Episode Transcript
[00:00:10] A joy to be with you. To be with you today really is.
[00:00:16] So I'm Heath Mitchell.
[00:00:19] I am a man, a servant, a servant of Christ on a journey with him.
[00:00:26] Man in over my heads, just enjoying all that it is to be in Christ Jesus.
[00:00:33] I have the privilege of serving your church as Director of Missions for the Baptist Missionary association of Texas.
[00:00:41] I've been in that role for 10 years now.
[00:00:44] Pretty unbelievable.
[00:00:47] And it's an exciting place to be because just like from your seed and your journey with Christ, we just get to see God at work all the time right now. Supporting 22 mission points around the state of Texas.
[00:01:04] Had the honor of supporting your church and watching the miracle of your church develop right here.
[00:01:11] But getting to see that happen all over the state. An exciting day tomorrow, actually. The Holcomb family are getting to come and join. I think we've got 108 gathering in Galveston tomorrow for our annual missionary retreat.
[00:01:30] And so that's a lot of fun. But to add to that fun, your church is one of the churches that finished this year that'll be celebrated at that gathering. And pray for Brother Brad. He'll be speaking. He'll be speaking and encouraging the other missionaries tomorrow night.
[00:01:49] Tomorrow night at that retreat.
[00:01:54] God is good to the BMA of Texas. It's our 125th birthday, and it's an exciting season. We've just. He's really been working this last year.
[00:02:09] You contribute to us, and I want you to know that we just came through audits, and again this year, 90% of giving to Texas missions went directly to missionary care. So we operate 10% administratively and try to be really good stewards of what you give. The Lord has amplified that, and we've been able to help so many, at times more than we are right now. And so we really do pray that the Lord will open more doors.
[00:02:41] Our mission statement, our mission statement that we walk with and try to live into is equipping missionaries, providing for their care.
[00:02:53] Probably in most, just in reference to 3 John, where Gaius is commended to send Christians forth, to send them forth well cared for so that they can know nothing but Christ Jesus and take nothing from the Gentiles.
[00:03:15] And that is our heart is to care and support whales. So equipping missionaries who follow Christ.
[00:03:24] Our organization tries to be very careful that though there are patterns out there and there are methods that are good, we try to stay away from those things and stick only to biblical principles so that we can walk with a missionary who really seeks to walk with Christ Jesus and take his Instruction from him.
[00:03:45] And so that's our heart who follow Christ in building missional churches. And we define that as gospel sharing, disciple making, leader, equipping churches that send people out with the gospel of Jesus Christ with the support and intimate involvement of local BMA churches, so part of the BMA family.
[00:04:11] And so that's a little bit of who we are, I'll say, in following Christ. One thing we very much believe as Baptists is just in the uniqueness and diversity of the churches of Christ.
[00:04:29] To be Baptist means that Jesus Christ is the head of the church, right?
[00:04:33] And to be Baptist means that we have a high regard for local church, local church autonomy. And the result of that is that these local churches that are the instrument of God in a unique situation tend to be so different from one another. Any of you ever been in a church other than this one?
[00:04:53] Any of you?
[00:04:54] Then you know, no two Baptist churches are alike, are they?
[00:04:58] And that's by God's design. And so, man, I was reflecting while ago and telling one of you, last Sunday I was in a predominantly African American BMA church. The Sunday before that I was in a Spanish speaking BMA church. And today I get to be in South Fort Worth with one of the more youthful churches, one of the younger churches that.
[00:05:27] I just love that about you guys.
[00:05:29] But God does unique things to bring glory to himself. As a matter of fact, patterns don't bring glory to Christ. You recognize that he brings glory to himself by doing something that only God can do that points straight to him and to no one else or their method or their pattern.
[00:05:48] So we are in Acts chapter four.
[00:05:54] This passage is.
[00:05:56] This passage to me is so exciting and just really jumps off the page in the life of the early church. So the church has just formed and in Acts chapter two, we hear about the patterns and the behaviors that they're involved in. And then we get to Acts chapter three and we get this major event in the life of Peter and John. They're heading to the temple. And on their way to the temple, they walk up to a man born blind. Been blind since birth. He's over 40 years old.
[00:06:28] God prompts Peter and God miraculously heals this man.
[00:06:35] And of course, when he does, I mean, just it becomes a buzz, a crowd gathers, and Peter preaches a bold proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
[00:06:47] Man. In the life of these early believers, the gospel was everything.
[00:06:52] I appreciate that about Redemption Hill Church. The gospel is everything, right?
[00:06:57] And so Peter gets in front of this crowd, a lot of the people in this crowd are the same ones who probably yelled, crucify him, recognize that. And he proclaims the gospel. That Jesus the son of God, died and paid the price for their sins, took their sins upon himself, paid that price, died that sacrificial death was buried, rose victorious over sin. And death to many witnesses is now at the Father's right hand victorious.
[00:07:30] And all that that means, all that that means for him. And so he's proclaimed that truth.
[00:07:36] And many, many believe that truth. Many accept Jesus Christ as Savior on this day. And then we immediately move into chapter four. And what happens next?
[00:07:50] Peter and John are arrested.
[00:07:52] They're arrested.
[00:07:54] This had to feel familiar.
[00:07:57] Jesus had been arrested not long before, right in the same city by a lot of the same people.
[00:08:03] And so Peter and John are marched before the Jewish leaders and they're told to give an answer for themself. And so what does Peter do? But he proclaims the gospel again.
[00:08:18] He shares it again.
[00:08:20] Verse 13 says, when they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus.
[00:08:35] I love that statement, boy. I hope no other credential, no other title, no amount of education, nothing else.
[00:08:44] I hope that for myself and for each of you that when someone is in our presence, that's what they recognize they've been with Jesus.
[00:08:54] What a high statement here.
[00:08:58] And so this Supreme Court, this High court that rules over the Jewish people, declared to Peter and John that they were never to speak in the name of Jesus again.
[00:09:16] Verse 19. Peter and John answered whether it is right in the sight of God for us to listen to you rather than God.
[00:09:24] You decide. For we are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.
[00:09:30] So it goes on to say, after threatening them, they found no way to punish them.
[00:09:38] And because the people were all giving glory to God over what had been done.
[00:09:43] And so they let them go.
[00:09:45] They let them go with a stern warning that, you better stop it.
[00:09:49] You better stop it. I want you to recognize the magnitude of that warning they have.
[00:09:59] This is the very council that sought Jesus crucifixion for blasphemy that the Scriptures said began to try to get Jesus out of the way, look for ways to get to get rid of him.
[00:10:15] And so we come to verse 23.
[00:10:19] Unbelievable highs as they are just faithfully serving the Lord, focused on the gospel of Jesus Christ, sharing him boldly and publicly, and seeing God just work the miraculous. The only miracle in this passage recognizes not the Healing of this blind man.
[00:10:37] That was an evidence sign that God was speaking, that God was present, that he was very real with them. It drew the crowd. The other miracle is the salvation of souls. Many souls on that day, they are on an unbelievable high, followed by arrest, an overnight stay in jail, a trial in which they were thoroughly threatened. And they knew it to be true.
[00:11:08] Jesus had already declared to them. He'd already revealed to them that they were going to give their life for the gospel. They knew that.
[00:11:17] I just want us to recognize it was worth it to them.
[00:11:20] It was worth it to them.
[00:11:23] They like Paul, who said that everything else in my life, all my credentials, all of the things I've done, they're rubbish compared to Christ Jesus and knowing him and being found in him.
[00:11:38] And so that is their heart. But I want you to see what they did next because I think this is so powerful for us. How do we walk in this journey of suffering and sacrifice and victories and high moments?
[00:11:52] How do we walk that well? How did they walk it?
[00:11:56] Verse 23.
[00:11:58] The first thing that we see here is that they gathered. What did they do first thing in verse 23, they immediately went back to their people. Who were their people?
[00:12:14] It was the body of believers.
[00:12:17] They gathered back, they assembled back with their people as soon as they were released.
[00:12:25] I want to say this is not human tendency. This is not what a lot of people do. This is not the American way. What do we do under stress?
[00:12:35] We isolate. Right.
[00:12:38] What do we do under hardship? What do we do when we're feeling overwhelmed?
[00:12:44] Well, that's when we do what we tend to do anyway most naturally, and that is pull away, pull inward and isolate all the more. But that was not the examples of Peter and John. The first thing they did when they got out of this situation is they gathered back with the body of. Of believers. But the next thing they did is equally important beside it, because it's not enough just to come in beside other believers. The next thing that they do here it says that they reported everything that the chief priests and elders had said to them.
[00:13:28] What have they done here?
[00:13:31] They've now gone and they've shared their the burden. They've shared with other believers what has happened and what is true. Now recognize their leaders first of all. And you might think this what might make them tend more to want to get back with the believers and tell them what's going on. Well, see, this wasn't a popular message they're bringing back. This wasn't a message that was exactly going to excite the church. And I mean, this was not a.
[00:14:00] This was not a church growth message for sure that they were bringing back. Hey, listen, good news. We have been threatened that if we don't stop talking about Jesus here in Jerusalem, then death and persecution is coming our way.
[00:14:17] It was. I mean, it was just that certain. I mean, what do we read about shortly farther in the book of Acts? Timothy being stoned to death and persecution breaking out to a level that the church is scattered in the near future.
[00:14:33] So what do they do?
[00:14:35] What do they do here? But they gather and they share.
[00:14:39] This is so important.
[00:14:43] In 1 Peter 2, 9, 10, Peter says, you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. And I don't want you to miss this. A people for his own possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you're God's people.
[00:15:08] Once you were not a people, but now you're God's people. You see, God gave you. That passage goes on to say, you once did not have mercy, but now you have mercy. You see, we've been given two amazing things as we walk this journey with Christ Jesus. The mercy and the grace of God, our redemption, and a people.
[00:15:29] A people. Look around this room.
[00:15:33] Would this be the people you did life with apart from Christ Jesus? Probably not, right?
[00:15:38] I mean, we look across this room and, you know, there's man, there's different backgrounds, different stories, different values, different.
[00:15:47] You know what I mean?
[00:15:49] You know, apart from Christ, you know, maybe some affinity, friendships, family.
[00:15:55] I'll bet you for many of you, the relationships in this room are deeper than family relationships. Am I right?
[00:16:03] Am I right?
[00:16:05] It's that way for me. I have journeyed with believers in my life who have mourned with me and celebrated with me and walk beside me in a way that has just. I mean, we're family.
[00:16:19] We're family. And that's what Peter is revealing to a church on the other side of the struggle is that, remember, God didn't leave you alone. You have a people. And in this moment, they're leaning into that.
[00:16:32] They're leaning into that because they gathered and then they shared their burdens.
[00:16:36] In Galatians 6, 2, 3, it says, carry one another's burdens.
[00:16:42] In this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.
[00:16:46] For if anyone considers himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
[00:16:52] What a reminder there, Paul.
[00:16:54] If anyone considers himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself Church. I just want to give you that little reminder today.
[00:17:02] That's you.
[00:17:04] If you happen to consider yourself to be something, the truth is you're deceived. You're deceived.
[00:17:13] There is nothing of value in us apart from Christ Jesus.
[00:17:17] We walk in Christ Jesus.
[00:17:21] We walk in Christ Jesus.
[00:17:25] The thing that is within us, that is so valuable is Him. And so Paul's instructions here, with a reminder that that we on our own are nothing, is that we should carry one another's burdens.
[00:17:40] You see, what Peter and John do here was right. What did they do? They brought their burdens and they shared them with their Christian family so that they could walk them together in Christ Jesus. That's what they do.
[00:17:54] That's what they do. And I share that with you today because that's what we should do.
[00:17:59] That's what we do.
[00:18:01] And so we'll move on forward. What's the next thing they did? Look at verse 24.
[00:18:05] Together they began to pray.
[00:18:09] Verse 24 says, when they heard this, they raised their voices together to God and said, how did their prayer begin?
[00:18:17] Master, what does that word mean?
[00:18:20] Master, ruler, king.
[00:18:26] Who's in charge of their life and their situation?
[00:18:30] God.
[00:18:31] Master, I love that you are the one who made the heavens, the earth and the sea and everything in them.
[00:18:43] They're reminding themselves in this moment that God is overall his power above all. He is absolutely in control.
[00:18:55] Absolutely in control.
[00:18:57] What a powerful practice in the midst of a hardship or in the midst of a high, both can be dangerous for us to remember together that God is in charge and that God is in control.
[00:19:14] God is in control.
[00:19:18] I love that they go on in verse 25 and 26 to quote scripture together. The next thing they're going to do here is they're going to remember what the Word of God says in relation to their situation.
[00:19:35] So in verse 25 and 26, it says, why do the Gentiles rage and the people plot futile things? The kings of the earth take their standards and the rulers assemble together against the Lord and against the Messiah.
[00:19:51] What are they doing there? But they're quoting Psalms chapter 2, verses 1 and 2.
[00:20:00] They're reminded of a passage of Old Testament Scripture from the Psalms that highlights, man schemes, man tries to. But they've just already acknowledged that God is in control.
[00:20:15] God is in control.
[00:20:18] I love that.
[00:20:19] How do we apply that? What do they do here? They go to the Word of God for both answers, for encouragement and for comfort.
[00:20:30] What is the next thing they do in verse 27 and 28. They acknowledge something very important for you and I.
[00:20:39] For in fact the city, both Herod and Pontius Pilate and the Gentiles and the people of Israel assembled together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. Again pointing to God to do whatever. Look at this. Your hand and your will had predestined to take place.
[00:21:01] Get this.
[00:21:02] In Jerusalem, just like in this passage, men conspired, but they did not thwart God's plan, they did not thwart God's will.
[00:21:13] And they acknowledge right here in verse 28, they did what your hand and your will had predetermined to take place.
[00:21:23] How about that?
[00:21:24] Again, this reminder again in reference to the Scriptures, that what I see in the Scripture is the same thing I see going on in front of me. And my answer to that is, God is in control.
[00:21:37] God is in control.
[00:21:41] Verse.
[00:21:44] The other thing I think that they're pointing out here is, and we don't want to miss this because it's true for us is that suffering is expected.
[00:21:55] Suffering is expected.
[00:21:58] First Peter 4:12 says, Dear friends, don't be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you as if something unusual were happening to you.
[00:22:13] John 16:33 says, I have told you these things so that in me you might have peace.
[00:22:19] You will have suffering in this world.
[00:22:23] Be courageous. I have conquered the world.
[00:22:28] 2 Timothy 3:12. In fact, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
[00:22:39] You instinctively know this. You know it. It's clear in the Scriptures that in this life the Christian will suffer. And Jesus himself in Luke 9:23 said, if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me.
[00:23:00] Suffering is the expectation. And we know it because if we look back on our life, it's behind us, right?
[00:23:07] But even then, the Christian, somehow in delusion, never expects it. In front of them.
[00:23:17] We think that we have overcome everything this life will have for us.
[00:23:22] But truth, Christian is no there'll be struggle, there'll be tests, and there'll be suffering, not just behind you, but in front of you.
[00:23:30] As a matter of fact, if you walk with Christ Jesus and you make the gospel, your everything, it's going to get rejected painfully. You're going to be persecuted.
[00:23:42] And so they're acknowledging this.
[00:23:47] I'll tell you that God doesn't waste a thing.
[00:23:50] I have known suffering in my life.
[00:23:53] I have.
[00:23:54] I have walked some 20, 25 has been a tough year.
[00:23:59] Both my wife got diagnosed with a terminal dementia and my youngest current Grandchild, I got a new one born next month. But my youngest current grandchild, who's right now 16 months, finished chemo this month.
[00:24:15] It's been a tough 20, 25, just on the home front.
[00:24:19] Struggle, struggle.
[00:24:23] But God has been good.
[00:24:25] God has been good.
[00:24:26] And here's something I know I've learned across my life.
[00:24:31] I would be no of no kingdom good without the struggle.
[00:24:38] I wonder if you could acknowledge that, because I've seen it in my life. There has been seasons where I probably had the most resources and the least struggle, and I became the most distracted and the least useful.
[00:24:54] I tend to be more dependent in seasons like this.
[00:24:59] God doesn't waste a thing.
[00:25:02] Now, let's go to verses 29 and 29 and 30 here. Because they have come together, they've shared their burden, they have acknowledged God's greatness, they've looked at the Scripture and they've looked at their situation up against that.
[00:25:19] But now what? Now in verse, in 29, they're going to make their request and it blows me away.
[00:25:26] And now, Lord, consider their threats and grant that your servants may speak your word with all boldness while you stretch out your hand for healing. And signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant, Christ Jesus.
[00:25:44] Yep, that's the prayer I'd have prayed.
[00:25:48] Lord, do something about these religious leaders who are persecuting us.
[00:25:52] Lord, let us leave Jerusalem.
[00:25:54] Lord, can we just lay low for a while and maybe not, maybe not share this thing at this moment?
[00:26:02] That was not. None of those three things were their prayer requests. What was their prayer request?
[00:26:06] Boldness.
[00:26:07] Boldness so that they could proclaim the gospel in the face of knowing what that meant.
[00:26:13] And their other prayer request is that God would show himself mighty among the people through miracles.
[00:26:22] Through miracles.
[00:26:24] That God would be God, and that he would give them the boldness to share him without hesitation.
[00:26:34] I love that prayer request.
[00:26:40] And he does just that again. These guys give their whole life to the gospel of Jesus Christ. They make it priority, and they give every day of their life to it.
[00:26:51] And so they do continue to go forth with boldness. And God does continue to make himself known in miraculous ways. As a matter of fact, right here within this service, if you look at verse 31, when they had prayed, the place they were assembled was shaken and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God boldly. What does God do? But he makes himself known in their presence. And how does he do that? Well, partly through a filling of the Holy Spirit, you and I have the Holy Spirit. That's not conditional if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, but there is this continual and necessary emptying of ourself feeling of him where God just takes over our life in a way that it should be. And that's what's happening in this moment.
[00:27:57] And the result is they boldly go and speak his words and do his will.
[00:28:07] The place was shaken. I can't speak to that.
[00:28:10] I haven't experienced that, though I have felt moments with God so real that they felt like that kind of shaking.
[00:28:18] I also don't doubt for a moment that God could shake the place.
[00:28:22] And I also.
[00:28:25] I look to the miracles they're requesting. And it reminds me of a story I just heard.
[00:28:31] BMA of Zambia just.
[00:28:36] Just two months ago at the beginning of planting season there.
[00:28:44] We've got a young church in a particular part of Zambia, and there was a lady who accepted Christ and her husband is the governor or the tribal leader of that particular area within Zambia.
[00:29:02] Well, he an unbeliever.
[00:29:06] And he and the witch doctor set out together to, you know, to deal with this woman who's accepted Christ. And so this guy, I mean, he's punishing her physically.
[00:29:18] When she goes to church on Sundays, he's locking her out of the house for 24 hours.
[00:29:23] This in Zambia, where there's wild animals. And so she's sleeping on the porch in order to get to go to church. And so her church is strengthening her and they're praying for her.
[00:29:34] Here in Zambia, this lady is praying for her husband. Well, it comes time to plant crops, and she owns a plot of land, and her husband owns a plot of land, and so he demands that she go with him to this religious leader, this witch doctor, to get their seed blessed before they plant them. And she refused.
[00:29:56] And she told him, no, I'll take that to God.
[00:30:01] And so she asked her church to join her in prayer. And they spend time praying that God would bless and would make himself known.
[00:30:10] So the result of this story is that region of Zambia is being faced by a drought. It was an early spring drought.
[00:30:17] And do you know what? The only crop in the village to produce and to produce wildly was this lady's crop.
[00:30:25] This lady's crop.
[00:30:26] The result of that is on a Sunday morning, just out of the blue, as her crop is growing, as she's harvesting, the husband walks into church and everyone's in a panic. They figure he's there to make trouble, and he gets saved on that morning.
[00:30:43] The result of that is the her husband, a new believer in this community, has now given some of his land and they're erecting a Bible institute right here in the community. Now what's cool about this story, God was proclaimed.
[00:31:02] Yes, suffering happened, but God made himself known.
[00:31:08] A lot different than what I see going on today in a lot of circles.
[00:31:12] When we talk about miracles, they're often self edifying.
[00:31:17] I was watching a show the other night at a church. People were saying, boy, God's got something for you today. God's got something for you today.
[00:31:27] Well, you know, selfish intent, not others intent, not glory of God intent. But in the story I just shared for you, God made himself known, the gospel went forth, and that's what they're praying for.
[00:31:42] That's what they're praying for. Church.
[00:31:49] Do you expect God to make himself known and to save souls in your daily journey?
[00:32:00] In Ephesians 3:20 21, Paul said, Now to him who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly, above all that we ask or think according to the power that works within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus. To all generations. To him who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly, above all we ask or think through the work of his church.
[00:32:29] To him be glory to him be glory in Christ Jesus to me. This is Paul summing up exactly the way these apostles are living their life right here.
[00:32:46] One more thing I'll point out to you. How do we walk each and every day on this journey?
[00:32:52] In fellowship with believers.
[00:32:55] In fellowship with believers.
[00:32:58] In obedience to. To the word of God and in step with the Holy Spirit of God.
[00:33:07] Do we see that true in this passage?
[00:33:10] We do, don't we?
[00:33:11] We do.
[00:33:12] That is how they're walking their life. Matter of fact, how did Jesus walk?
[00:33:16] How did Jesus walk in this life?
[00:33:18] In obedience to God. As a matter of fact, in John 6:38, he said, for I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me and obedience to God.
[00:33:31] Luke in the power of the Holy spirit in Luke 4:18 through 19, the spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor.
[00:33:44] I love that. How did Jesus walk? In obedience to the Father, in the power of the Holy Spirit, in step. In step with the Lord.
[00:33:54] And how did Jesus walk in this life? In fellowship and communion with believers.
[00:34:00] Church. We have to do that. Don't deceive yourself.
[00:34:04] We need these same things on the journey.
[00:34:08] We need them.
[00:34:16] I pray and I trust that the Lord will speak to your heart through his word. Matter of fact, let me just address you for a moment.
[00:34:24] If the Lord is dealing with some. If there's something going on in your heart and life, you don't get to be mad at me today. I'm not eloquent.
[00:34:32] I'm not. You know, whatever it is that God is doing that didn't come because of a speaker that is the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart and guiding you in response to the word of God that we looked at together today.
[00:34:50] And so the question is, in an act of worship, how can you specifically say yes to God today, whatever it is he's laying upon your heart? Maybe something to repent of.
[00:35:04] Maybe you've never trusted him as Savior. Maybe it's salvation.
[00:35:10] Maybe it's something that he wants you to do in obedience, something he's asking of you.
[00:35:16] And so it's just a simple, yes, Lord, I'll do that.
[00:35:21] Whatever it is, I pray today that you'll just respond to him as an act of worship.
[00:35:27] Amen.
[00:35:41] Sa.
[00:36:07] Sam.
