Scattering Seeds

Scattering Seeds

This morning, we’re continuing our message series based on NBC’s TV series, “AD.”  In last week’s episode, we met the great apostle Paul who wrote half of our New Testament.  Well, we met him before he met Jesus and had his name changed from Saul to Paul…  We witnessed the intense persecution that began to break out against followers of Jesus not only by Pilate and Caiaphas, but now by this young Pharisee named Saul.  Saul was a very educated and cultured man whom was also very passionate for God to to keep those living in Jerusalem to purely follow God’s law.
Acts 8:1-4
1 And Saul approved of their killing (Stephen) him.
On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. 4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.
As the persecution began to worsen in Jerusalem, the believers fled to the surrounding regions of Judea and Samaria.  This fulfilled the words of Jesus:
Acts 1:8
you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
We would naturally think that this intense persecution would cause people to keep quiet about their faith and cause the church to weaken in numbers.  We would think that people would be afraid of the gospel message knowing that to speak about Jesus meant their life was in danger.
However, this is not at all what occurred!  The church actually grew in numbers and gained great momentum!  Everywhere that the followers of Jesus went, they preached the word of God!  No, not just the apostles, but everyone preached the good news about Jesus, our savior, the Messiah, the fulfillment of God’s promise!  Persecution didn’t snuff out the work of the Holy Spirit through all of His people, persecution caused the good news of Jesus and the miraculous signs and wonders to spread like a wildfire!
As they went along, seeds were scattered.  They had the opportunity to see the words preached by Jesus in the parable of the sower come alive; even as each of us can as well!  They were able to rejoice in the midst of persecution because of the seed that fell on good soil and became lives transformed by Jesus.  Those lives then reproduced and multiplied into other lives.  This process has so continued that each of us sitting here this morning can give thanks for that church of 120 in Jerusalem that shared the good news about Jesus wherever they went so that we also had the opportunity to hear it, receive it, and share it with others as well.
Today, we experience the incredible blessing of God to have the freedom to meet here and openly proclaim the good news about Jesus and to worship Him without having to fear for our lives.  We can walk out of this building and share the gospel with anyone and watch as miraculous signs and wonders follow without facing death.
However, this lack of persecution seems to create an atmosphere of apathy.  The overall church today in America looks very little like the early church did, it doesn’t do what they did, it doesn’t speak as they preached, it doesn’t rely on the Holy Spirit as they depended, it doesn’t sacrifice as they gave, it doesn’t lead people to Jesus as they lead.  As the saying goes, “we don’t know what we’ve got ’till it’s gone.”  The faith that we profess with our mouths is contradicted by the actions of our lives.  This simply should not be the case.  As the apostle James wrote, “faith without works is dead, can such a faith save us?”
If we do not exercise our faith by preaching the good news about Jesus and doing the good works that He did, our faith will become weak.  Our times of struggle will be amplified.  Our confusion will be overwhelming.  The goodness of God will be shadowed by the troubles of life.  Our experiences with God will be minimal.  Our doubt will become great.  Our minds will become divided.  We will be persuaded by what seems good to us and easily offended by truth.  We will murmur about the weaknesses of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and begin devouring them.  We will begin to give our worship to the created things instead of the Creator.  Faith that is not exercised becomes faith that is weak.
Anyone here who has ever had a broken bone that had to be placed in a cast can understand this concept.  If a muscle is not exercised, atrophy quickly sets in and the muscle shrinks.  Muscles are either being used and growing, or are not being used and dying – there simply is no middle ground of apathy.  It’s sort of like these guys.
* Skittles – Settle It commercial *
 
1 Corinthians chapter 12 teaches that each of us are a part of the body of Christ.  If any one of us choose to stop exercising our faith, the body of Christ begins looking a bit strange and not functioning as it should.  If we are not exercising our faith, we are not growing in our faith.  If we are not growing in our faith, then our faith is dying.
This choice is one that each of us must make.  No one else can grow my faith for me.  Others can equip and encourage us and provide us with opportunities to grow.  However, only I can exercise and grow my faith.  In the same way as muscles are grown, so is faith grown.  Faith is exercised and grown only through resistance, trials, and testing.  James chapter 1 reveals that our faith is matured when we persevere through trials and tests of many kinds.  It is accomplished as we hear the word of God and put it into practice.
Faith is not a principle, it is not a philosophy, nor is it merely an idea.  Faith is an action!  Our faith should be real and tangible in our own lives, and especially to those around us.  They should be able to look at our lives and see our faith by the fruits produced in our lives.  The unstoppable fruits of our faith in action are revealed here:
Galatians 5:22-23
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
These fruits are not things that we can forcibly possess.  We cannot fake these things in our lives, we cannot have them forced into our lives by another, and we cannot buy them with all of the money in the world.  No, you will not find these fruits in any Farmer’s Market anywhere!  These fruits are produced as we cultivate a healthy and active relationship with Jesus; as we hunger to know Jesus and actively follow Him with all of our lives.  These fruits are produced as we exercise our faith.
Jesus said it this way:
John 15:1-8
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Others should be able to look at us and know that we are His disciples.  If we follow Jesus, then we have been sealed and marked by the Holy Spirit, a mark revealed by the fruit of our lives as we exercise our faith.  We must train ourselves in our faith.  No, training is not easy.  It requires discipline, commitment, and work.  It requires self sacrifice.
However, exercising our faith results in receiving everything that we need to do all things that we’ve been requested to do.  It results in living a life of adventure where we see the mighty deeds of God firsthand.  It results in a life that knows God, not just about Him.  It begins with an honest and sincere hunger and cry to God.
Habakkuk 3:2
Lord, I have heard of your fame;
I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord.
Repeat them in our day,
in our time make them known;
in wrath remember mercy.
It comes to pass as we cooperate with God.  We do this by knowing God’s word and living it His will.  That is exactly what the early church did as we see portrayed on AD.  They were fully committed to knowing and experiencing the life that Jesus gave them no matter the cost.  The opposition that arose against them simply set the stage for an opportunity to experience the mighty deeds of the Lord firsthand.  It simply provided a microphone for their message to be proclaimed with a greater passion and intensity.
Paul wrote to Timothy this admonishment that the Lord is speaking to each of us here this morning.
1 Timothy 4:7-16
7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 9 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. 10 That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.11 Command and teach these things. 12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

15 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

If you want to be saved, don’t just pray a cutesy prayer with your hand raised.  You’ll never find an account in scripture where someone was saved in this way.  If you want to be saved, give yourself wholly to being an example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.  Live a public life with nothing hidden.  Show everyone who Jesus is, don’t just tell them about Him.  Let your words and actions behind the closed doors of your home, out in the market place, and in church all be uniform and integral.  Throw off all laziness and every excuse!  If you’re growing weak in your faith, then get off your spiritual butt and exercise your faith!
The true and actual church was never, ever about me and what I can receive and what makes me comfortable, it has always been about Jesus and what I can give!  This building and organization does not exist for our entertainment and benefit, it exists so that people would come to know and accept Jesus as their savior, then be trained to live a life of godliness and to lead others to Jesus and train them to live a life of godliness.
We need to believe with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength that our life is so precious and priceless that Jesus Christ died to save me, then live like He really did it.  Labor, strive, and persevere as you train yourself in godliness.  Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).  Flee from evil and take the path out and away from sin every time that temptation arises (2 Timothy 2:22, 1 Corinthians 10:13).  Preach the good news to all of creation.  Make disciples, heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, drive out demons (Matthew 10:8, Matthew 28:18-20). This exercising of your faith will give value in all things both in this life and in the life to come!
If you are struggling in your faith and you know that you are not where you are supposed to be, that’s OK.  Honestly admitting this is where we start.  Then, we make a choice.  We choose to surrender ourselves to Jesus.  We come to Him seeking His forgiveness for the life that we’ve chosen and we repent, or in other words, we choose His way of life moving forward.  We each are incredibly valuable and gifted.  We are needed in the body of Christ so that together, we are mature and complete lacking nothing.
This morning, we’re making a commitment.  Living as a disciple of Jesus is not an easy one.  However, it is one that comes with great reward.  Every sacrifice that we make in our lives is nothing compared to the life that Jesus freely gives us!  This morning, we choose Jesus.  We choose to exercise our faith.
As we go, we scatter seeds into the lives of those around us.  No longer are we scattering seeds of discontentment, envy, strife, bitterness, control, rage, or selfishness.  We now choose to exercise our faith and to scatter seeds everywhere we go of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self control.  Our lives are now all about you, Jesus; have Your way!
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