Acts 15:36-16:5

Good morning, everyone.

Would you turn with me to Acts, chapter 15.

Acts 15 · chapter mention

We're looking at verses 36 into chapter 16, verse 5.

That's page 924 in the Pew Bible, if you want to follow along there.

Acts 15.

Let me read this passage for us.

After some days, Paul said to Barnabas,

Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaim the word of the Lord and see how they are.

Now, Barnabas wanted to take with them John, called Mark.

But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work.

And there arose a sharp disagreement so that they separated from each other.

Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus.

But Paul chose Silas and departed.

Having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.

And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra.

A disciple was there named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer.

But his father was a Greek.

He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium.

Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him.

And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places.

For they all knew that his father was a Greek.

As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem.

So the churches were strengthened in the faith.

And they increased in numbers daily.

Let's pray.

God, we thank you for your word.

And Lord, we thank you for this time that we get this morning to read it and to study it and to hear it proclaimed to us.

Lord, would the words of my mouth and the meditation of all our hearts be pleasing in your sight.

Our rock and our redeemer.

Amen.

Amen.

Well, in the last verse of this little section from Acts, we have a picture of local churches that are both deep and wide.

Every night, well, almost every night, my family spends a little time reading the Bible together and singing some kids' songs.

And that's one of our kids' favorite songs, Deep and Wide.

Do you know that one?

I won't sing it for you.

But Luke ends this section by saying that they were strengthened in the faith.

That is, they were deep.

And they increased in numbers daily.

That is, they were wide.

They were theologically rich.

And they were evangelistically effective.

Now, I don't know about you.

But my sneaking suspicion is that most churches, at least most churches I've been a part of, tend to sort of tip or lean kind of one way or the other, don't they?

That some congregations tend to be really rich theologically.

They love going deep into doctrine and Bible study and discussing these things richly.

And other churches tend to be really evangelistically and missionally creative.

And they take risks.

And they're doing great things along those lines.

But very rarely does it seem like you've got a church that's both deep and both wide.

And you might be wondering, I wonder which way Trinity tips on that scale.

And you know what I found as I've been a part of this church for a number of years is that it kind of depends who you ask, actually.

Sort of depends on your background.

Some people show up at Trinity and you're like, you guys are all head.

Where is the heart?

And then other people show up and say, man, this is great.

You're involved in so much mission and evangelism.

But you guys are soft on doctrine.

So, you know, you can't please everyone.

But isn't it true that we need to be both?

That this is what we need both as we seek to build one another up as a church.

And isn't this also what our city needs?

That our city, our communities, they need a local church.

And they need local churches.

Not just us, but all the churches here in New Haven.

That are deep and that are wide.

And lo and behold, Luke right here says,

It's possible and it happens.

And the question is how?

How in the world do we get to be like that?

And in these two paragraphs that make up our little passage this morning,

I think Luke shows us at least how we get along that path.

And the first thing that he shows us as we seek to be a church that's deep and wide,

the first thing is that we have to rely on God's mercy.

This is chapter 15, verses 36 through 41.

So this section sort of, it starts the beginning of Paul's,

what's sometimes called Paul's second missionary journey.

But it also is sort of wrapping up the account of the Jerusalem council that we looked at two weeks ago.

And it begins, as we read in verse 36,

with Paul wanting to return and visit the brothers and sisters in every city where we proclaim the word of the Lord

and see how they are.

Paul wants to go back to these churches that he planted and see how they're doing.

Now notice, just real briefly, notice Paul's love for the local church here.

His heart is not just to see churches started, but to also see them grow and persevere.

To see them continue to grow up spiritually.

John Stott in his commentary on this section says,

Paul was more than a pioneer missionary.

He was also concerned to see churches and believers grow into maturity.

In fact, that little word translated visit in verse 36 is the same word that's sometimes used of care and oversight,

of visiting the sick, of caring for orphans and widows.

There's a heart behind this verse.

And let's pause just briefly as we think about this.

You know, some of you here have a great gift of evangelism.

And some of you are on the front lines of being salt and light in our region through your work or through your other engagements.

And that is great.

But, don't lose your love for the local church.

Jesus said they'll know we're followers by how we love one another.

Wanting the church to grow to maturity isn't just a thing that pastors and elders care about.

It's something that Christians care about.

That we all care about.

Because Christ himself does, you see.

But isn't it also true that the church can be a hard place to love?

I mean, after all, what do we see in this very paragraph?

Paul and Barnabas getting into a sharp disagreement over whether or not to take Mark along with them.

Here it is.

Christians being Christians again.

Disagreeing with each other.

Now, notice first.

That Luke is very careful not to whitewash this event.

Or to whitewash his account of the early church.

He's giving us the reliable history, warts and all.

As he tells us what's going on in these first few decades.

And isn't that just another sign of the New Testament's historical reliability?

After all, if you were sort of concocting a story or writing some propaganda,

you probably wouldn't include or make up this story, would you?

Two heroes of the early church movement falling out because they can't see eye to eye over a personnel decision.

Not exactly the kind of thing you want to cook up and put into your propaganda.

But second, if Luke's being reliable here, he's also careful not to assign blame.

It seems that Paul and Barnabas both had good reasons.

For Paul, you'll remember back in chapter 13,

Mark had turned back on their first missionary journey.

When the going got rough, the kitchen got hot, and he got out.

Somehow that metaphor works, right?

Mark, it seems, is not ready to jump into the fire.

Again, Paul's thinking he's going to hinder the work.

If we go and the same thing happens.

And yet for Barnabas, let's give Mark a second chance.

He's grown.

He's matured.

He will grow.

He will mature.

It's going to be good for him.

Paul, let's take him along.

Classic Barnabas, right?

The encourager.

Now, as you weigh those different rationales, who's right and who's wrong?

Well, they both have pretty good reasons, right?

One valuing the work and the team, the other valuing the person and the individual.

But, you know, regrettably, even though they both had good reasons, they can't agree.

And so they separate.

And that, I think, is a good reminder, or at least this passage should make us consider and remember,

that churches are not perfect places.

And that church leaders aren't perfect people.

Now, this isn't to excuse wrongdoing, to excuse blatant sin.

That needs to be called out and repented of.

But, you know, it is to say that ultimately, we don't become followers of Christ and come to love his church

because the church is so flawless.

No, the church is full of sinful people who need grace.

And who continue to need grace.

After all, isn't that the central part of the Christian message?

That we can't do it on our own.

And that we need someone to rescue us.

We become Christians and learn to love the church, not because of the church, but because of who Jesus is.

And what he's done.

And so if you're here today and you're not a Christian, I hope you see that there's genuine love in and through this community.

I hope you see that.

And I hope it prompts you to look deeper into Christianity.

But trust me, you're not going to find perfect people here.

And I know that because I know myself.

And if you're waiting to consider the claims of Christianity until you find some perfect expression of it,

friend, you'll wait forever.

Instead, consider Christianity because of who Jesus is.

And because of what he's done.

He's the one that all of us as a church are looking to.

So look to him too.

And see what you find.

Now what we ultimately see in this paragraph,

and I think what Luke sort of wants us to take away,

is that God is able to take this regrettable disagreement of Barnabas and Paul,

and actually use it to further his kingdom.

After all, at the end of our text, what do we have?

Instead of one team, we've got two.

Instead of three missionaries, there are four.

Barnabas takes Mark and goes to Cyprus.

That was his home land.

And Paul takes Silas and heads towards what we now call southern Turkey.

And Silas providentially ends up being a great pick for this mission.

We met him, remember, at the end of the Jerusalem Council.

What a strategic choice for Paul to have Jerusalem-approved Silas

delivering the decisions of the Council to these embattled churches of southern Galatia.

And Silas, we learn a little later, was also a Roman citizen,

which ends up being an incredible advantage.

Because as we'll see, even next week,

the Holy Spirit's going to take this new missionary team

that's visiting these churches,

and is going to push them out of Asia,

across the Aegean Sea,

and into Macedonia.

That is, into Europe.

That he's going to take this new team,

and he's going to break new ground.

So how strategic is it that Silas himself is a Roman citizen,

as they get deeper into Roman territory?

So taking a step back, what do we see?

We see that God, in his sovereign mercy,

takes flawed human beings,

and uses even their mistakes,

to advance his kingdom purpose,

to strengthen the church,

and thereby to display more of his glory

to and for the world.

You know, if we're going to be a church that's deep and wide,

this is square one.

We need to rely on God's sovereign mercy.

There needs to be a deep river of trust

that God loves his church more than we ever could,

and he's accomplishing his purposes for his own glory.

And he's going to use us,

even as flawed as we are,

to be part of that.

And again, this doesn't excuse what happened

between these two church leaders.

It's not a license to be careless and foolish,

but it is to say that we need to see

that the ultimate agent in all of this

is God himself.

And won't that make us deep?

If we have that kind of view of God,

the view that Luke and all the other biblical writers have,

that God is king.

That he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

That in him we live and move and have our being.

That all things are from him and through him and to him.

If we really sink our hearts into that magnificent truth about God,

it will make us deep.

To know that God isn't some supercharged projection of Father Christmas,

anxiously rubbing his hands together,

peering over the clouds,

wondering what's going to happen in this mad world.

No!

That God is the boundless

and everlasting creator of all things,

whose roaring majesty will either undo you

or thrill you for all eternity.

And whose glory will one day cover the earth

like the waters cover the sea.

I remember watching a surfing documentary some time ago.

I'm not a surfer,

so I had to watch a documentary.

And one of the things I learned,

one of my friends was into surfing,

so I thought it would be nice.

One of the things I learned was that the best surfers,

the wisest ones,

the most elegant ones on the waves,

were the ones who had really studied the sea.

They were the ones who knew its movement

and they knew its character

and they knew its power.

They spent a long time not just staring at the waves

but feeling the current

and learning how they surged and moved

and they were in awe of this thing

and they were humble before it.

They were the best ones.

They were the ones,

they were the gurus that everyone wanted to get with

and learn.

And friends, in the same way,

that's how we need to be with God.

He's revealed himself in creation

and most of all,

he's revealed himself in his word,

both incarnate and written.

And we need to be humbly

and deeply acquainted

with all that he shows himself to be.

But you know,

understanding God

and his sovereign mercy

won't just make us deep,

it'll also make us wide.

To know this majestic God,

more powerful than a million oceans,

to know that that God

has extended his mercy to us,

not just once at conversion,

but again and again and again.

All of us are Barnabas and Paul,

aren't we?

None of us wants to give in

to the other

when we're in the heat

of a dispute.

None of us wants to admit

that maybe our reasons

aren't the final word

on the subject.

And yet God continues to extend

his unfailing mercy to us.

How could that mercy

we've received

not make us a people

passionate

to show mercy to others?

Even people who disagree with us.

How could it not make us

want to go out

into the world

so that other people,

people just like us,

flawed and hard-headed,

so that those people too

might get a glimpse

of God's undeserved grace?

Those who know mercy

are the ones who show mercy

again and again.

You know,

this isn't the last time

in the New Testament

that we hear about

Paul's relationship

with Mark.

Listen to what Paul writes

later in his ministry.

This is Colossians 4.10.

He tells the church in Colossi,

if Mark comes to you,

welcome him.

And then in 2 Timothy 4.11,

he writes from prison

and tells Timothy,

get Mark

and bring him with you,

for he's very useful to me

for ministry.

And then in Philemon,

verse 23,

he says,

Epaphras,

my fellow prisoner

in Christ Jesus,

sends greetings to you,

and so do Mark

and Aristarchus

and Demas

and Luke,

my fellow workers.

Do you see?

Whatever happened here

in Acts 15,

it didn't grow

a bitter root.

It didn't remain

a source of tension

and separation

for long.

Paul eventually

could say about Mark,

he's my fellow worker

and he's very useful to me.

Go get him

and bring him

in my hour of need.

And oh,

by the way,

when he comes to you,

welcome him

and honor him

because he will bless you.

They were reconciled.

You know,

I often hear people wonder,

how come so many

of my secular

non-Christian friends

seem to be better people,

seem to be so much

more moral people

than some of the Christians

I know.

And you know,

often that's true.

I have some very

generous,

caring,

and compassionate neighbors

who live in our apartment building

who aren't very interested

in Christianity.

And on the one hand,

it's a mark of God's

common grace,

isn't it?

That even people

with no interest

in God

still bear his image

in generosity,

in kindness,

in faithfulness.

But you know,

on the other hand,

I find

one thing

that's not so common

in our world,

and it's mercy.

It's forgiveness.

I don't see a lot

of that

in the world.

Do you?

And that's one reason

why a church relying

on God's mercy

and living it out

will be such

an evangelistically

potent place.

Paul

and Barnabas

and Mark,

they eventually

forgave

and reconciled.

That's the power

of knowing

God's mercy

in Jesus.

So how do we

become a church

that's deep

and wide,

that's strengthening

in the faith

and increasing

in numbers,

that's theologically

rich and missiologically

effective?

First,

we rely on God's

sovereign mercy,

that it's his work

in and through us,

not ours.

But you know,

by itself,

that can seem

pretty passive,

can't it?

Are we just

supposed to sit

around doing

nothing?

Kicking up our

heels,

brewing our

fancy coffees,

checking our

Twitter feeds

every 15 minutes?

I don't even

use my Twitter

account and I get

Twitter emails.

What's up with

that, by the way?

You know,

the book of Acts,

not to mention

the rest of the

Bible,

would suggest

just the opposite,

that this

sovereign God

works ordinarily

through means

and he invites

us into his

great drama

of redemption

and gives us

a role to play.

So while we

rely on God's

mercy,

we're also called

to use a good

godly strategy

and that's what

we see in the

next paragraph,

in chapter 16,

verses 1 through 5.

If we want to

grow deep

and wide,

first we rely

on God's mercy

and second,

we use a good

godly strategy.

In the beginning

of chapter 16,

Paul,

along with Silas,

revisits the churches

he had planted

on his first

journey.

And now there's

a lot we learn

about solid strategic

mission in this

whole section

of the book of Acts,

some of which we'll

have to come back

to in later sermons.

I mean,

think about it.

First,

Paul's planting

churches.

That's key,

right?

He's not just

running outreach

events but starting

healthy local

churches.

And next,

he's doing it

in cities.

That is,

he's finding

the cultural

or political

center of a region,

starting a movement

there,

because he knows

that then it will

naturally spread

to the surrounding

towns and regions.

Those are just

some overarching

things we see

in Acts about

good gospel

mission.

But you know,

here in the beginning

of chapter 16,

we see some more

specific things

that are equally

critical.

people.

And especially

if those churches

are going to

mature in breadth

and depth.

In other words,

think of it like

this.

If church planting

in sort of

cultural political

centers is a sort

of 40,000 foot

view of Paul's

strategy,

if that's what

it looks like

from the air,

then what Luke

is going to

show us here

is what Paul's

strategy looked

like on the

ground,

in the trenches,

in the day-to-day

operations.

And quickly,

there are three

things that we

see here about

a good godly

strategy.

First,

there's faithful

delivery of the

message.

Look again at

verse 4.

As they went

on their way

through the cities,

they delivered

to them for

observance the

decision that

had been reached

by the apostles

and elders who

were in Jerusalem.

Now, if you

were here two

weeks ago,

we looked at

chapter 15,

where the church

had this great

theological debate

about what was

required for

someone to be

accepted by God

and welcomed

into his family.

And what the

church decided

there,

on the basis

of what God

had said in

scripture and

what God had

done,

in their midst,

what they decided

was that salvation

wasn't just for

the Jews.

It wasn't just

for the circumcised.

No, rather,

actually,

salvation comes

to everyone,

Jew and Gentile

alike,

solely and freely

through faith

in Jesus Christ.

That it's not

based on race,

but it's based

on God's grace.

And here we see

Paul and Silas

faithfully delivering

this message

to the churches,

this message

of liberating

grace,

and the churches

grow.

And it's interesting

that the word

deliver here is

actually the same

word that Paul

uses in 1 Corinthians

15, remember Greg

talked about that

last week,

which really describes

the handing down

of authoritative

teaching without any

tampering or any

tweaking.

In other words,

they're saying,

this is what the

church believes

and will always

believe,

we don't need to

change it,

here it is.

Now, as we think

about this today,

how often are we

tempted to tweak

or maybe cover up

certain elements

of the core message

of the gospel?

And sometimes this

even happens

through good intentions,

doesn't it?

We want people to

come to know God

in Christ,

we want them to

hear the gospel

as actually the

good news that it

is, but that can

actually sort of

end up, we can

end up shying away

from certain things

that we think might

be kind of a little

less than palatable

that they might not

want to hear.

But what we see here

is that faithful

delivery of the

message brings good

fruit.

Now, of course,

we have to

contextualize,

we have to speak in

ways that people

understand,

and we have to

address the questions

that they have,

but the message

itself,

this message of

the gospel that

you can say in a

thousand ways,

it doesn't change.

That what Jesus'

apostles taught

under his authority

and what we have

preserved in the

New Testament

is a message of

life-giving power

that we don't need

to tweak or improve

or bring up to date.

And what we find

again and again

is that this message

that doesn't change,

doesn't actually sit

among us as a relic,

a sort of antiquarian

relic that, oh,

that's nice, I can't

believe people believe

that, but no, it

comes among us.

And it does now

exactly what it did

then.

It liberates and it

frees and it heals.

You know, this is one

of the reasons why our

preaching on Sunday

mornings is mainly

expository.

expository.

That is, we take a

text and we move

through it section by

section and teach the

main point of each

passage Sunday after

Sunday.

We're not doing that

because we want to

bore you all to death.

You know.

But we're doing that

because we want to

make sure that we're

delivering faithfully

this liberating good

news of Jesus with

all its implications.

You know, if we

skipped around from

verse to verse,

verse, or even

worse, if I just

shared some warm

devotional thoughts

from my week, not

only would that be

pretty boring after a

while, trust me, I'm

not a very interesting

person.

It would be boring.

But you know, it

wouldn't actually feed

our souls.

Friends, I wonder

that the books that

you like to read and

the speakers that you

like to listen to,

are they teaching

God's word clearly

and accurately?

In that book that you

read, is it a lot of

expounding of scripture

or is it a lot of

sort of cherry picking

of verses and then

running away with an

idea?

Just like Paul and

Silas faithfully

delivered the

apostolic message,

that should be our

strategy too.

But it also involves

not just sort of

faithfully delivering

the message, but it

also involves personal

investment.

Look again at verses

one through three.

Luke introduces us to

another key player in

the story of the early

church, Timothy.

And Paul takes a

personal interest in

this young man and

chooses to intentionally

invest in him.

Now, what's

happening here, this

sort of personal

investment, is not

just for missionaries

and not just for

church leaders.

At one level, Paul

taking Timothy along

with him is just a

heightened example of

healthy discipleship.

Paul's modeling

something for us here.

He's a more mature

person in the faith,

identifying a younger

brother or sister, and

then investing in him

or her personally.

to see him or her

grow towards maturity

in Christ.

Friends, this is what a

healthy church actually

looks like.

Where there's a culture

of this sort of thing.

Where there's a culture

of personal investment

and intentional

discipleship.

A culture where we

want to spend time

with each other to see

one another grow.

You know, I hope that

in the coming years,

our church becomes

more and more a place

where every member

has a Paul in their

life, as it were.

Someone building into

them.

And everybody has a

Timothy in their life

too.

Someone that they're

building into.

And everybody has a

Barnabas or a Silas or

two in their life.

A good friend, maybe at

the same stage as you,

spurring you on.

Wouldn't that be a

beautiful thing?

That the gospel wasn't

just something we

talked about, but

something we lived out

in relationship with

one another.

Some change, some

growth, some progress

towards Christ's

likeness will only

happen in that

context.

We need to be close

enough to one another

so we can imitate one

another.

As we imitate Christ.

So brothers and

sisters, let me ask

you, who are you

building into?

Is there someone

younger in the faith

here in our church

family that you think

you could invest in

personally?

Of course, you might

be thinking, I have no

idea where to start.

That sounds nice on

paper, but no one

ever discipled me.

How do I actually do

that?

Well, here's a good way

to start.

First, start praying for

the people that you

know in the church.

Maybe start with your

small group, for

instance.

And is there anyone

there younger than you

or younger in the

faith?

And then pray for that

person and invite them

out to lunch on Sunday.

And in the course of

your conversation, be

sure to ask them two

questions.

One, hey, what's God

been teaching you

through our small group

lately?

Or if they're not in

your small group, hey,

what's God been teaching

you on Sundays?

What have you been

learning from the book

of Acts?

How's it been

challenging you?

What's been new?

And second, ask them,

hey, how can I pray for

you this week?

And then, actually pray

for them that week.

Right?

And in a week or two,

follow up with what you

talked about and prayed

about and keep the

conversation and the

prayer going.

Doesn't have to be

rocket science, but it

could be revolutionary.

Now, if in a week's

time, someone asks you

to lunch next Sunday,

and they ask you these

questions, don't get all

weirded out.

Uh-oh, they're discipling

me.

They must think I'm really

immature in the faith.

This is weird.

Look, be thankful that

God's starting to use your

church family for what God

designed it to do, to grow

you up in the faith.

Be glad that God's

starting something in

your life.

And, of course, once a

relationship like this

gets off the ground,

there's all sorts of

things you can do

together.

You can read a good

Christian book together.

There's plenty downstairs

in the bookstall.

Just pick one.

Randomly.

Close your eyes.

Grab one.

It'll be edifying.

Just kidding.

Think of ways you can

serve together, right?

Or pick up a, take up a

particular need that you

see in the world or in

our inner city and start

to pray about it together

intentionally, regularly.

Or maybe do that in your

workplace.

That's just a few.

But, of course, building

into someone like this

takes time, doesn't it?

And isn't it time that we

all feel like we don't

have enough of?

But, you know, on the one

hand, I think if you start

with people you already

have some kind of

connection with, I bet

you'll find it's not as

hard as you think to get

that time together.

And remember, too, look,

everybody has to eat.

Everyone has to eat.

Meals are a great time to

do this sort of thing.

Read the Gospels.

Jesus was always eating

with people.

He knew they had to eat.

He wanted to get time

with them.

So he ate with them.

It's a very Christ-like

thing to do.

Grab a meal.

Start discipling each

other.

But, you know, on the

other hand, I hope you

see that this is worth

making the time and

sacrifice for.

Because, first, it's a

surefire way that God

will grow you.

You know, often it's

only when we step out

to minister to others

that God shapes and

matures us in the deep

ways that he really

wants to.

And that's very

exciting to think that

when we step out into

something that might be

a little scary and a

little risk-taking, God's

going to meet us there

and change us more and

more.

But it's not just good

for you.

Friends, this is also an

eternal work.

You have the chance to

impact someone for their

spiritual and eternal

good.

Is there any joy

comparable to that?

Personal investment.

That's the second part of

Paul's strategy.

But the last thing we see

here, not just faithful

delivery, not just personal

investment, but also

costly identification.

identification.

At the end of verse 3,

Paul has Timothy

circumcised.

Welcome to the team.

And you know, of course,

it's not because Paul

thinks Timothy has to get

circumcised.

That was, I mean, as we

said, that was settled at

the Jerusalem Council once

and for all.

Timothy was free to be

circumcised or not.

It wasn't a requirement for

salvation, but he willingly

undergoes it.

Why?

For the sake of sharing the

gospel with, as Luke

says, the Jews who were in

those places, for they all

knew that his father was a

Greek.

1 Corinthians 9 that we read

earlier, that Malcolm read

for us, is a really helpful

cross-reference here.

There we heard Paul say,

I'm willing to become like

the Jews in order to win the

Jews to Christ.

And I'm willing to become like

the Gentiles to win the

Gentiles to Christ.

Not like them in their

sinful practices, but like

them in their culture.

And I'm willing to become

all things to all people,

that by all means I might

save some.

I do it all for the sake of

the gospel, he says.

That I might share with them

in its blessings.

And here we see this

principle being played out in

Timothy's life.

He's willing to become more

Jewish, as it were, in order

to win the Jews, to be an

insider in their culture.

And no doubt, adult circumcision

was a painful procedure.

And yet for Timothy, the joy of

sharing in the gospel blessings

with new converts was greater in

his mind than the pain of

circumcision.

He was willing to joyfully accept

the temporary cost for the sake of

that eternal gain.

Friend, I wonder, have you ever

considered how you might become

more like your neighbors?

Not in their sin, but in their

culture, in order to love them

and show them the grace of

Jesus.

Have you ever thought about how

you might become more of an

insider to their world in order

to love them with the love of

Christ more effectively?

Even if doing so is costly.

You know, for missionaries, this

often requires learning a new

language and dressing in

different clothes and eating new

foods.

But what would it be like for your

neighbors?

That's who God's calling you to

know and to love and to be an

ambassador to.

What would be an example of this?

Well, let's say you have a

neighbor who reads the New York

Times religiously every Sunday.

And something that they've read

always comes up when you talk

with them.

I have some neighbors like that.

Do you?

Well, would we be willing to get a

subscription and read it in order to

enter into their world and to get to

know them and to love them well?

Would you listen to their music?

Would you follow their sports team?

Would you try their food?

Would you frequent their restaurant

or their local hangout?

Would you do all that for the sake of

sharing in the joys of the gospel?

And of course, it's easy to see why we

don't do this.

After all, costly identification is

just that, right?

It's costly.

It takes time and it takes money and

it takes energy.

It takes space in our schedules.

And besides, wouldn't I rather be

listening to my music?

After all, it's way better than

theirs.

Wouldn't I rather be eating at my

restaurant or cheering for my sports

team or reading my newspaper or just

staying in my culture?

It's not just costly, but it's

inconvenient.

It takes me naturally away from what I

feel most comfortable with.

But friends, remember

that there once was a time when someone

took notice of you

and he saw everything that made up your

life.

All of your likes and dislikes

and all of your family background

and he saw all of your cultural

uniquenesses and differences.

And even more than that,

he took notice of all your sin

and all your rebellion.

And in love,

he left everything that was

comfortable.

He left everything that he called home

in order to come and identify

with you.

Not just in your humanity, but also in

your sin.

And he didn't just become like you.

He actually took your place.

He became sin.

Your and my sin.

So that in him,

you could become his

righteousness.

And three days later,

God raised him from the dead

to show that that work

was complete.

You see, friends,

Jesus identified with us

at the most tremendous

cost.

And it has resulted

in our eternal good.

For the joy

set before him,

Hebrews says,

he endured the cross,

despising the shame,

and is seated at the right hand of God,

welcoming all

who come to him.

Friends, how could we not go

knowing

him?

How could we not go

and identify with others

so that we might share with them

in the blessings of the gospel?

It is the most natural thing

in the world

for Christians to do that.

So friends,

this is the strategy.

This is it.

Deliver the message

faithfully.

Invest in one another

personally.

And identify

even when it's costly.

For in doing this,

why is this a,

it's not just a good strategy,

it's a godly strategy.

Why?

Because it's exactly

what Jesus has done for us.

And so Luke shows us

that when we rely

on God's mercy

and when we take up

this Christ-shaped strategy,

that's the path

to growing deep

and wide as a church.

Friends,

imagine

if that's what

Trinity became

in the coming months

and years.

What if this became

a place where we thought

deeply about God,

where his grace

was brought to bear

on all of life,

where we grew

deep, strong,

living roots

in the depths

of the gospel?

But what if this

was also a place

where the spiritually

curious were welcomed

and engaged?

What if this were

a place where

new believers

were multiplying

and encouraged

to grow and ask

questions and work

through their doubts?

What if this is a place

where we went out

with boldness

and with creativity

to raise spiritual

questions

and to open doors

for conversations

about Christ?

Friends,

that's the church

that God's calling us

to be.

And that's the church

that by his grace

he's making us to be.

And as we come

to the table

in just a minute,

it's here that we

get to remember

the center of it all.

Christ crucified

for you and for me.

And here we get

to experience,

to taste and see

the depths

of God's wisdom

and power

and love

on display

in their fullness

at the cross.

But at the table

we're also reminded

of how wide

it goes.

Because here we see

that everyone

who repents

and believes

is welcome

to find their place

in his family

and to come

to feast at the table.

Friends,

let's pray.

God,

we pray

that you would

help us

to do just

what we see

in this passage.

Lord,

make us a church

that's deep

and that's wide.

Lord,

we need

your Holy Spirit

and we need

your gospel

to make that true.

So Father,

take these things

and seal them

in our hearts

as we come

to the table.

Lord,

impress them

deeply upon us,

we pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.