Philip and the Samaritans

Message immunity from JD Greer. You know you're in a multicultural church at some point you become uncomfortable because when people do so outside your culture you. I was sure about that is not how we grew up. You know, but see, that's what happens in a multicultural church is the different cultures are influencing and the unity that we find in Christ outweighs any of the things that divide.

I'm your host Molly that events you know most people say they want peace and unity. You people will do the hard work to obtain because it challenges us to step out of our comfort zone and to cross the barriers of our own personal and cultural preferences and meet people where they are today. Pastor JD shares the powerful New Testament story of one man who accepted that challenge part of our series, since if you missed any of the previous messages in our series in the book of acts you can find them online.

JD Greer.com Pastor Jenny titled today's message got a Bible to be separate, luscious begin version 1 go Saul. Saul was approving were approved of his execution. And of course Stephen there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem Stevens martyrdom sparked an outbreak of mass violence against Christians so they're all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles. That's an important detail that I'll come back to a little bit devout man buried Stephen made great lamentation over him, but Saul was ravaging the church and injuring house after house. He dragged off men and women and committed them to prison seems execution. She really got to Saul. So Saul first responded not with repentance but with frenetic violence that some of you may realize this is sometimes a people get under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Their first impulse is not to repent their full impulse is to lash out at whoever is bringing the conviction to them and maybe in some cases, that is been you first.

For now, those who were scattered. What about preaching the word. Philip was another one of the deacons. You may recall a layman, not an apostle went down the city of Samaria and proclaimed them the Christ and the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and he saw the signs that he did for unclean spirits, crying out loud voice came out of many who had been many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So verse eight there was much joy in that city. This passage gives us a pattern for reaching our city.

If you are taking notes.

Jot down this definition because this is how we see our mission to arsenic evangelism in the New Testament is basically a group of ordinary Christians living intentionally in a city to bring joy to it through word and deed. The New Testament pattern for evangelism is a group of ordinary Christians living intentionally in the city to bring joy to rewarding the let's look at a few key words in that definition ordinary people makes the point was Luke is the author of acts makes the point of the very first time the gospel left Jerusalem. The apostles were not its carriers points out outbursts one they all went to Jerusalem, except for the apostles.

Why did you include the detail, except for the apostles.

Well, it wasn't to tell you what the apostles did when they stay because even tell us that the only reason he would've pointed that out. Since he didn't tell us what the apostle did when they stayed with a focus on those you left and what they did when they left, the focus is on the people who are leaving their the ones that are carrying the gospel here this very first time the gospel expands beyond Jerusalem. It was carried in the mouths of normal people not apostles. This I believe is the Holy Spirit sign to us for how the great commission would be accomplished. See, I'm afraid to make this point so often in the series that you're going to get absolutely sick of hearing it, but it is the theme of the book of acts the church grows not by the preaching of a few anointed apostles, the church grows when every believer is filled with the spirit and testifies of the gospel mistreats you see sometimes God takes you into these places he doesn't do a divine call used in the sense that God wants you to take the gospel into a place where it hasn't been taken.

Maybe it's a career field or maybe it's the desire to move to a new city you didn't you just have a desire like I thought God is moving to hear some nonsense that would divide call but other times it's just through life circumstances that are out of your control you in this case it was persecution. I would recommend that way if you can avoid it, but you that they were moved to a place they literally have a say about maybe for you it's a job that carries you a place that, so I got transferred here. Maybe it's because God is controlling the circumstances of your life, because he intends for you to take the gospel to place where it's not known. Maybe you did not get into a particular school what you thought you should've got into. Maybe that was God saying you know what havoc you got a bigger purpose for you than you realize. I want you she was a witness over here. Maybe you got transferred to Raleigh-Durham and like I'm not sure why I'm here.

Maybe it's because God intended for you be able to reach a group of people here in the edit control. The circumstances of your life to get there. See what I understand as a pastor is that I'm looking at a group of people whose lives have been sovereignly controlled by God, for the purpose of putting you into places where you can testify to the gospel and I also know that I'm looking at a large group of people who are working for multinational companies who will transfer you and send you into places overseas that we could never get to sending mission teams over there could be too expensive, but we just couldn't get into it. The gospel is naturally human. God is naturally taking you into these places and we want to equip you to be able to carry the gospel in the places that's what we do as a church because the greatest advances for the gospel are not common for me up here, there, and when you are going into this place is naturally so I told you what my favorite images for the church.

You know I told you that some people use this analogy is the church is not like a cruise ship if you're comparing a church to ship to ship me a cruise ship what a church is like that you got your gems and football fields in Six Flags over Jesus and the holding of obit and I to cursor me a cruise ship your vacation Christians. It ought to be a battleship in a battleship.

That's better than cruise ship, but I still like battleship because a battleship in a basically battleship was about a mile off the island and shells the island.

That's how battleship does battle, much better image for the church of my pending his aircraft carrier is an aircraft carrier it's whole goal is to equip planes take the battle somewhere else there quicker. Never once about fight battles on the aircraft carrier goal point is to equip planes to load them up to be able to take the battle to the enemy. We are trying to do is load you up with gospel ammunition. So it is God takes you into the places whether it's overseas, whether it's jobs or campuses or schools right around here Raleigh-Durham your equipped to be able to take the gospel like Philip did into Samaria. But what I need you to hear church reporting move off of this is less of the holy spirits plan for advancing the gospel around the world, but not so much involved me on a platform involved you in places like Samaria, you have the holy spirit dinners and how significant it is the whole point of acts is laid out max 18 your seapower Holy Spirit will come upon you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria uttermost parts of the earth. The next time Judea and Samaria are mentioned after acts 18 is acts 812. The first time the gospel goes into Judea and Samaria is in the mouths of regular people, which means that the power that is talk about in acts 18 was given to you and tell you what you start operating in the power the Holy Spirit is is amazing. Some of you have experience that because you never open your mouth to let them use you I told you you start speaking images.

It's almost as weird the way the Holy Spirit will start working in your mouth and making you say stuff Jesus promised Isaac the hour that you need help with the words in your mouth that I told you before, it's like him so his interview with Michael Jordan and ask you how you always crazy donkey lady dog so creative and then he's like he's like look at his job and decide in the air after a jump is when all this stuff comes out about a pretty good little picture evangelism because half the time I get in these conversations.

I have no idea where they're going to have no idea what I meant to say that you do is open your mouth and the moment you jump. The Holy Spirit begins to guide you and he shows you how to slam the gospel that can waive the analogy to write you have the Holy Spirit do not underestimate that Jesus one time and this is when my favorite promises. I give it to you. Last year they Jesus said to the greatest pre-Jesus prophet ever live. That was greatest for each product brought pre-Jesus prophet ever… John the Baptist, John the Baptist Caprice with more power is more eloquent.

I just see it was awesome right greatest one of all. Jesus said the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater.

John the Baptist, which is just think about it.

Somebody in this church is the least capable and archer). Mathematically, that has to be true right now. One of our campuses you like.

I think that might be made godlike up at you.

You're the bottom of the pile you less capability than anybody, even you, even you ever you are have more power and potential in the Holy Spirit than John the Baptist right so get out there and start to experience what God was to be for you because he uses people like you would like Philip ordinary people through word and deed.

This passage tells us that those ministry was both word and deed. They heard him, and they saw the signs that he did. Verse seven explains to us that the lame were healed and the demons were cast out which points to a physical deliverance, the lane being healed and a spiritual deliverance the demons being cast out because a true witness here. This always involves both elements, the true gospel witness always involves both word and deed. It has to involve word because the gospel is in its essence and announcement about what Jesus has accomplished you can't communicate that without a verbal witness told you the statement you preach the gospel if necessary use words is cute but completely wrong because there's no possible way to preach the gospel out words gospel was not a religious word for gospel is met and announcement of good news agreed general would use it if we want to battle which gave agreed general want to battle map agrees he would send out a gospel announcing that he won the battle naïve is not inviting other people come help him with the battle is not teaching people to do battle images, and I already won the battle, she don't be afraid anymore to see them even vanquish. That's the word that was chosen to describe our message. It's an announcement not about how people should live, not an example that they should emulate.

It's an announcement about what Jesus accomplished on our behalf. When the one to the cross pay for said resurrected and victory, and we believe in him and have eternal life. That's the gospel by so it's it's important has to be at work, but it was also always done.

Indeed, deed means they demonstrated things about the gospel by whether his miracles away that they lived by the word is used here for what felt his deeds were signs with the really important work as a sign always points to something else Grand Canyon. That way is not signed .1 signs point to what Jesus miracles in the apostles. Miracles were called signs. I was explain this before Jesus miracles are not magic tricks that showed how awesome he was doing power he would like to know how brutal the son of God. Watch me levitate you up about 6 feet above the ground. That would've been awesome. I didn't like you had your old numbers on your back and get some 100 times in a row me that would prove that he was also his miracles peers always say it is, miracles did not show off the naked fact of his power, his miracles were a message about the redemptive purpose of his power to get that they were signs that pointed so Jesus would heal the sick, showing that his gospel what spiritual healing it is his miracles were raising the dead because he brought life to dead sinners giving side of the block multiplied breaded fish because his kingdom was a kingdom of abundance. See like today. We were signs, not what you see in acts is that sometimes the signs I cannot say or supernatural. Other times there more lights and natural were just a way that they lived was a demonstration of the gospel.

For example, acts chapter 9 there's a story in there of a disciple by the name of Tabitha who had the unfortunate nickname of Dorcas and Scripture records. Therefore, you but I see she made she made clothes for widows and it says that she made so many clothes for widows and when she died. The community gathered at her bedside and wept because of what she had done for them. Her close for a demonstration of the gospel. The generosity of the gospel. The fact that the gospel creates this kind of attitude and people that they show to their community. First Peter calls at adorning the gospel. It's always done in word. Indeed, the result is an actual phrase in our definition. It brought joy it brings joy to the city that's in verse seven it was that phrase by the way for that is you that are newer here that really convicted us as a church because it made us ask this question. Was there much joy in our city. As a result of the summa church read here for the next chapter asked not about Tabitha on the cloak that she made and people gathered at her bedside and weaving and we asked. I summa church died with anybody in our community week. I'm not saying that were trying to make everybody happy and were trying to win friends because will whenever you got a message as word and deed to bring joy and you can also make people mad. We want our community to look at us and say that we may not believe what those crazy people to summa church believe, but thank God they're here because of now we have to raise our taxes because of the way they bring joy to the city. So here's my very simple question for you. Are you involved in that because that's not because of a charismatic preacher. It's because of people like Philip carrying out the gospel in word and deed in our city get involved will start small. Does ask this question. What can I do to bring joy to my workplace.

What can I do do do to bring joy to my campus to my neighborhood. Ask God to show you what do you need that you could meet. Not one more thing in this tremendous for the store before I go to this site have a store there is some good immature than the first half is that one the primary sources of joy in the city go if you caught this was the reconciliation of races. She felt wasn't you and the people of Samaria were Samaritans.

Obviously what the Jews and the Samaritans had history to say the least. Baby then animosity to stretch back about a thousand years because the Samaritans were half you have Gentile Jews were, they were not into the mix thing by me, they would not wear mix clothing, much less except somebody was have to have Gentile, they would not even sit on a seat that a good Samaritan had sat on the if you were taking a trip from you know from the southern part of Israel to the northern part Samaria was, right in the middle and so if they were trying to get from the south of the north. They would walk around Samaria, which added a day to their journey but they do that rather than have to mix with these you have blood models that door up in Samaria. It is that is morning to that now you might like Phil sorry for the Samaritans by Gabor Samaritans, okay, I wouldn't miss her.

As near as they were not the nicest people either. In fact, the stuff that they did ranges from the comical to the cruel, they would.

They click okay so the right in the middle to communicate to people up in the north and tell him to come down for like a national meeting and have your phones Odyssey. So what they do is they would have a series of mountains that you like fires on top of what the Lord of the rings is a number that and so on. The Samaritans would go out to the mountain to the unit to the least of them and it would take captive the people around that and would like the signal answer then that would let you know because the rest of one's life available run down to Jerusalem to like it's up like nothing you know so so that was one of the joke that they played they would quit before Passover. There are several stories of them launching this watching pigs over the temple walls the night of Passover so that they would splatter and you would be defiled no fervor for Passover, they would sound like bad college pranks} of people died you with this kind of stuff they would rate pilgrims on the way to Jerusalem and steal their money in it to 30 years of animosity and hatred between these people. Now you got Philip, who is a Jew being embraced by a Samaritan and when they believe there was much joy in the city because you see the gospel creates a unity that can overcome years of hurt and mistrust is a unit C listen that we as people long for most people long for this kind of unity, but we seem powerless to accomplish it.

It's easier than theory that it is actually in practice hellos what I was reading one, African-American sociologist who said this recently talk about race is that we know how to forcibly integrate society. We know how to pass laws to guarantee fairness, but we have not been able in 100 years. We have not been able to do is make races and cultures love and embrace one another what politics is unable to do in 100 years. The gospel accomplished in an afternoon. Why, because the gospel defined a whole new reality. The gospel said there's one common problem.

Sin there's one common solution.

The blood of Jesus and that creates a new humanity following Arizona illusionist. It creates what some people have called the third race third race. Let me explain this to you really can't get this wrong and then like to see a Latino man living in a mostly white society was called Latino.

His first race will save the white that he lives among us like a second race, right third race is what he is in Christ, what he is in Christ does not erase his first race because he still Latino man with Latino culture. But for a Christian that third race become so weighty to him that it outweighs any of the things that would separate the first race from the second race.

The unity he finds in the third race outweighs the cultural preferences it outweighs the mistrust in the division is not the first race disappears is that the third race becomes the most defining element in his life. See what a church is is a group of people of different races and cultures who have found unity together not because they see culturally everything I do I not about the preferences not even about their history because they find something so weighty, which is there unity in Christ that it makes those other things and not as significant. If the gospel can, overcome their racism, cemeteries, don't you think it can overcome hours don't you want this. See, I mean I'm what we want is a multicultural church year.

That's different. Listen that a multicolored church and I can talk is one white goddess of the white people you know you hear a lot of white people when they want diversity the church what they want is multicolored which is basically a bunch of difficult people all singing white songs do we white things right. I would be awesome if you all import our culture does notice that the United told Bennett another doing that he would be awesome. But that's not multicultural here so you know you're in a multicultural church at some point you become uncomfortable because when people use outside your culture. You hung from the publisher, but that is not how we grew up.

You know, but see, that's what happens in a multicultural church is the different cultures are influencing and the unity that we find in Christ outweighs any of the things that divide us to see these people. It it it it shows no evidence that they sat down about the history books went back and resolved everything in their history. They chose to put away mistrust and suspicion in sale. They all magically solderless in the same radio station they chose to put aside cultural preference, and they found a unity in Christ that overcame them things and divided do you want – because if you want it. It's not come naturally is coming naturally are not doing Orion is going to become because we choose to let the gospel be away your reality in our church. The meaning of article work intentionality even more humility. You're listening to Summit life with Judy Greer wearing a series called saints and relearning that the birth of the early church and God's mission for our lives today tells the story of the early church, often following the steps of apostles like Peter and Paul that Pastor JD that really the main characters are that I remember my pastor growing up you saying that the book of act was wrongly named in the Bible we call it actually apostles what should be the acts of the Holy Spirit is really access and have a main character in Peterson are prominent in the first chapters and Paul Devlin prom in the last chapters, but we really get down to it the actor in the book of acts is the Holy Spirit. He's the one that's building the church and the good news of that is at that same Holy Spirit that was at work in the book of acts is now were still through us just like he empower Peter and Paul and James and John and and even Luke checked it to speak into right into the fights and overcome the obstacles of the enemy.

That same spirit is now with you and ready for you to access his power to overcome the things that God want you to overcome in your life because a study is so important. We've created a new Bible study to go along with it comes in two parts. Right now you get part one that covers the first eight chapters of acts the part two will be available in June. It will help take you deeper into the trues of acts and uncover the power the Holy Spirit in your life to gain a better understanding of how you can be more intimate with the Holy Spirit. We'd like to send you an exclusive new resource created by our Summit life team based in our study of acts, volume 1 of a personal Bible study called the book of acts is the study, but to actually designed to help you discover your own personal role in the great commission will send you a copy of our way of saying thanks for your support of this ministry. Ask for St. the book of acts study guide just a donation of $25 or more to calling 868-335-5220 335 24 go online and request a copy. JD clear.com Molly Witt event to join us again Thursday. We've all seen or heard of people saving theology in your reflection so you rediscovering what it means to be Thursday on Senate life