I hope that everyone had a very good Christmas. I'm glad you were able to join me once again for another edition of the Weekend Sermon.
I want to thank you for your prayers the past few weeks. The Lord is good, and He has supplied my needs for this month. I'm very grateful, and I give the Lord Jesus all the praise and honor that is due unto Him. I also want to thank Jesus for helping me to make it through the Christmas season when I often feel very depressed as I miss my family who have all gone on to be with Jesus in Heaven.
There is something I want to ask everyone who reads the blog to pray about in the coming weeks. I have been doing some research as to what countries have the fewest number of Christians and in what countries Christians face the most persecution. The country that I found that is at or near the top of both of these categories is the Maldives located in the Indian Ocean. This country bans all religions except Islam, and anyone who practices Christianity is severely persecuted. According to some statistics I came across, there are only 200 to 300 Christians in this nation.
Please join with me in the coming weeks in praying that the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ will reach the people of the Maldives. Pray that in some way, people will hear about the love of Jesus and turn their hearts toward Him.
Last week, we talked about Christmas and the fact that Jesus came for everyone. He made His message of love and forgiveness known to everyone including those whom others in society rejected. Whosoever will may come to Jesus. Jesus said that whoever would come to Him, He would not cast them out.
Today, as we approach a new year, I want to talk about a man who greatly inspires me. Acts chapters 6 and 7 tell the story of a man named Stephen. Let's look at the life of this man and see what we can learn from him as we head into 2014.
As Acts chapter 6 begins, the new Christian community is rapidly expanding. People were being added daily to the number of believers in the church.
Part of the ministry of the early church was to care for the less fortunate members of the church including widows. Unfortunately, there arose a dispute among the early Christians about whether or not one group of widows was being treated fairly.
The Apostles decided that their job was to preach the Gospel. They decided to appoint some men as deacons in order to make sure that the social welfare mission of the church was carried out properly. One of the men they selected to be among the first deacons was a man named Stephen who the Bible says was a man full of faith and the Holy Ghost.
The first thing we need to learn from the account of Stephen for the new year is the importance of taking care of the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ and the needs of those in the general community that the church ministers to.
In many of the churches I attended as a young man, the social ministry of the church was looked down upon. No one wanted to help the poor, the oppressed and the less fortunate in the church or society at large.
This was not the way the early church acted. The Apostles wanted to make sure that the whole ministry of the church was carried out. They would preach and proclaim the message of salvation through Jesus, and the deacons would be in charge of the social welfare ministry of the church.
As we head into the new year, let each one of us make a commitment to help others. There are many people in need all around us. The church has an important role to play in meeting people's needs.
I've said this before, but I believe that all churches should have a food pantry ministry to help feed the hungry. There are also many homeless people in this country as well that need the church to help them.
In 2014, let us commit ourselves to doing all that we can to help the poor and the oppressed in keeping with the example of Jesus, the Apostles and deacons like Stephen.
Stephen didn't just help head up the social ministry of the church. Stephen was a man who boldly proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Stephen was performing miracles and signs in the name of Jesus. This caused many to believe in Jesus, and the religious leaders wanted Stephen out of the way. They brought Stephen to trial before there council.
In spite of persecution, Stephen did not back down in proclaiming the message of Jesus. When he had the chance to speak before the council, Stephen gave one of the great sermons recorded in the Bible. This is recorded in Acts chapter 7.
When I was in college, I had to take a church history class. The professor of this class believed in an extreme liberal theology. He actually called Stephen stupid, and said that Stephen shouldn't have given the message that he gave. Needless to say, this professor and I didn't see eye to eye on many things.
It is my hope that in 2014, all of us who are followers of Jesus will have the same boldness in proclaiming the Gospel that Stephen had. There are many people in this world who have never heard the message of Jesus. We must obey the Great Commission and spread the Good News.
In many countries, as we try to spread the message of Jesus, we may face great persecution just as Stephen did. However, let us be filled with the Holy Spirit and continue in boldness to proclaim Christ. If we don't, the message of the Gospel may be lost.
For instance, look what is happening in many countries of the West. Secularism is growing and growing in Western Europe, Canada and the United States. The number of Christians is shrinking, and many immoral ideas are becoming the law and Christians are becoming marginalized in society. It is possible that in the not too distant future, that Christianity will be little practiced in the West.
Don't think that it can't happen. I am reading a book called "The Lost History of Christianity" written by Philip Jenkins. In this book, the author discusses how the Christian faith was once widespread in places like Turkey, Afghanistan, Iran and the Arabian Peninsula. Now, there are very few Christians in any of these places.
Unless we as followers of Jesus remain faithful in spreading the message of the Gospel, even in the face of persecution, people will not have the chance to respond to the message of Jesus and have eternal life.
After Stephen preached his message, the people stoned him to death. Stephen saw Jesus at the right hand of the Father. Stephen asked as he was being stoned that this act would not be laid against the account of his killers.
Stephen was a man who practiced forgiveness just as did His Lord who when He was being nailed to a cross said, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do."
In 2014, let us as followers of Christ commit ourselves to be like Stephen. Let us proclaim the message of the Gospel even in the midst of persecution. Let us help meet the needs of others in the name of Jesus. And let us be people who practice forgiveness in imitation of our Lord.
If you are reading this blog and you have never asked Jesus to come into your life as Savior and Lord, I hope that you will end the year on the right path by starting a walk with Jesus. Begin 2014 as a follower of Jesus who is the Way, the Truth and Life. No one can come to the Father accept by Him.
Thank you for reading this blog in 2013. Next week, there will not be a book review on Wednesday, but book reviews will return the following week. Next week, I will begin a series of messages on the majesty of Christ as presented in the book of Hebrews. May God bless you. Amen.
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