• “The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”
• Richard Dawkins most famous atheist in the world… last week called himself a cultural Christian…
• very clear that he is not even close to being an actual believer
• can no longer resist the truth that almost everything good about our Western culture finds its roots in our Christian past
• people around the world have been praying for years that he will become a follower of Jesus Christ
• at least half a dozen massively important public thinkers further along down this path than he is

1. Ayan Hirsi Ali actually calls herself a Christian, although if you read what she wrote about it, it’s not at all clear that she thinks of herself as a personal, deliberate disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ… cultural Christian?
2. Russell Brand in just the last couple of weeks began to openly call himself a follower of Jesus Christ
3. Jordan Peterson, possibly the most important public thinker in our society, has been thinking and talking about Jesus and the Bible for the last several years almost without stop… keeps trying to express things in symbolic and jungian terms it will not come out and declare himself to be a disciple of Jesus Christ—yet

• a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ is someone who has been born again by the spirit of God
• new birth, new heart, new nature, new life, growth, new purpose, new destiny
• that spiritual growth continues throughout his life on earth
• are you a growing Christian?
• today our Lord wants us to talk about the connection between growing Christians and growing churches
• he wants to use the newly converted Saul of Tarsus as our case study

where it fits

• the acts of the HS, flowing from the baptism in the HS
• right after conversion of Saul
• confrontation by Christ outside Damascus
• confirmation by healing, HS, baptism inside Damascus

READ Acts 9:19b-31

6 facts about growing Christians and growing churches

ONE: Growing Christians need church families

• •• disciples at Damascus (vv 19-25)
• NB he there “some days” (v 19) “many days” (v 22)
• what happened to the posse who were traveling from Jerusalem to Damascus with Saul?… probably OC disciples of Saul
• dropped him off at Judas’ house on Straight Street (v 11)
• Judas à Ananias à disciples at Damascus
• e new posse
• accepted by disciples at Damascus à preaching Christ at Damascus à disciples of Paul at Damascus (v 25)
• fully folded into the fellowship of that local church
• quickly becoming a leader among them

• •• disciples at Jerusalem (vv 26-30)
• tried to join them, but they were understandably hesitant

• new believers need to be folded into a fellowship of believers
• growing new believers being grown by older believers

• BTW, notice “disciple” and “Christian” mean the same thing in this passage
• Lordship controversy shows up again
• hears it taught: Savior not = Lord… believer not = disciple
• heresy….
• preaching in Acts: discipleship, repentance

• one of the reasons new believers need church families: right doctrine

TWO: Growing churches risk growing Christians

• scared disciples at Damascus (vv 19-25) à Ananias opened the door
• scared disciples at Jerusalem (vv 26-30) à Barnabas cleared the path

• new believers are often difficult to deal with… take a chance on them
• churches that will not risk welcoming new believers are churches well on their way to a well-deserved death

THREE: Growing Christians talk about Jesus openly

• Saul in Damascus and Jerusalem
• filled with the HS v 19 à in Luke/Acts, filling with the HS always results in prophetic proclamation about Jesus (sermon Aug 13 last year)

• are you filled with the HS? power for the moment
• are you full of the HS? ongoing growth
• either way, talking openly about Jesus is the inevitable result

FOUR: Growing churches applaud open talk about Jesus

• amazed in Damascus, astonished in Jerusalem
• no doubt made some of them afraid to talk openly about Jesus
• re-energized for their witness by the powerful witness of Saul
• v 31

FIVE: Growing Christians are often in danger

• in Damascus (vv 20-25)
• in Jerusalem (vv 28-30)
• Hellenists… early Christianity overwhelmingly Hellenistic
• Galilee of the Gentiles
• Saul actually a Hellenistic Jew… currently going by his Hebrew name

• growing Christians often in danger
• not saying that you’ll get yourself killed or beaten or imprisoned or threatened if you’re a growing believer
• am saying that if we’re growing the way we ought to be, we’ll be willing to

lose a friend, miss a promotion, embarrass a relative

• if it ever did come down to it…

SIX: Growing churches help Christians in danger

• watch how church families help Saul
• Damascus à vv 23-25
• Jerusalem à vv 29-30

• Hebrews 10:32-34
• Matthew 25:31-46… who are Jesus’ brothers (v 40)
• Mat 28:10; John 20:17; Rom. 8:29; Heb. 2:11
• hellfire talk in this passage: if I am not willing to act to help my brothers and sisters in my church family when I know that they need my help, I really should question whether I’m truly born again or not … sermon April 25, 2021

• Voice of the Martyrs, Open Doors

summary

Growing Christians need church families

Growing churches risk growing Christians

Growing Christians talk about Jesus openly

Growing churches applaud open Jesus talk

Growing Christians are often in danger

Growing churches help Christians in danger

conclusion

• who could have ever guessed that Saul of Tarsus, the hater of Christ and the persecutor of Christians, would ever become possibly the most important missionary and theologian of the Christian movement?

• is it conceivable that the Holy Spirit may grab hold of Richard Dawkins before he dies?
• would you be surprised if he turns Jordan Peterson into a new C. S. Lewis?

• dreams and speculations far from where we live
• growing churches are in the business of growing Christians
• those who do not will not survive
• will not hear “well done”
• we aim not merely to survive but actually to thrive
• looking forward to hearing our Lord say, well done