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[Music] welcome to everyone it's good to be in the house of our dot on this Lord's Day just a reminder there's no Bible study this Wednesday evening we will recommence the first Wednesday in September and then as well I'll be taking two weeks off starting tonight after the evening service I'll be taking two weeks of holidays if you have any needs for prayer or any concerns you can contact one of the Deacons deacons Steve Lawson will be preaching next Sunday and then pastor Kirkpatrick will preach the following Sunday so just wanted to let you know that and with our call to worship now you can turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm 111 Psalm 111 as we begin the worship of our triune God Psalm 111 beginning in verse 1 praise the Lord I will praise the Lord with my whole heart in the Assembly of the upright and in the congregation the works of the Lord are great studied by all who have pleasure in them his work is honorable and glorious and his righteousness endures forever he has made his wonderful works to be remembered the Lord is gracious and full of compassion he has given food to those who fear Him he will ever be mindful of his covenant he has declared to his people the power of his works in giving them the heritage of the nation's the works of his hands are Verity and justice all his precepts are sure they stand fast for ever and ever and are done in truth and uprightness he has sent Redemption to his people he has commanded his covenant forever holy and awesome is his name the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom a good understanding have all those who do His commandments his praise endures forever amen will please turn in your hem books to Psalm 24 will use saw 24 B as in Bravo when you find that we can stand together and sing praises to our God Psalm 24 B [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] for our time of prayer this morning we ought to praise God for the healthy birth of Liam van Marin we can remember to pray for Dawn Neufeld our brother and then with reference to Mayan Mar the Hamiltons have asked for prayer there's quite a lot of flooding going on in the Kachin state where the orphans are housed and located so they asked for prayer for relief there and then for their contact Peters so we'll remember those things as we go to the throne of grace so let us pray our God and our Father it's a joy and privilege to gather in the name of the Lord Most High we acknowledge that you are from everlasting to everlasting that you are a great God a God worthy to be praised and glorified and exalted the God who made the world the God who governs it and his Providence and the God who has redeemed his elect through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ how we praise you for the work of the Savior on behalf of sinners how we thank you for his life of obedience for his death at Calvary for his resurrection the third day we thank you for that current session where he now sits enthroned at the right hand of the majesty of God on high where he ever lives to make intercession for us and where he functions as our advocate with the father even Jesus Christ the righteous may these things encourage our hearts and may they promote in us worship and praise and adoration given to our great God even Father Son and Holy Spirit we would pray the Ministry of the Holy Spirit would be active in this place that he would take the truth of God's Word and apply it to each and every one of our hearts that he would indeed enable us to come with fear and trembling and with great joy and gratitude to the throne of grace our Father we pray that you would bless and encourage this assembly that you would strengthen us with might and the inner man and that we would respond in a manner that is consistent with what the Word of God says we are to engage in accept worship with with godly fear and with reverence before you and we know it's not us who defines acceptable worship it's your word it's what you have revealed to us so father help us to pray the word help us to sing the word help us to preach and read the word and hear the word and God may in all of this you be glorified and honored we ask that you would forgive us for our sins and our transgressions as we come into the midst of a holy God we ponder the the reality of the Prophet who said that your eye is too pure to behold or to look upon approvingly of any evil and God we see our own hearts and we see our own waywardness and our own proneness to wander and that prone is to leave the God we love do forgive us for our transgressions against you forgive us for our lack of conformity to that blessed law forgive us and cleanse us in that precious fount of the Lord Jesus Christ blood how we praise you that we have redemption through that blood and we have acceptance with the father through the work of the mediator and we pray that these things would encourage us not to continue in sin but to resist sin and to guard our hearts and minds and to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and to make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts may that gospel a free and sovereign grace be the best help in our lives to promote righteousness and holiness and obedience unto our God but in light of that we do pray again for forgiveness and for cleansing and that precious blood of Jesus and for those who've come here this morning that are dead in their trespasses and sins it won't be moral persuasion it won't be gimmicks it won't be manipulation that can open their eyes and hearts to the truth of the gospel but we rest upon the the sovereignty of God Almighty that God who is able to make men willing in the day of his power we pray that you would exercise that in our myths today that you'd open eyes and hearts and cause sinners to see not only themselves before a holy God but to see that one who is altogether lovely in chief among ten thousand that one the Lord Christ who is able to save to the uttermost all who draw near to God through him father set Christ before us today in his blue in his majesty in his offices as prophet priest and king and may we all just see how glorious and wondrous he is we asked this morning that you would be glorified in the lives of the Van meirin's we thank you for this healthy birth of this little baby boy we just commit him to you into the word of your grace praying that not only he as he has been born physically we pray one day he'd be born again that he would confess faith in the Lord Christ and know that that joy of being found in Jesus we pray that for all of our young people and our children we pray God in heaven that they by grace would remember their Creator in their youth and would know the joy of the Lord as their strength we pray for our brother dawn we know he's got these ongoing problems associated with MS and we just ask that you would be merciful to him that you would watch over him that you would grant him spiritual delights and the things of God even on the Sabbath day and Lord we do pray that he'd gain relief from some of these afflictions and maladies and we pray for the nation of Myanmar we know father in heaven there is that flooding in that particular state and it affects so many orphans and so many of these little ones we pray God in heaven that you would be merciful we pray that you would bless that man Peter and the Hamiltons as they work together hopefully for the good of these these situations and we pray that they would know the nearness of God as their as their good and as their help and we do pray that these floods would dissipate we do pray that these children would get to the care that they need and one day they would confess faith in the Lord Christ and God we pray all over the earth as the gospel goes forth on this Lord's Day that it would run swiftly and be glorified we know that the nations of the earth are steeped in darkness we see that in our own nation and we don't trust and the political powers that prevail we don't trust in and horses or chariots to use the language of of David but we trust in the strong arm of God most high we pray that you'd send forth your glorious truth conquering and to conquer and we pray that you would cause your face to shine upon the nations that you would let the nation's be glad that they would learn the way of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and that a multitude of every tribe and tongue and people and nation would be called out of darkness into marvelous light God please bless your word as it is proclaimed here as its proclaimed in this community as its proclaimed throughout this nation and to the uttermost parts of the earth we know father that that word is powerful that as James says if your own will by the word of truth you brought us forth and so we pray for gospel preaching to take place for the glory of God and for the good of sinners and please be merciful to those suffering for the cause of God and truth our hearts are moved to compassion and penny over those who suffer under various regimes that are opposed to the Lord Christ we do ask God that you would undertake on behalf of your people in these lands that they would be strengthened with might that they would persevere that they would not shrink back from declaring the truth as it is in Jesus Christ and we pray that this gospel would prevail in those nations steep and false religion we think specifically of those lands that are that are filled with this law we pray that that men and women and boys and girls and those nations would be turned from their useless idols to the true and living God and our Father we pray that you'd have mercy upon the civil government and this nation we ask God in heaven that you would put the fear of the Lord in the hearts of those in high places we pray for a day and age where the sins of abortion and euthanasia and the various sorts of sexual perversion will no longer be openly encouraged and oftentimes subsidized we pray to you God in heaven that in your wrath you would remember mercy and again we see the answer in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ as Paul said I'm not ashamed of it for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes to the Jew first and also to the Greek because in that gospel the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith so bless the word and be merciful today and we ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well you could turn with me again in your hem books to 543 hymn number 543 we'll stand as we sing together [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] we could turn with me in your Bibles to Acts chapter 2 for our scripture reading this morning Acts chapter 2 last week we saw that the Holy Spirit came powerfully upon the people of God in Jerusalem and they began to speak in other tongues it wasn't gibberish it wasn't mindless Ness but rather they and those other tongues communicated the wonderful works of God to those who had assembled on that feast day in Jerusalem and there were certainly those who were amazed and perplexed others however said they are full of new wine so Peter standing up in the midst of the people there tells them they're not filled with new wine this is according to what was spoken by the Prophet Joel and he quotes from Joel - or we read in Joel acts 2 16 to 21 a quotation from Joel - speaking about the messianic reign of our Lord Jesus Christ and in verse 21 it ends this way and it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved now Peter goes on to preach a sermon to emphasize who the Lord is that men need to call on in order to be saved and that Lord is Jesus Christ beginning in verse 22 he says men of Israel hear these words Jesus of Nazareth a man attested by God to you by miracles wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst as you yourselves also know him being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God you have taken by lawless hands have crucified and put to death whom God raised up having loosed the pains of death because it was not possible that he should be held by it for David says concerning him I foresaw the Lord always before my face for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue was glad moreover my flesh also will rest in hope for you will not leave my soul in Hades nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption you've made known to me the ways of life you will make me full of joy in your presence men and brethren let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David that he is both dead and buried and his tomb is with us to this day therefore being a prophet and knowing that God has sworn had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body according to the flesh he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne he foreseeing this spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ that his soul was not left in Hades nor did his flesh see corruption this Jesus God has raised up of which we are all witnesses therefore being exalted to the right hand of God and having received from the father the promise of the Holy Spirit he poured out this which you now see and hear for David did not ascend into the heavens but he says himself the Lord said to my lord sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ now when they heard this they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the Apostles men and brethren what shall we do then Peter said to them repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit for the promise as to you and to your children and to all who are afar off as many as the Lord our God will call with many other words he testified and exhorted them saying be saved from this perverse generation then those who gladly received his word were baptized and that day about three thousand souls were added to them and they continued steadfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship in the breaking of bread and in prayers then fear came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles now all who believed were together and had all things in common and sold their possessions and goods and divided them among all as anyone had need so continuing daily with one Accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart praising God and having favor with all the people and the Lord added to the church daily those who are being saved amen well we see the emphasis in Peter Sirmon is on the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ he highlights the true humanity of Jesus in verse 22 he then highlights the death of Christ in verse 23 and that death was ultimately according to the predetermined plan of God that language may trouble some people but for those of us who understand it and those who by the spirit embrace it rejoice in it it was the father's purpose to bruise him not because the father had an axe to grind per se with the Sun but because the son stood in our place the son took the penalty that was due for us the son went to the cross on our behalf God made Christ who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him it truly is an amazing gospel it truly is good news but the death of Christ is not the end of the story he's raised from the dead by the power of the father and you see this contrast the unbelieving Jews crucify Jesus the father raises him from the dead he then cite Psalm 16 and says this isn't about David David is writing about David's son David is writing about the Lord Jesus Christ he applies Psalm 16 to Christ to highlight the resurrection of the son and then he moves on to the triumphant exaltation of Christ and he highlights that in verse 33 therefore being exalted to the right hand of God and having received from the father the promise of the Holy Spirit he Christ poured out this which you now see in here it's really an amazing presentation of who Christ is and it is an amazing presentation of what Christ has done but Peter doesn't just simply leave it there as information okay now go ahead and do with this whatever it is that you want to do notice that he applies this verse 36 therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that Christ God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ in other words he doesn't let them forget their sin he highlights the reality that they were the ones that crucified Jesus Christ he is addressing Jerusalem sinners the murderers of Jesus and then we see how the spirit uses this to bring or produce conviction in their hearts they cry out according to verse 37 men and brethren what shall we do later on when it comes to Acts chapter 7 remember there there there gnashing their teeth and there they're upset with Stephen speech and Stephens message and instead of being convicted and cut to the heart in a good way they rush upon Stephen and murder him but here under the power of the Holy Spirit they ask the right question men and brethren what shall we do now some sense it's not the best question it's not doing that gets us into heaven and that's why Peter points them to Jesus repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit glorious gospel of free and sovereign grace those who by grace look unto Jesus Christ in faith receive all the benefits he wrought in his life of obedience his death on the cross and his resurrection the third day if you have not believed listen to Peter repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins if you ask anybody here that's a believer I suspect that one of the things they'll say is that the best part about being saved is being forgiven not so that we can continue in sin but the reality is is that God has forgiven us of our sins and has accepted us in the beloved well let us pray our Father we thank you for your word and we thank you for this sermon of Peter and for the way it emphasizes who Jesus Christ is I pray that we would not forget these things but they would be near and dear to our hearts not just on Sunday but each and every day may we live in light of who Christ is and what he has accomplished on our behalf and we pray in Jesus name Amen well for our final him before the preaching you can turn to psalm 119 are at psalm 119 romeo when you find that you can stand and we'll sing together [Music] [Music] [Music] we could turn in your Bibles to Acts chapter 9 as we finish the consideration of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus Acts chapter 9 verses 1 to 30 record that wonderful event in the history of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ not that God needed Saul of Tarsus but God certainly prepared at Saul of Tarsus and used him mightily to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to plant churches and of course to write much of the New Testament under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit I want to pick up reading in Acts chapter 9 at verse 10 this is after Jesus meets Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus verse 10 we read now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias and to him the Lord said in a vision Ananias and he said Here I am Lord so the Lord said to him arise and go to the street called straight and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus for behold he is praying and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him so that he might receive his sight then Ananias answered lord I have heard from many about this man how much harm he has done to your Saints in Jerusalem and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name but the Lord said to him go for he is a chosen vessel of mine to bear my name before Gentiles kings and the children of Israel for I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name's sake and Ananias went his way and entered the house and laying his hands on him he said brother Saul the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road as you came has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales and he received a sight at once and he arose and was baptized so when he had received food he was strengthened then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus immediately preached the Christ in the synagogue's that he is the son of God then all who heard were amazed and said is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem and come here for that purpose so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests but Saul increased all the more and strengthened confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus proving that this Jesus is the Christ now after many days were passed the Jews plotted to kill him but their plot became known to Saul and they watch the gates day and night to kill him then the disciples took him by night and led him down through the wall in a large basket and when Saul had come to Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples but they were all afraid of him and did not believe that he was a disciple but Barnabas took him and brought him to the Apostles and he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road and that he had spoken to him and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus so he was with them at Jerusalem coming in and going out and he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Helenus but they attempted to kill him when the Brethren found out they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to dark Tarsus then the churches throughout all Judea Galilee and Samaria had peace and were edified and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit they were multiplied amen let us pray father thank you for the written word of the living and true God thank you for this book of the Acts of the Apostles where we see Christ operating Christ working from the right hand of the Father - to make disciples and to plant churches through his apostles we give you thanks and praise for the missionary enterprise and for local churches and for the reality that that you have established such for the the propagation of the Christian faith message and we pray God in heaven that you'd bless our hearts again as we study this passage of Scripture so we consider the conversion of Saul of Tarsus as we see how you used him so powerfully in the gospel ministry fill us with the Spirit forgive us for our sins and we pray these things through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well what we're dealing with in verses 26 to 30 primarily is Paul's first post conversion visit to Jerusalem now probably prior to his conversion well we know that he had gone to Jerusalem we know that he was active and in persecuting the people of God but this his first visit to Jerusalem after having been saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ I kind of want to just sketch the the chronology as to what is happening remember that according to Galatians 1:17 not long after he was converted he went to Arabia and he spent three three years there so when we look at verses 20 to 22 I take this as a first visit to Damascus he immediately goes he immediately preaches the gospel and then he goes to Arabia and he's there for three years after that time in Arabia he comes back so if you look at acts 9 between verses 22 and 23 there's a three-year period he comes back to Damascus and there he ministers and we see that the unbelieving Jews plot to terminate him they want to execute him they want to kill him so he escapes the city remember he's lowered down in this basket outside the city wall and so then he spends after the three years he goes to Damascus and then from that point he goes to Jerusalem so he's been converted for about three years now this is the first visit to Jerusalem after he had in fact been converted and he spends just 15 days there so verses 26 to 30 according to Galatians chapter 1 he just spent 15 days there and he met with Peter primarily and James the half-brother of our Lord Jesus Christ so that's sort of the chronology that's what's happening in verses 26 to 30 first post conversion visit of Saul of Tarsus to Jerusalem let's look first of all at his attempt to join the disciples and then secondly the ministry of Saul in Jerusalem in verses 28 to 30 and then we'll look at finally that summary statement in verse 31 concerning all the Churches of Christ in the region at that particular time notice his attempt to join the disciples according to verses 26 and 27 says when Saul had come to Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples so good and legitimate thing the people of God were never intended to go it alone there is no such thing as maverick Christianity in the Bible you'll find people like that at times I said well I don't need the church I don't need men street I don't need preaching I've got me in the Bible well that's a pretty dangerous place to be because your Bible tells you that you need the people of God even in the imperfection and perfection of the people of God even in the imperfection of churches there is safety and God has ordained the Church of Christ and the people of God as a means for the people of God to grow and to help others grow so he has this desire to join the disciples it is a good desire one he's already expressed in Damascus in that initial phase of ministry when he goes to Damascus it says according to verse 19 he spent some days with the disciples at Damascus here in verse 26 he tries to do the same when Saul had come to Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples the new convert wants the people of God the new convert wants to be surrounded with like-minded brethren the new convert wants to be where his faith is appreciated where it's encouraged and where it is exhorted to grow John Gill says Grace had made a strange alteration in saw those whom he hated and was exceeding mad against he now loves they are the excellent ones in the earth in who is all his delight and whom he persecuted two strange cities he now courts their company and attempts to get among them see he had initially wanted to bind them men and women and he wanted to drag them off to prison he had initially gotten his marching orders to go to Damascus for that very purpose but now as a man saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ he wants to spend days in time with the disciples in Damascus when he comes to Jerusalem on this first visit after he's been converted he goes to the disciples he goes to the church he goes to the people of God one of the marks of the grace of God in the hearts of God's people is that very thing we know that we have passed from death to life according to John the Apostle if we love the Brethren if there's no love of the Brethren it's suspected whether or not there's any justifying grace in our hearts again that doesn't mean we're all everybody's best friends but we love the people of God like likes to be around like we like to be around people that are most like us and those who share our orientation in terms of God and in terms of this world around us so for Saul of Tarsus he goes there and he said or he wants to join himself with the disciples now note the reaction of the disciples in verse 26 be but they were all afraid of him and did not believe that it was a disciple and that's the same thing Ananias said isn't it when Jesus comes to him and says I want you to go to that how a street called straight I want you to the house of Judas I want you to find this Saul of Tarsus for behold he is praying and I want you to lay your hands on him so that he can receive His sight and so that he can be useful to me in the ministry what does Ananias say said that I've heard about this man I've heard about how much harm he's done I've heard about the sorts of ways that he has attacked and persecuted the people of God same thing happens in Damascus when Paul or Saul immediately preaches Jesus Christ the people in the church and the synagogues in Damascus are saying isn't this the one that came here to kill us isn't this the one that came here with with extradition papers to take us from this place back to Jerusalem so we could be further punished it was a mind-blowing thing and some might ask the question well it's been three years now wouldn't they know that his conversion was legit no they wouldn't necessarily know that they didn't have email didn't have facebook they didn't trace and track everybody's jot and tiddle every single day of the week I mean do you realize we know more about what's happening on the other side of the world than persons in Paul's time knew what was happening in the very next city they wouldn't know about a flood in Mayan Mar they wouldn't know about a man named Peter in Mayan Mar they just wouldn't have that readily available information but they may have have suspected that saul of tarsus was an agent provocateur maybe he's faking it maybe he wants to come in among us and not only bring extradition papers but he might want to come in among us and pretend to be one of us so he can ruin our lives isn't that what happened to one of the families that we've been praying for in the Far East for many many many years it wasn't the feds that initially got him it was somebody within it was within the ranks that reported him to the feds and they are the ones that then came and captured him see we've got threats from outside but oftentimes there's threats from the inside and we need to be very careful so on the one hand they're concerned there aren't that they're concerned that he's going to come in and do more damage to them and it says that they didn't believe he was a disciple they didn't think that was possible they didn't think that was the case and I think from that we learned two things in the first place never underestimate the grace of God never underestimate the grace of God the biggest foe out there the biggest enemy out there can fall in subjection to the Lord Jesus Christ well isn't this exactly and precisely the problem at the time of Saul not this SOB Saul of the Old Testament when Goliath was out in the field of Al are the the the valley of Eila what was Saul and all Israel doing they were afraid they were cowering they were they were hiding they thought there's no way we can best this Philistine giant and then this young shepherd boy comes along and says who is this uncircumcised Philistine taunting the armies of the Living God he knew and believed and trusted that through God's grace the lieth could fall so what we find in this instance is that on the one hand I'm not picking on them I'm just saying we ought to learn from this never underestimate the grace of God but as well I think we learned something about church membership you're not supposed to be in the church in terms of a disciple of Christ in terms of a member in the church unless you've been born again unless you're a disciple unless you believe the gospel it's not a social club it's not the Elks Lodge it's not the Lions it's the Church of the Lord Jesus and the way of access into the Church of the Lord Jesus is by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone that's the emphasis and these persons are right when they want to make sure that Saul of Tarsus is in fact the real deal now with reference to this attempt to join the disciples the response or reaction of the disciples notice Ministry of Barnabas in verse 27 says but Barnabas took him and brought him to the Apostles I would suggest in the first place he was blessed by God to have a Barnabas in his life he was blessed by God to have a Barnabas in his life a later argued I guess I can now that God doesn't just use saul of tarsus he uses barnabas he doesn't just use the Apostle Paul he used Ananias he doesn't just use the preacher missionary he uses everybody and Barnabas was key and fundamental to him facilitating the usefulness of the Apostle Paul in gospel ministry so all these people are afraid all these people are curious all these people are wondering is he is he the real deal is he legit so what does Barnabas do Barnabas says to Saul come on I want to introduce you to the Apostles those men will be able to scrutinize those men will be able to examine those men will be able to render verdict as to whether or not you're truly one of us it's a beautiful thing isn't it the Ministry of the church see God doesn't just snap as cosmic fingers and make everything happen he uses means and in this book he shows that Christ is at the right hand of the Father Christ is pouring out the Spirit Christ is building his church and Christ is using the means in order to accomplish this the means of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus the means of Ananias to bring them together the means of a Barnabas in order to facilitate his reception in the life and context of the church that is precisely what Barnabas does he was brought to the Apostles by Barnabas likely all 12 of the Apostles when Paul says in Galatians 1 that in this particular meeting this 15 day meeting he spoke only to Peter and James that could only mean that it was private it was more in-depth it was more sort of below the surface what Barnabas is doing in terms of bringing him to the Apostles is to make sure that he is in fact not an agent provocateur that he's not there to do harm to them and that he is in fact a true disciple of the Lord Christ now Barnabas is a very interesting man a very interesting fellow in the book of Acts we first meet him in action after four he's a wealthy fellow and he sells property and he you know gives the money to the Apostles so that they can distribute it to the poor we will meet with Barnabas again when we meet with Saul again at the end of verse 30 we're not going to see Paul the Apostle again until Acts chapter 11 and in Acts chapter 11 Barnabas goes to Tarsus to find Saul specifically and then they go and minister in Antioch as well Barnabas accompanies Paul the Apostle on the first missionary journey Barnabas accompanies Paul the Apostle well even before that on the second visit to Jerusalem that they make it's what's called the famine relief visit so Barnabas goes with Paul then he goes with him on the first missionary journey he goes with him to the Jerusalem Council and then toward the end of Acts chapter 15 we see a breach between Barnabas and Paul now some get you know really worked over on this I don't good man at times disagree it happens it's not something we should lose it over now it's not the best possible thing and I don't think it was permanent because Paul refers to Barnabas later in his epistles and not as that dirty rotten scoundrel he doesn't do that there are times in the history of the church where good men may disagree and part ways for a time now again there's probably sin you know that some say well it was sent on Barnabas I'd say no no it's always probably sin on everybody side I think that's an easy assumption to make but there might be strategic reasons as well involved so that two teams can bus go out but Barnabas at this particular time in the life and ministry of Saul of Tarsus is crucial Barnabas took him verse 27 and brought him to the Apostles and he this is Barnabas declaring to them the Apostles how he saw had seen the Lord on the road he rehearses what we find in the first part of Acts chapter 9 he tells the Apostles that this saul of tarsus persecutor of the church was going to Damascus armed with letters of extradition so he could continue to persecute the church but on that road he saw Jesus then it doesn't stop the he says on that roadie he heard Jesus Jesus spoke to him Guinea satisfying the requirements for what will ultimately be Paul's inclusion among the apostolic ministry you had to have seen the resurrected Lord so he her or he saw Jesus on that road to Damascus he heard Jesus on that road to Damascus but then he goes on to say he also preached Jesus so the way that Saul the way that Barnabas facilitates Saul of Tarsus is acceptance among the Apostles is not by saying he's a great guy no I don't doubt that Paul was a great guy he doesn't say it by appealing to their emotions look at this pitiful creature we should allow him entrance into no he talks about his miraculous conversion and his ministerial fidelity apostles this man is the real deal he saw Jesus he heard from Jesus and then he immediately preached Jesus that's the emphasis of Barnabas to the Apostles in verse 27 he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road and that he had spoken to him and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus I love this emphasis again verse 27 Saul of Tarsus preached boldly notice what it says in verse 29 when he starts to preach there in Jerusalem he spoke boldly now when it comes to preaching I'm not saying every preacher needs to scream yell rant and rave but there needs to be a boldness about the proclamation of God's truth there needs to be something about which God said to the prophet Isaiah cry aloud spare not lift up your voice like a trumpet sinners are sleeping sinners are dead and the only thing that's going to wake them is that voice of the Lord that is mighty to break the Cedars of Lebanon people today don't need chatty preachers they don't need anecdotes they don't need to hear about the minister and his life they don't need to hear half the stories that men tell and Paul pets they need to hear that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God and they need to hear that bold way this word this idea comes up over and over again in the book of Acts and then elsewhere in pulse Paul's letters look at Acts chapter 13 Acts chapter 13 verse 46 then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said it was necessary that the Word of God should be spoken to you first but since you reject it and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life behold we turn to the Gentiles again we're not talking about yelling at people or berating people are screaming at people or hurting people are hitting people but there's a boldness that the gospel is a power or that the ministers must have in presenting the gospel as well notice in Acts chapter 14 acts 14 will pick up at verse 1 because I think the connection is beautiful now it happened and Iconium that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews and so spoke that a great multitude both of the Jews and of the Greeks believe it almost sounds like it was due to their speaking doesn't it it almost sounds like they so spoke as a result of their so speaking that a great multitude believed now that Sandra sandwiched between two passages that highlight the absolute sovereignty of God in the salvation of sinners look at 1348 1348 now when the gentiles heard this they were glad and glorified the word of the lord and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believe that's the sovereignty of god isn't it as many as have been appointed to eternal life believed not that you believe and therefore you've been appointed unto eternal life you're appointed by God in the eternal decree and as a result of that you believe the gospel that's absolutely comprehensive sovereignty and then in 16 when Paul the Apostle is in the the city of Phillip I notice in I'm sorry act 16 at verse 14 now a certain woman named Lydia heard us she was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira who worship God the Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul so in 1348 16 you've got these statements concerning the absolute sovereignty of God and yet in 14 you see they so spoke that a great multitude believed well which is it is it God's sovereignty or is it the eloquence of the apostle it's God's sovereignty using the eloquence of the Apostles it's God's sovereignty blessing a particular type of preaching not a hands in the pocket latte-sipping chat but the bold declaration and proclamation of Christ and him crucified and resurrected see God has purpose not only the ends but the means by which we get there and as we survey this book of Acts we'll see that it's not chatty preaching but it's bold preaching it's declarative preaching it is sound faithful preaching that God blesses turn over to 1826 1826 just to get the flavor of this word and to see the emphasis in this particular book this is the ministry of Apollo's verse 26 so he began to speak boldly in the synagogue when Aquila and Priscilla heard him they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately he spoke boldly that that's what God's blessing in this book of Acts notice in nineteen eight nineteen eight is intriguing as well for a variety of reasons look at the text verse eight and he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God we mentioned that last week true preaching is argumentative in the best sense not I told you it's rational it's it's taking the text of Scripture it's it's just executing it it's it's expounding it it's a applying it it's showing how the Old Testament is fulfilled by our Lord Jesus Christ three reasons he persuades he he doesn't appeal to their feelings he doesn't appeal to mysticism he doesn't appeal to to an existential moment rather he goes to scripture and he preaches that they no notice what happens with reference to this bold bolt speaking verse nine but when some were hardened and did not believe but spoke evil of the way Christianity before the multitude he Paul departed from them and withdrew withdrew the disciples reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus a brethren this was probably a lecture hall that was set up for philosophers and Paul plunked down his own money to rent it so he could preach the gospel of Jesus Christ that's what he saw as absolutely crucial and imperative in the known world at that particular time 26:26 and other emphasis on boldness and this before Festus and Agrippa verse 24 of Acts 26 now as he thus made his defence Festus said with a loud voice Paul you are beside yourself much learning is driving you mad things haven't changed much as it is in this what they tell us today as Christians you guys are nuts you guys are off your rocker you think God actually created the world in six days come on you you think that your life your salvation your hope is built on the blood of Jesus Christ you haven't entered into reality you're like the ostrich that buries its head in the sand you you think that if people don't see you then that or if you don't see them then they must not see you're just like that these are the same sorts of things that we hear today but the difference is is how Paul responds today we get a little fearful and afraid and say oh they hurt my feelings Paul according to verse 25 says I'm not mad most noble Festus but speak the words of truth and reason what's the implication you're mad Festus it ain't me there may be one mad man in this room but it's not me I speak the words of truth and reason and then notice in verse 26 for the King before whom I before whom I also here it is speak freely same idea boldly freely unction power from on high a demonstration of the Spirit and of power 1st Thessalonians 2 2 the Apostle highlights the same concept in the church with Thessalonica first first Thessalonians 2 2 but even after we had suffered before and were spitefully treated at Philippi as you know we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict and then go back to Ephesians 6 for just a moment because this is part of the point I want to make here when Saul of Tarsus started preaching immediately he preached Jesus Jesus is the Christ the Son of God he did so boldly didn't he so me it's an amazing and beautiful thing you see he never took it for granted that boldness would always be given to him he didn't rest upon his own abilities he didn't rest upon past Grace's he didn't rest upon sort of past performances and I don't mean you know take a bow and all that sort of thing I mean past times when he had proclaimed look at Paul's request for prayer in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 18 he says praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints and for me that utterance may be given to me that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in Chains that in it I may speak boldly as I ought to speak so he had a history of bold preaching he had a history of preaching freely he had a history of God's anointing upon the proclamation of the truth but he doesn't rest upon that he asks the people in Ephesus pray for me that I will have this pray for me that I'll be able to do this I wonder how many guys out there today that are not preaching boldly it's due because they're pria people never pray that God will give them the grace to do so you see brethren you are absolutely required to pray for the men who preach to you you pray that God will give them the ability to speak boldly these aren't native things Saul of Tarsus or the Apostle Paul when he's writing to the Corinthians he acknowledges he wasn't an orator that wasn't his job there was nothing in his history that prepared him for the sort of ministry that would that he would have so that God takes men out of the womb and gives them golden tongs and puts them in schools to learn rhetoric and logic and and gives them many it's not just that way at all in order to speak boldly we need grace in order to speak boldly we need courage in order to speak boldly we need the Holy Spirit or it ain't gonna happen and if I could imitate the Apostle Paul with reference to his request to the Ephesians pray for me especially in the private stuff sometimes well you know we got to fix this our minister maybe he's a a chicken and maybe you ought to pray that God gives him some courage God gives him some boldness God gives him some ability we want we want men to make you know bricks but we don't even supply them with the requisite materials we're like pharaoh back in the day go ahead Israel do this but we're not gonna pray for you we're not going to help you we're not going to provide any encouragement to you whatsoever you just shoulder it all and you just do it all brethren that's a surefire way to where man out pretty quickly a surefire way to exasperate men of God I'm not saying I'm there I thank God I believe brethren in this church pray for me I believe that with every fiber of my being why because I'm brilliant no because most often or more often than not they tell me they're praying for me that's a great encouragement how else could we do this without prayer how else could we do this without the Spirit how else could we ever come on a Sunday and call on men to believe the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ if we weren't dependent upon a sovereign God brethren we are not our minions we are not Pelagians we are absolutely indebted 100% of the time to the Spirit of the living and true God I make no apology for saying that whatsoever that is the reality of the situation Paul never took it for granted but he wanted prayer for this we saw this in acts 4 in Acts chapter 4 the apostolic prayer meeting in verse 27 for truly against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together to do whatever your hand and your purpose determined before to be done now Lord look on their threats and grant to your servants that with all boldness they may speak your words how do you think that's important oh I kind of think it goes like this if you don't look like you believe what you're preaching why would anybody ever take you seriously you know the most dangerous political candidates are it's the weirdos that actually believe what they're saying they're the ones we ought to be terrified of I mean others look at it as a means for money or as a means for control or as a means for power it's the zealot who actually believes what he's saying even though it's patently and demonstrably false he's got the persuasive ability he's got the power brethren when we have the truth we don't just sort of set it out there with a limp arrest we seek by the grace of God to screw the truth and men's conscience is because it's crucial absolutely imperative because if sinners don't believe this truth they go to hell forever if believers don't continue to be fed this truth they're gonna be discouraged forever so it is absolutely requisite that men today preach the Word of the Living God in a bold manner now let's look at the Ministry of saw here in Jerusalem and it's very similar to what happened in Damascus when he first visited there or or his most recent visit there notice he was with the church verse 28 obviously Barnabas prevailed with the Apostles and in verse 28 we read so he this is Saul was with them at Jerusalem coming in and going out daily affairs conduct coming in with them going out he's attached to that he's integrated with them they're no longer afraid of him he has free movement among the people of God in the Church of God he is one of them we might say that's what the language suggests there in verse 28 and then again he was preaching boldly verse 29 he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus speak boldly in the name of the Apostle Paul he didn't speak boldly in the name of you know whatever other system there might have been it was Christ for Paul everything's Christ isn't it it's very easy with reference to Paul Spurgeon said of John Bunyan that if you pricked him if you got him he'd bleed big bleed that's what made up his blood was Bible he was so filled with Bible you caught him and he bled Bible well for Paul it's Christ and I'm sure for Bunyan too it's not saying there's a difference there but but that's what Paul was about that was everything football when he first starts preaching what does he preach well I want to tell you about being a better you know immediately preaches that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God why is that because unless you believe that I am you will die in your sins John 8:24 so for the Apostle Paul when he preaches he preaches boldly and he does so in the name of the Lord Jesus I think Calvin's blahs here or comment is beautiful he says with reference to the name of the Lord I take the name of the Lord in this place for the profession of the gospel in this sense that Paul defended Christ's cause manfully it's a word we don't use enough manfully because of course we defend everybody how dare you it's got to be woman fully it's got to be people fully you get the point it means courage it means bravery the Apostle Paul tells the Corinthians act like men he doesn't mean to be feminized feminine women he means to to buck up to have some courage to to engage in the Christian faith manfully that's what Paul does when he's among them he's not the sort of guy that is milquetoast now notice what happens he disputed against the Helenus we met the Helenus back in Acts chapter 6 essentially a Helenus twas a Greek speaking Jew they were Jews outside of Judah they were very much imbibed with great culture they were very much imbibed obviously with the Greek language they were Jews but they had been Hellenized they had become in essence Greeks to a degree not not ethnically but in terms of culture and whatnot they obviously had a problem with Stephen according to Acts chapter 6 and here they have a problem with the Apostle Paul in Acts chapter 9 and we know that Paul bested them in the argument the same way that Stephen does remember when Stephen is disputing with these Helenus what do they resort to they don't resort to superior argumentation they don't resort to any sort of a of a rational or logical interchange or flow of ideas they don't say you know what Stephen you're right we should probably listen to you a little bit that's not what they do they stir everybody up to oppose Stephen and then they allege false things about Stephen and then they deliver them up to the Sanhedrin or the Religious Council and they're they formally charged him with blasphemy so they do the same thing with Saul in this very instance they don't best him with argumentation they don't have the Bible on their side they don't have rationality they don't have logic they don't have that ability so what do they resort to well killing what will kill him that's what it says notice this is the second attempt on Saul's life in the space of three years he already met with this in Damascus when they watched the Gates day at night to kill him that's the unbelieving Jews and here in verse 29 he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Helenus but they attempted to kill him now I would suggest that this response evidences that you have the weaker argument when your response is to kill the person you're arguing with you've lost you're not good you have failed you're the loser in that exchange this is never to be the response of anybody when they're bested in an argument if somebody is able to silence you don't run home and get your gun or a knife and finish them off that is never the Christian response that's not to be a human response we're supposed to not murder people I know it's wacky but we're really not supposed to end people's lives even if they disagree with us on matters of religion the advancement of religion with the power of the sword is not godly it's not biblical the people who have truth on their side do not need to advance it with the edge of the sword the people who have truth on their side trust in the Spirit of the Living God they do what they're supposed to do they pray for bold preachers that will present the truth that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God but these Helenus couldn't argue against Paul so they did what the unbelieving Jews in Damascus dead they attempted to kill him so you know I'd love to be able to say this to everybody who disagrees with Christianity when you want to end our lives you have declared yourselves the loser that'll be the last thing we say is where we're checking out into your hands I commit my spirit and you lost this is never the way to end an argument but this is what happens to solid Tarsus in the space not even if three years this happens immediately with the man this is sort of a foreshadowing of what we're going to see in the coming and the rest of the book of Acts but it's certainly a fulfillment of what Jesus says to Ananias notice in verse 15 go for he is a chosen vessel of mine to bear my name before Gentiles kings and the children of Israel we see him doing that he's preaching the name of the Lord Jesus and then verse 16 for I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name's sake they say well they attempted to kill and they didn't actually kill him okay I guess living with attempt on your life is somehow pleasant that suffering just like they attempted and plotted to kill Jesus they ultimately do with Saul of Tarsus it doesn't happen overnight probably like 30 years later but it happens where do we find Paul the Apostle at the end of his life we find him in a prison not on a golf course not in his private jet remember he didn't leave Damascus via private jet he left via basket going down the wall and at the end of his life he's in a jail cell and we think of jail cells perhaps you've been involved in prison ministry and you've gone to prisons and you've seen the you know the rooms and whatnot and they have toilets and they get three hots and a cot that's the you know the verbage for three meals a day and a place to sleep but I'm not saying it's the Taj Mahal it's not the Hilton but it's certainly not what Paul the Apostle faced in his day when he says to Timothy I want my cloak he needed it or he would die it's just the way it was when he praises the the man called up afroditi sin the Philippian church that sent up afroditi stew Paul in his first and present man it's for this reason because app Aphrodite has brought me food he calls it a gift he doesn't say you know he brought me burritos and tacos and mangoes and he doesn't say that but but they didn't have the state making sure you had your three hots and a cot if you didn't have friends he'd starve to death to the jail cell you needed a password itis is in your life you needed the Philippian Church you needed people that would actually care and minister unto you it was a matter of life and death that's where we find Paul the Apostle at the end of his life why because the false charges because of all these things because of them turning him over to the civil government and to a point where the civil government Rome itself turned against Christianity and Paul the Apostle represents to them and to unbelieving Israel all that Christianity is I mean he's a likely candidate to have his head chopped off by Caesar in that timeframe and that is precisely what happened so the attempt here is ultimately realized in a way that is unfortunately shocking for the people of God Gil says since they could not conquer him by arguments they were for slaying him with the sword but notice what the disciples do the brethren do verse 30 when the brethren found out they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus the Brethren found out about the Helenus to tempt on Saul's life they brought him to Caesarea which is the port city I don't think it's Caesarea Philippi it's the port city of Caesarea they put him on a boat so that he can go to Tarsus his hometown why I don't know I don't know but he spends 11 years there he speaks to this in Galatians chapter one after the 11 years there you've got a total of 14 years according to Galatians 2 1 that's when he does the famine relief visit and that's the second sort of post conversion visit of Saul of Tarsus back to Jerusalem as I said with reference to the narrative here in the book of Acts we don't meet with Saul again until Acts chapter 11 when Barnabas goes to Tarsus to seek Saul and when he found him he brought him to Antioch verse 25 of chapter 11 so it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch I've always thought that being you know the best Bible trivia question ever what city was Christians first called Christians what it's great we should all know that it's our history the beautiful thing about the book of Acts were connected to this we're connected to Saul of Tarsus were connected to Barnabas were connected to Ananias we have a great heritage we have a great history we have a great people we have a great Christ who use these people and then notice what the summary statement of verse 31 says concerning the churches Luke does this all throughout the book of Acts he gives us these reports he gives us the summarizing statements and he highlights the description of God's blessings to the churches and then he highlights the disposition found among the people in God's churches verse 31 then the churches throughout all Judea Galilee and Samaria had peace and were edified and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit they were multiplied the object of blessing is the churches it's the church brethren yes God loves individuals and yes God loves families but he loves the gates of Zion more so it's all maybe 7 - sense the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob it's an idiom he doesn't mean he hates the people who dwell in Jacob doesn't mean hates the individuals it just means that God's salvation is a group of individuals making up a church from every tribe tongue people in Asia and Luke tells us that the churches in these regions we've got Judea we've got Galilee we've got Samaria this is the object these are the targets of God's blessings and the blessings are threefold first they had peace some connect this very closely with the conversion of Saul of Tarsus and you can see why now that the chief persecutor an enemy of the church is gone well now they have peace I think there's a connection but I don't think it's that tight I don't think the one man Saul of Tarsus could have obliterated all of them at the same time I think it's a general statement that finds a great connection and at least a thematic connection with the the conversion of the chief enemy but they had peace they certainly still had persecution from without but they had peace they had peace with according to Romans 5:1 they had peace with one another this is the kind of peace that Paul says in Ephesians 4 endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace why do you think Paul emphasizes that because Paul knows that the absence of peace does not promote the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord when pastors no there isn't peace when elders no there isn't peace you don't typically expect the free flow of the spirit brethren there's a reality that we endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace notice that's a command it's not assumed it's just gonna happen it's like a marriage do good marriages just happen wow you got lucky you married a wonderful human under your breath you're saying there's no luck about it and they're not as wonderful as you may think this is taking a lot of grace up at work in order to make this thing go now I hope it doesn't sound quite that bad I certainly don't think that my beloved is awesome but but but you know what we have that idea your kids are so well behaved you're sure lucky you know the kids I got or messed up you got the good ones no that's not it at all in order to see kids that looked somewhat presentable and halfway decent there's a lot that goes into that it's the same thing with the church peace doesn't just happen there's so many different ideas and opinions and thoughts and preferences just here we got to learn to shelve and table some of those things that aren't crucial not everything is a hill to die on not every issue is something that that we're ready to fight for man brethren for some things we just need to let it go please the chill out a little bit sometimes the free flow of peace happens when we're not so hung up and we're not so wound up and we're not so tightened up we need to just let peace happen and do so actively as well they were edified Alexander explains this as internal growth and spiritual progress I would attribute this to spirit rock preaching they were edified they were growing they were understanding truth see why the church needs to preach the Bible is for the edification of the people of God yes the salvation of sinners we pray that that any sinner who comes here on a Sunday morning or evening would be saved by the glorious grace of God Almighty but that doesn't mean the the believers are forgotten believers need to be edified you need to grow you need to be strong you need to understand doctrine you need to make connection you need to be able to explain the Trinity justification by faith alone not just to explain it to unbelievers out there but to speak peace and comfort to your own hearts edification was taking place but then notice as well at the very end of the verse what happens there multiplied there was a great emphasis on church growth I don't know 10 20 30 years ago I'm sure it's still going on I gave up a long time ago trying to follow the trends and patterns and things that are happening outside of you know me not quite that narcissistic but that might be but thankfully the Lord God Almighty is gracious and good and all that but but put this church growth church growth church growth how do we get our churches to grow well we have puppets and that'll really please the children we bring in ponies and we put them on there and they get to ride around we bring an ice cream truck and send it up into the parking lot on a 90 degree day that dad will really promote growth know who promotes growth in the church is God it's Jesus I will build my church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it Christ is in charge of church growth we're supposed to be faithful 1st Corinthians 4:2 the Apostle says moreover it is required of stewards that they be found what gimmicky manipulative the most charismatic fellows on the faith no faithful they see it they had peace they were edified and they were multiplied now let's see the disposition that they possessed it wasn't ice-cream trucks it wasn't puppets it wasn't ponies I don't have anything against puppets but how the puppets are kind of weird but ponies and ice-cream I don't have anything wrong with that but as a gimmick or as a tactic or as a technique to manipulate people to come to the church that's just fundamentally wrong look at what the disposition was among the churches at that time they continued in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit maybe if that's what we pursued as churches maybe if that's what we sought as churches maybe if faithfulness to our God the fear of God the comfort of the Holy Spirit if those conditions prevail if that disposition was manifested then God would send more people among us is that the tax that the church growth people typically appeal to not that I've seen okay you got it as a church fear God and continuing to comfort the Holy Spirit okay that's what we're supposed to do that's not what these books are filled with it's ice-cream trucks it's puppets it's ponies it's it's manipulation it's gimmick charismatic sizzle and I don't mean tongue speaking I mean the charismatic preacher that the ministry guy that the the shaker the mover the CEO know moreover it is required of stewards that they be found faithful the pathway and I don't even like to say it like this because it almost sounds formulaic not pathway the way that we should be is to be walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit and in that we can hope and pray that God will give us peace that God will give us at ofin and that God in His grace and mercy will multiply us he will add more people not because we you know have to have a million people but because we want sinners saved you know we want people to come to Christ numbers do matter because numbers are going to hell if they don't hear the gospel so I've always been a bit you know put off by that mindset say well if you have more than five people in your church that's suspicious I don't know about that it's men from every tribe tongue people and age and a great multitude that no man can number you see numbers are important if they're numbers that are going to go to hell but the way to get those numbers isn't through puppets ponies and programs the way to get those numbers is to be faithful to God to pursue peace and our own contacts to grow in the knowledge and the grace of God to manifest that that that walking in the fear of the Lord and that comfort of the holy that's the disposition that prevailed among the churches at this particular juncture and I would submit that this is the kinds of churches that we need to see in our own day if churches look like rock concerts if churches look like you know stadiums of churches look like a lot of things that churches do brethren what kind of multiplication is that give me ten five four two people that love Scripture and love Jesus and believe the gospel that's better than a multitude of people filling a stadium because of Joel Osteen that's not cool that's a lot of numbers but what kind of numbers people that are trying to be their best selves I'd rather be on a bunch of people that accepted hey I'm not my best self Jesus was and I'm thankful for his blood and his righteousness not so that we can not try and attain got to qualify it but because of the reality that we accept who we are before living and true God and we seek to be faithful I want to close quickly first the significance of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus here I'm going to quote FF Bruce I think he makes a good observation here he says with Luke's estimate of the importance of Saul's conversion neither the historian nor the theologian can quarrel the spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire cannot be imagined apart from his work he was indeed a chosen instrument in the hand of the risen Lord fitted for his life work before his conversion set apart for it indeed as he acknowledges before his birth Paul says that in Galatians 1:15 and there I think he connects himself to the Prophet Jeremiah not in some weird I'm a journey that same thing that obtained with Jeremiah God called that prophet from his mother's womb and Paul was the same in terms of Galatians 1 secondly we never ought to underestimate the realities of Ananias and Barnabas's in our midst in other words the church isn't just about preaching the church isn't just about missions the church is about a whole host of support operation as well and you know I often times sometimes get these sorts of recommendations or I've got to fill out papers for 4 kids that go to Christian school they want a pastors reference and you know I'd fill it out and it typically says how do the people serve in your church well I know how that could be answered in other contexts well they they did they dole out the ice cream and the parking lot or they they operate the ponies and you know they did carries the burrow through the sanctuary and the kids are on the back you know that's kind of what I think they're looking for I wonder if you know they ever get you know sort of put off when I say they really encourage the the elders they pray they show up that they're faithful so you don't have to be the bongo drum player at your local church for notoriety show up and be faithful and pray being Ananias be a Barnabas be an encourager be somebody that that they can be counted on if there's not that there's never gonna be a paul there's never gonna be a Spurgeon why did Spurgeon face success somebody asked him why in the world are you so successful or your ministry so successful he says because my people pray for me there's no puzzle there's no mystery there's no well I can't believe oh there were people in the basement and ferronickel praying for Spurgeon as he preached the gospel it was no mystery to Spurgeon why God blessed his preaching it was because of the prayers of the people of God the point is you may be an Ananias you may be a Barnabas you may never be a Saul of Tarsus none of us may ever be an Amy Carmichael we may never be a whoever famous person in the history of the church but were called to be faithful where we're at we're called to be diligent where we're at we're called to be the sorts of people that God has called us to be in this context and in this time and then finally I think we covered Paul's ministry I don't want to overdo it I sees a hero and I certainly love to talk about Paul in his ministry but in terms of the significance of the summary here concerning the churches the blessings faithful churches ought to seek the blessing that faithful churches ought to seek peace when you pray for the church do you pray O God give us peace or if we have it God keep us in peace does anybody ever pray for that I don't want every hand up every about and I don't want that but but do you ever pray for peace peace is a wonderful thing trust me as a pastor who stands before the people of God to preach it's nice to know that at least to some degree everybody kind of likes each other that was an understatement but when there's that sort of dissension that lack of peace that disunity that stuff edification God I pray that as I go to church today I I'd worship and glorify you but I'd be fed and I'd grow and I'd be more conformed under the image of Jesus see there's a purpose for our meeting together isn't there if you've ever exercised you don't just walk in and pick up heavy stuff there's a there's a rhyme and a reason to picking up heavy stuff you do it in a certain way you exercise certain muscle groups you've got to take time off in-between exercise because that's when the muscle groups actually grow you've got to train wisely as well well church is no different when we come to church you know I got to come to church that's what we do no I want to come god I want to help promote peace I want to grow and be edified and strengthened I want to leave changed I want to leave more conformed under the image of Christ and then this prayer for multiplication you're not so will be the biggest church but so that will see sinners come to Christ will see Saints made holy like Christ will see good things transpiring the lives of people these are the blessings that we ought to pursue and the disposition that we ought to have is to walk in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit let this be a great encouragement and a great lesson to us not just as individuals though we are but as the church the free grace Baptist Church the Chilliwack British Columbia this ought to be what we are after to walk in the fear of the Lord and to continue in the comfort of the Holy Spirit those things are requisite for the peace for the edification and ultimately for the multiplication of God's church in this particular place and if you are not a believer there would be nothing better than to see this church multiply today and the way that occurs is not by you getting better at life not by you trying harder moral reform but by you listening to the gospel that Christ Jesus came into the world sinners to save and that those who look to Christ Jesus in faith will have everlasting life that's the pathway to multiplication it's when God gives grace sinners believe and then sinners believing in Christ join themselves to the Churches of Christ well let us close in a word of Prayer father thank you for your word and thank you for your grace and thank you for the way that you moved in the early church and the way that we see Christ exercising that power and that rule and reign from the right hand of the Father and we know it doesn't end in acts 28 we know it continues even into our own day and I pray that you would indeed flood our hearts as individuals and as a church with peace and with edification and if it is your will add to the number such as should be saved God we thank you for the blessing and the privilege that you have given to us calling us out of darkness and to marvelous light giving us life in Jesus Christ and I pray that we would grow together in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior go with us now help us to worship and to glorify you and sanctify this day and bring us together tonight that we may that we may enter in again to the courts of the living and true God and we pray these things through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well let's close our service by singing 564 564 again you can stand as we sing together [Music] and it'd be the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all amen father may we know these blessings in our own hearts and lives and may you increase our faith in the Living God and the in the blessed Savior for sinners go with us now we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord amen we'll please be seated for a brief time of meditation