Acts Pt. 11 | Sermon Notes
Acts Pt. 12
Pastor Chris Pletcher
January 26, 2025
Acts 5:33-42 // When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. 34 But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. 35 And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. 36 For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. 38 So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice, 40 and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. 42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.
Acts 6:1-7 // Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
“You will not be able to overthrow them.”
“They did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.”
“The disciples were increasing in number”
“The word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem”
Overthrow = καταλύω (katalyō) = To destroy, demolish, deprive of success (cause to fail), to disintegrate, to dissolve, to throw down
Matthew 24:1-2 // Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
Jesus was tearing down the empty religion of the Pharisees…
And what He was building to replace it, the church, would not ever be destroyed
History testifies to this truth. For over 2000 years, across every single continent, in the face of unthinkable persecution and opposition, the TEACHING AND PREACHING of Jesus continues to FLOURISH. Those added to His family, the church, continues to increase.
“God is dead!” “It’s the end of religion.” “America is now a post-Christian nation.” “Shut down the church, it’s unloving and illegal to gather during a pandemic!” “Deconstruct religion and be your own God.” NONE OF IT CAN STOP HIS CHURCH!
Do you see the UNSTOPPABLE nature of God’s WORD?
Recent news:
Joe Rogan hosted Bible Scholar Wes Huff on his podcast 2 weeks ago and it has 5.4M views on YouTube as of this past week, not to mention the millions of shares on social media platforms
Did you notice all the college football players who were BOLDLY giving glory to Jesus over the past few weeks? Something is happening on campus…
Did you watch the Presidential Inauguration last Monday???
Context: “in these days when the disciples were increasing in number”
This Spirit-filled community is going all in for the Gospel of Jesus. Selling their possessions, meeting each other’s needs, and considering nothing as their own. But as they distributed the goods of the community to those who had need, some injustice and prejudice began to arise. There was a social and ethnic strain between the Hebrews and the Hellenists, and sadly, it had crept into the church community. A few things to notice here…
“It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.”
The PRIMARY job of apostolic leadership is the Ministry of the Word and Prayer.
1 Timothy 5:17-18 // Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”
Why the emphasis here on preaching and teaching the Word?
1 Tim. 1:1:3-5
1 Tim. 4:1-2
1 Tim. 4:6-7
1 Tim. 6:2-5
1 Tim. 3:14-15
At the Apostles direction, the people chose 7 men “of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom” to oversee the distribution of resources and care for the practical and spiritual needs of the GROWING COMMUNITY.
PREPARE FOR HARVEST
If we began to experience an Acts-type move of the Spirit in our city, where the word of the Lord increases in a way that people are added to our churches DAILY, would we be in a position to serve, shepherd and disciple them well?
How can I personally prepare to participate in this season? How can I grow so that I become an effective player on this team?
4 Opportunities to Prepare //
Prepare to Serve
I am asking for 100% involvement in serving somewhere. Being a spectator is unbiblical. And so is being a consumer without contributing… the ONLY exception to this is if you are a brand new baby Christian.
Where can I serve?
Hospitality/Welcome/Greeting Team - Abby & Oscar
Audio/Visual/Creative Team - Matt Morley (but we are actually looking for someone to Lead this team and take it off his plate)
Prepare to Give
Throughout history, tithing 10% of your income to the Lord’s house was a clear command and a simple act of OBEDIENCE. Everything was seen as a GIFT from the Lord, and the way His people honored Him was by bringing the firstfruits of their harvest into His house.
Malachi 3:7-12 // From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ 8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. 12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.
With this new heart, we are now empowered to joyfully give it all… 100%. Like Him.
Do you see the early believers selling EVERYTHING? Do you remember Jesus’ conversation with the rich young ruler whose God was his money? “GIVE IT ALL AWAY,” Jesus said. Get free from that trap and follow me.
10% is an Old Covenant minimum. As your pastor and spiritual father, I want to challenge us as a church family. 100% of our congregation, without exception, contributing 10% as a starting point.
It’s an issue of obedience, and it’s an issue of idolatry and surrender, because YOU CANNOT SERVE GOD AND MONEY. If you aren’t willing to honor the Lord with 10% of the 100% that He gave you, then your money is your true God and not Him… which means you will continue to put your career, your day job, and your finances over obeying and serving HIM.
Prepare to Shepherd
If you have a heart for hospitality and shepherding, I want you to sign up for a “New Lifegroup Leader” training that Arlina and I are going to host next month in our home.
This is not a guarantee that you will become a LG leader, this is simply a desire to enter a process of being prepared.
Prepare to Make Disciples
“Go and make disciples…” // I mentioned the “newborn Christian” earlier. Becoming born again is the most beautiful miracle that can happen in life. But if a newborn baby was not welcomed in a family where it could be provided for and nourished to maturity, then it becomes a nightmare. Simply put, we need to be ready to welcome and disciple new believers along the journey to spiritual growth and maturity. THIS IS THE FAMILY BUSINESS.
We are in the process of providing 2-3 simple tools that will help each of us become disciple makers. Connor is driving this process for our church family, and we are stoked. More on this next week…
Response Slide //
What did the Lord highlight to you today?
How can you partner with Him through obedience?
Is there anyone that you need to share with this week?