Acts Chapter 1:8-14

To find out that there's not a whole lot of people at this meeting in the Lord Jesus as well.

You know, since there's not a whole lot of you listen was just gonna try to hit one quadrant of Jerusalem.

Somebody says do you understand the enormity of what uses a newspaper saying you're going to be witnesses, that the whole world. Throughout the whole world welcome to cross the bridge with David McGee. David is the senior pastor of the bridge in Kernersville, North Carolina, where life is been changed by the gospel. It's important to understand that we are responsible for telling others about this amazing news today in studio we have DA Brown one of Pastor David's associate pastors here at the bridge welcome to the program today whether a bottom inside the excited to hear the second part of first chapter in acts of Pastor David is going to answer some questions that we often have what we up to what we specifically our lives where we spending our time doing and who is responsible to tell the world about Jesus because I have important stuff to do some I got tell people about Jesus. Who's going to be Bob you like that is normally paid Pastor David today all just listen and find out… And as they were McGee continues in acts chapter 1 with the teaching to the world. Turn with me to ask chapter 1. Last week we covered the first eight verses, but if you were here you know. Verse eight is is just huge. It's really easy to little verse for the whole book, and so while I spent some time on it only spent a little bit more time this week on this.

So where to pick it up.

Acts chapter 1 verse eight says, but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and in all Judeo and Samaria and to the end of the earth, and we talked about the first part of the verse, but let's look at the second part of this says you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth know what's interesting is you can't have an outline for the whole book of acts in that part of that verse because chapters 1 through seven working to find the emphasis is in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria. In chapters 8 and nine and acts chapter 10 on is dealing with the uttermost parts of the earth. The Lord is singing a lot make a difference right where you are right where your sphere of influence is make a difference there, your neighborhood, your workplace, your city and I think that's important for us to realize what is.

A lot of times we talk about living for the Lord or doing something for the Lord, our mind automatically goes to some foreign land but God wants to use us right now, right where we are to go well last the Lord to do whatever he wants to with me. He's going to send me to Alaska because I hate cold weather and we can't this really twisted notion of what given ourselves over to the Lord.

But the Lord wants to use us right where we are now. You know, there may be people in here that are called to Alaska, but God is probably going to, he's probably going to test you and build your faith right where you are and then begin to expand that sphere of influence. Now I think that's important for the body of Christ to realize this is not only true as an individual but also of us as a church and there's also a balance here, let me say this church needs to be actively involved in the local community and needs to support what we term here as domestic missions, but they also need to be actively involved in foreign missions. See because this circle expands and says all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth, so there's a balance there. I believe that the church is the vehicle that supposed to support foreign missions.

I've encountered people before that gave money to missions but did not support the local church. I think that's imbalanced. I think were to support the local church who supports the missionaries but no. If after you give, you want to give above and beyond in support missionaries… Believe that's a valid thing me again.

We support domestic and foreign missions here, but there's a crashing and noticed something. There's also responsibility a huge responsibility to find out that there's not a whole lot of people at this meeting in the Lord Jesus as well.

You know, since there's not a whole lot of you listen, let's just gonna try to hit one quadrant of Jerusalem. Somebody says do you understand the enormity of what Jesus is saying these people he saying you're going to be witnesses, that the whole world. Throughout the whole world to know. We look back at what you did it and it worked out well get, but can you imagine being at that meeting Jesus going you guys are basically responsible for telling the whole world about Jesus was a reality is for the challenge is still there. We are supposed to tell the world about Jesus life lesson here.

We are responsible for telling the world about Jesus, we are responsible for telling the world about Jesus, God could write the gospel in the sky he could speak with this thunderous voice from the heavens, but he's decided to use us to reach other people. That's his plan.

That's what he wants to do and work to be witnesses, not the jury that the judge witnesses verse nine that when he had spoken these things, while they watched, he was taken up in a cloud received him out of their sight while they look steadfastly toward heaven as he went up the whole two men stood by them in white apparel who also said, men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up in heaven. The same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you see them go into heaven. What a precious verse notice were told in the word of God, the Bible that the way he went is going to be the way he comes back is a huge clue in terms of end time events. This lets us know that if you hear of a Rabbi New York City or somebody that is saying oh I'm Jesus I'm Jesus. This is the second coming and we can know that is not telling the truth. Either that or he's got some really cool video footage of him coming back down earth and clouds I mean either one but it lets us know there's a safety in there and so somebody comes and says that to you say okay will limiting a video and Shirley you know I got it on top and if they don't have the video they now it's interesting to you really will need the video because it's going to be visible.

I think everyone there's a lot of there's a lot of false Messiah is run around the date you understand you can go online and I will encourage this futile search, but that mean there's a lot of guys running him in Ireland and it seems like there's a common theme to all of may. So yeah, I'm him and all the Christians in the Bible. I got really confused. Jesus said that there be false Messiah is is an interesting prediction. We talked about it last week.

You know that this itinerant preacher traveling pastor out of the north part of Israel in ministering mainly in the north part of Israel. Born in Southport but you know in the small country says in the end times. A lot of people are going to come and imitate me when what they saw when he said that pretty massive prediction. So Jesus will come back. Probably you will commit physically and it will involve the clouds.

This is interesting enough exactly what it speaks about the book of Revelation. Now here's an interesting thing manner. Galilee, why do you stand gazing up in heaven only done there's a time to gaze. There's a time not the case. There's a time to sit still and there's a time to do in the Bible presents a wonderful balance of those things now. We talk about serving a lot here.

The reason is that I see it in the Bible see encouragement for us to serve the Lord with one another alongside one of another, and here's the thing. How is your faith.

This is a cutting question. How is your faith blessing or benefiting the person sitting to the left or to the right of you this morning for the person in front of you or in the row behind you.

You should be able to come up with that answer frequent and if you can't load one family, friends, sums out of whack.

I see there's a lot of people in here even as I just said that there faithfully serving the early show I got serve in the café.

I teach the kids. I do this I do that and I know how people around me or be blessed. Praise God, see here's the thing why is it so important well we understand and you've heard this so often that it's beyond cliché – that people are interested in the truth about Jesus, the truth about God's word.

While because they say churches filled with hypocrites. What it what are they mean by hypocrites will imitate what I don't think is an appropriate thing that the Greek word, there's Hippocrates. What that signifies is its monies wearing a mask came from the Greek plays when somebody would dress up as somebody they weren't where this mass can pretend to be something that works so it's kind of a two-faced thing.

It's not talking about I believe people who are Christians who struggle to get things wrong everybody in here will send this week everybody hopefully the center getting smaller and more contained than less visible but that's the reality. Talk about perfection, what the world says is you know I hear what you say you believe I still see it and see you live in it out as a challenge to you in a I don't believe in spectator Christianity you know where part of the church is just kind of along for the ride. Man will cheer you all go go you know. But when I can actually do anything.

I don't believe that's a biblical model you don't really see that Bible what you see is people joining together serving one another. Blessing one another in the world becomes intrigued numbers chapter 32 verse six Moses said to the children of God to the children room and show your brother and go to war while you sit here see there's a concept that we are to serve together. There's people in here to your left ear right in front of your behind you that are pouring their lives out and we need to pour our lives out your life needs to be poured out because it's part of our worship as part of our worship will pastor the way mean I mean we had worship. Now there's the teaching note worship is not just a musical interlude or a prelude to the teaching worship is to be away that were supposed to live were supposed to live lives of worship and part of that worship is expressed in yes in music and singing part of it is expressed in giving. We don't pass the plate here, but I believe that a mature Christian should give. That's why we have the joy boxes on the back of the wall. We don't pass the plate but still that's an act of worship and serving as an act of worship. And God loves us so much that you know EE he asked us to take little baby steps, you know that I'm so grateful for that. He's probably not going to come to you this morning to you got to go to Tanzania or somewhere say okay step out and do this and step out do that. Maybe show up for prayer meeting baby show up for work.

They maybe go ahead and sign up and get involved in in a ministry that's what's supposed to be going on so I'm not much you going to Tanzania for six months. I'm talking about you giving of yourself for an hour or two hours four hours a week something it'll change your life because your emphasis will go from you to others, and that's what Jesus will that's what Jesus is after Jesus was very much others centered.

That's what's supposed to be going on in God's placed us in a position in there's a time for gazing. There's a time for sitting still that Mary Martha balance thing, but there's also a time for doing in the body of Christ you're listening to Pastor David McGee on cross the bridge will be right back with more just a moment, but I want to remind you of the free resources available to you on cross the bridge.com there's a team of hundreds of people that will pray for somebody to be safe. You have a loved one that needs to know Jesus as Savior. You need people to pray for them. You need someone to present God's word to them every day were present in God's word to them here on cross the bridge with Pastor David McGee. We can pray for them as well. Just by simply going to cross the bridge.com and click on the pray for the lost button. All you need to do is put in the first names of the people you love, that need to know Jesus as Savior. Click on submit and immediately hundreds of people begin praying for your lost loved ones.

What an awesome way to bring your loved ones to Jesus. Here's a word from associate pastor DA Brown. We want to take just a couple minutes to pray for some cities in our listening audience. Specifically, Inca high point Lexington Mount Olive Summerfield in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and also Dickinson, North Dakota Louis, thank you for everyone who lives in the cities.

We pray that your Holy Spirit would draw them, unto you, even right now that people would have the face to say yes with no boundaries on what you want to do in your life. We pray for the leaders in the cities that you will give them wisdom and discernment and that they would work together father that they would look to your word for answers supernaturally on how to lead where you've called them. We pray that people get plugged in the churches I begin to serve with the gifts that you give them father that they will be a blessing to other people in the same way that you bless them low, we thank you for the cities were expecting you to do great things and it's in Jesus name we pray.

Amen, amen.

Thank you brother and now get back to David McGee as he continues teaching verse by verse.

God has granted an offer ever lasting life to a sinful and lost generation, and now it's our role, our job to take it to in love what you doing about that. What are you doing about.

It's my job to challenge see you know when you grow up in school you understood that it your teachers job the town to challenge you just wasn't always the peg on the bank. All you're doing great.

You he didn't feel any of the test scores but then you are doing great unit in filling the blank I have to challenge as a Bible teacher to say you know what engage the life lesson here. We need to offer and take the good news to the world. We need to offer and take the good news to the world. How often do we gather around and we talk about what's wrong with the world.

We talk about what's wrong with television.

We talk about what's wrong with all these stars and these musicians and always we would talk about what's wrong with them but are we doing something are we engaging are we praying for these people I know understand there's a there's a lot to talk about with what's wrong with the world.

But the question is, while those things are going on are you a spectator or can you do something about it.

Were supposed to do something. Verse 12 then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day journey on Sabbath day journey was about 2000 paces and you weren't supposed to walk beyond this 2000 paces on the Shabbat on the Sabbath day the Shabbat was on Saturday was from sundown Friday to sundown on Saturday and you weren't supposed to walk farther than 2000 or 2000 steps now, you could if you had a rope you could extend that a little bit because you tied the rope to your house then you know technically you had left home yet so you could walk the length of that rope and then 2000 more steps so that you know you could go further. If you think that silly you know what don't you know we engage in silliness that's that's justice silly of not selling when you got Israel's interesting you got. Be sure if you ever go with us on these trips. Be sure to get the right elevator because they have the Shabbat elevators that only Shabbat what they do so that you don't have to work to push a button. They stop at every floor and opened the door so if you get the wrong elevator if you got away, but we engage in silliness religiousness that had never told us to to engage in this part of the reason on the feast days, the people would camp out and gather right around Jerusalem because I didn't want to have to walk farther than the 2000 steps. Verse 13 and when they had entered.

They went up into the upper room where they were staying, Peter, James, John and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew James the son of Alpheus and Simon the zealot and Judas the son of James and think about how these men lived, think about how these men died. These men died. For the most part violent deaths. The exception here is John. John was poisoned. John was boiled in oil and live through it.

They poured out them their life. Certainly they didn't they didn't feel like they were being inconvenienced to live for the Lord Muslim died in foreign lands. God used them an incredible way as to question, have you ever going to do something and find out that it's Artie been done and eager to help somebody to cut down a tree and it's Artie been done when you get there you go to help her move and they've removed or you gonna go help him fix car cars are the fixed and that sort of a weird place to find yourself in. That's not where we find ourselves in. Our job is not been completed yet. There's still a lot to do for the kingdom lesson next life lesson. There is still a lot to do for the kingdom.

Still a lot to do at some point time as we know it will change, but we don't know when the time is Jesus tells us so many places to occupy till he comes redeeming the time, use the time to understand that at some point in the future, somebody will come to Jesus. Somebody will be born again.

Somebody will get saved. That's the last person/person.

Think about that often. On Sunday mornings. People come for this Lord to forgive the mother sent think to say this, the one would it be cool if you were the person who led the last person in that prayer I made you pray with them in the years to receive the Lord, is a minute boy, you will be a hero in heaven once allow you to guide here on the guard… Or Laura Perry would emerge into getting to where we are or might be WHO know what took you so long, we can wait (but that's an awesome thing because there is so much to be done for the kingdom not just here in this community but around the world's we need to be busy in the kingdom.

Verse 14 these all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

He got all these people. It says in there one in one accord. Now does that mean they're in the car made by the Honda know it doesn't mean there like in a Honda Accord.

It means that there in unity. Unity is so important to the body of Christ have come to appreciate unity more and more as a pastor in the preciousness of because here's the thing in and we deal with this. Sometimes smile come to me and said such and such as being divisive. They're saying this are saying that we have to do when we hear that it can be such a cancer to the body of Christ we stop what were doing so we can deal with these issues and we go to that person. We confront them want to be me know.

Hopefully, to restore them, but if they say you know want to keep run around and run my mouth and we suggest that they find another church.

Why because the vision can hurt the body of Christ so much and certainly you see the your pastor another another pastor here and other people in leadership have to stop what doing in order to deal with these issues now. It only makes sense that the enemy would use this distraction is an old ploy you know if you boxers. They do this same thing in and in basketball players do that little deal you know and why is that it's a distraction from what supposed to be going on in division is one of the most damaging distractions I can go on in the body of Christ. We need to be careful because when we start speaking, divisive things, then reason our energy in a in a place that shouldn't be the first was to be impacting lives for eternity and were just sitting around and limited editor don't do this is a this is a common thing that happens in churches and a lot of churches going talk about it because someone is going to get offended but the reality is so important, why because we began to turn from what were supposed to be doing to question her time. Time is precious, worthless me on this glorious adventure of impacting lives for eternity. Print. Do you know for sure that your sins have been forgiven. You can know right now only Legion a short simple prayer simply telling God you're sorry and asking him to help you to live for him. Please pray this prayer with me out loud right now. Dear Jesus, I believe you died for me that I could be forgiven and I believe you were raised from the dead that I can have a new life not done wrong things I have sent and I'm sorry. Please forgive me of all those things.

Please give me the power to live for you. All of my days in Jesus name, amen friend of you prayed that prayer according to the Bible. You've been forgiven you've been born again, congratulations for you just made the greatest decision that you will ever make. God bless you, if you pray that prayer with David for the first time we'd love to hear from you. You can visit cross the bridge.com to receive our first steps package with helpful resources to help you begin your walk with Christ. Or you can write to cross the bridge at PO Box 12, 515 Winston-Salem, NC 27117 and share how God is working your life you're the Bible tells us that the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. But it does cost for us to come and bring that message to you and to others in your neighborhood through radio through the Internet and through the mobile technologies that God has gifted us to be able to use so if you'd like to support this ministry. Please go to cross the bridge.com. Click on the donate button and ask God how much he would have you give either on a one-time basis or continuing basis each month to help ensure that the teaching of God's word continues to go out through cross the bridge. Thank you so much ODA before we go. What are some ways that we can bless our listeners each day. You can wake up with encouragement from Pastor David to the word of God with his email devotional life lessons to consider daily reading plan enough thought to meditate on throughout your day. From the heart. David McGee those are terrific and it's easy and it's free so folks sign up today@crossthebridge.com. Thanks again for listening and join us next time. As David McGee continues teaching verse by verse in the book of acts