Walking the Talk: Being the Church in the World: Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:42-47

[0:00] Welcome to Ontario Community Church, where we're dedicated to encouraging, equipping, and engaging lives for Christ. Located in Ontario, Oregon, Pastor Patrick Daley preaches insightful sermons from the Word of God, offering practical applications for modern living.

[0:16] We're delighted to share this sermon with you. Let's go ahead and mentor our seats at this time.

[0:36] Let's give her a round of applause for him. Woo-hoo! As always, we're going to have a very quick meeting.

[0:58] In that meeting, we're going to be going over what that schedule looks like on a Sunday, what we're going to be doing around the church, how it's parking in a word or what are the classes are going to be, and then I have some areas that you can volunteer.

[1:13] If you don't want to be a teacher, an assistant, or an aide, we always can use readers. We can use people who can help with check-in, people who could give out flyers, people who can help make coffee.

[1:30] So there's a lot of things that you can get involved in, even if you do not want to teach, you don't want to interact. That's fine, and we can find a place for you.

[1:40] And maybe you have an idea of where you can help and we haven't thought about it. So if you'd like to come to that meeting, it's going to be in the conference room right after church, and then we'll try to get everyone out, and you can enjoy some more fellowship time and time with your family.

[1:57] So quick, easy, please come and join. Thank you. Let's give it a round of applause. APPLAUSE Definitely, as we are going through this year, we're really just preparing to be able to really have an outreach for children, where kids can learn life skills, but also be in a safe environment where they come to know the Lord.

[2:25] And one of the great things that just really stands out to me is seeing that there is such a need for young children to be in a safe environment.

[2:36] And what better environment than to be in the church, and to be in that Christian context, right? Where we have Christian principles that are embedded in that.

[2:46] So it's just definitely something that has been on my heart and also has been on Amber's heart, something we've been praying about. It's something that's so critical for us to focus on the next generation.

[3:00] Children are a gift from the Lord, and that's something we should never take for granted. We should never take for granted how beautiful this life is and how wonderful children are.

[3:12] Sometimes they tell the truth much better than we do. Sometimes they say things that make observations of life that you're like, oh, you know, I haven't thought about that, or, you know, it's been a while.

[3:23] Okay, why is the sky blue? Or why do the waves go like this? Or whatever it is. It's just really a great thing. Children can be great teachers. Well, good morning, everyone.

[3:36] It is great to be here with you as we are, you believe, we're almost done with the month of January, almost into February and preparing for Valentine's Day or whatever your February plans are.

[3:49] And, you know, it's just been, what? How blink of an eye that January is over. And so this morning, this is going to be our final message on building community from little hearts to loving hands.

[4:04] And the title of this sermon is Walking the Talk, Being the Church in the World. You know, this year is a year of new beginnings, where we as Christians, we as the Church, as the body of Christ, we should be focusing on what it means to have a deeper faith with the Lord, what it means to open the word of God and to read and study it, but also what it means for us to focus on loving our community, loving our city and focusing on the next generation.

[4:42] For many of us, I'm going to have us remember when we were young and we had experienced the love of Christ. Maybe it was a teacher, maybe it was a pastor, or maybe it was someone who came alongside you and helped you grow in your faith.

[4:57] Maybe you remember Sunday's school, maybe you remember VDS and all the fun you had with other kids your age at that time. There's so much that, memories that we may have, or even if you don't have, it is a great opportunity for us this year to focus on that next generation.

[5:16] And as we begin our time today, I want you to think of the question of what are some ways that you can think of in your own personal walk with the Lord? How can we better engage with families and with children this year?

[5:30] That's a very good question to ask. We are encouraged to, by the word of God, to be a church that is intentional with our faith. We don't want to just, okay, now I'm saved and I'm not going to tell anyone about it.

[5:43] We are just sharing our testimonies, our stories of how God has worked in and through our lives. But also that Jesus Christ, that He was born in that manger, that He lived, that He performed these miracles.

[5:59] I mean, I would love to see water turn into wine. I would love to see someone being graced from the dead. I would love to see for someone being healed.

[6:09] God continues to work in our lives even today. And how wonderful is it for us to hear, to see, or to experience the transforming love and power that comes from our God, amen?

[6:20] It's so powerful. So we've been talking about community, that we are the church. Let us believe in the Lord, let us grow together and let us go out and do good in the name of Jesus Christ.

[6:33] And so today we're going to be bringing it all home. We're going to bring it all together. We're going to focus on the great commission that is found in Matthew 28, verses 19 through 20.

[6:44] You'll find that in your notes. And also the fellowship of believers, which is found in Acts 29, or excuse me, Acts chapter 2, verses 42 through 47.

[6:55] There is no Acts 29. But it's Acts chapter 2, verses 42 through 47. These verses, like I said, they'll be found in your notes and we're going to go through that together.

[7:06] But before we go any further, will you pray together? Let's pray together. Father, we come before you as we're finishing our sermon series.

[7:16] As certainly the year is just starting off and it's still cold, but things are starting to move. We ask that you are with us as we are going through the great commission and through the fellowship of believers in your word.

[7:30] We ask that truth is spoken here and that love is exhibited, that lives are softened, that hearts may be moved to believe in you and to live and to love like you.

[7:43] We know that you are here with us as Scripture says, where two or three are gathered. There you are with us. So be with us this morning. And may we be encouraged to engage the community, lives for Christ, making a decision to believe in you and be saved and growing in the faith, all of these things.

[8:05] May we be a church that is transformed. So be with us this morning. It is in Jesus' name, the name that is above all names that we pray and we all say together, amen?

[8:17] Amen. You know, I want to start off with a story that when my wife and I, we first came to Ontario Community Church. When we first came here, that was seven months ago or maybe eight, I think it gets seven months, right?

[8:29] But I cannot help but tell you how loving and how accepting this community has been to myself, my wife and let's be honest here, having five children is not an easy thing.

[8:40] You guys have been so loving and so welcoming of these children and certainly they're growing and they're growing in a wonderful environment. You know, moving here, it was a significant transition for my family.

[8:54] I'm going from that tropical climate. I know that sounds really good right now, but moving over to, well, an area where there's four seasons and a lot of winter and a lot of cold.

[9:04] I got to tell you, facing under below freezing temperature, you know, zero degrees was that was a new one for me. I got it next year. But certainly just as God had moved in my life and moved in my family's life, God calls you into certain seasons and certain situations in your life and it's the question of how will you respond when God is calling you?

[9:31] Maybe God is calling you to have a relationship with him. Maybe God is calling you to open the word and maybe go through the gospel of John.

[9:41] Maybe God is calling you to act and to do something that is outside of your comfort sound. It's something that we certainly need to be mindful of and consider how is God working in us?

[9:53] What is God calling us to do? And I remember one day that when I came into the office, I was getting settled in with my family. You know, I was learning about the needs of the community, meeting with pastors, meeting with some of you and just kind of getting to know this church and this community and just what are the needs here?

[10:11] Well, I found this book in the office. And this book is a, it signifies 50 years of ministry that has happened here.

[10:21] Praise God for that. This book was filled with photos and with stories about just how God has worked in this congregation, in this church context.

[10:32] And it goes to show the sense of love and community in this church. And then looking back, I found one thing that really stood out to me that just was, it talked about the word Ontario, right?

[10:48] I want you to think about the name of this city, the city of Ontario. In reading this book, I learned how important it is for us to look back at what has been done, how the body of Christ was so focused and dedicated to loving the Lord and just being present in the community.

[11:09] But what about this word? What did it say? You know, the word Ontario, let's put that on the screen. It can be split into two words in Japanese.

[11:20] You know what it translates to? It talks about grace and sufficient. Now I don't know about you. But those two words are so powerful in the Christian context.

[11:36] That means that Ontario is a place where the grace of God is overflowing. Can I get an amen for that? That is so powerful.

[11:47] And you have to ask yourself the question, how can we incorporate the overflowing grace of God with others? And seeing this, I got so encouraged to think, wow, even back then, in the 1940s here, that's a long time ago, thinking that this is a place where the grace of God should overflow is an encouragement for me and it should be an encouragement for you.

[12:15] Just think about the love of God and the grace that comes from Him to believe in the Lord and to be saved. This makes me think not only about the history of the church, but how we as Christians, as the body of Christ, we're called to have that relationship with Christ.

[12:30] That is the foundation. That is the first thing. But we are called to grow and faith, to have more knowledge of Scripture and to go out and to do good in His name. Isn't that a way that we share in God's love?

[12:44] Is by serving others, by sharing in your testimony, I can assure you that God works in every single one of your lives. You may not know it.

[12:55] You may not see it. Sometimes we forget. Sometimes I forget the little things that happened in my own life. Do you forget the little things of how God is working in your life?

[13:06] Do you observe nature around you? I know when spring comes, you see the animals, where you see the beauty in people.

[13:18] It's just so much that we can think about, and thinking about this, it made me realize what we are doing is what God has called us to do.

[13:28] To be focused on the truth of God's Word, right, and to love others. Let us build a lasting legacy in our community.

[13:39] The name Ontario and the history of church, it reminds me of our mission as a church, to encourage, to equip, and engage. What does that mean?

[13:49] It means to know the Lord. It means to grow in Him. What it means to be a Christian, and to study and read scripture, but also, as I said, to do good in the name of the Lord through service, through sharing in your faith.

[14:04] There are many ways that we can do this. And you'll find in your notes that there are two verses that really just stick out to me. Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8, 4, by grace you have been saved through faith.

[14:15] This is not your own doing. It is what? It is a gift from God. That is powerful. And 2 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 8, also in your notes, that God is able to make all grace abound to you so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good word.

[14:39] It's just all connected here. And what an encouragement is it for us to think about our city, and to think about our church, to think about our community, that we are the body of Christ.

[14:51] We are on a journey in Christ. And if you don't know the Lord, I pray that you're on a journey to know the Lord, that you're on a journey to believe in the Lord, just like I always say, John chapter 6 verse 7, verse 47, whoever believes has eternal life.

[15:10] Amen. So let's turn our Bibles to page 993. We're going to go over the Great Commission here.

[15:22] It's going to be Matthew chapter 28, verse 19 and 24.

[15:42] We all there? Let's read it together. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of who?

[15:54] The Father and who? The Son and who? The Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you and behold, I am what?

[16:05] I'm going away? No, I am with you, always to the end of the age. We start off by reading the Great Commission of Jesus Christ.

[16:16] These are the final instructions for his disciples. And they are instructions that we as Christians in this postmodern world, in 2024, we can apply for today because the truth of God's word will transcend the culture and changes in culture.

[16:34] To go out and make disciples is something that is applicable today as it was back then. This is a call that exists. It comes from Christ that we are to go out and to be present and to make those disciples.

[16:48] Well, how do we do that? We share in our testimony. We proclaim the gospel, the good news that Jesus Christ is coming, that salvation is available for all who believe.

[17:02] Is salvation available only for the rich? No. Is salvation only available for the tall? Is salvation only available for those who wear blue shirts?

[17:16] No. Salvation is available. Whosoever believes shall not perish but have eternal life. That is the great encouragement. If you believe in the Lord, why wouldn't you want to share it with your friends and with your family and with your neighbors and with the empty chair?

[17:34] That is the great encouragement knowing that there is safety and there is security in believing Jesus Christ. I find it very interesting that this idea of making disciples is defined as students of Jesus Christ.

[17:48] May we be students following in the footsteps of Christ. May we be disciples. It's an ongoing experience. It's not like when you go to college and you get your degree and you're done.

[18:01] It's ongoing, it's a lifelong process that we continue to grow, that we continue to learn and allow for God to mold us in our life.

[18:12] We go into all of the ends of the earth. We go, we can go to our neighbor. That's why we support missionaries. That's why we think of people who are going into countries where Christianity is not.

[18:26] It's not really available. How blessed are we to have the Word of God and to be able to open it, to read it and to study it and to apply it.

[18:36] I pray that we may continue to have that blessing, to have that availability of Scripture. We are to go into all of the ends of the earth and in our own context.

[18:47] We can be missionaries to our neighbor. We can share in the gospel story to others. That's something to be encouraged of.

[18:59] This verse also mentions the idea of baptism. Baptizing in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, the triune God, you must remember how important baptism is.

[19:12] We're called to believe in the Lord and to be saved. That is the starting point. And from there, there is the meaning of baptism, the call for baptism. When Christ get baptized after the fact to make a decision for Christ, my friends, it is an internal decision that has eternal consequences.

[19:31] But when we're thinking about baptism, it is an external expression. It is a public proclamation saying, I am a Christian. When we believe in the Lord, how that's between you and the Lord.

[19:46] When you get baptized, you're letting everybody know. You're saying, I believe in Jesus. He is my Savior and He is my Lord. And I want to share in that.

[19:56] I want to proclaim the name of Christ. It is a public proclamation of the faith that you have. It is saying, yes, I am choosing to be baptized because of this faith, because of this belief that I have in Jesus Christ.

[20:10] Let's turn to Acts chapter 2, verses 42 through 47. And that's on page 1082 in your ESPQ Bible or whatever translation you would like to use.

[20:24] All right, 1082, that's Acts chapter 2, verse 42 through 47.

[20:41] Are we there? All right, here we go. And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship and the breaking of bread and the prayers.

[20:56] And awe came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common.

[21:07] And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all as any had needed. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God for having favor with all the people.

[21:26] This last part. And the Lord added to their number day by day for those who were being saved. Such a powerful verse. And for this verse, it's beautiful imagery that we can see in the Acts of the Apostle, the fellowship of believers.

[21:42] It is speaking about how there is devotion to truth. There's devotion to the Lord. There's devotion to teaching, much like how we as the church should be devoted and focus on the Lord, the teaching and preaching of God's Word.

[21:57] And of course, there's the mention of breaking bread or having a meal together. Some people read this as literally the breaking of bread, like when we celebrate in communion, but it can also mean as in sharing meals together, much like when we have fellowship time.

[22:11] So it's very good in seeing that. This should remind us in our own context though, right? That it's applicable to us today as it was in the Book of Acts.

[22:24] The church was focused, the early disciples of Christ were focused on devotion to God and to Christianity. That awfully sounds familiar, doesn't it, that we too should focus on devotion to God and unity.

[22:39] This should inspire us to create a similar fellowship of believers in our own church context, but also in the context of our community. And these verses challenge us to deepen our connections with God and with others, much like how Christ calls us to love one another as He has loved us.

[23:00] There should be preaching and teaching in the church and there should be times that we fellowship with each other. There should be times where we celebrate in communion and pray with one another.

[23:10] It is a fantastic description of the church. It's so powerful. And that last sentence is very interesting because it's describing, let me read that last part, the Lord added to their number day by day, those who were being saved.

[23:26] And it's talking about how God's hand is in it, right, that God is actively working with these people because sometimes... Doesn't the Lord lay something on our hearts?

[23:40] Doesn't God kind of move us to do things sometimes? Well it's really how God was adding to their numbers, adding to the growth of the early church.

[23:52] And that's something that is very powerful because we should ask God to help bring people. When we think of this city, the city of Ontario, let's pray for people who do not know the Lord, that something will stir in their hearts to really search for the Lord.

[24:18] And really, I know for many young people there's always that question of, there's something missing in my life. And I don't know what it is.

[24:28] And unfortunately some people, they turn to drugs or they turn to sexual promiscuity or whatever it is. They turn to things that are fleeting, but believing in the Lord is eternal security.

[24:41] It is that which is constant. And certainly we need to have a constant in our life. And we see that in this verse, the set of passages, we've talked about the Great Commission, we've talked about the fellowship of believers.

[24:56] There is a profound impact when we do good in the name of the Lord. When we share in our testimony, it's like planting seeds, so to speak. Last week I told you about the homeless man in the city of Fulickton and how that impacted my life.

[25:12] I want you to think about when you share in how God's worked in your life, your testimony or the good news of Jesus Christ, your planting seed.

[25:22] You may not see someone come to know the Lord in that moment. More often than not, that doesn't happen, but it's that planting of the seed. I remember having that talk with that person.

[25:35] They were talking about this Jesus guy. I thought Jesus was just a cool hippie, you know? And there's that curiosity, that seed that gets planted and cultivated and grows into being more curious, right?

[25:46] It leads you on that path towards Christ. There is power that is in the name of Jesus Christ. There is transformation in the gospel message.

[25:58] It is something I know for me personally, how I want to be a part of that. And I hope that you want to be a part of that as well. Let us have an active faith.

[26:10] Let us be doers of the word and not just hearers. Let us walk the talk. To be a part of the body of Christ is something that is wonderful because we are coming alongside each other and we are journeying with Christ.

[26:25] We're proclaiming the word of God. We're doing wonderful things together. To be saved by grace through faith is beautiful. It is not about what we do, my friends.

[26:36] I know I'm talking so much about doing good in the name of the Lord. Let me make it very abundantly clear. You believe in the Lord and you get saved. It's not by what you do, it's by what has been done for you.

[26:50] Do you remember when I was talking about the word Ontario? Let's put that slide up there again. With Ontario. Race and sufficiency.

[27:03] Those two words, I want that to resonate with us as we are closing our time here today. I want you to think about that. Grace overflowing. Think about the grace that God supplies, that grace is something that is available for all who believe.

[27:19] It is my prayer. It is my hope and I hope that it is our prayer and our hope that people will come to know the Lord. For transformation for those who are yet to believe that lives will be saved.

[27:33] It is our responsibility and it is our duty to do good, much like it is our duty to grow in the faith. There is a challenge for us to live out faith and to exhibit the love of Christ to others.

[27:48] Let us be reminded that scripture encourages us not to be afraid of the gospel. I know for some of us it is like we get so afraid of making someone angry.

[27:59] Don't be afraid of who you are and what you believe in. Now certainly there will be people who will reject you. There will be people who say, you know what, I don't want anything to do with that.

[28:12] But at least you have had that conversation and shared with your faith with others. We will be rewarded with treasures in heaven for what we do.

[28:24] What an encouragement. Let us be a church that is a beacon of hope in this community. And in this sermon series, my friends, I have talked about how we need to focus on the next generation, on children, on young families.

[28:42] Think of the next generation of Christianity. I know we probably, many of us have. Let me ask you, have you read an article before that says that Christianity is on the decline?

[28:53] That it's dying? I don't know about you, but that should be a call for us to be in prayer. That even if Christianity is dying, we can still do good in the name of the Lord.

[29:10] We can still be a beacon of hope for those who don't know the Lord. People are more connected than ever before with their phones and their technology and their social media.

[29:20] How many ways do you need to communicate with each other? I think of my talks I've had with my dad before on this. You have the pager, you have the rotary phone, and then it went way beyond that.

[29:33] Now we have all of the social media programs. We have all sorts of apps and text messages, and the list goes on. Wearables.

[29:43] It vibrates when you get a message now. But with this connection though, it seems that we're more connected than ever, but yet a lot of us feel more disconnected than ever.

[29:57] What? That doesn't make sense. You would think that if we're more connected, we would be more closer with each other, but how many people feel that sense of isolation or that sense of division?

[30:10] There's a better way, and that way isn't Christ. It is time for us to uphold, to build upon the legacy that we have in this church, and to continue the momentum in doing good, not for our glory, not for my glory, but for God's glory.

[30:33] Let us be ambassadors for Christ in all that we say and all that we do. Let us be encouraged to have Christ at the center of our lives, in our work, in our play, in our dealings with others, in our friends, in our families.

[30:46] Think about our neighbor. Think about the empty chair, the needs of this church and this community. And let us be on mission for Christ.

[30:59] What does Christ call us to do? Let's be encouraged by that. It is through conversation and intentionality where we share in our testimony.

[31:09] Our testimony, it goes to testify about how God works in our life. And I encourage each and every one of you to consider how you can personally act this week, today.

[31:21] February is coming up. I know the month's about to end, so think of next month then, with February coming up. How can you exhibit in the love of Christ, or how can we incorporate the overflowing grace of God with others?

[31:37] There's many ways that we can do that. So I want you to consider that as we are closing our time in this sermon series. Let us think of the love of Christ, how He shares, how He gives grace freely to all who believe.

[31:53] Why wouldn't that be encouragement for us to share in the gospel message to others? There are so many ways that we can do that nowadays. Let us use technology to do good, and not to bring division among people.

[32:08] We can use technology as a means of evangelism, and a means to reach out to people. So let us do good in the name of the Lord.

[32:20] Let's pray together, and let us be encouraged by focusing on the next generation of Christians, young children, young family, and about our city, Ontario, where the grace of God is overflowing.

[32:36] Let's pray. And Father God, as we close our time together, we thank You for Your presence and Your guidance in all of this. Be with us as we plan to find ways to love our city, to exhibit the love of Your Son, Jesus Christ to others.

[32:52] May we not be afraid of who we are and what we believe in. We realize that You have done so much for us.

[33:03] You make salvation freely available for all who believe, but You still encourage us to do good in Your name. May we be inspired to live out the great commission and to be that fellowship of believers who are dedicated to You and the truth of Your work.

[33:21] For it is in Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life. Move us to share Your love and Your grace and Your truth with those around us.

[33:34] May we be a beacon of hope to our friends, our family, and to the community. We ask for Your strength to walk the talk, and may we take to heart the teachings of Jesus Christ and the truth of the Word of God, for Your Word is living and active.

[33:53] We are blessed by having Your Word. It is in Jesus' name that we pray and we all say together in man. Thank you for tuning in to the Ontario Community Church sermon podcast.

[34:05] For more about our church and how you can get involved or support our mission, please visit ontariocommunitychurch.org. May God's blessings be with you.