Triumphs Through Trials

I trust that you all had a merry Christmas. I trust that Christmas was a blessing to you. What a blessing to remember, right? That 2000 years ago, Jesus came, he lived a perfect life.

He died on the cross for our sins, and then he was raised bodily from the dead. And he ascended onto the right hand of the Father. Right now he is alive, he is well, and he intercedes for us, even as I talk right now. I hope I don't kick that water over.

If I do, that's OK cause I'll water the tree. But, but Jesus is the greatest gift of all, and if you are here with us this morning and if you have never opened up the gift of Jesus by faith, I do encourage you to do that today. On another note, guys, you will be encouraged to know that last Sunday's gift for Jesus was over $16,000. It probably goes without saying that our missionaries, Jim and Alethia Lossing will be greatly blessed, and they will put that money to good use as they continue to minister in Peru.

And so thank you guys so much for your Generosity. I know that when I was watching everyone come forward, including one of my kids, it was just overwhelming to see this massive amount of people coming to give gifts to Christ and what a blessing to know that we are able to bless the lost things out there in Peru. I'm gonna ask you to join with me in prayer. Let's take a moment here to pray before we get into the message for today.

dear father. Lord, we come before you, having sung worship songs to you, asking now that you would speak to us. Word of God speak. Would you pour down like rain?

Washing our eyes to see. Your Majesty. To be still and know. That you're in this place, please let us stay and rest in your holiness, Lord.

We know that when 2 or more are gathered, there you are in the midst of them. And we trust God that you are here with us. We come before you, Lord, acknowledging the fact That we have all sinned and fallen short, but in Christ, we have a mighty, a mighty savior. In Christ, there is no condemnation.

We thank you, Lord, that you have clothed us. In your righteousness. And you see us, God, as if we have never sinned. You see us through the blood of Jesus and you see us clothed in His righteousness, as if we have never committed an evil act.

In thought, motivation, desire, word, or deed. Lord, we come before your throne of grace as your word instructs us to do with boldness. And we ask, Lord, that You would help us. I pray that you would help me.

I know, Lord, that in and of myself, I have nothing to give. And then of myself, I have nothing. To offer Lord, I am here before your people to present to them that which I do not understand, the unfathomable riches of Christ. We pray, Lord, that you would quiet our hearts before you, that you would give us eyes to behold Jesus and ears to hear Christ speak.

That Lord, you would sanctify us. According to your word, according to your truth. We ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.

As we close the door on last year and as we anticipate another year, I thought that it would be good to begin with a reminder of the words of Christ. Remember where he said, I will build my church. I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it. In this verse, we are encouraged to know that our Lord will succeed in building his church.

You can take that to the bank. Yet we are sobered by the fact that the church will come under attack. The church was birthed some 50 days after Christ's resurrection on the day of Pentecost when the Spirit descended upon the believers in the upper room there in Jerusalem, and ever since that birth, the church has experienced threats. After threat, attack after attack, the threats come in different forms persecution, opposing religions, liberalism, legalism, sin, hypocrisy, division, and the list can go on and on.

The history of the church is a history of warfare. We see this in the church's earliest history. And today we will see it as we focus our attention on Acts chapter 6, verses 1 through 7. Acts chapter 6, verses 1 through 7.

Our message is entitled, The Jerusalem Church Triumphs Through Trials. The Jerusalem Church triumphs through trials. I want us to begin by reading the text, verse 1. Luke says, now at this time, while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.

And the 12 summoned the congregation of the disciples, and they said, it is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables, but select from among you brethren, 7 men of good reputation, full of the spirit and full of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task, but we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. And the statement found approval with the whole congregation, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prachorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenus, and Nicholas, a proselyte from Antioch, and these they brought before the apostles, and after praying they laid their hands upon them, and the word of God kept on spreading, and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem.

And a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith. Again, the message this morning is entitled The Jerusalem Church Triumphs Through Trials, and we will frame the message around 4 developments, 4 developments in the Jerusalem church that shed light on how the church can triumph through trials.

Development number 1. The stage is set, the stage is set. We see this in verse 1A. Luke says, now at this time, at this time, while the disciples were increasing in number, Luke here refers to the period of time when the early church is experiencing rapid growth.

He says as much when he declares that the disciples were increasing in number. The picture painted is one in which the Jerusalem church is experiencing a gospel explosion, a gospel explosion, and we continue to experience the effects of this gospel explosion even to this very day. This explosion began on the day of Pentecost, when a small group of believers were gathered together in the upper room and they were suddenly filled with the Holy Spirit and they began speaking with other tongues.

It was Peter who stood alongside the other 11, and he unlocked the door to the kingdom with the key of gospel proclamation.

Luke tells us in chapter 2, verse 41 that on that day there were added about 3000 souls. On that day, there were added about 3000 souls. Luke then tells us that the church was continuously devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread. to prayer.

He tells us that everyone kept feeling a sense of awe. The presence of the Lord was real and many wonders and signs were taking place. Sacrifs were being made in the sense that people were selling what they had in order that they could give to the poor and so needs were being met. God's people gathered daily, every day in the temple and from house to house.

They were taking their meals together with gladness and with sincerity of heart. They were praising God and they were relating to everyone, both the saved and the unsaved, out of. The overflow of gospel grace, and Luke underscores the gospel explosion by telling us that the Lord was adding to their number, day by day, those who were being saved. The Lord was adding to their number, day by day, those who were being saved.

In chapter 3, Luke then tells us about Peter and John going to the temple during the hour of prayer, their plan To proclaim the gospel in the temple to the crowd that would have been there, but Luke tells us that they were interrupted by a lame beggar just as they were about to enter through the gate. The lame man begged for alms. Peter took note of the man, and he commanded, Look at us, look at us, to the lame beggar's credit, he listened and he obeyed. Peter then declared, silver and gold have I none, but in the name of Jesus the Nazarene, walk.

Luke tells us that Peter seized him by the hand and immediately for the first time in his life, the lame beggar was able to walk. The man went directly into the temple and Luke says he was walking and he was leaping and he was praising God. Needless to say, A crowd gathered and Paul seized the opportunity to preach his second sermon. The religious leaders grabbed hold of Peter and John and they threw them in jail, yet Luke underscores the gospel explosion again by telling us in chapter 4, verse 4 that many of those who heard Peter's message believed, and the number of the men came to be about 5000.

The next day, Peter and John brought before the religious leaders their question, but Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, boldly and powerfully proclaimed the gospel. The gospel would not be stopped. Peter and John were commanded not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus, but they responded by saying, We cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and what we have heard. We cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and what we have heard.

Thus Peter and John were released and they went to their brethren and they shared their praise report. Then the believers lifted their voice to God and they prayed to speak the word of God with all confidence. Luke tells us in chapter 4, verse 31, that when they had prayed, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they began to speak the word of God with boldness. Do you get a sense that the Lord is determined to build his church?

Two verses later, Luke declares that with great power, the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and abundant grace was upon them all. In chapter 5, Luke takes us through the tragedy of Ananias and Sephira. You recall their hypocrisy and how they plotted to lie to the church regarding their giving. They sought the praise of man and they ended up dead, and Anias fell dead first, followed by Sephira.

Luke tells us that great fear came over the whole church and over all who heard of these things. In chapter 5 verse 14, we read, and all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women were constantly added to their number, multitudes of men and women were constantly being added to their number. Luke tells us beginning in chapter 5 verse 18 about how the apostles were thrown in jail, but an angel released them and they immediately entered the temple and continued to proclaim Christ.

The religious leaders seized them with the intention to kill them, but the Pharisee named Gamalel gave warning that if God were on the side of the apostles, then it would be unwise to mess with them.

So the apostles were flogged, they were ordered not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released. Luke tells us in chapter 5 verse 42 that every day, Every day in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Christ. They kept on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. All of this underscores the fact that God was moving mightily among and through his people.

Thousands upon thousands of lost souls were being saved through the transforming power of the gospel. The church could not be stopped. The gospel was being proclaimed and souls were being saved. This is what Luke is talking about, when in chapter 6, verse 1, he says, at this time, at this time, while the disciples were increasing in number, We are experiencing here in this text, a gospel explosion.

John MacArthur says that the number of believers by this time would have been well over 20,000 in such a short period of time. The picture painted is of the Jerusalem church on fire, on fire for the Lord and relentless in its proclamation of the gospel to the unsaved. As a result, the disciples were increasing in number. If nothing else, we should be absolutely thrilled.

By what a commitment to proclaiming the gospel can accomplish, we must be absolutely confident that God through the power of the gospel proclaimed can accomplish above and beyond what we could ever ask or think. We need to be convinced of these things. Can you imagine where we cornerstone could be. If half of us effectively led one person to faith every year for the next 5 years, this is a conservative number, brothers and sisters.

I'm just asking half of us if, and the half starts at 250, we actually have more people coming to corners. than 500 and so I'm being very conservative in my half. I'm not good at math and so you can crucify me later, but half, let's consider that 500 people, half of that one year from now would mean 250 souls saved. 2 years, 375 more souls saved.

3 years from now, 560 more souls saved. 4 years from now, 840 more souls saved. By the way guys, I'm rounding my numbers. And finally, 5 years from now, 1,260.5 more souls saved.

By then, roughly 3800 folks could be attending Cornerstone, and of those 3800, 3200 would be newly converted. These numbers pale in comparison to what was happening in the Jerusalem church. I submit to you that we have every reason to believe that God is able to use cornerstone in helping thousands journey from brokenness to wholeness through the gospel. But I warn you, a growing church is rarely without problems, with numerical growth, and we are growing and we have no reason to think that the Lord would not want to add to the church, but with numerical growth comes challenges, with more people comes more need, and it is easy for some of the increasing needs to be overlooked.

And when needs fail to be met, the temptation to sin intensifies, and we see this in the Jerusalem church, and this takes us to development number 2. The problem is presented, the problem is presented. We see this in verse 1B. A complaint.

A complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. Focus your attention on the word complaint. The King James reads, murmuring. The Greek word is gagusmos, gaussmos.

It speaks of a secret debate. A secret displeasure not openly avowed. Evidently behind closed doors, some Christians were complaining. God's word makes it clear that complaining is serious sin.

You will recall that the Israelites complained much while in the wilderness and as a result were laid low, they died. Paul refers to this in 1 Corinthians 10:10 where he says, do not grumble as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Paul in Philippians 2:14 says, to do all things without grumbling. James commands us in 5:9, do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged.

Use whatever word you want, complaining, grumbling, murmuring, gagusmas. It is serious sin that must be severed from the body of Christ. Until this point, Luke's, Luke's descriptions of the Jerusalem church were always marked by unity. Such a unity is now under attack.

Luke goes on to provide the basis for the complaints. A particular group of people having legitimate need was being overlooked. Until now, Luke makes it clear that the Jerusalem church excelled in its efforts to meet needs. Whenever a need arose, it was immediately met.

It was common for those with much to sell their excess in order to give to those who had need. But now for the first time, legitimate needs were being overlooked. Luke tells us that the Hellenistic Jews were complaining against the native Hebrews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. It is important for us to understand that this is no small slight.

This is not a small issue. This is a big deal. God has a heart for widows. God tells his people in Exodus 22:22, you shall not afflict any widow.

In Deuteronomy 10:18, we read that the Lord executes justice for the orphan and the widow. Deuteronomy 24:19, we read, when you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten the sheep in the field, you have, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the alien, the orphan, and for the widow. Though in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all of the work of your hands.

Psalm 68:5 says, a father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows is God in His holy habitation. Psalm 146:9, the Lord protects the strangers. He supports the fatherless and he supports the widow. Proverbs 15:25, the Lord will tear down the house of the proud, but he will establish the boundary of the widow.

The Lord admonished his people in Isaiah 1:15 when he declares, so, when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you. Yes, though you multiply prayers, I will not listen, your hands are covered with blood. Blood, wash yourselves, make yourselves clean, remove the evil of your deeds from my sight, cease to do evil, learn to do good, seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. The earthly ministry of Jesus was marked by compassion and care for the widow.

In Mark 12:41-44, Jesus affirmed the offering of the widow who gave out of her poverty all that she had. In Luke 7:11-15, we read the story of a widow whose only son was being carried out in a coffin. Jesus raised her son from the dead, and Luke tells us that Jesus gave him back to his mother. In 1 Timothy 5:3, Paul tells the young pastor to give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need.

Do not ignore them, pay attention to them and seek to meet their needs. James, the half brother of Jesus, declares that pure and undefiled religion in the sight of God involves looking after widows in their distress. Again, The Lord is concerned for widows, and it is no small matter when the church fails to effectively minister to those who are widows indeed, the numerical growth of the Jerusalem church was a blessing, and with the growth came challenges. The needs of the Hellenistic widows were being overlooked.

There is no reason for us to find fault with anyone in particular, but human nature is such that folks will be tempted to complain, fingers will be pointed, judgments will be made, and before it, the church is split right down the middle. Luke here brings us through the doors of the Jerusalem church and allows us to eavesdrop on a situation that easily could have resulted in the first split in church history. There is nothing wrong when in respect and humility issues are addressed, but when behind closed doors we murmur and complain we have become guilty of sin.

Luke does not tell us how the apostles caught wind of the problem.

All we know is that the apostles were made aware and knew that they needed to take immediate action. And so this takes us to development number 3. The solution is sought. The solution is sought.

Beginning in verse 2, we see this from verse 2 to 6, and in these verses, we can make at least 6 observations regarding the solution that is sought, 6 observations regarding the solution sought. Number 1, The solution sought begins with a summoning of the church. In verse 2A, we read that the 12, the apostles summoned the congregation of the disciples. Here, the leaders of the Jerusalem church called for a meeting.

Everyone Was invited, evidently everyone attended. What a blessing the entire congregation comes together under the leadership of the church in order to address important matters. We will be having our semiannual meeting about a month from now, and I know that the elders would be blessed if every single one of you were able to attend that meeting, every single one of you, no pressure. Let us consider a second observation here.

The solution sought entails instruction to the church, instruction to the church. In verse 2B, it says that the apostles said, it is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. The word for desirable can be translated pleasing.

A good question to ask is this, what is pleasing to the Lord? In thinking through the problem, the apostles wrestled with the question. What is pleasing to the Lord? What would the Lord desire for us to do?

Where should our focus be? How might we best lead God's people? What ought to be our priority in ministry here in the Jerusalem church? In answer to their questions, the apostles concluded that it would not be good to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables.

Keep in mind that serving tables is not a bad thing to do. In fact, it is a, a good and a necessary thing to do. Ministering to the needs of widows, as we have seen is extremely important in God's economy. Such a need had to be met and the apostles knew this.

However, they also knew that it was imperative for them to prioritize the ministry of the word. The apostles were committed to the absolute authority and sufficiency of God's word for life and for ministry. They knew what had happened to Adam and Eve when they drifted from God's word. They would have been familiar with Psalm one.

Psalm 19, Psalm 119, and other passages of scripture, they placed a high value on special revelation, and they knew that in order to accomplish God's work his way that they must hold to a high view of scripture. Their instruction here is not a matter of opinion. But the fact that can be substantiated from scripture. It is not desirable for leaders of a church to neglect their duty to minister God's word and pray for other purposes that will leave the flock spiritually hungry.

And so the apostles summoned the church and then provided instruction. Let's turn to a 3rd observation regarding the solution. The solution sought includes a clear command to the church. Listen to what the apostles say, select.

This is an imperative. It is a command, select from among you, brethren. 7 men of good reputation, full of the spirit and full of wisdom, who we may put in charge of this task. The beauty of this is that the apostles released ministry into the hands of the people.

They could have done the work themselves. They could have chosen the men themselves. They could have exercised a greater measure of control over the situation, but what they do is release ministry into the hands of the people. What the apostles do here reveals a tremendous amount of confidence and trust.

God was using the apostles in powerful ways as they effectively ministered to the Jerusalem believers. The church was being strengthened and leaders were being developed. The apostles trusted in the Lord and they were convinced that the church had the ability to effectively address the problem. The apostles gave direction and then they stepped back.

They told the church to select 7 men. It is noteworthy that the first deacon prototypes were to be men. There is a beauty when men step up and when men take leadership. Perhaps such a beauty is illumined when such men are being called to meet the needs of widowed women.

If there is ever a day when the world needs a demonstration of godly, gentle manly behavior displayed towards women, that day is today. You will note from the text that the men chosen to meet the need were to meet certain qualifications. They were to be of good reputation, meaning that they were to be highly esteemed among the people. They were to be good examples of godliness before the people.

They were to be full of the spirit, and implied in this is the fact. That the fruit of God's spirit was to be displayed in their lives. Love. Joy Peace.

Patience Kindness, goodness. Gentleness. Faithfulness Self-control. They were to be full of wisdom.

Scripture tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Thus, these men were to exhibit a healthy fear of the Lord. Beyond that, their wisdom was to be displayed in their ability to apply the word of God to their daily lives and to apply God's word in the ministry that they were called to oversee. This group of 7 men would be given the responsibility of making sure that the needs of the Hellenistic widows were met.

They would need the ability to interact with everyone involved in such a way as to not cause offense. They were to be the very hands of Christ in graciously meeting the need that is brought before the church. Their role would be indispensable. Their role would be indispensable to the overall health and function of the church, and this is linked with and leads us to a 4th observation here.

Number 4, the solution sought provides protection. The solution sought provides protection for the church. We see this in verse 4. The apostles said, but we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.

The work of the seven would not just meet the needs of the widows, but it would effectively free up the apostles for the purpose of prayer and the ministry of the word. The work of the 7 would then in fact serve the entire body as they focused in on a particular need. Herein is perhaps the biggest threat to the church. Whenever its leaders abandon prayer and the ministry of God's word, then Satan gains a victory.

But here the apostles make it clear that they will not abandon their primary commitment to the word and prayer. They were keenly aware of the battle, and they knew the weapons of their warfare. They knew that in order to accomplish anything of any eternal good, that they would have to engage in battle God's way and with God. God's resources.

They refused to abandon their commitment to prayer and to the word. They knew that they needed it and they knew that the church needed for them to be committed to prayer and the word and to prioritize those things in their lives. They were well aware that the effectiveness of their ministry hinged upon their devotion to the Lord in prayer and in the word. They knew that they depended upon the Lord to accomplish any spiritual good, and they knew that they must minister out of the overflow of their abiding in Christ.

So the apostles had spoken, they had a plan and they presented it to the people. How will the people respond? This takes us to our 5th observation here. Number 5, the solution sought is immediately embraced by the church.

The solution sought is immediately embraced by the church. Verse 5 says, and the statement found approval with the whole congregation. The statement found approval with the whole congregation, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip Prechorus the canon. Timon Parmenus, and Nicholas, a proselyte from Antioch.

What Luke says speaks volumes about the Jerusalem church. We do not read that the majority approved. Instead, the statement, the statement found approval with the whole congregation. They were fully supportive of the leadership that God had placed over them, and this speaks volumes about their humility and their spiritual maturity.

And on behalf of the elders, I would like to express our appreciation for the Cornerstone body. Your willingness to submit to and support the leadership here speaks volumes about you. Cornerstone would not be the church it is. If it were not for the great people that the Lord has brought her way.

Well, Luke follows up with a list of the men that were chosen, the fact that they were able to find such qualified men underscores the quality of training that they had received. The apostles had done their job well. The value of their commitment to God's word and prayer is evident by the fact that the church was more than able to find men who were qualified and willing to serve. You will notice that each name mentioned is a Hellenistic or a Greek name.

The Hebrew Jews and Greek Jews worked together in choosing the seven. If I were one of the Hebrew believers, I might have been tempted to object. I might have argued for equal representation. I might have declared that the team or committee should consist of at least 3 Hebrews.

Fortunately, I was not there and the Hebrews evidently were pleased that the team was made up of all Hellenistic Jews. This was a good faith gesture that would have gone a long way in maintaining trust among the believers. I want to draw your attention to the first two mentioned, the 1st 2 mentioned. Stephen, Stephen is mentioned first and is described as full of faith and full of wisdom.

Clearly, he was a man esteemed in the church. Later we learned that Stephen was an evangelist willing To lay down his life for the sake of Christ. He was a man of God greatly esteemed by the church. And then Luke mentions Philip.

Later we are told that Phillip took the gospel into Samaria. Like Stephen, Philip was an evangelist who helped in fulfilling the Lord's vision for the church to be witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and even to the remotest part of the earth. You can read that passage in chapter 1 verse 8 of Acts. That is essentially the outline of the whole book.

Well, this takes us to a final observation, number 6, the solution sought is affirmed by the leadership of the church. The solution sought is affirmed. The decisions made by the congregation were affirmed by the leadership of the church. Verse 6 tells us, and these they brought before the apostles, and after praying, they laid their hands on them.

Thus, the church selects 7 qualified men and then brings them before the apostles who affirmed their decision by praying for them and laying their hands upon them. I would have loved to be at that meeting when the apostles prayed over these 7 men. I can only imagine some of what the apostles would have said, Oh Lord, thank you for these men. Lord, thank you for your work of grace and the Lives of these qualified men who are able to serve.

Lord, we pray for these men, that you would fill them with your spirit, that You would empower them for the ministry that you have for them to do. Bless their efforts, Lord, and I pray Lord that you would grant them favor, continued favor in the eyes the people and that you would use them to solve the problem that is facing us here today. It would have been a blessing to be there and to hear the hearts of the apostles as they prayed on behalf of these seven men and as they laid their hands upon them to affirm them in the ministry that they were being called to.

Well, we hear nothing more about the widows, and so we can assume that the problem was effectively solved.

This threat of division. I evaded The Jerusalem church was able to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Luke sets the stage, the church is spreading like wildfire, growth is a good thing, but with growth comes challenges. Luke then presents the problem.

There were significant needs that went unmet. Hellenistic widows were being overlooked. The apostles got wind of this and they came up immediately, they come up with a solution and the church embraced and immediately acted upon the solution. The potential division that threatened the church was effectively addressed, and now, the stage is set for development number 44.

The salvation. of souls, the salvation of souls. We read this in verse 7. And there is a link between verses 1 through 6 and what Luke now says in verse 7.

I believe that the effect of their solution to the problem was that they were freed up in such a way that they could look outward and make a difference in the lives of those who did not know Christ. Listen to what Luke says in verse 7, and the word of God kept on spreading. I am sure that part of this was the result of God answering the prayers of the apostles, as they were committed to the word and to prayer, the word of God keeps on spreading and the number of the disciples continue to increase greatly in Jerusalem.

And a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.

This verse takes us back to where we started. In verse 1, Luke declares that the disciples were increasing in number. Luke then addresses how the Jerusalem church faced and solved the problem. The solution was a magnificent solution, and it is no coincidence that in verse 7 we read that the word of God kept on spreading.

Take note of what Luke says regarding the number of disciples. He declares that they increased greatly, they increased greatly in Jerusalem. This underscores the power and the ability of our God to work in the lives of countless people to bring them to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. They increased greatly in Jerusalem, and as if that were not enough, as if we might not be impressed with the power of the gospel and the effect of the church to change lives, we are told that a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.

We all know that some of the hardest folks to reach with the gospel are those who are steeped in their religion. Priests were steeped in their own religious understanding. It required nothing short of a miracle from God for them to come to faith in Jesus, and Luke tells us that many through the power of the gospel preached, many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith. I want to encourage you, and I want to encourage myself.

Don't give up in your prayers for the unsaved people that you have been praying for, for decade after decade after decade. They are never so far out of the reach of God whereby God cannot reach down and pluck that person from the flames and save that person's soul. Do not grow weary in your praying for the salvation of lost people. Verse 7 serves as a satisfying end to the story.

You just wanna lift your hands up and praise and say hallelujah, praise the Lord, the power of the gospel, you are awesome, oh God. It serves as a satisfying end, but I submit, this is not the end of the story. It is but a section of a chapter that serves to make up the whole story. The whole story is about how God by the Spirit and through the power of the gospel gives birth.

Birth to this entity that we call the church and how through the church, the word of God spreads first in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest parts of the earth. Brothers and sisters, the story continues. The story is not over yet. In verse 7, we are still confined to Jerusalem.

In Jerusalem, but in our passage today, we have been introduced to a man listed as the first of 7 men chosen to serve in a deacon way. That man is Stephen, and Luke directs our attention to him beginning in 6:9 throughout all of chapter 7 and finally ending in verse 3 of chapter 8. We already know that Stephen was a great man of God. He was a man of good reputation, full of the spirit, full of Wisdom grounded upon the foundation of the gospel, but as we continue in the narrative, we read about how Stephen proclaims Christ.

He is dragged away, brought before the council of religious leaders, and through Stephen, the word of God kept spreading as he seizes the opportunity to boldly proclaim Christ. When he completes his sermon. The council of religious leaders gnashed their teeth, they cried out, they covered their ears and proceeded to stone Stephen to death. We read that while Stephen was being stoned, he prayed for his persecutors, and his prayer for them was this, Lord, Lord, do not hold this sin against them.

Immediately thereafter, Steven breathed his last, and Luke tells us, He fell asleep. All the while A man named Saul stood over the scene in hearty approval. And on that same day, Luke tells us that the great persecution began in the church in Jerusalem, and the disciples were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. They were unified spiritually, but they were scattered here geographically.

At the time, at the time, it may have seemed that this was one of the darkest days in the history of the early church. Stephen was a tremendous loss. Luke tells us that when Stephen's body was buried, that the men made loud lamentation over him. They wept bitterly.

They wept loudly. It hurt them to know that this dear brother in Christ had gone on to be with the Lord and that he was no longer with them to help them in battling together for the cause of Christ. Luke says that they made loud lamentation over him. In the meantime, the vast majority of believers from the Jerusalem church, they are fleeing for their lives, but Luke tells us that those who were scattered, Those who were scattered, went about preaching the word.

Behind the curtains, it is the devil's design to destroy the church. He targets leaders of the church. Earlier in Acts, before we get to chapter 6, verse 1, Peter and John had been thrown in prison and commanded to shut up about Christ, but the word of God kept on spreading. Ananias and Sephira had been guilty of hypocrisy.

They followed in the steps of the devil and, and, and they lied to the church, but God intervened and he ended their lives and as a result, great fear came upon the church at Jerusalem. God deals with threats to the church. Today, we read about how the church complained, another threat to the church. They were murmuring and as a result, the unity of the church was threatened by the grace of God, a solution was found and the church gained ground in its ability to impact those who were unsaved.

The number of disciples kept increasing and a great number of priests became obedient to the faith. And then our evil foe sees fit to go after Stephen. Stephen is brutally stoned to death. That day, persecution swept through the Jerusalem church.

Little, little did Satan realize his efforts to destroy the church would serve as the catalyst by which the church would expand beyond Jerusalem and into all Judea and all Samaria and remember Saul. He would become an answer to Stephen's prayer. Saul would be, he would on the Damascus road, come to faith in Jesus and would be used mightily of the Lord to bring the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ throughout the known world and after his death, through his writings into the remotest parts of the world.

Many of us have experienced salvation.

Through the writings of Paul. Where would we be? Without Paul And where would Paul be? Without Steven.

And where would Steven be? Without the Jerusalem Church, and where would the Jerusalem church be had it failed to effectively address the need that arose as a result of the growth that it was experiencing? Where would the Jerusalem church have been had it exploded in division? Rather than maintaining the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.

My aim for you is to discover a newfound appreciation for the Jerusalem church, to learn from her example, to embrace the challenges that come with growth, to be willing to step up and to answer the call to serve, to always make every effort to maintain. The unity of the spirit, in the bond of peace, to be steadfast in the word of God and in prayer, and to be reminded afresh of the power of the gospel to change lives and to proclaim Christ, proclaim Christ with confidence in a God who is building his church, knowing that the gates of hell cannot prevail against her.

And if you are here today and have yet to put your trust in Jesus, my aim for you is that you would trust in Jesus today. You have heard about how the church advanced through the proclamation of the word of God.

At the very heart of that proclamation is the good news that Jesus died, so that you might be freed from the guilt of sin and the power that sin has over your life. Jesus did not just die for you, but he was in fact raised bodily from the dead. The Bible tells us that the resurrected Jesus appeared to hundreds of men and women before ascending into heaven and taking his place at the right hand of the Father, where he is, where he is right now. The Bible tells us that Jesus will return again someday, and my aim for you is that you are ready for when that day comes.

We will close in prayer now. If you have never come to faith in Christ, I encourage you to do that now. Turn from your sin, talk to Jesus, ask the Lord to forgive you and to come into your life in order to make you the person that he wants you to be. And if you in fact do that, I wanna ask you, don't leave this church before you have told someone that you have asked Christ to be your savior.

Would you join with me in prayer, please? Lord, we thank you for your word. The instruction that we receive through the word. The admonitions and the encouragements, the challenges, the convictions, the example that we see in the word.

I pray God that you would cause your word to make a difference in our lives. Lord, I pray that you would bless the offering. That Lord, as we give to you a portion of what you have given to us, that you would take this offering and multiply it for the sake of the gospel, that through this offering, Lord, the word of God would spread and multitudes upon multitudes would come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, we pray for our community, and I pray, Lord, that you would use us as your ambassadors to bring Christ to the unsaved.

Burden us over this next year, Lord, with a desire to see people get saved. Let us not walk by the opportunities that you give to us. to share Christ with someone who needs him. Burden us with this, open doors of opportunity, help us, Lord, give us boldness and power, and give us effectiveness, Lord, as a church.

May a lost and dying world look into this church and may they discover That Jesus is amongst these people and may they, as a result, repent of their sin and believe in Christ and experience salvation, Lord. Lord, as we sing to you, we ask that you would be pleased with the words that we speak. We pray these things in the name of Jesus, amen.