Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is
an international church in Bangkok, Thailand,
with dozens of nationalities worshipping together.
We invite you to connect with us from wherever
you are through our website ecb .asia or our
mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed
by this week's sermon. Living life with the Holy
Spirit. It's at the core of following Jesus because
the Bible says that the moment you gave your
life to Christ, you heard the gospel and you
believed in Christ, at that moment the Holy Spirit
came to live in you. And now that the Holy Spirit
is in you, it's going to stay there until the
end. He's not going to get tired of you. No,
he loves you too much. He wants you to experience
the love of God in you. And therefore, when the
Holy Spirit comes to live in you, we learn the
last time that is the love of God being poured
into your heart. And this reality now of experiencing
the love of God through the Holy Spirit in our
lives has an effect that is captured in the words
of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians. And he's
going to start describing this experience as
the compelling presence of God in our lives.
So I'm going to ask you to read 2 Corinthians
with me together. We will read verse 14 and 15.
Christ's love compels us because we are convinced
that one died for all and therefore all died.
And he died for all. That those who live. Should
no longer live for themselves. But for him who
died for them. And was raised again. These people
that have encountered the love of God. Now feel
compelled. To now live. For the one. Who actually
saved us. And these were to be compelled. means
that now there is this internal motivation, this
internal desire that propels you to engage in
certain things and to do certain things that
otherwise you wouldn't have done. But this love
of God is now in you and the Holy Spirit is going
to guide you throughout your life in certain
situations in which you will realize that He
is propelling you. To act. And that in itself.
Means that following Jesus. Resembles not so
much a power bank. But a power grid. Because
with the power bank. It's all about me getting
all the power. So I can accumulate all the power.
And have it when I need it. And many Christians
live like that. Especially if you have been shaped
by prosperity theology mindset. It's all about
God. Give me, give me, give me, give me, give
me, give me, give me, so I can have more and
more and more and more. And when you don't give
me, I get upset and I quit. That's a power bank
Christian. The power of a great Christian is
very different. I receive God's love so that
His love will flow through me. And impact the
lives of others. That is the compelling nature
of the Holy Spirit in our lives. He wants to
flow through you into the lives of others. And
that's why Paul says the love of Christ compels
us now not to live for ourselves. But to live
for Him who died and resurrected for us. And
that. of being compelled by the Holy Spirit is
going to happen in the book of Acts. And there's
going to be three experiences that they are all
linked to the same location, the same city. And
I want us to take a look at those three experiences
in that location because it reveals something
about how is it for us Christians to follow Jesus.
And as we look at those experiences, I want you
to ask yourself, is there something that is holding
you back from pursuing God wholeheartedly? Because
chances are that as we look at these three experiences,
they may turn into a mirror that you're looking
at yourself. What are these experiences? And
where do they begin? Let me start by giving you
a little bit of the background. Remember that
during Pentecost Sunday, we studied how the gospel
was preached by the apostle Peter for the first
time in what city? Jerusalem. And how many people
came to know Christ? 3 ,000. And it was the first
time the gospel was preached ever in human history.
And God had given Peter, The responsibility as
he told him, I'm giving you the keys of the kingdom.
He was the first one to preach the gospel. But
that audience was very unique. These were the
Jews that had come to Jerusalem. But what about
the Gentiles? They haven't heard the gospel yet.
Well, God knows that. And he's going to use Peter
to preach the gospel for the first time to Gentiles.
Well, Peter was in Jerusalem for all the events
that happened, the death of Christ, the resurrection,
then the 3 ,000 people that came to know Christ.
He was tired. He needed a break. So he is going
to move just a short break to Joppa, a small
town in the beach. It's like when you are tired
of... The traffic in Bangkok and all the tourists
and all the crowds. And you say, I'm just going
to go to Cham or Hua Hin or something. I just
want a few days in the beach. And that's what
Peter is doing. He's taking a break. And he's
at a friend's house. He's waiting for lunch.
And the Holy Spirit is going to encounter him
in that place. To reveal something that he wants
to do in a city called Caesarea Maritima. which
is in the north. And that city is the focus of
our study today. Let me tell you about it. If
you hear the word Caesarea, what does it sound
like? Caesar, right? Because it was a city that
was established, created by Herod the Great to
honor the Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus. And
not only to honor the emperor, but to worship
the emperor. And this city was in the coast.
It was a port. They had built a special harbor
with special technology to be able to facilitate
economic transport in that area. If you have
traveled internationally, and you have visited
different Chinatowns, You know how they look
alike? It's a little bit of China in these different
places. But the same thing with this city. This
was Roma town. This was the architecture of Rome,
the worship of Rome, all of these different things.
And there was a military base for Rome to the
entire Judea area. It also had the temple of
the king. And in that place, you can go today
to Caesarea and you will see all the ruins of
this place. All of this is rich in archaeology.
And we are told that at the very opening of the
harbor, there was a big temple with a big statue
of the worship of... Emperor Caesar Augustus.
And not only that, we also know by this pilot
stone that there was another temple dedicated
to Emperor Tiberius. So you can start picturing
that this city is a little piece of Rome surrounded
by all this pagan worship, military presence.
And it's in this place that now God is going
to send Peter And there's a military man who
is a guy who is in authority over like a hundred
soldiers or so. And in this position, he has
authority, he's very well connected, and now
God is going to do something in his life, being
the first Roman now to come to know Christ. So
that takes us to Acts chapter 10, and this is
how it starts. At Caesarea, now you can picture
the city, there was a man named Cornelius, a
centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment.
He and all his family were devout and got fearing.
He gave generously to those in need and prayed
to God regularly. In the Jewish doctrines and
teachings. And he was trying to follow this God.
Even though he himself was not a Jew. One day.
At about three in the afternoon. He had a vision.
He distinctly saw an angel of God. Who came to
him and said. Cornelius. Cornelius stared at
him in fear. What is it Lord? He asked. And the
angel answered. Your prayers and gifts to the
poor have come up. As a memorial offering before
God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man
named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying
with Simon the Tanner whose house is by the sea.
And now you can picture right there Peter in
Joppa. So Cornelius sends this guy to Joppa.
And they arrive right at the moment when Peter
has been waiting for lunch. And we are told that
Peter is there getting hungry, and he has an
experience with the Holy Spirit. Peter went up
on the roof to pray, and he became hungry and
wanted something to eat. And while the meal was
being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw
a vision, and it was the most awkward vision.
It was these animals that were coming down, and
a voice was saying, kill and eat. And all these
animals were animals that in the Jewish teaching
were animals that were considered unclean. You
could not eat those. So I was like, what? And
the thing happened one time, and then a second
time, and then a third time. And the voice in
the vision said to him, do not call anything
impure that God has made clean. I was like, what
is that supposed to mean? So the vision ended,
and he's there thinking, what in the world just
happened? And at that moment, while Peter was
still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said
to him, Simon, three men are looking for you,
so get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate
to go with them, for I have sent them. The Holy
Spirit knew Peter very well. You see, Peter grew
up as a Jew being told, avoid Gentiles at all
costs. You never go into their cities. Never
befriend them. God forbids that you ever enter
their homes. Don't do any business with them.
Avoid those people because those people are pagan.
They worship idols. They are unclean. And if
you associate with them, you become ceremonially
unclean. So avoid those people. And now, God
is sending these Gentiles from Caesarea, the
very city with all these temples that worship
Roman emperors, to meet a Roman soldier that
is in charge of all these soldiers. It's like
the worst place for Peter to ever go. So the
Holy Spirit has to tell him, hey, these guys
are going to appear. Go with them. Don't resist.
I'm doing something here. So Peter goes with
them. It's like about a month, I mean a day and
a half or so of traveling distance. He gets there
to Caesarea. He goes into the house of these
Cornelius and he tells them, hey guys, I'm a
Jew. You know that it's against my law to enter
into your home. He's feeling so uncomfortable
all throughout the whole experience. Until finally
he realizes, oh, they want to hear the gospel.
So he starts sharing the gospel with the Gentiles.
And this is the first time that the gospel is
shared. So let's read what Peter said. Then Peter
began to speak. I now realize how true it is
that God does not show favoritism. But accepts
from every nation the one who fears him. And
does what he writes. It never crossed my mind
before. You know the message God sent to the
people of Israel. Announcing the good news of
peace. Through Jesus Christ who is Lord of all.
Wait, wait, wait. Can you say that a little bit
more quietly? Because in this city we believe
that Caesar Augustus is Lord of all. So you are
telling me that this Jesus is actually Lord of
all? You can get killed for that. Yes. This Jesus
is Lord of all. And you know what has happened
throughout the province of Judea beginning in
Galilee after the baptism of John that John preached.
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy
Spirit and power. And how he went around doing
good and healing all who were under the power
of the devil. Because God was with him. We are
witnesses of everything he did in the country
of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him
by hanging him on a cross. But God raised him
from the dead on the third day and cast him to
be seen. He was not seen by all the people. but
by witnesses whom God had already chosen by us,
who ate and drank with him after he rose from
the dead. Which, by the way, this is one of those
hints again, that Jesus' resurrection was physical.
He ate and drank with the apostles. He commanded
us to preach to the people and to testify that
he is the one whom God appointed as judge of
the living and the dead. All the prophets testify
about him. That everyone who believes in him
receives forgiveness of sins through his name.
And now he gets to the core of the message. He's
telling them, look, Jesus was the promised Messiah.
He died, he resurrected to pay for our sins.
And now he can forgive anyone that comes to him.
And as this audience of Romans are listening
to Peter. This message rings true to their hearts.
They start believing every word Peter is saying.
And as that is happening, while Peter was still
speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on
all who heard the message. And not only came
to them because they believed in Christ, but
something else happened. The circumcised believers
who had come with Peter, meaning the other Jews
that were with Peter, that were also followers
of Jesus, were astonished that the gift of the
Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles.
How did they know? Oh, for they heard them speaking
in tongues and praising God, just like it had
happened a few days before at Pentecost. Same
experience, not the same people. That means that
you are one of us. Then Peter said, surely no
one can stand in the way of their being baptized
with water. They have received the Holy Spirit
just as we have. So imagine these guys. They
are going through all of these things that God
is doing. And everything that God is doing is
completely against everything that they had assumed.
That Jesus was just for the Jews. And that these
Gentiles could not ever. Really follow Jesus.
And now they're experiencing the same salvation.
And now they get baptized. So he ordered that
they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
And then they asked Peter to stay with them for
a few days. The story begins Peter being very
uncomfortable. I'm not sure I should be here.
It's against my law to enter your home. To now.
Hey, we're going to spend three days together.
We know that the regiment in this area was in
a very specific location close to the palace
of Herod. And in church tradition, what happened
is that in the late 300s, 400s, many of these
important places became places where churches
were built. And according to one of the church
fathers, his name is Jerome, he tells us that
right there in the house of Cornelius, the first
Christians in that city, a church, Christian
church was built. And we have the ruins of that
church today. So if the archaeology is right,
And that church was built on Cornelius' house.
That means that you can go there and stand on
the very same place where the first Gentiles
heard the gospel. A city that had been designed
with the purpose of telling the world that Caesar
is Lord. It's the city that now God is encountering
the Romans to tell them actually Jesus is Lord.
And even though they are surrounded by all these
temples built by human hand, now God is starting
this temple of the Holy Spirit in the lives of
these people. And he's starting something completely
new, powerful, that will help. for generations
to come. But Peter does not know that. He did
not know that. The only thing that he knew is
that the Holy Spirit was calling him and compelling
him to go beyond his comfort zone. And the Holy
Spirit is not going to just ask Peter to go beyond
his comfort zone. He's going to ask you to go
beyond your comfort zone. Time after time. And
every time the Holy Spirit wants you to move
beyond your comfort zone, you are going to feel
the resistance of saying, well, me? But no, I'm
not sure. And then all that thinking will start
taking place. Are you willing to live life with
the Holy Spirit? Then you have to be willing.
To follow beyond your comfort zone. And as you
do, you have no idea what God can do with you.
I remembered the first time I started pastoring
the church in Dallas and the first time I had
to preach. That was the first time ever for me
to preach a sermon in English. Because I was
born in Santiago in Chile, South America, Spanish
was my native language. And I studied English,
you know, since I was in kinder all the way through
high school, but you don't study it to actually
speak. And then when I went to the U .S., I was
18. And when I was doing my master's degree,
that's the first time I started functioning in
English. I remember all those papers I had to
write were so hard because everything was in
English, you know, and reading, no problem, but
writing and speaking, that was really hard. And
I remember that I had some friends that would
correct my papers, you know, all these notes,
everything. I learned so much at the beginning.
I was fearful to say certain words. There was
a word I always avoid saying, cheat. I would
say the word piece of paper instead. Because
I was afraid of saying the wrong word, if you
understand what I mean. Talking about comfort
zone. And here I am. Never imagine. What can
God do through us? If instead of saying, no,
God, me, no, no, please, no, I don't like that.
What if instead we were to say, God, is this
you? I'm not sure I like this idea, but as long
as this is you, I'm okay. But please, let it
be you. Don't let your comfort zone hold you
back from experiencing life with the Holy Spirit.
There's another thing that's happening at Caesarea.
And it's going to involve Herod, the king. Now
Herod is a very interesting family because you
find the name Herod all throughout the New Testament.
And we say, oh Herod, Herod, but it's not the
same person. It was a family. Herod the Great.
He's the one that tried to kill Jesus. Then Herod
Antipas, the son. He's the one that decapitates
John the Baptist. And now we're going to encounter
the son of that guy who is Herod Agrippa I. And
you will see that the family line has something
in common. Look at what the Bible says. About
that time, King Herod Agrippa began to persecute
some believers in the church. Also antagonizing
what God was doing. He killed the first apostle,
James, the brother of John. And he sent Peter
to prison. This Herod. But Peter escapes because
of the miraculous intervention of the angel.
And now after that, Herod decides to leave Jerusalem
and he's going to go to another city. You want
to guess which city did he go to? Caesarea. Because
that's where the palace was. Afterward, Herod
left Judea to stay in Caesarea for a while. So
now he's in Caesarea. This was a family that
wanted to have the favor of Rome. They wanted
the allegiance of people. They wanted to be on
top at all costs. And now that Herod arrives,
he's in Caesarea. all these things going on with
some of the cities in the surrounding area, they
send a delegation to have a meeting with him
because they need his help with certain things.
So they set a meeting, and now we are told that
when the day arrived, Herod put on his royal
robes, sat on his throne, and then he made a
speech. To this audience of people that are seeking
his help. And something happens. The people gave
him a great ovation. Herod. Herod. It's the voice
of a God. Not a man. Great ovation. All of them.
And Herod is there like. And he believed it.
I'm not just a man. I'm God. In this city, we
worship the Roman emperors. It is time you start
worshiping me. But it didn't last long. Instantly,
an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness
because he accepted the people's worship instead
of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed
with worms and died. Abruptly. It's like, Herod,
you're not a Roman, even though you would like
to be. You're a Jew. And there's only one Jew
that is Lord of all, that deserves the worship,
and that is Jesus, not you. And this guy that
has been persecuting Christians, killing these
Christians, now gets judged by God. And actually,
the Bible is not the only place that mentions
this. There's a Jewish historian that wrote the
early history of the Jews. His name is Flavius
Josephus. And in one of his books called The
Antiquities of the Jews, he mentions what happened
to Herod. A severe pain also arose in his belly
and he began in a most violent manner. Sudden.
And he also shares how he died. And this persecution
against Christians in Caesarea continued throughout
the Roman emperors. There's a time in the 200s
where one of these Roman emperors, his name was
Valerian, I think I remember. And we are told,
In another book written by Eusebius, who was
a Christian that writes about the history of
the church. And he mentions some of these Christians
that died. Three of these friends, Priscus, Malchus,
and Alexander. All these three guys, they were
killed by the beasts in this Roman. Spectacle.
Right there in Caesarea. Next to Herod's palace.
And also we have Marians. Let me see how is that.
Marians. And he is decapitated. And his story
was very sad. Because this was a Roman guy. Just
like Cornelius. Cornelius was a centurion. A
very high rank. This guy was supposed to become
a centurion. And he's applying for the job. He
gets qualified for it. And before he can get
the job, there's another guy that wants a job.
Another Roman. And he says, hey, but that guy
is a Christian. So they start the investigation.
And it's like, yeah, this guy is a Christian.
So you have to declare that Caesar is Lord. And
he can't. He says, no, Jesus is Lord. So they
kill him. By decapitation. This is what these
guys had to suffer in order to follow Jesus.
So imagine, there's a king that is trying to
oppose Christianity and killing Christians. There's
an emperor that is killing Christians. And on
top of that, you are in a city that is trying
to proclaim the worship of the Roman emperors.
What do you think will happen with the church
in that place? It will die? Actually, you don't
even have to imagine what would happen because
the text tells us. Meanwhile, the word of God
continued to spread and there were many believers.
Why did the church in Caesarea remain alive,
didn't die? It's because there was a group of
Christians indwelled by the Holy Spirit, learning
to live life with the Holy Spirit, who were being
compelled by the love of God to have a power
grid type of Christianity. And they kept impacting
the lives of others, even if it cost their lives.
And that is how the Holy Spirit leads. is going
to compel you beyond safety. And there are times
in which your allegiance to safety is going to
be higher than your allegiance to the Holy Spirit.
And that is going to be a problem. Because when
the Holy Spirit compels, you go. And if safety
holds you back from pursuing what the Holy Spirit
is telling you to do, then you have to decide
what you're going to do. And I know the answer
is not easy. Because there's nothing wrong in
wanting to have safety. But the problem is that
God did not save you to be safe. He saved you
to be impactful. And sometimes that will require
that you risk it for the Lord. When I was a teenager,
I went to Paraguay. And it was a special program,
a special event that the youth had organized,
and there was a couple of Christians that were
serving in an area of the country that was known
to be very dangerous. So at the end of the presentation,
we had a time of Q &A, and one of the guys asked,
how do you reconcile serving God and putting
your family at risk, going to a place that is
dangerous, because they had children? And I remember
the guy passing and reflecting. He says, we've
wrestled with that. But what we have concluded
is that our lives are in God's hands. He has
control over our lives. And he knows when he's
going to call us into his presence. If he wants
me to die here, I'll die here right now. So safety
is not a place. Safety is a person. And therefore,
God. It's my safety. If he wants me to die, he
calls me to his presence. He will do it anytime.
So if we go to work in this place that is dangerous,
if God doesn't want us to go to his presence
yet, we won't. But if he wants to call us to
his presence, he will. So they submitted that
fear to the Lord and that desire for safety as
if that is what we are living for. To the Lord.
And in that process they discovered. That their
safety was in Christ. All along. And any other
form of safety. Is but a mirage. Is safety. And
your desire for safety. Holding you back. from
pursuing what God is calling you to do. You will
have to make a choice. And I'm here to tell you,
there's no better choice than to be compelled
by the love of Christ and act on it. And that's
what happened with Herod. But now the story continues
and there's a third experience that the Holy
Spirit is going to do right there in Caesarea.
And this one involves the Apostle Paul. Paul,
as you know, he persecuted Christians. Jesus
appears to him. He becomes a follower of Jesus.
And now he's called by Jesus to be an apostle
to the Gentiles. He goes and travels throughout
many years, preaching Christ throughout the Roman
Empire. Churches are... Christian communities
are established. It cost him so much. But at
the end of his third missionary journey, Paul
goes back to Judea. He arrives there to the coast
town. He stays in the house of Philip, the evangelist,
for a day or so. And then he goes finally to
Jerusalem. And as he is in Jerusalem, He's going
to be worshiping the Lord there, and there's
this commotion that happens. He's opposed by
the Jewish authorities. He's sent to prison.
There's a plot to kill him because he's a Roman
citizen himself. When the Romans learn that there's
a plot to kill him, they have to take him out
of Jerusalem, and they're going to take him to
another city. You want to guess what that city
was? Caesarea. And now Paul is going to arrive
with the cavalry and all his soldiers to Caesarea.
And it tells us when the cavalry arrived, when
the cavalry arrived in Caesarea, they delivered
the letter to the governor and handed Paul over
to him. Then he ordered that Paul be kept under
guard. Where? In Herod's palace. Wow. This was
the palace built by the herd that tried to kill
Jesus. And that guy is dead. And Jesus is alive.
And now Paul is there because of Jesus. So it
happens that he is there. waiting for trial,
you know, the justice system all go through,
but there's corruption. So the governor that
is there, his name is Felix, he keeps Paul there.
He's talking about things here and there. He
calls him another day, and Paul shares the gospel
with him, but he's not interested. What he's
interested in is money. By the way, we say money
like this in Mexico. They say money like this.
That's a cultural difference I learned. I don't
know how they do it in your country. Money. Money.
He was waiting for Paul to pay him a bribe to
let him go. But Paul never did. Two years passed.
And Paul is there still at Herod's palace. And
now there's a new governor that comes. His name
is Festus. And now that Festus is the new governor,
he hears this guy and he's curious about this
pole, you know. He learns about it. And one day,
Festus, the governor, hears that King Herod and
his wife are coming to congratulate him for his
new position. So they're going to come and visit
him at the palace. So they arrived. And they
are talking and in the conversation, Phistos
says to King Herod Agrippa II, hey, you know,
I have this guy here. He's been here, you know,
like more than two years or so. He has a very
interesting story. Maybe you might enjoy listening
to him. And the guy says, yeah, that sounds interesting.
I think I would like to listen to that guy. So
we are told that they are meeting right there
in Herod's palace. By the way, As you see this
picture, we have the ruins of that palace, which
means that you can go to Caesarea Maritima today,
and you can stand in the very place where Paul
is having this conversation that we are about
to read. The next day, Agrippa and Bernice came
with great pomp, entered the audience room with
the high -ranking military officers, And the
prominent men of the city, and at the command
of Festus, Paul was brought in. So I want you
to picture the room. The king, the wife, all
the officials, everybody there. And Paul shows
up. What? King Herod? your father is the one
that killed James and sent Peter to prison. Your
grandfather is the one that killed John the Baptist.
Your great -grandfather is the one that tried
to kill Jesus. And now I'm before this guy and
all these Romans that worship the emperors. And
now I'm here. How would you feel? They can kill
you just like this. Watch out what you say. And
then Agrippa said to Paul, you have permission
to speak for yourself. So Paul motioned with
his hand and began his defense. King Agrippa,
I consider myself fortunate to stand before you
today as I make my defense against all the accusations
of the Jews. And especially so because you are
well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and
controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen
to me patiently. And he's going to start telling
him this whole testimony. I persecuted the church.
Jesus appeared to me. I started preaching the
gospel. This Jesus is real. He wants to say he
forgives sins. He's telling him the whole thing.
And he has the captive audience right there listening
to him. And he says, but God has held me to this
very day. So I stand here and testify to small
and great alike. I'm saying nothing beyond what
the prophets of Moses said would happen. That
the Messiah would suffer. And as the first to
rise from the dead. Would bring the message of
light to his own people. And to the Gentiles.
He preaches the gospel like. The only thing that
remains is. Who wants to accept Christ? Raise
your hand. You know. It's like he shared the
gospel in detail. And at that moment. Festus
interrupts Paul. And says, Paul, enough. You're
out of your mind. Your great learning is driving
you insane. What would you do? Would you go like,
oh, sorry. Not when the Holy Spirit is compelling
you. I'm not insane. Most excellent festus. Paul
replied. What I'm saying is actually true and
also reasonable. And no offense, but let me turn
back to the king. The king is familiar with these
things and I can speak freely to him. I'm convinced
that none of this has escaped his notice because
it was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, do
you believe the prophets? I know you do. And
then Agrippa said to Paul, okay, do you really
think? That in such a short time, you can persuade
me to be a Christian? Oops, what will you do?
Sorry. Not when the Holy Spirit is compelling
you. King, short time or long time? I pray to
God that not only you, But all of you who are
listening here may become what I am except for
this change. I can't believe you just said that
to the king. You know that he can kill you. Yes.
The king rose and with him the governor and Bernice
and those sitting with them and they left the
room saying, This guy didn't sound crazy. He
didn't have to stay in prison. He can be set
free. And Paul will end up going to Rome and
eventually he dies at the hands of the Romans.
And here we see the Holy Spirit placing him in
a platform and an audience that only the Holy
Spirit could have arranged. The great grandson
Of Herod who tried to kill Jesus. Has a captive.
Now. Place to hear the gospel fully. We do not
know what the gospel did in his heart. But he
heard it. By God's grace. He's going to compel
you. To go beyond all fear. And when you are
in that place of fear. You have to remember what
Jesus told the apostles. The Holy Spirit will
teach you what to say. So do not worry because
it's not going to be you speaking. It's going
to be the Holy Spirit speaking through you. And
sometimes God is going to position you in a place
to have a conversation that you know God is prompting
you. And you're going to be afraid. God is going
to give you platforms of people that are very
influential and the very fact that they are so
influential is going to make you feel intimidated
whether you should say something or not. But
in all of those moments, remember that if you
are following Jesus, it is the Holy Spirit that
has placed you in that moment, in that conversation,
in that platform. And rather than being afraid
and letting fear hold you back, you need to pray
at that moment and say, Holy Spirit, you better
walk. hear with me and speak through me because
I have no idea how to approach this but I'm going
to trust in you and you go in Jesus name would
you let fear hold you back or would you let the
Holy Spirit propel you forward and these are
the experiences that we see in Caesarea now you
will never read the Bible and see that city The
same way again. The city created to exalt the
emperor as Lord became the city that exalted
Jesus as Lord of all. By the power of the Spirit.
That's why Paul writes later, the love of God
in us compels us. It calls us not to be living
a Christian life Like a power bank. But it's
a power grid. And what God can do. And places
he can reach through you. Are unimaginable. You
have no idea. Just trust him. Because. Read with
me one more time. He died for all. That those
who live. Should no longer live for themselves.
But for him who died for them. And was raised
again. That is what we live for. Not for comfort.
Or safety. We live for Jesus. And his plan. His
time. His purpose. So let me conclude the study
with this question. What is holding you back.
From following Jesus wholeheartedly. And serving
him. Well. Is it the comfort zone that you're
attached to? Is it the safety that you're attached
to? Is it fear that you're attached to? Whatever
it is, may you accept the invitation to come
to the Lord today and say, Lord, I'm going to
follow you no matter what. Because you are Lord
of all. Victorious Jesus will live for you. Lord,
it's easy to forget. That there are generations
of Christians before us that overcame so much
so that the gospel will be proclaimed and it
reached us this far. Thank you for their faithfulness,
for their willingness to go beyond all of these
things and risk so much. Would you help us be
that kind of Christian? Let your power and your
grace and your love flow through us to accomplish
the things that you have. And I ask in Jesus'
name and by the power of the Spirit that any
chain that is holding us back be broken right
now in Jesus' name and that you will unleash
us for greater kingdom impact because that is
what you envision. In the name of Jesus, we pray.
Amen. you will find giving options on our website.
And remember to join us next week. God bless
you.