would help us to really focus and and seek your word. We we we want to understand it. We want to hear it. We want to receive it.

3:16 Father, make it clear to us what you would have for us to know here this morning and we ask these things now in the name of our lord Jesus Christ. Amen. After World War two, there was a a group of German college students that that got together and wanted to do some volunteer work and cleaning up cathedrals that have been damaged during the during the war and there was one particular cathedral that had actually been bombed by the Germans themselves and so this German group of students went in to start cleaning up and and and rehabbing the the cathedral. They came upon as they cleared out the rubble and and things like that. They came upon this statue that was there and it was a statue of the lord Jesus and he was there with his hands open wide and down at the bottom was Matthew chapter 11, the verse that Doug brought to us, mister Torok brought to us, come to come unto me.

4:57 They thought about it. There was some discussion. One of the college students, probably a guy like Jeremy, had this good idea and they say, he said, the college student said, recommended, hey, why don't we leave the statue the way it is but change the words down below? And the the idea was, hey, Jesus Christ is here but we are his hands and feet today. You see, the lord Jesus Christ said, I will go and prepare a place for you and his spirit is among us and his spirit allows and equips you and I to do the work of the lord Jesus in the church today and so, there was a fellow that we before moving back here to Cleveland area, we lived in Salisbury and there was a fellow in the meeting there that sometimes he would pray this prayer during like a Wednesday nights or something.

5:55 He would pray a prayer and it it it's it's stuck with me and I thought about it in preparing for today. He would pray, lord, allow us to be your feet and hands to the world. Allow us to be your feet and hands and so, this morning, I want to talk to us about, I wanted to bring before us some thoughts from scripture about being engaged, being the hands and feet of the lord Jesus Christ for us and for the world around us. If you'd go to Acts chapter two, please. Acts chapter two.

6:35 As we consider some things from scripture this morning The first thing I'd like to do is give you an example of how the people responded to the word. How how the word was presented and how people responded to it. You see, we would like to place a a high priority on the teaching of the word. We would like to place a a high priority on understanding the word and then there's a response to the word whenever it's taught and so we have a great example of that here in Acts chapter two. Go to Acts chapter two and verse well, look at verse 14 to get the context of what's going on here.

7:22 Acts chapter two and verse 14 and Peter standing up with the 11. This would be the 11 disciples or or the apostles lifted up his voice and said unto them that all the people, you men of Judea and all you that dwell in Jerusalem, be this known unto you and hearken unto my words or listen unto my words. So, here he is. He's not just speaking to a small group. This is not just to the disciples.

7:46 This is just not to the, this is to, he's speaking out to this, all the people in earshot saying, listen up. Now, go down to verse 22 in the same chapter. You men of Israel, hear these words of Jesus of or Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of god among you by miracles and wonders and signs which god did by him in the midst of you, you yourselves know him being delivered by the determinant council and foreknowledge of god, you have taken and by wicked hands, you have crucified and slain whom god has raised up having loosed the pains of death because it was not possible that he should be holden by it, should not be holden by death. God allowed the lord Jesus Christ to be killed, raised up, defeated death and so, the key, the first he says, hearken or listen to it. Then, he says, hear what I'm saying and then, notice if you would go all the way down to verse 36.

8:54 Verse 36 says, therefore, let the house of Israel, again, he's speaking to the people was the the the multitude to know, therefore, let the house of Israel know assuredly that god hath made the same Jesus whom you have crucified both lord and Christ. That so there's there's multiple things that we recognize as we go through this is that not only is god the the one who allowed the lord Jesus Christ to die and be raised again to conquer death but he's given Jesus a special place as lord and Christ, as lord, supreme one, as Christ anointed one, sufficient, and so, now, he's drawn significant attention to this. Listen to it, hear it, know it assuredly, know it most assuredly. It's a it's something you can bank on. It's it's dependable.

9:51 It's a fact. It's true and then verse 37, here's where we get the response. So, we've had the preaching. We've had the word presented. We've had the truth presented.

10:02 We've it's been out there for people to grab a hold of and here in verse 37, we hear this. Now, when they heard, so there was an admonition to listen and there was an admonition to hear. There was an admonition to know and so here it is. Here's here's come in full cycle and when they heard this, they were pricked in their hearts and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do? Now, when we hear that question, what shall we do?

10:34 Here's what we're going to connect it with. Doug Torok's message to us, take the next step. We've listened to the word. We've heard it. We've received it.

10:49 We've believed it. Now, we're asking this question, what shall we do? What is the next step? Where do I go from here? And so, this particular passage gives us a great example of taking the next step.

11:26 Yeah. And I do too. I could raise my hand on that. Raise your hand if you have an eligible son or daughter that would like to be engaged. Gotta gotta work that in there too.

11:42 Yeah. So, when I say engaged, I'm not necessarily talking about, you know, the wedding ring engagement but but it that it has some connection or has some something to do with it but I'm talking about what is it talk? What it what is it like to be an engaged Christian, okay? What is it like to be engaged, connected, a part of in sync? What is it?

12:09 What does it look like? Well, let's look. Let's read. Let's read and let us shed some light on it, okay? So, here they are.

12:15 They've heard, they received, they've asked this question, they want to take a next step. Then, Peter said unto them, repent and be baptized. I'm reading verse 38. Everyone of you in the name of the lord Jesus for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the holy ghost. We're building here and we're seeing the fact that once the people believed and received, they received, they received not only knowledge, they received not only truth but with that, the remission or the forgiveness of sin and the sealing of the spirit.

12:50 The Holy Spirit's being given. Now, the Holy Spirit comes with a whole package. All he's doing right now is just saying, here's the Holy Spirit being received. And verse 39, for the promise is unto you and unto your children and to all that are afar off, even as many as the lord our god shall call and with them, many other words that he testify and exhort saying, save yourselves from this untoward generation. And now verse 41, kind of gets more into the fact that we we went, we're asking this question, what shall we do?

13:26 They were presented with truth and in this context, it's talking about salvation. What shall we do to be saved? Well, this is what you shall do to be saved. You need to confess your sin, accept Christ as your savior, You'll be sealed with the holy spirit and Now, we're going to read into a section here where we're presented with more truth. What shall we do?

13:49 It's obedience. What shall we do? Look at verse 41 and when they received his word, they were baptized and the same day they were added unto them about 3,000 souls and they continued steadfastly in the apostle's doctrine which is the the teaching of the scripture and in fellowship which is the working together as a as a body, working together as a group and in the breaking of bread which is doing this in remembrance of me and in prayers, just pray, praying together. So, they continued steadfastly in these things and verse 43 and fear came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles and all that believed were together and had all things in common, all they and they sold their possessions and their goods, they parted them to all men as every person had need and they continued daily with one accord in the temple, breaking bread from house to house to and did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising god, having favor with all people. Notice that favor with all people and the lord added to the church daily as should be saved.

15:04 I'd like to suggest to you this morning is that this little portion gives us an example of that these people were engaged Christians. They they heard the word. They acted on it. They they heard the teaching. They were obedient to it and they were engaged with what was going on.

15:23 They were there. They they understood it. They were a part of it and it wasn't just in one aspect. It was it was a it was a a flushing out of here being a part, being engaged in the in the apostle's doctrine. And I'd like to encourage you all this morning.

15:39 It looks like we've got an engaged group here. Alright, that's we're engaged in the apostle's doctrine. Engaged in the teaching. Hey, trying to figure out what the first message of the month's going to be and the second message of the month's going to be and the third message of the month's going to be and what does it mean to me? What's god trying to say?

15:59 Being engaged in the apostle's doctrine. This message is for you. It's for us. How do I apply it to my own life? What do I hear god saying?

16:12 Would it be like god excuse me, saying, listen, hear, receive. They received it gladly. They were engaged in fellowship. I mean, they they they had some common goals and task and they would they would work together on it. You see this word in Philippians as co laborers and so they were they were working together.

16:42 They were they were engaged in the the breaking of bread coming with a focus remembering Christ his death, his burial, and resurrection, being a part, singing, sharing, praying, they were engaged. They were engaged in prayers. I've not been sick yet, Denzel, but I'm working my way there. No. They were engaged in prayers.

17:19 You know what it means to be engaged in prayers? Knowing each other well enough to know what to pray for. Knowing each other well enough to know what to pray for and to be able to pray together and so, you see this not only and it wasn't just in the context of the church, it was day to day, it was house to house, it was in the temple, it was in the home, it was in the highway, it was in the byway, they were engaged Christians. Go over to Romans chapter 12 please. Romans chapter 12.

19:02 He gets the the credit for writing Acts and he gave us that example of of an engaged New Testament group. Here is a different author. It's Paul and and you got Paul. Remember Paul's training that he had. All the all the training, all the the the religious training, the training in law, the so he here this guy is, he comes up and he says, I beseech you.

19:31 I we, some of your translations might say beg or plead or urge and so as he's saying this, he's bringing this before the group and he's saying, look, I'm begging you. I am, I want you. In fact, it's very similar to like, hey, listen. Listen up. Hear this.

19:48 I'm begging you. Pay attention to what I'm getting ready to say. By the mercies of god that you present your body as a living sacrifice that would be holy and acceptable to god. So, what is what what if we would apply this to the concept of being engaged, what does it mean? I offer myself a living sacrifice.

20:10 I'm all in, right? I'm there. Here here is me. This is I just recently, well, some of you know, some of you saw Dan and Julie, my brother and sister-in-law that were here visiting. And Dan, my brother, serves with another fellow named Rex Trogdon in in in North Carolina and Rex sent a message on on New Year's Eve of a picture of Rex and I in Africa.

20:49 It was a picture from some years ago. It's like 26 years old, I guess but here is this picture he sent, happy New Years and Andy and Rex in in Africa and he sent it today and so anyway, I'm telling you that story because there was one of the most Well, I think there's a a story from Africa that really communicates this point is that they would they would be gathered in a in a broom about the size. Now, not not the same construction obviously. You're talking about mud mud walls and things like that but we were gathering in a room like this and when it was time for the breaking of bread, they met in a big circle and it is kind of it was kind of a big circle but the circle got real thin toward this area. So, the people would bring their offerings up to the to the front part of the circle like this table was it and you would have like the chicken or the egg or a thing of meal, maybe a coin, some salted fish.

21:51 That was the kind of offerings that were being brought up here in this in this area. Hand weaving baskets was very common. You might see a basket on the on the up in the offering area. Well, one day, this fellow he he comes in and he's bringing his offering and and it's a basket. It's it's fairly large size and and so the thought is like, oh wow, that's that's a that's a nice basket.

22:18 You know, that's a that's a a nice offering and he he walks up to the front. He puts the basket down and then he proceeds to step inside it. And he's and he was communicating, I'm offering myself to god. That was his offering. I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of god, that you present yourselves a living sacrifice.

22:46 Hey, would you be willing to be engaged in New Testament Christianity and by by symbolically taking a basket and getting in it and saying, god, here I am. Take me. Here, I'm I'm your living sacrifice and so, he goes on to say in verse two and and this is, I think this is important for us to grab. Now, you know, you and I, if I, if I switch spots with you right now and I come in the audience and I sit and I hear me say that, I would say, yeah, I can do that. I want to offer myself a living sacrifice.

24:01 Don't be conformed to the world. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Let god direct you. How you offer yourself to him. Let god show you how to be an engaged Christian.

24:16 You see, verse three starts to paint this picture of how you and I can be an engaged Christian in today's world. How we can take ourselves in that basket and make a difference in where we are right now. I appreciated Ray's comment this morning at breaking a bread where he said, hey, the lord has us here for today. He didn't have us born one hundred years ago. He has you and I here today and so, verse three, we're in Romans chapter 12 verse three.

24:47 For I say, through through the grace given unto every man that is among you and and we're going to we're going to read this and this is a gender neutral word, man here. It means persons. This is for everybody, okay? This is for I say unto you through the grace given unto me to every person that is among you. Man, woman, child, okay?

25:12 Every person that's among you. Every believer that's among you. Not to think of themselves more highly than they ought to think but to think of themselves soberly according as god has dealt to every person the measure of faith. Now, look, when when we were back there in Acts chapter two and those people, when they heard the message about salvation and they were pricked in their heart and they said, what shall we do? They repented.

25:46 They they confessed Christ as lord and received Jesus Christ as their savior and they were they were given the gift of the holy spirit. Now, some of them might have thought this, man, this is great. I am on top of the world. I've been forgiven of my sin. I'm not like them, those other people that have rejected Christ.

26:09 I'm I'm the what's for. I'm the cat's meow. What do you say? And I I'm I've arrived. No.

26:19 No. No. That's the world's thinking creeping back in, right? That's the world's creepy is what when we receive salvation, when we receive god's gift of salvation, when we receive this holy spirit, that we would not think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. It's a it's a humility that's coming.

26:40 Here's the Christian. The Christian's first step of engagement is humility. The the Christian's first step of engagement after he's offered himself a living sacrifice is humility. Here I come, not to think of myself more than I ought to think. Look at verse four, for as many or for as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office.

27:09 You see, we're we're thinking about this in the context of of the New Testament church and we might just right now, look around. Look or look across the aisle. Look around. As we have many members, okay? We look around and we see there's there's many of us in in this room and and so, while there's many members, we have not the same office or function.

27:31 Your your Bible might say. But we're he's going to use this analogy of a human body He's going to use this analogy of the human body just like we we picture that statue in that old bombed cathedral and there there's the body of Christ standing without any hands and and Paul uses this analogy here to say, I want you to think about a human body. The human body's got hands. The human body's got an eye. The human body's got a foot and they're they're all going to need to work together but you're going to need to do it from a position of humility.

28:38 It's only been what we only have what we've been given. We only have what we received from god and he's given that to us with a specific purpose of using it in his body and so here we are. We want to be the hands and feet of the lord Jesus Christ. We want to carry out his work. We want to be engaged.

29:00 Look, when he gave you the holy spirit, he not only gave you the spirit that sells you into the day of redemption. He equipped you with an enablement, a spiritual gift that you have. This is not a message about spiritual gifts. I don't mean to come in here and beat you up about like, hey, you got a gift, you better use it. I'm not saying, well, if that's what you need, you know, take it but what I am saying to is remember, you all have a spiritual gift.

29:28 You all have a place in this body and look, if you're not taking your place, if you're not exercising your gift, then you're leaving a gap. You're leaving a hole and so what does it mean to be engaged? It means I got the Holy Spirit. I've got spiritual enablement. I've got a role different than yours.

29:53 And I need to be putting it into practice. It's gotta be happening. Then, Paul gives us this list of varying different types of gifts and this is again, here here's a here's a tip about how to be engaged. Listen to this. Verse six, having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophecy according to the portion of faith or if my gift is ministry or service, let me wait on our ministry or is if it's teaching, let me teach.

30:33 Or if it's exhortation, that should be exhorting. He that giveth, do it, let him do it with simplicity. He that ruleth, do it with all diligence. That he might show mercy and and with cheerfulness. Let love be without dissimilation, abhor that which is evil, plead to that which is good, be kindly affectionate one to another with brotherly love, in honor preferring one another, not slothful in business, but fervent in spirit, serving the lord, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer, distributing to the necessity of the saints, given to hospitality.

31:15 And so, essentially, what I take from this, it says, if you got a gift, use it. If your gift is given, give. If it's teaching, teach. If it's mercy, give mercy. If it's exhortation, then exhort.

31:30 He's saying, he's saying, you got it, do it. Now, there's some descriptive and there's some description in there about how to do some of these things but essentially, what we would say is that if I want to offer myself a living sacrifice before god, that's the principle, the how to is carried out as we read through the the rest of the chapter. I've been endowed. I've been enabled with the spirit to function. I want to be engaged, engaged, do, work, exercise, function.

32:31 What can you do with this concept of what does it mean to be fully engaged as a Christian? I I can't necessarily answer that question for you but here's what I'm going to suggest that that we do as a group is that you would take these two passages that we've read, Acts chapter two and and the latter part of the chapter like 30 like 37 through the end of the chapter there and Romans chapter 12, the whole thing. Verse one through the the end of the chapter. I'm going to suggest you take those two passages of scripture and you read them this each day this week. You read them and you ask the lord, how do you want me to be engaged with my local body at Westlake Bible Fellowship?

33:20 Ask the lord. He's going to show you as you read these passages, as you read the scripture, and you ask him, how do you want me to be engaged? What should it, what should my engagement look like in WBF? How should I be engaged different than I was in 2021? Hey, what would it be like?

34:23 The lord Jesus Christ hands and feet in this coming year. Let's pray. Our heavenly father, we do give thanks for these things that you brought to our mind today. Father, we want to we want to be engaged. We're praying this for a group that we would be an a a group of engaged Christians.

34:46 With a solid relationship with our our savior, the lord Jesus Christ, a sensitivity to the holy spirit that allows us to serve one another and exercise our spiritual gifts in a way that would benefit and profit the whole body. Father, we know that this would this would make, this would grow us in 2020. This would grow us spiritually. This would grow us numerically. This would allow us to be a light that would shine so brightly on Hilliard Boulevard that we would be a testimony to others.

35:17 Father, I pray this for ourselves in the name of the lord Jesus Christ. Amen.