Why Dads Should “Sing Like You Mean It”

I love having my three-year old daughter standing between my wife and I during the singing portion of worship on Sunday morning. Chloe will occasionally look up and watch me sing or raise my hands. Then she’ll do the same.

Dads, our kids are watching us worship. In fact, our families are watching us. If all they know is how we respond to God’s truth being sung, are we leading them with courage and passion for Christ?

This blog post by Stephen Altrogge inspired me to remember that we Dads need to sing it like we mean it.

HT: Tim Challies

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This Sunday’s Sermon: “The Unstoppable Gospel”

Text: Acts 8:1-25

Great movements in history often had their start with a “tipping point” – a moment, one event, or a single person that caused a ripple effect and changed everything.

Last week, we read of one of those moments – the stoning of Stephen. God used this single event of Stephen’s death to cause a massive explosion of the gospel beyond the borders of Palestine and into the Gentile world.

Remember this: Nothing can stop the gospel of Jesus Christ from going forth, and God’s plan of salvation from being completed.

I.  The gospel is not stopped by persecution, but it flourishes in suffering. (Acts 8:1-3)

-Saul led the way in the feeding frenzy of persecution of the church.

-As Christians scattered, the gospel spread.

-The gospel spreads as we count Christ more valuable than our lives.

-When a Christian is no longer threatened by the fear of death, the gospel won’t be silenced.

-You may kill the Christian, but you can never kill the gospel.

- “Kill us, torture us, condemn us, grind us to dust. . . . The more you mow us down, the more we grow; the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” (Tertullian)

II.  The gospel is not limited by borders, but it is for all people. (Acts 8:4-13)

-Philip was one of the first evangelists to the Gentiles.

-It was God’s plan from the beginning that the gospel would go to all people.

-Jesus gave the Great Commission to make disciples of ALL nations.

-The Samaritans (the outcasts of the Jewish world) heard the gospel, experienced the acceptance of Christ, and had “much joy”. We, too, were outcasts who were adopted and brought near in Christ.

-God’s gospel has no limits. God’s kingdom has no borders.

-May we never put “borders” on the gospel. Rich or poor, smart or simple, young or old, share with everyone the good news that Jesus saves sinners.

III.   The gospel is not bought or earned, but it is a gift. (Acts 8:14-24)

-Simon the magician was the local witch doctor who heard the gospel and was baptized.

-But Simon tried to buy the power of the Holy Spirit by offering the apostles money.

-Peter sternly rebuked Simon, and Simon repented.

-We, too, try to “buy” or earn God’s power, His love, His favor.

-Salvation is a free gift – receive it.

-The power of the Spirit is a free gift – receive it.

-Don’t seek the gift more than the Giver. May we pray for the power of the Spirit in order to point to Jesus and glorify God.

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DISCIPLESHIP : Different People, One Lord

(This is the last of 3 posts that focus on what results when we’re a gospel-centered church.)

Acts 6:7 is one of the first “progress reports” in the Book of Acts. Luke is summing up everything that has happened in the first 5 chapters, and this is what he says.

[7] And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

Disciples multiplied because the gospel was central.

It would have been very easy for the apostles to be distracted from the central work of prayer and preaching the gospel, but they acted in wisdom. They were led by the Spirit. No doubt, Peter – the leader of the apostles – had Jesus’ words echoing in his heart – “Peter, feed my sheep. Feed my sheep.” Peter knew that didn’t mean physical food, but Jesus wants His sheep fed with the living word of God.

Because the ministry of the word was protected and the gospel was prioritized, God kept adding to the church. And not just numeric growth, but spiritual growth as well.

Jesus has called us, not just to fill seats in an auditorium, but to make disciples. It’s good to invite people to church. In fact, we should do more of that. But getting people to church is not our ultimate goal. We must be about making disciples – sinners saved by grace who are also growing in grace and, eventually, helping others grow. That’s discipleship, and that’s what we’re called to.

Here’s an important question: Who are you discipling? Who are you taking time to sit down and read scripture with, and pray with and encourage in the gospel?

Jesus calls His church to “go and make disciples of all nations”. That’s not just a command for pastors and missionaries. We are all called to make disciples. Start by sharing the gospel and making disciples right where you are.

You don’t have to wait for a position or title or a different stage of your life when your kids get older and you’ve got more time. Start right where you are – in your neighborhood, in your school, in the places you go everyday, in your extended family.

Just like the church in Acts, as the word of God increases in us, it will increase through us. As the gospel does its good work in you, it will begin to overflow to something God will do through you.

When the gospel is central, we remember how God saved us from our sin. We remember that it was not because of anything we had done, but simply because of God’s extravagant love and mercy that he reached down and made our dead hearts alive.

If you’re saved, it’s because God opened your spiritual ears to hear that wonderful news. Not only did God open your heart, but He also sent someone to you to share the gospel…

…someone who submitted to God.

…someone who resisted their fear.

…someone took time to teach you, to pray for you.

…someone took time to encourage you in the faith.

And now, you are a disciple of Christ.

Take a moment to thank God for His love for you in Christ. Thank God for that someone who first shared the gospel with you. And now, ask God to help you to be that “someone” who can share the gospel with another.

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DELEGATION : Different Gifts, One Purpose

Yesterday we saw how a gospel-centered church will be diverse. Today, let’s consider how a gospel-centered church will result in delegating – everyone doing their part for the purpose of the gospel going forth.

We must remember that the church is called to serve. The great preacher Charles Spurgeon once said,

“The very motto of the Christian should be ‘I serve.’ ”

Talking to other church leaders, he said…

“My brethren, what is our relation to this church? What is our position in it? We are servants. He that in his heart and soul is always ready to serve the very least of the family; who expects to be put upon; and willingly sacrifices reputation and friendship for Christ’s sake he shall fulfill a heaven-sent ministry. We are not sent to be ministered unto, but to minister.”

To accomplish this, in God’s wisdom, He made each one of us different with different gifts, so that we can all share in the responsibility and joy of serving, instead of just leaving it to a few.

In Acts 6:2-4, the apostles heard about the Hellenist widows being overlooked, they knew this had to be addressed.

[2] And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. [3] Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. [4] But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

The apostles knew they could not minister to all the needs of all the people all the time. So what did they do? They delegated. They shared the authority and responsibility to minister.

We need each other.
We’re not meant to go it alone – we need each other.

That was one of the first leadership lessons Moses learned. Leading millions of people through the desert, settling their disputes, giving them counsel. His father-in-law came to him and basically said, “Moses, you’re going to kill yourself. You can’t do this alone. You need help.” And so Moses chose men of good character to help him.

We all need that reminder. So why do we often struggle with reaching out for help? For some, it’s pride convincing you that you can do it yourself. For others, you may think people are just too busy and your problems don’t matter. Whatever it is, God is the only one who is self-sufficient, and you’re not God. We need each other. Reach out to God for help, and reach out to the people that God has put around you.

Not all needs are the same.
The apostles knew it was important to help feed the hungry. But they also knew it was not good to focus on this while neglecting the preaching of the word and prayer.

So, the apostles delegated some authority and responsibility. Those who had the problem helped to solve the problem by choosing seven men full of the Spirit and wisdom in order to help in meeting the physical needs of the church.

While this delegating helps us in understanding the role deacons later in the church, these seven men here are not called deacons. They served a specific need of the church at a specific time. And this wasn’t all they did. In coming weeks we will see men like Stephen and Phillip have a vital role to play in the preaching of the gospel and the growth of the church.

Men like this remind us that every believer, regardless of title or position, has a part to play, a gift to use, a place to serve. When everyone in the church embraces their call to serve, the church functions as God intended. When everyone pitches in and serves, the preaching of the gospel can remain central while other needs are met as well.

We are all part of the Body, all have different delegated areas to serve, different gifts, yet we are all called for one purpose – to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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