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Seeing God move in disruptions: From scattering to mattering

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Guest Speaker Pastor Reggie Roberson (kingspark.org)

[Introduction: It is always a privilege and pleasure to share with the Second City church family. Pastor Rollan and B, and are long time friends who are some of the godliest people I know on the planet. God has blessed this church with leaders who have a real vision to display the Kingdom of God in this region and beyond.

As I have been praying for the church, I am sensing that God wants to encourage us that When the enemy scatters, God is at work so that the church matters. God is using this difficult moment to accelerate his good purposes and good plan for Second City church both for the individual members and the church as a whole.

● Gatekeepers in the city

● Bridge builders in the unrest and polarization

● Funders of the Kingdom

● Helps Gift

● Multiple congregation

You see, It is of the utmost importance that we perceive what God is doing and we participate in what God is doing. If we don’t we can miss God’s purposes for us and being a part of blessing our city. When the enemy scatters, God is at work so that the church matters.

Acts 8:1-8 TPT

Now, Saul agreed to be an accomplice to Stephen’s stoning and participated in his execution. From that day on, a great persecution of the church in Jerusalem began. All the believers scattered into the countryside of Judea and among the Samaritans, except the apostles who remained behind in Jerusalem. 2 God-fearing men gave Stephen a proper burial and mourned greatly over his death. 3 Then Saul mercilessly persecuted the church of God, going from house to house into the homes of believers to arrest both men and women and drag them off to prison. 4 Although the believers were scattered by persecution, they preached the wonderful news of the word of God wherever they went. 5 Philip traveled to a Samaritan city and preached to them the wonderful news of the Anointed One. 6 The crowds were eager to receive Philip’s message and were persuaded by the many miracles and wonders he performed. 7 Many demon-possessed people were set free and delivered as evil spirits came out of them with loud screams and shrieks, and many who were lame and paralyzed were also healed. 8 This resulted in an uncontainable joy filling the city!

Seeing God move in disruptions:

From scattering to mattering

Let’s pray!

[Comments: Let’s deal first with our perception. This is a critical time in the history of the church. Up until this point, the church was rapidly growing in Jerusalem and Judea. Now the satan, our enemy is using persecution to scatter the church with the hopes that the church will become hopeless and helpless in achieving its purpose.

I believe that there is a parallel in this passage to what is happening right now. The enemy is using multiple things including the pandemic, social unrest, & economic uncertainty to try to scatter the church so we will become hopeless and helpless in fulfilling God’s purpose.

Second City, we can not only focus on Acts 8:1 when this great scatter broke out we need to also remember Acts 1:8. Jesus expresses his desire for Samaria to experience the joy of the Gospel. What Satan did not know is that the scatter that took place from the persecution instigated by Satan was used by God to reach Samaria to fulfill Jesus’ desire and plans.

Knowing this means we can have

Confidence

Motivation

Joy

Hope & endurance

Our perception must be that...When the enemy scatters, God is at work so that the church matters.

For the church to matter when the enemy scatters we not only need to have the right perception, God also wants our participation.

We participate in Community, with Courage, and through Combat.

Let’s take a deeper prophetic look at this passage:

COMMUNITY

We participate in Community, with Courage, and through Combat.

Seeing God move in disruptions:

From scattering to mattering

2 God-fearing men gave Stephen a proper burial and mourned greatly over his death.

This scripture tells us that believers who feared God more than men found a way to mourn together. These believers understood their design by God to have people they can mourn with and rejoice with.

Romans 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. We can not experience such pain and loss as we have without having people we can express our feelings and thoughts and process instead of suppressing them or letting our emotions control our lives.

We must continue to call each other, zoom, facetime, or google meet each other, and not give up on being together. We are created by God for the community and to find a portion of fulfillment in our lives through relationships with other believers. When we allow the enemy’s scattering to isolate us, we become vulnerable to wrong ideas, oppressive emotions, and spiritual bondage. (Disney Hyenas vs. Jaguars)

No matter how much the enemy tries to scatter the church, we are called by God to figure out a way to continue to be in community with each other. Get in a community group or small group or prayer group- whatever is available even if it is virtual. The church continues to matter when the enemy scatters because we are better together.

COURAGE

We participate in Community, with Courage, and through Combat.

4 Although the believers were scattered by persecution, they preached the wonderful news of the word of God wherever they went. 5 Philip traveled to a Samaritan city and preached to them the wonderful news of the Anointed One.

Before the enemy brought about scattering by persecution, life looked very different for the people in these two verses.

These believers were not likely sharing the gospel with those who did not know it. Phillip was helping to serve the church by making sure the church was taking care of widows, and he was not sharing the gospel as he did in verse 5.

When the scattering takes place, these believers respond with the priceless attitude of courage. They could have dwelled on their current situation and how bad it was. They could have focused on their weaknesses and had a virtual pity party.

Seeing God move in disruptions:

From scattering to mattering

Instead they make a choice to be courageous and overcome personal fears and weaknesses to change.

They have courage to step out and do something they had not done before. They could have been stuck on how things were before and only lamenting. Because of their courage, they found themselves participating with God making the church matter and impactful.

The enemy hopes that scattering will make us discouraged and keep us from stepping into new areas of service and greater displays of God’s power. God wants us to go to another level so we can matter more and the city can rejoice.

Recently, one young man I know pressed past the enemy’s discouragement and courageously acted. When he did, he went to a whole new level, he didn’t digress, he progressed.

Daniel’s story

When the enemy scatters, God is at work so that the church matters. We must participate with God by being courageous.

COMBAT

We participate in Community, with Courage, and through Combat.

6 The crowds were eager to receive Philip’s message and were persuaded by the many miracles and wonders he performed. 7 Many demon-possessed people were set free and delivered as evil spirits came out of them with loud screams and shrieks, and many who were lame and paralyzed were also healed.

Sometimes in a moment of disruption or crisis, we can forget what or who we should be really combating and fighting against. We are fighting the people to grab the last toilet tissue. We are fighting over whether or not we should wear a mask, let kids go to school, our political affiliations, how our church is compared to the other churches we see online.

Listen if we fight the wrong things then we are distracted and satan and his evil spirits can continue to keep people in bondage and brokenness. Paul wrote to the Ephesians 6:12 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Seeing God move in disruptions:

From scattering to mattering

We need to combat the enemy by letting the word of God cut every chain and deception, despair, and discouragement for which he tries to make us passive. Sometimes, The News, Shows, Social Media are all contributors to the enemy’s rhetoric.

We need to push back the spirit of division, fear, and despair through persistent prayer. Get the scriptures and start praying and declaring them out of your mouth.

We combat the enemy by being generous with our money and our serving city, neighborhood, school mates. (House of Mercy) 40-90 families a week.

We also do combat with the real enemy by sharing the message that Phillip proclaimed which is the gospel: (Rice brooks version) Salvation -sin, sickness, Satan, death, value people inferiority

(Livestream going into closed nations & young lady feeling the presence of God come into her room when I prayed driving out the depression) When the enemy scatters, God is at work so that the church matters.

It’s the church that perceives that God is at work during moments of disruption, and who participates with God by being in community, having courage, and combating the true enemy and this brings joy to a city. This where God is leading you to the second city church.

Seeing God move in disruptions: From scattering to mattering

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher. Guest Pastor Reggie 2020