All right, good morning, church.
All right, we are super excited to get to worship with you guys one more time before we head back to our country in Southeast Asia.
! The past couple months has been an extreme delight and joy for our family.
We've gotten to have meals with many of you guys to talk.
And sadly, there's been some that we haven't even had a chance.
And we're like, oh, we wish we could sit down and talk with them.
But in the Lord's due time, we would love to do that.
I'm excited to get to bring the word to you all today from Acts chapter 14.
So if you have your copy of God's word, please open to Acts chapter 14.
And we'll begin today in verses 19 through 28.
As you're turning there, I want you to know that my hope for today's sermon is that you will be reminded of the joyful privilege and blessing it is to have the local church.
And I want to remind you that I know you guys already know it.
But we, as Nathan has said over and over again, if you've spent any time around Providence Baptist Church, he will say,
we are people slow to remember and quick to forget.
And why does he say this a lot?
Well, because we are people slow to remember and quick to forget.
So we need a lot of reminders.
And so my prayer for today is that you will clearly see in the scripture that our God is building his church through his church for his glory.
I pray that you will not only see it, but you will be reminded of the joyful privilege and delight that it is that you have been given by God to be a part of a church.
That if you're a member here, that you get to call Providence Baptist Church.
And if you are not from here, I do hope that you have a church that you get to be a faithful member at and call your family.
To be a part of a local church who knows the gospel, loves the gospel, loves one another, and desires to see his glory known in all the earth.
So may we never forget the precious privilege that we have been given.
But before we begin looking at today's passage, I want to lay a little bit of a foundation, a little bit of a context,
since we're jumping into the middle of the book of Acts, into some events that have already been unfolding.
And I don't have enough time to do a lot of detail, so I'm giving you a very big overview of what goes on here.
Really, we're looking at Paul's first missionary journey, and this starts back in Acts 13.1,
where Paul and Barnabas were worshiping the Lord and fasting with the church at Antioch in Syria.
And the Holy Spirit said to the church,
Set apart Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.
Then after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
So here is the beginning of Paul's first missionary journey,
and they are set apart and sent out through the local church.
And from there, they set out on this U-shaped journey.
They then go to Cyprus, and then to places in Lycia and Galatia.
And what do they do each time they arrive to these new places?
Well, they preach the gospel and make disciples.
And why do they preach?
Well, because they preach because the power to raise dead hearts to life
is not in them, but is in the word, the gospel proclaimed.
It wasn't in just doing acts of mercy or of kindness, which we should do,
but it was through the preached word.
Acts of mercy might be a vehicle to help carry the gospel to some of these regions,
but without the gospel proclamation, there will be no life.
There will be no true power.
So what was Paul's missionary strategy that we see throughout Acts 13 and 14,
and honestly, the whole book of Acts?
Well, we see that he goes and he preaches the gospel.
And he goes to the next place and he preaches the gospel.
And I would like to say that this isn't just Paul's missionary strategy,
but this should be ours.
We know Mark chapter 16, verse 15 says,
to go out into all the world and preach the good news.
And what is the core of the gospel they were preaching?
And before we get into our text, I want to make this clear, church.
And I know you know this.
You've heard the gospel proclaimed over and over again.
But we are slow to remember and quick to forget.
So I do want to remind you that the gospel is that you have sinned against a holy God
and deserve to be cast into hell for all of eternity.
That there is no amount of good works that you could do to save yourself from the wrath of God.
However, God sent his perfect son, Jesus Christ,
who came and lived a perfect life and died as a substitute on your behalf,
taking your sin upon himself and giving you his righteousness.
And then on the third day, he rises from the dead.
And if you believe in him and repent of your sin, you can have eternal life.
That is the core of the gospel message that we believe.
And this is good news.
But I'm afraid as a church who's very comfortable with this,
that we can be in danger of adding to this gospel.
Instead of it just being Jesus and the gospel plus nothing else,
we're in danger of adding external actions to try and affirm our acceptance or our maturity in God.
Maybe it's Jesus plus a quiet time every morning.
Jesus plus a healthy lifestyle.
Jesus plus dressing a certain way.
Or Jesus plus homeschooling.
Plus good parenting.
Jesus plus a stable job.
A big family.
Jesus plus fostering.
Jesus plus getting married.
Jesus plus being a part of a healthy church.
Jesus plus doing family worship.
Now listen to me carefully.
These are things that are good to do.
But if you think that your maturity or acceptance by God is merely based on doing these things,
then you are in danger of adding to the gospel.
Which adding anything to the gospel actually takes away from the gospel.
And then in your evangelism, as you're sharing with others,
you are in danger of unintentionally saying through your actions,
to be a Christian means believing in Jesus and homeschooling and eating this way and being reformed.
We must be careful that we are clear on what the gospel is and that we aren't adding to it.
So should you read your Bible every day?
I think this is a good practice and a really good habit.
But listen, if you walk through the rest of the entire day feeling guilty
or feeling that you're not pleasing to the Lord
because you didn't get up early and read your Bible
because maybe you had sick kids all last night.
And if you feel like you're not walking pleasing to the Lord because of that,
you might be trying to earn some kind of merit through your quiet times.
You're accepted by God in the gospel.
And should you do these things?
Yes, the gospel compels you to want to know the Lord more,
to want to delight and spend time with him.
But your righteousness, your merit before the Lord is not based on what you do.
It's based on what he has done.
And that is really good for us to keep reminding ourselves.
I love the lyrics of the song that say,
All sufficient merit, shining like the sun,
A fortune I inherit, by no work I have done.
My righteousness I forfeit at my Savior's cross,
Where all sufficient merit did what I could not.
And you know what?
God doesn't just save us and leave us alone.
But he cares for us so much that he places us in a family that we get to call the church.
And it is through that church that he goes and he gathers more people to praise him for his goodness and grace.
A family which will help us to remember the gospel.
For how do we grow in our discipleship?
Well, we preach the gospel to one another.
We preach the gospel to our own hearts.
We listen to good, faithful preaching while we gather with the church.
And this is why I get so concerned when I hear people say,
And I have heard this quite a few times.
I don't go to that church because of the preaching.
I go because of the community.
The programs.
And that leaves me going,
What?
Really?
That's like saying I go to a hospital because I like hanging out with the nurses and doctors.
They're very friendly.
Though they might have a terrible reputation of not helping sick patients get better,
They got really nice nurses.
Now don't get me wrong.
A good hospital will be hospitable.
But I want to be in a place where I am going to hear of the balm for my soul.
I want to be in the place where the word of God is going to be preached.
And where I can grow.
I want to be in a place where sick patients can get better.
So brothers and sisters, we need to be in a community where we will hear the gospel preached regularly and faithfully.
A place where we will find true help.
So I'm laying a little bit of foundation because you see that Paul is going to place and he's preaching the gospel,
Preaching the gospel.
And he goes to the next place and he preaches, makes disciples.
But I also want you to see that's not all he does on this journey.
And this is what we'll get into in Acts chapter 14.
He also plants churches, appoints elders, strengthen and teaches the believers.
And this is what we will see throughout Acts 14, 19 through 28.
So if you have your copy of God's Word, let's read it.
Acts 14, starting in verse 19, says,
But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium.
And having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.
But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city.
And on the next day, he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.
When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples,
they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch,
strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith
and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
And when they had appointed elders for them in every church with prayer and fasting,
they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia.
And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Italia.
And from there they sailed to Antioch,
where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled.
And when they arrived and gathered the church together,
they declared all that God had done with them
and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.
And they remained no little time with the disciples.
I've divided our passage today into two parts to make it easier to follow along.
Part one is the suffering from verses 19 through 20.
And part two is the mission, verses 21 through 28.
And the main point of our text today will be that God is building his church through his church for his glory.
So part one, the suffering.
I'm going to reread verse 19, which says,
But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium,
and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city,
supposing that he was dead.
Paul and Barnabas had just come from preaching in Antioch and Iconium,
and after many had heard the gospel and believed,
much conflict began to stir.
Well, actually, the conflict wasn't even just stirring.
It was actually boiling over at this point.
Antioch and Iconium were about 100 miles away from Lystra,
where Paul and Barnabas were.
However, this kind of journey could take a group of people,
anywhere from like two to five full days of traveling,
to get there.
So in relative comparison,
it would be like they jumped in a bus in Atlanta,
and drove all the way to California to put an end to Paul, the preacher.
I hope you see that they were pretty mad.
There was a lot of conflict stirring there.
So when they get there,
they persuade the crowds to stone Paul and drag him out of the city.
And mob stoning like this was brutal.
Getting pounded by large, heavy stones,
bones breaking, blood dripping, skull cracking.
And after they are sure he is dead,
they drag his limp body out of the city.
And this was a deep pain and suffering,
and I'm sure Paul looked as dead as dead could be.
But what happens next?
Verse 20 says,
But when the disciples gathered about him,
he rose up and into the city,
and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.
The disciples had actually probably come to bury him,
but in a miraculous way,
Paul gets up and the next day heads on to Derbe.
Paul's condition was probably worse than somebody,
if somebody had driven their car off the side of a mountain and lived.
His condition was probably worse,
but in some miraculous way he gets up
and he walks the distance of potentially 50 miles
to go to the next city.
And what does he do?
Well, he continues to preach.
God gives him the strength to go on,
but his scars still remain.
And what was Paul's perspective over Christian suffering?
There actually are many places we could turn to,
but I want to mention just one that is relevant for our passage for today.
Listen as I read Colossians chapter 1,
verses 24 through 26.
It says,
Now I rejoice in my suffering for your sake,
and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's affliction
for the sake of his body that is the church,
of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God
that was given to me for you
to make the word of God fully known,
the mystery hidden for ages and generations,
but now revealed to his saints.
So Paul sees his sufferings as filling up
what is lacking in Christ's afflictions.
And if you read that,
I bet a lot of you guys are saying,
what does Paul mean here?
How can there be anything lacking in Christ's afflictions?
Maybe you will think of Hebrews 10, 14,
which says,
For by a single offering he has perfected for all time
those who are being sanctified.
Christ's atonement was perfectly sufficient.
So what is lacking?
Well, nothing is lacking in merit,
but it is lacking in extension.
And I love how John Piper explains it.
He says,
Christ's suffering must be carried to the world.
And God has ordained that this happens
through the suffering of his servants.
He also says,
The sufferings of Christ are completed in redemption,
but they are still being completed in mission.
As his ambassadors go out and preach the good news,
there will be suffering.
And in that suffering and sacrifice,
there will be a physical display of Christ's suffering
that proclaims to a dying world,
that proclaims to a church
that is suffering,
that the sufferings of this present time
are not worth comparing to the glory
that is to be revealed to us.
And look at what Paul says in Acts chapter 14,
verses 22 in our text today.
It says,
so we're going to skip down just a little bit,
but it says,
that he was strengthening the souls of the disciples,
encouraging them to continue in the faith,
and saying that through many tribulations,
we must enter the kingdom of God.
And remember,
Paul is saying this to a church
right after he was stoned.
His body,
broken and beaten,
was physically displaying the suffering of Christ,
strengthening the church,
building up the church,
filling up what was lacking in the affliction of Christ
for the sake of the church.
And now some of you may say,
but Caleb,
am I really suffering?
My life is so easy
compared to what we read in the Bible,
what we read about what's happening overseas
in different areas.
And this may be true.
However,
I have to ask you,
are you being faithful
in these so-called smaller sacrifices
and trials for your king?
For if you are not faithful
in these smaller trials and difficulties
that you face in a time of relative ease,
how will you expect to be faithful
in the time of great trial?
And I can't flesh this out for all of you
in your specific context,
but maybe it is
refusing a high-paying job
or promotion
because it would require you to work
when the people of God are gathering.
Or maybe your job requires you
to buffer some numbers,
to be dishonest,
but you remain true.
Maybe it's the daily sacrifice
of waking up
every single Sunday,
getting your kids ready,
and going to church,
training your kids,
when you know,
honestly,
you're probably only going to hear
a few words from the sermon,
but you do it anyways
every single week
because you know
it's good for your soul,
it's good for your kids,
it's good for the church.
Maybe it's opening your mouth
at work
to share the gospel
with a co-worker
or in your neighborhood
with a neighbor
or some friends
who you know
as soon as you open your mouth
to tell them the gospel,
oh,
they're going to label you
as a religious bigot.
But you want them,
you want them to believe,
so you do it anyways.
Maybe it's saying no
to wasting your time
on social media
or watching TV
so that you can be
a more faithful friend,
mom,
dad,
brother,
sister,
neighbor,
church member,
and disciple
to those
who are around you.
I don't know
what your current situation
is like
and what that sacrifice
might be,
but may we all
on these
quote-unquote
smaller trials
be faithful
to our king.
These trials
of various kind
and may they produce
in us
a steadfastness
and may they build up
the church
for his glory.
And after being built up,
we may stand firm
in the days
of great trial.
Praise God
that the suffering
of this present time
are truly not worth
comparing to the glory
that will be revealed to us.
That is part one
of our sermon today.
Part two
is the mission.
And this will be
verses 21 through 28
and I'm going to break
this up into four
brief sub-points
or aims
in order to show
what was
the apostles'
mission
and what was
their strategy
to spread the gospel
to all nations.
And by implication,
what should our strategy
be?
The four aims
of the mission
are reaching
the lost,
teaching the disciples,
planting local churches,
and then we see
Paul returning
to encourage.
And in all of these,
and if you didn't
quite write those down
quite yet,
I will repeat them
as I get there.
But in all of these,
there is an underlying
assumption of preaching
and proclaiming
the word of God.
For how do we reach
the lost?
Well, it's by preaching
the gospel.
How do we teach
the disciples?
Well, it's through
preaching the word,
encouraging each other
in the word.
We plant churches
that stand upon
the word of God
and we return
and encourage others
by telling all
that the gospel
has done.
So the foundation
of those is a
preaching and proclaiming
of the word.
So aim number one,
reaching the lost.
Let's read the first
part of verse 21,
which says,
when they had preached
the gospel to that city
and had made
many disciples.
So what did they do?
They first reached
the lost in that city
through preaching
the gospel
and then making
many disciples,
thus taking part,
the first part
of the Great Commission,
which says,
go therefore
and make disciples
of all nations.
So what was Paul's aim?
To go and preach
and make disciples.
So what should our aim be?
To go and preach
and make disciples.
But Paul doesn't
just end there.
Paul's ambition
was to preach Christ,
not where he had been named,
as he says in Romans 15, 20.
So Paul wanted to go
to the unreached
to preach the gospel there.
But he just,
he doesn't just leave
these disciples alone.
He doesn't just reach them,
but he goes back
and teaches them
as they gather together
as the local church.
And on this U-shaped journey,
Paul was headed back
to the church
that had sent him out.
And if you know a U,
the quickest way back
to the other point of view
is straight across.
And Paul could have
very easily done that.
But instead of doing that,
what he does is
he goes back the long way
and goes back
through the regions
that he had already been.
And why does he do that?
To go back to the regions
where people had just traveled
to stone him.
Why does he do that?
What was for the sake
of the churches there?
For the sake of encouraging
and strengthening the disciples
who had believed.
So aim number two,
teaching the disciples.
Let's read the last part
of verse 21
and then verse 22.
It says,
Then they returned
to Lystra
and to Iconium
and to Antioch,
strengthening the souls
of the disciples,
encouraging them
to continue in the faith,
saying that through
many tribulations
we must enter
the kingdom of God.
So after reaching them,
Paul then goes back
and teaches them.
He strengthens their souls
and encourages them
to continue in the faith,
telling them that
through many tribulations
we must enter
the kingdom of God.
And we don't actually
get a lot of detail
of exactly what Paul said here,
but I can imagine
that it sounded
just like what he told Timothy
in 2 Timothy 3, 10 through 17.
And you will see actually
a lot of overlap
in this passage.
So just listen as I read
2 Timothy 3, 10 through 17.
It says,
You, however,
have followed my teaching,
my conduct,
my aim in life,
my faith,
my patience,
my love,
my steadfastness,
my persecutions
and sufferings
that happened to me
at Antioch,
at Iconium,
and at Lystra,
which persecutions
I endured.
Yet from them all
the Lord rescued me.
Indeed,
all who desire
to live a godly life
in Christ Jesus
will be persecuted.
While evil people
and imposters
will go on
from bad to worse,
deceiving and being deceived,
but as for you,
continue in what you
have learned
and have firmly believed,
knowing from whom
you have learned it
and how from childhood
you have been acquainted
with the sacred writings
which are able
to make you wise
for salvation
through faith
in Christ Jesus.
All scripture
is breathed out
by God
and profitable
for teaching,
for reproof,
for correction,
for training in righteousness
that the man of God
may be complete,
equipped for every
good work.
So how does Paul
encourage Timothy
in this passage?
He teaches him
and reminds him
of the truth
and encourages him
to continue
in what he has learned
and believed.
He also reminds him
that all scripture
is inspired by God
and useful
for building up
the church,
for equipping
the saints.
Paul in Acts 14
encourages the churches
in a very similar way.
He encourages them
in the truth,
by the truth.
He preaches
and teaches them
so that they may
grow in the Lord.
So how are we saved?
Well, it's through
hearing and believing
the preached word of God.
How do we grow?
Well, we grow
by hearing
and believing
the word of God.
And this is the part
of the Great Commission
that says,
teaching them to obey
all that I have commanded you.
It's not just
go and make disciples,
but it's also
to teach them
all that he has commanded.
And this is not just
the job
of pastors,
of missionaries,
of evangelists.
This is the part,
this is also
your job
as a member
of the body of Christ.
To preach,
to reach the lost
around you,
proclaim the gospel
to them
and teach them
what the Lord
has said.
So may we all
be faithful
to open our mouths
to reach the lost
and teach
the disciples.
Aim number three
is planting
churches.
Verse 23 says,
and when they had
appointed elders
for them in every church
with prayer and fasting,
they committed them
to the Lord
in whom they had
believed.
So along with
going back
to teach
the many disciples,
Paul and Barnabas
returned to help
appoint elders
in every church.
Now it doesn't tell us
when these churches
were formed,
but somewhere
from reaching them
to teaching them,
local communities
of believers
were gathering
together regularly
and they are
referred to
as churches
here in our text.
Honestly,
I wouldn't be
surprised if these
disciples naturally
started gathering
together because
they knew that
they needed
one another.
They had been
called from the
community of darkness
into the community
of light,
so why would you
not gather
with the people
of God
to be encouraged
on your heavenly
journey?
It would seem
foolish not to,
but it's a point
that I have to
emphasize
because sadly,
even today,
one of the most
popular missions
methodologies out
there says
that the church
is a hindrance
to the Great
Commission.
That if we would
just skip over
planting churches,
we would be able
to reach the nations
with the gospels
like we would have
done it already.
Churches are messy.
Why would you
slow down
and plant a church
when you can just
focus on making
disciples?
I hope that you
see the folly
in this.
This is not how
the apostles
understood the
Great Commission.
This is not how
we should understand
the Great Commission.
I mean,
imagine if your
building contractor
for your home
had this methodology.
After spending
about $500,000
and giving the
contractor
the house plans,
you get a call
back after three
weeks and he
says,
we're done.
You go,
you're super
excited,
you can't wait to
see your new
home,
and then when you
get there,
you're just shocked.
Not because of how
good it is,
but because of how
bad it is.
You walk in,
the foundation is
poor,
uneven,
the walls are
caving in,
the roof is
incomplete,
the electricity
wasn't stalled
right,
and the plumbing
is a disaster.
You would be
disgusted.
And if we are not
careful,
we can do the same
thing with our
approach to missions.
God has given us
the plan,
and in the plan
we see that he
builds his church
through his church.
And if we skip
over that,
we will be
accountable to the
owner of the
building,
the owner of the
church who has
given us his
building plans in
his word.
So we have seen
that Paul himself
is sent out from
the church at
Antioch,
and then he
returns back to
report to the
church at
Antioch.
And honestly,
guys,
if anybody could
have sent
themselves without
being sent out
from a church,
it could have
been Paul.
But that's not
how God designed
it.
He designed
that he would
be sent out
through a
church.
And he
comes back
and he
reports to
that church.
So Paul also
returns and he
strengthens the
disciples in all
those churches
throughout the
regions where
they had preached
and made many
disciples.
But why does
he do this?
because Paul
knew that the
local church
is the
vehicle which
the gospel
would not
only reach
the nations,
but also
keep the
nations.
And what is
one of God's
appointed means
for growing and
keeping the
church?
You know
what it is?
It's elders.
pastors.
That is
pastors or
shepherds.
Look at verse
23 again.
It says,
And when they
had appointed
elders for
them in every
church with
prayer and
fasting, they
committed them
to the Lord
in whom they
had believed.
This verse
tells us that
they appointed
elders, but
why elders?
Listen as I
read Ephesians
4 verses
11 through
12.
It says,
And he gave
the apostles,
the prophets,
the evangelists,
the shepherds,
and teachers to
equip the
saints for
the work of
ministry, for
building up
the body of
Christ.
So why did
he give
elders?
Well, he
gave them to
make the
church strong,
to equip the
saints.
And notice
that it uses
the word he
gave.
Brothers, if
you are a
part of a
healthy church,
the Lord has
given you a
gift.
It says he
gave.
Elders are a
gift to the
church.
They are there
to help little
seeds, little
saplings grow
into oaks.
And how do
they do this?
We don't have
time to go to
all the places,
but God's word
tells us that
elders equip,
they shepherd,
they care,
they keep
watch, they
teach sound
doctrine, they
rebuke false
doctrine, they
pray for the
church, set an
example for
the church, and
more.
This is why
Paul tells
Titus in
Titus chapter
1 verse 5
that he left
them there in
Crete to put
what remained in
order and what
was not in
order.
What was lacking
in the planning of
those churches?
Well, they
didn't have
elders.
So he leaves
them there to
help appoint
elders.
Church, I hope
you realize the
blessing it is to
have elders who
stand upon the
word of God.
Elders who
love God's
word, preach
God's word,
shepherd with
God's word, and
elders who love
and care for
you.
You may not
agree with all
of their
decisions.
You may not
vibe with their
personality.
You may not
even get along
very well with
them.
However, God
gave them.
They are a
gift.
So may we
praise and
thank God for
the good
gifts that he
has given and
realize that
shepherds are
also sheep.
They also need
you members to
strengthen and
encourage them on
their journey to
the heavenly
kingdom.
May we reflect on
Hebrews 13,
verse 17,
which says,
Obey your
leaders and
submit to them,
for they are
keeping watch
over your
souls as
those who
will have to
give an
account.
Let them do
this with joy
and not with
groaning, for
that would be
of no advantage
to you.
God for that.
Please don't
talk and act
in such a way
that causes
them to groan.
Be a sheep
that is a joy
to shepherd.
And finally,
aim number
four, we
see they're
returning to
encourage.
And I'm
very briefly
going over this
section.
But verse 24
begins,
Then they
passed through
Pisidia and
came to
Pamphylia.
And when they
had spoken the
word in
Perga, they
went down to
Italia.
And from
there they
sailed to
Antioch, where
they had been
commended to
the grace of
God for the
work that they
had fulfilled.
And when they
arrived and
gathered the
church together,
they declared
all that God
had done with
them, and how
he had opened
a door of
faith to the
Gentiles.
And they
remained no
little time with
the disciples.
I think the
best way I can
summarize these
verses is to
say that Paul
and Barnabas
went back
through all the
places they
had been and
came to the
church in
Antioch to
report to that
church who
had sent
them out.
And why do
they report to
this church?
Because this
mission wasn't
just Paul's
mission.
This wasn't
his own
personal mission,
but this was
God's mission
through the
church.
The church
sent them out
to go and
preach the
good news to
these regions,
and they
come back and
report all that
the Lord had
done.
And in that,
the church
would be greatly
encouraged.
And then he
spends no
little time
with the
disciples.
So we
have seen
in today's
text that
God will
build his
church through
his church for
his glory.
And now I
want to end
by answering
the question,
so what?
What does
this truth
mean for my
life?
Well, for
all believers,
it means what
Hebrews 10
verses 24
through 25
says.
It says,
and let us
consider how
to stir up
one another
to love
and good
works,
not neglecting
to meet
together as
is the habit
of some,
but encouraging
one another
and all the
more as you
see the day
drawing near.
Christians,
do you want
to live not
a perfect
life,
but a faithful
one unto
the Lord?
Don't neglect
to gather
with the saints.
Be a member
of a local
gospel preaching
church and
commit yourself
to that church
through thick
and thin.
And I've
seen the trend
too often.
People stop
spending time
in the word
of God.
Then they stop
spending time
with the people
of God.
And they stop
believing that
there is a God.
Don't
neglect
the word
of God
and to gather
with the
church.
For the
church is
God's
instrument
to make
his name
known
in all
the earth.
And if
you're a
teen,
a young
adult,
or a
kid here,
many of
you go to
church right
now because
your mommy
and daddy
make you.
And guess
what?
That's a good
thing.
However,
there will
come a day
where the
choice will
be yours.
And on
that day,
what will
you choose?
My prayer
is that you
will choose
to go to
a good,
healthy church
whenever you
can.
Yes,
this means
that as you
get older
and you're
in college,
maybe you
will miss
out on a
lot of
events or
games or
you'll have
less time
for your
exams,
you'll be
more tired.
But I
promise you
it is
worth it.
Becoming a
member of a
local church
was the
best thing
I ever
did in
college.
If I
could go
back,
I would
do it
again.
I would
just probably
care a
little less
about my
grades so
I could
have more
time with
the church.
Let being
a member
of a gospel
preaching
church drive
the future
decisions that
you make.
If you get
accepted to
an excellent
university,
but there are
no gospel
centered local
churches there,
I beg you
don't go.
Go to the
lesser known
university where
you know there
is a great
gospel preaching
church that
will care for
your soul.
Remember the
words of Mark
chapter 8
verses 36
which says,
for what does
it profit a
man to gain
the whole world
and forfeit
his soul?
And everyone,
I want you to
remember that
when a wolf
attacks a
sheep,
what does it
try to do?
Well, it
tries to
isolate the
sheep.
It tries to
get them
away from
the flock
for when the
sheep are
together by
the shepherd,
there is
much safety.
There's a
level of
protection in
their togetherness.
If you try
to walk
through life
without being
connected to
a local
church,
I want you
to know that
the wolves
are waiting.
They would
love nothing
more than to
see you
separated from
the flock.
And a
warning,
if you are
already a
part of
a local
church
or
considering
joining,
you know
what?
The wolves
would be
fine if
you join,
but never
truly open
yourself up
to that
church.
Never
truly let
anyone else
know your
sin, your
weaknesses,
your failings,
even your
strengths.
Then be
fine, just
don't open
up.
It's a
different form
of isolation.
If you do
that, you
are still in
danger.
Get to
know others
and be
known.
No one's
perfect, so
stop pretending.
So in
summary, as
we've seen
through the
text today,
God is
building his
church through
his church for
his glory.
And may we
all be used
by our
great God
to spread
his glory,
not only here
in this city,
not only in
our state,
not only in
this country,
but to the
ends of the
earth for
the sake of
his glory as
he redeems
and cherishes
his bride.
And may we
never forget
the privilege
and blessing
it is to
be a part
of his
church.
Let's pray.