Friday, June 16, 2006
June 11, 2006--Stand Firm and Be Bold in Christ
Note: Post taken from loose outline notes of pastor. Actual sermon may have varied. No video available.
Text: Main Verse: Acts 4:29-31; context scripture Acts 4:8-13; 18-22
In our society today, too many times we go along to get along. Especially in this world of political correctness, we often go along with not offending people and putting up with lots of garbage in our world. We often will put our faith in a box and hide it rather than offend people. We put offending people above telling the truth. We put not making waves over standing on principle. And what have we gotten with that? With the best of intentions, we have seen our own rights of expression and religious freedom being limited and infringed upon, and when we finally say something, we are the "oppressors."
We live in an era where the best of intentions, not wanting to hurt someone, has overridden everything, even truth and honesty. What has all this politically correct nonsense gotten us? It has led to a time when brutality is favored as musical expression--where in the name of not wanting to be labelled closeminded or a racist we allow the smut to come out of the hip hop community. Not wanting to be labelled conservative or narrowheaded, we continue to stay silent as Hollywood assaults our values and traditions. This leads to a watering down of those values and traditions, to a dumbing down on the value side, if you will. Our leadership in the body of Christ has allowed this to happen as well. We have stayed silent too long, we have not followed the example of the Disciples. Let's look at the Acts verses we read:
Note, Peter and John were doing good. They were proclaiming the gospel, and they were arrested by the learned people. The people that should have known ridiculed and arrested them, and harrassed them as well. These men, Peter and John were not afraid of being seized by the censors, by those who would label them rabblerousers or troublemakers. They spoke the truth and let God's will take over. They had faith. Thus are we called to do.
Rather than play political games of get along to get ahead, these leaders of our early church held firm and asked for boldness. Rather than bow to the will of the politically expedient and correct, these leaders asked for courage and to speak more about the Word. I wish our leaders today and in the recent past would be so bold. However, it is not up to them, they are merely emperors with no real clothes. In some ways it is our responsibility to hold them accountable. We need to have that boldness of Peter and John, to speak out, to be risk takers, to be those willing to go out and dream dreams, to perform miracles, to proclaim the word of God. We must, even as we are ridiculed and persecuted, and we will be, we must stand firm and ask for that same boldness, for we follow in their path, and the path of Christ.
Text: Main Verse: Acts 4:29-31; context scripture Acts 4:8-13; 18-22
In our society today, too many times we go along to get along. Especially in this world of political correctness, we often go along with not offending people and putting up with lots of garbage in our world. We often will put our faith in a box and hide it rather than offend people. We put offending people above telling the truth. We put not making waves over standing on principle. And what have we gotten with that? With the best of intentions, we have seen our own rights of expression and religious freedom being limited and infringed upon, and when we finally say something, we are the "oppressors."
We live in an era where the best of intentions, not wanting to hurt someone, has overridden everything, even truth and honesty. What has all this politically correct nonsense gotten us? It has led to a time when brutality is favored as musical expression--where in the name of not wanting to be labelled closeminded or a racist we allow the smut to come out of the hip hop community. Not wanting to be labelled conservative or narrowheaded, we continue to stay silent as Hollywood assaults our values and traditions. This leads to a watering down of those values and traditions, to a dumbing down on the value side, if you will. Our leadership in the body of Christ has allowed this to happen as well. We have stayed silent too long, we have not followed the example of the Disciples. Let's look at the Acts verses we read:
1The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. 2They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. 4But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.
5The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. 6Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest's family. 7They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?"
8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! 9If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 10then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11He is
" 'the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the capstone.[a]'[b] 12Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
13When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
Note, Peter and John were doing good. They were proclaiming the gospel, and they were arrested by the learned people. The people that should have known ridiculed and arrested them, and harrassed them as well. These men, Peter and John were not afraid of being seized by the censors, by those who would label them rabblerousers or troublemakers. They spoke the truth and let God's will take over. They had faith. Thus are we called to do.
18Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. 20For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."
21After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. 22For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.
29Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
31After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Rather than play political games of get along to get ahead, these leaders of our early church held firm and asked for boldness. Rather than bow to the will of the politically expedient and correct, these leaders asked for courage and to speak more about the Word. I wish our leaders today and in the recent past would be so bold. However, it is not up to them, they are merely emperors with no real clothes. In some ways it is our responsibility to hold them accountable. We need to have that boldness of Peter and John, to speak out, to be risk takers, to be those willing to go out and dream dreams, to perform miracles, to proclaim the word of God. We must, even as we are ridiculed and persecuted, and we will be, we must stand firm and ask for that same boldness, for we follow in their path, and the path of Christ.
# posted by Mark : 5:46 PM
