16/01/2024
From my sermon on the 14th January 2024 - "From endings to beginnings" https://youtu.be/JzHcs7TgeRY
"2. Trust
When we allow ourselves to grieve it allows us to open ourselves to trust. This is the second insight, trust. The early church in Acts was a community that was tight knit, like the one we are developing here at Lifegate. They were devoted, supportive, and ready to go the extra mile for each other and for Christ. But then, something drastic happened – persecution and death hit, and everything changed. Imagine a group, like ours, facing uncertainty, loss, and the scattering of it’s members.
Acts 8:1: And SAUL approved of his ex*****on. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, EXCEPT THE APOSTLES.
What caught my attention in this verse was the reaction of the apostles, the leaders of this community. While everyone else was forced to scatter, they stood their ground, ready to defend the faith and carry the torch. Amid the chaos, deaths, and uncertainty, they chose to remain. It makes you think. In the face of a major life transition, what would you do? Would you retreat, or would you trust that God has got a plan in place?
In the previous chapter Acts 7:58, we first encounter a man named Saul, a fierce opponent of the early Christian movement. His mission was to suppress the rapidly spreading influence of Christianity.
But in Acts 8:3 we discover: But SAUL was RAVAGING THE CHURCH, and entering house after house, he DRAGGED OFF MEN AND WOMEN and COMMITTED them to PRISON.
Here you have Saul who after given authority and power, was actively involved in persecuting Christians, entering their homes, and dragging both men and women off to prison. It seemed like a time of great opposition and challenge for the early church. Now, here is where the story takes an unexpected turn.
Saul, during his zealous opposition, has a life-altering encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus in Acts 9. Saul, the persecutor, became Paul, the passionate preacher. With this new life transition, Paul travelled extensively, writing numerous letters (which make up almost half of the New Testament), and teaching others about what it means to be a Christian.
It's in those moments of uncertainty that God has a bigger picture in mind, a mission for us all. When we face transitions in life – we need to trust that God has a bigger purpose that can lead to unexpected opportunities. The early church didn't run away from their relationship with God; they were unfortunately forced to relocate, little did they know though, they were to become a vital role, to a mission beyond what they could have imagined.
Now that we've talked about why it's important to trust, let's move on to the next insight – Perspective. We're going to see how perspective is looking at things from a different angle and can totally change the game in dealing with life's ups and downs."
