The Plowman

Understanding the Role of the Church [ 38:22 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (67)

2013 Acts #18: an exposition of Acts 11:19-30. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, September 22, 2013.

Intro:

I remember receiving a piece of mail that was typical of the mail that comes across my desk.  Here was this very slick, very professional magazine quality advertisement for a dynamic seminar coming to the Tulsa area.  The seminar promised, “Exciting, biblical principles that will empower your members and accelerate your growth!”  The seminar teaches how you break through barriers to church growth.  In explaining why I needed this seminar I was told that those who visit our church decide in the first 11 minutes whether or not they will ever come back to our church.  Have you heard about “speed dating”?  You get a room full of single adults (male and female).  They pair off at tables and get acquainted.  A bell rings every 15 minutes and they change partners.  At the end of the evening they know who is worth “wasting” anymore time on.  Because within that 15-minute “date” they are able to tell whether someone is worth getting to know! What do these two things have in common?  They both reflect the shallowness of our culture.  And they both lead to the emptiness of our age.  The problem is people set up certain expectations and then expect everyone to meet their demands.  These demands are increasingly self-centered.  It is about what the church can do for me or what this person does for me – rather than what do I give to this relationship?  What can I add to the church?  What do I have that they need?

Let’s consider the church.  In our “market driven” culture churches find themselves in a bidding war for consumers.  You’ve got to do it bigger and better than the church down the street or you’ll lose business.  If your show isn’t as good as theirs you’re not going to play to a full house.  If you’re not as exciting as the next guy – you’re out of luck.  It is easy to fall into the trap of unrealistic expectation.  Now don’t get me wrong.  I believe we ought to do everything with excellence.  I believe we are to be passionate about what we do.  We must be loving and accepting of all who visit us and loving and accepting throughout our community.  We should be aggressive in reaching out to others with the love of Christ.  We ought to be happy and excited about being together for worship.  But to expect that every service and every activity and every class supply what everyone wants is unrealistic!  At some point we have to stop, back off and re-evaluate our expectations.  What is the church to be?  What role is the church to play?  How does the church accomplish the work of God?

The fact is you can, through hard work and dedication, produce the “greatest show on earth” and impress the multitudes without God’s blessing or his presence.  With the right music, the right atmosphere and passion you can move the masses but is that how we are to “do” church?  Is it the church’s role to move the masses?  Is it the role of the church to produce results?  In seeking some answers I want us to turn again to the book of Acts.

Text: Acts 11:19-30

Here we find Luke’s account of the early days in the church at Antioch.  The establishment of the church in Antioch is strategic in the church’s becoming a worldwide movement.  Antioch was the third largest city in the Roman Empire, behind Rome and Alexandria.  It was a large commercial city with a population of over 500,000.  It is here in Antioch that the followers of “the Way” (Acts 4) were first called “Christians.”  Antioch became the birthplace of the mission movement.  It is a very important and strategic church.  I’m convinced that this brief snapshot of its beginning gives us some insight into the role of the church.

As we explore this text we will discover that:

Thesis: The role of the church is to be an instrument through which God accomplishes His great work.

Exciting things were happening in the early church.
Glorious things were being accomplished.
The Lord was adding to the church daily those who were being saved.
Miracles were being performed.
But not everything was good!
There was imprisonment, persecution and martyrdom.
Yet the church marched on.
The church continued this upward progress – how?
Because it was God doing the work through the church.

The church did not have a strategic plan.
They had no program.
They conducted no demographic analysis – they walked in obedience to God.
And God did an extraordinary work through them.

It is amazing what can be accomplished with no more than the dynamic working of the Spirit of God!

There are three things that happened when God works through a church that are demonstrated in our text.

1. When God works through a church He defies conventional wisdom.  (11:19-21)
2. When God works through a church the hearts of the faithful are refreshed and encouraged.  (11:22-24)
3. When God works through a church the needs of the people are met.  (11:25-30)

Mission-Minded Believers [ 33:13 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (61)

2013 Acts #17: an exposition of Acts 10:1-11:18. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, September 15, 2013.

Intro:
The add in the paper read, “Great opportunity for enterprising, energetic young man.  Limitless potential – big bucks!”  But the young man was more than a little disappointed when he learned the job was as a shoe salesman in a new market in central Africa.  After a few weeks he sent his letter of resignation to the president of the company.  The letter read in part, “You’re nuts.  No one here wears shoes.”  A new man took the job and within two weeks he sent an urgent telegram to the president of the company.  His telegram read, “Send help – can’t keep up with the demand – no one has any shoes!”  Perspective is everything.  The mindset with which you approach a task makes all the difference in the world.

We have been assigned an incredible task.  We are called to touch the world with the Gospel.  We are called to preach the message of the kingdom to the ends of the earth.  While the Gospel is “Good News” not everyone is interested in hearing it.  In fact the world is becoming increasingly intolerant of our message.  It used to be that many turned a deaf ear – today they are angered by our message.  Now we can look at the growing hostility and be bullied into silence or we can see it as a great opportunity to give our lives for the cause.  We can see the increase in secular reasoning and the increase in biblical illiteracy as sounding the end of the Christian era or we can see it as preparation for a great, sweeping revival!  Already men and women are becoming disillusioned by the failed promises of secularism.  The rise of Islam and various New Age and Eastern religions demonstrate the spiritual vacuum created by the bankrupt philosophies of secularism.  The result is a culture filled with materialism, self-interest, moral decay and superstition.  A world very much like that in which the church was born.

A world in which the church experienced explosive growth.  But if we are to seize the moment – we must develop the proper mindset.

Thesis: In times of uncertainty and open hostility the church must become a mission-minded people.

I am becoming increasingly convinced that missions is a mindset.
To be effectively on mission demands that we think in those terms.
It demands that we view everything we do as missions.
It is not enough that we give and that we pray – we must go.
We must view our workplace, our schools, our neighborhoods, and our homes as mission fields.

Our text this morning is found in Acts chapter 10.

Text: Acts 10:1-11:18

This is a watershed moment – a turning point in the life of the church.  Our Lord had told his disciples that they would receive power after the Holy Spirit came upon them.  Then they would be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.  God, in his sovereignty used the enemies of the Gospel to be the means of spreading the Gospel.  Persecution drove the reluctant believers out of Jerusalem into Judea and then to Samaria and finally beyond.

Chapter 10 is a major turning point as it marks the Gospel’s coming to the Gentile world.
That it is a turning point is underscored by the space Luke takes to tell the story.
Up to this point the church has been a “Jewish” church.
There was great hostility and animosity between the Jews and the Gentiles.
The Gentiles hated the Jews because of their insistence on One true God.
They insisted that the gods of the Gentiles were no gods at all.
They alone knew the way of life.
The Jews hated the Gentiles because of their perversion and immorality.
This serves as the backdrop for the dramatic events of chapter 10.

As we watch the story unfold I want to point out three timeless principles that speak to the issue of being mission-minded.

1. Mission-minded believers view all men as people for whom Christ died.  (10:1-33)
2. Mission-minded believers are driven by the hope that God has a people in every nation on Earth.  (10:34-43)
3. Mission-minded believers minister in the confidence that the Holy Spirit honors the preaching of the Gospel.  (10:44-48; 11:15,17)

Conclusion:

Granted our world is increasingly hostile to our message.  Granted people no longer seem interested in the things of God.  You can see that as reason to give up or you can see it as a great opportunity.

May God grant that we become a mission-minded people.
A people who view all men as those for whom Christ died.
Who are driven by the hope that God has a people in every nation on earth.
And who minister in the confidence that the Holy Spirit honors the preaching of the Gospel.

Trusting God to Do the Impossible [ 37:12 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (57)

2013 Acts #16: an exposition of Acts 9:23-43. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, September 8, 2013.

Intro:

Sometimes life stinks.  Things go wrong.  Problems abound and your world comes crashing down around you.  I know what you’re thinking.  “I don’t think I want to go to this guy for counseling!”  I’m just being honest.  We live in a fallen world and bad things happen.  There are times when we feel like we are swimming upstream against the current.  There are times when you know the whole world is against you and you just don’t have the energy or the heart to fight it any more.

There are times when I can identify with the man who left his beloved cat with his brother.  After a couple of weeks he called his brother and asked how the cat was doing.  His brother said, “Oh, your cat died.”  The man was furious with his brother.  “You insensitive jerk!  How dare you break the news to me like that.  You know how much I love my cat.  How could you be so uncaring?”  His brother apologized but said he was not sure how he could have done it more gently.  The man said, “You could have said, ‘I’m not sure.  The cat’s just not be acting himself lately.’  The next time I called you could say, ‘He’s been spending a lot of time of the roof lately.’  Then the third call you could say, ‘The cat fell off the roof and he just didn’t make it.’  That way I would have had time to prepare myself and absorb the shock.”  The brother apologized and assured his brother he would try to be more sensitive in the future.  The man said, “Well I shouldn’t have attacked you like that.  I’m sorry.  By the way how is mom?”  After a pause, the brother said, “She’s spending a lot of time up on the roof lately…”

Sometimes life is like that.  It can suffocate.  How are we, as believers, to respond?  You can’t change it.  You have not power to make life go as you want.  You can’t avoid heartache and disappointment.  What are we to do when it comes?

Our text this morning is found in the 9th chapter of Acts.

Text: Acts 9:23-43

Through the writings of Immanuel Kant and other Enlightenment thinkers, a new way of looking at theological truth emerged in the late 18th century.  Spiritual truth was put in a separate category.  There was real truth, scientific truth that can be verified or “proven” and spiritual truth  which cannot be verified or proven.  Faith was a “leap.”  Religion was a matter of “blind trust.”  Of course this is not a biblical way of thinking.  One does not come into the church and check their brain at the door.  Our faith is a reasonable faith.  Our God has made himself known by general revelation in the world around us and by special revelation through His Word.  Thus He has given us reason to believe.  Peter admonishes the church to be prepared to give a reason for the hope that is in us.  Biblical faith is a trusting response to a God who is worthy of such trust.

In our text Dr. Luke gives us a series of snapshots of life in the early church.
These snapshots give us valuable insight into Christian living.
This is another of those summary passages.
Bringing an end to this section prior to moving to the next major thing.
We’ve witness the martyrdom of Stephen.
We’ve seen the ministry of Philip in Samaria and the great revival.
Finally the conversion of Saul.
Now comes this summary.

As we walk through these verses we are reminded that…

Thesis: Believers rise above the trials and struggles of life by expecting God to do the impossible.

The consistent witness of the Scripture is that our God is the same yesterday, today and forever.
He spoke to Moses from the burning bush.
He caused the sea to part so that the children of Israel crossed on dry ground.
He caused the sun to stand still for a day and gave Joshua and his army victory over their enemy.
This same God continues to rule our world.

The God who strengthened Joshua, who empowered David, who inspired Isaiah still moves on behalf of His people.  The same Jesus who opened the eyes of the blind, warmed the lifeless limbs of the cripple and who raised the dead, still responds to the cry of the hurting.  The same God who appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus still reveals himself today.  Take heart child of God.  In the midst of your struggle look up.  In the face of heartache and discouragement look to Christ.  Trial, heartache and struggle are inevitable but take heart your redeemer has overcome the world.

You have every reason to be encouraged.

I want to share 3 reasons with you from this text.

1.  The power of God can transform an archenemy into a trusted ally bringing extraordinary ministry.  (9:23-31)
2. The power of God can touch a hopeless cripple bringing strength and vitality resulting in a great revival.  (9:32-35)
3. The power of God can rob the grave of its victory brining life out of death causing many to believe.  (9:36-43)

Conclusion:
Life is full of twists and turns, ups and downs.  But for the child of God peace is securely anchored in the person of the Lord Jesus.  I’m not talking about positive thinking or possibility thinking – I’m talking about biblical thinking.  I’m talking about trusting in the power and presence of God despite circumstances.  I’m talking about believing in the God of the impossible.

Christianity and Conversion [ 36:04 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (58)

2013 Acts #15: an exposition of Acts 9:1-21. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, August 25, 2013.

Intro:

Do you sometimes wonder why our faith is such a target for attack in our culture?  Do you wonder why Christianity is seen as a threat when Islam, or Buddhism is not?  Do you wonder why we are mocked and ridiculed?  It is because we are not politically correct.  And we are not politically correct because we actually believe our faith is true!  In fact we believe it to be the only truth.  We dare say, “There is only one way to be right with God and that is through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.”  Such a narrow, dogmatic position in our open and “tolerant” society is not to be tolerated!

Further we believe it is true not just for us but for everyone.  We believe that all have sinned against the one and only holy God, and that his one and only Son has come into the world to die once for all in the place of sinners so that anyone and everyone who repents and believes will be reconciled to God and have eternal life and those who do not will perish.  Now because we believe that, we believe the most loving thing we can do is to pray and witness and live so as to persuade others to change the way they think and feel and live, and become Christians.  This is not to be done by force or coercion but through a loving witness empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Christianity is a “converting” religion.  Biblical Christianity does not seek to help people feel good about themselves.  It is not concerned with assisting them to find their unique pathway to God.  Biblical Christianity seeks to so live and declare the Gospel of Christ that men and women, boys and girls will be brought to the end of themselves and by the work of the Holy Spirit be made new in Christ.

I do not want to be misunderstood so I will state it plainly – Biblical Christianity is not about making decisions – it is about being converted.  It is about being changed.  Born from above.  Born again.  Made new.  It is not about adopting a new philosophy of life or moral reformation – it is about radical, fundament change.  And we have a prime example of it in the 9th chapter of Acts.

Text: Acts 9:1-21

Over the last few chapters Dr. Luke has be introducing key figures in the history of the church.  In chapter seven we witnessed Stephen’s speech before the Sanhedrin and then his murder by an angry mob.  In chapter eight we saw the ministry of Philip as the Gospel, through persecution, spread from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria.  Now we come to Saul of Tarsus who will become the key figure through most of Acts.  Here in chapter nine we find the historical account of Saul’s conversion.  We hear it again from Paul in Acts 22 and again in Acts 26.

Saul’s experience on the Damascus Road serves to remind us that:

Thesis: Conversion stands at the heart of biblical Christianity.

There are three things I want to call to your attention from our text.

1. Conversion demands a divine encounter.  (9:1-6)
2. Conversion results in a radical transformation.  (9:13-14, 19b-22)
3. Conversion leads to a heavenly commission.  (9:15; 1 Timothy 1:15b-16)

Conclusion:
Make no mistake – salvation is found in Christ and in Christ alone.
But that salvation is not about deciding to make some changes in your life.
It is not about moral reformation or spiritual house cleaning.
It is about conversion.  It is about radical change from the inside out that begins with a divine encounter and leads to a heavenly commission.

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