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December 17, 2019 8:00 am
God has an encouraging word for you and me today to the Bible-based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton in a message on the witnessing church is so good to welcome you. This time a Bible study Dr. Don Wilton as we get ready to get started you want. You know we're here for you. One of the great joys of this ministry.
The reason we are called The Encouraging Word's.
We believe God is ready to encourage you today. No matter whether you're in that mountaintop or Valley situation and especially here in the holidays like to speak with someone like to pray with someone whether it's right now or anytime day or night.
Our phone number is easy to remember. It's 866899 word like the digits to jot down your story or seller easy to remember as well. 866-899-9673 just know we are here for you and online as well. TW online.org and now Dr. Don Wilton day God is going to speak your heart, not just seeing I want you to open your Bibles to the book of acts chapter 6 women wearing several passages but I'm going to just use one verse to start everything off to because we're trying to figure out what it is that we need to be like and black as Christian people as a church yard, First Baptist Church in the 11th hour in which we live.
I'm I don't need to spend hardly any time today trying to convince us that that we are living yes in a beautiful world in a gripe will we we so blessed. Families, homes and claim your food and and and all the things that go the blessings of life we living in a rapidly changing and a increasingly very challenging world, and especially as Christians. And you know what I love you going to be squeezed in full.
I want to squeeze the life out of your Christian faith is on the sea, and this is just the beginning.
It's going to get worse. You are going to face you get a FISA on campus in that shop when you play golf, I mean does matter what you do at work. This squeeze is on for Christianity, and in this country. So the question that that we go to Oscar ourselves is, how then should we live what we need look like and by the way, what about the church because the church is not going to become more popular. It's going to become increasingly unpopular as like that already.
I guarantee you can walk out again today. It will boggle your mind to see how many people are not in church on the Lord's day I'll guarantee and this is going to increase more people going to say will you know what relevancy does the church have.
I don't see any need. So you know when I look at things like that and I am and I say to myself, Lord, what would you say to me, and yet we've got in the Bible, God's blueprint. This is the way God intended for us to be. So I want to speak to you today on the witness of the church or the witnessing church and basically essentially I'm going to be all asking the question, what does this church need to so Karen acts chapter 6.
Let me read you one verse just put this in context. Chapter 6 and verse seven is what the Bible says.
The Bible says and the word of God continued to increase.
What I we got out we is going to take rocket science. You want to go do the research.
This statement is that the word of God grew and increased and these folks you were living in a day and age that was just like ours, not the same modern-day amenities like something obviously I let motor cars to drive. I'm telling you they faced some very, very challenging times Bible court in the crossfire and in the middle of all of this, the word of God continued to increase but something else happened.
The number of disciples multiplied by the way, that's those who came to know Christ.
The numbers of people who came to know Christ multiplied that a great statement that's in the middle of all the challenges and then thirdly and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. By the way, you might be bothered by the wood priest, it's just a theological term and it speaks about all believers because all believers are priests of God and of Christ, we are all servants of God. When you give your life to Christ, you become a servant. That's what a priest does he so so if you today would say that you know and love Jesus Christ, you given your heart to him. Yes, first of all, your disciple by virtue of that fact because you cannot come to live unless you put your faith in you willing to follow him. A disciple is a follower of Christ. But then those who know and claim to know Christ. The Bible says they became obedient which implies that there were a lot of people who said they were Christians but who would not being obedient to the Lord.
So let me use just a little illustration may talk about children for second as we can all live it if you got children. If you are child or young person got any pot. If you no longer one. You know what I'm talking about all of us.
You can be a son or daughter. And you know that that's your mother, and that your father oh yes, that's mother father.
This is my family that's my brother, my sister, my mother, my father and as the child grows up what you suppose is one of the greatest challenges that I growing up in a family is. I growing up child is very simple is that that child would listen and be obedient to the wise counsel of his or her parents. So let's just let's just put it out on the table here. What happens when a child is not obedient to his or her parents. Well, I don't have time to talk about number one you can get run over by the traffic. Why do you think mothers walk up in traffic and say hold my hand though, you can't go. We had to walk across to give why sunset trounces my mother know about Trevor Dodgers walk across it when I see fit.
Hello, call, meet Sunil daughter not good but it gets even more than that if we were to get the teenage years, and I don't know whether I really want to go. That's the hardest time full between ages and teenagers to continue to heed the counsel of their and the more you do not obey or heed the counsel, the more likely it is that you could end up hurting yourself in so many different ways. My son, if only you had listened to what I had saved all right believers, all of you have given your lives to Christ.
This is what he's talking about. Yet in the middle of this challenge. Something happen all right. The word of God increased number two number of disciples. The people came to know Christ multiplied in Jerusalem and in Spartanburg and Judea, and in all parts of the world. Number three all those who said that they were followers of Jesus Christ became what's the word obedient to the faith they actually got to the point at which they said you know something God's court. Only my very best in my God doesn't want anything less than the very best for me and he's my heavenly father and I'm gonna not only seeking him. I'm not asking but I'm going to do what he tells me to start right in the New Testament.
Something happened in the midst of all the challenges, asking myself the question some of you might say to me today will foster this just negative stuff that's not a minute give you the facts I want to tell you it's not going to become easier to be a Christian in today's world is not going to be easy to stand up for Christ on your campus and in your workplace and in the country club and out there on the street and in your home church is not going to become more popular.
It's going to become less popular and we could go on and on and on. Everything strange, like trying to redefine marriage. There's a massive movement out there that says what about men and women. Let's just new to both of them. We are being changed by trying to change us into a bunch of its God didn't mean that he created viral and female got know God didn't do that. It doesn't matter. You don't need a father figure anymore in the home. Everything's been turned around so I guess the bottom line, I lost myself the question about the witnessing church. So what I want to show you today will be a brief use five foundations that we find yet in these next couple of chapter what was it about this church in these very difficult circumstances that caused the word of God to continue to increase the numbers of people coming know Christ to grow exponentially and for more and more believers to get to the point at which they say you know what, I'm not going to follow the Lord I'm going to obey and do what he tells me to. He's going to be the one I like. They all five foundations number one proven leadership you want to talk about leadership. Let's talk about leadership just from proven leadership. That's the first foundation of the church in the early church in their circumstances. Proven spiritual leadership that the first seven verses of acts chapter 6 is about leadership Bible says many things were happening in the church people are coming to know Christ.
There were people are being neglected because they were so many of them it was a happening place and so God said why don't you look around and notice the numbers of proven spiritual leaders in the church single them out and then let them lead's ongoing Oscar question here today.
Where do you fit into that part of what I want to do with my life is devote the days and months and year of my life in raising up spiritual leaders and some of you are sitting right here.
All right, time for me to brag okay let me just read them again with your eye. I'm sorry but I brag about our church, everywhere I go I can't help it and I don't care if someone comes up that you bragging about first Baptist Spartanburg site all right.
I'm proud I'm in the right way. I'm proud I'm very grateful for you. I really am just telling and I have people lost me literally around the country. I have people cost me a lot. Don, what is the secret what's going on at first Baptist. First of all, I point out to them when not anywhere where we need to be not perfect.
We got such a long way to go.
It's going to take the next thousand years to get there and all the other things with.
But I will tell you it doesn't take me long to start talking to them about the massive numbers of leaders in this church spiritual leaders. You can lead a football team, you can lead a classroom setting.
You can lead in many different ways but spiritual leadership is a mark of distinction God saves so what do spiritual leaders do well again requires another book to be written right spiritual leaders promote unity every time I hear in the secular world, someone get on a platform fostering disunity. I say I don't need that person in my life and I really don't need them in the White House either in the church in the church spiritual leaders promote unity, you will never hear spiritual leaders promoting the vision churches food with people like that. Number two, church leaders foster protection. You don't leaders do leaders provide protection, especially for the most vulnerable. That's what leaders do. Okay so who are the most vulnerable in our church.
Let's start with our little babies start without children think about our students think about our senior adults. You know how vulnerable our senior adults are thought how vulnerable widows are spiritual leaders protect us, beginning with the most vulnerable. But you don't spiritual leaders also do like point us in the right direction.
So everybody watch watch this for a minute. This is the first of the foundation of this church in the middle of a challenging world proven spiritual leadership.
So I just want to say thank you. I'm tight. We've got men and women in this church, young and old who are remarkable leaders. That's the church you belong to, but I'm not satisfied. We need more standup be counted. Help us to identify you.
We need men and women in this church you literally stand up and not challenging world) in the heartbeat of God's place right here at first Baptist inside. I want you to know you can count on me. I just want to thank number two. Good news, proclamation, by the way in the Bible in the book of acts. One of those leaders. His name was Steve and the whole of chapter 7 is this guy Stephen sharing the good news about God's grace and his salvation and his deliverance right in the middle of these challenging will I remember these guys were a bunch of unhappy dudes to tell you what happened to Stephen just a minute but it didn't stop him from sharing the good news. So what's the second sound I want to be doing chapter 7 is too long for me to get to grips with in one little tot like us but he told them going back to the beginning of the call of Abraham. He spoke about Egypt. He spoke about Moses spoke about Joseph.
He spoke about God's deliverance that God's faithfulness. He spoke about the fact that you can count on God.
God's always got to be that despite ourselves each day to them.
He put on them. The good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So what is that say to me what that sign you and to me it out.
Diane legs we might be facing everything you can guess the first two foundational truths number one let's keep raising up proven spiritual leaders. Leaders matter in God's economy, to let's keep proclaiming the good news people need to hear the good folks, good news, proclamation, talk about Jesus in the context of a person's life because everything about Jesus has to do with every person's life and your life matters in God's economy. God is not a generic God. He's not a God, he's everybody's God and he gave us Jesus Christ, so that you and when we repent of our sin and by faith put our faith and not trusting him.
He comes into our hearts and in our lives. He is the good news. That's what they do. But there was 1/3 foundation on that is amazing testimony. Did you see what happened. John going over to chapter 6 and verse 54. Let me show you what happened to Stephen proven leadership good news proclamation bound amazing testimony. Verse 54 chapter 7 now when they heard these things, they were in right they ground their teeth at him, but he full of the Holy Spirit, gazing to him and so the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and he said, behold, I see the heavens open the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God, but they cried out with a loud voice, and they stop the years and they rush together at him and they cost them out of the city and they stoned him and the witnesses laid down the garments of the feet of a young man named Saul and as they was stoning Stephen as he was dying.
Stephen called out Lord Jesus, receive my spirit and falling to his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, Lord Jesus.
Do not hold this sin against them and when he had said this, he fell asleep. What a beautiful statement about DF in the life of a believer. Yes, the third foundation of the early church amazing testimony this room is full of amazing testimony unchanged message when you get to chapter 8 and following. You know you excuse me. Excuse me, they murdered Stephen. This man stood up.
He told them the gospel he shaped good news. You know what he got for it. They took him outside the city and they started.
By the way I had been there but again I don't know but I'm sure somebody would've got up in the Congress or lease software update Iron Age and said listen, let's just stop talking about all this Christian stuff.
Let's cut out the good news. Let's not mention good news anymore. Let's talk about good things like how to put yourself toward yourself or how to be a better person or how much money to leave your dog when you die at the SPCA. Let's just let's close this thing up. Let's stop. Let's not do it know their message was on track. Something happened right here in the New Testament. Proven leadership good news proclamation amazing displays unchanged. Message like The man. It was about the main thing so I'll close with this one transformed lives. When you get to chapter H of this final chapter, the Bible tells us that they were labs that would change Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. The guy comes up and rides on chariot for crying in the bucket and comes to know Jesus. How many people who take a drive in your motorcar come to know Jesus.
How many people that sit next to you come to know Jesus came to know the Lord Jesus transformed lives in our love Sam Davis all of us know Sam this morning and our prayer time early this morning we would torment things and Sam leads get together on Sunday mornings for prayer just started telling us about his own story and and you know Sam grew up in Greer just down the road and just spontaneously he said you know when I was a little boy you could walked into my home and there was a plan on a stool in the kitchen table and listen. The other thing he said. Sam Davis stated he said I'll never forget my daddy his father whom he loved so much going to be with the Lord said I'll never forget Sam said when my daddy took me right. Near the counter and leave me to the Lord Jesus Christ. He was about eight years of age. I thought to myself, you know also like to hear about the jailbreaks on the recovering alcoholics and the other the commas and the murders and all restaurant would demand that is just something so beautiful about that story.
Sam Davis gave his heart to Jesus. So I want to close by telling you something I want to listen to this you will know that how does that translate here at First Baptist Church.
We are the church where everyone can invite anyone to come to first Baptist to encounter the living one. Let's start with everyone.
We are the church where everyone can invite if you everyone today, would you raise your hand. I am if you want to for me, just call me everyone. Everyone I want you to know that you are a part of a very unique church. You are I want you know that you are part of a church like us where we believe because what the Bible teaches that everyone who knows Christ is engaged in engaging in the activity of inviting.
Can you imagine if every one of the priests that I'm looking at right now who were obedient to the Lord if every one of us here today invited one person to come to church with you next Sunday what he suppose might happen. So that's first phone everyone can invite. What's the next one. Anyone all right. I'm not at all ask you to shout out now. But how do you define anyone accepting by the definition of anyone.
What is that mean means anyone any further questions.
People lost me all the time. I will say to me, is this person welcome at First Baptist Church. Yes, anyone with an earring without nearing with a tattoo without attaching red, yellow, black or white people all people younger people little people. People people wealthy people not so wealthy people.
People with jobs.
People without jobs strike people gave people people who been imprisoned people to prison. People being convicted being convicted up and people like we are the judge what everyone can invite said by the way, this is not a century for site I just thought I'd get that out your so if you think the person next to you is not quite as perfect as you think they need to be well done because I'm glad that they have because they are showing how imperfect you are. Anyone is invited to come with one purpose encounter the living one. Let me tell you why. Everything points to Jesus.
I just want to make this clear because you know you're in a church where everything is relevant it's relevant that the light saw that that's up there that we got to Josh's there with the camera appreciated so much that we got this that we got that about this it already relevant that on this race that that's rail of these only one thing that mansions Jesus Christ. Are you ready to give you life crime. Why don't you pray, pray with you on. I know that I do not know that Jesus died day I came to faith. See Jesus number again is 866899 Word 866-899-9673 or online at tewonline.org G