More Than Bread

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In Acts 10:31, there is this simple, yet convicting description of Jesus. "God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power and Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of Satan, because God was with Him." I read those words and can't help but think, "Isn't our goal to be more like Jesus? Even do more like Jesus?

It's not one or the other, it's both/and. He went around doing good and healing people. He want around providing living proof of a loving God, because He was filled with the Spirit and God was with Him. What are we doing?  

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So "More Than Bread," is a podcast that is seriously convicted that there are no words we need to hear more than we need to hear the Words of God. Because the stuff of life  is not enough to give us life. We need more than relational stuff or vocational stuff…we  definitely need more than luxury, comfort and control stuff. We need every word that  comes from the mouth of God, empowered and applied by the Spirit of God. So we  listen to his words and we learn from his words and ultimately we lean into, we respond to, we obey his words and we find life.

When people are so hungry for God that they will give up   anything, everything just to be with him, then they will hear his voice.  "Do you want to be with me?"  He asks.  "Then listen.  I'll speak."

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Today as we finish up Acts 9, we get another look at the impact of the early church and the transformation of people! But in the midst of all the amazing stories, we will pay special attention to verse 31, which offers a glimpse into how the early church found life and helped others find life in between the two tensions of two walks. The verse reads, "Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers."

They walked in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Spirit. Not one or the other, they walked in both. What would that look like for us? Which are you more passionage about, the fear of the Lord of the comfort of the Spirit?  

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In this episode, we will focus on one small statement in Acts 9. It is a small statement with great significance.  Are you ready? Here it is... "You have been chosen." What  comes to mind when you hear those words? "You have been chosen." Well you might say, it depends. Chosen for what? If you get a registered letter from the Government, that begins with the words, "You have been chosen." that may not be very positive. But chosen for the Olympics, better deal, right? Every time I do a wedding, I'm impacted by the power of being chosen. 

But here is even better news. You have been chosen by God for a great calling. Whether you are married or single, poor or rich, old or young, if you are a Jesus-follower, you have been chosen for a great calling!

How does that feel?

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Lost people matter to God. Your neighbors, coworkers, classmates and friends matter to God. Your enemies matter to God. Acts 8 is a reminder that not only did Jesus go the cross because lost people matter to God, even after the cross he will do everything he can to bring people to Jesus to find life in the Kingdom of God. Lost people matter to God in ways that sometimes it seems like we have forgotten.  That's why we are called to be partners in the gospel; helping people encounter Jesus.  A Jesus who lived passionately, and healed completely,  who loved people whole and taught life-giving words of truth, who died on a cross and rose again to redeem our lives and create a new community he called church. 

When lost people matter to you, like they matter to God, there’s no telling how many opportunities He will give you to talk to others about Jesus.

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Acts 7-8 describe a defining moment for the church.  Stephen's moment of sacrifice defined our movement as a movement of people who were full of faith, and full of the Spirit, full of grace, and full of power. Stephen's ending moments defined our movement as a movement of people who were fully joyfully surrendered to their King, a movement of courageously generous and deeply passionate people.  But it was even more than that. With all my heart I believe that the heavens opened that day. 

I believe that God wanted to let Stephen know that he was so pleased by his sacrifice, by the surrender of his life,  that He was going to open up the heavens and pour out so much more. So, with all my heart, I believe that when that kind of opportunity come and that kind of surrender is made…it is so worth it. What God does in response is so amazingly worth it.

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One reason why reading the book of Acts is so important, is because it's a reminder of
something significant. We read Acts and we can hear, maybe ever so faintly hear, this call that echoes down through the centuries...  "There is a cause, there is a story being written that is worthy of your life."

As I read the ending of Stephen's story, I realize that as the stones of hardship, suffering, perhaps even persecution come raining down on us, the most important question is, "Is it worth my life? If what happens to me is what happened to Stephen, would my last thoughts be, "God what a waste." Or would they be "God thank you for counting me worthy of suffering for Jesus?" Which leads to the question, "Is He worthy?" The life of Stephen cries out, "Yes."

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If I lay it all on the line, God’s gonna waste my life. That's the thought that comes to mind when I read Stephen's sermon in Acts 7. Sure Stephen was filled with passionate courage and preached it straight to the Jewish religious leaders. But then look at what happened. And we think, "If I say yes to God, he's going to send me to the last place in the world that I'd ever want to go and then make me do the last thing in the  world that I'd ever want to do for the last person in the world that I would ever want to know.  And then he's going to have me die penniless; friendless and obscure." Like God is just waiting us to say yes so that He can consume, ruin and waste our lives.

 But here's what I believe, "He's your Father, Father God, and if He is waiting for anything, He simply waits for us to say yes to the incredible destiny of someone who is a child of King. There is a cause...a story being written that is worthy of your life. It's the story of Christ. 

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Acts chapter 6 is a turning point in our movement. Up until Acts 6, the only names you ever hear about is Peter and John, once in awhile James. Everyone else is part of a group, or just a number. But after Acts 6 it changes. After Acts 6, everyone has a  mission. Ministry is handed off from a few leaders to everyone. In chapter 6, it's Stephen. He's preaching, healing, serving widows. In Acts 8, Philip becomes an  evangelist. In chapter 9, Saul gets written into the story. Then it's Dorcas the seamstress, followed by Lydia the church planter, Priscilla the teacher, Philip's  prophesying daughters and the list goes on and on.
   
Because that's what happens when the Spirit comes and fills up the followers of Christ.
Everyone has a part. The mission is placed in the hands and hearts of ordinary men and women who loved Jesus and were filled with His Spirit.

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As we dig into Acts 6, here is the first thought that comes to my mind.  Sometimes the church is both an unstoppable force and an unspeakable mess. The church in Acts was an amazing movement, full of power and courage,  a joy and generosity that would just knock the spiritual socks off your feet. But it wasn't pure. It wasn't perfect.

Don't forget the deceit of Ananias and Sapphira. In Acts 8, we'll see the hunger for self-serving power in Simon the Magician, the fearful retreating of John Mark in Acts 13 and so much more mess. Sometimes an unstoppable force can also be an unspeakable mess, in fact I don't know that history has ever seen a revival that wasn't messy.

But never forget as we look at the church in all her mess. Jesus is so intimately passionate about His church that He calls it His bride. Pretty hard to love Jesus, if we don't love His bride.