Upholding Biblical Truth In A Broken World Part 2 – Christianity

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For those who like numbers and enjoy a little historical perspective, allow me to set the stage for the message this morning with a brief look at a general timeline and overview leading up to Acts 11. If you’re more interested in the scriptures and the heart of the message, I don’t want to bore you or lose you so let me encourage you to take your phone out for about 5 or 6 minutes and text someone you think might need to hear a good sermon this morning and ask them to check out Gtcotr on YouTube or Facebook. By the time they find it, we will be in Acts 11. 

Spring of AD30    Jesus Crucified 

Late May of AD30  Church was birthed in Jerusalem 

Between AD32 & AD33  Stephen stoned  

AD33 – AD34   Saul of Tarsus conversion to Christ 

AD34 through AD46  Paul ministers/grows in many places 

AD46     Barnabas brings Paul to Antioch 

As a matter of perspective, as best many scholars can figure, Jesus was crucified in the spring of the year AD30. The Apostle Paul was born in about AD5, as we know it. This makes Jesus about 8 or 9 years older than the Apostle Paul.  

The Holy Spirit was sent by God to empower Believers on the day of Pentecost which was late in May of AD30 birthing the first Church in Jerusalem. 

The timeline offered by Luke as he wrote the book of Acts is not clearly spelled out however he gives us sequence so we can extrapolate from other writings and events recorded in the Bible and in historical documents. From these we expect Stephen, a deacon in the Jerusalem Church, was martyred in about AD32. Shortly after this, the young 28 – 29 year old Saul of Tarsus had his Damascus Road experience with the risen Jesus, and was saved to become the Apostle Paul, sent with a message of salvation to the Gentile nations. 

For many years, AD33/34 – AD46, Paul ministers and grows in grace while living in Damascus, Jordan, the Arabian Desert, briefly in Jerusalem, and then back in his hometown of Tarsus which is in modern day Turkey. In about AD46, Barnabas went to Tarsus to bring Paul back to the Church in Antioch where a great revival was taking place. Let’s pick up there in the Book of Acts, chapter 11. 

Acts 11 NLT 

19 ¶  Meanwhile, the believers who had been scattered during the persecution after Stephen’s death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch of Syria. They preached the word of God, but only to Jews. 

20  However, some of the believers who went to Antioch from Cyprus and Cyrene began preaching to the Gentiles about the Lord Jesus. 

21  The power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord. 

22  When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 

23  When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord. 

24  Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord. 

25  Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul. 

26  When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. (It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.)

16 to 17 years after the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, and God sending of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, Believers in Jesus as Son of God, Messiah of the Jews, and Savior of the World, are finally called Christians. It was at Antioch that Believers were first called Christians. 

What did it mean to be a Christian in that day, in that part of the world? 

• 1. Acts 11:19 tells us that Believers preached the word of God. 
  
• a. But only to Jews …  
  
• b. The world had already crept into the Church with an exclusionary doctrine, intending to limit salvation to “people like us.”

Wherever you draw a line with God is where He will raise up someone else to take your place. 

• c. Acts 13:2 God sent Barnabas and Paul to go and do what the Holy Spirit told them to do … and that meant preach the word to anyone and everyone who would listen. 
  
• 2. Acts 19:21 says the power of the Lord was with them. 
  
• a. Christians must rely on the power of the Lord to be present with them. 
  
• b. True Christianity, being like Christ, is powerful. 
  
• i. Power to save, heal, forgive, intervene, deliver, encourage, restore, and renew. 
  
• ii. Power to melt hearts of stone and change minds from carnal to spiritual appetites. 
  
• iii. Power to strengthen in times of weariness and give hope to the hopeless. 
  
• 3. Acts 19:23 Barnabas “encouraged Believers to stay true to the Lord.” 
  
• a. Just 17 years after the crucifixion, when Church was a brand-new experience and salvation had first come to the Gentiles in Antioch, they needed to know that true Christianity demands we stay true to the Lord. 
  
• b. The world was already threatening the doctrines of Christ and the teachings of the Church. 
  
• i. Idolatry 
  
• ii. Immorality 
  
• iii. Superiority 

We must guard ourselves to uphold Biblical truth in this broken world. The prince of this world hungers to confuse you, give you excuses, justify your sin, and gather your support for worldly ideologies. If it was wrong in the days of Jesus and the first Church, it is still wrong today.  

The most powerful attribute of Christianity is its ability to separate the sin from the sinner. The law could not do that, but Jesus can, and Christians should. We have been given a Great Commission, (Matthew 28:18-20), to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. We cannot do this without: 

• · Preaching the Word – Preach the Word of Jesus 
  
• · Power from on high – Depend on the Power of the Holy Spirit 
  
• · Staying true to the Lord – Serve no other gods

ENTRUSTED PART III - RESOURCES

Recap: 

• • God has entrusted to us that which He considers valuable 
  
• • Entrust = To assign the responsibility of something valuable to someone in confidence. 
  
• • In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25), we learned: 
  
• i. God owns everything. 
  
• ii. We are stewards of what He has given. 
  
• iii. God expects a return. 
  
• iv. What we do with what we’ve been given matters. 
  
• • In Part 1, we saw that God has entrusted us with the greatest message in the world — the Gospel. We steward it by preaching it, living it, and preserving it. 
  
• • In Part 2, we saw that God has entrusted us with influence. Influence is not about having a platform — it’s about being faithful where you are and pointing people to Jesus. 
  

Intro:  

God has given us many different resources: 

• • Talents/ Abilities
  
• • Opportunities
  
• • Time
  

However, today we are going to focus in one one particular resource that God has entrusted to us, and that is money.  

The Bible has a lot to say about Money.  

• - There are more verses in the Bible about money/ possessions than on faith (over 2300)
  
• - Money is the second most talked topic by Jesus in the Gospels
  
  
  - 16 of Jesus’ 38 parables deal with money or possessions (That is more than what He said about heaven and hell combined)

• - That goes to show how much God cares about money
  
• - Money is talked less about in the Bible as a financial issue, and more of a heart issue.
  

If you look at the way the world looks at money, you will notice a pattern — it is all about how much you can get. The bigger the salary, the bigger the house, the nicer the car, the better your “status.” People are often valued, not by their character or kindness, but by their net worth. The more money you have, the more important you are.  

In our culture lives as if the one who dies with the most toys “wins.” We celebrate accumulation — promotions, bonuses, investments, luxury, etc. The question the world asks is, “How much can I keep for myself?” 

However, God sees money differently. God does not determine a person’s value by how much money is in their bank account. Instead, God determines a person’s value by who they are in Christ. 

The Bible says that man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. I believe that is why the Bible says so much about money. Because the way a person views money determines what is most important to them.Jesus said “where your treasure is, there you heart will be also.” 

Today, we’re going to see that God has entrusted us with financial resources — not to make them our master, but to use them as our servant for His glory. 

COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT MONEY:

• 1. “Money Equals Happiness” 
  
• • The world pushes the idea that the more money you have, the happier you will be. They want you to believe that more money means more joy and more contentment.
  
• • Reality: More money only makes you want more money. People with plenty of money still struggle with loneliness, depression, and emptiness. 

• 
  
• 2. “Money is Evil” 
  
• • Many people believe the Bible says that money is the root of all evil. But that is not what it says. Instead, 1 Timothy 6:10 says “The love of money is the root of all evil.”
  
• • Reality: Money is morally neutral — it’s a tool. How we use it determines whether it’s good or bad. 
  
  
• 3. “The more money I have, the easier it is to give” 
  
• • Many people think, “once I have more, then I will give.”
  
• • Reality: Generosity is not about how much money you have, but about the condition of the heart. 
  
  
• 4. “God Doesn’t Care What I Do with My Money” 
  
• • Many people believe that because it is “my money, I can do what I want with it.”
  
• • “As long as I give my tithe, the other 90% is mine to use however I want.”
  
• • Some people believe that there are spiritual matters, and then there are financial matters. 
  
• • Some believe that God does not and should not care how they spend the money that they earned on their own.
  
• • We may not say these things out loud, but it is shown with what we do with what we have been given.
  
• • Reality: What you have has been given by God Himself. God cares about how you use what He has given to you. What we do with what we have been given matters greatly to Him.
  

PARABLE OF THE TALENTS

“14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants 
and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.” 

Things to note about this parable: 

• • The “talents” in this story were financial resources (talents of gold). 
  
• • The talents of gold were given to the faithful servants by their master.
  
• • They were expected to steward the money they had been given to them.
  
• • Two of the servants invested and multiplied what they had been given.
  
• • One of them buried it and did nothing.
  
• • The master rewarded the faithful and called out the unfaithful.
  

Points to Ponder from this parable on how we can steward our finances: 

• 1. Realize that God is the one who blesses you
  Deuteronomy 8:18 — “Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth.”
  
• • What you have has been given to you by God.
  
• • He is the one who gives you the ability to earn a living.
  
• • We must first acknowledge God for who He is in our life and be thankful for what He has blessed us with. 
  
  
• 2. Be faithful with what you have been given
  Luke 16:10 “ –Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much…”
  
• • What we do with what we have been given is important to God.
  
• • Be faithful with what you have been given.
  
• • Live within your means — Being content and wise how you spend
  
• • Give generously — Helping those who cannot help you back
  
• • Tithe — Honoring God by making Him your provider

•         • Save wisely — Preparing for the known and unknown
  
  
• 3. Investing in the Kingdom of God
  Matthew 6:20 – “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”
  
• • The first two servants invested what they were given; however the third buried it.
  
• • There are financial investments, personal investments, relational investments, and then there are eternal investments. God has called us to invest in eternal matters through the kingdom of God.
  
• • Spreading the gospel, discipling believers, serving our community, world missions (feeding the hungry, providing clean water, meeting needs, etc).
  
• • Many investments help provide value in your life today. However, eternal investments last beyond this life. When you invest in the kingdom of God, you are storing up treasures in heaven. 
  
  
• 4. Remember that you will given an account
  Romans 4:12 — “So then, each of us will give an account to ourselves to God.”
  
• • The master returned to settle accounts with his servants.
  
• • One day we will give an account to how we used the resources that God has given us.
  
• • This verse shows that you do with what you have been given matters greatly to God.

TAKEAWAYS:

• I. God has blessed you 
  
• • God is the one who gives you the ability to produce wealth
  
• • What you have is what God has given you
  
• • Stewardship begins with understanding that God is in control
  
• • Be thankful and honor Him for blessing you 
  
  
• II. Make money your servant, not your master 

• • Use money as a tool to bless other people instead of letting it control your life
  
• • God’s blessings are meant to flow through you, not stop with you 
  
  
• III. No ROI brings greater dividends than the Kingdom of God 
  
• • There is not better investment than the advancement of the Kingdom of God
  
• • Kingdom investments = Eternal investments
  
• • Kingdom investments made in this life today will continue to pay dividends in eternity 
  
  
• IV. One day we will stand before God… 
  
• • We will be held accountable for what we do with what we have been given

Upholding Biblical Truth In A Broken World

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The message from our Lord today is aimed at encouraging every Born-Again Believer to live a godly life in this broken and sin-filled world. The devil is an active, the same devil who personally tempted and tried to deceive Jesus during His earthly life and ministry. This same devil has corrupted the world and continues doing his best to trick you, trip you up, and trap you in sin. His lies are empty echoes loudly trying to cover the truth. 

One of the biggest mistakes is to imagine we are smarter than the devil. We are more powerful, but we are not smarter, more experienced, or somehow exempt from being tempted to believe his lies. Our only hope is the power which comes from living a godly life.  

This morning we begin a series entitled Upholding Biblical Truth In A Broken World. This series will take a candid look at how the devil promotes corrupted truth and what we can do to ensure we do not lose the battle or worse yet, become a well-meaning mouthpiece for the false doctrines of the devil … empty echoes.  

Biblical morality, financial integrity, doctrinal accountability are critical qualities in the life of every Christian. God knows we need encouragement so that we might live godly lives in this world. 

We will begin today by reading from the letter Paul wrote to Titus.  

The young man Titus intrigues me. Titus was an uncircumcised Gentile Christian who was a disciple of the Apostle Paul. Paul wrote to Titus about the importance of living a godly life after having left him on the Island of Crete to set the Churches in order. The people there had a bad reputation. Paul says Cretans were a bunch of lazy, lying, baneful and brutal beasts. 

Crete was under the Roman rule of the evil Emperor Nero at this time and false teachers were influencing Church members to believe lies instead of the truth of God’s word. The Church in Crete was still young and very impressionable. Sometimes people don’t really know the truth and at other times they just want to preach things that sound good. But not everything that trends well ends well. Paul left Titus in Crete to teach Christians how to recognize the truth and use that to live godly lives. Let’s read from: 

Titus 1 NLT 

1 ¶  This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I have been sent to proclaim faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives. 

2  This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God — who does not lie — promised them before the world began. 

• · Eternal life is critical to the Christian’s confidence. 
  
• · This Truth – The Promise of God – gives us confidence. 
  

10  For there are many rebellious people who engage in useless talk and deceive others. This is especially true of those who insist on circumcision for salvation. 

• · Circumcision is a reference to being socially acceptable in today’s terms. 
  
• · Identity religion … believing that being a part of one group, denomination or affiliation, organization or ideology, is more important than your personal relationship with God through Christ. 
  
• · In that day, some had convinced the Cretan Believers that being a Jew and following the law of Moses was more important than being a Christian.  
  
• · Today these empty echoes of the devil continue to confuse doctrine with custom, culture, and condition of life, leading many astray. 
  

11  They must be silenced, because they are turning whole families away from the truth by their false teaching. And they do it only for money. 

• · Unfair advantage and ungodly gain … 
  

12  Even one of their own men, a prophet from Crete, has said about them, “The people of Crete are all liars, cruel animals, and lazy gluttons.” 

13  This is true. So reprimand them sternly to make them strong in the faith. 

• · Never underestimate the power and profitability of stern rebuke from someone wise enough to give you the Word of God.

• · Proverbs 9:8  So don’t bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you. But correct the wise, and they will love you. 
  
• · Ecclesiastes 7:5  Better to be criticized by a wise person than to be praised by a fool. 
  
• · Paul instructed Titus to tell them that:
  

14  They must stop listening to Jewish myths and the commands of people who have turned away from the truth. 

16  Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good. 

Titus 2 NLT 

1 ¶  As for you, Titus, promote the kind of living that reflects wholesome teaching. 

11 ¶  For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. 

12  And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God. 

Surely, I can’t be the first person to tell you that the devil wants to trick you, trip you up, and trap you in sin. Titus was given an important job. He was given the responsibility to teach Church members how to recognize the empty echoes of the devil, turn from sin, and begin living a godly life in this world.  

A godly life is lived by faith, with confidence in the truth of God’s Word. According to Titus 2:12, there are Three Steps you can take today. 

• 1. Wisdom – You’ll find this in the Bible … read it daily. If you don’t know where to start – start with John and Proverbs. Read just one chapter of each book every day. 
  
• 2. Righteousness – Say no to sin in your life … simply stop making plans to sin … (lie if you have to, hope you don’t), but stop sinning. 
  
• 3. Devotion to God – Verbally dedicate yourself to God’s plan for your life and make prayer a priority in your life. Develop a daily habit of prayer.

Holy Fire

 Gtcotr/ws073025 

Allow me to reiterate what we talked about last Wednesday evening concerning the ministry and the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. We do not want to raise a generation who never experience the Holy Fire of God. 

1 Thessalonians 5 NKJV 

27  I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren. 

28  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. 

So let’s begin to read this epistle from the Apostle Paul. 

1 Thessalonians 1 NKJV 

1 ¶  Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

• · Paul, Silas, and Timothy visited Thessalonica after Paul and Silas had been stripped naked in public, beaten with rods, and imprisoned in a dark dungeon in stocks and chains in the town Philippi, (Acts 16). 
  
• · Thessalonica was the capital city of the second district of Macedonia. 
  
• · The message of the Gospel was well received by some important Greek men and women (Acts 17). 
  
• · The religious Jews took issue with the Apostle Paul and his team and violently assaulted some who believed and turned the local authorities against them.  
  
• · The new converts were able to help Paul and Silas and Timothy get out of town in the cover of night. 
  
• · Now, about 12 to 18 months later, AD52, these three men were in Corinth and agree to write this second letter to the Believers in the Church at Thessalonica saying: 
  

2 ¶  We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, 

3  remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, 

4  knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. 

5  For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. 

6 ¶  And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, 

7  so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. 

8  For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything. 

9  For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 

10  and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. 

These 3 amazing men, filled with the passion of Christ, committed to the spreading of the Gospel, and bearing the marks of the Lord Jesus in their bodies, gave great instruction to this faithful congregation in Thessalonica. 

Tonight I want to mention one of their closing points which is found in chapter 5. Now remember, Paul and these men with him knew the price being paid by the Believers in Thessalonica for trusting in Jesus. Yet we hear the clear admonition written by the inspiration of God … 

1 Thessalonians 5 NKJV 

19  Do not quench the Spirit. 

• · The concept of quench is used in connection to putting out a fire. 
  
• · There are three basic ways of extinguishing a fire: 
  
• o By throwing water on it. 
  
• o By covering it with a non-combustible material. 
  
• o By neglecting to resupply the needed fuel. 
  
• · This is no doubt in reference to the Holy Fire which was to burn continuously in the House of God. 
  
• · This admonition to not extinguish the fire of the Holy Spirit is in direct connection with the ministry of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. 
  
• o Specifically

20  Do not despise prophecies. 

• · In direct contrast to extinguishing the Holy Fire, 2 Timothy 1:6 in the ESV and the NLT instruct us to  
  

2 Timothy 1:6 “Fan into flames” the spiritual gift God has given you … 

21  Test all things; hold fast what is good. 

• · The last word from Paul to the Believers at Thessalonica was to make sure the gifts were valid by testing the prophecies for example. 
  
• · How does a person test the Holy Spirit and specifically prophecies? 
  

Prophecies must first agree with the Word of God. Plus the level of prophetic authority given to the general members of the Body of Christ for congregational ministry, as it intended in 2 Thessalonians, as well as in Corinthians and in Timothy, is relegated and limited to: 

1 Corinthians 14:3  But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. 

• 1. Edification – Building up; Strengthen 
  
• 2. Exhortation - Encouragement  
  
• 3. Comfort – Consolation 
  

It is being testified everywhere that we are in a season of the stirring up of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist prophesied that Jesus would baptize His followers in the Holy Spirit and Fire. Let’s not quench the Holy Fire of God in our lives or in our Church.  

We don’t have to be weird or spooky to simply say what you feel Jesus would say to the people around you if He were in your shoes … because He is! Fan into flames the spiritual gifts God has given you and especially prophecy. Make it a point to strengthen, encourage and consol others under the anointing of God. Don’t let the fire of God go out in the house of God, Whose house we are!

People Need the Lord

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Recently I was asked a question about our child sponsorship program. The man, we’ll call him Mr. Jones, was wondering how long they needed to commit to helping the child they had chosen to sponsor. That’s a very reasonable and often asked question. Before telling you what I told him, allow me to share what I hope and what I pray happens to each sponsor.  

It is my prayer that one day, years from now, a knock will be heard at this man’s door. When he opens the door it’s the 22/23 year old version of the little girl he chose to sponsor years ago standing there with a smile and he will hear her say something like this:  

“Mr. Jones! … it’s Lyla. You look just like the pictures you sent.

It has been my life-long dream to meet you in person to say thank you. Because of you, I have always known Jesus loves me. I was hungry, and you fed me; I was thirsty, and you gave me water; I was poor and had no clothes, you sent me a dress and shoes; I was sick, you paid for a doctor to make me well; I was alone and lonely,and you wrote me that everything would be ok. I just want to say thank you for caring, thank you for giving, thank you for loving me.”

This is going to happen to many of you. How do I know, because it has already happened to me. And I pray it happens to each and every one of you, and I know it will … if not here on this earth, then it will happen when you meet the Lord face to face in heaven.  

So, when the man asked me how long, I answered – for as long as it takes. Over the past 45 years, my experience has been that when we help people, they in turn grow up to help others. Your investment in a young life through our sponsorship program, whether you choose a 6-yr old, or a 16-yr old, is making a difference for generations to come.  

This is the reason I have been an active sponsor since 1980. And why I’ve maintained an ongoing relationship with the children I have chosen through the years, and with their growing families. This past week I have 

talked with 5 of the children I helped raise around the world just so we can keep up with what’s going on in each other’s lives. Of course they’re no longer children. And I’m still choosing children to sponsor. I have another fine young man who has no father or mother, Able is his name, he’s 6 years old and lives in a boys home in Ingabor. Man can he dance. I just visited him two weeks ago as I have done each year since I chose him.  

I’d like to say a personal thanks to each one of you for making it possible to leave people and places better than we found them in the name of Jesus. Together we are changing the world, one child at a time. Now, let’s turn our attention to our text for this morning which we will be reading from the Book of Acts, chapter 10. 

One of the things Jesus teaches us through the accounts recorded in the Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, is the fact that God is not afraid of sinners. Every person God chose to work with in the Bible and indeed for the past 2000 years were at one time dreadful sinners. Every one of us was a sinner until we heard about Jesus and decided to follow Him.  

The religious people of Jesus’ day were quite upset and often complained that Jesus spent time with notorious sinners. Jesus loves sinners. Men and women like Jairus, Zacchaeus, Mary Magdalene, Simon Peter, Saul of Tarsus, the young rich ruler, and the woman caught in adultery … Jesus knew them for who they were and loved them anyway. He saw something in them others could not see. 

Still today Jesus loves every sinner. He knows them for who they have been, who they presently are, and who they will one day become after they decide to follow Him. Both good people and bad people need Jesus. We all must be born again. This was God’s hope for a good Gentile man named Cornelius whom we read about in Acts 10.  

Acts 10 NKJV 
1 ¶  There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, 

• · This man was an enemy of Israel. The commander of 100 Roman soldiers who had conquered the land and was occupying Israel. 
  In just a few short years this enemy army would destroy Jerusalem, kill thousands of Jews, and enslave the remaining Israelites. 

• · Yet … Corneilus was: 
  

2  a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. 

• · Most often a man would volunteer for the Roman army, be posted to his duty station, rise in rank through service and after 20 years retire back to his home country and be granted Roman citizenship as a reward. 
  
• · Seeing Cornelius was a commander of 100 men, it is reasonable to assume he is near the end of his military career and soon to return to Italy. 
  
• · Perhaps this meant he had been exposed to the Jews and their love for God and their lawful habits of giving to the poor. Something had happened to this Gentile soldier during his time in Israel … seeing: 
  
• o He feared Jehovah with all his household 
  
• o He gave generously to the poor 
  
• o And the fact that he was also a praying man. 
  
• · All of these are things he must have seen others doing and was influenced by their compassion and commitment.  
  

3  About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!” 

4  And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?” So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. 

• · Wait Luke! Are you telling me God took notice of this Gentile enemy soldier of Rome? 
  
• · Yes! 
  
• · If God didn’t take notice of Gentile sinners, where would we all be? 
  

5  “Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. 

6  “He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do.” 

The continuing account … 

34 ¶  Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. 

35  “But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. 

• · What a revelation … first to Peter, then to his companions, then to the Apostles and Elders at Jerusalem, and perhaps even now to you! 
  
• · God is not afraid of sinners! 
  
• · Jesus loves sinners! 
  
• · Sinners are the only people who have a chance of getting saved. 
  
• · People need the Lord. 
  

There are good people all around us who just need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ from a person who cares and is not afraid to share Jesus with them. Don’t say no to Jesus for anyone. Good people need to hear the Gospel every bit as much as bad people. 

44 ¶  While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 

Two thoughts in conclusion: 

• 1. Who in the world needs to hear the Gospel? 
  
• 2. You may be influencing your enemies more than you realize. 

ENTRUSTED PART II - ENTRUSTED WITH INFLUENCE

Recap from the intro of this series: 

• - Entrust = To assign the responsibility of something valuable to someone in confidence 
  
• - God has entrusted us things that which He considers valuable 
  
• - We looked at the parable of the Talents learned a few things about stewardship. 
  
• - God owns everything (The master owned the entire property in the parable). The first step in stewardship is understanding that everything belongs to God. 
  
• - We are stewards of what God has given us (the talents of gold the servants had were given to them by the master). What God has given us God considers valuable.  
  
• - God expects a return (the master received a report from each servant when he returned). God expects for us to be faithful with what He has given us and not do nothing out of fear. 
  
• - What we do with what we have been given matters.  
  
• - Last week we talked about how we have been given the greatest message in history to steward. 
  
• - The gospel is one that God has given us to steward.  
  
• - We steward the gospel by preaching it… 
  
• - By living it… 
  
• - And by preserving it (passing it down)… 
  

Part II - Entrusted to Influence 

Actors 

musicians 

CEOs,  

the president of the United States,  

content creators,  

athletes,  

celebrities 

etc.  

What do all of these people have in common? Influence… 

However, people imagine that you have to be a celebrity, have a large platform, or thousands of followers on social media to be considered an influencer. Culture has hijacked the meaning of the word influencer. They define it as someone who impacts the behavior of others due to the amount of followers they have in their audience. 

However, where I grew up, a teacher was an influencer, parents were influencers, coaches, business owners, mentors, grandparents, etc. 

The truth is that everyone has influence. No matter who you are or where you are from, you have influence. My hope is that when we leave here today, every person will see themselves as an influencer. You have no idea how God can use one moment in your life to change the course of someone else. 

Influence begins and ends with people. It’s all about relationships. 

Everyone of us have people around us. You have someone in your life that you impact everyday. In fact, you have people in your life who have impacted your life. Someone in your life influenced you to come to Christ, to choose the career you are in, to become the person you are today. Someone influenced you! Just as someone influenced you, you are influencing others. 

Everyday, people are watching how you live, how you treat others, how you respond to pressure, and how you carry yourself in conversations, at work, and even online. 

Whether you know it or not, you are making an impact. 

The question isn’t “do you have influence?” The question is: what am I doing with the influence I have been given? 

Today, we are going to talk about that that means and how you can shone wherever you are. 

Influence = The ability to impact the thoughts, actions, or direction of others. It is the impact you make around you. No matter who you are, you have the ability to impact somebody in your life. Why? Because everyone has influence whether they realize it or not. 

Influence is not about being famous, it’s about being faithful where God has placed you. 

Influence is using who you are, where you are, and what you have to help move others closer to God. 

Influence is important to God because He uses people to reach people. 
God has given you influence for the purpose of you leading people to Him for His glory. That is His goal! However, influence has to be stewarded because what you do with it matters. 

Jesus has something to say about influence as well… 

Matthew 5:13-16 — “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden… let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” 

• 1. God has given you influence
  “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world.” (v13—14)
  
• • Who is Jesus speaking to? He was not speaking to kings and leaders, he was speaking to ordinary people. 
  
• • You have influence (everyone does) 
  
• • You have influence because God has given it to you 
  
• • Everything belongs to God, even our very breath 
  
• • You may not feel influential, but God has placed you in positions, on purpose for His purpose. 
  
• • Think about your circle—your family, coworkers, classmates, teammates, social media. You’re influencing someone, whether you know it or not. 

• 
  
• 2. Your influence is meant to be used
  “A city on a hill cannot be hidden… neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.” (v14-15)
  
• • You have no idea how one conversation and one moment of encouragement can change someone’s life. 
  
• • God might use one word, He might use one sentence, all it takes is one moment to change someone’s life 
  
• • However, we have to be willing to see ourselves the way that God sees us 
  
  
• 3. Influence is meant to point people to Jesus
  “Let your light shine before other , that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (v16)
  
• • The purpose of influence is to point people to the One who made it 
  
• • You can be a bridge or barrier to Christ 
  
  
• 4. What we do with it matters greatly to God