R1627 The Christian Person

Understanding our identity, who we are as a Christian person. That's today's topic with Dr. Don Wilton on The Encouraging Word. We are on the way to Acts Chapter 9 in just a moment, but Dr. Wilton wants you to know we're here for you, connecting on our website at tewonline.org any time, all day long.

That's tewonline.org. Now, Dr. Don Wilton. Today, I want you to open your Bibles to Acts Chapter 9. I'm about to share with you something that God has put so deeply in my own heart. I'm just sharing this and passing it along.

On the one hand, it seems to be somewhat obvious, simplistic. In fact, the passage that I'm in, you and I have read and heard about probably many times over. But I want to speak to you today about the Christian person. I'm a Christian man. You're a Christian woman. We're Christian people. Now, my beloved people, you and I know something. With all the things that have gone on in our very difficult world, this has been a horrendous world politically, racially, socially, the epidemic.

I mean, there are just so many things. The world has just been rocking. Those of us who love the Lord Jesus Christ, deeply concerned about what's going on politically, we take action. My letter this week to thousands of you, I called upon you and said, you need to think about these things.

I get it. In my mind, probably the most critical thing we're facing right now is the Equality Act, which is anything but the Equality Act because of what it means and how it lines up in terms of scripture, what it presents to us. So I can get onto that bandwagon. I could spend the next hour discussing these very critical things that personally, I think we need to take a stand on these matters. We've got to be active. We've got to engage.

We've got to be salt and light. I'm a Christian man. I'm a Christian person. I want you to listen to this carefully.

I'm not just somebody. When God looks at us, when God looks down upon this land of ours, when he looks down upon those worshiping today, there's neither Jew nor Greek or male nor female. He's not looking at us as men and women and boys and girls. He's looking at us as those who belong to him and those who do not.

Did you get that? That's how God looks at us. When God looks at you, he sees you as one of his children or one that he is praying for that you would become one of his children, but right now you're not. You're either saved or you're lost.

You're either for God or you're against God. That's how God sees you. He doesn't see you as being rich or poor or black or white or male or female. He knows that, but that's not how he looks upon you. This is why Jesus came and died upon the cross, and I am a Christian man.

I am. So what I want to do today is I'm going to read a passage, quite a few verses, and I'm not going to stop because I want us to look at a man. We all know him, Paul the apostle. When we begin reading, Paul was not a believer. When we end this passage, he is, and I want you to note the contrast between Paul before he gave his life to Christ and Paul after he gave his life to Christ. I'm going to read it.

Follow along. Acts chapter nine. Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord and his disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus so that if he found any there who belonged to the way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. And as he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? Who are you, Lord? I'm Jesus whom you're persecuting, he replied.

Get up and go into the city and you'll be told what you must do. The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless. They heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes, he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus and for three days he was blind and did not eat or drink anything. In Damascus, there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called him and said, Ananias, yes, Lord, he answered. And he told him, go to the house of Judas on straight street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight. Lord Ananias answered. I've heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem.

And he has come here with authority from the government to arrest all who call upon your name. But the Lord said to Ananias, go this man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel, I will show him how much he must suffer for my name. Then Ananias went to the house and entered and placing his hands on Saul, he said, brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming has sent me so that you may see and be filled with the Holy Spirit. And immediately something like scales fell from Paul's eyes, Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized.

And after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. And once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God, all those who heard him were astonished and asked, isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among all those who call on his name?

And hasn't he come here to take as prisoners to the chief priests? Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ. After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him, but Saul learned of their plan.

Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall. And when he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him. Not believing that he was really a disciple, but Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him. And now in Damascus, he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus. He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews. They tried to kill him.

And the brothers learned of this. They took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened and encouraged by the Holy Spirit. And it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.

May the Lord write this word upon our hearts. You study the life of this man that God used so much. You know, what's always amazing to me is he was quite a scoundrel. I mean, this guy was a blasphemer. He didn't like Jesus, let alone God. And I mean, he was an antagonist and yet the Lord tells us after he came to know Christ that this is my chosen vessel. Do you know that you're listening today? I don't know who you are, where you are, but you're listening today and you don't know Jesus.

God's got a plan for you. Can you imagine going from being Saul, Paul, being someone who hated God, who was so angry, so just bent out of shape to becoming God's chosen vessel? What? How did that happen? You know, and you study this, how that Paul was going, he was on this journey and he encountered the Lord Jesus and he was dramatically converted and how that, you know, God ordered his steps and the role of Ananias and how he just got up and was baptized and he went to the disciples and learn from them. And then he went back out to the same people who used to be his allies. He went back to the same people who were on his team before, but this time he carried a different demeanor and a different message. He had a different attitude. This time he was not filled with hate, he was filled with hope. He went there with the love of God and he stuck to the message. He didn't get pulled aside.

He didn't get yanked all over the place. He said, man, I'm going to tell people about Jesus because Jesus is the one who makes the difference. You give people the Lord Jesus Christ, everything else falls into place.

I'm telling you something, folks, the White House is not going to change you. Jesus does. The Romans weren't going to change Paul as miserable as they were. Jesus did. Jesus changed him. This is the message.

This is the hope. It begins with Jesus. Everything else falls into place.

You come to church to learn and you go out to be the church. That's where our action takes place because of who we are. That's our determination. That's what we do. That's our citizenry. It comes from the heart of a people who know Jesus and our God is great. He's incredible.

He's amazing and he changes people's lives. There are some people, I'm being honest with you, there's some people in Congress today that just revoked me. They are so left. I keep saying to myself, pray they would meet Jesus more than anything else. Pray they meet Jesus. The Christian person, what can we take away from this? How can we give a portrait of a Christian person? What does a Christian person look like?

Forgive the interruption. We'll be back with the rest of today's message, the Christian person in just a moment, taking a look at that snapshot, that portrait of a Christian person. Well, one of the things that we can do as we grow in our lifestyle of following Christ is to spend time in God's Word every day. If you're not receiving the daily encouraging Word email from Dr. Don Wilton, you're missing out on a great blessing. It's absolutely free, of course, and you can sign up on our website at www.tewonline.org. That's www.tewonline.org. Sign up today and within 48 hours you'll have it in your mailbox every morning about 6 o'clock in the morning with a wonderful insight from Dr. Wilton, a grand opportunity to launch your day in the Word and an opportunity to pray together with all of us in the Encouraging Word family.

That's signing up online at www.tewonline.org today. Now back to today's message, the Christian person with Dr. Don Wilton. Let me give you, let me give you something. Number one, a Christian person encounters, write that word down, encounters. Paul encountered Jesus. That's who a Christian person encounters.

I encountered Jesus. A Christian person, number two, rises. Look what the Bible says in verse six and then again in verse 18. In verse six, Jesus said to him, all right, Paul, you've met me, now rise up, get up.

When you get down to verse 18, he says it again. Immediately, this happened, verse, the middle part, he rose up, he got up. A Christian person is someone by God's help who gets up. My dear brother, Rodney, who followed Jesus in believers baptism, that is a picture of somebody getting up, buried with Jesus in death, get up, raised up. Number three, a Christian person identifies. Anybody like to tell us what did Paul do next? He rose up and he was baptized.

It's an incredible picture. Baptism is not an option for you and me, Christian. Did you hear me? You don't get baptized. Paul was already a Christian. He had already met Jesus. His name was written, but because he met Jesus, he was obedient and followed Jesus in baptism. That's what he did. A Christian person is baptized.

It's your identification. Now that's going to challenge you. Jesus did it. Why would Jesus get baptized? He was God. He didn't need to get baptized for any reason, but he was baptized.

Why? Because everything Jesus did, he showed us what he expects us to do. So if baptism is missing out of your resume, you got to do business with the Lord. This is a Christian person here. Christian person encounters. Christian person rises. A Christian person identifies.

A Christian person associates, associates themselves. The Bible tells us in verse 19, after he got up, rose up, was baptized, what did he do, folks? What did Paul do?

This is a no brainer. What did Paul do? He spent several days with the disciples.

He went back into the heartbeat of the church to the Christian teachers and leaders, the disciple makers. What you're doing today, well done. Is there any parent, one of the biggest struggles, I know because I've got eight grandchildren, folks. One of the biggest struggles we've had, or my sons and daughters have had with their children this year has to do with school. I'm telling you, it's been a tough thing for parents.

I'm so proud of our parents. Home schoolers doing such a great job of homeschooling. Those who are not, who are still part of our great school systems are doing this by, you know what it's like to have kids sit down every day, folks, looking at a computer. And that interactiveness is not there in the learning environment and all those things. Our parents have done a great job.

I don't think you'll find many parents who say, you know what, I know I've got a six year old son, daughter, and I don't care if they ever submit themselves to teachers. You won't find that. Well, this is what God is saying to us here.

A Christian is someone who associates with Christian pastors, teachers, disciple makers, moms and dads spiritually. That's what I'm doing right now. I'm just one of them.

You're allowing me the privilege of just sharing with you. Don't ever get too old for that. Submit yourself to that. Be in that life group, that discipleship group.

You know that word associates, I could associate. A Christian person associates, allies and aligns themselves with disciples. Number five, a Christian person focuses.

This is a tough one. Verse 20. I love verse 20. At once he began to preach in the synagogues. What did he preach? That Jesus is the son of God.

That's focused. A Christian person focuses, focuses. He told them about Jesus. Preached the word of God. Shed Jesus. Open the Bible. Shed Jesus. Jesus, look at the Bible. Let's hear what God has to say. Let's rally around God's word.

That's a jolly discipline for somebody like me. Number six, a Christian person displays, displays. Displays what? Their life for everybody to see. You're a walking billboard.

Did you know that? You're a walking billboard. Every time you turn around here, both those who were for him and those who were against him because of his message of Jesus, they all saw him. They didn't just see him when he went to be with the disciples. He was out there. He was a display cabinet. He was a billboard.

Do people out there see you on display as much as you are in here? Number seven, the Christian person encounters. Look at verse 23.

After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him. Christian people encounter opposition. Christian people encounter opposition.

If you rise and are baptized and associate with Christian people and submit and you focus on Jesus and you're a walking display and people see your life, you're going to have somebody not like it. Do you hear me? Do you really think I don't get letters? Not a lot. Not a lot. I tell you folks, I can show you some stuff that would make you weep.

Direct it to me. I'm not standing up here wailing away. How can you say this and who do you think you are? You can say all you want to about God but this day and age you need to know something. Hello, Christian person.

Paul, everywhere he went, he found none of us match up to what he faced but Christian people encounter opposition. You need to teach your sons and daughters who are coming to know Christ that life is not just going to be plain sailing as a Christian. Teach your kids that. Don't threat, teach them the reality.

Tell them what it means to follow Jesus. Listen, do you know who these people were? They were the very same people who supported him before he came to know Jesus. These were the ones who gave him permission, who got alongside. These are the ones who invited him into their inner circle.

These were the ones who made him Mr. Popular everywhere he went. He was in with this crowd, gave his life to Christ, they wanted to kill him. Christian the Christian person, number eight, contributes. Contributes. Contributes what?

Well the Bible tells us in verse 31. I love verse 31. Contributes peace, contributes strength, contributes encouragement. We called our national television ministry the encouraging word. That's why.

That's why. Because this is in, folks, everything about the gospel is encouraging. It's joy, it's peace, it's love, it's long suffering, it's forgiveness, it's newness, it's change, it's hope, it's reconciliation.

Everything about it, it contributes. That's a Christian person so I'm just picking on me today because I've got the microphone. Can you imagine if I got up here this morning and said, well folks, let me tell you what I'm going to tell you today. I mean that thing that happened on Monday, that is pitiful. We're going to have a sign up list over here and I'm going to tell you this and I want you to know that and down this and down that. What kind of Christian man am I?

You don't think we get enough of that out there? One more, the Christian person reaps, reaps, reaps, reaps. They grew in numbers and they lived in the fear of the Lord.

They grew in numbers and he reaps. The Christian man, the Christian woman reaps. When you are a Christian parent, you're going to reap it out of your home. You're going to see it in the lives of your kids and your family. You're going to reap. You're going to see it in your church. You're going to reap. You're going to reap spiritual growth and the fear of the Lord and the fear of the Lord there is not, ah God, the fear of the Lord is an awe and a respect and a love. Oh God, you are my God and you would love me like this. You made me, you made the world, you gave me Jesus and I'm forgiven of my sin.

Just figure that out. Wow. Indeed.

Wow. I pray that as you've been studying along with us in Acts chapter nine today with Dr. Don Wilton, you've heard not just the great teaching of Dr. Wilton, but the gentle still small voice of the Lord saying he loves you and he's ready to receive you, to draw you close to him, maybe draw you back to him. You've heard Dr. Wilton teach, but before we get away, I pray you'd hear Don as he comes into the studio and just shares from his heart. Are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ? Why don't you pray this prayer with me right now? Dear God, I know that I'm a sinner and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross. Today, I repent of my sin and by faith I receive you into my heart in Jesus name. My friend, I welcome you today into the family of God.

This is exciting news. If you just gave your life to Jesus Christ, praying along with Dr. Wilton moments ago, maybe you rededicated your life to Christ. Dr. Wilton has wonderful resources he wants you to have right now. If you'll pick up the phone and call and ask for them at 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673. Dr. Don would also like to pray with you and for you. We would like to do that at the other end of that phone number, 866-899-9673. Would you share with us what God's doing in your life? You can do that on our website as well at TEWONLINE.ORG.

That's TEWONLINE.ORG. We'd love to hear your story, hear how God's working your life, and we have resources that we believe would encourage you. One of those is the brand new book coming out with Dr. Don Wilton's memories called Saturdays with Billy about Dr. Billy Graham. On our new website, you can reserve a copy of Dr. Wilton's brand new book, Saturdays with Billy. In Saturdays with Billy, Pastor Don shares heartwarming stories of his times with Mr. Graham. Just as Billy's words change Don's life, they can change our lives today.

A testament to a man who leaned on God's grace into eternity. Discover their powerful friendship at TEWONLINE.ORG. We are so excited about that book.

There are also other resources. One that has just been overwhelmingly successful is a book called The Loneliness Solution by Jack Eason, good friend of Dr. Don's. We'd love to make that available to you as well on our website at TEWONLINE.ORG. And while you're there, follow us on our social media. You love following Dr. Don. His insight and encouragement is wonderful every day. But also sign up for the daily encouraging word email. It's right there at TEWONLINE.ORG. We hope you'll drop by and visit our website today.