Note sull'episodio
"I love Jesus, but I don't like the church."
Plenty of people say it, and the Bible has a lot to say about how Jesus feels about the people who make up His church. Pour out your life for the people Jesus poured out His blood for.
In Acts 20, the Apostle Paul says goodbye to the elders of Ephesus, a goodbye so painful that they weep, embrace him, and follow him all the way to the ship. At the center of his farewell is one verse about how he lived among them: "serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials." This message shows that serving the Lord was never an abstract idea for Paul. It meant serving the flock Jesus bought with His own blood.
This message walks through Acts 20:17-38 and asks what it looks like to love the church the way the Good Shepherd loves her.
In this sermon:
In Humility. Why humility isn't being a doormat but wanting what's best for someone else, enough to say the hard thing in love. Why Paul follows the Holy Spirit toward imprisonment and affliction instead of an easy life, and what it looks like to give your time, budget, and priorities to a mission worth more than your own comfort.
With Tears. Why Paul can say he is innocent of their blood and leave with no regrets, why the church is so valuable to Jesus that He bought her with His own blood, and why "I love Jesus but not the church" doesn't hold together. Also, what loving accountability and reaching the lost look like when they're done with tears instead of pointed fingers.
Through Trials. Why serving the Lord costs something in both the big trials and the ordinary daily ones, why a goodbye this painful is evidence of real love and not weak faith, and how Jesus steps into our tears instead of telling us to toughen up.
Also covered: how Psalm 23, Ezekiel 34, and John 10 show God as the Good Shepherd and why sheep need one, why pastors, elders, and overseers are three names for one office, how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all appear in verse 28, and why Paul's suffering in obedience to the Spirit answers the prosperity gospel.
ABOUT FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH HAW RIVER
At First Baptist Church, we want to encourage you to know Christ, grow in Christ, and go for Christ. The Church is not a building, but a family of born-again believers who commit to loving one another by gathering together regularly for worship and running alongside one another as we know, grow, and go in Christ. We, at FBC, have been a church who loves and lives out the gospel in downtown Haw River, North Carolina, near Burlington, Graham, and Mebane since 1892. We would love to meet you on a Sunday at 11:00 am at 508 E Main St, Haw River, NC 27258.
Website: https://www.fbchawriver.org/
Plan a visit: https://www.fbchawriver.org/plan-a-visit
How can I be saved: https://www.fbchawriver.org/good-news
Give: https://fbchawriver.churchtrac.com/give
Preached by Justin Stevers, Lead Teaching Pastor
Series: Looking Back to Look Forward, a study through the book of Acts
Scripture: Acts 20:17-38 (ESV)
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