Posts Tagged ‘Charles Haddon Spurgeon’

Sermon: Disciple Making Disciples (Acts 9:10-19)

Posted: July 15, 2012 in Sermons in Acts
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Every one of us, sometime during our school years, learned the story of Isaac Newton’s famous discovery. You may remember the story. Newton was sitting under an apple tree one afternoon, and a ripe apple fell from one of the limbs and hit him on the head. At that moment, Isaac Newton discovered the need for Excedrin! No, he discovered the Law of Gravity.

Few of us learned, however, that if it were not for another scientist named Edmund Halley, the world might never have learned of Newton. In fact, it was Halley who:

• challenged and mentored Newton through his original ideas;

• corrected  Newton’s mathematical errors;

• coaxed the hesitant Newton to put his discoveries into writing;

• edited and supervised Newton’s publications;

• even financed Newton’s first edition.

Historians call it one of the most selfless examples in the annals of science. Newton began almost immediately, to reap the rewards of scientific prominence and prestige, while Halley withdrew into the shadows and received little credit. One biographical statement about Halley said that he did not care who got the credit, his mission in life was to simply advance the cause of science. In fact, the only reason we even know the name of Halley is because of the comet that was named for him. Halley calculated that the comet would appear every seventy-six years and then, would disappear once again into the vast heavens.

Our study today, resembles the story of Edmund Halley. It is the story of a man who launched the prominent career of another man and then, disappeared from sight. His name was Ananias, and his brief appearance occurs in the book of Acts, chapter 9. Like the comet and its discoverer, he appeared for just a moment and then, withdrew into the shadows of history, never to be heard from again (Stephen Davey in a sermon on Acts 9:10-19).

Ananias was Saul’s first friend after his Damascus road conversion. Paul had what every new believer needs: another Christian who is mature to help him/her get started. Ananias was that person. What Stephen was to Paul before his conversion, Ananias was after his conversion. Not only does the sinner need someone to lead him to Christ, but the new convert needs someone to help him grow in Christ.

Ananias discipled Paul or at least started the discipling process. Ananias teaches us that disciples disciple.

1. To Disciple another believer, we first must be a Disciple of Christ (Acts19:10-16)

Ananias is called a disciple in Acts 9:10. Luke’s favorite description of believers in Acts is “disciple.” Luke uses different names: 9:2 “of the way” 9:13 “saints” 9:14 “all that call on your name” 9:30 “brethren.” More frequently, however, Luke calls believers “disciples” as in 9:1, 10, 19, 25, 26, 36, 38.

Before Jesus ascended back to Heaven He gave the church His Great Commission in Matthew 28-19-20. The command in the Great Commission is “Make Disciples.” So what does a disciple look like?

A. A disciple loves God’s Word (Acts 22:12a).

Twenty years after his encounter with Ananias, Paul will recall what Ananias did for him right after his conversion. In Paul’s testimony before a Jewish mob, Paul described Ananias as “a devout man according to the law.” Ananias was like the blessed man in Psalm 1 who “delights in the law of the Lord and his law does he meditate day and night.” Are you delighting in God’s Word day and night?

B. A disciple has a good testimony (Acts 22:12b).

When your name is mentioned, what do people think? The Ananias of 9:10 was better than the Ananias of chapter five. The Judas of 9:11 is better than the Judas who betrayed Christ. The Saul in chapter 9:11 is better than the OT Saul. When your name is mentioned, will it be associated with the Ananias of Acts 5 or Acts 9? With the Judas who was a religious hypocrite or the Judas of Acts 9? With Saul of the OT about whom we are not sure if he were a believer or the Saul of Acts 9?

C. A disciple fellowships with God (Acts 9:10-16).

We can’t fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus in Matthew in 28 to make disciples without first fulfilling the Great Command of Jesus in Matthew 22 to love God with all our heart. In 9:10-16, Ananias shows his love for God.

1) To fellowship a believer must be surrendered “Behold, I am here, Lord.”

Ananias and the Lord were on speaking terms and Ananias was surrendered to do God’s will. Abraham with his son Isaac on the altar and his knife outstretched responded when God called him with “Here am I.” Have you spoke these words of surrender to God? 

2) To fellowship a believer must be led as Ananias is in 9:11-12.

God led Philip to the Ethiopian in 8:26. God leads Ananias to Saul in 9:11-12. God knew this was a difficult task for Ananias. So the Lord gave Ananias a clue of Saul’s conversion with the words “behold, he prays.” For the first time Saul the Pharisee who prayed in public to be heard of men (Matthew 6:5) prayed in private to be heard of the Lord. Paul would later instruct us to “pray when you pray” (Ephesians 6:18).

To whom this past week did God lead you to take out for a meal or to meet with in order to disciple?

3) To fellowship a believer sometimes struggles as in 9:13-14.

Apparently Ananias did not catch clue and thinks it necessary to inform the Lord of the dangerous situation he has heard from the refugees from Jerusalem. The Lord patiently listens and then clearly relieves Ananias’ fears in the news of Saul’s conversion in 9:15-16.

2. Once we are Disciples of Christ then we can be Disciplers of Believers (Acts 9:17-19)

A. Disciplers Identify with people (Acts 9:17).

Believers who spend time with God are led to minister to people. How can we minister to people or make disciples?

1. By welcoming them to the family of God or our church family.

Ananias, as we would say, shook Saul’s hand or gave him a hug. Have you ever been to an unfriendly, cold church? I hear over and over again from visitors that our church is a friendly church.

2. By forgiving one another. Ananias called Saul “Brother” not “Persecutor.”

Saul had persecuted perhaps friends and family members of Ananias. But Ananias knew Saul had been forgiven by God so he is willing to forgive. We forgive others because we have been forgiven.

3. By helping people physically and spiritually.

Ananias helped Saul receive his physical sight first and then be filled with the Holy Spirit. So often serving people’s material and physical needs is the gateway to serving them spiritually.

Our Hospitality Committee performed this ministry this past week when one of our members pasted away. The son said if he lived closer he would attend this church. Our Family Care ministry also performed this ministry this week. Two different Family Care leaders contacted me about their members. They are ministering physically and spiritually.

B. Disciplers identify believers with the church (Acts 9:18).  

1. Once a person is saved the NT pattern is to be baptized and join the church as first seen on the first day of the church in 2:41.

Ananias ministered to Saul not being an apostle or deacon like Philip in chapter 8. This ministry is for every member, not just leaders and elected officers.

2. After you are baptized and join the church, what do you do? Eat!

That is what 9:19a says. Christians like to be with Christians. Look at the example that Jesus left. Turn back a few pages to John 21:6-14. Jesus grilled fish for His disciples. I loved grilled salmon wrapped in grapes leaves at Green Valley Grille. I doubt Jesus grilled salmon, but you know what ever He grilled was good. But this was the 3rd time Jesus had appeared to His disciples as a group after His resurrection.

Jesus met with two disciples on the road to Emmaus right after His resurrection and ate with them (Luke 24:30). Jesus met with His disciples as a group on the first Easter Sunday when Thomas was not present and ate with them (Luke 24:42). He ate “broiled fish and honeycomb.” Jesus met with His disciples one week later when Thomas was present and eating is not mentioned (John 20:24). Maybe it is just assumed they were eating. Jesus met with His disciples for the third time and grilled fish for them (John 21:12).

Ananias helped Paul make new Christian friends. John in First John is teaching believers how to have assurance of salvation or as John says “Know” you are a believer (5:13). How can you know you are a believer? There are three tests:

1) You believe that Jesus is the Son of God (5:1a, 5). Doctrinal Test.

2) You love God’s people (5:1b). Social Test.

3) You obey God’s Word (5:2). Moral Test.

Ananias got Paul involved in a small group (Acts 9:19b). It was not enough just to join the church. Paul needed to get in a small group to build relationships and friendships. Even Jesus had 12 men He associated with for three years. Paul from this point will surround himself with a group of disciples. We need each other.

3. Disciples identify believers with God’s work (Acts 9:15-16).

What Jesus informed Ananias about Paul in Acts 9:15-16, Ananias does tell him in 22:14-15.

Believers have been chosen by God. Paul you will be rejected by men because of your witness, but you have not been rejected by God. All believers have been chosen by God according to Jesus in John 15:16.

Jill Morgan, the daughter-in-law of G. Campbell Morgan, wrote in her book, A MAN OF THE WORD, “In 1888 my father-in-law was rejected for the ministry. Morgan was seeking entrance into the Wesleyan ministry in 1888. He had passed his written exam but faced the test of giving a trial sermon in front of a panel. When the results were released, Morgan had been rejected. He wired to his father the one word, “Rejected,” and sat down to write in his diary: “Very dark everything seems. Still, He knoweth best.” Quickly came the reply: “Rejected on earth. Accepted in heaven. Dad.” (Source unknown). As G. Campbell Morgan went on to prove, rejection on earth is often of little consequence in heaven.

“Ananias the obscure, never heard of before or since, the first example of a historical pattern that great ambassadors for Christ, however much prepared in other ways, are brought to their vocation by unimportant agents. Augustine hears a child’s voice repeat, ‘Take up and read!’ John Wesley listens to an anonymous Moravian reading Luther; D. L. Moody, wrapping up shoes in a store, pauses for a few words from his Sunday School teacher; Charles Haddon Spurgeon, sheltering from a snowstorm, hears a workingman in a snowbound minister’s pulpit” (John Pollock. The Man Who Shook the World, Wheaton: Victor Books, 1973, 22).

Six Marks of Leadership, Mark Three, Part 1 “He Follows His Leader” (Nehemiah 2:1-8)

Posted: December 21, 2010 in Uncategorized
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We all have seen Canada Geese fly in their V formation with one leg of the V formation longer than the other leg. Why do they fly in the V formation? The lead goose is making it easier for the other geese who are following his lead. He is moving the wind resistance of the other geese following him. The rest are cruising. But after awhile the lead goose gets tired and the next goose moves up. Engineers in the wind tunnel experiments have discovered that geese flying in the V formation can fly 72% further than by themselves flying alone. Geese flying in the V formation illustrate the necessity and advantages of practicing both leadership and followship.

Cyril Barber, in his commentary on Nehemiah, transfers this principle into all of life; “Middle management involves being able to translate the ideals of one’s superiors into practice and, at the same time, knowing how to motivate one’s subordinates. It necessitates keeping corporate goals in mind, while encouraging individuals to strive for personal achievement” Cyril J. Barber, Nehemiah and the Dynamics of Effective Leadership, page 26).

Most of us live in a middle management role of some kind. Most of us have superiors who lead us and subordinates whom we lead. We are all accountable to someone.

Middle managers lead line workers and follow their senior management.

Executive pastors leads a congregation and follows their senior pastors.

Teachers instruct students and follow their principle.

Wives train their children and follow their husbands.

Nehemiah teaches us the third mark of lay leadership: He follows his leader.

Here are Six Marks of Leadership in Nehemiah:

1. He Shows Concern for God’s Work (Nehemiah 1:1-4)

2. He Prays for God’s People (Nehemiah 1:5-11)

3. He Follows his Leader (Nehemiah 1:11-2:8)

4. He Motivates his Followers (Nehemiah 2:9-20)

5. He Organizes his Work (Nehemiah 3:1-32)

6. He Handles his Opposition (Nehemiah 4-6)

How can we practice followship in order to also exert leadership?

1. By Praying for your Leader (1:11)

Nehemiah prayed four months for his unsaved leader. Nehemiah prayed from December to March with no results. There were no entries in his prayer journal for four months. We know from his model prayer in 1:5-11, he used promises from Scripture in his prayers. Maybe he also used Proverbs 21:1: “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turns it wherever he will.” Swindoll really develops this verse in light of Nehemiah’s crisis with his superior. The word “rivers” means channels and refers to irrigation canals carrying water. The king’s heart is not a river randonly flowing with no direction or purpose. But the heart of the king and your superior is a divinely directed canal under the sovereign control of the God to whom we pray (Hand Me Another Brick, page 44).

Nehemiah talked to his Divine King before he negoiated with his human king.

This principle is also taught in the N T (1 Tim 2:1-2; Rom 15:30). These verses should be seriously studied and applied. Do we pray for our President and members of Congress? Sometimes we say if someone has not registered and voted then he has no right to criticize the current state of affairs. The same applies to praying for our leaders. If we have not prayed then we should not be critizing. Do we pray for our pastors? These verses command us to pray for these leaders in our lives.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon is one of the most influential and most quoted pastors of all time. Yet Spurgeon gave the credit for the success of his ministry to his praying church. Spurgeon would take visitors to the basement prayer-room where a significant group of his members were on their knees praying for him. Spurgeon called that prayer room the powerhouse of his church.

Here is how Spurgeon described the importance of his people praying for him: “I always give all the glory to God, but I do not forget that He gave me the privilege of ministering from the first to a praying people. We had prayer meetings that moved our very souls, each one appeared determined to storm the Celestial City by the might of intercession.” Spurgeon’s Monday evening prayer meetings nearly filled Metropolitan sanctuary and had a world-wide testimony.

Maybe more churches would produce more Spurgeons if more churches prayed like Spurgeon’s church. In Part 2, we will look at the other four practices of followship.

Sermon: How to Handle What Life Throws At You, Habakkuk 3:16-19, Part 1

Posted: May 4, 2010 in Sermons
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The Book of Habakkuk opens with the prophet sparring with God. Habakkuk is verbally battling with his Creator. Questioning Him! Complaining to Him! Habakkuk, however, finds out that his arms are too short to box with God.

Part of Habakkuk’s problem was God’s use of the wicked Babylonian to chastise God’s people.

Adrian Rogers, in a sermon, told of an elderly widow who lived in an old apartment. She loved the Lord. Her landlord was not a Christian and even ridiculed the widow for being a narrow minded religious fanatic. On one occasion, she ran out of groceries and prayed for God to supply her need. The landlord could hear her praying through the paper thin apartment walls. He decided to play a trick on her. While she was out the landlord bought a large amount of groceries, used the pass key, and placed them in her room. When she returned, she began to praise the Lord. She then marched over to the landlord’s room and bragged on the Lord for His answering her prayer. The landlord rebuked her. He said, “God didn’t answer your prayer, I bought those groceries and here is the receipt.” The godly widow responded, “No! You are wrong. God did answer my prayer, even if He did have to use the devil!” God is not limited in how He accomplishes His will in our lives. Our Creator is creative.

There is an important progression in Habakkuk’s life from chapter one to chapter three: a growth in the grace and knowledge of Christ Jesus.

In Habakkuk One, Habakkuk is worrying and focusing on his problem. He is sparring with God.

In Habakkuk Two, Habakkuk is waiting and trusting In his God. He drops his weary too short arms.

In Habakkuk Three, Habakkuk is worshiping and focusing on his God. He takes off the gloves and falls to the mate in surrender. The circumstances in Habakkuk’s life did not change. As a matter of fact, the circumstance got worse. What changed was Habakkuk’s attitude.

Where are you this today? Worrying, focusing on your problem, blaming God, waiting and trusting on God to answering your prayer, or worshiping God.

In Habakkuk 3:16-19, Habakkuk shows us

1. What To Do When We Are Personally Devastated? (3:16b)

A. The physical and personal devastation is seen in 3:16.

When Habakkuk heard in 1:5-11, that God was raising up the wicked nation of Babylon to chastise His sinning people, Habakkuk was visibly shaken: from the inside/out, from his bones to his belly, and from his head to his toes. He trembled all over.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon was London’s most loved and hated preacher. When Metropolitan Tabernacle was being enlarged, he and his congregation met in the Crystal Palace. The main floor was full as well as the wrap around balcony. During the first sermon, someone, many think an enemy of Spurgeon’s shouted “Fire” in the wooden building.  A stampede pursued and several people killed. As Spurgeon watched the panic, he fainted in the pulpit and sank into depression for several weeks.

Perhaps you have experienced this devastation. At the doctor’s office you learn you have a terminal sickness. Your spouse tells you he/she wants out of this marriage. You get an email at work informing you that a layoff will occur shortly and you have huge mortgage payments. One of your children has abandoned the faith. Someone you love dearly is in the ICU on life support and the doctor says that you have to make a decision. This week two church members have asked me to pray for two separate and unrelated car accidents where teenagers were killed.

B. The solution is to rest on God’s promises (3:16b).

God was fulfilling His Covenant promises in allowing a wicked nation to punish His people, Israel (Deuteronomy 28:25). God also promised His people in Deuteronomy 30:1-2, that He would regather them if they repented. Habakkuk is resting on God’s promises.

The word “rest” in 3:16  is the word used to describe what God did when He finished His six days of creation. On the seventh day (Exodus 20:11) God rested. This does not mean that God was exhausted and had to physically take a 15 minute break. It means God ceased His creation activity. God did not stop all of His activity; He just stopped His creation activity. He ceased one activity. God still works in sustaining His creation now (John 5:17).

Habakkuk also ceased an activity. He ceased worrying and focusing on his problem. His new activity was faith in God’s promises and worship of the God who gave the promises. Romans 8:28 is one of those promises.

R. A. Torrey called Romans 8:28 “a soft pillow for a tried heart.” In your deepest, most devastating trial, you can rest on promises like Romans 8:28: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

John R. Rice in his book on prayer recorded someone’s prayer: “Dear God, I hate bacon powder. Dear God, I hate floor. Dear God, I hate shortening. But Dear Jesus, you put them all together and stir them up and put them in the oven and cook it and I put some butter between it, and I sure love hot, homemade biscuits.” That is the promise of Romans 8:28. This verse does not promise that all things are good. But that all things work together for good for them who love God. All circumstances are not good. The cancer report is not good. The news of the spouse who wants out of the marriage is not good. The layoff is not good. The rebellious child is not good. The loved one in ICU is not good. The killing of teenagers in car accidents is not good. But the God who created and runs the universe can bring good out of the bad.

In my next post, Habakkuk will shows us what to do when our circumstances are devastating.