Sermon Tone Analysis

Acts Series #14

Back to the Beginning:

When Church was Church

*Portrait of a Soul Winning Experience*

*Acts 8:1-4; 26-41*

 

Well here we are week 14 of our look at the early church, let me jump right in first and Read verses 1-4 of Chapter 8

 

READ 1-4

 

We are learning about what church was when it began.

Well you may realize, and it dawned on me Friday while studying that when I last preached on July 10, I had planned to preach from Acts 7 and was side tracked by chapter 6:8 and preached an extra message there.

I had already asked Doc, to move into Chapter 8 and had planned myself to preach today from where we are.

So,  I owe you a message at least from Chapter 7.  SO, I'm not going to give that to you today but next week

 

What have we learned so far?

When Church is Church …

- People are involved

- Outspoken when necessary

- Unafraid of Persecution

- Persecuted nonetheless

- Proclaim the Word

- Live the Word

- Are Empowered by the Spirit

- Obedient to the Spirit

- Led by the Spirit

- Driven by the Spirit to the plans and purposes of God

 

In my last messages we looked at the call of the 7 servants to care for the physical needs in the church and the fact that God Uses

 

Empty People - people emptied of self, sin, pride, selfish ambition, preconceived ideas, personal plans

 

He uses

Full People - /pleyres/ (play-race) people who are filled completely on the inside and covered on every part of the outside by the Spirit of God

 

And they are Living Like It

 

Doc brought you into Chapter 8 and introduced Philip to you, this Deacon Evangelist.

Mike, Ted, John, don't feel alone in the overwhelming task as a deacon.

Remember they had a church of thousands and selected only 7.  Well, Stephen was stoned to death in Chapter 7 and now we find Deacon Philip sent out as an Evangelist so that leaves only 5 Deacons.

Anyway, I wanted us to look for a moment today at a …

Soul Winning Experience

 

Verse Four says that "those who had been scattered, preached the Word wherever they went"

 

Who was scattered?

"ALL except the apostles"

 

So, Who preached the Word wherever they went?

Everyone, the believers, the followers of Jesus Christ.

Remember the Great Commission

Mt 28:19-20 - /Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you …/

 

Remember

Acts 1:8 this commission of Christ was really a Prophesy as he said, / You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth./

Well … the Persecution may not have been caused by God but was used by God to say "Get Busy" - It was a way of throwing them into the deep end of the pool and saying "SWIM"

 

The church was growing and doing well and comfortable but they had been prepared and were ready to Swim

 

/<SWIM STORY>/

 

In this chapter we see the prophesy of Acts 1:8 beginning to be fulfilled as the gospel moves from Jerusalem and Judea, into Samaria, and begin to reach out to the ends of the earth.

If we are going to be THE CHURCH and we are going to be an Acts 1:8 church, we have to be sharing our faith and leading people to Christ.

Read 8:26-40

 

I issued a challenge to us again a few weeks ago.

I told you that the President of the Southern Baptist Convention, Bobby Welch has challenged our convention to Witness to, Win, and Baptize 1 Million People before the end of September next year.

I issued our part of that challenge, because I believe that we can Witness to, Win, and Baptize 100 people in that time.

New Life, who in St. Louis County, can Witness to, Win, and Baptize 100 people in the next 14 months?

EVERYONE CAN

An I'm IT!

 

Well here in Acts 8

 

We get the first one on one Soul Winning Experience recorded AFTER the Ascension of Jesus Christ

 

For some of you, it's time to be thrown into the deep end of the pool.

Leading someone to Christ is something that everyone can do

 

Pr 11:30 - /… he who wins souls is wise/

 

There are 4 components in a Soul Winning Experience

 

The First is …

 

*1.

A Person of God*

 

God uses PEOPLE committed to him.

Isn't that Amazing?

He has used people as a mouth piece for as long as he has revealed himself

 

Why?

Perhaps because we listen when someone like us tells us what God has done in and through them

 

What are Men and Women of God Like?

 

  A.

*Persecuted* People - makes us visible - how we respond, what God does through us, what God can do for them,

 

  B.

*Busy* - God doesn't seem to use lazy people, or people with nothing else to do, or people with spare time - God uses busy people -

    1.

so if you are waiting until you get time for God … or wondering why God won't wait until you have more time but keeps calling you NOW while you are BUSY, guess what, join the club!

    2.

if you are laying around lazily waiting for God to call you up to duty … good luck, get busy, God uses busy people

 

  C.

*Committed* - people who have a commitment to him, to their families, to their dreams etc.

 

  D.

*Willing* to *Follow* -    

    1.

Philip experienced a great public movement in Samaria but the Spirit of God told him to leave there and he was willing to follow and leave in order to be obedient - This was MORE than just "go over there" He told him to Leave Samaria in well north of Jerusalem and move back to Jerusalem and head South west toward Gaza -

    2.

If the Lord is calling you, then it is an invitation to join him in reaching a soul for the Kingdom.

God will reach who he is going to reach, the question is, is someone else going to get YOURS

 

  E.

*Obedient* over *Notoriety* -

    - it wasn't about being a well-known successful amazing Evangelist in Samaria OR quietly leading a foreigner to Christ anonymously on in a chariot on a desert road, it was about being OBEDIENT

 

A Soul Winning Experience involves a Man or Woman, a Student, a Boy or a Girl, a Person of God

 

It also takes …

 

*2.

The Spirit of God*

 

  A.

*Leading* - Go south to the road, desert road … from Jerusalem to Gaza …

    1.

- Get Up and GO - /means get up from laying down, get up from the dead, /

    2.

- The Literal says "/get up and go" and "he got up and went"/

    3.

Go to THAT ~/ THIS Chariot and STAY NEAR -   

      a.

That's all he told him, WHY?

Because once Philip got close, and observed what was going on, he KNEW what to do.

He was Filled by the Spirit and Knew the Word of God and had Wisdom - How do I know?

CHAPTER 6 Tells me that ! 

      b.

THAT ~/ THIS means there were OTHER chariots around, probably a loose caravan of travelers in this party but he was told to not go to that one or that one or that one but THAT one

      c.