WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:38.000 Loving God, we come before you today. We thank you that you are a good, good father, that you have blessed us and looked after us in so many ways. And sometimes it's only in hindsight that we realize the way that you have journeyed with us and allowed your Holy Spirit to work in our lives. And so today, as we come to consider your word, I pray that your Holy Spirit will be alive in our heart, hearts and our minds. Awaken us to the things that you want us to hear. 2 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:57.000 Let every other word be washed away. But Lord, I pray today that your Holy Spirit will move powerfully in whatever way the Spirit's work is required. We pray this in Jesus name, Amen. 3 00:00:57.000 --> 00:01:04.000 So my mother was Helen French, and some of you may have known her. 4 00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:10.000 And I had the privilege of sharing a story at Newstead Christian School about motherhood. 5 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:18.000 And in that story, I tried not to emphasize too much about your mother dying, because that can be hard for children to hear. 6 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:43.000 But what came in that is that God provided other mother figures to look after me after I had experienced my mother passing away at about 26. And Robin Atkinson was one of those mothers to me. And I don't know whether Robyn knows, but my name means lady of flowers. 7 00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:51.000 And every month for probably 10 or 12 months, Robyn would send me a bouquet of flowers. 8 00:01:51.000 --> 00:01:56.000 And it was just, I don't know, did you know my name meant lady of flowers? 9 00:01:56.000 --> 00:01:59.000 Okay. Until this day. 10 00:01:59.000 --> 00:02:07.000 And so that extremely generous act ministered to me as a young mum with a babe in tow. 11 00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:28.000 And, yeah, I think tying into that sense that God's love and God's presence is with us and for us as mothers and. Or mother figures just to look out for those that may not have a person in their life that can. Can provide that motherly care. 12 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:42.000 And when my mother was about 52, she had been a woman of listening. She had mastered a listening presence. So that was her ministry before it became a thing. 13 00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:52.000 But when she was about 52, she felt prompted by the Holy Spirit and invited to start preaching and teaching. 14 00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:59.000 Now, she was from a brethren background, and that was quite a challenge. 15 00:02:59.000 --> 00:03:10.000 And I guess when we look at today's verses, we're looking at all protected and considering how persecution can come. 16 00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:16.000 And I think for me, I keep wondering, Lord, how can persecution come to me in my context? 17 00:03:16.000 --> 00:04:24.000 Like, my life is so easy in so many ways. I. I really want to make sure that my faith is strong enough to be able to navigate persecution. But it was only this morning that I realized that my mother experienced persecution to a certain degree when she stepped into an area that wasn't necessarily the space that was culturally normal for her. And she had people walk out of the church service, even though she had been invited to speak. And in some ways, I would see that as persecution. And I know within this community you have faithful people that are following the leading of the Holy Spirit into areas and ways that might not be quite what you expect, but they need your prayers and your protection, whether that's chaplaincy in some difficult schools, whether that's working, teaching the foundation course in Indonesia, whether it's a teacher in the school. 18 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:33.000 So today we will ponder how we can journey with those who are persecuted. 19 00:04:33.000 --> 00:04:46.000 But my suggestion to you is that we have to be open in our own lives and be aware for those within our own communities that may experience persecution for. For different reasons. 20 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:57.000 So today's sermon falls within the Acts two series called the Big Big Story. I think we're on about weeks five or six, is that right? 21 00:04:57.000 --> 00:05:22.000 And in Tasmania, we are so organized, we are getting ready to celebrate in 2033, the celebration, the 2000th anniversary of Jesus, resurrection of the coming of the Holy Spirit, the beginning of the church and the Great Commission where we, as we go in life, we are commanded to make disciples. 22 00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:28.000 So last week, I think you had Jenna come here, and I think she spoke on all care. 23 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:40.000 And for her reflection on that, she took the angle of our identity in Christ as being the foundation of being able to care for others. 24 00:05:40.000 --> 00:06:02.000 And within this Big Big Story, we are encouraging ourselves and everyone else to realize that every nation and every person through history is invited into a realization of kingdom power and kingdom impact. 25 00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:08.000 And this is not just me as an individual, but it's us as a community as well. 26 00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:24.000 So today we'll be looking at everyone protected and what it means to stand unchained with the persecuted. So we'll be looking through Acts 2, 36, 41. 27 00:06:24.000 --> 00:06:29.000 Now, we've had the privilege of already hearing the verses. 28 00:06:29.000 --> 00:06:34.000 The passage starts with therefore. 29 00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:38.000 And I was taught always to ask if therefore. Therefore, why? 30 00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:49.000 So basically, Peter is saying here that it draws on all that has happened in chapter one and chapter two of Acts. 31 00:06:49.000 --> 00:07:04.000 And so we hear that Jesus resurrection is confirmed through many convincing proofs over 40 days, showing that he is truly alive and continuing to teach about the kingdom of God. 32 00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:13.000 He promised about the coming Holy Spirit and commissioned his disciples to go into the world as witnesses. 33 00:07:13.000 --> 00:07:25.000 Then at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out on all the believers there present, empowering them and fulfilling the prophecy. 34 00:07:25.000 --> 00:07:34.000 And so Peter explains That that has connection back to Joel as well as prophetic words from King David. 35 00:07:34.000 --> 00:08:05.000 So having demonstrated that Jesus was raised exalted to the right hand of God the Father and is the source of the Spirit at work, Peter logically concludes, therefore, God has made this same Jesus whom they crucified, crucified both Lord and Messiah. So let's walk through Acts 36:41 and just see what it reveals to us. 36 00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:15.000 So in this 36 to 37, Peter's declaration, God has made this Jesus, both Lord and Messiah. 37 00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:25.000 Now, those words are very familiar to us, but actually to the listeners present, that was really confronting. 38 00:08:25.000 --> 00:08:30.000 And it kind of was saying the people listening were complicit. 39 00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:46.000 And it was actually saying that he was saying that those present were complicit in Jesus death. So if he's Lord and Messiah and you folk are the ones that killed him, they were cut to the heart. 40 00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:57.000 And this process kind of highlights. They became aware of injustice and the truth of the Gospel. 41 00:08:57.000 --> 00:09:02.000 And this mirrors the first step of standing with the persecuted. 42 00:09:02.000 --> 00:09:10.000 You must firstly see clearly and then be moved internally. 43 00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:13.000 So this movement doesn't start with action. 44 00:09:13.000 --> 00:09:22.000 It's actually conviction and a recognition that something is wrong and needs a response. 45 00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:39.000 In verse 38 and 39, we hear how radically inclusive Peter's invitation is. So basically repent and be baptized. Not just some of you, but every one of you. 46 00:09:39.000 --> 00:09:55.000 Now, this is radical when you think our society is quite broad and inclusive, but in a Jewish culture and Jewish listening, like the men and the women, the rich and the poor, oh, my goodness. 47 00:09:55.000 --> 00:10:03.000 And also it says that the promise is for you and your children and all who are far off. 48 00:10:03.000 --> 00:10:19.000 And so that is the marginalized and distant. And so I think we are in the distant because we're distant in terms of history and we're on the edge of the world as well. So isn't that amazing that these words are actually a blessing to us today? 49 00:10:19.000 --> 00:10:28.000 And the type of protection that we are exploring today is not the traditional human type of protection. 50 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:39.000 It's actually the power of spiritual covering, the power of forgiveness and the gift of the spirit. 51 00:10:39.000 --> 00:10:55.000 Last week I had the opportunity to meet a gentleman who was 92. And he was saying this, that until he was 75, he had carried unforgiveness like a heavy weight on his shoulders. 52 00:10:55.000 --> 00:10:58.000 So he had come out of a concentration camp. 53 00:10:58.000 --> 00:11:40.000 He had experienced such hardship and such loss that in terms of human eyes, it would have been justified to be angry and unforgiving. But when he encountered Christ, he said to me, suddenly, My brain started working like I actually could think and my body, I could stand up straight. And I think sometimes we don't realise how powerful. Encountering Christ and the forgiveness and the transformation that can happen for us that have had the privilege of knowing Jesus for a long time, we sometimes forget. 54 00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:47.000 So in verse 40, we hear how there's a call to step out of a corrupt system. 55 00:11:47.000 --> 00:11:51.000 So it says, save yourselves from a corrupt generation. 56 00:11:51.000 --> 00:11:54.000 And this is not about personal morality. 57 00:11:54.000 --> 00:12:00.000 It's a call to disassociate from unjust patterns and systems. 58 00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:13.000 So standing with the persecuted often requires leaving the dominant culture, which we soak in and we kind of, kind of at times, unaware of. 59 00:12:13.000 --> 00:12:19.000 So the dominant culture and align with God's Kingdom ways. 60 00:12:19.000 --> 00:12:42.000 So in our modern context and within our local context, what does that look like? Sometimes it's the gift of an outsider that helps us realize how enculturated we are. So I have a beautiful Muslim gentleman who, well, he said, at Christmas, why do all the Christians lock their doors and hide inside with their families? 61 00:12:42.000 --> 00:12:57.000 Like, isn't this worth celebrating beyond your church service? Like, in our culture, we open the doors, the Christian open the doors, and you can go from house to house. And I think, oh, Lord, help me if that's, you know, that's a radical difference, isn't it? 62 00:12:57.000 --> 00:13:11.000 And I think sometimes in our general culture, we need to identify how our capitalist, individualist society can influence us. 63 00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:23.000 So we actually can sometimes think that wealth, what we own and what we possess is our worth, and we equate those two. 64 00:13:23.000 --> 00:13:32.000 And the Kingdom way, are we willing to practice generosity rather than accumulation? 65 00:13:32.000 --> 00:13:42.000 And again, sometimes we value people for their productivity rather than who they are as people. 66 00:13:42.000 --> 00:13:47.000 So, yeah, so it's just worth thinking about. 67 00:13:47.000 --> 00:13:57.000 Sometimes you may have encountered someone with a different worldview and that has challenged your understanding of how we live our lives. 68 00:13:57.000 --> 00:14:12.000 So in this situation, and sometimes those cultural things are almost like dark powers, and they can sort of happen within systems as well, within different organizations. 69 00:14:12.000 --> 00:14:37.000 So are you willing to stand up? Are you willing to say, actually, I don't think that's the way that person should be treated, or I don't think that's the way these children should be treated. So it actually, again, different context that we live and work in, but it requires bravery often to stand up and to articulate a different way, a Kingdom way. 70 00:14:37.000 --> 00:14:44.000 So in verse 41, they were all baptized and about 3,000 were added. 71 00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:48.000 Now, this was an immediate response. 72 00:14:48.000 --> 00:15:03.000 I love baptisms. Imagine if we could put out the invitation that people choose to follow Jesus and get baptized all in one thing. But that's what happened here. And they were visibly identified as a community. 73 00:15:03.000 --> 00:15:18.000 Now that was actually kind of strange. We take it as normal, but they're actually aligning themselves to a Jesus that everyone else thinks is dead. 74 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:27.000 And they obviously have encountered a new understanding. But that wasn't necessarily the cultural norm in that situation. 75 00:15:27.000 --> 00:15:32.000 But what this meant is that they were joined into a new community. 76 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:44.000 They were able to realize that this new way, this Jesus way, was worth leaving everything behind. 77 00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:52.000 And this community formed through the Holy Spirit was their new family. 78 00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:57.000 So what we're exploring here is protection, being redefined. 79 00:15:57.000 --> 00:16:02.000 It's not about avoiding suffering, but belonging. 80 00:16:02.000 --> 00:16:11.000 So Acts 2 doesn't promise safety. It offers forgiveness of sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit. 81 00:16:11.000 --> 00:16:20.000 When you read through the Old Testament, how many times were people able to have a direct encounter with the Holy Spirit? 82 00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:23.000 Sometimes it was hundreds of years between. 83 00:16:23.000 --> 00:16:28.000 And yet we have the Holy Spirit available to us today. 84 00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:30.000 Isn't that amazing? 85 00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:39.000 And repenting and accepting Jesus way, there is a new community. 86 00:16:39.000 --> 00:16:47.000 And again, if you've been in church for a long time, possibly you don't remember how amazing it is to be part of a church community. 87 00:16:47.000 --> 00:16:53.000 Imagine a community that is displaying fruit of the Holy Spirit. 88 00:16:53.000 --> 00:16:59.000 Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, humility and self control. 89 00:16:59.000 --> 00:17:04.000 That is radical and that is beautiful. 90 00:17:04.000 --> 00:17:13.000 And when we think of this, there is a deeper sense of protection beyond our physical and or our social protection. 91 00:17:13.000 --> 00:17:22.000 We identify or our identity is in Christ, not about what we wear, what we do during the week. 92 00:17:22.000 --> 00:17:29.000 We are in community. We can actually share life together. 93 00:17:29.000 --> 00:17:40.000 And as I said, sometimes when we don't have mothers or we don't have fathers or even family nearby, that's where we can actually be family. 94 00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:54.000 And when my children decided to move out of home and go beyond Launceston and Tasmania, I said, wherever you go, make sure you connect with a church community. They can be your family. 95 00:17:54.000 --> 00:18:05.000 And I think for me that was an encouragement regardless of whether they had continued in their faith. 96 00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:15.000 So I just wanted them to know wherever they go, whatever happens in life, that wherever there's a church community, they can be your family. 97 00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:45.000 But this makes me think and God's presence. And I think for me we have different challenges in life. Some of them are unexpected, some. So when I discovered at some point that I had breast cancer, it was actually God's deep presence and the beautiful people around me. But that suddenly when I thought I was fish and healthy and could take on the world, suddenly I was on the couch for like a year. 98 00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:53.000 And all of the things that I took as my identity were stripped away. 99 00:18:53.000 --> 00:19:01.000 And I had the opportunity to do some deep reflection and ponder, where is God's presence in this? 100 00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:24.000 And it was amazing to experience God's love and God's presence through that journey before. I was hoping to share a video with you and the video was from Open Doors. I don't know whether you've heard of Open Doors about the Persecuted church and on Mother's Day, I want us. 101 00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:29.000 So it was a little bit tricky to show you, but I just want to summarize really quickly. 102 00:19:29.000 --> 00:19:54.000 In the wider global community, there are so many mothers and women who are followers of Jesus, but they are persecuted. They don't necessarily have the freedom to hold onto their faith. Even to read the Bible could mean that they're beaten or killed. 103 00:19:54.000 --> 00:20:16.000 And so it's so important as a body of Christ that we remember those people as well. So there was a story of a lady in Yemen and she had to memorize the Bible because she couldn't take it with her when she went to visit anyone else in another home. 104 00:20:16.000 --> 00:20:24.000 Because if she was found with a Bible or even something on the phone that was faith based, her life was at risk. 105 00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:36.000 And so when I hear those kind of stories, I think I could become so complacent, you know, am I practising memorizing the Bible so that I can carry that with me? 106 00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:58.000 But likewise the women in Sudan. There are so many places where they are suffering and are persecuted. And at the end of our time together, I would love us to pray for them because also they have the opportunity to share faith with their children and other women within their network in particular. 107 00:20:58.000 --> 00:21:02.000 And it's a risky business. 108 00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:10.000 So Acts 2 launches a movement where we are all confronted. 109 00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:21.000 So the Spirit convicts people with the truth of Jesus and also the truth about themselves, which we love to hide from ourselves. 110 00:21:21.000 --> 00:21:35.000 And God's kingdom begins with honest repentance and a recognition of our need. I love that song that we sang before. It was just so beautiful. 111 00:21:35.000 --> 00:21:51.000 But all are welcomed. Isn't that amazing? That is so exciting that the promise of salvation and the gift of the Holy Spirit is open to everyone without barriers or exclusions. 112 00:21:51.000 --> 00:22:15.000 So in Christ, all are invited to belong and all are changed, transformed, both within their personal life, but within the community as well. It's great to rub off each other sometimes. Those people that annoy you actually are God's gift to you to learn, to grow. 113 00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:39.000 And so with repentance and baptism and having a spirit led Life we can experience transformation now acts to 41 to 47. We haven't read today and I'd hope that you might have read a previous week is where the believers gathered and they shared everything in common. 114 00:22:39.000 --> 00:22:44.000 So there was a beautiful transformation of the wider community. 115 00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:50.000 So it was. They were willing to sell what they have and give it to share with those that didn't have. 116 00:22:50.000 --> 00:23:12.000 And they were enthusiastic to gather together. So I'm so excited that you've got Something happened was on the 31st of May where you're having a family evening for those that can't come. I hope you're praying because Peter was just saying how there was once a drop in center and when people forgot to pray, things went wrong. 117 00:23:12.000 --> 00:23:21.000 So how are we praying to make sure that we can enthusiastically gather together? 118 00:23:21.000 --> 00:23:31.000 But I also need to declare and make us aware that all may face the cost of discipleship. 119 00:23:31.000 --> 00:23:44.000 So there's a sense where in our different contexts and potentially within our wider community, following Jesus can be costly. 120 00:23:44.000 --> 00:24:09.000 And when we think of people like Corrie10 boom in her context. Do you remember? Yeah, I'm sure she was a lady who her family decided to hide Jews in their wall when there was persecution. And she ended up in a concentration camp and she had a tattered Bible. And at midnight she and her sister and a few others would read the Bible. 121 00:24:09.000 --> 00:24:36.000 And that sustained her but also transformed her as well. So when she came across a guard many years later, she had been speaking in a big context and a guard from the concentration camp had come to know Jesus and he asked for forgiveness. I think she was speaking on forgiveness. 122 00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:43.000 And so he came forward confidently, hoping that she might extend forgiveness to him. 123 00:24:43.000 --> 00:24:52.000 And somehow not in her own strength, but through the power of the Holy Spirit, she was able to do that. 124 00:24:52.000 --> 00:24:55.000 There's a practical invitation. 125 00:24:55.000 --> 00:25:03.000 Are we willing to stand up and respond to the gospel afresh today? 126 00:25:03.000 --> 00:25:17.000 Are we willing to understand more fully what it looks like to let Jesus be the king of our life, hand over our little kingdom, which we're desperately trying to keep together? 127 00:25:17.000 --> 00:25:24.000 Are we willing to hand that over and experience a transformed life? 128 00:25:24.000 --> 00:25:34.000 Are we willing to stand down and let go of the old allegiances that we have? 129 00:25:34.000 --> 00:25:50.000 Sometimes we're obsessed about a certain thing for the sake of the kingdom. Are we willing to let that go down for unity, for love, whatever that is? 130 00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:56.000 Are we willing to stand with and belong to the people of God? 131 00:25:56.000 --> 00:26:04.000 And more than that, can I invite you to invite others? 132 00:26:04.000 --> 00:26:07.000 Because what you have here is beautiful. 133 00:26:07.000 --> 00:26:20.000 And sometimes being brave to step in to Lean in to invite others into this beautiful community is just what they need. 134 00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:31.000 And so, yep, stand with each other. But also I encourage you to invite others and then stand alongside. 135 00:26:31.000 --> 00:26:46.000 I don't know what your connections are to the persecuted church or persecuted Christians, but I'm sure you have connection either through open doors in the Baptist church, we have stand with Myanmar. 136 00:26:46.000 --> 00:26:52.000 And so I'm sure you have an awareness of what's happen, happening for Christians in Myanmar. 137 00:26:52.000 --> 00:26:59.000 And I would encourage you to be brave to listen to those stories. 138 00:26:59.000 --> 00:27:25.000 Sometimes they're hard stories, sometimes we would just rather return to Instagram scrolling to avoid those hard stories or Facebook scrolling, but actually be willing to see these people as our brothers and sisters in Christ and to pray for them. And as I said before, prayer is so powerful to change the world and change lives. 139 00:27:25.000 --> 00:27:44.000 And for those that are inclined to stand for, are you willing to use your breath, your hand, are you willing to type, Are you willing to advocate for those who are persecuted? 140 00:27:44.000 --> 00:27:58.000 And that sometimes feels like a hard job, but it can be a text message to people who are struggling in different places around the world. 141 00:27:58.000 --> 00:28:14.000 It might be connecting in with worldview and hearing of the Christians that are being persecuted around the world. So there's local and international ways that we can advocate and act. 142 00:28:14.000 --> 00:28:42.000 So there's an invitation today, knowing that we can be transformed through knowing Jesus as we continue to repent and be transformed every day, that the Holy Spirit can prompt us, can lead us, and at times it can lead us to step into spaces that we personally feel a certain level of persecution. 143 00:28:42.000 --> 00:29:15.000 Be brave, trust the Holy Spirit and just be aware that if there are people within our networks that are experiencing persecution, whether that's through being isolated or criticised or sidelined, and in the global context, if that means those that are risking their life in India, who are choosing to follow Jesus, how can we stand with them? 144 00:29:15.000 --> 00:29:22.000 And are we brave to do that? Because when one member suffers, we all suffer. 145 00:29:22.000 --> 00:29:30.000 And when we speak together, the world will listen through the love of Jesus. 146 00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:36.000 So can I just conclude now with prayer as I hand back to Claire? 147 00:29:36.000 --> 00:29:53.000 Loving God, I thank you that you came close to us through sending Jesus to walk in our shoes, to walk here on earth with us. 148 00:29:53.000 --> 00:30:27.000 And I thank you that that way is so radically different to every culture and every community and every individual through history and through Jesus, that we can have life and life in the fullness, even if that looks like a difficult path when we think of the martyrs that have gone before us, those who faithfully stepped up when the Holy Spirit has invited them to step up. 149 00:30:27.000 --> 00:30:38.000 We praise you for Jesus and for the martyrs and for those that are currently experiencing persecution around the world. 150 00:30:38.000 --> 00:30:48.000 We think of the women in Yemen and the women in Iran who are whispering and and gossiping the gospel. 151 00:30:48.000 --> 00:30:56.000 I pray that they can know your love in real and transformative ways. 152 00:30:56.000 --> 00:31:00.000 And likewise in our context. 153 00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:22.000 I pray that we can walk with one another, pray with one another, and to be unified as a community that is like a beacon on the hill where the fruit of the Spirit is evident and that we can know your love in a deep and transformative way. 154 00:31:22.000 --> 00:31:27.000 We pray this in Jesus name, Amen.