WEBVTT 00:00:09.449 --> 00:00:14.289 Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is 00:00:14.289 --> 00:00:16.589 an international church in Bangkok, Thailand, 00:00:16.750 --> 00:00:19.769 with dozens of nationalities worshipping together. 00:00:20.149 --> 00:00:22.989 We invite you to connect with us from wherever 00:00:22.989 --> 00:00:27.210 you are through our website ecb .asia or our 00:00:27.210 --> 00:00:31.050 mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed 00:00:31.050 --> 00:00:34.929 by this week's sermon. Living life with the Holy 00:00:34.929 --> 00:00:38.070 Spirit. It's at the core of following Jesus because 00:00:38.070 --> 00:00:41.270 the Bible says that the moment you gave your 00:00:41.270 --> 00:00:43.369 life to Christ, you heard the gospel and you 00:00:43.369 --> 00:00:46.149 believed in Christ, at that moment the Holy Spirit 00:00:46.149 --> 00:00:50.329 came to live in you. And now that the Holy Spirit 00:00:50.329 --> 00:00:53.490 is in you, it's going to stay there until the 00:00:53.490 --> 00:00:56.770 end. He's not going to get tired of you. No, 00:00:56.869 --> 00:01:00.670 he loves you too much. He wants you to experience 00:01:00.670 --> 00:01:07.700 the love of God in you. And therefore, when the 00:01:07.700 --> 00:01:10.939 Holy Spirit comes to live in you, we learn the 00:01:10.939 --> 00:01:13.680 last time that is the love of God being poured 00:01:13.680 --> 00:01:19.500 into your heart. And this reality now of experiencing 00:01:19.500 --> 00:01:21.920 the love of God through the Holy Spirit in our 00:01:21.920 --> 00:01:28.879 lives has an effect that is captured in the words 00:01:28.879 --> 00:01:32.480 of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians. And he's 00:01:32.480 --> 00:01:34.859 going to start describing this experience as 00:01:34.859 --> 00:01:37.599 the compelling presence of God in our lives. 00:01:38.340 --> 00:01:41.099 So I'm going to ask you to read 2 Corinthians 00:01:41.099 --> 00:01:46.000 with me together. We will read verse 14 and 15. 00:01:47.739 --> 00:01:51.840 Christ's love compels us because we are convinced 00:01:51.840 --> 00:01:55.700 that one died for all and therefore all died. 00:01:56.060 --> 00:02:00.180 And he died for all. That those who live. Should 00:02:00.180 --> 00:02:03.640 no longer live for themselves. But for him who 00:02:03.640 --> 00:02:09.860 died for them. And was raised again. These people 00:02:09.860 --> 00:02:12.560 that have encountered the love of God. Now feel 00:02:12.560 --> 00:02:19.960 compelled. To now live. For the one. Who actually 00:02:19.960 --> 00:02:25.659 saved us. And these were to be compelled. means 00:02:25.659 --> 00:02:31.360 that now there is this internal motivation, this 00:02:31.360 --> 00:02:35.379 internal desire that propels you to engage in 00:02:35.379 --> 00:02:37.599 certain things and to do certain things that 00:02:37.599 --> 00:02:41.199 otherwise you wouldn't have done. But this love 00:02:41.199 --> 00:02:44.740 of God is now in you and the Holy Spirit is going 00:02:44.740 --> 00:02:47.439 to guide you throughout your life in certain 00:02:47.439 --> 00:02:50.580 situations in which you will realize that He 00:02:50.580 --> 00:02:58.479 is propelling you. To act. And that in itself. 00:02:59.819 --> 00:03:05.340 Means that following Jesus. Resembles not so 00:03:05.340 --> 00:03:08.900 much a power bank. But a power grid. Because 00:03:08.900 --> 00:03:11.060 with the power bank. It's all about me getting 00:03:11.060 --> 00:03:13.620 all the power. So I can accumulate all the power. 00:03:13.699 --> 00:03:18.300 And have it when I need it. And many Christians 00:03:18.300 --> 00:03:22.310 live like that. Especially if you have been shaped 00:03:22.310 --> 00:03:25.830 by prosperity theology mindset. It's all about 00:03:25.830 --> 00:03:27.969 God. Give me, give me, give me, give me, give 00:03:27.969 --> 00:03:29.909 me, give me, give me, so I can have more and 00:03:29.909 --> 00:03:32.129 more and more and more. And when you don't give 00:03:32.129 --> 00:03:37.189 me, I get upset and I quit. That's a power bank 00:03:37.189 --> 00:03:40.349 Christian. The power of a great Christian is 00:03:40.349 --> 00:03:44.310 very different. I receive God's love so that 00:03:44.310 --> 00:03:48.719 His love will flow through me. And impact the 00:03:48.719 --> 00:03:52.319 lives of others. That is the compelling nature 00:03:52.319 --> 00:03:56.039 of the Holy Spirit in our lives. He wants to 00:03:56.039 --> 00:04:01.180 flow through you into the lives of others. And 00:04:01.180 --> 00:04:04.639 that's why Paul says the love of Christ compels 00:04:04.639 --> 00:04:08.219 us now not to live for ourselves. But to live 00:04:08.219 --> 00:04:12.900 for Him who died and resurrected for us. And 00:04:12.900 --> 00:04:18.240 that. of being compelled by the Holy Spirit is 00:04:18.240 --> 00:04:23.660 going to happen in the book of Acts. And there's 00:04:23.660 --> 00:04:26.519 going to be three experiences that they are all 00:04:26.519 --> 00:04:30.759 linked to the same location, the same city. And 00:04:30.759 --> 00:04:33.060 I want us to take a look at those three experiences 00:04:33.060 --> 00:04:36.019 in that location because it reveals something 00:04:36.019 --> 00:04:40.800 about how is it for us Christians to follow Jesus. 00:04:41.800 --> 00:04:45.779 And as we look at those experiences, I want you 00:04:45.779 --> 00:04:50.459 to ask yourself, is there something that is holding 00:04:50.459 --> 00:04:58.420 you back from pursuing God wholeheartedly? Because 00:04:58.420 --> 00:05:01.180 chances are that as we look at these three experiences, 00:05:01.180 --> 00:05:03.579 they may turn into a mirror that you're looking 00:05:03.579 --> 00:05:10.350 at yourself. What are these experiences? And 00:05:10.350 --> 00:05:14.910 where do they begin? Let me start by giving you 00:05:14.910 --> 00:05:17.269 a little bit of the background. Remember that 00:05:17.269 --> 00:05:22.029 during Pentecost Sunday, we studied how the gospel 00:05:22.029 --> 00:05:24.430 was preached by the apostle Peter for the first 00:05:24.430 --> 00:05:28.769 time in what city? Jerusalem. And how many people 00:05:28.769 --> 00:05:32.930 came to know Christ? 3 ,000. And it was the first 00:05:32.930 --> 00:05:35.709 time the gospel was preached ever in human history. 00:05:37.430 --> 00:05:41.620 And God had given Peter, The responsibility as 00:05:41.620 --> 00:05:43.800 he told him, I'm giving you the keys of the kingdom. 00:05:44.339 --> 00:05:47.360 He was the first one to preach the gospel. But 00:05:47.360 --> 00:05:50.160 that audience was very unique. These were the 00:05:50.160 --> 00:05:56.120 Jews that had come to Jerusalem. But what about 00:05:56.120 --> 00:05:58.839 the Gentiles? They haven't heard the gospel yet. 00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:02.540 Well, God knows that. And he's going to use Peter 00:06:02.540 --> 00:06:07.339 to preach the gospel for the first time to Gentiles. 00:06:09.769 --> 00:06:12.810 Well, Peter was in Jerusalem for all the events 00:06:12.810 --> 00:06:15.009 that happened, the death of Christ, the resurrection, 00:06:15.350 --> 00:06:18.490 then the 3 ,000 people that came to know Christ. 00:06:18.610 --> 00:06:24.589 He was tired. He needed a break. So he is going 00:06:24.589 --> 00:06:29.930 to move just a short break to Joppa, a small 00:06:29.930 --> 00:06:33.670 town in the beach. It's like when you are tired 00:06:33.670 --> 00:06:36.879 of... The traffic in Bangkok and all the tourists 00:06:36.879 --> 00:06:38.959 and all the crowds. And you say, I'm just going 00:06:38.959 --> 00:06:41.319 to go to Cham or Hua Hin or something. I just 00:06:41.319 --> 00:06:43.980 want a few days in the beach. And that's what 00:06:43.980 --> 00:06:47.060 Peter is doing. He's taking a break. And he's 00:06:47.060 --> 00:06:50.160 at a friend's house. He's waiting for lunch. 00:06:50.339 --> 00:06:52.899 And the Holy Spirit is going to encounter him 00:06:52.899 --> 00:06:58.579 in that place. To reveal something that he wants 00:06:58.579 --> 00:07:03.300 to do in a city called Caesarea Maritima. which 00:07:03.300 --> 00:07:09.139 is in the north. And that city is the focus of 00:07:09.139 --> 00:07:13.540 our study today. Let me tell you about it. If 00:07:13.540 --> 00:07:16.180 you hear the word Caesarea, what does it sound 00:07:16.180 --> 00:07:23.399 like? Caesar, right? Because it was a city that 00:07:23.399 --> 00:07:28.620 was established, created by Herod the Great to 00:07:28.620 --> 00:07:33.660 honor the Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus. And 00:07:33.660 --> 00:07:36.420 not only to honor the emperor, but to worship 00:07:36.420 --> 00:07:41.819 the emperor. And this city was in the coast. 00:07:42.220 --> 00:07:45.360 It was a port. They had built a special harbor 00:07:45.360 --> 00:07:48.660 with special technology to be able to facilitate 00:07:48.660 --> 00:07:53.540 economic transport in that area. If you have 00:07:53.540 --> 00:07:56.220 traveled internationally, and you have visited 00:07:56.220 --> 00:07:59.290 different Chinatowns, You know how they look 00:07:59.290 --> 00:08:01.550 alike? It's a little bit of China in these different 00:08:01.550 --> 00:08:05.329 places. But the same thing with this city. This 00:08:05.329 --> 00:08:09.930 was Roma town. This was the architecture of Rome, 00:08:10.069 --> 00:08:13.329 the worship of Rome, all of these different things. 00:08:13.589 --> 00:08:19.129 And there was a military base for Rome to the 00:08:19.129 --> 00:08:25.970 entire Judea area. It also had the temple of 00:08:25.970 --> 00:08:33.039 the king. And in that place, you can go today 00:08:33.039 --> 00:08:35.960 to Caesarea and you will see all the ruins of 00:08:35.960 --> 00:08:38.679 this place. All of this is rich in archaeology. 00:08:39.179 --> 00:08:43.679 And we are told that at the very opening of the 00:08:43.679 --> 00:08:47.460 harbor, there was a big temple with a big statue 00:08:47.460 --> 00:08:52.029 of the worship of... Emperor Caesar Augustus. 00:08:52.070 --> 00:08:55.909 And not only that, we also know by this pilot 00:08:55.909 --> 00:08:58.649 stone that there was another temple dedicated 00:08:58.649 --> 00:09:02.870 to Emperor Tiberius. So you can start picturing 00:09:02.870 --> 00:09:06.230 that this city is a little piece of Rome surrounded 00:09:06.230 --> 00:09:10.210 by all this pagan worship, military presence. 00:09:12.289 --> 00:09:17.649 And it's in this place that now God is going 00:09:17.649 --> 00:09:24.500 to send Peter And there's a military man who 00:09:24.500 --> 00:09:28.539 is a guy who is in authority over like a hundred 00:09:28.539 --> 00:09:33.379 soldiers or so. And in this position, he has 00:09:33.379 --> 00:09:37.559 authority, he's very well connected, and now 00:09:37.559 --> 00:09:42.860 God is going to do something in his life, being 00:09:42.860 --> 00:09:48.440 the first Roman now to come to know Christ. So 00:09:48.440 --> 00:09:52.440 that takes us to Acts chapter 10, and this is 00:09:52.440 --> 00:09:56.259 how it starts. At Caesarea, now you can picture 00:09:56.259 --> 00:10:00.679 the city, there was a man named Cornelius, a 00:10:00.679 --> 00:10:03.960 centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 00:10:04.399 --> 00:10:07.840 He and all his family were devout and got fearing. 00:10:08.159 --> 00:10:11.720 He gave generously to those in need and prayed 00:10:11.720 --> 00:10:21.190 to God regularly. In the Jewish doctrines and 00:10:21.190 --> 00:10:24.710 teachings. And he was trying to follow this God. 00:10:24.990 --> 00:10:29.470 Even though he himself was not a Jew. One day. 00:10:29.690 --> 00:10:32.269 At about three in the afternoon. He had a vision. 00:10:32.429 --> 00:10:35.529 He distinctly saw an angel of God. Who came to 00:10:35.529 --> 00:10:39.929 him and said. Cornelius. Cornelius stared at 00:10:39.929 --> 00:10:43.110 him in fear. What is it Lord? He asked. And the 00:10:43.110 --> 00:10:45.509 angel answered. Your prayers and gifts to the 00:10:45.509 --> 00:10:48.500 poor have come up. As a memorial offering before 00:10:48.500 --> 00:10:52.759 God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man 00:10:52.759 --> 00:10:55.460 named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying 00:10:55.460 --> 00:10:58.879 with Simon the Tanner whose house is by the sea. 00:10:59.159 --> 00:11:02.500 And now you can picture right there Peter in 00:11:02.500 --> 00:11:08.080 Joppa. So Cornelius sends this guy to Joppa. 00:11:08.220 --> 00:11:12.519 And they arrive right at the moment when Peter 00:11:12.519 --> 00:11:16.820 has been waiting for lunch. And we are told that 00:11:16.820 --> 00:11:22.179 Peter is there getting hungry, and he has an 00:11:22.179 --> 00:11:26.179 experience with the Holy Spirit. Peter went up 00:11:26.179 --> 00:11:28.480 on the roof to pray, and he became hungry and 00:11:28.480 --> 00:11:30.860 wanted something to eat. And while the meal was 00:11:30.860 --> 00:11:34.419 being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw 00:11:34.419 --> 00:11:37.700 a vision, and it was the most awkward vision. 00:11:38.179 --> 00:11:41.220 It was these animals that were coming down, and 00:11:41.220 --> 00:11:46.600 a voice was saying, kill and eat. And all these 00:11:46.600 --> 00:11:49.679 animals were animals that in the Jewish teaching 00:11:49.679 --> 00:11:53.259 were animals that were considered unclean. You 00:11:53.259 --> 00:11:58.759 could not eat those. So I was like, what? And 00:11:58.759 --> 00:12:01.779 the thing happened one time, and then a second 00:12:01.779 --> 00:12:06.419 time, and then a third time. And the voice in 00:12:06.419 --> 00:12:08.620 the vision said to him, do not call anything 00:12:08.620 --> 00:12:13.200 impure that God has made clean. I was like, what 00:12:13.200 --> 00:12:17.350 is that supposed to mean? So the vision ended, 00:12:17.470 --> 00:12:21.090 and he's there thinking, what in the world just 00:12:21.090 --> 00:12:24.750 happened? And at that moment, while Peter was 00:12:24.750 --> 00:12:28.149 still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said 00:12:28.149 --> 00:12:32.250 to him, Simon, three men are looking for you, 00:12:32.289 --> 00:12:35.370 so get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate 00:12:35.370 --> 00:12:44.809 to go with them, for I have sent them. The Holy 00:12:44.809 --> 00:12:50.230 Spirit knew Peter very well. You see, Peter grew 00:12:50.230 --> 00:12:54.909 up as a Jew being told, avoid Gentiles at all 00:12:54.909 --> 00:12:57.889 costs. You never go into their cities. Never 00:12:57.889 --> 00:13:01.470 befriend them. God forbids that you ever enter 00:13:01.470 --> 00:13:04.570 their homes. Don't do any business with them. 00:13:05.129 --> 00:13:07.789 Avoid those people because those people are pagan. 00:13:08.070 --> 00:13:12.000 They worship idols. They are unclean. And if 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:14.240 you associate with them, you become ceremonially 00:13:14.240 --> 00:13:21.539 unclean. So avoid those people. And now, God 00:13:21.539 --> 00:13:26.200 is sending these Gentiles from Caesarea, the 00:13:26.200 --> 00:13:29.019 very city with all these temples that worship 00:13:29.019 --> 00:13:33.899 Roman emperors, to meet a Roman soldier that 00:13:33.899 --> 00:13:38.259 is in charge of all these soldiers. It's like 00:13:38.259 --> 00:13:43.019 the worst place for Peter to ever go. So the 00:13:43.019 --> 00:13:45.440 Holy Spirit has to tell him, hey, these guys 00:13:45.440 --> 00:13:48.059 are going to appear. Go with them. Don't resist. 00:13:48.600 --> 00:13:52.299 I'm doing something here. So Peter goes with 00:13:52.299 --> 00:13:54.860 them. It's like about a month, I mean a day and 00:13:54.860 --> 00:13:57.740 a half or so of traveling distance. He gets there 00:13:57.740 --> 00:14:00.399 to Caesarea. He goes into the house of these 00:14:00.399 --> 00:14:03.179 Cornelius and he tells them, hey guys, I'm a 00:14:03.179 --> 00:14:05.159 Jew. You know that it's against my law to enter 00:14:05.159 --> 00:14:08.799 into your home. He's feeling so uncomfortable 00:14:08.799 --> 00:14:13.240 all throughout the whole experience. Until finally 00:14:13.240 --> 00:14:15.559 he realizes, oh, they want to hear the gospel. 00:14:15.980 --> 00:14:20.480 So he starts sharing the gospel with the Gentiles. 00:14:20.720 --> 00:14:24.039 And this is the first time that the gospel is 00:14:24.039 --> 00:14:27.700 shared. So let's read what Peter said. Then Peter 00:14:27.700 --> 00:14:33.659 began to speak. I now realize how true it is 00:14:33.659 --> 00:14:37.059 that God does not show favoritism. But accepts 00:14:37.059 --> 00:14:40.320 from every nation the one who fears him. And 00:14:40.320 --> 00:14:43.179 does what he writes. It never crossed my mind 00:14:43.179 --> 00:14:49.460 before. You know the message God sent to the 00:14:49.460 --> 00:14:53.559 people of Israel. Announcing the good news of 00:14:53.559 --> 00:14:58.379 peace. Through Jesus Christ who is Lord of all. 00:14:59.100 --> 00:15:02.899 Wait, wait, wait. Can you say that a little bit 00:15:02.899 --> 00:15:06.440 more quietly? Because in this city we believe 00:15:06.440 --> 00:15:10.059 that Caesar Augustus is Lord of all. So you are 00:15:10.059 --> 00:15:13.919 telling me that this Jesus is actually Lord of 00:15:13.919 --> 00:15:22.919 all? You can get killed for that. Yes. This Jesus 00:15:22.919 --> 00:15:26.980 is Lord of all. And you know what has happened 00:15:26.980 --> 00:15:29.820 throughout the province of Judea beginning in 00:15:29.820 --> 00:15:33.279 Galilee after the baptism of John that John preached. 00:15:34.350 --> 00:15:37.669 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy 00:15:37.669 --> 00:15:41.110 Spirit and power. And how he went around doing 00:15:41.110 --> 00:15:43.889 good and healing all who were under the power 00:15:43.889 --> 00:15:48.769 of the devil. Because God was with him. We are 00:15:48.769 --> 00:15:51.190 witnesses of everything he did in the country 00:15:51.190 --> 00:15:54.090 of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him 00:15:54.090 --> 00:15:57.769 by hanging him on a cross. But God raised him 00:15:57.769 --> 00:16:00.769 from the dead on the third day and cast him to 00:16:00.769 --> 00:16:04.519 be seen. He was not seen by all the people. but 00:16:04.519 --> 00:16:07.840 by witnesses whom God had already chosen by us, 00:16:08.019 --> 00:16:11.620 who ate and drank with him after he rose from 00:16:11.620 --> 00:16:15.059 the dead. Which, by the way, this is one of those 00:16:15.059 --> 00:16:18.940 hints again, that Jesus' resurrection was physical. 00:16:19.200 --> 00:16:24.899 He ate and drank with the apostles. He commanded 00:16:24.899 --> 00:16:27.820 us to preach to the people and to testify that 00:16:27.820 --> 00:16:31.480 he is the one whom God appointed as judge of 00:16:31.480 --> 00:16:35.820 the living and the dead. All the prophets testify 00:16:35.820 --> 00:16:38.480 about him. That everyone who believes in him 00:16:38.480 --> 00:16:42.000 receives forgiveness of sins through his name. 00:16:42.159 --> 00:16:46.419 And now he gets to the core of the message. He's 00:16:46.419 --> 00:16:49.419 telling them, look, Jesus was the promised Messiah. 00:16:49.700 --> 00:16:53.240 He died, he resurrected to pay for our sins. 00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:56.720 And now he can forgive anyone that comes to him. 00:16:57.700 --> 00:17:00.480 And as this audience of Romans are listening 00:17:00.480 --> 00:17:04.710 to Peter. This message rings true to their hearts. 00:17:04.849 --> 00:17:07.690 They start believing every word Peter is saying. 00:17:10.190 --> 00:17:13.369 And as that is happening, while Peter was still 00:17:13.369 --> 00:17:16.369 speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on 00:17:16.369 --> 00:17:21.250 all who heard the message. And not only came 00:17:21.250 --> 00:17:24.730 to them because they believed in Christ, but 00:17:24.730 --> 00:17:27.960 something else happened. The circumcised believers 00:17:27.960 --> 00:17:30.259 who had come with Peter, meaning the other Jews 00:17:30.259 --> 00:17:32.579 that were with Peter, that were also followers 00:17:32.579 --> 00:17:36.039 of Jesus, were astonished that the gift of the 00:17:36.039 --> 00:17:39.440 Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. 00:17:39.480 --> 00:17:42.839 How did they know? Oh, for they heard them speaking 00:17:42.839 --> 00:17:46.180 in tongues and praising God, just like it had 00:17:46.180 --> 00:17:49.039 happened a few days before at Pentecost. Same 00:17:49.039 --> 00:17:53.440 experience, not the same people. That means that 00:17:53.440 --> 00:18:01.900 you are one of us. Then Peter said, surely no 00:18:01.900 --> 00:18:04.099 one can stand in the way of their being baptized 00:18:04.099 --> 00:18:06.799 with water. They have received the Holy Spirit 00:18:06.799 --> 00:18:11.400 just as we have. So imagine these guys. They 00:18:11.400 --> 00:18:13.720 are going through all of these things that God 00:18:13.720 --> 00:18:16.759 is doing. And everything that God is doing is 00:18:16.759 --> 00:18:20.039 completely against everything that they had assumed. 00:18:22.220 --> 00:18:26.160 That Jesus was just for the Jews. And that these 00:18:26.160 --> 00:18:30.059 Gentiles could not ever. Really follow Jesus. 00:18:31.500 --> 00:18:35.019 And now they're experiencing the same salvation. 00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:40.119 And now they get baptized. So he ordered that 00:18:40.119 --> 00:18:42.160 they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. 00:18:42.539 --> 00:18:46.059 And then they asked Peter to stay with them for 00:18:46.059 --> 00:18:50.359 a few days. The story begins Peter being very 00:18:50.359 --> 00:18:52.980 uncomfortable. I'm not sure I should be here. 00:18:53.140 --> 00:18:56.160 It's against my law to enter your home. To now. 00:18:57.099 --> 00:18:58.720 Hey, we're going to spend three days together. 00:19:02.980 --> 00:19:06.359 We know that the regiment in this area was in 00:19:06.359 --> 00:19:10.259 a very specific location close to the palace 00:19:10.259 --> 00:19:15.480 of Herod. And in church tradition, what happened 00:19:15.480 --> 00:19:21.180 is that in the late 300s, 400s, many of these 00:19:21.180 --> 00:19:26.079 important places became places where churches 00:19:26.079 --> 00:19:31.759 were built. And according to one of the church 00:19:31.759 --> 00:19:35.220 fathers, his name is Jerome, he tells us that 00:19:35.220 --> 00:19:38.500 right there in the house of Cornelius, the first 00:19:38.500 --> 00:19:44.420 Christians in that city, a church, Christian 00:19:44.420 --> 00:19:48.839 church was built. And we have the ruins of that 00:19:48.839 --> 00:19:52.259 church today. So if the archaeology is right, 00:19:53.049 --> 00:19:56.390 And that church was built on Cornelius' house. 00:19:56.630 --> 00:19:59.410 That means that you can go there and stand on 00:19:59.410 --> 00:20:04.210 the very same place where the first Gentiles 00:20:04.210 --> 00:20:11.069 heard the gospel. A city that had been designed 00:20:11.069 --> 00:20:15.369 with the purpose of telling the world that Caesar 00:20:15.369 --> 00:20:20.619 is Lord. It's the city that now God is encountering 00:20:20.619 --> 00:20:23.819 the Romans to tell them actually Jesus is Lord. 00:20:25.500 --> 00:20:28.799 And even though they are surrounded by all these 00:20:28.799 --> 00:20:34.400 temples built by human hand, now God is starting 00:20:34.400 --> 00:20:39.359 this temple of the Holy Spirit in the lives of 00:20:39.359 --> 00:20:42.599 these people. And he's starting something completely 00:20:42.599 --> 00:20:47.400 new, powerful, that will help. for generations 00:20:47.400 --> 00:20:50.599 to come. But Peter does not know that. He did 00:20:50.599 --> 00:20:54.099 not know that. The only thing that he knew is 00:20:54.099 --> 00:20:59.180 that the Holy Spirit was calling him and compelling 00:20:59.180 --> 00:21:04.539 him to go beyond his comfort zone. And the Holy 00:21:04.539 --> 00:21:08.420 Spirit is not going to just ask Peter to go beyond 00:21:08.420 --> 00:21:12.380 his comfort zone. He's going to ask you to go 00:21:12.380 --> 00:21:16.440 beyond your comfort zone. Time after time. And 00:21:16.440 --> 00:21:20.519 every time the Holy Spirit wants you to move 00:21:20.519 --> 00:21:24.279 beyond your comfort zone, you are going to feel 00:21:24.279 --> 00:21:29.180 the resistance of saying, well, me? But no, I'm 00:21:29.180 --> 00:21:32.599 not sure. And then all that thinking will start 00:21:32.599 --> 00:21:37.880 taking place. Are you willing to live life with 00:21:37.880 --> 00:21:41.819 the Holy Spirit? Then you have to be willing. 00:21:43.210 --> 00:21:49.430 To follow beyond your comfort zone. And as you 00:21:49.430 --> 00:21:53.009 do, you have no idea what God can do with you. 00:21:56.369 --> 00:22:01.130 I remembered the first time I started pastoring 00:22:01.130 --> 00:22:02.990 the church in Dallas and the first time I had 00:22:02.990 --> 00:22:07.170 to preach. That was the first time ever for me 00:22:07.170 --> 00:22:12.819 to preach a sermon in English. Because I was 00:22:12.819 --> 00:22:15.519 born in Santiago in Chile, South America, Spanish 00:22:15.519 --> 00:22:20.960 was my native language. And I studied English, 00:22:20.960 --> 00:22:23.019 you know, since I was in kinder all the way through 00:22:23.019 --> 00:22:24.880 high school, but you don't study it to actually 00:22:24.880 --> 00:22:31.220 speak. And then when I went to the U .S., I was 00:22:31.220 --> 00:22:33.799 18. And when I was doing my master's degree, 00:22:33.980 --> 00:22:36.099 that's the first time I started functioning in 00:22:36.099 --> 00:22:39.539 English. I remember all those papers I had to 00:22:39.539 --> 00:22:41.539 write were so hard because everything was in 00:22:41.539 --> 00:22:44.299 English, you know, and reading, no problem, but 00:22:44.299 --> 00:22:49.740 writing and speaking, that was really hard. And 00:22:49.740 --> 00:22:51.119 I remember that I had some friends that would 00:22:51.119 --> 00:22:53.259 correct my papers, you know, all these notes, 00:22:53.339 --> 00:22:55.839 everything. I learned so much at the beginning. 00:22:58.700 --> 00:23:02.680 I was fearful to say certain words. There was 00:23:02.680 --> 00:23:07.130 a word I always avoid saying, cheat. I would 00:23:07.130 --> 00:23:10.690 say the word piece of paper instead. Because 00:23:10.690 --> 00:23:12.789 I was afraid of saying the wrong word, if you 00:23:12.789 --> 00:23:17.269 understand what I mean. Talking about comfort 00:23:17.269 --> 00:23:29.869 zone. And here I am. Never imagine. What can 00:23:29.869 --> 00:23:36.240 God do through us? If instead of saying, no, 00:23:36.240 --> 00:23:38.960 God, me, no, no, please, no, I don't like that. 00:23:39.220 --> 00:23:44.319 What if instead we were to say, God, is this 00:23:44.319 --> 00:23:47.440 you? I'm not sure I like this idea, but as long 00:23:47.440 --> 00:23:51.619 as this is you, I'm okay. But please, let it 00:23:51.619 --> 00:23:57.819 be you. Don't let your comfort zone hold you 00:23:57.819 --> 00:24:00.299 back from experiencing life with the Holy Spirit. 00:24:06.829 --> 00:24:09.450 There's another thing that's happening at Caesarea. 00:24:11.029 --> 00:24:17.369 And it's going to involve Herod, the king. Now 00:24:17.369 --> 00:24:23.549 Herod is a very interesting family because you 00:24:23.549 --> 00:24:26.009 find the name Herod all throughout the New Testament. 00:24:26.049 --> 00:24:28.230 And we say, oh Herod, Herod, but it's not the 00:24:28.230 --> 00:24:32.869 same person. It was a family. Herod the Great. 00:24:34.250 --> 00:24:40.049 He's the one that tried to kill Jesus. Then Herod 00:24:40.049 --> 00:24:44.869 Antipas, the son. He's the one that decapitates 00:24:44.869 --> 00:24:51.230 John the Baptist. And now we're going to encounter 00:24:51.230 --> 00:25:01.480 the son of that guy who is Herod Agrippa I. And 00:25:01.480 --> 00:25:04.319 you will see that the family line has something 00:25:04.319 --> 00:25:09.119 in common. Look at what the Bible says. About 00:25:09.119 --> 00:25:12.900 that time, King Herod Agrippa began to persecute 00:25:12.900 --> 00:25:17.259 some believers in the church. Also antagonizing 00:25:17.259 --> 00:25:23.700 what God was doing. He killed the first apostle, 00:25:23.859 --> 00:25:29.180 James, the brother of John. And he sent Peter 00:25:29.180 --> 00:25:35.690 to prison. This Herod. But Peter escapes because 00:25:35.690 --> 00:25:37.970 of the miraculous intervention of the angel. 00:25:38.369 --> 00:25:42.390 And now after that, Herod decides to leave Jerusalem 00:25:42.390 --> 00:25:44.710 and he's going to go to another city. You want 00:25:44.710 --> 00:25:49.289 to guess which city did he go to? Caesarea. Because 00:25:49.289 --> 00:25:54.750 that's where the palace was. Afterward, Herod 00:25:54.750 --> 00:25:58.549 left Judea to stay in Caesarea for a while. So 00:25:58.549 --> 00:26:03.329 now he's in Caesarea. This was a family that 00:26:03.329 --> 00:26:07.650 wanted to have the favor of Rome. They wanted 00:26:07.650 --> 00:26:12.309 the allegiance of people. They wanted to be on 00:26:12.309 --> 00:26:19.750 top at all costs. And now that Herod arrives, 00:26:19.950 --> 00:26:22.950 he's in Caesarea. all these things going on with 00:26:22.950 --> 00:26:26.809 some of the cities in the surrounding area, they 00:26:26.809 --> 00:26:29.549 send a delegation to have a meeting with him 00:26:29.549 --> 00:26:32.289 because they need his help with certain things. 00:26:33.009 --> 00:26:38.289 So they set a meeting, and now we are told that 00:26:38.289 --> 00:26:42.309 when the day arrived, Herod put on his royal 00:26:42.309 --> 00:26:47.529 robes, sat on his throne, and then he made a 00:26:47.529 --> 00:26:50.960 speech. To this audience of people that are seeking 00:26:50.960 --> 00:26:58.519 his help. And something happens. The people gave 00:26:58.519 --> 00:27:04.779 him a great ovation. Herod. Herod. It's the voice 00:27:04.779 --> 00:27:11.960 of a God. Not a man. Great ovation. All of them. 00:27:12.200 --> 00:27:21.640 And Herod is there like. And he believed it. 00:27:23.779 --> 00:27:28.960 I'm not just a man. I'm God. In this city, we 00:27:28.960 --> 00:27:32.779 worship the Roman emperors. It is time you start 00:27:32.779 --> 00:27:39.559 worshiping me. But it didn't last long. Instantly, 00:27:39.559 --> 00:27:43.039 an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness 00:27:43.039 --> 00:27:46.880 because he accepted the people's worship instead 00:27:46.880 --> 00:27:50.200 of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed 00:27:50.200 --> 00:27:59.839 with worms and died. Abruptly. It's like, Herod, 00:27:59.839 --> 00:28:02.480 you're not a Roman, even though you would like 00:28:02.480 --> 00:28:07.420 to be. You're a Jew. And there's only one Jew 00:28:07.420 --> 00:28:14.240 that is Lord of all, that deserves the worship, 00:28:14.359 --> 00:28:21.000 and that is Jesus, not you. And this guy that 00:28:21.000 --> 00:28:24.059 has been persecuting Christians, killing these 00:28:24.059 --> 00:28:28.859 Christians, now gets judged by God. And actually, 00:28:29.000 --> 00:28:31.859 the Bible is not the only place that mentions 00:28:31.859 --> 00:28:35.799 this. There's a Jewish historian that wrote the 00:28:35.799 --> 00:28:38.539 early history of the Jews. His name is Flavius 00:28:38.539 --> 00:28:41.579 Josephus. And in one of his books called The 00:28:41.579 --> 00:28:44.220 Antiquities of the Jews, he mentions what happened 00:28:44.220 --> 00:28:47.900 to Herod. A severe pain also arose in his belly 00:28:47.900 --> 00:28:52.319 and he began in a most violent manner. Sudden. 00:28:52.579 --> 00:28:58.339 And he also shares how he died. And this persecution 00:28:58.339 --> 00:29:02.339 against Christians in Caesarea continued throughout 00:29:02.339 --> 00:29:07.099 the Roman emperors. There's a time in the 200s 00:29:07.099 --> 00:29:09.700 where one of these Roman emperors, his name was 00:29:09.700 --> 00:29:14.240 Valerian, I think I remember. And we are told, 00:29:14.960 --> 00:29:19.599 In another book written by Eusebius, who was 00:29:19.599 --> 00:29:21.559 a Christian that writes about the history of 00:29:21.559 --> 00:29:26.359 the church. And he mentions some of these Christians 00:29:26.359 --> 00:29:31.700 that died. Three of these friends, Priscus, Malchus, 00:29:31.799 --> 00:29:36.079 and Alexander. All these three guys, they were 00:29:36.079 --> 00:29:44.789 killed by the beasts in this Roman. Spectacle. 00:29:45.490 --> 00:29:49.390 Right there in Caesarea. Next to Herod's palace. 00:29:51.950 --> 00:29:56.250 And also we have Marians. Let me see how is that. 00:29:56.650 --> 00:30:02.089 Marians. And he is decapitated. And his story 00:30:02.089 --> 00:30:05.789 was very sad. Because this was a Roman guy. Just 00:30:05.789 --> 00:30:09.329 like Cornelius. Cornelius was a centurion. A 00:30:09.329 --> 00:30:12.960 very high rank. This guy was supposed to become 00:30:12.960 --> 00:30:16.880 a centurion. And he's applying for the job. He 00:30:16.880 --> 00:30:19.279 gets qualified for it. And before he can get 00:30:19.279 --> 00:30:21.339 the job, there's another guy that wants a job. 00:30:21.480 --> 00:30:24.279 Another Roman. And he says, hey, but that guy 00:30:24.279 --> 00:30:27.900 is a Christian. So they start the investigation. 00:30:28.160 --> 00:30:29.720 And it's like, yeah, this guy is a Christian. 00:30:29.920 --> 00:30:35.539 So you have to declare that Caesar is Lord. And 00:30:35.539 --> 00:30:39.720 he can't. He says, no, Jesus is Lord. So they 00:30:39.720 --> 00:30:45.539 kill him. By decapitation. This is what these 00:30:45.539 --> 00:30:50.440 guys had to suffer in order to follow Jesus. 00:30:51.059 --> 00:30:55.380 So imagine, there's a king that is trying to 00:30:55.380 --> 00:30:58.039 oppose Christianity and killing Christians. There's 00:30:58.039 --> 00:31:02.200 an emperor that is killing Christians. And on 00:31:02.200 --> 00:31:05.880 top of that, you are in a city that is trying 00:31:05.880 --> 00:31:09.579 to proclaim the worship of the Roman emperors. 00:31:10.640 --> 00:31:12.920 What do you think will happen with the church 00:31:12.920 --> 00:31:19.799 in that place? It will die? Actually, you don't 00:31:19.799 --> 00:31:22.220 even have to imagine what would happen because 00:31:22.220 --> 00:31:28.039 the text tells us. Meanwhile, the word of God 00:31:28.039 --> 00:31:33.039 continued to spread and there were many believers. 00:31:35.839 --> 00:31:40.069 Why did the church in Caesarea remain alive, 00:31:40.190 --> 00:31:43.549 didn't die? It's because there was a group of 00:31:43.549 --> 00:31:46.410 Christians indwelled by the Holy Spirit, learning 00:31:46.410 --> 00:31:49.089 to live life with the Holy Spirit, who were being 00:31:49.089 --> 00:31:53.069 compelled by the love of God to have a power 00:31:53.069 --> 00:31:57.490 grid type of Christianity. And they kept impacting 00:31:57.490 --> 00:32:01.170 the lives of others, even if it cost their lives. 00:32:04.710 --> 00:32:08.589 And that is how the Holy Spirit leads. is going 00:32:08.589 --> 00:32:13.829 to compel you beyond safety. And there are times 00:32:13.829 --> 00:32:18.109 in which your allegiance to safety is going to 00:32:18.109 --> 00:32:20.690 be higher than your allegiance to the Holy Spirit. 00:32:20.869 --> 00:32:23.789 And that is going to be a problem. Because when 00:32:23.789 --> 00:32:29.869 the Holy Spirit compels, you go. And if safety 00:32:29.869 --> 00:32:32.470 holds you back from pursuing what the Holy Spirit 00:32:32.470 --> 00:32:35.369 is telling you to do, then you have to decide 00:32:35.369 --> 00:32:38.930 what you're going to do. And I know the answer 00:32:38.930 --> 00:32:42.769 is not easy. Because there's nothing wrong in 00:32:42.769 --> 00:32:47.170 wanting to have safety. But the problem is that 00:32:47.170 --> 00:32:50.710 God did not save you to be safe. He saved you 00:32:50.710 --> 00:32:57.109 to be impactful. And sometimes that will require 00:32:57.109 --> 00:33:04.410 that you risk it for the Lord. When I was a teenager, 00:33:04.589 --> 00:33:08.960 I went to Paraguay. And it was a special program, 00:33:09.119 --> 00:33:10.900 a special event that the youth had organized, 00:33:10.980 --> 00:33:13.539 and there was a couple of Christians that were 00:33:13.539 --> 00:33:16.480 serving in an area of the country that was known 00:33:16.480 --> 00:33:20.460 to be very dangerous. So at the end of the presentation, 00:33:20.559 --> 00:33:23.099 we had a time of Q &A, and one of the guys asked, 00:33:23.420 --> 00:33:27.759 how do you reconcile serving God and putting 00:33:27.759 --> 00:33:30.599 your family at risk, going to a place that is 00:33:30.599 --> 00:33:38.049 dangerous, because they had children? And I remember 00:33:38.049 --> 00:33:41.309 the guy passing and reflecting. He says, we've 00:33:41.309 --> 00:33:44.009 wrestled with that. But what we have concluded 00:33:44.009 --> 00:33:49.690 is that our lives are in God's hands. He has 00:33:49.690 --> 00:33:53.029 control over our lives. And he knows when he's 00:33:53.029 --> 00:33:56.009 going to call us into his presence. If he wants 00:33:56.009 --> 00:34:00.809 me to die here, I'll die here right now. So safety 00:34:00.809 --> 00:34:05.650 is not a place. Safety is a person. And therefore, 00:34:05.869 --> 00:34:11.630 God. It's my safety. If he wants me to die, he 00:34:11.630 --> 00:34:13.469 calls me to his presence. He will do it anytime. 00:34:14.170 --> 00:34:17.389 So if we go to work in this place that is dangerous, 00:34:17.570 --> 00:34:21.010 if God doesn't want us to go to his presence 00:34:21.010 --> 00:34:25.050 yet, we won't. But if he wants to call us to 00:34:25.050 --> 00:34:28.690 his presence, he will. So they submitted that 00:34:28.690 --> 00:34:33.650 fear to the Lord and that desire for safety as 00:34:33.650 --> 00:34:36.900 if that is what we are living for. To the Lord. 00:34:37.059 --> 00:34:39.820 And in that process they discovered. That their 00:34:39.820 --> 00:34:43.940 safety was in Christ. All along. And any other 00:34:43.940 --> 00:34:58.559 form of safety. Is but a mirage. Is safety. And 00:34:58.559 --> 00:35:03.630 your desire for safety. Holding you back. from 00:35:03.630 --> 00:35:11.489 pursuing what God is calling you to do. You will 00:35:11.489 --> 00:35:16.489 have to make a choice. And I'm here to tell you, 00:35:16.650 --> 00:35:20.389 there's no better choice than to be compelled 00:35:20.389 --> 00:35:27.570 by the love of Christ and act on it. And that's 00:35:27.570 --> 00:35:30.329 what happened with Herod. But now the story continues 00:35:30.329 --> 00:35:32.690 and there's a third experience that the Holy 00:35:32.690 --> 00:35:35.550 Spirit is going to do right there in Caesarea. 00:35:36.449 --> 00:35:41.170 And this one involves the Apostle Paul. Paul, 00:35:41.369 --> 00:35:44.869 as you know, he persecuted Christians. Jesus 00:35:44.869 --> 00:35:47.309 appears to him. He becomes a follower of Jesus. 00:35:47.449 --> 00:35:49.929 And now he's called by Jesus to be an apostle 00:35:49.929 --> 00:35:53.789 to the Gentiles. He goes and travels throughout 00:35:53.789 --> 00:35:56.829 many years, preaching Christ throughout the Roman 00:35:56.829 --> 00:36:00.199 Empire. Churches are... Christian communities 00:36:00.199 --> 00:36:04.719 are established. It cost him so much. But at 00:36:04.719 --> 00:36:07.599 the end of his third missionary journey, Paul 00:36:07.599 --> 00:36:12.559 goes back to Judea. He arrives there to the coast 00:36:12.559 --> 00:36:15.800 town. He stays in the house of Philip, the evangelist, 00:36:15.800 --> 00:36:18.980 for a day or so. And then he goes finally to 00:36:18.980 --> 00:36:23.360 Jerusalem. And as he is in Jerusalem, He's going 00:36:23.360 --> 00:36:25.619 to be worshiping the Lord there, and there's 00:36:25.619 --> 00:36:28.239 this commotion that happens. He's opposed by 00:36:28.239 --> 00:36:30.659 the Jewish authorities. He's sent to prison. 00:36:30.820 --> 00:36:33.880 There's a plot to kill him because he's a Roman 00:36:33.880 --> 00:36:37.460 citizen himself. When the Romans learn that there's 00:36:37.460 --> 00:36:39.880 a plot to kill him, they have to take him out 00:36:39.880 --> 00:36:42.179 of Jerusalem, and they're going to take him to 00:36:42.179 --> 00:36:45.920 another city. You want to guess what that city 00:36:45.920 --> 00:36:52.400 was? Caesarea. And now Paul is going to arrive 00:36:52.400 --> 00:36:57.139 with the cavalry and all his soldiers to Caesarea. 00:36:59.159 --> 00:37:02.920 And it tells us when the cavalry arrived, when 00:37:02.920 --> 00:37:05.739 the cavalry arrived in Caesarea, they delivered 00:37:05.739 --> 00:37:08.079 the letter to the governor and handed Paul over 00:37:08.079 --> 00:37:11.019 to him. Then he ordered that Paul be kept under 00:37:11.019 --> 00:37:25.059 guard. Where? In Herod's palace. Wow. This was 00:37:25.059 --> 00:37:29.139 the palace built by the herd that tried to kill 00:37:29.139 --> 00:37:35.920 Jesus. And that guy is dead. And Jesus is alive. 00:37:37.199 --> 00:37:44.840 And now Paul is there because of Jesus. So it 00:37:44.840 --> 00:37:48.320 happens that he is there. waiting for trial, 00:37:48.619 --> 00:37:50.599 you know, the justice system all go through, 00:37:50.820 --> 00:37:53.659 but there's corruption. So the governor that 00:37:53.659 --> 00:37:58.480 is there, his name is Felix, he keeps Paul there. 00:37:59.079 --> 00:38:01.460 He's talking about things here and there. He 00:38:01.460 --> 00:38:04.739 calls him another day, and Paul shares the gospel 00:38:04.739 --> 00:38:07.079 with him, but he's not interested. What he's 00:38:07.079 --> 00:38:11.820 interested in is money. By the way, we say money 00:38:11.820 --> 00:38:13.699 like this in Mexico. They say money like this. 00:38:15.159 --> 00:38:17.280 That's a cultural difference I learned. I don't 00:38:17.280 --> 00:38:21.440 know how they do it in your country. Money. Money. 00:38:22.599 --> 00:38:28.260 He was waiting for Paul to pay him a bribe to 00:38:28.260 --> 00:38:33.239 let him go. But Paul never did. Two years passed. 00:38:35.400 --> 00:38:39.239 And Paul is there still at Herod's palace. And 00:38:39.239 --> 00:38:41.099 now there's a new governor that comes. His name 00:38:41.099 --> 00:38:44.590 is Festus. And now that Festus is the new governor, 00:38:44.849 --> 00:38:47.489 he hears this guy and he's curious about this 00:38:47.489 --> 00:38:50.989 pole, you know. He learns about it. And one day, 00:38:51.090 --> 00:38:57.170 Festus, the governor, hears that King Herod and 00:38:57.170 --> 00:39:02.010 his wife are coming to congratulate him for his 00:39:02.010 --> 00:39:04.550 new position. So they're going to come and visit 00:39:04.550 --> 00:39:10.500 him at the palace. So they arrived. And they 00:39:10.500 --> 00:39:12.880 are talking and in the conversation, Phistos 00:39:12.880 --> 00:39:18.000 says to King Herod Agrippa II, hey, you know, 00:39:18.019 --> 00:39:20.599 I have this guy here. He's been here, you know, 00:39:20.619 --> 00:39:22.679 like more than two years or so. He has a very 00:39:22.679 --> 00:39:25.960 interesting story. Maybe you might enjoy listening 00:39:25.960 --> 00:39:28.579 to him. And the guy says, yeah, that sounds interesting. 00:39:28.659 --> 00:39:32.780 I think I would like to listen to that guy. So 00:39:32.780 --> 00:39:36.980 we are told that they are meeting right there 00:39:36.980 --> 00:39:40.190 in Herod's palace. By the way, As you see this 00:39:40.190 --> 00:39:42.469 picture, we have the ruins of that palace, which 00:39:42.469 --> 00:39:44.789 means that you can go to Caesarea Maritima today, 00:39:44.889 --> 00:39:48.150 and you can stand in the very place where Paul 00:39:48.150 --> 00:39:50.929 is having this conversation that we are about 00:39:50.929 --> 00:39:58.590 to read. The next day, Agrippa and Bernice came 00:39:58.590 --> 00:40:06.070 with great pomp, entered the audience room with 00:40:06.070 --> 00:40:09.150 the high -ranking military officers, And the 00:40:09.150 --> 00:40:12.530 prominent men of the city, and at the command 00:40:12.530 --> 00:40:18.869 of Festus, Paul was brought in. So I want you 00:40:18.869 --> 00:40:23.789 to picture the room. The king, the wife, all 00:40:23.789 --> 00:40:27.869 the officials, everybody there. And Paul shows 00:40:27.869 --> 00:40:42.190 up. What? King Herod? your father is the one 00:40:42.190 --> 00:40:44.989 that killed James and sent Peter to prison. Your 00:40:44.989 --> 00:40:47.030 grandfather is the one that killed John the Baptist. 00:40:47.130 --> 00:40:48.929 Your great -grandfather is the one that tried 00:40:48.929 --> 00:40:54.130 to kill Jesus. And now I'm before this guy and 00:40:54.130 --> 00:41:00.349 all these Romans that worship the emperors. And 00:41:00.349 --> 00:41:05.309 now I'm here. How would you feel? They can kill 00:41:05.309 --> 00:41:10.849 you just like this. Watch out what you say. And 00:41:10.849 --> 00:41:13.710 then Agrippa said to Paul, you have permission 00:41:13.710 --> 00:41:17.389 to speak for yourself. So Paul motioned with 00:41:17.389 --> 00:41:20.010 his hand and began his defense. King Agrippa, 00:41:20.150 --> 00:41:23.730 I consider myself fortunate to stand before you 00:41:23.730 --> 00:41:26.690 today as I make my defense against all the accusations 00:41:26.690 --> 00:41:29.809 of the Jews. And especially so because you are 00:41:29.809 --> 00:41:32.590 well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and 00:41:32.590 --> 00:41:36.349 controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen 00:41:36.349 --> 00:41:39.579 to me patiently. And he's going to start telling 00:41:39.579 --> 00:41:43.000 him this whole testimony. I persecuted the church. 00:41:43.079 --> 00:41:45.139 Jesus appeared to me. I started preaching the 00:41:45.139 --> 00:41:48.260 gospel. This Jesus is real. He wants to say he 00:41:48.260 --> 00:41:51.320 forgives sins. He's telling him the whole thing. 00:41:51.559 --> 00:41:54.340 And he has the captive audience right there listening 00:41:54.340 --> 00:42:00.219 to him. And he says, but God has held me to this 00:42:00.219 --> 00:42:03.579 very day. So I stand here and testify to small 00:42:03.579 --> 00:42:06.860 and great alike. I'm saying nothing beyond what 00:42:06.860 --> 00:42:09.659 the prophets of Moses said would happen. That 00:42:09.659 --> 00:42:13.059 the Messiah would suffer. And as the first to 00:42:13.059 --> 00:42:15.579 rise from the dead. Would bring the message of 00:42:15.579 --> 00:42:18.360 light to his own people. And to the Gentiles. 00:42:18.460 --> 00:42:22.699 He preaches the gospel like. The only thing that 00:42:22.699 --> 00:42:25.539 remains is. Who wants to accept Christ? Raise 00:42:25.539 --> 00:42:28.460 your hand. You know. It's like he shared the 00:42:28.460 --> 00:42:32.980 gospel in detail. And at that moment. Festus 00:42:32.980 --> 00:42:38.539 interrupts Paul. And says, Paul, enough. You're 00:42:38.539 --> 00:42:42.679 out of your mind. Your great learning is driving 00:42:42.679 --> 00:42:47.420 you insane. What would you do? Would you go like, 00:42:47.639 --> 00:42:53.860 oh, sorry. Not when the Holy Spirit is compelling 00:42:53.860 --> 00:43:00.920 you. I'm not insane. Most excellent festus. Paul 00:43:00.920 --> 00:43:04.360 replied. What I'm saying is actually true and 00:43:04.360 --> 00:43:09.420 also reasonable. And no offense, but let me turn 00:43:09.420 --> 00:43:13.199 back to the king. The king is familiar with these 00:43:13.199 --> 00:43:15.719 things and I can speak freely to him. I'm convinced 00:43:15.719 --> 00:43:17.820 that none of this has escaped his notice because 00:43:17.820 --> 00:43:22.059 it was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, do 00:43:22.059 --> 00:43:24.579 you believe the prophets? I know you do. And 00:43:24.579 --> 00:43:28.699 then Agrippa said to Paul, okay, do you really 00:43:28.699 --> 00:43:32.139 think? That in such a short time, you can persuade 00:43:32.139 --> 00:43:37.980 me to be a Christian? Oops, what will you do? 00:43:40.119 --> 00:43:44.860 Sorry. Not when the Holy Spirit is compelling 00:43:44.860 --> 00:43:54.940 you. King, short time or long time? I pray to 00:43:54.940 --> 00:43:58.360 God that not only you, But all of you who are 00:43:58.360 --> 00:44:02.980 listening here may become what I am except for 00:44:02.980 --> 00:44:07.239 this change. I can't believe you just said that 00:44:07.239 --> 00:44:14.340 to the king. You know that he can kill you. Yes. 00:44:18.199 --> 00:44:21.380 The king rose and with him the governor and Bernice 00:44:21.380 --> 00:44:23.739 and those sitting with them and they left the 00:44:23.739 --> 00:44:28.269 room saying, This guy didn't sound crazy. He 00:44:28.269 --> 00:44:30.130 didn't have to stay in prison. He can be set 00:44:30.130 --> 00:44:35.570 free. And Paul will end up going to Rome and 00:44:35.570 --> 00:44:37.909 eventually he dies at the hands of the Romans. 00:44:40.550 --> 00:44:44.530 And here we see the Holy Spirit placing him in 00:44:44.530 --> 00:44:47.550 a platform and an audience that only the Holy 00:44:47.550 --> 00:44:52.610 Spirit could have arranged. The great grandson 00:44:54.159 --> 00:44:58.460 Of Herod who tried to kill Jesus. Has a captive. 00:44:59.460 --> 00:45:06.380 Now. Place to hear the gospel fully. We do not 00:45:06.380 --> 00:45:09.000 know what the gospel did in his heart. But he 00:45:09.000 --> 00:45:13.440 heard it. By God's grace. He's going to compel 00:45:13.440 --> 00:45:19.699 you. To go beyond all fear. And when you are 00:45:19.699 --> 00:45:21.880 in that place of fear. You have to remember what 00:45:21.880 --> 00:45:24.880 Jesus told the apostles. The Holy Spirit will 00:45:24.880 --> 00:45:28.119 teach you what to say. So do not worry because 00:45:28.119 --> 00:45:30.059 it's not going to be you speaking. It's going 00:45:30.059 --> 00:45:35.199 to be the Holy Spirit speaking through you. And 00:45:35.199 --> 00:45:39.260 sometimes God is going to position you in a place 00:45:39.260 --> 00:45:42.280 to have a conversation that you know God is prompting 00:45:42.280 --> 00:45:45.420 you. And you're going to be afraid. God is going 00:45:45.420 --> 00:45:48.199 to give you platforms of people that are very 00:45:48.199 --> 00:45:50.719 influential and the very fact that they are so 00:45:50.719 --> 00:45:52.800 influential is going to make you feel intimidated 00:45:52.800 --> 00:45:55.480 whether you should say something or not. But 00:45:55.480 --> 00:45:57.539 in all of those moments, remember that if you 00:45:57.539 --> 00:45:59.940 are following Jesus, it is the Holy Spirit that 00:45:59.940 --> 00:46:03.059 has placed you in that moment, in that conversation, 00:46:03.420 --> 00:46:06.219 in that platform. And rather than being afraid 00:46:06.219 --> 00:46:08.860 and letting fear hold you back, you need to pray 00:46:08.860 --> 00:46:11.760 at that moment and say, Holy Spirit, you better 00:46:11.760 --> 00:46:14.139 walk. hear with me and speak through me because 00:46:14.139 --> 00:46:17.760 I have no idea how to approach this but I'm going 00:46:17.760 --> 00:46:24.320 to trust in you and you go in Jesus name would 00:46:24.320 --> 00:46:28.579 you let fear hold you back or would you let the 00:46:28.579 --> 00:46:33.300 Holy Spirit propel you forward and these are 00:46:33.300 --> 00:46:37.300 the experiences that we see in Caesarea now you 00:46:37.300 --> 00:46:41.159 will never read the Bible and see that city The 00:46:41.159 --> 00:46:46.340 same way again. The city created to exalt the 00:46:46.340 --> 00:46:48.900 emperor as Lord became the city that exalted 00:46:48.900 --> 00:46:54.159 Jesus as Lord of all. By the power of the Spirit. 00:46:55.239 --> 00:47:00.360 That's why Paul writes later, the love of God 00:47:00.360 --> 00:47:06.739 in us compels us. It calls us not to be living 00:47:06.739 --> 00:47:11.699 a Christian life Like a power bank. But it's 00:47:11.699 --> 00:47:15.579 a power grid. And what God can do. And places 00:47:15.579 --> 00:47:19.500 he can reach through you. Are unimaginable. You 00:47:19.500 --> 00:47:27.980 have no idea. Just trust him. Because. Read with 00:47:27.980 --> 00:47:32.739 me one more time. He died for all. That those 00:47:32.739 --> 00:47:35.219 who live. Should no longer live for themselves. 00:47:35.739 --> 00:47:38.920 But for him who died for them. And was raised 00:47:38.920 --> 00:47:44.500 again. That is what we live for. Not for comfort. 00:47:44.940 --> 00:47:51.960 Or safety. We live for Jesus. And his plan. His 00:47:51.960 --> 00:47:56.219 time. His purpose. So let me conclude the study 00:47:56.219 --> 00:47:58.980 with this question. What is holding you back. 00:47:59.699 --> 00:48:02.900 From following Jesus wholeheartedly. And serving 00:48:02.900 --> 00:48:07.090 him. Well. Is it the comfort zone that you're 00:48:07.090 --> 00:48:10.210 attached to? Is it the safety that you're attached 00:48:10.210 --> 00:48:15.070 to? Is it fear that you're attached to? Whatever 00:48:15.070 --> 00:48:18.590 it is, may you accept the invitation to come 00:48:18.590 --> 00:48:21.210 to the Lord today and say, Lord, I'm going to 00:48:21.210 --> 00:48:25.010 follow you no matter what. Because you are Lord 00:48:25.010 --> 00:48:30.730 of all. Victorious Jesus will live for you. Lord, 00:48:30.809 --> 00:48:35.599 it's easy to forget. That there are generations 00:48:35.599 --> 00:48:40.800 of Christians before us that overcame so much 00:48:40.800 --> 00:48:43.400 so that the gospel will be proclaimed and it 00:48:43.400 --> 00:48:47.659 reached us this far. Thank you for their faithfulness, 00:48:47.679 --> 00:48:51.159 for their willingness to go beyond all of these 00:48:51.159 --> 00:48:56.380 things and risk so much. Would you help us be 00:48:56.380 --> 00:49:02.159 that kind of Christian? Let your power and your 00:49:02.159 --> 00:49:06.159 grace and your love flow through us to accomplish 00:49:06.159 --> 00:49:09.900 the things that you have. And I ask in Jesus' 00:49:10.019 --> 00:49:14.219 name and by the power of the Spirit that any 00:49:14.219 --> 00:49:17.480 chain that is holding us back be broken right 00:49:17.480 --> 00:49:21.320 now in Jesus' name and that you will unleash 00:49:21.320 --> 00:49:26.280 us for greater kingdom impact because that is 00:49:26.280 --> 00:49:29.320 what you envision. In the name of Jesus, we pray. 00:49:29.500 --> 00:49:58.150 Amen. you will find giving options on our website. 00:49:58.989 --> 00:50:02.409 And remember to join us next week. God bless 00:50:02.409 --> 00:50:02.650 you.