Real 5 - Paul
This sermon is about the Bible's most famous evangelist, Paul.
Doyle Jackson
Mar 18, 2018 43m
In this sermon Pastor Doyle Jackson introduces us to the Bible's most famous evangelist, Paul. Paul grew up loving and believing in God in the Jewish faith. He was part of the crusade to kill Jesus, and his followers, to stop the Christian Church. He was spoken to by God and was converted to being a Christ follower, and became a fervent evangelist. Video recorded at Columbus, Ohio.
TranscriptionmessageRegarding Grammar:
This is a transcription of the sermon. People speak differently than they write, and there are common colloquialisms in this transcript that sound good when spoken, and look like bad grammar when written.
This is a transcription of the sermon. People speak differently than they write, and there are common colloquialisms in this transcript that sound good when spoken, and look like bad grammar when written.
Doyle Jackson: 00:52 Awesome. Awesome. What'd you do me a favor? I would like for you to thank everybody who stuffed those 30,000 eggs. Would you put your hands together and applaud them? Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. You know, if you've never been a part of an egg hunt here at The Church Next Door, you may say, well I don't have kids, I'm not coming. You've got to come, just see this. I mean for me, it's the best testimony that they can clean up their rooms. I'll tell you what, we'll put 30,000 eggs out there, in a matter minutes the place is just so... And so, if you just attach candy to their dirty clothes around their rooms, they'll probably clean it up. That may take some time, I don't know. May not be so good.
Doyle Jackson: 01:35 Would you do me a favor? Would you repeat the following after me, say 8:30, 10:00 and 11:30. You may be asking yourself, why is he making me do that? Because I'm hoping to lock in the Easter times. We've shifted the Easter times, because last year we really filled up our building on Sunday morning, with the two Sunday morning services. Last year we did two Saturday night, and two Sunday morning services here at The Church Next Door. But we were filled to capacity at those first two hours, and we came to the conclusion that people want to come to church on Easter Sunday. So we added a service, and we shifted it. Now you need to know this, that Saturday night at 5:00, that service was actually bigger than this service was last year at that time. And so we know that 5:00 on Saturday is a primo spot, we just dropped off the second service on Saturday. Okay? So if you have to work Easter weekend, and want to come on Saturday, we'd love for you to come. But we need you to shift to an earlier service, if you're willing to. If you're willing to come at 8:30 or 10:00 AM, Alright? But whatever you do not come at 11:00, that will be right in the middle of the transition, it will be confusing. And so we need you to come, we want you to bring your friends to come, we want it to be a big weekend. The reason we shifted is to make sure we have room for everybody.
Doyle Jackson: 03:03 One of the great things about The Church Next Door that you may not know, is we're actually not that small, but we don't know it, because we're only together here one at a time. That's why Friday night was fun with the egg hunt, because you got to mingle and mix with people from the different services. We love being kind of a smaller church feel, but having the capacity to do great things for God,as a large group of people. That's why Easter is fun. We're going to touch thousands of people over the next few weeks, but we still have the small church feel, okay? We want you to be a part of that, but I need you to be real intentional about looking at those times. Today when you leave, we have invitations. It's called a sweet invitation for you we want you to take these and give them away. They have a Cheryl's cookie attached to them. This year we went with Cheryl's cookies. We decided not to do mugs, because we can do more of these, and we can touch more lives. We would love for you to take every one of these when you leave today, and give them away this week. Because it's an invite to the egg hunt, as well as Good Friday, and Palm Sunday, and all that's happening over the next two weeks. So please take six, take twelve, whatever you can give away at work, at school, in your neighborhood. Alright?
Doyle Jackson: 04:22 With that said, I want to get on with Paul, and Real. We've been doing this study of real people in the Bible and I've been excited about it, it's been a lot of fun for me. I hope it's been fun for you. Alright? The reason is this, I think sometimes we kind of get detached from the Bible, and it's a book, and it's not about real people. The Bible is full. It is full of God's people, and their personal biographies. Okay? And we miss the biography part, we miss the people part, because of our own, just stepping away from that. And so we've been talking about real people, and we've been going through and looking at their lives. And so this is the last week I'm doing it for now, but we're going to come back to real people later this year, because we've not even covered all the people we want to cover. Okay?
Doyle Jackson: 05:16 But today we're going to talk about Paul, and the reason Paul is so interesting to us, is he wrote much of the New Testament. But he was not one of the twelve. He was actually this guy who opposed, he was against the Christian movement. He was against what they were doing, and he wasn't against it for bad reasons. He actually had good reasons, and so I want to unpack that with you today, and I want to talk to you about it. Because what's interesting about Paul, even though he opposed it, he became the most vocal person inviting other people to learn about the way of Jesus.
Doyle Jackson: 06:02 Before I get to that, I just have a quick question for you, have any of you watched any basketball lately? Okay, that's good, that's good. Alright. I know we're a little disappointed about last night, but it's okay, we still are going to be all right. Take a deep breath, life is fine. Alright? This is my question for you. If I had four tickets to the final four, and I told you that my tickets are courtside side, and with those tickets I have hotels, I have your airfare, and I have food vouchers for the final four. Would you like to come be my guest to the final four? How many of you would be in? Yeah. Yeah. Even a couple of you don't even like basketball. Alright? Now why is that? Because you know, well, it's court side, these are great seats. It's going to be a good time right? Now I'm going to switch it on you just a little bit, I'm going to switch it on you just a little bit. At the last minute, I've got to tell you this, I know it's sad, but I can't go. Would you be willing to take those four tickets, and could you fill the other three seats? You'd say, of course, no problem if you're covering all that stuff, big deal. No, no, no, I've got it, please give me the tickets, give me the tickets, give me the tickets. And I said, well, I've got to switch it on you, just one more thing. Okay. Alright? I'm going to give you the three people that you got to take, and be there with. Well now you're beginning to go, well I don't know man, you're pretty square. I don't know if I'm going to like the people that you're going to send with me. But then you're thinking about a little bit more and say, well, as weird as you are, it is court side, and I'm going to feel like I'm in the midst of the game. Who knows? One of the future hall of fame NBA players may dive for the ball, and land on me, and I'm going to get to tell everybody for the rest of my life. You know that this shirt that I've kept since then, still has sweat. You know what I'm saying? You know I've got DNA from an NBA guy. You know? And see, the reason is this, the idea that you would get to be that close, that you get to be a part of all the emotion and the action, and you would feel like you were a part of it. Well, this is the story of Paul.
Doyle Jackson: 08:30 Paul was invited by God to see what he was doing, and Paul's life was so transformed by it. But what transformed Paul, was that he was willing to say yes to God. When God said, Paul, I'm going switch it on you, and I want you to go to the people I want you to go to. Not just bring the people along with you that you like, and the people that you want. Because see, God sent Paul, this Jewish boy, he sent them to the Gentiles. God said, I need you to give the message, I need you to give the invitation of Jesus to people that are far from God, in far flung places. And Paul said, God, that's what I want, I want to be ringside for what you’re doing.
Doyle Jackson: 09:19 If you would, get out your notes. Open up the app, follow along, you can take notes there. You know what I'm excited about next weekend? I'm excited about next weekend because there's going to be a donkey here, another donkey besides me, and I'm going to see if he'll speak. Okay? That would be so cool. Right? Every time we have a donkey here, I'm just waiting for him to speak like Balaam’s donkey. Alright? Court side seats, this is what I wrote in your notes. I want you to see it. I want you to think about it. It says, Paul's perspective on Jesus and the Church are unique, as one who originally hated and oppose the message of Jesus, but God interrupted his life plans and gave him a ring side seat. Paul accepted God's invitation to serve him, and turned the world upside down. That's what Acts 17:6 says about Paul, "You're turning the world upside down."
Doyle Jackson: 10:13 So let me give you the backstory on Paul. Paul's a really interesting figure, because the Bible tells us that he was a Roman citizen in Acts 16. He was a Jew from the city of Tarsus in Cilicia, that's an acts 21. And finally it says he was a former student, of the law, with Gamaliel. Now the reason those three facts are really important is that most of the time you and I just read through the Bible, and we read them, and we're like, Yada, Yada, Yada. Okay? We don't understand the depth, and the importance of that. When it says that Paul was a Roman citizen, it means that Paul was part of a wealthy family. This is because in the ancient Roman world, in order to be a Roman citizen, you had to have the financial means to be a part of that. It was about a birthright where you were born, but it also meant that you would swear allegiance to Caesar, and Caesar was a God. And if you're Jewish, you're not allowed to have any other gods, besides God.
Doyle Jackson: 11:23 And so the only way you can get around that is if you knew somebody who was willing. There was a brief clause that said, well, Jews can be Roman citizens if they'll swear allegiance to Caesar, even though they worship Yahweh. But you had to get someone who is willing to accept your testimony on that, and it generally required a lot of money. And so what it means about Paul, is that that Paul was this Jewish boy who had a father who had wealth enough and had relationship to get him, as a Jewish person, Roman citizenship. And once you had that citizenship, it was like gold because it protected you wherever you went, because nobody wanted to mess with the Roman legions. It's so if you walked into a city, you were protected by your birthright as a Roman citizen, and not many Jews had that. They didn't have the resources, they didn't have the means, to make that happen. There are many people that were born in a Roman city, but didn't have the right, didn't have the ability, to get that squared off on their life. But Paul had this, and because he was born in Tarsus, he knew about the urban world. He knew about the Roman culture, he knew about their cities, and he knew how they were arranged. And he knew something about it, because the Romans had a pattern to the way they built cities. When you walked into a Roman city, you automatically knew how to get around. They had a that a particular system with every city, and Paul knew that. But his father loved God, and he wanted Paul...His name is a boy was Saul, when he met Jesus, he became Paul. His father invested the money to have him taken to Jerusalem, because he wanted his son to really love God, and see the heart of God's people, and he goes there to study under Gamaliel.
Doyle Jackson: 13:17 Now, we talked a couple of weeks ago, when we talked about Luke, we talked about what it meant to have a rabbi, and that it was a real privilege to get a rabbi. But Gamaliel was just no rabbi, Paul's daddy paid for him to have the best rabbi alive at that day. How do we know that? Because Gamaliel was the grandson of Hillel. If you are Jewish, and you grew up in a Jewish home, to this day you hear the stories of Hillel and Shammai. Hillel and Shammai were the two most famous rabbis of the first century, and Paul studied with the grandson of one of those guys. That means that Gamaliel sat at Passover with Grandpa Hillel, and as a student of Gamaliel, Paul had Passover with Gamaliel. While the other disciples were having it with Jesus, just around the corner in Jerusalem. Because of that relationship, Paul had the credentials, he had the Pharisees approval, and actually urging, to stamp out this new movement among the Jews of following a man named Jesus of Nazareth. And he loved God so much, and he loved these men and women that were teaching him about God in Jerusalem. He wanted to honor them, and he wanted to do what was best, and he thought it was best to stop the way of these Jesus followers. And so he was, he was the head of the people that were stamping out this new movement, because they were afraid it would destroy Judaism.
Doyle Jackson: 15:15 There was a young disciple, of Jesus, named Steven, and Paul was part of the insurrection to kill this young man. He admits later that he held all their coats, so their arms would be free to throw stones and murder this boy who proclaimed Jesus was the messiah. What really upset them, was that Steven said that God is so great, so glorious, so wonderful that he does not want to worship in a building, he wants to worship through and in humanity who he built. That your body is the temple that God wants to worship through, and they stoned him for saying it, and Paul held their coats. What you and I have to understand about. Paul was this. He was trying to love God with all his heart, with all his mind, and all his strength, but he missed God in the midst of that. And it's a telling story for you and I because we can really try, we want to worship God, but we still miss God. I mean there's no indication that Paul ever got to set on a hillside in Galilee and hear Jesus teach. He never sat at Jesus' feet like Mary of Bethany, because in his world that would be unthinkable.
Doyle Jackson: 16:52 Can I tell you, some of us, there was a time in our life it was unthinkable that we would come to church. Sunday morning is too primo a time for me to waste in church. Look at us now. Paul opposed Jesus, because he thought he was doing the right thing to oppose Jesus. There's a new movie coming out this week, it’s called the Apostle Paul. I want to show you a clip of a Luke interviewing Paul in a Roman prison, and he's retelling his heart, and just watch it.
Doyle Jackson: 17:41 (Movie clip)
Doyle Jackson: 19:31 Not long after that, Paul was on a mission with papers from the Pharisee's of Jerusalem, to destroy the Jesus followers in Damascus. And while on his way there, God interrupted him, and gave him an invitation to follow Jesus too. He's totally transformed by that experience. God stopped him, got stopped him in his opposition, God stopped him in his anger, and his cynicism, and forgave him and gave him a new life. In Acts Chapter 9, it tells the story of how a bright light showed up, and God said, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? He says, who is this? It's Jesus, the one you're persecuting? He says, I need you to go to Damascus, stay with a man, I'll show you what to do, and Paul accepts that invitation. Scripture says that he was blinded by that experience, and they had to lead him by the hand to Damascus. But for the rest of Paul's life, after that experience, he told everyone that if you will accept Jesus, you will be a citizen of heaven. See, Paul understood now, that the most important citizenship you could have was not to be a part of the Jewish community, not to be a part of Rome, but to be a citizen of Heaven as a follower of Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life.
Doyle Jackson: 21:43 It says in Acts 9:10, it says, "In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord calls him in a vision "Ananias!" Yes, Lord, he answered. The Lord told him, go to the House of Judas on Straight Street and asked for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision, he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight." What Ananias does is remarkable, and Ananias is just a Jesus follower in Damascus, and God speaks to him in a vision. He says, Hey, Ananias, I need you to go to Straight street and pray for this guy. And think about that, can you imagine if God asked you to go pray for somebody? If God said, Hey, I need you to go a knock on your neighbor's door and pray for them. You'd say something like, you've got to be kidding, that's the neighbor that hates me. He complains about my dog, and every time I'm out, he has some nasty remark to say. Well for Ananias, Saul was the one. Paul was the one that was trying to destroy the Jesus followers. And Ananias is like, God, you got to be crazy. God says, no, I'm working on him. I've given him an invitation, and you are the end of that invitation,
Doyle Jackson: 23:01 And Paul on the other side of it, he's at Judas' house, and God speaks to him. The Bible tells us that for three days he wouldn't need anything, he was fasting, he was praying, and he was seeking God. He could not see, and he's like, God, I don't understand. This is too crazy, and God says, I'm going to send someone to you by the name of Ananias, and he's going to pray for you, and he's going to open your eyes. And when I read that story, I see something that's really remarkable, and it's this idea that you and I were called into community. That what God wants to do in our lives, he doesn't want to do with us singly, he wants to do it as a part of God's community. See, God could have spoken to Paul directly. We know that because he already did that. He could have transformed his life.
Doyle Jackson: 23:45 And this is what you and I do, we sit and we say to God, well, God, you know you can do it. I don't need to go to church, I don't need anybody else. But God says, no, I need you to see that you do need others. See, this is why Jesus came in the flesh, God has always used the community human element to heal us. The reason that you and I are going to invite people this Easter season to the egg hunt, and the church, and all this is because they need to see it in community. Because the world is desperate for hope in the midst of community. It is not enough for you to sit at home alone and know the peace of God, it needs to permeate beyond you, into other people. And when Paul said, okay, I'll go get to know these Jesus followers, he was submitting to becoming a part of community. And when Ananias was going to...See, sometimes we need to say yes to God, we have to say yes to rubbing elbows with other people. And what it does when you and I say yes to God, it does open our eyes, and sometimes people can see things that we can't see, and they help us see. That's what community is about.
Doyle Jackson: 25:02 It says that Paul was so transformed by this experience, that he heals him, immediately, he says, what else do I need to do? They said, well, you need to be baptized in water, they take him and they dunk him in water, and he comes out and he's like, oh man, this is awesome. Then they lay hands, and they pray over him, and he receives the Holy Spirit. What they're talking about in Acts 2 in terms of Pentecost, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And now he's empowered to be a witness, he's so charged, he's got to share with everybody about Jesus. Look what it says in Acts 9:19, just a few verses that follow, it says, "Saul, spend several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, isn't he the man who raised havoc and Jerusalem among those who call on his name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests? Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah."
Doyle Jackson: 26:13 These guys were like confused about the transformation in Paul's life. Let me ask you a question. How has your life changed since coming to know Jesus? See, Paul was an angry man, Paul was one who made lists of right and wrong, and he tried to live up to some list, some standard. Yes, he took most of it from God, but much of it he took from man's understanding, and he just realized that was not working. What I love about the story of Paul, is that he realized that the gospel of Jesus was not just to save you. See, the gospel of Jesus was not given, Jesus did not rise from the dead just to give you eternal life in heaven. Paul understood that Jesus' message was to transform you. Where there was hatred, Paul received forgiveness and new life. He went from being a murderer, to a teacher of the love, and the way of Jesus Christ.
Doyle Jackson: 27:20 See Jesus did not go to the cross, and to the grave, and beyond just to give you eternal life. Is that part of it? Yes. But Jesus went to the grave, and to the cross, so that you and I could be transformed, so that God could heal that brokenness within us, so that God can restore us. Listen, this is what I know about Jesus. Jesus cures addiction. Jesus heals the brokenness of your soul. Jesus can take where you have been abused, forsaken, and rejected, and he gives you acceptance, and love, and new life. See what Paul preached, wherever he went was this, Jesus is the way, and Jesus will give you a new life. He will help you to be self-controlled, full of the Holy Spirit, and alert for life. Tonight I'm going to talk more about that at Deeper Life at 5:00. If you want to learn more about this, because it's the mature part of the Kingdom of God, that Paul taught wherever he went.
Doyle Jackson: 28:36 But answer the question, how are you different today because of Jesus? Because if you know that, then you can tell other people. There are people in the world around you, who need to hear your story. They need to hear about how God healed your marriage, how God gave you new life, how God rescued you, how God has restored you. Some of you have been healed of cancer. Some of you have been healed of a brokenness, that you tried to answer with alcohol, but never would work. Jesus is the only God that can heal the brokenness in our lives. And that's what Paul did, wherever he went, that's what he shared with all people.
Doyle Jackson: 29:25 I want to give you Paul's kind of methodology. Wherever he went, Paul was an inviter. See Paul saw that God invited him to have a ringside seat, and so wherever he went, he invited other people to have a ringside seat. And what he wanted to leave behind was this idea. Whoever follows the way, whoever follows Jesus, that you would be an inviter too, you've got to share this. And Paul's methodology was to share publicly, and house to house. What does that mean? When Paul entered one of these Roman cities...And what's amazing about Paul, God had been working in his life, and preparing him just to be this evangelist, this church planter, wherever he went. Because he knew the Roman city, he knew the Roman world, but he also knew the Old Testament. And he knew Jesus and the work of Jesus. And he could combine all of this, he could walk into a city, he could go to a synagogue, he could go to a public square, he could go to a city park, this is his pattern, and he could preach about Jesus publicly. And then he also met with them house to house, in their communities, in their neighborhoods, and shared Jesus there.
Doyle Jackson: 30:35 Look what it says in Acts 20:20, it's one of my favorite scriptures, "You know that I Paul, have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house." Folks, this is why we tell you here, we want you to be prepared when you go into Walmart, to be able to talk about Jesus. Be praying as you're walking through, because who knows, in the midst of public you might need to pray for somebody. God might lead you, and say this dad needs encouragement, this mom needs encouragement. This person needs to hear a voice from you, speaking of God's love. Paul did that wherever he went. The reason that we have an egg hunt, the reason we do all this in a big way, is we want to be very public about our love for Jesus. But we also need to be willing to do it house to house with people. Some of you know our mission statement, here at The Church Next Door, is moving people closer to God, and at the core of that we want to do it publicly and house to house.
Doyle Jackson: 31:35 This week Jennifer had to go and get a new phone. Hers was not working properly, and so everyone here knows that pain. I got to get a new phone pain, and so she goes into the phone store and she says, my phone is dying, it's not working, I got to get a new phone. And she says, I need it to be able to take really good pictures, and I need to be able to take good video. I need a good phone, you know? He says, well, why do you need that? She says, well, in a few weeks I'm going to Africa. He said, you're going to Africa, why are you going to Africa? She says, well, our church has built an orphanage in Africa, and I'm going to go see the orphanage and check on it. She said, they're going to start, the kids are moving in, and all this stuff is happening at the orphanage, and I just want to check on that. And she said, this young man at the phone store begins to tear up. He said, Oh man, I would love to do something meaningful like that. I would love to be a part of something meaningful like that, what a cool job. She says, well, come be a part of The Church Next Door, and you can do something meaningful like that.
Doyle Jackson: 32:57 Now Jennifer comes out of that meeting on the phone, and she goes to see another friend of ours that goes to another church, someone we love, loves Jesus, all in on God Jesus. I got to tell you about this neat experience I had with the phone guy, and she's telling the story I just told you, and our friend says, oh my gosh, that just gives me goosebumps. She said, that's really meeting people right where they are. And Jennifer said, well, that's the vision statement of The Church Next Door. She said, oh my gosh, that gives me goosebumps. She said, yeah, that's our vision, we want everybody in the church to meet people right where they are, with the love of Jesus the way Jesus did. Because Jesus, the way, the truth and the life, he just accepted people right where they were. He didn't have to be anything special. It didn't matter if you were a prostitute, it didn't matter if you were a teacher of the law, it didn't matter if you're a fisherman, it didn't matter if you're a man or you're a woman, it didn't matter if you were Jewish or a Gentile, Jesus always met people right where they are. He loved the, and he invited them to live a different life, a life under the leadership of God, where God makes the decisions. See, that's what you and I are doing. That's what this place is about, and you need to know something. Right now, we're on about a 10 or 11 of intensity over the next few weeks. We need everybody in, everybody helping, because you are, and I am, the best messengers of the Jesus way of life.
Doyle Jackson: 34:31 Paul had this pattern, because he was a life transformed. He said, we have an obligation to share. In Romans 10:13-15 says, "For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then can they call the name of the one they have not believed in, and how can they believe in one of whom they have not heard, and how can they hear without someone preaching to them, and how can anyone preach unless they are sent as it is written? How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news? What Paul is saying is this, he's saying simply, you know, if you and I who've known the salvation of Jesus, if we don't go and share, how else are they going to know? And he says, it's the most beautiful thing you can do to share your faith with other people. Recently Kathie Lee Gifford was on TV, and she's talking about how Jesus changed her life, and how much God has done for her. And they said, why do you always talk about Jesus, Kathie Lee? She said, well, come on, if I knew the cure for cancer, I would tell you, I would tell you. And I've got the cure for the brokenness within your soul, and I just want to share it with as many people as possible. You can listen, or you don't have to listen, but I've got to share. That's Paul. That's Paul. And wherever Paul went, he invited you and I, and the church to share. And in this season people are especially open to receiving that message.
Doyle Jackson: 36:03 I think about Paul, and I think about every time he'd roll into a city, and what compelled him to share. And one of the things had to be pushing on him, was this memory of standing there and holding the coats, while he's watching Steven die. He had heard how eloquently Steven spoke. And I imagine it caused him to think, I've got to share the message clearly and compellingly, the way Steven did. Because of me, he's not alive. I know that feeling. I was in junior high. I had this Bible class at school, and the teacher was asking us questions about our spirituality in our life, and he asked for hands, and I look around the room and no one else is raising their hand, and I didn't raise my hand. I knew the answer, and I was all in on that, but I just couldn't do it then and there. And I remember walking out in the hallway and leaning up against my locker and saying, oh God, forgive me. I'm so sorry I was ashamed of you, and I will never let that happen again. And it has changed me, and I imagine it changed Paul. And wherever Paul went, he challenged the Christ followers, that's why he planted so many churches, that's why so many of the people went and shared with other people. They even went to the point of death.
Doyle Jackson: 37:31 Look at this last principle of Paul, hearing is the key to believing. You foolish Galatians, who has been bewitched you? Before your very eyes, Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you. Did you receive the spirit by the works of the law or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by the means of the spirit. Are you now trying to finish, by means of the flesh? Have you experienced so much in vain? If it really was in vain? So again, I ask, does God give you his spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? So also Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.
Doyle Jackson: 38:21 What's Paul talking about? What Paul is talking about is that many of us, we come to know Christ. We believe in Christ Jesus as our savior, because someone shares that message with us, we hear it. And we say, okay, believe maybe God could have enough love for me, that God could forgive me, and give me a new life, and so we accept Jesus and immediately we step into eternity. But then you know what we do. Then we began to believe that the other broken places in our life, the other things that need to be healed, the other things that need to be dealt with, that somehow we're going to do them by us being good, and making a list of things to do. And Paul said, oh, foolish Galatians, you cannot do that. You cannot think that the rest of the work of God in your life is going to be solved by knowledge and understanding a list. He said, nope, you have to go back to that same holy spirit that brought you life and salvation. If you will listen to the Holy Spirit he'll bring healing to your life. If you will listen to the teaching, and you'll do life in community, I will bring restoration.
Doyle Jackson: 39:24 And look this week, just this week, one of our friends said to us, you know, God showed me that I have a broken heart. That there's something that goes back in my life that's really deep, and it was just God spoke that into me. And for the next few weeks I'm just going to listen to the Lord, I'm going to pray, I'm going to read the word, and I'm going to let him restore that part of my life. See, the rest of the work that God needs to do in us, is a work he needs to do, and we just have to say yes and say, okay, lead me. How do I get free from the abuse that I received? How do I know that I'm accepted and loved? After all the rejection I've felt over my life, The same way that Jesus saved you, he will heal that, and deliver you and set you free. And that's what we want to offer people this Easter. We want to offer them not just salvation, but the transforming, healing power of God, that can do all that we need, more than you ever asked or imagined. Amen.
Doyle Jackson: 40:36 So this is what I would like to do for you today. If you would stand, I would like to pray over you, and I would like to ask God's anointing on your life. That in the same way he gave Ananias a picture of who he was to go to, I'm praying that God will give you a picture of the people he wants you to go to, maybe it'll be four or five or six who knows it. All you have to do to participate in this prayer, is when I'm done if you say amen, that means you agree and you want it to happen in your life. And if you don't, I give you freedom to listen to the prayer and say, no way that scares me, I'm not ready for that. I'm good with that. Alright? So let's pray. Heavenly father, I come before you in the name of Jesus, and I thank you for the men and women that are in this room. God only you could bring so many people, from so many backgrounds, of such beautiful variety. But God, you've brought us here because you are sending us out to the people of Columbus, Lord, and this surrounding area, which are of a beautiful variety, and we are the perfect people to invite them. God would you anoint us, would you open our eyes to see, would you open our ears to hear who it is you're inviting. God, I pray that we're going to hear testimonies of people who just said, I was just wondering what I was going to do for Easter, and now you've answered it. God, let us be those people. Send us to the people the same way you sent Ananias to Paul and transformed his life. Lord, may you send us to the people that you want to work in their lives, and God, would you work in us? God, help us to drop our anger, our fears, our pasts and be restored by you. That is our prayer today. In the precious name of Jesus' we pray, and all who wanted it said, Amen.
Doyle Jackson: 42:32 Well, thanks for coming. Can I give you a line on what to do for your invitation? Just ask them this question, say, have you got any plans for Easter? Have you got any plans for Easter? Alright, have a great week. Hey, if you want to come back tonight at 5:00, I going to do a Deeper Life.
Recorded in Columbus, Ohio.
Doyle Jackson: 01:35 Would you do me a favor? Would you repeat the following after me, say 8:30, 10:00 and 11:30. You may be asking yourself, why is he making me do that? Because I'm hoping to lock in the Easter times. We've shifted the Easter times, because last year we really filled up our building on Sunday morning, with the two Sunday morning services. Last year we did two Saturday night, and two Sunday morning services here at The Church Next Door. But we were filled to capacity at those first two hours, and we came to the conclusion that people want to come to church on Easter Sunday. So we added a service, and we shifted it. Now you need to know this, that Saturday night at 5:00, that service was actually bigger than this service was last year at that time. And so we know that 5:00 on Saturday is a primo spot, we just dropped off the second service on Saturday. Okay? So if you have to work Easter weekend, and want to come on Saturday, we'd love for you to come. But we need you to shift to an earlier service, if you're willing to. If you're willing to come at 8:30 or 10:00 AM, Alright? But whatever you do not come at 11:00, that will be right in the middle of the transition, it will be confusing. And so we need you to come, we want you to bring your friends to come, we want it to be a big weekend. The reason we shifted is to make sure we have room for everybody.
Doyle Jackson: 03:03 One of the great things about The Church Next Door that you may not know, is we're actually not that small, but we don't know it, because we're only together here one at a time. That's why Friday night was fun with the egg hunt, because you got to mingle and mix with people from the different services. We love being kind of a smaller church feel, but having the capacity to do great things for God,as a large group of people. That's why Easter is fun. We're going to touch thousands of people over the next few weeks, but we still have the small church feel, okay? We want you to be a part of that, but I need you to be real intentional about looking at those times. Today when you leave, we have invitations. It's called a sweet invitation for you we want you to take these and give them away. They have a Cheryl's cookie attached to them. This year we went with Cheryl's cookies. We decided not to do mugs, because we can do more of these, and we can touch more lives. We would love for you to take every one of these when you leave today, and give them away this week. Because it's an invite to the egg hunt, as well as Good Friday, and Palm Sunday, and all that's happening over the next two weeks. So please take six, take twelve, whatever you can give away at work, at school, in your neighborhood. Alright?
Doyle Jackson: 04:22 With that said, I want to get on with Paul, and Real. We've been doing this study of real people in the Bible and I've been excited about it, it's been a lot of fun for me. I hope it's been fun for you. Alright? The reason is this, I think sometimes we kind of get detached from the Bible, and it's a book, and it's not about real people. The Bible is full. It is full of God's people, and their personal biographies. Okay? And we miss the biography part, we miss the people part, because of our own, just stepping away from that. And so we've been talking about real people, and we've been going through and looking at their lives. And so this is the last week I'm doing it for now, but we're going to come back to real people later this year, because we've not even covered all the people we want to cover. Okay?
Doyle Jackson: 05:16 But today we're going to talk about Paul, and the reason Paul is so interesting to us, is he wrote much of the New Testament. But he was not one of the twelve. He was actually this guy who opposed, he was against the Christian movement. He was against what they were doing, and he wasn't against it for bad reasons. He actually had good reasons, and so I want to unpack that with you today, and I want to talk to you about it. Because what's interesting about Paul, even though he opposed it, he became the most vocal person inviting other people to learn about the way of Jesus.
Doyle Jackson: 06:02 Before I get to that, I just have a quick question for you, have any of you watched any basketball lately? Okay, that's good, that's good. Alright. I know we're a little disappointed about last night, but it's okay, we still are going to be all right. Take a deep breath, life is fine. Alright? This is my question for you. If I had four tickets to the final four, and I told you that my tickets are courtside side, and with those tickets I have hotels, I have your airfare, and I have food vouchers for the final four. Would you like to come be my guest to the final four? How many of you would be in? Yeah. Yeah. Even a couple of you don't even like basketball. Alright? Now why is that? Because you know, well, it's court side, these are great seats. It's going to be a good time right? Now I'm going to switch it on you just a little bit, I'm going to switch it on you just a little bit. At the last minute, I've got to tell you this, I know it's sad, but I can't go. Would you be willing to take those four tickets, and could you fill the other three seats? You'd say, of course, no problem if you're covering all that stuff, big deal. No, no, no, I've got it, please give me the tickets, give me the tickets, give me the tickets. And I said, well, I've got to switch it on you, just one more thing. Okay. Alright? I'm going to give you the three people that you got to take, and be there with. Well now you're beginning to go, well I don't know man, you're pretty square. I don't know if I'm going to like the people that you're going to send with me. But then you're thinking about a little bit more and say, well, as weird as you are, it is court side, and I'm going to feel like I'm in the midst of the game. Who knows? One of the future hall of fame NBA players may dive for the ball, and land on me, and I'm going to get to tell everybody for the rest of my life. You know that this shirt that I've kept since then, still has sweat. You know what I'm saying? You know I've got DNA from an NBA guy. You know? And see, the reason is this, the idea that you would get to be that close, that you get to be a part of all the emotion and the action, and you would feel like you were a part of it. Well, this is the story of Paul.
Doyle Jackson: 08:30 Paul was invited by God to see what he was doing, and Paul's life was so transformed by it. But what transformed Paul, was that he was willing to say yes to God. When God said, Paul, I'm going switch it on you, and I want you to go to the people I want you to go to. Not just bring the people along with you that you like, and the people that you want. Because see, God sent Paul, this Jewish boy, he sent them to the Gentiles. God said, I need you to give the message, I need you to give the invitation of Jesus to people that are far from God, in far flung places. And Paul said, God, that's what I want, I want to be ringside for what you’re doing.
Doyle Jackson: 09:19 If you would, get out your notes. Open up the app, follow along, you can take notes there. You know what I'm excited about next weekend? I'm excited about next weekend because there's going to be a donkey here, another donkey besides me, and I'm going to see if he'll speak. Okay? That would be so cool. Right? Every time we have a donkey here, I'm just waiting for him to speak like Balaam’s donkey. Alright? Court side seats, this is what I wrote in your notes. I want you to see it. I want you to think about it. It says, Paul's perspective on Jesus and the Church are unique, as one who originally hated and oppose the message of Jesus, but God interrupted his life plans and gave him a ring side seat. Paul accepted God's invitation to serve him, and turned the world upside down. That's what Acts 17:6 says about Paul, "You're turning the world upside down."
Doyle Jackson: 10:13 So let me give you the backstory on Paul. Paul's a really interesting figure, because the Bible tells us that he was a Roman citizen in Acts 16. He was a Jew from the city of Tarsus in Cilicia, that's an acts 21. And finally it says he was a former student, of the law, with Gamaliel. Now the reason those three facts are really important is that most of the time you and I just read through the Bible, and we read them, and we're like, Yada, Yada, Yada. Okay? We don't understand the depth, and the importance of that. When it says that Paul was a Roman citizen, it means that Paul was part of a wealthy family. This is because in the ancient Roman world, in order to be a Roman citizen, you had to have the financial means to be a part of that. It was about a birthright where you were born, but it also meant that you would swear allegiance to Caesar, and Caesar was a God. And if you're Jewish, you're not allowed to have any other gods, besides God.
Doyle Jackson: 11:23 And so the only way you can get around that is if you knew somebody who was willing. There was a brief clause that said, well, Jews can be Roman citizens if they'll swear allegiance to Caesar, even though they worship Yahweh. But you had to get someone who is willing to accept your testimony on that, and it generally required a lot of money. And so what it means about Paul, is that that Paul was this Jewish boy who had a father who had wealth enough and had relationship to get him, as a Jewish person, Roman citizenship. And once you had that citizenship, it was like gold because it protected you wherever you went, because nobody wanted to mess with the Roman legions. It's so if you walked into a city, you were protected by your birthright as a Roman citizen, and not many Jews had that. They didn't have the resources, they didn't have the means, to make that happen. There are many people that were born in a Roman city, but didn't have the right, didn't have the ability, to get that squared off on their life. But Paul had this, and because he was born in Tarsus, he knew about the urban world. He knew about the Roman culture, he knew about their cities, and he knew how they were arranged. And he knew something about it, because the Romans had a pattern to the way they built cities. When you walked into a Roman city, you automatically knew how to get around. They had a that a particular system with every city, and Paul knew that. But his father loved God, and he wanted Paul...His name is a boy was Saul, when he met Jesus, he became Paul. His father invested the money to have him taken to Jerusalem, because he wanted his son to really love God, and see the heart of God's people, and he goes there to study under Gamaliel.
Doyle Jackson: 13:17 Now, we talked a couple of weeks ago, when we talked about Luke, we talked about what it meant to have a rabbi, and that it was a real privilege to get a rabbi. But Gamaliel was just no rabbi, Paul's daddy paid for him to have the best rabbi alive at that day. How do we know that? Because Gamaliel was the grandson of Hillel. If you are Jewish, and you grew up in a Jewish home, to this day you hear the stories of Hillel and Shammai. Hillel and Shammai were the two most famous rabbis of the first century, and Paul studied with the grandson of one of those guys. That means that Gamaliel sat at Passover with Grandpa Hillel, and as a student of Gamaliel, Paul had Passover with Gamaliel. While the other disciples were having it with Jesus, just around the corner in Jerusalem. Because of that relationship, Paul had the credentials, he had the Pharisees approval, and actually urging, to stamp out this new movement among the Jews of following a man named Jesus of Nazareth. And he loved God so much, and he loved these men and women that were teaching him about God in Jerusalem. He wanted to honor them, and he wanted to do what was best, and he thought it was best to stop the way of these Jesus followers. And so he was, he was the head of the people that were stamping out this new movement, because they were afraid it would destroy Judaism.
Doyle Jackson: 15:15 There was a young disciple, of Jesus, named Steven, and Paul was part of the insurrection to kill this young man. He admits later that he held all their coats, so their arms would be free to throw stones and murder this boy who proclaimed Jesus was the messiah. What really upset them, was that Steven said that God is so great, so glorious, so wonderful that he does not want to worship in a building, he wants to worship through and in humanity who he built. That your body is the temple that God wants to worship through, and they stoned him for saying it, and Paul held their coats. What you and I have to understand about. Paul was this. He was trying to love God with all his heart, with all his mind, and all his strength, but he missed God in the midst of that. And it's a telling story for you and I because we can really try, we want to worship God, but we still miss God. I mean there's no indication that Paul ever got to set on a hillside in Galilee and hear Jesus teach. He never sat at Jesus' feet like Mary of Bethany, because in his world that would be unthinkable.
Doyle Jackson: 16:52 Can I tell you, some of us, there was a time in our life it was unthinkable that we would come to church. Sunday morning is too primo a time for me to waste in church. Look at us now. Paul opposed Jesus, because he thought he was doing the right thing to oppose Jesus. There's a new movie coming out this week, it’s called the Apostle Paul. I want to show you a clip of a Luke interviewing Paul in a Roman prison, and he's retelling his heart, and just watch it.
Doyle Jackson: 17:41 (Movie clip)
Doyle Jackson: 19:31 Not long after that, Paul was on a mission with papers from the Pharisee's of Jerusalem, to destroy the Jesus followers in Damascus. And while on his way there, God interrupted him, and gave him an invitation to follow Jesus too. He's totally transformed by that experience. God stopped him, got stopped him in his opposition, God stopped him in his anger, and his cynicism, and forgave him and gave him a new life. In Acts Chapter 9, it tells the story of how a bright light showed up, and God said, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? He says, who is this? It's Jesus, the one you're persecuting? He says, I need you to go to Damascus, stay with a man, I'll show you what to do, and Paul accepts that invitation. Scripture says that he was blinded by that experience, and they had to lead him by the hand to Damascus. But for the rest of Paul's life, after that experience, he told everyone that if you will accept Jesus, you will be a citizen of heaven. See, Paul understood now, that the most important citizenship you could have was not to be a part of the Jewish community, not to be a part of Rome, but to be a citizen of Heaven as a follower of Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life.
Doyle Jackson: 21:43 It says in Acts 9:10, it says, "In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord calls him in a vision "Ananias!" Yes, Lord, he answered. The Lord told him, go to the House of Judas on Straight Street and asked for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision, he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight." What Ananias does is remarkable, and Ananias is just a Jesus follower in Damascus, and God speaks to him in a vision. He says, Hey, Ananias, I need you to go to Straight street and pray for this guy. And think about that, can you imagine if God asked you to go pray for somebody? If God said, Hey, I need you to go a knock on your neighbor's door and pray for them. You'd say something like, you've got to be kidding, that's the neighbor that hates me. He complains about my dog, and every time I'm out, he has some nasty remark to say. Well for Ananias, Saul was the one. Paul was the one that was trying to destroy the Jesus followers. And Ananias is like, God, you got to be crazy. God says, no, I'm working on him. I've given him an invitation, and you are the end of that invitation,
Doyle Jackson: 23:01 And Paul on the other side of it, he's at Judas' house, and God speaks to him. The Bible tells us that for three days he wouldn't need anything, he was fasting, he was praying, and he was seeking God. He could not see, and he's like, God, I don't understand. This is too crazy, and God says, I'm going to send someone to you by the name of Ananias, and he's going to pray for you, and he's going to open your eyes. And when I read that story, I see something that's really remarkable, and it's this idea that you and I were called into community. That what God wants to do in our lives, he doesn't want to do with us singly, he wants to do it as a part of God's community. See, God could have spoken to Paul directly. We know that because he already did that. He could have transformed his life.
Doyle Jackson: 23:45 And this is what you and I do, we sit and we say to God, well, God, you know you can do it. I don't need to go to church, I don't need anybody else. But God says, no, I need you to see that you do need others. See, this is why Jesus came in the flesh, God has always used the community human element to heal us. The reason that you and I are going to invite people this Easter season to the egg hunt, and the church, and all this is because they need to see it in community. Because the world is desperate for hope in the midst of community. It is not enough for you to sit at home alone and know the peace of God, it needs to permeate beyond you, into other people. And when Paul said, okay, I'll go get to know these Jesus followers, he was submitting to becoming a part of community. And when Ananias was going to...See, sometimes we need to say yes to God, we have to say yes to rubbing elbows with other people. And what it does when you and I say yes to God, it does open our eyes, and sometimes people can see things that we can't see, and they help us see. That's what community is about.
Doyle Jackson: 25:02 It says that Paul was so transformed by this experience, that he heals him, immediately, he says, what else do I need to do? They said, well, you need to be baptized in water, they take him and they dunk him in water, and he comes out and he's like, oh man, this is awesome. Then they lay hands, and they pray over him, and he receives the Holy Spirit. What they're talking about in Acts 2 in terms of Pentecost, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And now he's empowered to be a witness, he's so charged, he's got to share with everybody about Jesus. Look what it says in Acts 9:19, just a few verses that follow, it says, "Saul, spend several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, isn't he the man who raised havoc and Jerusalem among those who call on his name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests? Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah."
Doyle Jackson: 26:13 These guys were like confused about the transformation in Paul's life. Let me ask you a question. How has your life changed since coming to know Jesus? See, Paul was an angry man, Paul was one who made lists of right and wrong, and he tried to live up to some list, some standard. Yes, he took most of it from God, but much of it he took from man's understanding, and he just realized that was not working. What I love about the story of Paul, is that he realized that the gospel of Jesus was not just to save you. See, the gospel of Jesus was not given, Jesus did not rise from the dead just to give you eternal life in heaven. Paul understood that Jesus' message was to transform you. Where there was hatred, Paul received forgiveness and new life. He went from being a murderer, to a teacher of the love, and the way of Jesus Christ.
Doyle Jackson: 27:20 See Jesus did not go to the cross, and to the grave, and beyond just to give you eternal life. Is that part of it? Yes. But Jesus went to the grave, and to the cross, so that you and I could be transformed, so that God could heal that brokenness within us, so that God can restore us. Listen, this is what I know about Jesus. Jesus cures addiction. Jesus heals the brokenness of your soul. Jesus can take where you have been abused, forsaken, and rejected, and he gives you acceptance, and love, and new life. See what Paul preached, wherever he went was this, Jesus is the way, and Jesus will give you a new life. He will help you to be self-controlled, full of the Holy Spirit, and alert for life. Tonight I'm going to talk more about that at Deeper Life at 5:00. If you want to learn more about this, because it's the mature part of the Kingdom of God, that Paul taught wherever he went.
Doyle Jackson: 28:36 But answer the question, how are you different today because of Jesus? Because if you know that, then you can tell other people. There are people in the world around you, who need to hear your story. They need to hear about how God healed your marriage, how God gave you new life, how God rescued you, how God has restored you. Some of you have been healed of cancer. Some of you have been healed of a brokenness, that you tried to answer with alcohol, but never would work. Jesus is the only God that can heal the brokenness in our lives. And that's what Paul did, wherever he went, that's what he shared with all people.
Doyle Jackson: 29:25 I want to give you Paul's kind of methodology. Wherever he went, Paul was an inviter. See Paul saw that God invited him to have a ringside seat, and so wherever he went, he invited other people to have a ringside seat. And what he wanted to leave behind was this idea. Whoever follows the way, whoever follows Jesus, that you would be an inviter too, you've got to share this. And Paul's methodology was to share publicly, and house to house. What does that mean? When Paul entered one of these Roman cities...And what's amazing about Paul, God had been working in his life, and preparing him just to be this evangelist, this church planter, wherever he went. Because he knew the Roman city, he knew the Roman world, but he also knew the Old Testament. And he knew Jesus and the work of Jesus. And he could combine all of this, he could walk into a city, he could go to a synagogue, he could go to a public square, he could go to a city park, this is his pattern, and he could preach about Jesus publicly. And then he also met with them house to house, in their communities, in their neighborhoods, and shared Jesus there.
Doyle Jackson: 30:35 Look what it says in Acts 20:20, it's one of my favorite scriptures, "You know that I Paul, have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house." Folks, this is why we tell you here, we want you to be prepared when you go into Walmart, to be able to talk about Jesus. Be praying as you're walking through, because who knows, in the midst of public you might need to pray for somebody. God might lead you, and say this dad needs encouragement, this mom needs encouragement. This person needs to hear a voice from you, speaking of God's love. Paul did that wherever he went. The reason that we have an egg hunt, the reason we do all this in a big way, is we want to be very public about our love for Jesus. But we also need to be willing to do it house to house with people. Some of you know our mission statement, here at The Church Next Door, is moving people closer to God, and at the core of that we want to do it publicly and house to house.
Doyle Jackson: 31:35 This week Jennifer had to go and get a new phone. Hers was not working properly, and so everyone here knows that pain. I got to get a new phone pain, and so she goes into the phone store and she says, my phone is dying, it's not working, I got to get a new phone. And she says, I need it to be able to take really good pictures, and I need to be able to take good video. I need a good phone, you know? He says, well, why do you need that? She says, well, in a few weeks I'm going to Africa. He said, you're going to Africa, why are you going to Africa? She says, well, our church has built an orphanage in Africa, and I'm going to go see the orphanage and check on it. She said, they're going to start, the kids are moving in, and all this stuff is happening at the orphanage, and I just want to check on that. And she said, this young man at the phone store begins to tear up. He said, Oh man, I would love to do something meaningful like that. I would love to be a part of something meaningful like that, what a cool job. She says, well, come be a part of The Church Next Door, and you can do something meaningful like that.
Doyle Jackson: 32:57 Now Jennifer comes out of that meeting on the phone, and she goes to see another friend of ours that goes to another church, someone we love, loves Jesus, all in on God Jesus. I got to tell you about this neat experience I had with the phone guy, and she's telling the story I just told you, and our friend says, oh my gosh, that just gives me goosebumps. She said, that's really meeting people right where they are. And Jennifer said, well, that's the vision statement of The Church Next Door. She said, oh my gosh, that gives me goosebumps. She said, yeah, that's our vision, we want everybody in the church to meet people right where they are, with the love of Jesus the way Jesus did. Because Jesus, the way, the truth and the life, he just accepted people right where they were. He didn't have to be anything special. It didn't matter if you were a prostitute, it didn't matter if you were a teacher of the law, it didn't matter if you're a fisherman, it didn't matter if you're a man or you're a woman, it didn't matter if you were Jewish or a Gentile, Jesus always met people right where they are. He loved the, and he invited them to live a different life, a life under the leadership of God, where God makes the decisions. See, that's what you and I are doing. That's what this place is about, and you need to know something. Right now, we're on about a 10 or 11 of intensity over the next few weeks. We need everybody in, everybody helping, because you are, and I am, the best messengers of the Jesus way of life.
Doyle Jackson: 34:31 Paul had this pattern, because he was a life transformed. He said, we have an obligation to share. In Romans 10:13-15 says, "For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then can they call the name of the one they have not believed in, and how can they believe in one of whom they have not heard, and how can they hear without someone preaching to them, and how can anyone preach unless they are sent as it is written? How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news? What Paul is saying is this, he's saying simply, you know, if you and I who've known the salvation of Jesus, if we don't go and share, how else are they going to know? And he says, it's the most beautiful thing you can do to share your faith with other people. Recently Kathie Lee Gifford was on TV, and she's talking about how Jesus changed her life, and how much God has done for her. And they said, why do you always talk about Jesus, Kathie Lee? She said, well, come on, if I knew the cure for cancer, I would tell you, I would tell you. And I've got the cure for the brokenness within your soul, and I just want to share it with as many people as possible. You can listen, or you don't have to listen, but I've got to share. That's Paul. That's Paul. And wherever Paul went, he invited you and I, and the church to share. And in this season people are especially open to receiving that message.
Doyle Jackson: 36:03 I think about Paul, and I think about every time he'd roll into a city, and what compelled him to share. And one of the things had to be pushing on him, was this memory of standing there and holding the coats, while he's watching Steven die. He had heard how eloquently Steven spoke. And I imagine it caused him to think, I've got to share the message clearly and compellingly, the way Steven did. Because of me, he's not alive. I know that feeling. I was in junior high. I had this Bible class at school, and the teacher was asking us questions about our spirituality in our life, and he asked for hands, and I look around the room and no one else is raising their hand, and I didn't raise my hand. I knew the answer, and I was all in on that, but I just couldn't do it then and there. And I remember walking out in the hallway and leaning up against my locker and saying, oh God, forgive me. I'm so sorry I was ashamed of you, and I will never let that happen again. And it has changed me, and I imagine it changed Paul. And wherever Paul went, he challenged the Christ followers, that's why he planted so many churches, that's why so many of the people went and shared with other people. They even went to the point of death.
Doyle Jackson: 37:31 Look at this last principle of Paul, hearing is the key to believing. You foolish Galatians, who has been bewitched you? Before your very eyes, Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you. Did you receive the spirit by the works of the law or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by the means of the spirit. Are you now trying to finish, by means of the flesh? Have you experienced so much in vain? If it really was in vain? So again, I ask, does God give you his spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? So also Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.
Doyle Jackson: 38:21 What's Paul talking about? What Paul is talking about is that many of us, we come to know Christ. We believe in Christ Jesus as our savior, because someone shares that message with us, we hear it. And we say, okay, believe maybe God could have enough love for me, that God could forgive me, and give me a new life, and so we accept Jesus and immediately we step into eternity. But then you know what we do. Then we began to believe that the other broken places in our life, the other things that need to be healed, the other things that need to be dealt with, that somehow we're going to do them by us being good, and making a list of things to do. And Paul said, oh, foolish Galatians, you cannot do that. You cannot think that the rest of the work of God in your life is going to be solved by knowledge and understanding a list. He said, nope, you have to go back to that same holy spirit that brought you life and salvation. If you will listen to the Holy Spirit he'll bring healing to your life. If you will listen to the teaching, and you'll do life in community, I will bring restoration.
Doyle Jackson: 39:24 And look this week, just this week, one of our friends said to us, you know, God showed me that I have a broken heart. That there's something that goes back in my life that's really deep, and it was just God spoke that into me. And for the next few weeks I'm just going to listen to the Lord, I'm going to pray, I'm going to read the word, and I'm going to let him restore that part of my life. See, the rest of the work that God needs to do in us, is a work he needs to do, and we just have to say yes and say, okay, lead me. How do I get free from the abuse that I received? How do I know that I'm accepted and loved? After all the rejection I've felt over my life, The same way that Jesus saved you, he will heal that, and deliver you and set you free. And that's what we want to offer people this Easter. We want to offer them not just salvation, but the transforming, healing power of God, that can do all that we need, more than you ever asked or imagined. Amen.
Doyle Jackson: 40:36 So this is what I would like to do for you today. If you would stand, I would like to pray over you, and I would like to ask God's anointing on your life. That in the same way he gave Ananias a picture of who he was to go to, I'm praying that God will give you a picture of the people he wants you to go to, maybe it'll be four or five or six who knows it. All you have to do to participate in this prayer, is when I'm done if you say amen, that means you agree and you want it to happen in your life. And if you don't, I give you freedom to listen to the prayer and say, no way that scares me, I'm not ready for that. I'm good with that. Alright? So let's pray. Heavenly father, I come before you in the name of Jesus, and I thank you for the men and women that are in this room. God only you could bring so many people, from so many backgrounds, of such beautiful variety. But God, you've brought us here because you are sending us out to the people of Columbus, Lord, and this surrounding area, which are of a beautiful variety, and we are the perfect people to invite them. God would you anoint us, would you open our eyes to see, would you open our ears to hear who it is you're inviting. God, I pray that we're going to hear testimonies of people who just said, I was just wondering what I was going to do for Easter, and now you've answered it. God, let us be those people. Send us to the people the same way you sent Ananias to Paul and transformed his life. Lord, may you send us to the people that you want to work in their lives, and God, would you work in us? God, help us to drop our anger, our fears, our pasts and be restored by you. That is our prayer today. In the precious name of Jesus' we pray, and all who wanted it said, Amen.
Doyle Jackson: 42:32 Well, thanks for coming. Can I give you a line on what to do for your invitation? Just ask them this question, say, have you got any plans for Easter? Have you got any plans for Easter? Alright, have a great week. Hey, if you want to come back tonight at 5:00, I going to do a Deeper Life.
Recorded in Columbus, Ohio.
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