Acts 1:12

I'd like to begin in Psalm 71, verses 14 to 16. It is a beautiful promise that really speaks to my heart and expresses where I'm at right now as well. The psalmist said, "But I will hope continually, and I will praise you yet more and more." Amen. We want to keep going.

"My mouth shall tell of your righteousness and of your salvation all the day, for I do not know their limits." The telling of the Lord, the sharing of how good He is, has no limit. I will go in the strength of the Lord God, and I will make mention of your righteousness and of yours only.

Some folks have asked me how it feels to be retired, and I make it very clear that I am not retired. The Lord has really been opening up new doors, and I want to share a little bit of that with you this morning before Miles teaches in Acts chapter 8.

I've written it out because he's asked me to keep it to 15 minutes. So, here we go. This morning, I am really grateful for the opportunity to share with you some of the new things that God is doing in my life and in my ministry.

As many of you know, my beautiful wife, Joyce, passed away last July, after a three-and-a-half-year courageous and inspiring battle with breast cancer. Shortly after my dear wife passed, I had my own physical problems and ended up having to undergo three major colon surgeries for diverticulitis and four hospitalizations. It has been an interesting year.

Does anyone else have an interesting year? Last year, we can relate. In April of this year, as Miles mentioned, after serving as senior pastor of this church for 27 years, I passed the mantle of leadership over to Miles.

What a joy it has been to watch how God is using Miles and how the Lord is working through him and the leadership of our church. They continue to feed you, build you up, challenge you, and encourage you to press on in the good work that God has called every one of us to do. We are truly grateful for that. I am delighted to support Miles, lift his arms, and encourage him in the work that God has called him to do.

In all these changes in my life, God is making it clear that He has a new direction for me. My prayer has been that God would continue to use me for His purposes and for His glory. I know that has been your prayer for me, too, and I appreciate it deeply. I have prayed that my many years of ministering here and the trials He has seen me through would be a help and an encouragement to many others in ministry.

As Miles shared, I was sent out in 1981 from a church in the Pomona Walnut area called Christian Chapel of Walnut. I was sent to pastor a brand new little church down here in Escondido in 1981. I was kind of a missionary from the hustle and bustle of East Los Angeles and North Orange County to this little sleepy retirement village of Escondido. For nearly a quarter of a century now, God has been doing a beautiful work here.

I have had a heart for missions and for missionaries—those very brave and faithful people who left the comfort and familiarity of their Southern California culture to bring the good news of Jesus to folks in other cultures, both near and far. Since 1985, Calvary Escondido, by the grace of God, has been raising up and sending out church planters, church workers, and missionaries all around the world. What an honor it has been to watch.

A few months ago, God began opening a wide door for me to serve missionaries and the churches that send those missionaries. I will share a little bit more of that in a couple of minutes. To give you a better idea of what God has been doing here at Calvary Escondido in missions, I put together a quick pictorial review of our church's history in missions.

You guys have been around for a while. You may recognize some of the faces. We've only been doing this for 25 years, which is just a drop in the bucket compared to the 2,000 years of missions that have been going on since our first missionary, Jesus Christ, brought the good news and the freedom of life through turning from sin and turning to the Lord on the basis of what He had done on the cross for us. This has brought new life to millions and millions of people, and we are part of that. What an honor it has been to contribute to the awesome work of bringing the love, care, truth, and light of our Lord and Savior Jesus to people of other lands and cultures.

The Bible says, as Paul wrote in Romans chapter 10, that there really isn't a distinction anymore in Christ between this religious group and that religious group, between the Jews and the Gentiles. It is the same Lord who is rich to all who call upon Him. It doesn't matter where you're from or what you've been through; it doesn't matter what your culture is. If you call upon the name of the Lord, the Bible says in Romans 10:13 that you will be saved. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. You can do that this morning; just call on Him.

But then a question is asked: How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, quoting Isaiah 52, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace and who bring glad tidings of good things."

I would like to give you a little picture of how that gospel of peace has gone out and who has been carrying it over the last 25 years. Our first missionaries were a couple named Craig and Serena Landis. There's Pastor Jeff Jackson way in the back, just a kid. These individuals went out to the island of Guam. Their church, Calvary Chapel Hidden Valley, merged with us in 1984, and in 1985, we sent them out to Guam.

Right around the same time, a young couple decided to get married. They had a burden for missions, and so this church sent out Mark and Bronwyn to the island of Guam to help the Landis. A couple of years later, the Landis came back, and Mark and Bronwyn took over the church. Pastor Mark began to learn how to lead and guide. It was tough living there by the waterfalls, but he became a shepherd and learned how to shepherd the flock of God's people. Mark and Bronwyn served there until 1991 when they returned and became a part of our ministry here, eventually becoming my assistant pastor. It was a lot of fun.

In 1987, Jeff and Helen Jackson were sent out by this church. Jeff was my first assistant pastor, and they pastored in the Philippines until 1993, when they turned it over to Bong and Edna Bolaro, who are currently pastoring Calvary Chapel Cebu in the southern Philippines. Jeff and I have had the chance to go back several times and visit. Most recently, it was four or five years ago when we dedicated the new church at Calvary Chapel Cebu.

After that, Rick Kirstead from Soviet Airlines, Tony Bonici, and I were able to go to Russia in 1992 to familiarize ourselves with the ministry opportunities that were opening up in the former Soviet Union. A year later, Rick and Kelly, along with their kids, Annie and Sierra, were sent out by this church to pastor Calvary Chapel of Minsk in Belarus. Along with them went Bill Spiller, who is now pastoring at Calvary Chapel in Texas. God is still using him.

Kelsey Hoppe went out in 1993 as well. Two years later, in 1995, Larry Vanderspeck took over the church in Minsk. A young man named Sergei, who is second from the left in the photo, got saved during a street outreach. When Larry left, Sergei became the pastor of Calvary Chapel Minsk, and he is still the pastor there. It is a neat legacy of what is still going on in Belarus.

Of course, the Kents, Todd and Donna, along with their family, went out to the Philippines in 1998. In the same year, Donna Burkell went down to Belize in Central America.

In 1998, Leo and Jane Borbaho were active in our church. That year was significant; a lot of people were going out. I was wondering, what was happening to my church? Leo has been involved in TV, radio, and church planting in the Philippines to this day.

Around 2000, Rob and Janice Kaiser went out to Tennessee. They had been missionaries in St. Lucia for a while. Their youngest daughter, Natalie, is now at Calvary Chapel Bible College in Lima, Peru, praying that God would use her in missions as well. Juan and Karen Dorado, who were part of our church back in 1982, became missionaries in Belize.

Mike Santana was also part of the Toledo Christian Academy down there. My beautiful wife was able to lead a couple of teams to Belize in the early 2000s. In 1998, the Cordacuses went out to Scotland, and they are still there pastoring Calvary Chapel Kermanoc. In 2003, Chris Blake and Gabby Sanchez joined them to serve. Chris is still over there, while Gabby came home, got married, and has a baby.

Tom Dinas, whom you may remember, went out to Dumaguete to work with Pastoral Training of Asia. He passed away in the Philippines, giving his life for the mission. Matt and Lindsay Taft were missionaries for a couple of years in Munich, Germany. This guy was teaching at Calvary Chapel Bible College in Ziegen, Germany, for several semesters.

Now, let’s return to Kelsey. For the last 15 years, she has been serving in various humanitarian aid efforts with the UN. She was there when the tidal waves hit Indonesia and is currently in Sudan. Please pray for her as she encounters many challenges.

The church has been involved in so many ministries, both far away and nearby. We have our ministry to the Pregnancy Center, Open Arms, and Tony and Tina Massa, who are ministering to kids from abused families. This is just a part of our great legacy. Thank you.

You can see that God has been using our church to reach the lost far beyond our own borders. As Miles shared in Acts last Sunday, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you."

The result of the empowering of the Holy Spirit is going to be a burden for the lost. It will be a burden for the world to bring Jesus and to continue the work of our missionary God in proclaiming the good news of Jesus around the world. He will give you the power to do it in our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.

Presently, many from Calvary Chapel Escondido are serving outside the walls of our church. From community outreaches to domestic church plants, think of Phil and Linda Farrell, who are over in Memphis, Tennessee, as well as Dave and Lori James, who are pastoring just in the next town over in San Marcos. You have brothers and sisters from this church who are currently serving in the Philippines, the United Kingdom, Central America, Eastern Europe, and Africa.

I believe we need a lot more. I really do. I think that God is wanting to raise up another whole wave of people, just like in 1998. Maybe 2009 will be a fresh wave of individuals who are getting a heart to be used wherever God would lead. I encourage you to pray, prepare, and go on a short-term trip. Learn about another culture, another people group, and be willing to let God use you however and wherever He might like.

All these people were just like us. They came to church, showed up here once as visitors, and started attending regularly. The Holy Spirit began to work in their lives, and before you know it, they were out serving God in some radical ways. God is able to do what you might think is impossible. He can do it if you are willing to let Him.

This brings me to where I fit into all of this. About four months ago, Pastor Jeff Jackson asked me to pray about working with a missions ministry that he developed several years ago, called Shepherds Staff Missions Facilitators. Through Jeff's experience on the field and pastoring multi-ethnic churches both here and in Phoenix, he saw a great need for the local church to be equipped to be a sending church. He understood the challenges of surviving on the field and wanted to develop a ministry that would assist missionaries in handling their material support while far away from home.

Tracking their support, receiving their donors for each gift in a timely manner, keeping accurate records for the IRS, and providing adequate medical insurance for cross-cultural workers while on the field and when they are home on furlough are essential services. These services would prove to be a great help to the churches that sent those people out.

In addition to the administrative help provided, Shepherds Staff began offering training classes and courses to help local church bodies develop their missions vision and assist them in the preparation for the foreign field of those who were raised up right within those local churches. That is the model. It was Jeff's passion to teach the local church how to raise up, train, send out, support, and welcome back their own missionaries. We have been doing that for 25 years, and God has blessed it. It has really become a model within our Calvary Chapel movement. Oh, how the church is blessed and used when one of their own is representing them in faraway places.

My responsibilities with Shepherds Staff now include building relationships with the missionaries serviced by Shepherds Staff, as well as building relationships with the pastors, the sending churches, and the support teams from those churches. This was a job Jeff did quite well before being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease and later Kennedy's disease. God healed him from Lou Gehrig's and decided He wanted to keep him around for a little longer. However, he is not able to get out and around as much as he used to. He asked me and a couple of other brothers who are serving on the East Coast to help out with that ministry.

My role will focus on giving pastoral care to missionaries and assisting their sending churches with the development and training of future missionaries. I have been tasked with the responsibility for 43 missionaries from 30 churches serving in 24 countries over here in the western United States, mostly in California, with a number of them in Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and so forth.

These 24 countries include Thailand, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, China, Liberia, the Philippines, New Zealand, Belize, Romania, Japan, Russia, Mexico, England, Slovakia, Germany, Kenya, Nepal, Australia, Scotland, Israel, Indonesia, Honduras, Uganda, and Hungary.

That's where my missionaries are from. I think God is kind of spreading it out a little bit, and it is exciting. I am really honored to be able to do it. If you want more information, there is a section in the bulletin that describes a little bit about what I'm doing. Just to note, the web address on your bulletin, www.shepstaff.org, does not have an "H" in it. If you have a pencil, you can scratch out the "H," and that will get you to the Shepard Staff website.

As with most mission agencies, I have to raise the majority of my own financial support. I hope some of you will bear witness to my new work and desire to partner with me in prayer and regular financial support. I really think it's kind of ironic that God would have me in this position during one of the worst global recessions of my lifetime. But He is faithful. He is so faithful. I see this as another opportunity for God to be glorified in how He does it. I would be honored to continue to be one of your missionaries in reaching out to other missionaries. Thank you all so much for all the help you've provided.

On the flip side, there is a technical aspect to giving. If you are not familiar with electronic funds transfer, it is pretty self-explanatory. If you have any questions about it, I will be in the back afterward. I also have envelopes that are self-addressed to Shepard Staff in Albuquerque. You can take one of those and mail it out if you desire, or just drop it off at the table in the back.

Again, praise the Lord. Pastor Miles, would you like to come back up and continue to minister to us in the Book of Acts? God bless you; we have a great church. Amen. Thanks, buddy. We are going to pray for Pat in just a few minutes. The passage we will be in this morning in Acts deals exactly with what we are talking about. If you would open your Bibles to the Book of Acts, we will look at some of what the Lord has to say to us here in Chapter 1. Then we will have Pat come back, along with some of the elders and pastors, to pray for him as we send him out to this new work that the Lord is opening up for him.

Over the last several years, I've had the opportunity to travel to many different Calvary chapels, both here in the States and throughout Europe and other places. One of the things that is really awesome to see is that Calvary Chapel Escondido is unique among Calvary chapels. When you visit some of the other Calvaries, this uniqueness becomes very clear, especially in relation to missions.

This church and the heart that the Lord gave to Pat in the area of missions, along with what we have done over the last 25 years, is truly remarkable. The video shown this morning highlights this uniqueness. It is a pattern that many Calvaries are beginning to follow, as they recognize the need to raise up leaders from within their own congregations and send them out. It is truly awesome to be a part of a fellowship such as this. I believe much of this has been stirred up by the Book of Acts that we are looking at this morning.

So, let’s turn to Acts chapter 1, and we will begin in verse 13. If you would stand for just a moment, and if you need a Bible, please raise your hand, and one of the ushers will bring you one. Acts 1, starting in verse 13. In fact, verse 12 states, "Then they returned unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem about a Sabbath day's journey."

When they arrived, they went up into the upper room, where they stayed with Peter, James, John, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the zealot, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, along with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his brethren.

Let’s pray. Father, we do ask that you would speak to us this morning. We ask that you would continue to challenge us, transform us, and move us forward in the work you have called us to. Equip us for what you have called us to do. We thank you for your Word and for giving us your Holy Spirit to guide us in all truth and to teach us all things. Now we sit before you and ask that you would speak to us, for we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. You can be seated.

As we saw over the last couple of weeks, Jesus told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem. In verse 4, as they were assembled together, he instructed them to wait for the promise of the Father.

Which saith he, "You have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." His disciples then asked him, "Are you now going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said, "It's not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father has put under his own power, but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts."

The whole rest of this book is going to be a witness of the work that God, by his Holy Spirit, did through his church as he moved them out into the work. We are recipients of that same pouring out of the Holy Spirit that we will look at over the next couple of weeks in the book of Acts, particularly in Acts chapter 2.

Here, the disciples go back to Jerusalem. Jesus told them to wait there until they receive power. Then he ascended up into heaven, and now they return. They come back into the city, into the upper room. We don't exactly know where this upper room is. Perhaps it's the same upper room where the disciples met with Jesus in John chapter 13 as they partook of that last supper with him.

There they were gathered together in the upper room, and it was a fairly large group. It wasn't just the twelve. We read in this passage that, along with the eleven that remain—remember, Judas Iscariot is gone by this point—there were also some of the women who followed Jesus' ministry. As we read through this passage, we see that there are at least a couple of other men who followed Jesus' ministry, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, along with some of Jesus' brothers, are now present with them.

They are there waiting, and they are with one accord, as we read in this passage. The word "accord" here doesn't mean that they were driving a Honda 2,000 years ago; it means that they were gathered together as one. This word is used only twelve times in the New Testament, and ten of those times are found in the book of Acts. It describes the body of Christ coming together in unison.

In fact, it has a very similar meaning to a symphony of people playing music together, all in one. Although some are playing different notes—some are playing the highs or the lows—it all comes together as one and makes a beautiful, glorious noise. Here, the disciples, the church, the body is knit together like that musical number being played together. They are all gathered in one accord, and I believe that it is the desire of our Lord that we would have that same united focus.

That we would be gathered together is His desire, and so it should be one of our desires as well. We should be like-minded, knit together in agreement as one. In fact, Paul would tell the church at Philippi in Philippians chapter 2, and then in verse 5, he would say that we are to have the mind of Christ as the body of Christ. We are to be knit together as one, being like-minded with the same goal and the same ambition. We are not fighting against each other or striving with each other. In many of Paul's letters, he exhorts the church not to strive against one another for vain glory, financial gain, or whatever it may be. We are to be knit together as one in Christ. There is one body, one hope, one baptism, one Lord, one God and Father who is in us all. He desires to work in and through us.

God's desire is that we would be of one accord. It is His desire that we would be like-minded. Paul encourages the church at Philippi to be like-minded. He prays for the church at Rome in Romans chapter 15, where he says that his request was that the God of patience and consolation would grant them to be like-minded toward one another according to Christ Jesus, so that they may have one mind and with one mouth glorify God. This theme is seen throughout the New Testament: God desires us to be knit together.

Why is such agreement so important? Why is this like-mindedness, this one accord nature of the church, so significant? The first thing I want you to consider this morning is that like-mindedness helps our prayers. If you're taking notes, like-mindedness helps our prayers. In Matthew chapter 18, Jesus, speaking to His disciples, says in verse 19, "Again, I say to you that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them by my Father which is in heaven."

Like-mindedness, being united as one body, helps our prayers. When we come together in agreement in prayer concerning anything, we have a promise from our God that He will do what we are requesting of Him as we bring those things before Him. Not only does like-mindedness help our prayers, but secondly, it enhances our witness.

Like-mindedness and unity within the body of Christ enhance our witness. In fact, we have seen this to be very true, as it has devastated the witness of the church over the years. There are so many different factions within the body of Christ, and people often say, "I thought you were supposed to be united and one in Christ." Sometimes that argument can be valid. However, within the context of the local church, we should be united together because, as a body, it helps enhance our witness.

Notice what Jesus told His disciples in John chapter 13. As He gathered with His disciples in the upper room and partook of the Last Supper with them, He said in verse 35, "By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love one for another." If we have this united love for one another, it will enhance our witness as we are in this world.

Like-mindedness helps our prayers, enhances our witness, and invites His presence. How many of you enjoy the presence of God? When the body of Christ is united in Christ, when we are like-minded, it invites His presence. Again, in Matthew chapter 18, Jesus tells His disciples in verse 20, "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am in the midst of them."

That is why Paul would say that we are to strive to be like-minded. We are to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. This is something that God desires within His church, and it is something that the enemy wants to disrupt. It is always the desire of the enemy to come in and divide. He is very good at sowing discord and division, and we need to be on guard against this.

In fact, Paul would tell the church at Colossae, as we studied last night, that they are to beware of anyone who would come in with their philosophies to spoil their faith and divide the body of Christ. Like-mindedness is important, and we are to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. What does that mean? Well, Paul told the church at Colossae in Colossians chapter 1 that if anyone has an argument or something against someone...

Then they are to go to them and do what? They are to forgive them just as Christ has forgiven us. We should strive to maintain this kind of unity because the enemy is always coming against it.

In Acts chapter 1, we notice that as the disciples were gathered together in one accord, they were doing something very important. Jesus had told His disciples to wait. How many of you, like me, get antsy when you have to wait? I have a tendency to get a little impatient. I think, "Alright, okay, I'm done with this whole waiting thing. Let's go." I have a feeling that Peter was the same way. Remember, in the Gospel of John, specifically John 21, when Jesus told them, "I'm going to meet you in Galilee," Peter was waiting in Galilee, and what did he do? He said, "I'm going fishing, guys. I can't take this anymore."

Jesus instructed His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received power from on high because they would not be able to fulfill the ministry of being witnesses in this world without this power. So, there the disciples were, gathered together in one accord, and they were waiting.

Waiting can be very difficult for us. However, there are great promises that we have been given by God in waiting. One of them is found in Acts chapter 1, verse 4, where we are told to wait in Jerusalem and we will receive the promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit. Another verse that many people put on magnets for their refrigerators or send to friends is Isaiah 40, verse 31, which says that those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall rise up on wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.

There is a great promise given to us in waiting: the promise of the Spirit and strength from God. We also see in Psalm 27, verse 14, "Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord." There are great promises surrounding waiting upon the Lord.

But boy, is it so hard! Our flesh fights against it, especially in the culture we live in here in America and in Southern California, where the mindset is that we must constantly be doing something. The idea of being still and waiting upon God can be challenging.

Waiting is something that is very much lost in our culture and society here in San Diego, isn't it? There are so many things to distract our attention and amuse ourselves with. When I was living in Germany, many of you can relate to this because you came from a colder area. Living in Ziegen, Germany, it was freezing cold this time of year. The sun didn't come up until eight in the morning and it set at 3:30 in the afternoon. There was nothing to do except to wait. I found myself sitting in my apartment, getting very antsy, asking, "Lord, what do you want me to do?"

I often thought, "There has to be something to do." This is confession; it's a good thing. You can understand this when you're in a place that is freezing cold and you have nothing else to do. But here in Southern California, where the average temperature is 70 degrees, I woke up this morning to find it was 72 degrees in my house, and I felt cold. I had to turn on the heater. We live here, and as soon as it drops below 50 degrees at night, we all complain and argue about how cold it is. People from other places look at us and wonder what is wrong with us. Friends of mine visit from Germany, and when it's 50 degrees outside, I'm bundled up in a big parka with hand warmers, while they wear shorts and ask, "What's your problem?"

In this place where the weather is so nice, with the beach close by and easy access to the mountains and lakes, we have all kinds of distractions. The idea of waiting and being still is so hard for us, but there is such a great promise found in it. We should strive to make time to spend with the Lord. I know from talking with Pastor Pat that the last several months have been very difficult for him as he has been in that place of waiting, especially during his hospital stays of four or five days. That is no fun at all. When you can't go anywhere except from your bed, it can be very discouraging. Yet, there the Lord is able to minister in such a powerful way that we don't find anywhere else in that attitude of waiting.

Now, the question is, what do we do when we are waiting upon the Lord? There has to be something we can do instead of just sitting there and emptying our minds.

Because there are certain areas in the world where people want to sit and say some weird word over and over again to empty their minds, we might wrongly associate that with the spiritual meditation that is being given to us here in waiting upon the Lord. What are we to do?

Well, what was the church doing in this passage as they were gathered together in the upper room with one accord? We read in Acts chapter one that they were praying and bringing supplication. They continued with one accord in prayer and supplication. Like so many things in our world, prayer has been polluted by the philosophies of men. This wonderful thing that God has given to us has been tainted by these philosophies.

Today, you'll hear many unbelievers encourage people to pray. Some will pray to the universe for help. Others will pray to a saint, hoping that the saint or an ancestor will assist them in their time of need. Some lean upon positive thinking prayer, just hoping everything will turn out better, saying to the universe that it will come out better. If you think that way, I hate to be the bearer of bad news this morning, but that’s not going to help you.

The word for prayer here in the original language is very clear: it is prayer unto God. It is speaking to God. You can pray to the universe or to a saint or an ancestor, but they do not have any power to help. The one who created the universe, however, has the power to help. This is prayer directed to God.

Interestingly, the word for prayer here also speaks of a set-aside time and place for prayer. We need to be very determined when it comes to prayer. Prayer doesn’t just happen on a whim; we have to take time to seek the Lord and speak to Him. But when we speak to Him, what do we do? Supplication is one of the things mentioned here.

I have been in many prayer meetings and groups where it takes a long time for us to get to the place of supplication. Supplication is a term that merely speaks of seeking God for our needs, bringing our needs to Him so that He will supply what we have need of. Now, don’t get me wrong; our prayers can either be supplication dominated.

We often find ourselves in a position where all we do is ask God for something, or we may neglect supplication entirely. There needs to be a balance. We should come before the Lord with thanksgiving, adoration, confession, and supplication. We are to bring our requests to the Lord. Some people have a hard time with this; they have no problem praying for the requests of others, but when it comes to praying for their own needs, they sometimes think it's unspiritual or wrong. This is not true.

In the book of James, James, the brother of Jesus, says, "If anyone lacks wisdom" (James 1:5), "let him ask of God who gives to all men liberally without reproach, and it shall be given to him." Paul, in his letter to the church at Philippi, states in Philippians 4:19, "My God shall supply all of your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." How many of you believe that God is very, very wealthy? When I say that, I'm not specifically talking about money. I know that this can be skewed or twisted, but God is indeed very wealthy. He is rich to all who call upon Him, and He desires that we bring our needs before Him.

In fact, Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, instructed His disciples to pray for their daily bread, to pray for the things they needed. James also gives us another word in James 4:2: "You lust and you have not. You kill and desire to have, but you cannot obtain. You fight and war because you have not, because you ask not." We have not because we ask not, and we need to bring our requests to God the Father Himself. Jesus told us that we are not going to ask Him; we will ask the Father anything in His name.

James also says in that very same passage, in the next verse, "You ask and you ask amiss because you want to spend it on your pleasures." If I am merely asking, saying, "God, I really would like that new Corvette," and I think that by praying in Jesus' name, I will receive it, He may not answer that. However, as we ask in Jesus' name and in accordance with His nature and character, I believe that the Lord answers. I have seen God answer in powerful ways in my life, and I know that many of you have great testimonies to that as well.

God answers when we come to Him in prayer. The disciples were waiting in prayer and supplication, and we will see in the coming weeks that God is going to mightily answer them.

One quick thing to note here in Acts chapter 1, before we move away from these verses, is that the people were gathered together with Mary, the mother of Jesus. It is interesting that the disciples were not praying to Mary; they were praying with her. We also see that Jesus' brothers were there, which is noteworthy because, previously in the Gospels, they were rather unbelieving and disrespectful to Jesus. Yet now, a transformation has taken place.

In verse 15 of Acts chapter 1, it says, "And in those days, Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples." He noted that the number of names together was about 120. So, there were about 120 people gathered in an upper room. He addressed all those present, saying, "Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit by the mouth of David spoke concerning Judas."

Here, Peter begins to see, gathered with the rest of the disciples, that as they were reading through the scriptures, it became clear that they were praying and bringing their needs to the Lord in supplication. They were also studying the scriptures together. As they read through the Psalms, they recognized that something in the Psalms spoke to what had just taken place regarding the betrayal of Jesus by Judas and ultimately the death of Judas. Peter stated that this had to be fulfilled, as spoken of by David through the Holy Spirit, concerning Judas, who was a guide to those who took Jesus.

Peter continued, "For he was numbered with us and had obtained a part of this ministry." He explained that this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity. Remember, he had received the 30 pieces of silver, betrayed the Lord, and then returned the money, which they could not use in the temple. Consequently, they purchased a field with the money that was brought back.

Falling headlong, Judas burst asunder in the midst, and his bowels gushed out. This is a rather graphic detail that tends to resonate with junior hires. Ultimately, we know that Judas killed himself after betraying the Lord. It was known to all the dwellers in Jerusalem, so much so that the field is called in their proper tongue, "Aceldama."

That is to say, the field of blood. For it is written in the book of Psalms, "Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein; and his bishopric let another take." Peter looks at this with the other disciples and they recognize that Judas is gone, and his position among them needs to be given to somebody else so that the passage of the Psalms would be fulfilled. This is from Psalm 108, verse 9.

After seeing this with the rest of the disciples, we read in verse 21 that Peter stands up, the obvious leader among the group, and says to the people, "We now see from the Psalms that this was going to take place, that Judas would betray our Lord, and that he ultimately would die, and his position would be given to another." Peter suggests that they should ordain somebody to be appointed to this work, to this ministry, so that there would not be 11 but 12.

Notice that he specifies that this person should be one of those who accompanied them all the time, from when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist until He ascended into heaven. Sometimes we think that Jesus' followers were just the 12 disciples, but it is clear that there were many more who were with them. At least two more, Matthias and Justice, were present throughout the entire ministry, witnessing Jesus perform miracles and teach. They were there when He was baptized and when He ascended into heaven.

Peter emphasizes that one should be ordained and appointed to this ministry. Jesus was going to be the one who empowered them to be witnesses, but they felt that they ought to fill the position that Judas left open by ordaining someone to be empowered and ready to move into that ministry. There is a lot of different commentary on this and many opinions about whether or not they should have done this, whether Matthias was really the right one to choose, or if they should have waited for Saul of Tarsus, who became Paul, to be this person. We don't really know.

The Scriptures don't say that in any way. We do know that the men who were gathered together were seeking to fulfill what the Scriptures said. They wanted to fulfill all righteousness and be obedient to what the Lord had given them. So, they gathered together and took these two men. They could tell that these two had been with them the whole time; they were men of good report. They decided to set them before the group and trust that the Lord would identify who would be the one.

What did they do? Notice what happens as we read on in verse 24. They prayed and said, "Lord, you know the hearts of all men. Show whether of these two men Thou hast chosen, that he may take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas, by transgression, fell, that he might go to his own place."

Father, you know the hearts of all men. You and I do not know the hearts of other people. In fact, we don't even know the depths of the depravity of our own hearts. We read in Jeremiah chapter 17, verse 9, that the heart of man is desperately wicked; who can know it? But verse 10 says, "God searches the heart." God knows our hearts.

Here, they set these two men before the body of believers and prayed, "God, you know the hearts of all men, so show us which one of these men is going to take the place of Judas." In verse 26, it says they gave forth their lots, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Casting lots was a very normal and recurring event in the Old Testament. It was something seen throughout the Old Testament. When the children of Israel would come to an impasse or a decision, they would cast lots to try and figure out what they were supposed to do. Proverbs states, "The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole determining of it is of the Lord."

So, what is this whole casting of lots thing? Essentially, it's like flipping a coin to determine what the Lord wants to do. Over the years, many people have asked me, "Why don't we just cast lots anymore? It seems like a good idea. It seems like it would take a lot of doubt out of certain situations. If I'm going to determine what the Lord wants me to do, is it A or is it B?"

Flipping a coin would be pretty easy, wouldn't it? Trusting that, hey, God knows what's going on and can direct this coin to land on heads or tails raises an important question: do we have enough faith to do that?

Let me put it to you this way. Scott, maybe the Lord is calling you to go to Iran to be a missionary. Heads you go, tails you don't. Sound good? It's heads, buddy. What do you think? Best two out of three? We have a tendency to do that, don't we? I'll be honest with you. If, when I had met Andrea, I had said, "Heads I marry her, tails I don't," and if tails came up, I would have thought, "Yeah, best two out of three. Let's try again. Best three out of five. Best five out of seven." Oh, goodness. Come on! Do we have enough faith to just cast lots and say, "All right, heads we go, tails we don't"? Do we really trust that God can move in that way?

What if there are more than two options? All this is a moot point because this is the only time in the New Testament we see lots cast. It was a big deal in the Old Testament, but we never see it anymore in the New. Why is that? What special, awesome event has not taken place yet that will occur in Acts 2? You see, they had not received the Holy Spirit yet. Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, "He will guide you in all truth." He is going to direct, lead, and guide you and me.

We don't need the casting of lots anymore because we have a personal, living Holy Spirit who guides and directs us. The peace of God, which surpasses understanding, will guard our hearts and minds, as Philippians says in chapter 4. In Colossians chapter 3, verse 15, we are told to let the peace of God rule in our hearts, directing us like an umpire saying, "This is safe" or "This is out."

In Acts chapter 13, we read that the church was gathered together.

There in Antioch, five members of the church fasted and prayed, ministered to the Lord, and as they did, the Holy Spirit spoke to them and said, "Separate unto me Saul and Barnabas for the work that I've called them to." They prayed for them, laid hands upon them, and sent them out into the work.

Again, in Acts chapter 16, Paul was on his second missionary journey, trying to figure out where the Lord wanted him to go. He was attempting to move into Asia, but it says the Holy Spirit forbade them from going there. Asia withstood them and kept them from entering. The Holy Spirit was the one who directed them. They could have flipped a coin or cast lots, but the decision would have been the same because the Holy Spirit would have directed them to move in this direction or that.

This really emphasizes the importance of walking closely with the Lord. It causes me to seek the Lord and ask, "Lord, what do you want me to do?" I know from many hours spent with Pat over the last couple of years that he has been going through similar reflections, asking, "Lord, what's next? What do you want me to do?" I have been doing the same thing, and I know all the pastors at this church are constantly seeking the Lord, asking, "What next? What do you want us to do?" Many of you in this fellowship are also asking the Lord, "Where do you want me to move? What do you want me to do?"

We are not just saying, "Let's flip a coin." We are asking God to speak to us through His Word and by His Spirit and to direct us. Now we see the Lord opening up doors and making the way straight for new ministry for Pastor Pat, and it's exciting to see. I am thrilled to see that he listed off 24 countries, and I have no doubt that over the next couple of years, his passport is going to get pretty full as he begins to travel and minister, just as the Apostle Paul did in the book of Acts, ministering among the churches and encouraging and strengthening the body of Christ.

This aligns with what he shared with me a year ago about his desires. The Lord has an awesome way of giving us the desires of our hearts. Sometimes we can't even imagine not doing what we're currently doing, but He has a way of moving us by His Spirit into other things and new directions. It's not just an inanimate flip of a coin; it's the living Holy Spirit speaking to us, saying, "Separate unto me this individual or that for the work."

That I've called them to. Then the body of Christ gets around them, lays hands upon them, and prays for them, saying, "Lord, take them, empower them, equip them, take care of their needs, supply whatever need they have, and use them mightily for Your work and Your glory." So that's what we're going to do this morning.

As we've done many times, we showed you the video this morning of all these missionaries that have gone out from this church. Every time we've sent out missionaries, we've brought them up before the church, laid hands on them, prayed for them, and sent them out rejoicing at what God is doing, looking forward to the testimony of how He's working.

What's happening here today is exactly what has happened in the church for the last 2,000 years, and to me, and I hope to you, it's exciting. Amen? So let's have the pastors and the elders come up, and let's have Pastor Pat come up. We're going to lay hands on him and pray for him just as they did 2,000 years ago. Come on, gather up in front of this mic here. Oh, you're going to stand up here, and we're going to pray for you. Where are you going next?

Pastor Mark, one of our first missionaries, will you pray for Pat as we send him out as a missionary? I don't know about these athletes, God, whether they're truly honoring You, but whenever something is accomplished in Pat's flesh, God, he points to heaven and honors You. Bless him, God. Let everything that is done in his flesh glorify You. Let him always be pointing to You. Amen.

Father, we are in great anticipation and expectation of what You're going to do. We see in part. We don't always fully know what the next step is, but Lord, we know that You are the one who is leading, guiding, and directing each of us.

We are so thankful for the work that you are opening for Pat—great and effective doors of ministry. Lord, this ministry, Shepherd Staff, although you used Jeff to birth it, was ultimately a heart and a desire that was imparted to Jeff by you through Pat. I see this as the next logical step of the ministry that you are doing in and through Pat. We look forward to the great testimony and witness of the things that you are going to do. We already hear from people that Pat has ministered to over the last several months about what a great encouragement and strength he has been to them.

Lord, the many things that you have done in his life over the last 34 plus years of ministry have given him so many great experiences and wonderful things to share with people to strengthen the body of Christ. There is no way that you are finished with him because you have great things ahead. As you constantly remind me, there remains much land to be possessed. Caleb and Joshua, in later years, went out to fight great battles when they were over 80 years old. Pat is much younger than that, and there is much to be done. Strengthen his hands and his feet.

We pray for all the medical issues he has dealt with over this last year. We ask that you would touch and completely heal him. God, we thank you for his witness and his example. As Paul told the church in Philippi, we are to note those who walk in a way that is a good pattern and to pattern our lives after them. We look at Pat and see an example of faith—an example of a man who desires to take your word into all places. We pray, Lord, that we would follow that example. He imitates Christ, and we can imitate him.

We thank you for him, Lord. We commit him into your hands, knowing that you will keep him, strengthen him, and provide for every need he has—financially, spiritually, and emotionally. You are a great God. Thank you. We praise you in Jesus' name.

Let's stand together. Jesus said that the gates of hell would not prevail against his church.

For the last 2,000 years, we have seen the church march forward, and it continues to do so. In the same fashion that it did in Acts chapter 15 and Acts chapter 16, back in Acts chapter 1, we are witnessing new pages of the Book of Acts being written today in our midst. It is exciting. I believe that in the coming years, maybe even next year, God is going to be raising up from this fellowship, perhaps you, to go out to the uttermost parts.

It starts in our own Jerusalem and Judea right around here, but God begins to move us out. Some of you are already praying about going to China next year on a short-term trip or going to Africa on a short-term trip. Maybe some of you are already signed up, paid for, and ready to go to Belize in just a couple of weeks. I believe there are others here who are going to be going to the uttermost parts long-term. You may be saying, "That'll never be me." It’s probably you.

Now, there are a few of you who are really scared. The pastors and the elders will be up here to pray with you and for you as we depart this morning. May the Lord empower you by His Spirit to rejoice in Him, even in difficult times, and to proclaim His name wherever you go.

May the Lord bless you. Come on out Wednesday night; we are going to be watching a very interesting video called The Bethlehem Star, discussing the first coming of our Lord and looking forward to His second. God bless you all. Have a wonderful week, and we'll see you next week. God bless you.