Persecution

At that time, there was a great persecution against the church, which was at Jerusalem. They were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men carried Stephen to his burial and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house and hauling men and women away, committing them unto prison.

Now, in chapter 9, verse 1, it states that Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest and desired of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues. He sought these letters so that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

Father, as we look into Your Word and consider this individual, Saul of Tarsus, we ask that You would give us insight and understanding. Lord, continue to transform us in the same way that You radically transformed Saul of Tarsus. Work in us that we would reflect Your glory in the world in which we live today, at this time in history. We pray that we would see the community we live in transformed by Your grace and by Your power. We ask this in the mighty and precious name of Jesus, and all God's people agreed, saying, "Amen." You can be seated.

So far in our review of the Book of Acts, we have considered God's power at work in His people to accomplish extraordinary exploits. Last week, we saw the enemy's opposition against God's power at work in His church. The Book of Acts is the story of just that: God's power at work in and through His people and the enemy's opposition against that work.

Acts is also a story of radical transformation. As we saw the opposition of the enemy last week in Acts chapter four against the work of God, that opposition came through the religious leaders in Jerusalem. It came in chapter four against Peter and John in the form of verbal threatenings, telling them, "We forbid you to preach and to teach in the name of this Jesus of Nazareth any longer."

In Acts chapter five, they had not stopped. They continued to boldly proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of Christ from the dead. The religious leaders brought all of the apostles before them and sternly warned them once again. They were wanting to slay them; they wanted to kill them. Yet, there was an individual, a Pharisee among those religious leaders, who gave counsel. He said, "Listen, don't kill these guys. If you fight against this work and it's of God, you're going to find yourself fighting against God."

They determined, "All right, we're not going to kill them, but we'll beat them." Their verbal threats now moved into a physical assault against them. They told them again, "Do not preach or teach in the name of this Jesus of Nazareth."

In Acts chapter seven, we saw how that opposition escalated further. It was no longer only against the apostles, the leaders of the church, but now it was against a young up-and-coming leader in the church, a guy by the name of Stephen. The opposition moved beyond verbal and physical assault; they murdered someone. They martyred Stephen, and the escalation continued beyond that to the church in Acts chapter eight. The persecution spread to the whole body and was primarily overseen by an individual we were introduced to at the end of chapter seven and the beginning of chapter eight, by the name of Saul.

Saul was a young up-and-coming Pharisee in the city of Jerusalem. He was from the city of Tarsus, which is in modern-day Turkey. He was about 30 years old, we believe, when Jesus began His ministry, making him very similar in age to the Lord Jesus. He was in Jerusalem, likely during the time that Jesus was crucified, and he was on the fast track to success.

The religious leaders, the ruling class of Jerusalem, were significant figures during this time. One of them, Saul, later referred to himself in one of his letters as a Pharisee of the Pharisees. According to the law, he was blameless. This man adhered to the law with every ounce of his being, to the point where he could confidently say, "According to the law, I was blameless." The Pharisees held strict adherence to the Jewish law, which consisted of 613 commandments in the Old Covenant, as well as to various religious traditions. Saul's life was signed, sealed, and delivered for excellence in Jerusalem.

When Jesus rose from the dead and the Spirit was poured out upon the followers of Jesus of Nazareth, the church began to grow. God was doing marvelous, miraculous things through the church. Saul, who we are told later in the book of Acts was a pupil of Gamaliel—the very same Gamaliel who advised the council not to fight against this work—did not heed this counsel. Gamaliel warned that if they fought against this and it was God doing it, they would find themselves fighting against God. Apparently, Saul did not get the memo and ignored the advice of his rabbi.

In Acts chapter eight, verse one, we see that Saul was consenting to the death of Stephen. He made havoc of the church, entering into every house and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. Saul of Tarsus was one of the first, if not the first, persecutors of the church. He made it his aim and goal in life to destroy the church. While he is not the only one in history to do so, he is one of the most notable figures who came against the church. I believe he was demonically inspired, yet God allowed him to do what he did. He became an instrument of opposition against the plans and purposes of God.

Even though Saul set himself against God's plans, his anger and fury inadvertently caused the work of God to excel and extend further. This is one of the awesome things that God is able to do. We can see a parallel in the great statement of Joseph at the end of the book of Genesis. Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his brothers and faced many terrible things, ultimately said, "What you meant for evil, God meant for good."

Intended for evil, God has used for good. What an awesome testimony of the power of our God and the ability of our God! Saul intended to destroy the work of God, but he only caused it to spread even more. I can just imagine that this man felt like he was beating his head against the wall as he watched what was happening.

At the time of Acts chapter seven, which was probably about six years after the church had started, we find ourselves in the year 36 AD. This is when Saul of Tarsus begins to bring his full frontal assault against the church. He wanted to destroy it. If you had been a Christian in Jerusalem in 36 AD, you would have known the name Saul of Tarsus very well. You would have been doing whatever you could to try and keep away from him, ensuring that he didn't know where you were meeting. The church was an underground church in Jerusalem at that point in history.

Throughout many times in its history, the church has existed in an underground sort of way. The church in China today exists as an underground church. The church in Iran, and many places in what we call the 1040 window today, where the gospel is being hindered by the active work of the enemy through men upon the face of the earth, still sees God doing a great work underground.

The church was spreading, extending throughout Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, just as God had told His disciples: "I’m going to fill you with the Spirit, and you’re going to be empowered to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria." That was happening. But if you had been a Christian in Jerusalem in 36 AD, not only would you have known the name Saul of Tarsus, but I imagine you would have been praying for him. They were probably praying to God on behalf of Saul of Tarsus.

I have said this before, and I believe it to be true: I imagine that the prayers of the church for Saul of Tarsus in 36 AD probably sounded something like this: "God, take him out." One of those prayers from the Psalms of David, "Break his teeth in his mouth," you know, one of those sorts of prayers. Have any of you ever prayed that? Be honest; God sees. They were praying, "Lord, I don’t mean take him out to falafel. I mean, take him out. Kill him. See what he’s done to Stephen and see what he’s doing to the church. Take him out now."

For all the prayers that the church was no doubt praying, the opposition against the church only increased. Christians were being scattered through Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria. They were being taken into custody by Saul, who was going from house to house, arresting them and taking them out into custody to be beaten, and some were even killed. He tells us later on in some of his letters that he oversaw the death of some within the church. He was a persecutor of the church.

And yet, the church continued to push forward. As it was being pushed out, it was pushed north, making its way up into the area of Syria, outside of Israel. You would think that now the church was outside the jurisdiction of Saul of Tarsus. However, it wasn't, because we come to Acts chapter nine and read that Saul was breathing murderous threats and slaughter against the church. This man was seething with anger; he was a radical terrorist against the church, and he wanted the church dead. He was a bulldog of the first magnitude in every way, trying to find a way to annihilate the existence of what was called "the Way."

Jesus had said to His disciples, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." These people were following the Way, the path of righteousness in Christ Jesus. So, Saul was breathing threats and murder against the church. He went to the high priest, as we are told in Acts chapter nine, verse one, and he desired letters to Damascus, to the synagogues there, that if he found any of this Way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

Somehow, Saul found out that there was a group of Christians in the synagogues of Damascus. He felt compelled to deal with it because it was spreading beyond the borders of Israel. He obtained authority from the chief priest, the high priest, to go to the Jewish gathering places, the synagogues in the area of Damascus. He was determined to find them, carry them back, and he had the endorsement of the high priest to accomplish his rage. You can see the absolute furor and rage of this individual at this point in his life, probably about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, and just ready to take action.

Out anyone who is speaking what he considered to be blasphemously against God. He saw himself as the defender of God, the defender of Judaism, and so he comes against the church. However, the church was praying, and the prayer of the church was about to be answered, kind of—not maybe in the way that some were praying.

In Acts chapter nine, verse three, it states, "As Saul journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven." He fell to the earth and heard a voice saying unto him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"

Now, I don't know about you, but I like to see the scriptures and the story of the scriptures. I have tried many times to imagine what this must have been like as he was coming near to Damascus. This is about 160 miles north of Jerusalem, at least a five-day journey walking. He had a group of guys with him who were going to be his, you know, manhandlers, if you will. This guy wasn't one who got his hands dirty; we saw that with his dealings in the situation with Stephen. So, he had people with him to do his dirty work—his little guidos.

There’s Saul on the road to Damascus, coming in during the middle of the day. Another passage in Acts tells us it was about noon. A bright light from heaven, brighter than the sun, knocks him down on the ground. We're not told whether or not it knocked the other guys down, because in other passages, they are still standing. But this guy is singled out, lying on the ground, and there is this bright light. He hears a voice from heaven that says, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"

Could you imagine what probably went through his mind at that moment? Oh, snap! He is struck down to the earth, a bright light shining from heaven, brighter than the noonday sun, and he hears a voice. The scriptures tell us in Hebrew and in his language, and it singles out his name: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"

Literally, why are you pursuing? Why are you harassing and troubling me from heaven? Well, we know that Saul managed to stutter out a response. Look at verse five of Acts chapter nine. Saul said, "Who are you, Lord?" You don't think he said it pompously. He was lying on the ground, a voice from heaven, a bright light shining upon him, and he couldn't see. "Who are you, Lord?" I imagine his heart stopped when he heard this.

"I am Jesus whom you are persecuting." When he recounts this story later in Acts chapter 22, he says, "The Lord said to me, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting.'" Jesus was a pretty common name during that time. He identified himself, saying, "Listen, you know who I am, and I know who you are, and I know where you sleep." My dad used to tell me that when I picked on him as a kid.

"I am Jesus whom you persecute. It is hard for you to kick against the pricks or the goads." It's hard for you to fight against me, isn't it? This is what He basically says. "I'm doing something, and you are fighting against it. It is hard for you to kick against this. I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you persecute."

Can you even begin to imagine what was bombarding the mind of Saul of Tarsus when he hears this voice from heaven as this bright light shines upon him? It's like God focuses the light of His glory down on this guy and says, "Hello, do you really know what you're doing? Do you really have any idea what you're messing with? Your rabbi said if you fight against this work, you'll be fighting against God. Let me tell you something: you're fighting against me. You picked a fight with the wrong guy, the commander of the army of the Lord."

Saul was completely ignorant of what he was doing or of who he was persecuting. He thought this was just...

Purely earthly, Saul thought this was just something that had to be taken out, some insurrection against Judaism. Now, he is confronted with the reality that this is God he is fighting against. When people resist and oppose the work of God in their lives, they often do not realize what it is they are doing: fighting against God Himself.

More than that, we see here in this passage that Jesus takes personally anything done against His bride. Note that carefully. He takes personally what anybody does against His church. Saul is persecuting the church he presided over. He consented to the martyrdom of Stephen, and Jesus says, "You're fighting with me. You're picking on me."

Now, the husbands in this room understand this. They can filter this through the lens of being a husband. If someone picks on your wife or your kids, you instantly think, "You can pick on me." You say something to my wife, and I just let you all know: God feels the same way. If you say something against my bride or do something against my bride, I take it personally. "I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute."

Now, what do you even say to that? God speaks to you from heaven and says, "You're fighting with me." What do you say? Do you respond, "Yeah, what's it to you?" What do you do? I think Saul had the right response. Look at verse six. He, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do you want me to do?" That is submission. Trembling and astonished, he was completely blown away. There aren't enough words to describe what was going through his mind in that instant as he lay on the ground.

Interestingly, the Scriptures tell us that the men who were with him heard a voice but did not understand what was being said. So here they see Saul lying on the ground, cowering and astonished, looking up into heaven. He is talking in Hebrew, saying, "What do you want me to do?" The Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and it shall be told to you what you must do." Essentially, God said, "Listen, go to your..."

I'll deal with you in a few days. How many of you remember that? Go into the city, and I'll tell you what we're going to do. So, he has three days sitting in Damascus, going through his mind, wondering what that means. He reflects on everything he thought he knew about God. This guy, if you read what he wrote in the New Testament, knew the Scriptures—or he thought he did. Jesus said to the Pharisees, as recorded in the Gospel of John, "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have life, but they are they which speak of me."

Now, here is a Pharisee of the Pharisees, Saul of Tarsus, sitting in a room by himself. We're told in the Scriptures that he is blinded because he can't see; he has to be led into the city of Damascus. He sits there for three days, knowing God has told him, "I'm going to come. We'll talk. I'll let you know what I'm going to do." He has just a few days to think about this. This is comedy right here. I love the way that God deals with this.

I am absolutely convinced that there were people in the church—probably a very large group of people at that time—praying that Saul would die. In a sense, their prayer is answered because that Saul is dead. However, they certainly don't expect what God is going to do.

Look at verse seven. The men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no man. Saul arose from the earth, and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man. They led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. He was blinded by this experience and was three days without sight. Neither did he eat nor drink. He was thinking about this; he lost his appetite and was fasting and praying.

The Scriptures tell us there was a certain disciple at Damascus, one of the very people that was probably on Saul of Tarsus's hit list. This was one of the guys he was coming to find. He had heard about this man and was determined to bring him back to Jerusalem. Now, Saul of Tarsus is in Damascus, and God speaks to this certain disciple named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." He replied, "Behold, here I am, Lord."

Arise and go to the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus. For behold, he is praying. He has seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming and putting his hands on him that he might receive his sight. He already knows you are coming, and I have revealed to him that you are going to come and see him.

Ananias tries to get out of this whole thing. In verse 13, Ananias said, "Lord, I have heard by many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. He has the authority from the chief priest to bind all who call on your name." The Lord said to Ananias, "Go your way, for notice this: he is a chosen vessel unto me to bear my name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will reveal to him how many great things he must suffer for my name's sake."

Ananias, I want you to go into that house of Judas on the street called Straight and find Saul. He is praying. Lord, I have heard about this guy; he is a bad dude, and he is here to do some pretty bad things. The Lord says, "Listen, I have chosen him. He has been kicking against the goads. He has been having a hard time with this, but I have chosen him."

How many of you fought against the Lord early on when He was choosing to call you? The Lord is calling this guy. He has a purpose and a plan for Saul of Tarsus, and Saul is saying there is no possible way. The reason he was breathing out murderous threats against the church and the reason he is so enraged by what is happening through these followers of Jesus of Nazareth is because, like that old saying goes, if you throw a rock into a pack of dogs, the one that barks loudest is the one that got hit. This guy is getting hit by the Lord over and over again.

Every time someone like Stephen is preaching, he is cut to the heart. Yet, in his conviction, he directs that into rage against God and against the church. God says, "I know your rage against me." So Ananias, go, and I want you to pray for him because he has been blinded. He is out of vision. You are going to come and pray that he would receive his sight.

Ananias obeys. Look at verse 17. Ananias went his way and entered into the house. Putting his hands on him, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus that appeared unto you in the way as you came, has sent me that you might receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Immediately, there fell from his eyes that which had been like scales, and he received his sight. Forthwith, he rose and was baptized, demonstrating complete submission.

He had a vision of Jesus and was blinded. The Lord said, "You're fighting against me. It's hard for you to fight against me. Just stop. I've got a call and a purpose upon your life." He went into the city for three days, unable to see, not eating or drinking, but praying. God came to him through Ananias, and after prayer, he could see. The first thing he did was get baptized, declaring to those in the church of Damascus and anyone he might meet, "I have been crucified with Christ; I no longer live." Saul of Tarsus is dead, at least the old Saul. He was crucified with Christ, and he no longer lives.

When he had received food, as noted in verse 19, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent certain days with the disciples there at Damascus. Immediately, he preached Christ in the synagogues, declaring that He is the Son of God. This is a radical transformation. This is the persecutor from Jerusalem, the Pharisee of the Pharisees, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, who was blameless according to the law. Everything about this man was oriented towards a very high trajectory within the religious structure of Judaism, and now all of it is gone. He crucified it all. He says in Philippians chapter three that it is rubbish that he might gain Christ. None of that is of value to him any longer. He is baptized and is now a follower of Jesus. He goes into the very synagogues from which he had letters from the chief priests.

A priest endorsed him, which may have been helpful. He went into the synagogues, preaching that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah and the Son of God. This means he has the very nature of God; he is God incarnate. This represents a radical transformation.

In verse 21, we see that all who heard him were amazed and said, "Wait a minute, is this not the man who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem? Did he not come here for that intent, to bring them bound to the chief priests?" However, Saul increased more in strength and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Jerusalem, proving that this is the Christ. He demonstrated that Jesus of Nazareth is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies about his coming. He is the Messiah, the anointed one of God, the Son of God. Saul contended with them in the synagogues, proving that Jesus is indeed the very Christ.

In verse 23, we learn that after many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him. It is interesting to note that the persecutor becomes the persecuted. The Jews decided that this man had to go; they needed to deal with this little problem named Saul. They laid in wait, known to Saul, and watched the gates day and night to kill him.

However, the disciples took him by night and let him down by the wall in a basket. Everything we can conclude about him prior to his conversion is that he was a fairly prideful man. Yet here, in humility, he is lowered down out of a wall. Fifteen years later, or even twenty years later, he recounts this as one of the humbling experiences of his life in Second Corinthians, chapter 12, I believe.

When Saul came to Jerusalem, he attempted to join himself to the disciples, but they were all afraid of him and did not believe that he was a disciple. So now he comes back from Damascus and goes to the disciples.

Jerusalem was a place where Saul was trying to find the disciples of Jesus. He wanted to associate with them, but they were skeptical. They thought it was a trick and believed there was no way they could let him in. They feared he wanted to infiltrate their group and take them out.

However, Barnabas, the same Barnabas we were introduced to at the end of Acts chapter four, stepped in. He was well-known among the believers, having sold a plot of land and given everything to the church to help those in need. His name means "son of encouragement." Barnabas took Saul and brought him to the apostles. He declared to them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way and that He had spoken to him. Barnabas also shared how Saul had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.

Saul was with the apostles, coming in and going out in Jerusalem. He spoke boldly in the name of the Lord and disputed against the Grecians. However, they sought to kill him. The Grecians were the same group of people who had killed Stephen, and they were familiar with Saul. He was from Tarsus, a Greek-speaking city outside of Jerusalem, and these individuals knew him well. He had been their friend and was likely their ringleader, consenting to the death of Stephen. They had laid their clothes at his feet when they killed him. Now, with Saul's transformation, it was hard for anyone to grasp the situation, and they wanted to kill him.

When the brethren learned of this, they brought Saul down to Caesarea and sent him forth to Tarsus. They advised him to go back home for a while to let things die down. As a result, the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had rest. They were edified, walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, and they multiplied.

This radical transformation is mind-blowing. It's difficult for us to even grasp what this would be like. Imagine if Osama bin Laden had become a follower of Jesus Christ and then became the biggest evangelist in the world, like Billy Graham. If he desired to come and speak at one of the churches in America, it would be a shocking situation.

It's radical transformation. The Book of Acts is a story of radical transformation, whether it's the early followers of Jesus—Peter, James, John—all of whom experienced this profound change. However, Saul, who takes the forefront of the Book of Acts, exemplifies this transformation more than any other. Throughout history, you can read the stories of individuals who are radically transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. The power of God moves upon an individual to radically transform them so that God can use them as a chosen vessel of His.

This church, right here today, is filled with many of you whose testimonies reflect stories of radical transformation. You were once blind, but now you see. You were once lost, but now you've been found by the grace of God. You are a follower of God, a chosen vessel unto Him; your life has been radically transformed. Although your name perhaps hasn't changed like Saul's did, there is a total difference in who you are.

When Saul began his ministry about 14 years—actually, a little less than that, around 11 years—after he was converted and saved by the grace of Jesus Christ, he and Barnabas, the same man who brought him to the apostles, went out on their first missionary journey, their first church planting journey, in Acts chapter 13. The first place they visited was the island of Cyprus. There, we are told that somewhere on that trip, while on the island of Cyprus, he no longer went by Saul of Tarsus; now he was Paul. Everywhere he went, he used the name Paul.

Many lives here today are also stories of radical transformation. God has wrought change in you, and while your name may not have changed, there is a significant difference. You see people who knew you before you were a Christian, and they say, "What happened to you? I hardly recognize you." It's not just because you put on a few pounds or lost a few; there is something completely different. God radically transforms us so that He can make us instruments of radical transformation. He transforms us so that we can be transformers. That's what He wants to do in and through you and me.

So, you follow the story of Saul of Tarsus, who again appears in Acts chapter 13.

He goes out, this man who has been radically transformed by the grace of God. He and Barnabas travel to the area of Galatia, where they see churches planted in Lystra, Iconium, Derby, and Antioch of Pisidia. These individuals, who were carnal idolaters following after the lust of their flesh and the passions of their inward desires, are radically transformed by one who had been radically transformed.

Then they return to their home church, and Paul and Silas go out in Acts chapter 16. They enter Europe, specifically modern-day northern Greece, visiting places like Philippi, Berea, Thessalonica, and Corinth. There is radical transformation because God has radically transformed them and uses them as instruments of radical transformation.

On their third missionary journey, they go to Ephesus, and there are churches in Smyrna, Philadelphia, Sardis, and all the different places mentioned in the opening chapters of Revelation. These churches and lives were radically transformed by the one who was himself radically transformed by Jesus Christ.

You see, if you're a Christian today, you have been radically transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to recognize that God has transformed us because we are His chosen vessels to do His work, to be instruments of radical transformation here where He has placed us. That's why we're here. We're not just to be a showcase; this isn't to be a museum of radical transformation. While in some ways it is, this needs to be a launching pad where those who have been radically transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ are sent out into Escondido, Valley Center, San Marcos, Bonsall, Fallbrook, Rancho Bernardo, and San Diego County—the uttermost parts—to be instruments of radical transformation.

That is what we are committed to here. That is what we desire to see: that every single one of us who has been transformed by Christ would become transformers, more than meets the eye. Amen. That is what God wants to do, and this is what we are praying towards here at the church in a big way.

I believe that God has called me, as stated in Ephesians chapter four, verses 11 and 12, to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. We are called to equip those who are radically transformed to be instruments of radical transformation in the world. God has called us—the pastors, the leadership, the elders here at the church—to equip you for the work of the ministry.

Not that we're not doing the work of the ministry out there as well, but we want to make sure that this is an army of God to see radical transformation in our community—a real change you can believe in. So, what does God do to make us instruments of transformation? Well, the first thing He does is give us gifts. Ephesians 4 tells us about this, as do 1 Corinthians chapters 12, 13, and 14. He gifts us by His Holy Spirit to be transformers. We are functioning by His power, not by our own power, because we are not sufficient of ourselves to think anything as being of ourselves. Our sufficiency is of Him who has made us able ministers. He is the one who enables us to do that.

We did about 13 weeks of studies in 1 Corinthians chapters 12, 13, and 14 about a year ago. You can find them on our website, discussing the gifts of the Spirit and how God wants to work in His church and through His church by the gifts He gives. One of the questions I received a lot during that process was, "How do I know what gifts I have?" I thoroughly believe that when we begin to walk through a door that the Lord opens before us, we recognize the gifts that the Lord has given us. As we need them, He enables us with His power to do things that we could not even imagine we could ever do because we couldn't before.

One practical resource available is something called a spiritual gifts test. I had a good friend of mine build one for us and put it on our website. That's what this little piece of paper you received when you came in today was for. It says "gifted" at the top, and underneath, there's a website: gifts.ccesco.com. You can go there and take the test. It consists of 42 questions and will take you about three minutes. It will email you an assessment of what possibly are some of the areas the Lord may have gifted you in. This isn't gospel, but it can be helpful.

Additionally, we recognize that not only does God gift us, but He calls us with the talents and abilities that we have. This may be because we've gone to school for something in a trade or career, or just because of things we are naturally gifted with to serve Him. One of the things we developed is called our survey. I realize someone is going to email and say, "You spelled survey wrong." I spelled it wrong on purpose. The other side of that is "serve," which is spelled S-E-R-V-E. You can find it at serve.a.ccesco.com.

You take the thing there, and it will give us an idea of where you're talented and what abilities you have. Why are we doing this? Well, because we believe God has called us to reach this community in a big way. We have a desire and a plan that next year we want to commit 10,000 hours of community service to our community. Our church will work in our area to be agents of transformation.

Many of you know a good friend of our ministry, Pastor Jeff Jackson. He moved back out here with his wife, Helen, after serving in Phoenix. I started talking with Jeff about this whole concept, and he suggested, "What if we tried something?" We are actually asking Jeff to be our pastor over outreach at the church to help us do this. I want to bring Jeff up here so he can share a little bit with you about this this morning. I took more time than I said I would; I'm sorry. Typical pastor.

It's a blessing to be able to get up here and share with you. When we moved back, we weren't 100 percent sure where God was going to call us to fellowship. This is my home church. Actually, in three days, it will be 25 years since we were sent from this church to Cebu. Although I have never disengaged from this church through Pat and Miles, the connection has always been kept. I haven't fellowshiped here in 25 years. As we came back, we visited some other churches, and I spent a lot of time with Miles and the other leaders. The bottom line is that God really convinced us that this is where He wants us to be.

Primarily, I believe Miles is a young man who gets the heart of God. He agrees with me that we need to rescue our line from the Blues Brothers. The Blues Brothers stole our line: "We're on a mission from God." Miles understands that. We have met a lot, talked a lot, and thought and prayed together. Just the way I'm wired, those of you who know me know that I've been out and about already in the community. I have spent a lot of time with Jerry Van Leeuwen from the city of Escondido and have visited some of the...

I grew up in the rougher areas of Escondido, and I've been doing reconnaissance on the situation here. The kingdom of God needs to be expressed in many parts of this city, as part of the bigger thing that God wants to do around the world. I am stepping into this role while still working full-time for Shepherd Staff. I have some hours to dedicate, and my heart is in putting in a few hours a week to get a feel for the opportunities in the city.

Miles talked about the 10,000 hours of service given to our city in all the different contexts where the needs are. That is where we want to be moving. I was thinking about an analogy, and I believe Miles and I are on the same page with this. What happens here on Sunday, when the body is gathered together, is not the game. If you think of a football game context, this is the huddle.

The purpose of the huddle in a football game is for the players who actually play the game to come together. They can hear the direction and know the play they will be working towards. Each of them has a role to play in the actual play, but the huddle is not the point of the game; it is what makes the game happen.

We need to reverse our thinking and recognize that our gathering together is certainly a time for us to discover our gifts, which we hope to help you do through this survey. It is not only about discovering your gifts but also about putting them to use in serving one another. All of this is done within the context of being on a mission from God, not just within the walls of this church, but in this city and ultimately around the world.

As we move forward with the serious idea that we are on a mission from God, I believe God will bless us and bless this city. As Jesus told us to pray, he made it clear in his first sermon that those who are his followers, part of his kingdom, with him as their King of Kings and Lord of Lords, are to be salt and light. They are to let their light shine in this world so that others will see their good works.

Well, men can't see the good works that take place here on Sunday within the four walls. All those are good works, and they're important, but these are for people that already glorify God. We need to be doing our good works out where the need is, taking the salt and light—taking the salt out of the salt shaker and the light out of one room and into the community. This includes the preaching of the gospel, for sure, but also in service.

Some of the members of the body, like Tom and his wife, Leslie, and Corey, are already engaging with the community by teaching English at Rose School. We are going to start bringing some cohesion to this and providing on-ramps for all of you to find ways to serve in the community, to be that salt and light that God wants us to be. Does that make sense?

I was thinking about this whole idea at the beginning of Saul's ministry. When he first got saved and was trying to do ministry in Damascus, he was a basket case, but he didn't stay a basket case. He went on to greater things. So let's go on to greater things. Does that make sense?

Take the survey so that we'll know what your gifts are. We will be working together, and hopefully in the next couple of months, we will provide you with some on-ramps to reach out into this community with the love, truth, and service that God has provided us with the ability to give. How's that? Thank you very much.

If you don't have a computer to access the internet and complete this survey, we do have paper copies available in the office. This is basically the same thing that's on the website. You can fill it out if you'd like and drop it back off in the office. This is just helping us to know who is doing what in their occupation or trade, as well as areas of ministry or service that you are able to be involved with or would like to be involved with.

The whole point of this is that I listened to a message from a friend of mine about five years ago, Ricky Ryan. He was the...

Pastor of Calvary Chapel, Santa Barbara, made a comment in a message at a pastor's conference that we need to provide the body with more opportunities to serve than just children's ministry. Children's ministry is really important, but there needs to be more opportunities because not everybody is called to children's ministry. Amen? Every single one of you is called. We want to help you know how to use the gifts and talents you have to serve God in the context He has called you to. Amen?

Let's stand and pray for this specifically.

Lord, we thank You for the work that You are doing in the nursing home facilities in our community, the work that You are doing through Tom and Leslie with youth who are homeless or disenfranchised. Lord, the work that You are doing at Rose School with ESL, the work that You are doing through the Spanish Ministry of Outreach. There are so many different areas in our community where outreach is happening because of this church, through Pastor Eric, with the fire department, the sheriff, and with Mary Hendricks and the work she is doing with the police department and hospice.

We thank You for the doors that You are opening for us as a body. We ask, Lord, that You would open more doors and make it very clear to us how You want each of us to be a part of it. Every single joint in the body is placed there by You to accomplish a task.

God, we pray that You would continue to give vision to our leadership and continue to open doors for Jeff as he interacts with various people within the city and different community organizers. We pray that You would use us to be an influence of radical transformation in this whole area here in North County and beyond, wherever You would carry us.

We lift this up into Your hands and ask, Lord, for Your grace upon us. Enable us by Your Spirit to do that which we absolutely cannot do in and of ourselves, for we ask it in Jesus' name. And all God's people agreed, saying, Amen.