WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.040 let's pray 00:00:03.040 --> 00:00:12.640 thank you lord for your word for your written word that we have before us and we ask that 00:00:12.640 --> 00:00:20.940 by your spirit that it would be come come alive in us set us on fire help us to 00:00:20.940 --> 00:00:28.320 trust in you and to walk with you more faithfully because of it because of your promise 00:00:28.320 --> 00:00:37.420 as we ask in jesus's name amen well very often a new a new year's day sermon is devoted to looking 00:00:37.420 --> 00:00:44.200 back uh where we've been so we can give thanks to god for where we've been and so we can try to 00:00:44.200 --> 00:00:49.439 discern where he's leading us as we go forward keeping our eyes on jesus as the writer to the 00:00:49.439 --> 00:00:56.560 hebrews uh challenges us to do and this morning i'd like to keep that keep up that tradition somewhat 00:00:56.560 --> 00:01:03.640 by putting this challenge to us let's consider that as christians we're called to be world christians 00:01:03.640 --> 00:01:12.299 christians who delight in and welcome uh the fact that throughout history god has been in the 00:01:12.299 --> 00:01:18.599 business of calling together uh sinners from all nations into the fellowship of the triune god 00:01:18.599 --> 00:01:26.079 and that in doing that his purpose is to make us one people bound together by the same spirit 00:01:26.079 --> 00:01:33.879 to the lord jesus i think the call to be world christians is is a particularly urgent one today 00:01:33.879 --> 00:01:42.579 consider that a startling fact of our of our times is global migration on a massive scale now my wife 00:01:42.579 --> 00:01:51.239 stella works in that area of migration and so these sort of uh statistics are kind of always there 00:01:51.239 --> 00:01:59.359 before us according to the unhcr that's the uh united nations refugee agency that the number of 00:01:59.359 --> 00:02:08.539 forcibly displaced individuals last year 2022 reached reach the mark of 103 million 00:02:08.539 --> 00:02:17.000 and apart from forced migration there's all the ordinary ordinary movement brought about uh by labor 00:02:17.000 --> 00:02:26.340 migration uh commerce and just tourism and the the effect of all this together is that global crossings 00:02:26.340 --> 00:02:34.219 and exchange uh is the stuff of ordinary life for us so that we're not only we're not only encountering 00:02:34.219 --> 00:02:40.759 people of other faiths and belief systems but we're encountering christians of other traditions and 00:02:40.759 --> 00:02:47.659 temperaments and dialects and so forth and i think that uh if we're guided by acts chapter 15 00:02:47.659 --> 00:02:59.379 i think uh we can we can reflect uh on how mission and unity are related uh to one another if you were 00:02:59.379 --> 00:03:05.500 with with with us here in november you may recall that we looked at the task of mission where we find 00:03:05.500 --> 00:03:12.479 ourselves when i spoke about mission uh i think it was november 6th if i'm not mistaken drawing from 00:03:12.479 --> 00:03:19.039 first peter 2 and then we looked at the task of of how that task of mission where we find ourselves is 00:03:19.039 --> 00:03:25.960 actually related to the task of going to all the nations uh and we looked at acts chapter 17 so today 00:03:25.960 --> 00:03:33.400 we back up into 15 and we come back to jerusalem if you like uh and to the question of christian unity 00:03:33.400 --> 00:03:40.860 but without actually changing the question the basic question what is mission so what does mission 00:03:40.860 --> 00:03:48.040 have to do with unity but before actually looking at the passage with you there's something of a roadblock 00:03:48.040 --> 00:03:55.780 i think we have to have to clear out of the way since the question of christian unity can be a really 00:03:55.780 --> 00:04:03.740 complicated one the main reason is that it's not actually quite clear just what sort of unity 00:04:03.740 --> 00:04:11.780 we're called to as christians at times we've been tempted to focus just on a kind of heart unity 00:04:11.780 --> 00:04:21.540 that has little or nothing to do with external things like institutions or networks or or even beliefs 00:04:21.540 --> 00:04:28.420 i recall a song some years ago and i'm dating myself that went like this and i think i probably even 00:04:28.420 --> 00:04:37.620 sang it uh in our hearts were undivided worshiping one savior one lord in our hearts were undivided 00:04:37.620 --> 00:04:45.680 bound by his spirit forevermore but then then the next stanza began like this it doesn't matter if we agree 00:04:45.680 --> 00:04:52.420 i'm not sure if i stumbled at that point or not maybe i did maybe i did later on 00:04:52.420 --> 00:04:59.620 is that what we're uh is that what we're to be content with a kind of hidden inward unity 00:04:59.620 --> 00:05:07.399 not worrying about doctrine and order and other external things well it might seem that way since 00:05:07.399 --> 00:05:14.600 when christians get around to uh the matter of visible unity as we do on occasion we often throw up our 00:05:14.600 --> 00:05:21.340 hands uh and say forget it we've been there we've tried that see how all those ecumenical projects 00:05:21.340 --> 00:05:28.100 inevitably get derailed uh we might say or how we get bogged down in meetings that are just there for 00:05:28.100 --> 00:05:35.180 their own sake and so on and i i've studied a little bit of the history of ecumenism and i know i know how 00:05:35.180 --> 00:05:44.140 it can be this mixed bag right and how institutional ecumenism often is an animal of its own that seems to 00:05:44.139 --> 00:05:51.240 get us distracted from the real work and originally ecumenism grew out of mission and so i think it's 00:05:51.240 --> 00:05:59.379 good to remember that even though it did get sort of hijacked along the way but it's clear in scripture 00:05:59.379 --> 00:06:09.319 or what's clear in scripture is a celebration and even a call to unity that isn't just a hidden thing 00:06:09.319 --> 00:06:15.439 even though this hidden dimension is of course there remember what paul writes in first corinthians 00:06:15.439 --> 00:06:22.899 1 10 i appeal to you brothers by the name of our lord jesus christ that all of you agree and that there 00:06:22.899 --> 00:06:29.639 be no divisions among you but that you be united in the same mind in other words the same truth and the 00:06:29.639 --> 00:06:37.199 same judgment unity in the bible is not something that's that's just taken for granted something 00:06:37.199 --> 00:06:44.180 that's just there while it is a gift of the holy spirit it's also a task for god's people 00:06:44.180 --> 00:06:52.019 you might ask well isn't the church's job just to get on with the work of of going to the nations and 00:06:52.019 --> 00:07:00.439 making disciples in any case do we really expect to see all the churches be reunited as one under one 00:07:00.439 --> 00:07:07.599 visible institution before jesus comes again well to the first question we can say most certainly the 00:07:07.599 --> 00:07:13.120 church's main job under knowing the living god himself is to make the living god known 00:07:13.120 --> 00:07:21.419 whenever the church forgets the great commission it it really gives up on its right to be called a 00:07:21.420 --> 00:07:26.600 church whenever it thinks that its main business is just to look after the needs of its members 00:07:26.600 --> 00:07:35.360 then uh it just becomes another club another another one more volunteer organization and the whole thrust 00:07:35.360 --> 00:07:44.500 of acts is one is one of a message uh of salvation that's going global it's a from here to there 00:07:44.500 --> 00:07:50.960 message from jerusalem to the uttermost parts of the earth story that's being told 00:07:50.959 --> 00:07:57.819 to answer the second question no the bringing together of all the churches into full confessional 00:07:57.819 --> 00:08:05.799 sacramental structural unity before jesus comes again is extremely unlikely humanly speaking our 00:08:05.799 --> 00:08:12.179 divisions require so many levels of mediation and believe me i've joined in on a few of those 00:08:12.179 --> 00:08:19.479 levels of mediation uh through the privilege of of of working in in different places in different 00:08:19.480 --> 00:08:27.180 churches and that the task would be nothing short of overwhelming i won't go into examples because i think 00:08:27.180 --> 00:08:34.420 you can probably come up with your own and yet god's plan for the bridegroom is not multiple brides 00:08:34.420 --> 00:08:42.180 well of course there are cultural reasons for our divisions to actually to try to make peace with our 00:08:42.179 --> 00:08:49.539 fragmentation and to encourage it through various forms of individualism and maybe empire building 00:08:49.539 --> 00:08:56.879 is to damage our witness in the world and maybe to say to the world yes we may preach a message of 00:08:56.879 --> 00:09:04.339 reconciliation but it doesn't actually apply to our horizontal relationships i think that as we become 00:09:04.339 --> 00:09:09.859 more and more aware that the church is a global reality one of the great one of the key issues in the 00:09:09.860 --> 00:09:17.419 world christian movement today i think is a is the matter of unity so what sort of unity are we 00:09:17.419 --> 00:09:25.419 to hope for and work towards then does the bible speak to this and i think it does i think the message 00:09:25.419 --> 00:09:33.879 comes uh to us when we ask the question okay i understand the from here to there vision the one about 00:09:33.879 --> 00:09:41.379 going from my out from my home church to all nations but is there a from there to here movement that 00:09:41.379 --> 00:09:49.000 corresponds to it is there some indication that mission also involves a from the uttermost parts of the 00:09:49.000 --> 00:09:56.659 earth to jerusalem back to jerusalem thrust and if we had been given as i'm sorry as if we had been 00:09:56.659 --> 00:10:04.059 given the commission go ye therefore back to jerusalem and well if we were looking for something 00:10:04.059 --> 00:10:11.299 like that we'd have to turn to a passage like acts 15 because there in that episode in the life of the 00:10:11.299 --> 00:10:17.139 early church it becomes clear that the great commission didn't mean go to all nations to make 00:10:17.139 --> 00:10:24.000 disciples and when you get there when you get to the one to which you you're called consider that your 00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:30.120 final destination i think i tried to make that point in one of the one of the earlier talks what 00:10:30.120 --> 00:10:37.000 am i what am i trying to say by that i'm trying to say that uh that the church never comes to rest 00:10:37.000 --> 00:10:45.379 in one place it never stops being a sent people rather the church is a people uh god has seen fit to 00:10:45.379 --> 00:10:53.700 use to bring a word to yet other people groups even the original community the mother church 00:10:53.700 --> 00:11:02.900 back in in jerusalem you might say well but that's that's not mission a word that god gives you for a 00:11:02.900 --> 00:11:07.259 sister church or even the mother church well it's a word maybe it's a word of encouragement maybe 00:11:07.259 --> 00:11:15.020 it's a rebuke uh but it's not a word that we would call a missionary word and at this point we might 00:11:15.020 --> 00:11:22.600 have to have another look at what mission actually is ephesians 2 6 speaks of it as reconciliation 00:11:22.600 --> 00:11:30.139 between jew and gentile through the cross colossians 1 puts it in terms of reconciling all things to god 00:11:30.139 --> 00:11:36.240 whether things on earth or things in heaven by making peace through his blood shed on the cross 00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:43.800 god's mission in fact involves believers in in each other's lives just as much as it involves us in the 00:11:43.800 --> 00:11:51.920 world and these these go hand in hand we are we are constantly in the is if we take a word that the 00:11:51.919 --> 00:11:59.039 catholics prefer evangelization we're constantly in the business of evangelization under god and even 00:11:59.039 --> 00:12:04.939 of ourselves it's a reciprocal thing so let's work our way through the passage to learn just how this 00:12:04.939 --> 00:12:11.259 from there back to here vision works itself out and i think to get a glimpse of that we need to put on a 00:12:11.259 --> 00:12:17.459 different set of reading glasses this morning instead of reading the passage as gentile believers 00:12:17.460 --> 00:12:25.100 let's try to to think of ourselves as jewish mother church believers with james and peter as our as our 00:12:25.100 --> 00:12:33.259 elders and ask ourselves what are we learning as the gospel goes out through people like paul to the 00:12:33.259 --> 00:12:40.960 nations what are we learning about the way to handle our differences and what and as we learn about that 00:12:40.960 --> 00:12:48.840 what is the holy spirit also teaching us about unity what is it based on and what's it for so i want to 00:12:48.840 --> 00:12:57.280 consider the things that that we learn as followers of jesus in jerusalem under three headings a dispute 00:12:57.280 --> 00:13:07.720 that emerges a divine work that is named and a decision that is taken a dispute that emerges a divine work 00:13:07.720 --> 00:13:12.920 that is named and a decision that is taken so first the dispute that emerges 00:13:12.920 --> 00:13:21.500 so under the under this heading we first of all have the sheer fact of disagreements the fact that 00:13:21.500 --> 00:13:29.600 christianity is to be a world movement taking root in very diverse cultures means that disagreements 00:13:29.600 --> 00:13:37.480 are going to be inevitable in this case beliefs that we hold dear as jewish christians uh are in are 00:13:37.480 --> 00:13:46.980 being tested verse verses one to two the first part of two uh tell us that certain people and we can 00:13:46.980 --> 00:13:55.259 modify the text slightly to say certain leaders of ours have gone out or have gone up to antioch and have 00:13:55.259 --> 00:14:02.139 been teaching the believers this unless you're circumcised according to the custom taught by moses 00:14:02.139 --> 00:14:09.500 you can't be saved this brought paul and barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them 00:14:09.500 --> 00:14:16.299 what this debate amounts to is that we're being forced to ask ourselves 00:14:16.299 --> 00:14:24.799 this is the ceremonial law by which we know ourselves to be part of god's covenant family 00:14:24.799 --> 00:14:29.719 and children of the promise essential for salvation 00:14:29.719 --> 00:14:38.439 or in the gospel reading if if even jesus who knew no sin was circumcised 00:14:38.440 --> 00:14:46.920 can we let go of that ancient custom and still identify with him we're struggling with this 00:14:46.920 --> 00:14:53.300 in the second place we're learning as jewish believers that the disagreements that emerge 00:14:53.300 --> 00:15:01.000 are not meant to to just be ignored on the assumption well we belong to different cultures so we won't try to 00:15:01.000 --> 00:15:07.280 resolve our differences instead we'll just celebrate them as as a modern pluralist might do 00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:14.659 rather our differences are meant to be dealt with and in this case the initiative is coming from the 00:15:14.659 --> 00:15:21.240 great center of gentile christianity antioch remember the early centers of christianity 00:15:21.240 --> 00:15:28.179 antioch being prominent and through their initiative there we're getting a sense of here in the mother 00:15:28.179 --> 00:15:33.319 church that christian communities in different places are actually interdependent 00:15:33.320 --> 00:15:41.240 so we read in to be that in verse to be that paul and barnabas are sent with some others to go up to 00:15:41.240 --> 00:15:45.040 jerusalem to consult with the apostles and elders about the matter 00:15:45.040 --> 00:15:53.960 so the dispute has emerged two part two the divine work is named 00:15:53.960 --> 00:16:03.280 so the second thing we learn as jesus followers in jerusalem as paul and barnabas pack their bags and 00:16:03.279 --> 00:16:10.339 say their goodbyes we learn that a divine work is given a name it's recognized for what it is 00:16:10.339 --> 00:16:17.419 from the sheer fact of disagreement the text brings us to the basic reason for the dispute 00:16:17.419 --> 00:16:24.079 and the reason boils down to a series of events and reports that are troubling us here in jerusalem 00:16:24.079 --> 00:16:30.179 news is spreading about the conversion of the gentiles verses three and four and this worries us 00:16:30.179 --> 00:16:37.179 jewish christian because it's happening if you like without any any obvious link to the to the original 00:16:37.179 --> 00:16:38.319 community that's us 00:16:38.319 --> 00:16:47.399 so it has come about that some of our leaders the ones that belong to the party of pharisees speak up 00:16:47.399 --> 00:16:54.459 and what they say is this in verse five the gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of 00:16:54.460 --> 00:17:03.920 moses so a formal meeting is called verse six the church throughout the ages has referred to this as the 00:17:03.920 --> 00:17:11.620 jerusalem council the first council the first ecumenical council and as an aside just i should point out that 00:17:11.620 --> 00:17:19.259 some traditions uh some christian traditions the ones that tend to downplay the authority of the councils in the life of the 00:17:19.259 --> 00:17:26.279 church make of this meeting something less than a council but i think they overlook the importance 00:17:26.279 --> 00:17:33.559 of the occasion and just how crucial is the precedent that is established here the precedent is this 00:17:33.559 --> 00:17:39.940 churches from two very different worlds jewish and greek are going to learn that they are one people 00:17:39.940 --> 00:17:47.140 of god not two they are going to learn that they need each other so as to better see their own blind spots 00:17:47.140 --> 00:17:54.560 and as they meet through their representatives they are going to learn something about the basis and 00:17:54.560 --> 00:17:55.560 reasons for unity 00:17:55.560 --> 00:18:05.440 now to to be back in the story as jewish believers what we learn specifically is is that this new work 00:18:05.440 --> 00:18:13.960 of god among gentiles helps us to see ourselves from where well from the outside from we jump outside as 00:18:13.960 --> 00:18:20.360 whenever we read scripture we are we are trying to jump outside and let it read us so that it challenges 00:18:20.360 --> 00:18:26.340 us and the same is going on here we're learning as jewish believers that the gentile experience 00:18:26.340 --> 00:18:32.920 god working in them and among them is helping us read ourselves from the outside to focus on the main 00:18:32.920 --> 00:18:40.299 question uh that god has been trying to teach us all along and what what is that what is that lesson 00:18:40.299 --> 00:18:48.319 well we're reminded of it when peter gets up to speak verse 7 we recall that he had avoided the 00:18:48.319 --> 00:18:55.500 company of gentile christians check out galatians 2 he'd been rebuked for that but that he had also 00:18:55.500 --> 00:19:01.919 learned through a gentile cornelius that it's by faith that men and women are saved whether jew 00:19:01.919 --> 00:19:09.659 or gentile that's back in acts chapter 10 and now he reiterates that when he says we believe it is 00:19:09.660 --> 00:19:17.560 through the grace of our lord jesus that we're saved just as they are the gentiles so at this point 00:19:17.560 --> 00:19:26.080 james our other key leader here in jerusalem gets up and explains that this apparently new thing that 00:19:26.080 --> 00:19:34.300 the gentiles can come to god apart from ceremonies of the law isn't at all contrary to what god had taught 00:19:34.299 --> 00:19:42.220 us in the past in fact it flows directly from what he told us through the prophets about his concern for 00:19:42.220 --> 00:19:50.519 gentiles as james says in verses 14 to 18 and i'll read them again simon simon peter has described to us 00:19:50.519 --> 00:19:57.720 how god first intervened to choose a people for his name from the gentiles the words of the prophets 00:19:57.720 --> 00:20:04.400 are in agreement with this the words of the prophets are in agreement with this as it is written 00:20:04.400 --> 00:20:11.160 after this i will return and rebuild david's fallen tent its ruins i will rebuild and i will restore it 00:20:11.160 --> 00:20:18.019 that the rest of mankind may seek the lord even all the gentiles who hear my name says the lord 00:20:18.019 --> 00:20:24.039 and who does these who does these things things known from long ago 00:20:24.039 --> 00:20:32.460 a dispute a divine work is named and a decision is taken 00:20:32.460 --> 00:20:40.399 with the divine work named for what it is and the main lesson learned that faith trust in jesus is 00:20:40.399 --> 00:20:46.259 what's essential for salvation we still need to address the practical implications so we come to the 00:20:46.259 --> 00:20:54.099 third topic in this passage we learn as jesus followers here in jerusalem 00:20:54.099 --> 00:21:01.759 that there's a decision that a formal decision that needs to take place we've been made aware of the 00:21:01.759 --> 00:21:09.059 fact that that god's work in one place has implications for the whole church and there's also the matter of 00:21:09.059 --> 00:21:16.000 our common witness in the world if we claim to follow one master for this we turn to james who adds 00:21:16.000 --> 00:21:21.980 another word verses 19 to 21 it is my judgment therefore he says that we should not make it difficult 00:21:21.980 --> 00:21:28.480 for the gentiles who are turning to god instead we should write to them telling them to do what 00:21:28.480 --> 00:21:35.339 to abstain from the food polluted by our idols from sexual immorality from the meat of strangled 00:21:35.339 --> 00:21:44.039 animals and from blood for the law of moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is 00:21:44.039 --> 00:21:51.980 read in the synagogues on every sabbath i'll say a word about that what james is calling for here 00:21:51.980 --> 00:21:59.720 essentially is a minimal standard of behavior for fellowship a minimal standard a standard which 00:21:59.720 --> 00:22:08.559 both parties will agree to adopt now why propose such a standard well partly for mutual recognition 00:22:08.559 --> 00:22:19.159 but also so that their collective witness together in the world won't be threatened but here's here's the 00:22:19.159 --> 00:22:28.399 problem does this standard leave us with a necessary ceremonial law after all that we're saved to the 00:22:28.399 --> 00:22:36.139 extent that we observe these external things does it mean that we're part of god's family only as long as 00:22:36.140 --> 00:22:42.620 we avoid food offered to idols the meat of animals whose blood has not been properly drained strangled 00:22:42.620 --> 00:22:51.680 and immoral sexual acts now i don't think the point is that we end up back in law apart from grace 00:22:51.680 --> 00:22:59.520 so what is going on and here here's my reading i i'm hoping for further light on it but here's here's 00:22:59.519 --> 00:23:05.779 my understanding for our if we're thinking of ourselves as jewish christians for our part as 00:23:05.779 --> 00:23:11.700 jewish christians we're asking our gentile brothers and sisters to adopt a minimal standard for behavior 00:23:11.700 --> 00:23:21.299 essentially as a to honor us as a courtesy to us in the mother church why should we make such a request 00:23:21.299 --> 00:23:30.180 well our membership in the jewish community and our witness among fellow jews are not going to allow us 00:23:30.180 --> 00:23:38.680 to leave behind these dietary laws easily and most certainly most certainly not god's guidelines for 00:23:38.680 --> 00:23:49.720 sexual relationships more than that gentile adherence to this minimal standard will will serve as a means to 00:23:49.720 --> 00:24:00.460 avoid publicly contradicting our witness here in jerusalem i think that's that's me trying to take a 00:24:00.460 --> 00:24:08.299 stab at what's going on there in this standard business now from their side the gentile believers have our 00:24:08.299 --> 00:24:16.240 blessing as the mother church to work out their calling within a very different culture with its own 00:24:16.240 --> 00:24:23.960 challenges but free from the requirements of all the purity laws and in the end the followers of the way 00:24:23.960 --> 00:24:33.779 will not be split in two one jewish one gentile but will be one people one bicultural bilingual people 00:24:33.779 --> 00:24:39.500 if you like but one people all the same for the sake of a common witness in the world 00:24:39.500 --> 00:24:45.660 so this brings me to the last point i want to note regarding the decision that's taken 00:24:45.660 --> 00:24:53.900 it's that the two communities jewish and gentile are blessed for their decision for their obedience 00:24:53.900 --> 00:25:00.120 even as the jewish believers are blessed by the news of god's word spreading among the gentiles 00:25:00.120 --> 00:25:06.279 confirming what the prophets had foretold the gentile believers are encouraged by the ministry 00:25:06.279 --> 00:25:14.000 of judas and silas sent by the mother church receiving that the representatives to minister among them 00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:21.559 so along with the letter that james had proposed the two men being prophets themselves according to verse 32 00:25:21.559 --> 00:25:28.700 said much to encourage and strengthen the believers there look at this marvelous picture of this 00:25:28.700 --> 00:25:35.900 of this mutual encouragement going on with two very different communities i know we shouldn't miss the 00:25:35.900 --> 00:25:42.400 reciprocity here the reciprocal nature of the blessing god blessing two communities through each other 00:25:42.400 --> 00:25:51.860 and we shouldn't miss the overall message which i would summarize as this god's blessing is for jew and gentile alike 00:25:51.860 --> 00:26:02.640 the dispute that emerged was settled in council and the decision was reached through that means 00:26:02.640 --> 00:26:11.259 and through the holy spirit's guidance as james said it seemed good to the holy spirit and to us 00:26:11.259 --> 00:26:23.379 verse 28 i'm coming to a conclusion just a few words about what this important moment in the history of the church means for us 00:26:23.379 --> 00:26:29.960 it's clear that our passage helps us to acknowledge the gospel movement as a world movement 00:26:29.960 --> 00:26:37.500 it's a world movement that will inevitably come apart here and there but it's a movement that god is in the business of 00:26:37.500 --> 00:26:47.079 uniting by his spirit and of using for his glory as we think of our identity as world christians today 00:26:47.079 --> 00:26:55.339 here and now what are the main things that we need to bear in mind as we carry the message of acts 15 with us 00:26:55.339 --> 00:27:03.019 i think we can summarize them by comparing the from here to to there work of paul in athens 00:27:03.019 --> 00:27:11.599 in acts 17 with the from there to here vision we've seen here in acts 15 where paul is also of course involved 00:27:11.599 --> 00:27:15.579 let's recall what the from here to there vision looks like 00:27:15.579 --> 00:27:22.400 well for starters there's an awareness of the world's great need 00:27:22.400 --> 00:27:29.220 there's a passion to go and tell and there's a readiness to announce the gospel 00:27:29.220 --> 00:27:37.279 on top of that there's a boldness to proclaim the message of jesus and to call sinners to turn to him 00:27:37.279 --> 00:27:45.839 as paul does there among the polytheists in athens god now commands all people everywhere to repent 00:27:45.839 --> 00:27:54.279 he says the primary mode of the church here is we see as a scattered people as god has seen fit to send 00:27:54.279 --> 00:28:00.500 his people far and wide so they can bring light to others in darkness so let's look at it in the 00:28:00.500 --> 00:28:08.139 inverse if you like what's the from from there back to here vision uh what does that look like well 00:28:08.139 --> 00:28:15.079 it begins as jewish believers become aware of god's great love for the non-jew as well or they're 00:28:15.079 --> 00:28:21.579 reminded of this deeply biblical truth that's already theirs the passion that they begin to cultivate 00:28:21.579 --> 00:28:29.179 is that of hospitality as they willingly uh hurt hear and receive paul's testimony 00:28:29.179 --> 00:28:38.639 and and and are ready to receive this as a word from from the lord himself and where does the 00:28:38.639 --> 00:28:45.039 boldness come in well it's there too it comes in as the mother's church becomes bold to announce 00:28:45.039 --> 00:28:52.399 through peter and james what this means for the whole church for all of us and finally the primary 00:28:52.399 --> 00:28:58.539 mode of the church here is as a gathered people as god brings his people together to bless them 00:28:58.539 --> 00:29:02.779 and to encourage them as they encourage one another mutually 00:29:02.779 --> 00:29:14.500 so may this two-way vision be be ours today as we seek to live out our calling as world christians 00:29:14.500 --> 00:29:22.519 as we go to the nations with uh with the gospel may may we also make every effort to be of one mind 00:29:22.519 --> 00:29:31.759 with others who call jesus lord may we be quick to listen to their concerns and slow to assume that our 00:29:31.759 --> 00:29:41.619 that our own concerns are always synonymous with uh with central gospel concerns may we be quick to be 00:29:41.619 --> 00:29:51.939 peacemakers and to show hospitality and slow to find fault and to build religious empires and finally may we 00:29:51.939 --> 00:30:02.879 uh find much joy as we look forward to the day when all the redeemed all god's people of all nations will be gathered as one 00:30:02.879 --> 00:30:04.879 amen 00:30:11.619 --> 00:30:13.619 you 00:30:13.619 --> 00:30:17.619 you 00:30:17.619 --> 00:30:19.619 you 00:30:19.619 --> 00:30:21.619 you 00:30:21.619 --> 00:30:23.619 you 00:30:23.619 --> 00:30:25.619 you