In It Not Of It - Part 4

Our Tension

God’s Total Allegiance Required

Christ’s Trustworthiness 

Daniel 3:1-18 

King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.” Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Our Tension

Obeying the king’s command to attend the dedication and bow before the image was an occasion for officials to reaffirm their loyalty to the king.

Why weren’t they ok with bowing to the image?  What’s the big deal? 

Deuteronomy 6

God’s Total Allegiance Required

Jesus, his cross and resurrection, the gospel of God’s grace and the Kingdom of God must be “your ride or die”.  These will constantly be tested throughout your lifetime.  

Luke 4:1-13

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’” And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

“Who stands fast? Only the man whose final standard is not his reason, his principles, his conscience, his freedom, or his virtue, but who is ready to sacrifice all this when he is called to obedient and responsible action in faith and in exclusive allegiance to God- the responsible man, who tries to make his whole life an answer to the question and call of God. Where are these responsible people?”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“Calling resists privatization by insisting on the totality of faith. Calling resists politicization by demanding a tension with every human allegiance and association. Calling resists polarization by requiring an attitude toward, and action in, society that is inevitably transforming because it is constantly engaged. Grand Christian movements will rise and fall. Grand campaigns will be mounted and grand coalitions assembled. But all together such coordinated efforts will never match the influence of untold numbers of followers of Christ living out their callings faithfully across the vastness and complexity of modern society.”

Os Guinness, The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life

Things that are highly valued amongst men can be detestable in God’s sight.  

Luke 16:10-15 

10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

Ultimately, a Kingdom is an administration, a value system with assumptions and goals reflected in the order in which we choose to get things done.  The Kingdom that we serve is demonstrated in that which we prioritize.

When things get busy, put God first.  When you have need, sow your seed and seek the Kingdom first.  When exams or project deadlines come, get the mind of the Lord first.  When kids have sports practices and games, teach them to find themselves in the house of worship first.  When you want to have brunch, dine at the table of the Lord first.  When you have adventures that you want to pursue, find the eternal pleasures in the presence of the Lord first.  Honor Jesus and serve God first.  Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.  This is true religion and true worship.

Christ’s Trustworthiness 

*Each time the Israelites took a stand for the Lord, God showed up, God was honored and the Hebrews were promoted (Daniel 1, Daniel 2 ; Daniel 3). After that, as we would, I’m sure they would have liked the last trial to be the final trial.  However, another persecution would inevitably come.

Daniel 3:19-30 

Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. Because the king's order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

*There was also a progression of the king’s acknowledgement of God.  It reflects Engel’s Scale:

1. The Hebrews are 10 times better in all wisdom, learning and appearance after keeping themselves from being defiled with the king’s food (Daniel 1). 

2. Daniel’s God is the only one who can tell and interpret dreams (Daniel 2). 

3. If anyone speaks a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, they’ll be punished (Daniel 3). 

4. By chapter 4, Daniel is calling for Nebuchadnezzar’s repentance and faith. 
   

Second City Church - In It Not Of It - Pastor Rollan Fisher 2018

In It Not Of It - Part 3

Your Gift, God’s Grace to Save

Your Gift

God’s Preparation 

God’s Grace 

Daniel 2:1-19 

In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him. Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. And the king said to them, “I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.” Then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic,  “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.” The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins. But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation.” They answered a second time and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation.” The king answered and said, “I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see that the word from me is firm— if you do not make the dream known to me, there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the times change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation.” The Chaldeans answered the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who can meet the king's demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean. The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.” Because of this the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed. So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them. Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. He declared to Arioch, the king's captain, “Why is the decree of the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. And Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show the interpretation to the king. Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

1. Your Gift

*God was speaking to Nebuchadnezzar before Daniel

Purpose of prophetic gifts according to I Corinthians 13.

1 Corinthians 13:2 

And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

You will be positioned by God in your everyday work life, friendship group and community living to interpret dreams leading to the gospel.

1. God’s Preparation

Daniel had to be prepared with his gift.

This means you must have a vibrant Word and prayer life on your own to be prepared for it and confident enough to seek answers when the opportunity comes.

You must, like Daniel, be in a lifestyle rhythm that has your thoughts, faith and activities turned towards heaven and oriented to the purposes of God.  Otherwise, you will miss the eternal, soul saving opportunities that are presented to you and suffer the fate of those who surround you. 

*Daniel cultivated his focus and his gift with his brothers Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

Statistically, American church-goers show up 1.5 times/month - Ben Crawshaw of The Rocket Company

It is hard to develop any momentum for winning souls, discipleship, growth, giving or community impact with a lack of commitment.  The church is not meant to be interacted with as you interact with your Amazon, Netflix, Google or Instagram accounts. 

Hebrews 10:19-25 

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

*Don’t just show up when you are serving.  That is no way to be a disciple or make disciples.  It takes consistency, faithfulness (which is a fruit of the Holy Spirit). 

You must learn to choose God’s blessed life vs. My #best life now.

1. God’s Grace 

The gift was meant for the saving of lives. 

Daniel 2:46-49 

Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel made a request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king's court.

Tech Team Vision:

• Our vision for tech team is to remove any distractions to help enable the congregation to worship Jesus freely. We also aim to serve the worship team and assist with any technical needs. Our overarching vision is to magnify Christ through behind the scenes service so that our church can experience Christ during our Sunday service, be further knit into community with other believers, and go out into our weeks engaging the culture! 

And this is true of every area of service in the house of God, whether you are on the worship team, in the children’s ministry, a community group leader, hanging curtains, greeting the newcomer to church or bringing the Word on a Sunday.  

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”

“No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”

 - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Second City Church - In It Not Of It - Pastor Rollan Fisher 2018

Guest Speaker - Pastor Reggie Roberson

 

Second City Church: Guest Speaker - Pastor Reggie Roberson 2018

In It Not Of It - Part 2

Boundaries In Babylon

Background of the book Of Daniel

The foretold exile had begun and Daniel and his friends were of the first to go. The exile was of

God’s doing because the Israelites had broken the covenant with God. God allowed the

Babylonians to come and discipline the Israelites because of his justice, not because of His

favor on the Babylonians. This was the beginning of 70 years of exile for the Israelites.

Meaning of the exiles names

• Daniel “God is my judge” to Belteshazzar “O lady, (wife of the god Bel) protect the King!”

• Hananiah “Yahweh is gracious” to Shadrach “I am very fearful of god”

• Mishael “Who is what God is?” to Meshach “I am of little account”

• Azariah “Yahweh is a helper” to Abednego “servant of the shining one”

Daniel 1:8-21(ESV)

8 But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that

he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. 9 And

God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs, 10 and the chief

of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink;

for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own

age? So you would endanger my head with the king.” 11 Then Daniel said to the steward whom

the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Test

your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our

appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be observed by you, and

deal with your servants according to what you see.” 14 So he listened to them in this matter, and

tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in

appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king's food. 16 So the steward took

away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.

17 As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and

Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. 18 At the end of the time, when the king had

commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before

Nebuchadnezzar. 19 And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like

Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. 20 And in every

matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten

times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. 21 And Daniel

was there until the first year of King Cyrus.

Pray

Though we are in this world we are not of the world. We once were of the world, but after

coming to the cross of Christ, having our sins washed away, and being indwelled by the Holy

Spirit of God through faith in Christ, we are now new creations. Our spirits now sit with Christ

Jesus in Heaven at the right hand of God where we are citizens of Heaven. How should a

citizen of heaven conduct themselves while in a foreign country, the world?

3 supporting points with 1 testimony

1. Resolve Not To Be Defiled By The World

a. 8 But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with

the wine that he drank.

i. Make the decision BY FAITH to trust God in the circumstance He has put

you in. Stop blaming God, repent if you brought this discipline on

yourself, and trust God to sustain you.

b. Resolve leads to favor and compassion even in a hostile circumstance

c. Merit does not guarantee acceptance or favor, but God brings it

2. Welcome The Testing Of Your Faith By The World

a.

b. Supporting scripture

3. Promoted and Preserved

a. 21 And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus.

i. By God’s faithfulness Daniel was promoted and preserved in Babylon the

whole 70 years of the exile.

b. Remain in the circumstance you were in when God called you

i. 17 Only let each person lead the life [ c ] that the Lord has assigned to him,

and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. 18

Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek

to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call

uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision. 19 For neither circumcision

counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments

of God. 20 Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called.

21 Were you a bondservant [ d ] when called? Do not be concerned about it.

(But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) 22 For

he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the

Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. 23

You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. 24 So,

brothers, [ e ] in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain

with God.

4. Testimony

“To be in the world, but not of the world, you must be in the light”

We are not of the world just as Jesus is not of the world

15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. [ a ] 16

They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them [ b ] in the truth; your word

is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake

I consecrate myself, [ c ] that they also may be sanctified [ d ] in truth.

Faith overcomes the world

“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has

overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes

that Jesus is the Son of God?”

1 John 5:4-5 ESV

http://bible.com/59/1jn.5.4-5.esv

We are citizens of heaven

18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer

strangers and aliens, [ d ] but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household

of God , 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the

cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in

the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by [ e ] the Spirit. -

Ephesians 2:18-22

Discern the character of those around you

6 “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample

them underfoot and turn to attack you.”- Matthew 7:6 ESV

Don’t love the world

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father

is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and

pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along

with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

1 John 2:15-17 ESV

http://bible.com/59/1jn.2.15-17.esv

How to know when the world is speaking vs God

“By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the

flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit

of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children,

you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the

world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to

them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not

listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”

1 John 4:2-6 ESV

http://bible.com/59/1jn.4.2-6.esv

We love because He first loved us

Action Points

1. What does it look like for me to be ‘set apart’ by God as salt and light that point to Jesus

in the school, workplace, and community that I am in?

Invitation to follow Jesus

“Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up

his cross and follow me.”

Matthew 16:24 ESV 

Second City Church - In It Not Of It - Pastor Cole Parleir 2018

In It Not Of It - Part 1

Matthew 5:13-16 
13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 13:31-33 
He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.  32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”

We must ask the question, who is influencing whom?

Daniel 1:1-7
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god. Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king's palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king. Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.

“Yale historian Jeroslav Pelikan wrote, “Regardless of what anyone may personally think or believe about him, Jesus of Nazareth has been the dominant figure in the history of Western Culture for almost 20 centuries. If it were possible, with some sort of super magnet, to pull up out of history every scrap of metal bearing at least a trace of his name, how much would be left?”

It turns out that the life of Jesus is a comet with an exceedingly long tale. Here are some shards of his impact that most often surprise people:

Children

In the ancient world children were routinely left to die of exposure — particularly if they were the wrong gender (you can guess which was the wrong one); they were often sold into slavery. Jesus’ treatment of and teachings about children led to the forbidding of such practices, as well as orphanages and godparents. A Norwegian scholar named Bakke wrote a study of this impact, simply titled: When Children Became People: the Birth of Childhood in Early Christianity.

Education 

Love of learning led to monasteries, which became the cradle of academic guilds. Universities such as Cambridge, Oxford, and Harvard all began as Jesus-inspired efforts to love God with all ones’ mind. The first legislation to publicly fund education in the colonies was called The Old Deluder Satan Act, under the notion that God does not want any child ignorant. The ancient world loved education but tended to reserve it for the elite; the notion that every child bore God’s image helped fuel the move for universal literacy.

Compassion 

Jesus had a universal concern for those who suffered that transcended the rules of the ancient world. His compassion for the poor and the sick led to institutions for lepers, the beginning of modern-day hospitals. The Council of Nyssa decreed that wherever a cathedral existed, there must be a hospice, a place of caring for the sick and poor. That’s why even today, hospitals have names like “Good Samaritan,” “Good Shepherd,” or “Saint Anthony.” They were the world’s first voluntary, charitable institutions.

Humility

The ancient world honored many virtues like courage and wisdom, but not humility. People were generally divided into first class and coach. “Rank must be preserved,” said Cicero; each of the original 99 percent was a personis mediocribus. Plutarch wrote a self-help book that might crack best-seller lists in our day: How to Praise Yourself Inoffensively.

Jesus’ life as a foot-washing servant would eventually lead to the adoption of humility as a widely admired virtue. Historian John Dickson writes, “it is unlikely that any of us would aspire to this virtue were it not for the historical impact of his crucifixion...Our culture remains cruciform long after it stopped being Christian.” 

Forgiveness 

In the ancient world, virtue meant rewarding your friends and punishing your enemies. Conan the Barbarian was actually paraphrasing Ghengis Khan in his famous answer to the question “what is best in life?” — To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their women.

An alternative idea came from Galilee: what is best in life is to love your enemies, and see them reconciled to you. Hannah Arendt, the first woman appointed to a full professorship at Princeton, claimed, “the discoverer of the role of forgiveness in the realm of human affairs was Jesus of Nazareth.” This may be debatable, but he certainly gave the idea unique publicity.

Humanitarian Reform: 

Jesus had a way of championing the excluded that was often downright irritating to those in power. His inclusion of women led to a community to which women flocked in disproportionate numbers. Slaves—up to a third of ancient populations—might wander into a church fellowship and have a slave-owner wash their feet rather than beat them. One ancient text instructed bishops to not interrupt worship to greet a wealthy attender, but to sit on the floor to welcome the poor. The apostle Paul said: “Now there is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave or free, male and female, but all are one in Christ Jesus.” Thomas Cahill wrote that this was the first statement of egalitarianism in human literature. 

Perhaps as remarkable as anything else is Jesus’ ability to withstand the failings of his followers, who from the beginning probably got in his way at least as much as they helped.”

-Excerpts from a Blog written by John Ortberg, Pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church on the eve of the 2012 presidential election

John 17:13-19 
13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

Jesus sanctified himself through the cross so that we could be set apart, set free from and forgiven of sin.  Through Jesus’ resurrection life, God intends us to be the shapers and reformers of a world he looks to reconcile to himself in Christ. 

Second City Church - In It Not Of It - Pastor Rollan Fisher 2018

What Would Jesus Say - Part 4

Mark 12:28-31
And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Matthew 12:46,48-50
While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Matthew 16:13-20
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

"Emphasize reconciliation, not resolution.”
― Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here for?

2 Corinthians 5:16-6:2
From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

“The church is not a theological classroom. It is a conversion, confession, repentance, reconciliation, forgiveness and sanctification center, where flawed people place their faith in Christ, gather to know and love him better, and learn to love others as he designed.” ― Paul David Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change

Revelation 7:9-12
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Love is creative and redemptive. Love builds up and unites; hate tears down and destroys. The aftermath of the ‘fight with fire’ method...is bitterness and chaos, the aftermath of the love method is reconciliation and creation of the beloved community...Yes , love-which means understanding, creative, redemptive goodwill, even for one’s enemies-is the solution. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Resistance and nonviolence are not in themselves good. There is another element that must be present in our struggle that then makes our resistance and nonviolence truly meaningful. That element is reconciliation. Our ultimate end must be the creation of the beloved community. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Second City Church - What Would Jesus Say - Pastor Rollan Fisher 2018

What Would Jesus Say - Part 3

John 14:12-24
12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.

“Being a Christian is less about cautiously avoiding sin than about courageously and actively pursuing God’s will.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer 

“Pray first. Then make plans. Don’t plan and then pray for your plan to work.” - Toby Mac

Matthew 28:16-20
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

"I had motive for not wanting the world to have a meaning; consequently assumed that it had none, and was able without any difficulty to find satisfying reasons for this assumption. The philosopher who finds no meaning in the world is not concerned exclusively with a problem in pure metaphysics, he is also concerned to prove that there is no valid reason why he personally should not do as he wants to do, or why his friends should not seize political power and govern in the way that they find most advantageous to themselves. … For myself, the philosophy of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument of liberation, sexual and political." --Aldous Huxley, Ends and Means (London: Chatto & Windus, 1946), pp. 270, 273

1 Corinthians 8:1-3
Now concerning  food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.

Second City Church - What Would Jesus Say - Pastor Rollan Fisher 2018

What Would Jesus Say - Part 2

Fasting

Luke 5:27-39 ESV (c.f.- Matthew 9:9-17, Mark 2:13-22)
27 After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. 29 And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”  33 And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” 34 And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” 36 He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”

Luke 18:9-14 ESV
9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed[a] thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Three Points

1. Following Jesus precedes fasting for Jesus  

   1. Jesus gave Levi an invitation to follow, not to fast.  

      1. This was an invitation into a relationship whether that would blossom into further obedience rather than law.

   2. Before we fast, we must leave everything and follow. We must repent.

      1. The disciples who would in the future fast first left everything to follow.

         1. Luke 5:27-28

            1. 27 After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And leaving everything, he rose and followed him

            2. 32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

   3. Though Jesus was well acquainted with fasting He did not put this on Levi or his disciples during this time, for a bruised reed he will not break

      1. Luke 4:1-2 ESV

         1. And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.

      2. Matthew 12:19-21

         1. 19 He will not quarrel or cry aloud,
               nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
            20 a bruised reed he will not break,
               and a smoldering wick he will not quench,
            until he brings justice to victory;
            21     and in his name the Gentiles will hope

2. Fasting is for humbling, not grumbling

   1. The Pharisees were at a feast, and instead of being ‘humbled’ through fasting, they ‘grumbled’ at the disciples because they themselves were fasting rather than feasting. Attitude matters for a fast or a feast to be pleasing to God.  The fast of the Pharisees caused them to despise God and His love and compassion for the lost, while Jesus’ fast in the desert launched Him in his ministry to the lost sheep of Israel.

      1. Luke 5:30-31

         1. 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick

   2. Everyone knew the Pharisees fast twice a week on Monday and Thursday, and it was not done in secret, but in superiority and self righteousness.   This is how we should fast.

      1. Matthew 6:16-18

         1. 16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

   3. Everything is beautiful and acceptable in it’s time.  Fasting can either humble us to be used by God or harden us to sink us into self righteousness.  As we see here, God desires mercy, not sacrifice and was drawn to the humble and contrite heart exalting him.

      1. Luke 18:9-14

         1. 9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed[a] thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

3. Fasting speeds up God’s mission in us and through us

   1. Fasting breaks chains in our lives and others

      1. Isaiah 58:6-9

         1. Is not this the fast that I choose:
               to loose the bonds of wickedness,
               to undo the straps of the yoke,
            to let the oppressed[b] go free,
               and to break every yoke?
            7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
               and bring the homeless poor into your house;
            when you see the naked, to cover him,
               and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
            8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
               and your healing shall spring up speedily;
            your righteousness shall go before you;
               the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
            9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
               you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’

   2. The time to fast is now

      1. Acts 13:1-3 (After Jesus has ascended into Heaven)

         1. Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger,[a] Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

            1. Fasting is worship

            2. Holy Spirit speaks when we fast

            3. Fasting is coupled with praying 

Application:

1. Follow Jesus today!

2. Receive grace by fasting this Friday!

3. Order the book God’s Chosen Fast!

Second City Church - What Would Jesus Say - Pastor Cole Parleir 2018

What Would Jesus Say - Part 1

Luke 18:1-8
And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

"If you never heal from what hurt you, you'll bleed on people who didn't cut you."

FIRST FRIDAY FAST - September 7th

"He who lays up treasures in heaven looks forward to eternity." - Randy Alcorn 

Leaders Must Be Examples, Not Exceptions

Far too often, leaders drift. Once they get some experience under their belt and a track record of accomplishments, they often abandon the lifestyle that helped them reach the top. They chafe under the very rules that they once established or endorsed. Sadly, leaders like these forget the number one management principle in the world: People do what people see. If they want to succeed, leaders must incarnate the life they desire in their followers." - John Maxwell

"The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried." - Stephen McCranie

Luke 11:1-13
Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread, 4 and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.” And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

"The Christian religion alone has been able to cure these two vices (pride in human dignity and despair in human misery), not by expelling the one through means of the other according to the wisdom of the world, but by expelling both according to the simplicity of the Gospel." - Blasie Pascal

Second City Church - What Would Jesus Say - Pastor Rollan Fisher 2018

The Macedonian Call - Part 8

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers,  you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle,  encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. Brothers, pray for us. Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Second City Church - The Macedonian Call - Pastor Rollan Fisher 2018

The Macedonian Call - Part 7

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification:  that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

"Alien and archaic as the idea may seem, the task of the church is not to make men and women happy; it is to make them holy." - Chuck Colson

Colossians 1:15-20
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

1 Thessalonians 4:9-18
Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

"Hopes are for the living; the dead have no hope." - Theocritus

1 Thessalonians 4:13 
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

Second City Church - The Macedonian Call - Pastor Rollan Fisher 2018

Guest Speaker - Matt Rasch

 

Second City Church: Guest Speaker - Matt Rasch 2018

The Macedonian Call - Part 6

Last week we spoke about the family unit that God provides for us through his church.  This week we will discuss the dynamics of walking as such through the adversities that inevitably come in a fallen world.  

1 Thessalonians 3:1-13
Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know. For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain. But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you— for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith. For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith? Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

Interconnected in Affliction 

Know your enemy before the fight 

The tempter comes in the midst of trials to discourage the people of God and lure them back to old destructive ways as coping mechanisms.  What would that be for you?

Do not go into isolation or hiding during times of struggle.  Allow your brothers and sisters in Christ to be there for you. 

What Does it Look Like?

Stop, Drop and Roll

STOP running from God and other believers when you face afflictions.  Paul was concerned that his labor for the Lord with the Thessalonians would be in vain if they threw off their God-given anchors in times of trial.  Identify your church family with whom you will share life in Christ and stay in the pocket.                                

Mark 4:16-17 
16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.  

Proverbs 17:17
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

DROP to your knees In prayer.  Drop facades, protective walls, and defenses.  In your community groups, establish your go-to people with whom you willingly choose to be vulnerable and to divulge the realities of your life.  Give them permission, as Timothy did with the church in Thessalonica, to “check in” on you as well.  The cross of Jesus Christ levels the playing field so that no man or woman should feel inferior or superior to another.  We are all saved by grace through faith, forgiven of damnable sins and can encourage one another in the mercy of God that is available to us all. 

Proverbs 17:19
Whoever loves transgression loves strife; he who makes his door high seeks destruction.

Proverbs 18:1-2
Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment. A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable. - C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

ROLL with the people who are in your immediate vicinity, who can see the whole picture and give godly counsel which can be followed-up upon.  Identify the things in life that are trying to burn down your faith, confidence in God, health, marriage or family. They may be emotional, financial or circumstantial struggles. Apply the water of the Word of God to these things and contend for the salvation (rescue/deliverance) of God with those whom Christ has given you.  Christ’s resurrection from the dead gives us access to an eternal life that begins with our reconciliation with God.  The life abundant that Jesus promises is developed through life shared with those who also are longing for their heavenly home in Christ.  

Proverbs 27:9-10
Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel. Do not forsake your friend and your father's friend, and do not go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away.

I have no duty to be anyone's Friend and no man in the world has a duty to be mine. No claims, no shadow of necessity. Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art, like the universe itself (for God did not need to create). It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival. - C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Second City Church - The Macedonian Call - Pastor Rollan Fisher 2018

The Macedonian Call - Part 5

1 Thessalonians 2:1-12
For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed— God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

The Church as a Family

When God brings you to himself through Christ, he brings you into a family.  The church is to function as a family with family dynamics as we grow into spiritual health and maturity. 

Why don’t we live and function like a family?

*Part of this generation’s dysfunction with relationship is that as opposed to other generations, people have an expectation of others putting them first.  This was not the case in other generations.  In our stunted culture, people gravitate to those relationships that will make them center focus and move on from those relationships that do not.  This is not the design of God (Jesus leaving the 99 to get the one, the command to honor others above yourself, If you exalt yourself you’ll be humbled, people gathering around them those who tell them what their itching ears want to hear, etc.)

When allowed to go on like this, relationships develop co-dependent tendencies.

v. 8 - “So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.”

For relationships to be healthy and fruitful, they have to be more than one-sided.  Take an interest in others beyond what immediately concerns you.  Hear the stories of others to earn the right to tell yours.

There are multiple familial terms represented in the Thessalonians passage - mother and children, brothers and fathers. As you continue to grow in Christ, there should always be three relationships that are developing in your life:

1. Mother/Father - who is someone that is mentoring you, helping to you mature in the things of God?

2. Brothers - who is someone that is a peer to you that is helping to push you further in the things of God? Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

3. Children - who is someone that YOU are helping to disciple, helping to raise in the things of God (i.e. investing in them by teaching them the Purple Book)?

Those trying to figure out their calling in God, let's find a place for you in and through this community of faith.  As you make decisions about what you'll do and where you'll be in the coming years...We need people in Chicago. We need people in the mission field.

“For any team, if you don’t fight for community, it won’t happen. Community is the intentional pursuit of being intertwined in each other’s stories. It’s being a part of the highs and the lows together, being hope for each other, having fun together, working together, encouraging one another, helping each other grow and calling out the gold in one another.” - Paul McClure

The atoning work of Jesus Christ made this possible for us. When he sacrificed himself on the cross for the forgiveness our sins, his blood was spilled to cleanse us, draw us near to God the Father and make us one family.  Through his resurrection from the dead he offers us not only eternal life, but a new life of relational dynamics different from the dysfunction from whence we sprang.

The Church as a Force

1 Thessalonians 2:13-20
And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last! But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us. For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.

This is not anti-Semitism.  Jesus was of Jewish lineage.  The majority of the earliest Jewish believers were Jewish in Judea that the Thessalonians were now imitating.  

*Being of Jewish lineage himself, Paul thought the opposition to the gospel particularly grievous because the commission of Israel has always been to be a blessing to the nations (Genesis 12) through the spread of the knowledge of the one true God revealed through his Son, Jesus, the promised Messiah.  Reflecting the pattern initiated with Israel, Paul understood God’s heart that the church was to be an agent of revelation and reconciliation for the world - a force for the gospel (Exodus, Isaiah 49).

Recognizing the Voice (of God) in the Invitation

Acts 16:1-5
Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily.

Encounters with the living God in dreams, visions, burning bushes and prophetic words do occur.  However, you are called into the work of God through daily circumstance and human interaction (think the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37). 

“We are always falling in love or quarreling, looking for jobs or fearing to lose them, getting ill and recovering, following public affairs. If we let ourselves, we shall always be waiting for some distraction or other to end before we can really get down to our work. The only people who achieve much are those who want knowledge so badly that they seek it while the conditions are still unfavorable. Favorable conditions never come.” - C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

Christ-centered community should intentionally lead to impacting the culture together with the gospel.  Community is not an end in and of itself.  

Mark 8:34-38
And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Mark 10:29-31
Anyone who loves his father or mother more...

Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Second City Church - The Macedonian Call - Pastor Rollan Fisher 2018

The Macedonian Call - Part 4

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly  mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Passion

v. 3

Work of faith, labor of love, steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ - all of these are a result from real encounters with Jesus. 

“God's salvation does not come in response to a changed life. A changed life comes in response to the salvation, offered as a free gift.”

Timothy J. Keller, Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters

You cultivate your passions by what you focus on and what you feed on 

Feed on the Word of God.  

If you’ve not done the Purple Book, finish it this summer.  If you’ve done it before, do it again to sharpen your focus on the foundations of the faith. 

Perspective 

v. 9,10

...how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

“An idol is something that we look to for things that only God can give. Idolatry functions widely inside religious communities when doctrinal truth is elevated to the position of a false god. This occurs when people rely on the rightness of their doctrine for their standing with God rather than on God himself and his grace. It is a subtle but deadly mistake…. Another form of idolatry within religious communities turns spiritual gifts and ministry success into a counterfeit god…. Another kind of religious idolatry has to do with moral living itself… Though we may give lip service to Jesus as our example and inspiration, we are still looking to ourselves and own own moral striving for salvation…. Making an idol out of doctrinal accuracy, ministry success, or moral rectitude leads to constant internal conflict, arrogance and self-righteousness, and oppression of those whose views differ.”

Timothy J. Keller, Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters

 

“Have you heard God's blessing in your inmost being? Are the words, "You are my beloved child, in whom I delight" an endless source of joy and strength? Have you sensed, through the Holy Spirit, God speaking to you? That blessing- the blessing through the Spirit that is ours through Christ- is what Jacob received, and it is the only remedy against idolatry. Only that blessing makes idols unnecessary. As with Jacob, we usually discover this only after a life of "looking for blessings in all the wrong places." It often takes an experience of crippling weakness for us to finally discover it. That is why so many of the most God-blessed people limp as they dance for joy.”

Timothy J. Keller, Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters

Second City Church - The Macedonian Call - Cole Parleir 2018

Guest Speaker - Peter Ahlin

The Real World Cup

 God’s eternal plan to fill the earth with His glory permeates the Bible from beginning to end. 

God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:27-28) 

The Lord had said to Abram, “Get out of your country, from your family 

and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3) 

God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, that Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him. (Psalm 67:1-4a,6-7) 

Then King Darius wrote: To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, and steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, And His dominion shall endure to the end. (Daniel 6:25-26) 

Jesus said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” 

(Luke 24:46-49) 

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:9-10) 

___________________________________________________________________________ 

We Christians are all called to participate in God’s eternal plan by giving, praying, and going. 

GIVE: And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of worldly wealth, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings. He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. If you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? (Luke 16:9-11) 

PRAY: I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join with me in my struggles by praying to God for me. Brothers, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you. 

(Romans 15:30, II Thessalonians 3:1) 

GO: If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. There is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” How, then, shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace.” (Romans 10:9-10,12-15) 

Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8) 

Second City Church: Guest Speaker - Peter Ahlin 2018

The Macedonian Call - Part 3

Acts 17:1-9
Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” 4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. 5 But the Jews[a] were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. 6 And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” 8 And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. 9 And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
 

1.    Point 1- The Heavenly Vision

a.    Macedonia--->Philippi---->Thessalonica....WHY?
i.    Not because it was the capital city of Macedonia...or 10x’s larger in population than other cities... but because God called Paul, Silas, and Timothy to go there. Period. Though I suspect there may not have been a Jewish synagogue in Amphipolis or Apollonia and God reveals Christ first to the Jews.
1.   Acts 16:6-10
a.    6 And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. 8 So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 And when Paul[c] had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
ii.    Proverbs 12:15
1. The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.
iii.    Proverbs 16:9
1. The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.
iv.    Rollan Fisher
1.    “You have a green light until you have a red light”
2.    This is when wondering if you should act on something general the Lord has told us to do in his Word.
b.    The Jewish Synagogue
i.    Paul kept in step with God’s method of revealing His plan first to his chosen people the Jews. God has a priority.
1.    Romans 1:16
a.    16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

2.    Point 2- The Heavenly Source

a.    Paul reasoned with them from the scriptures
i.    2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
 
ii.    Paul knew the scriptures were authoritative to the Jews and used them to ‘renew their minds’ like Jesus did with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.
1.   Amos 3:6-8
a.    'Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it? "For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy?"'
2.    Ephesians 3:4-6
a.    'When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery
is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.'

3.    Point 3- The Heavenly Message

a.    Paul knew there main objection would be the misunderstanding of the scriptures missing the fact that the messiah needed to suffer, die, and raise from the dead.
i.    3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”
ii.    Isaiah 52:13-53:
1.    Behold, my servant shall act wisely;[b]he shall be high and lifted up,and shall be exalted.14 As many were astonished at you—his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—15 so shall he sprinkle[c] many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths because of him, for that which has not been told them they see,    and that which they have not heard they understand. ' Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—everyone—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will
of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes
intercession for the transgressors.'
Isaiah 53:1-12 https://www.bible.com/bible/59/ISA.53.1-12

4.    Point 4- The Heavenly Response

a.    Be persuaded that Jesus is the Christ and join His body
i.    4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.
b.    Some joined, and some were jealous
i.    5 But the Jews[a] were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. 6 And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” 8 And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. 9 And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
 

Action Challenge

1.    Learn what the churches vision/call is for reaching the nations by talking the staff and visiting https://secondcitychurch.com/missions/
2.    Study the Bible and learn to preach the good news from the source. Go to https://peacewithgod.net for interactive tool
3.    Practice your two minute testimony
a.    Check out http://bethel-church.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/testimony.pdf for guidance
4.    Join the team and either pray, give, or go
a.    https://secondcitychurch.com/give/

Second City Church - The Macedonian Call - Cole Parleir 2018

Guest Speaker - Daniel Henry

Shame is “the intensely painful feeling of believing we are flawed and therefore unworthy of connection and belonging.”

When a person feels ashamed:

If they believe “I am bad”, or “I am a mistake it deepens into shame”

If they believe “I did something bad”, or “I made a mistake” they experience guilt

If something negative happens to a person and they feel ashamed:

If they believe they deserved it then it deeps into shame

If they believe they didn’t deserve it they experience it as humiliation

Finally, if a person has an experience and feels ashamed:

But believe that it happens to everyone it often lightens into embarrassment

If they believe it’s only ever happened to them and believes they are alone or isolated in they experience it deepens into shame

Malachi 3:1
“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, 4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.

5 “So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers,adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the Lord Almighty.

Revelation 3:17
You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne,just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Isaiah 61

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,

   because the Lord has anointed me

   to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

   to proclaim freedom for the captives

   and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]

2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor

   and the day of vengeance of our God,

to comfort all who mourn,

3     and provide for those who grieve in Zion—

to bestow on them a crown of beauty

   instead of ashes,

the oil of joy

   instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise

   instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

   a planting of the Lord

   for the display of his splendor.

7 Instead of your shame

   you will receive a double portion,

and instead of disgrace

   you will rejoice in your inheritance.

And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,

   and everlasting joy will be yours.

8 “For I, the Lord, love justice;

   I hate robbery and wrongdoing.

In my faithfulness I will reward my people

   and make an everlasting covenant with them.

John 15:1
“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

Timothy 1:12
I thank Christ Jesusour Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. 13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Galatians 1:6
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently, some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.

Galatians 3:1
You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? 4 Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? 5 So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?6 So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

1. Tell stories and paint word pictures of being purified rather that pure

2. Examine you own testimony. How have you been purified of guilt, shame and humiliation?

3. Examine your current faith. Are you applying the purifying power of the gospel to the guilt, shame and humiliation in your life today?

Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing pow’r?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Second City Church: Guest Speaker - Daniel Henry 2018

The Macedonian Call - Part 2

The Father (God) in Phillipi

The Father Brings Salvation to Households

A good father takes the time to make each opportunity a teaching moment

Acts 16:11-15
So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.

The Father Delivers from Demons

A good father opens our eyes to things otherwise unrealized.  His desire is to empower us and set us free.

Acts 16:16-24
As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour. But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

The Father Frees Us From Our Prisons

A good father fights for us in our struggles.  Through Christ, our Heavenly Father sets us free from our prisons. 

Acts 16:25-40
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God. But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.” And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. So they went out of the prison and visited Lydia. And when they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.

Worship your way out of prison

*Have mercy on the ones who once imprisoned you that they too might find the salvation of God

“Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.”
- Nelson Mandela

“I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.”
- Nelson Mandela

“As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison.” - Nelson Mandela

Jesus and his sacrificial death on the cross for our sins was the perfect expression of the Father’s love.  Christ’s resurrection from he dead is the perfect encouragement from the Father than forgiveness, a new hope and new life can be ours as we turn to him in repentance and faith.  

Second City Church - The Macedonian Call - Rollan Fisher 2018

The Macedonian Call - Part 1

 

Part of theology is to understand and discern the ways of God.  We can discover what God intends for Christ-centered living by looking at how He’s interacted with and directed His people throughout Biblical history. 

To whom God has called you
To whom God has called you to minister
With whom God has called you to minister 

Acts 16:1-10 
Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily. And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

To whom God has called you

God calls you to himself in Christ as an individual.  (This is most important and is provided for as we turn away from our sins and put our trust in Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross and provision for new life through his resurrection from the dead). He calls you to his purposes as a part of his people. 

V. 1 - Timothy joins Paul, Silas, Luke and their missionary companions.  
Find your people, find your purpose.  
It is here that you are discipled and grow. 

Who you are doing things with is just as important as what you are doing for the Lord. 

This is true in marriage and all areas of life 

I Corinthians 15:33
Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

“Find your people, find your purpose.”
-Jim Laffoon 

To whom God has called you to minister

2. God gives you a place and a people to whom you minister. 
“Come over to Macedonia and help us.”  
This includes your workplace, your friendship group, your neighborhood, your school, a city or a nation. 

“Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.” - Francis Chan, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God

Godly counsel helps protect us from this. 

God steers moving ships. Paul was set apart for his missionary work in Acts 13.  This was not in question.  The rest of his ministry became his efforts to fulfill that call through prayerful planning and evangelistic efforts with the people with whom God had joined him.  The dream from God to reach the Macedonians (which inevitably resulted in the churches in Phillipi, Thessalonica, Berea, etc.) would come as they were on the move to fulfill that Acts 13 call.  The Acts 13 call would become the Macedonian call. 

With whom God has called you to minister

3. God gives you plans and purpose in the counsel of your people with whom he’s called you to minister.  
Find your people, define your plans. 

How Will I Know?

The Ways of God are building and interconnected.  He is a wise master builder and calls us to be as well.  

You don’t need to be a maverick. 

God has not left it to you to have the entirety of His Kingdom plans on your own.  It keeps you from being isolated, running solo and keeps you connected to the people/leadership with whom he wants you to advance His Kingdom. 

Proverbs 15:22 
Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.

Proverbs 20:18
Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.

Proverbs 24:3-7
By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might, for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory. Wisdom is too high for a fool; in the gate he does not open his mouth.

There is room for you.  If you don't see something represented at the church, come forward and help create it.  We are the body and all the parts need to function.  If you don't see something, it may be because we haven't heard from you yet. 

Second City Church - The Macedonian Call - Rollan Fisher 2018