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"Here as in Heaven."
For more information visit : garden.church
You're listening to the Garden Church podcast. We're in a series called church on fire, a journey through the book of acts. This is a story of ordinary people filled with the spirit, carrying the presence of Jesus into every corner of the world. The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is alive and in us today. Join us as we step into the call to be people set on fire for his mission.
Darren Rouanzoin:What's up guys? Alright. Hey, grab your bibles. If you don't have one, we'd love to let you have one or get one in the back. Let me see them.
Darren Rouanzoin:Come on. You're all hesitant. Here we go. Alright. Go to Acts six.
Darren Rouanzoin:That's in the New Testament and, we're gonna get there in just a second. I just got back from Costa Mesa like two minutes ago and it was so good. What's up bro? So glad you're here. And I just thought I'd connect with you.
Darren Rouanzoin:We are in the series on Acts. It's gonna be a very long series. We've been in it for like twenty three weeks and we're on chapter six still. Because the word of God is life transforming and we've been really teaching the scriptures expository. So just teaching it verse by verse, talking to the text.
Darren Rouanzoin:Acts is written as a historical theology so this is not history as in this happened you should know about it. It's written as this happened you should know about it and it should transform your walk with Jesus for the purpose of formation. That's kind of why it exists and it was written by eyewitness accounts. This actually happened in history. So we're talking about Stephen.
Darren Rouanzoin:Stephen I talked about last week, a man full of God's grace and power. But, what was interesting about Stephen is he's just an ordinary disciple of Jesus. Nothing extraordinary about him but we get a testimony of his life briefly in the book of Acts so it's worth talking about. But I've been thinking about this idea. Last week I had a bottle of Mountain Dew.
Darren Rouanzoin:God bless Mountain Dew. RIP code red Mountain Dew. Some of you never knew what code red Mountain Dew was. It was the best soda ever created on the history of the planet. It also is now classified as like a carcinogen.
Darren Rouanzoin:So anyways, you shouldn't be drinking soda anyways. My friend who's an orthodontist is here, he would tell you that, correct? That's right. But I was thinking a hundred years after the book of Acts was written there was a man named Polycarp. Anyone heard of Polycarp?
Darren Rouanzoin:Yeah. So back in the day, Christians would write these stories about these martyrs. We have like historical accounts of how martyrs died. Martyrs being Christians who live for their faith and they got executed for their faith. And right now do you know that more than any other religious group on the planet right now Christians are the most persecuted group alive.
Darren Rouanzoin:Every day 13 Christians die for belief in Christ. Every day 13 Christians die around the world. Part of the story of the church what historically some of the historical evidence we have written by non Christian sociologists that evaluated the wild growth of the church from January to present day traces its story. One of the characteristics that fueled the movement that the church became was martyrdom. That the killing of Christians strengthened and emboldened the faith of the church that caused it to wildly grow the way it did.
Darren Rouanzoin:Polycarp, here's a picture of Polycarp. This is a picture of, from a long time ago of how Polycarp died. So Polycarp Polycarp was the Bishop of Smyrna. How many of you heard of Smyrna? Yeah.
Darren Rouanzoin:If you read Revelation, Smyrna is mentioned in the book of Revelation because Polycarp was a disciple of the apostle John. So Polycarp probably received the letter of Revelation and that was one of the two churches that didn't have any bad things going on in it. Remember there's like seven, you have this against you. It didn't have this against it. Because Polycarp was this faithful believer and, he was arrested.
Darren Rouanzoin:He was warned about the Romans coming to arrest him and he, didn't leave. He stayed in his house and when the Roman guards came, he didn't react. He offered them hospitality. So he provided food and water and drink for them and then they, he asked, he asked for permission to pray and he prayed for two hours. When they came to arrest him, prayed for two hours.
Darren Rouanzoin:He prayed for all of his church members by name. He was brought before the Roman governor and he was threatened to be killed by fire and he said, You don't know about this fire that lives for eternity? So do what you want but I won't deny my faith in Jesus. And they lit him on fire and as this historical accounts go, the fire didn't burn his body. It it kind of engulfed around him and the smell was not of burnt flesh it was of baked bread.
Darren Rouanzoin:So God bless all the sourdough makers out there. And frankincense. This is a historical account written by, in the martyrdom of Polycarp you can read about it. And so they had to stab him to death. And they said he was filled with calm, radiance and peace.
Darren Rouanzoin:Isn't that interesting? Another woman, Perpetua. I'm just gonna give you one more account. There's so many of them. This, this is Perpetua.
Darren Rouanzoin:She was 22 years old when she was killed for her faith. She was a wealthy Roman, from a wealthy Roman family. And, her dad who was a wealthy businessman tried to convince her to leave the faith when she was arrested and all she had to do was proclaim that Caesar is Lord. And she wouldn't do that. She's like, How could I be called anything other than a Christian because I am?
Darren Rouanzoin:And, they said that she was either pregnant when she was arrested but they, so they wouldn't kill her. She gave birth to a baby boy and right before she went into the arena, she was breastfeeding her little baby boy. She walked into the arena with peace and calm and with such tranquility as she was fed to animals But that didn't kill her and the executioner was so scared to execute her that she had to guide the executioner's blade to her throat. Christianity is not a consumer thing. Christianity is not this thing that you add on to an addition to your life like and keep worshipping all the other gods.
Darren Rouanzoin:It is it is the only religion at the time that rejected all the other forms of gods. That threatened the Roman Empire because at the time Rome said, you can worship whatever god you want. There's thousands of deities in the Greek and Roman philosophy in the in the cultures they support or they conquered. But Christianity was the culture, the the, I'm sorry, Christianity was the religion that said, you cannot worship other gods. So they started borrowing the branding of Rome.
Darren Rouanzoin:Rome, it's great brand, the Nike swoosh, was Caesar is Lord. And so Christians were like, Great. We're gonna steal it. Only Jesus is Lord. Because when you say Jesus is Lord, you're saying, Caesar's not.
Darren Rouanzoin:And the thing I'm after is is is it has something to do with this confession which we're gonna see in baptisms today. This is a public confession that Jesus is Lord and raised from the dead. The thing I'm after is how do you become the kind of person that's filled with peace when you're being threatened with death? Because right now, most of us have anxiety because we drive on the 405. Like how do we develop the kind of resilience and faith when we're actually pressed?
Darren Rouanzoin:Re respond with grace and humility and love. What is the thing that enables that kind of characteristic and response as Polly Carpenter and Perpetua and Stephen will demonstrate. Because right now we experience outrage when someone sends us an Instagram post that doesn't fit our political or religious views. Don't don't hide here. We know it's true.
Darren Rouanzoin:There is anger like this happens to me all the time. Why do I have a quick response to my wife or to my kids when the the the situation doesn't deserve that kind of reaction? How do I become the person that naturally reacts like Jesus? That's what I'm after. Do you know what I'm talking about?
Darren Rouanzoin:Like how how come we we we go into a dark place when we weren't included in the group chat? Do you know what I'm talking about? You're like, where did you lose your lose your peace while someone so hung out without me? Like, so you lost your countenance because you weren't included. How do we develop more resilience in that?
Darren Rouanzoin:Does this, are you guys good? This is what I'm after today. Okay so it goes in Acts six. We're gonna we're gonna look at it. We're gonna answer that in Acts six.
Darren Rouanzoin:There's one simple answer but can we just have fun today in Acts six? Here we go. Did I lose you already? Eleven fifteen. Do we need to pray against the witches in the room?
Darren Rouanzoin:Just kidding. I am just kidding. I just I don't see any today. But they hide well with their curses and witchcraft. You can't you can't do that here.
Darren Rouanzoin:You think I'm kidding. This is a real thing. Jesus would you bless this service right now. Pray your Holy Spirit invade this room with your presence. That those that are searching would find you.
Darren Rouanzoin:Those that are hungry would be filled God by you alone. Wake us up to what you're doing in Jesus name. Amen. Verse eight. Now Stephen a man full of God's grace and power performed great wonders and signs among the people.
Darren Rouanzoin:We talked about Stephen last week. Stephen was a was was brought into the story of the church in in the book of Acts in Acts six when there were so many widows being fed that the apostles, the leaders of the church needed some help so they they put seven men in charge of helping out the hungry widow. So Stephen, it's in Acts six verse three was full of the spirit and wisdom. It says in Acts six verse five that he's full of faith and the Holy Spirit and now it says he's full of God's grace and power. Stephen a potluck associate.
Darren Rouanzoin:A food distributor empowered by the leadership because he's known it says to be full of. This this idea is all over the place in the book of Acts that he's famous for the characteristics he possesses not the words he says. Think about following people that you see within them the characteristics and attributes of Jesus. That's what the Bible is teaching that acts over and over again. Luke will say that people communities were full to to the brim of grace, of power, of the Holy Spirit which is the person of God.
Darren Rouanzoin:Not an it. Not a force. The person of God is is dwelling within them in such a way that it's noticeable. How? Because they say, they sing in tongues?
Darren Rouanzoin:No. Because they preach? No. Because in everyday ordinary circumstances it spills out of them. Amen.
Darren Rouanzoin:That's how the world sees what's inside of you. What we need right now are not louder Christians but more radiant Christians. The the countenance, the vibe that we give the world reveals the character of Jesus Christ. That's what we're after and that's what says about, Stephen in Acts six that he is this man full of the Holy Spirit. Craig Keener, one of the great theologians alive right now wrote a book, it's four books on a commentary in the book of Acts.
Darren Rouanzoin:He says that Luke repeatedly highlights spirit fullness in Acts because the mission of the church is impossible without divine empowerment. The early believers understood that the work of Jesus would continue through ordinary people filled with his Holy Spirit. Now here is what happens to to Stephen. It says, Opposition arose however from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen as it was called. So this is specific historical group.
Darren Rouanzoin:We know that this group existed. So this is not some storytelling fantasy content. In fact the New Testament is the most critical, the most, integris ancient document we have on the planet. There's I mean more than Homer's Iliad, more than the writings of Genghis Khan, more than the Buddha, more than any of the teachings out there. The New Testament is the most critically integris ancient document.
Darren Rouanzoin:Look it up. Historians who study and and and scientists called textual criticism make the New Testament the most significant ancient document there is. We know that the, Synagogue of Freedmen Freedmen were were a group of Jewish community who were once slaves and they were freed. So this is this is historically these were, Jews who were enslaved because they couldn't afford things and they offered themselves as slaves to a group of people and they they got set free or they were enslaved in ancient times and then they were set free and they formed their own synagogue. And they bring an accusation, we'll see, against a man full of God's grace.
Darren Rouanzoin:Just wanna bring this out real quick. Oftentimes, this is what happened. Those who experience grace become religious and refuse the grace for others. Don't talk about it like it's some ancient thing. It's in the room.
Darren Rouanzoin:This is what we do right? We we are saved by grace because of Jesus' death on the cross and then we get a little an inch into the kingdom and now we think we deserve it. Now we think we deserve it and that person who doesn't look like me, vote like me, act like me, talk like me, doesn't deserve it. You know what that's called? Hypocrisy.
Darren Rouanzoin:A religious spirit. That's called a pharisee in the New Testament. That's called putting a a yoke of slavery on somebody. All of a sudden, you're enslaved by religion when Jesus set you free from that. Are you with me church?
Darren Rouanzoin:So the opposition that will come is is is historical and it's also experienceal. We know this happens all the time because we become the good older brothers in the New Testament. In the parable, the parable of the prodigal son, we become the kind of older brother that won't enjoy this celebration because we're mad that our friend who was lost got saved and they they should act and look like us. A prodigal son is not the parable of the prodigal son. It's the parable of the two sons and the crazy father.
Darren Rouanzoin:That's how it would have been interpreted in the New Testament. Anyways, I get off track. There's a bunch of the historical Jewish communities coming against him and it says, they began to argue with Stephen in verse 10 but they could not stand up against the wisdom the spirit gave him as he spoke. Amen. He is, Stephen now is opposed by this historical group, because the conversations that they have are not casual conversations.
Darren Rouanzoin:They are theological debates And it says that they couldn't stand against him and this is to fulfill what Jesus promised in Luke chapter 21 verse 15. He said, I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or to contradict. So Jesus said that there will be a time when the Holy Spirit will empower you with wisdom and speech in a way that you will argue and convince people with wisdom and speech that doesn't come from you. Comes from the Holy Spirit. But I have to say, when Stephen gets to the court which he's about to go into the courtroom, he doesn't need to be filled to go there and communicate the gospel.
Darren Rouanzoin:He was already filled at that point. I think this is such an important lesson. He was already full before the debate took place. So many of us are like, Okay Lord, if if I ever get an opportunity to share my faith, would you just fill me then? No.
Darren Rouanzoin:Live ongoingly filled in the presence of God. So that you don't even know when the wisdom is flowing out of you because you've just been tapped into the source the whole time. Like what we want to think is Christianity is like the matrix. Like, what do I mean specifically? Like you are Neo in the chair learning jujitsu downloaded into your brain thinking that all of a sudden, yep, zapped, I got jujitsu and kung fu.
Darren Rouanzoin:Or like Trinity on top of the the skyscraper, teach me how to fly this, you know, b whatever helicopter loads. Great. Now I can fly the helicopter. That's not how it works. Do you know what I'm saying?
Darren Rouanzoin:Don't lie. You know that's what you're like sometimes. You're like, I want it. Lord, give me patience for my kids right now. That's not how it works.
Darren Rouanzoin:That's not how that's how the Holy Spirit works. He works through relationship. He works through this ongoing Remember we're asking the question, how do we become radiant? Stephen was already full and so when when the spirit and the wisdom is coming without his, without maybe his knowledge just empowered by the God, by God, they can't con, they can't compete with him. So, is what happens with systems by the way.
Darren Rouanzoin:They they they they they recognize they can't win the debate. So what happens next is what happens to systems. Because systems that feel threatened do not respond with curiosity, tell me more. They respond with trying to eliminate the threat. So after they can't beat Stephen, this is historical.
Darren Rouanzoin:Verse 11. They secretly persuaded some men to say, we have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God. So now, they bring false accusations against Stephen. And this is a loaded phrase. This, if you're reading this in the in the New Testament time, somebody who studied Judaism which you know, all of this is a theological historical account.
Darren Rouanzoin:Acts is written theologically so that you you see the bells going off. You're reading this going, oh something's going on. These are death sentences for someone who's accused of such thing. If you read Exodus, if you read Leviticus, if you read Deuteronomy, you see, you cannot blaspheme God or Moses or the Law. It leads to death when you're in the temple which is where they are.
Darren Rouanzoin:So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law, they seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. Now the Sanhedrin would be the highest council. We've used this word a lot. It's the highest council in the first century in Jerusalem. It's the PhDs.
Darren Rouanzoin:It's the lawyers. It's the smartest in the religious control. It would be like a modern day senate. It would be the, the high courts, the supreme court. It would be the economic hub.
Darren Rouanzoin:It would be, all of that in one. So those, those are the people in charge. And it says, They produced false witnesses who testified. And listen to what they say. This fellow never stops speaking.
Darren Rouanzoin:I love that. That's a good one. But it says, He never stopped speaking against this holy place and against the law. Holy place being Jerusalem and the temple. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place referring to the temple and change the customs of Moses handed down to us.
Darren Rouanzoin:Have you heard these kind of accusations before if you have ever read the New Testament? Anyone? Where does it come from? Jesus. Great.
Darren Rouanzoin:Always the answer in church. Yes. This reminds us if you're reading part or if you watch series one, Luke. And now you're watching series two, the Acts. You're like, oh flashback to Jesus' passion week where false accusations come against him and what do they say?
Darren Rouanzoin:You're you're breaking the commands and the customs of Moses and you're gonna He said he was gonna destroy the temple. And he said he'll build it in three days. And this is so important because what happens is they take bits and pieces of what you say and they distort it. To bring accusations against Stephen so that they can do what's justifiable. Stone him to death according to the Old Testament Law.
Darren Rouanzoin:Which is exactly what they are going to do. Not before he preaches one of the most profound sermons ever given to Jerusalem at the time. It is the longest speech in the book of Acts. That is next week. You don't want to miss.
Darren Rouanzoin:Where Stephen a man who with no formal education will will reinterpret Genesis to Malachi the entire Old Testament and point to all of the pillars of Judaism being fulfilled in Christ. Right under the Sanhedrin court. Isn't that amazing? But it was Jesus who stood before the same court being given the same accusation. And he's not referring to the literal temple.
Darren Rouanzoin:He's referring to his body that became the temple of the living God. That he he was killed and three days later, it was restored. And then, in the Book of Acts, you see now the the system of the old, the old temple and the new temple right in the midst of the old system. The new temple being the church now filled with the Holy Spirit that is designed to be all of us because we are all mini mobile temples carrying the presence of God wherever we go. And this will be the exact moment that that mission is ignited and it's ignited through the death of one martyr.
Darren Rouanzoin:It's ignited from one person who lived in the presence of God and revealed that presence wherever he went whether he was waiting on tables or standing before the Sanhedrin court proclaiming the resurrected Christ. So we see that opposition arises when systems are threatened. This always happens. This will happen throughout our life. It happens within our life.
Darren Rouanzoin:It's not just structural issues out there. It's our own stuff because this is the truth. The Gospel, it's not designated, it's not designed to be an attachment to what's already existing. It it's designed to deconstruct what's already existing and give life to this the birth of the spirit and give life to Jesus. I'm sorry.
Darren Rouanzoin:To point to the life of Jesus. So what happens is the gospel is presented and here's the truth. When the gospel heals, people are curious. But when the gospel interprets reality, people become threatened by it. Let me explain.
Darren Rouanzoin:When we say Jesus is Lord, we are saying at the same time in that context, Caesar is not. Right? So when you say Jesus is Lord, you're not making a personal private spiritual statement. You're making a declaration about reality. You're making a truth claim.
Darren Rouanzoin:Capital t. Capital t. Capital t truth about the past, present, and future that exist with Jesus on the throne. That means there's one person on the throne and there is no other no one else on the throne. There is not you on the throne, not other gods.
Darren Rouanzoin:He is the creator of the universe and when you say he is Lord you are saying Caesar is not. When you say Jesus is Lord you are saying money is not. You are saying your life is no longer organized by accumulation of wealth. It will not bow down to the God of more and your security and well-being does not come from your bank account. It comes from Christ, our Lord.
Darren Rouanzoin:When you say Jesus is Lord, you are saying my sexuality is not Lord. It belongs to God. So no longer are you saying my life is self authorized. You're not saying my body is self defined. You're saying my life now belongs to the one who made it and then you have to allow that implication to go everywhere in your life.
Darren Rouanzoin:And when you say Jesus is Lord you're saying truth is not self defined or lower case. It is a person. It is Christ. Therefore we don't get to invent it. We don't get to create it in our own own image.
Darren Rouanzoin:We have to receive it because truth has a face. His name is Jesus. He says I am the way, the truth and the life and no one goes to the Father except through me. There's no other route except through Jesus Christ. When you say Jesus is Lord, you're saying politics are not the ultimate answer.
Darren Rouanzoin:Please hear me on this church because we live in a time when politics we think we think our party can save us. We think our ideology can resurrect the dead. When we place our allegiance in Jesus we don't place our allegiance in a donkey or an elephant. We place it in a lamb that was slain. And all God's people said, Amen.
Darren Rouanzoin:Reluctantly. I heard some reluctant people there. We don't get to worship other deities and other gods because every culture will build a temple and this is happening in the temple and the temple is coming down on Stephen. You see Jerusalem has a temple. Rome had lots of temples.
Darren Rouanzoin:Ephesus will have a temple of Artemis. You see, we might not have temples like they did back then. But we carry our temples around all day long. Do we not? And when we say Jesus is Lord, we're saying, no no.
Darren Rouanzoin:Our money is not. Our identity is not. Our autonomy is not. Our self is not. Our friendships are not.
Darren Rouanzoin:Our relationships are not. What people think about me are not. Instead, we have to submit them to Jesus because Jesus doesn't decorate temples. He destroys them. And when you say Jesus is Lord, idols lose their customers.
Darren Rouanzoin:And what I wanna suggest today is actually, we are an idol factory as John suggested during communion or during the giving talk. And the problem is we don't realize how much identity we receive from anything outside of Jesus. How much meaning we receive from anything outside of Jesus. How much purpose we receive. And what I wanna suggest is it comes to the center.
Darren Rouanzoin:Jesus becomes the primary that develops our identity, meaning and our purpose and anything else becomes an idol in our life. Are you with me church? So when the gospel enters a city, people riot because the gospel doesn't change hearts. The gospel changes allegiances. Meaning it changes how you live your ordinary life.
Darren Rouanzoin:We have historical documents that said by by outside outsiders of the faith, they said, hey, Christians in Roman culture, Romans gave their body to everyone and their money to nothing but Christians gave their body to no one and their money practically to everyone. That was an observation in within the first two hundred years of the church that the church lived differently and that's the point. Because something was changing inside of them and it's not enough to shake the system. That's not the point. The point is that Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit and if you're full of the Holy Spirit, truth's gonna come out of you.
Darren Rouanzoin:And it will be opposed. Stephen was serving widows, he was performing miracles, he was teaching scripture and he was accused of blasphemy and the crowd turns on him for preaching, for serving widows, for caring for the poor, for performing miracles of healing and the crowds turned on him not because of those things but because of the truth that came out of him when it mattered. There's a line that's drawn. Either Jesus is Lord or he's not and your life will demonstrate that reality. But it doesn't end there and this is where I wanna focus and we'll we'll land and we'll baptize some folks.
Darren Rouanzoin:Are we doing alright? Great. 11:15. You've turned back on. I'm glad.
Darren Rouanzoin:Oh man, that's very kind. I'll give it a b plus right now but let's see where it goes. I'm just kidding. I I judge it by my faithfulness. So far I'm faithful.
Darren Rouanzoin:Okay. Verse 15, this is the one that got me this week. All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen. So all all the leaders are looking at him. He is being accused of charges that require him to be stoned to death.
Darren Rouanzoin:He knows it. And they're looking at him and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel. Isn't that poetic and cute? It's not poetic. It's deeply deeply theological.
Darren Rouanzoin:And it's so theological it wakes us up as sleepy Christians to say, what did he just say? He's got a face he's got a face like an angel. He's he's got a radiant face is what it says in the Greek. There's something his countenance is is permeating this other kind of presence. Who else in the scriptures in the old testament had a radiant face?
Darren Rouanzoin:Moses. I'm glad you got it. First service to get it. Jesus. No.
Darren Rouanzoin:I tricked you. Moses is the most famous leader in the Old Testament. This guy was the man. Right? And they they talk about it.
Darren Rouanzoin:I mean forty years in Pharaoh's house under the greatest leader that lived in human history. And then, years as a shepherd. And then, forty years confronting Pharaoh, setting the Israelites free through signs and wonders and powers. And then, leading the people of God with signs and wonders and powers, as someone who brings the law which is about life to the people. But but, you know, Moses was, was somebody whose face was radiant.
Darren Rouanzoin:So let go to that passage. Go to Exodus Chapter 34. You guys want to do that real quick? I guess. You made me bring it.
Darren Rouanzoin:Okay. Let us use it. Still get people there like, I just wanna read on my phone. I'm not gonna battle with you. Read it on your phone.
Darren Rouanzoin:Go ahead. As long as you read it. Exodus 34 you are still getting there like where is it? Okay if you go to Genesis turn right. Yeah this part I don't read very often.
Darren Rouanzoin:Exodus 34 says, When Moses came down from Mount Sinai verse 29 when the two tablets of the covenant of law, in his hands he saw, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses his face was radiant and they were afraid to come near to him. So they said, Hey you gotta put a cover on your face. You gotta wear a mask. Because your face when you meet with God, you meet with Yahweh exudes radiance off of it.
Darren Rouanzoin:It terrifies everyone. Go to Deuteronomy 34. If you get to Joshua turn left. We'll make this case. Oh this is so good.
Darren Rouanzoin:Okay. Just so you know, when Luke writes what he's writing, his descriptions, what he's writing, he has in mind these these texts. He wants you to have an imagination formed in the scriptures. Alright. So we get to the end of Deuteronomy, Moses dies.
Darren Rouanzoin:Verse 10 verse nine, Joshua son of Nun was full filled with the spirit of wisdom. Does that sound familiar? Because Moses had laid his hands on him. So Joshua has wisdom because Moses imparted it through prayer. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses.
Darren Rouanzoin:So here we go. Since then. This is so good. No prophet has risen in Israel like Moses whom the Lord knew face to face. Who did all the signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt to Pharaoh and all of his officials into his whole land.
Darren Rouanzoin:For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all of Israel. And then you get to Acts and you got this hospitality volunteer and Luke wants you to know he's filled with grace, he's filled with power, he performs signs and wonders and now his face shines like he's been face to face with God. What's Luke saying? Here's a little mini Moses. Who gets to be like Moses?
Darren Rouanzoin:Anyone who's filled with the spirit of God can be as great as the there's never been a prophet like him. Oh yes there is. Oh yes there will be. Oh yes there was. There's the hospitality volunteer, Stephen.
Darren Rouanzoin:There's the hospitality volunteer, Philip. There's Pastor John. There's everyday ordinary people. How? How do we become the kinds of Christians that have radiant life?
Darren Rouanzoin:I wanna give you lots of steps but I'm just gonna leave you with one. The only answer is to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to live your life in the presence of God. Christianity is not to be a bunch of practices and rules that produce some type of fruit along the way. It's to be inhabited by the presence of God. The creator of this universe, the God who created the cosmos, the God who created Mars and Jupiter and all the wonderful, universes around the world also created you and he wants to be near you.
Darren Rouanzoin:He wants to be so close. He wants to fill you so he can walk with you. He wants to live everyday ordinary life with you so that you'd be filled with the very nature of what you were meant to be. Christ like. The more you become like Jesus, the more you become the best version, the truer version, the created version that you were meant to be in the first place.
Darren Rouanzoin:The archetype is what he's called. The alpha and the omega. The beginning and the end. This is the Jesus we proclaim and it's his spirit that comes to indwell with us, to empower us so that, yes, on the freeway, no more anxiety. No more rage.
Darren Rouanzoin:Yes, when you get that text, when you get left out, no more depression. Why? Because it's his presence that permeates in you. And that's not gonna happen because you're zapped here on Sunday. It's gonna happen because you live with him in everyday ordinary space.
Darren Rouanzoin:Because that's where he dwells wherever you are. And right now, you're limited based on your longing and hunger. AW Tozer says, every man has as much God as he wants. So how much do you want him? Amen?
Darren Rouanzoin:Alright. Can we all stand together?
Intro/Outro:For more information, visit us at garden.church.