Acts 2:14-47 | Don't Cut Corners

This sermon was recorded at Faith Evangelical Free Church in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

Take no shortcuts.

I don't cut corners simply because lives depend on it.

Those were the words of Hyman Rickover, Navy Admiral who served during World War II and also became known as the father of the nuclear navy.

Reekover was a man on a mission.

His mission build and deploy the world's best and safest nuclear-powered Navy.

But Reeknover quickly became unpopular because he moved at a snail's pace, a stickler for precision.

With spiraling costs and pressures from taxpayers, he eventually was called in by none other than President Ronald Reagan to intervene.

As Reagan questioned him, the tenacious admiral said to President Reagan, don't rush me.

Don't ask me to cut corners, because lives depend on it.

And as tensions with the Soviets grew, expanding their nuclear fleet at light speed at a fraction of Rick Over's cost, their arms race would be upped.

Know in full swing, the outcome is who will have the best and the safest nuclear-powered Navy?

That question I will answer in the end.

So don't doze off.

Don't cut corners, lives depend on it.

And that can be seen in this portion of the book of Acts.

Acts 2:14–47

Chapter 2, verses 14 to 47.

It's a mammoth text, and I'm not going to explain everything to you.

That will take at least six hours.

But one thing you will see here is the Apostle Peter's commitment to and his clarity of his mission.

His mission had intended consequences, which I would explain.

But let me turn here to author and theologian Michael Horton.

He says, there is no mission without the church, and no church without the mission.

As we go through this passage this morning, I will show you the mission of the apostles that had intended consequences.

First, I'm going to look at the explanation of Scripture, then the exhortation of the gospel, and then the intended consequence, the expansion of the church.

And I'm going to anchor these in those three verses, verse 14, and Peter taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them.

In other words, he preached to them.

And then the exhortation in the gospel and verse 40, and with many other words, he solemnly testified and kept on what?

Exhorting them, saying, Be saved from this perverse generation.

And then, of course, the intended consequence, the expansion of the church.

Verse 47.

Praising God and having favor with all people, and the Lord was adding to the number day by day, those who were being saved.

The point of Acts 2, verses 14 to 47 is there is no mission without the church and no church without the mission.

Acts 2:14–47

The emphasis of the book of Acts is there is no mission without the church and no church without the mission.

To quote Jesus' own words in Acts 1.8, you will be my witnesses unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Acts 1.8.

And so as we look here at this mammoth passage, it gives us a glimpse into the first missionary and evangelistic endeavors in the church, even before there was a church.

This was the endeavor of the Apostle Peter.

Now, I want to say this the book of Acts is not a book of prescriptive methodology.

It is a narrative, a historical narrative.

But I would say there is a replicable and repeatable pattern all through the book of Acts, which I think should serve at least some form of template to do evangelism emissions.

Acts 2 really captures for us three elements of the early church's mission, which I do believe serves as a template for modern missions and for the modern church.

And number one is the explanation of Scripture, number two, the gospel, the exhortation of the gospel, and number three, the expansion of the church.

Let's run through those three things.

And let me tell you this.

I do believe if any one of those three are absent anywhere, you have no mission and you have no church.

You have no missionary and you have no church.

For something rightly to be called church and for something rightly to be called missions, I think those three elements have to be there.

Why?

Because I grew up on the mission field.

I grew up in the mission field, and I am the product of missionary.

I was not a missionary, I was the recipient of missionary work in South Africa.

And as the Lord saved me through the work of a missionary, uh, I was thinking back on the time that I went to a village with my pastor about three hours from my home in Pretoria, South Africa.

And there I met a missionary.

This man took shortcuts in the explanation of Scripture.

He cut corners when it came to gospel exhortation.

And then he rushed into planting churches and finding people to pastor those churches, dozens of them.

He looked very successful just at the surface.

But what became of those church plants in later years?

Many of them became syncretistic, meaning that they were incorporating spiritism and animism with Christianity.

Even one story was that when the church's tithing went down, one of the pastors called the witch doctors to drive out the spirit of poverty.

The rest of the church plants, almost all of them, embraced the charismatic health and wealth movement with open arms.

Just a mess.

Just a mess.

But it's not all bad.

There's good.

There's good missions.

In 1995, a church in Los Angeles sent a missionary to Pretoria, South Africa.

His sole purpose was to preach the good news through expositional preaching.

I sat there Sunday after Sunday hearing this pastor explain the word of God verse by verse.

And then that would be followed by a vocal and passionate exhortation to embrace the gospel or die in your sins.

This little church started with two students from the University of Praetoria, but soon it birthed a thriving church, Grace Fellowship Praetoria.

There I got saved.

Today that little church is thriving and bustling, and it has a Bible school, and it sends missionaries all over South Africa.

That church, I think, has cranked out about four or five pastors in its existence, one being yours truly.

Just like Admiral Rick Hover, my pastor in South Africa, was a missionary and he was a stickler for doing things right.

He never cut corners, he never took shortcuts, and never brushed things.

Because he was trained to do missions as if lives depended on it.

So let's begin here with the explanation of the word in verse 14.

Read with me.

Acts 2, verse 14.

Acts 2:14

But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them.

That word declared to them is indicative of him preaching a sermon or doing a public address.

And what is going to happen here is he's going to explain to people what just happened at Pentecost.

If you remember from last week, at Pentecost, the apostles broke out speaking what?

In foreign languages, right?

And so there needed to be some explanation for what was happening there.

There were hundreds, if not thousands, if not ten thousands, of Pentecost pilgrims there who were confused about what was happening there.

And who takes the stand there than none other, the erratic, fickle, sword heel-wielding, ear-chopping, zealot fisherman, foot-shaped mouth?

Peter.

It's amazing what Jesus can do with somebody.

And it's even more amazing what Jesus can do with somebody when they're indwelled and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

So none other than Peter takes the stand and he preaches a sermon bar none.

So where did he learn all this?

Turn to Luke 24 quickly.

And I'm gonna be there first because I got my marker in my Bible.

Luke 24, 27.

Here is the morning of the resurrection.

Uh Jesus has made his appearances to the women, and then he is on the road to Emmaus.

And there's a group of pilgrims who attended the Passover and they confused about what was happening there.

And what happens?

What happens in verse 27 of Luke 24?

Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, he explained to them the things concerning himself in all the scriptures.

Jesus preached an expositional sermon while walking.

Verse 32, and the intended consequence of preaching that sermon was they said to one another, were not our hearts burning within us as he was speaking to us on the road while he was what?

Explaining scriptures to us.

I think somewhere in Peter's schooling he realized that Jesus was really a stickler for explaining things to people.

You see, here in Acts 2, if you go back to Acts 2, verses 16-21 forms the first part of Peter's explanatory sermon.

Acts 2:16–21

And what he does, he explains the prophet Joel to show that the new coming ministry of the Holy Spirit has come into full effect.

The Holy Spirit has been poured out, the people have been filled with the Holy Spirit, they have been speaking in tongues, foreign languages, and these contained prophecies.

These are all things that came into fulfillment on Pentecost.

And so, firstly, Peter explained to them the promise of the Holy Spirit through the prophet Joel.

He opened up the Old Testament.

Verses 21 to 36, Peter then transitions through the promise of the Savior.

Peter then transitioning to Psalms, especially Psalm 16 and Psalm 110, he explains that to them in more detail as how it pertains to the promised Messiah, who, after all, gave his blood as the sign of the new covenant.

This Messiah would be crucified, he would be buried, and he would also rise from the dead.

And Peter showed that to them from the scriptures.

Opening up the prophets and the scriptures.

He explained to them things that they needed answers for.

And this pattern, my dear friends, is all through the book of Acts.

It's all through the book of Acts.

This simple exposition of Scripture.

It's part and parcel of the package of being a missionary apostle.

Let me show you a little bit of that pattern.

I mean, this is just a slice of the pie, a very small slice of the pie.

Let me give you some examples.

Acts 4, chapter 2.

The apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in the name of Jesus Christ the resurrection from the dead.

Acts 5.42.

And every day in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease what?

Teaching and preaching.

I even put the highlights there to show you.

Man, this is all over.

In Acts 6.4, the apostle says, look, our job is not to take care of the widows.

Our job is to pray and to minister the word, not serving tables.

This pattern of teaching, preaching, debating, instructing, educating, evangelizing, exposition, and explanation of scriptures, that became the warp and woof of the apostolic mission.

Acts 18, 11.

And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

Explaining and proclaiming, teaching and preaching.

The book of Acts ends with a sermon.

When they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers, and he was what?

Explaining to them.

Solomony testifying about the kingdom of God, trying to persuade them concerning Jesus from what?

Both the law of Moses and from the prophets from morning until evening.

Man, this guy had stamina to preach.

I mean, Jason, right?

We are just wiped out after doing like a 40-minute sermon.

This is not going to be a 40-minute sermon, by the way.

I drank a red bull.

Nevertheless, I mean, these are men on a mission.

They're not cutting corners.

The preaching of these explanatory sermons runs like a golden thread through the tapestry of Acts.

It runs as a golden thread through church history.

The Puritans, contrary to popular belief, they were passionate about evangelism and missions.

They were passionate.

Joel Beake points to Puritan Thomas Manton.

And he said he wrote some of the pioneering works about evangelism and missions.

This is what Manton says: missions and evangelism is about declaring the entire economy of redemption by focusing on the saving work of all three persons of the Trinity, while simultaneously calling sinners to a life of faith and commitment, but warning that the gospel will condemn forever those who persist in unbelief and impenitence.

That is, my friend, preaching and teaching the scriptures with theological depth.

This, my friend, is not only explaining the scriptures, but exhorting people to believe it.

What does the word exhort mean?

We don't use it often.

It's not like this morning I exhorted my kids.

You know, we just don't use that word all too many.

But the word exhort really means to send a crystal clear warning.

It's like you do this, it works out good for you.

If you don't do this, it's gonna work out really bad for you.

That is what he says.

There's the gospel will save you, but the same gospel will condemn you.

Peter got in this mode of preaching sermons that clearly explained the triune God's work of salvation.

But the apostles were known as people who preached the entire council of God.

Does Acts 20, 27 not read, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the what?

Whole council of God.

We would say today, the whole enchilada.

Evangelisms and missions.

As the Puritans would say, those are word-centered tasks that involves declaring the whole council of God's redemptive economy.

Paul says in Romans 10 14, how will they hear if no one sends a preacher?

Romans 10 17, why?

Faith comes from hearing, and hearing what?

The Bible, the word of Christ.

The explanation of Scripture is an essential element in missions and evangelism, but a clarity of exhortation in the gospel is another essential element.

And that's my second point here.

Oops.

And that span of those, what is it, 15 verses?

Peter explains the gospel with much clarity, but he keeps on driving the point home.

This gospel will either save you or this gospel will condemn you.

You make your pick.

Paul, well Peter, rather.

I I didn't count the words, my computer did, and it's roughly about 350 words.

I mean, this is no gospel redux.

This is not like a neatly little packaged four-step plan.

No, he it begins there, verse 21.

Read with me.

He's calling people to call on God to be saved.

Verse 21.

And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Okay, you're done.

Go home.

Have a cup of tea, eat a scone.

But Peter doesn't stop there.

Verse 22.

Men of Israel, listen to these words.

Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through him in your mouth, just as you yourself know.

This man delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to the cross by the hands of godless men and put him to death.

But God raised him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for him to be held in its power.

That is the gospel, people.

That is the gospel, but he presents it in such a way that you cannot but say, He's speaking to me.

People will often say, Well, Pastor, were you preaching to me on Sunday morning?

And usually I would say tongue in the cheek.

No, I was preaching to the person next to you.

Peter is pointing to the elephant in the room.

He's saying, Let the guilty party stand up.

Look at his use of pronouns.

The use of pronouns is a big thing.

And Peter was good at that.

He's not softening the blows by saying, they or them.

He's not saying even we or us.

He's pointing to the guilty party.

You.

I'm looking at you.

Brian, I love you, brother.

I was looking at you.

But that's the tension.

That's the tension in the room.

You.

None of us.

Visitors included.

Acts 2, 36.

Look there.

Therefore, let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ.

This Jesus whom you crucified.

Wow.

Peter is exhorting people.

He's using scripture, copious amounts of scriptures to clarify the gospel and to give scriptural support for everything he's saying.

He is preaching everything but a reductionistic gospel.

What is a reductionistic gospel?

I'll tell you more of what is a reductionistic gospel, but it's often those those gospel presentations that you could do in the checkout line at Aldi.

I mean, I love Aldi because things work with German efficiency.

Pew, pew, pew, pew.

I mean, you you just come there and you're just like, I mean, and those people are like, I don't know, they can do like four tasks at the same time.

I would never be able to get a job there.

I mean, it's just so multitasked and fast.

And you know, if you imagine you come there with your favorite oldie item, which is their desserts, and you move through the checkout line at light speed, and you're like, I gotta share the gospel.

It's like, Jesus loves you, he's got a wonderful plan for you.

He he died on the cross, rose from the dead.

And uh, if you invite him into your heart, he will be going to heaven.

Thank you.

Swipe the credit card and yeah.

That's a reductionistic gospel.

That's what we've grown accustomed to.

I don't see it here.

350 words is not that.

That's a beefy gospel.

This is what Paul Washer says in his book, The Gospel's Power.

He says, this reduction gospel reductionism, he says it only produces the hardening of hearts and habitual carnality.

Every time you give a uh a simplistic or a reductionistic gospel, people get like comfortable with their sin and they just get inoculated.

In the end, he says, with such a reductionistic view of the gospel, God is not glorified, neither are ignorant sinners saved, but it only produces the type of quote-unquote Christianity that is little or no witness to the unbelieving world.

You see, people, Peter's exhortation here pointed to people, their need for the gospel.

You need it.

This is your terms of surrender.

You stand condemned.

Your sins will not be forgiven.

You will not receive the Holy Spirit, you will not enter the new covenant community.

But what stands in the way of people receiving a proper gospel is the unwillingness to admit that their sin condemns them.

You see, everybody I know is willing to admit that they are a sinner.

But very few people are unwilling to admit that their sin makes them condemned.

And this is what Paul Washer further says in his book.

He says the need for clear communication about sin is acute since we live in a generation born in and cultivated by sin.

You've been born in sin and cultivated in sin.

He says, people cannot discern their fallen condition any more than a fish can know that it's wet.

I mean, I like fishing.

I don't think those fish like, ooh, I'm wet.

Unless I pull them out and put them on dry land and put them in a pan, and then they realize what they had.

You see, as a steward of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Washer says we do no service to men by making light of sin, skirting around the issue or avoiding it altogether.

He says, Men have only one problem.

They are under the wrath of God because of their sin.

The cross is there because of sin.

And the reason why people often resist the gospel and persist in their unbelief is that in the presentation of the gospel, we might fail to drive the point home that you are under the wrath of God because of your sin.

I think Peter's exhortation would drive the point home.

But it's clear here that these weren't fish coming to the realization that they are wet, but sinners coming to the realization that they are standing guilty and condemned before a holy God.

Look at verse thirty seven.

Now, when they heard this, they were what?

Pierced to the heart.

And said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brethren, what shall we do?

Parentheses, we are toast, we are bacon.

We we we throw what do we do?

In a reply to this question, Peter says, Let's pray a sinner's prayer and invite Jesus into your heart.

No, may it never be.

Verse 38.

And Peter said to them, Repent, and each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Now, that entire verse can take probably a full sermon.

But I'm gonna just try and unpack this quickly for you.

That preposition for the forgiveness of your sins, that has often led people to think if you get baptized, you will be forgiven of your sins.

That is not true, because that will be what?

Works.

Work salvation, legalism.

But what I think Peter is saying here, and using that preposition in Greek, uh translators probably had a hard time translating this.

And really, that Greek preposition does not show causality.

It's not saying if you do this, this will happen.

What it's saying it's connected with.

So, in other words, if you repent, your sins will be forgiven.

And what is logically connected with that is baptism.

And we know the imagery of baptism, the washing away of one's sin, but there's more to it, and I will hopefully get this through in one sermon.

So so baptism in one sense is the response to one's forgiveness of sins on account of one's repentance.

Forgiveness of sin is received by grace alone through faith alone and Christ alone.

But the outward testimony of that is what?

Baptism.

Baptism was a sign that one was an initiating rite, that one was incorporated into a community.

And what is this new community?

The new covenant community, also known as the body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12, 13.

For by one Spirit you were baptized into one body.

And of course, he's talking about the baptism in the Holy Spirit, whereby Christ baptizes you with the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ, of which our water baptism is a prime picture of.

Think of the that hole there.

There's water in there.

Well, there should be at some stage water in there.

And and what are you doing?

What happens with you?

You are immersed into the water entirely.

You are immersed into the body of Christ.

That's the symbolism, another symbolism.

So, not to make too much of Peter's words here, uh one could certainly say he did not offer them a cheap grace.

He did not say, Well, good, just raise your hands, pray the prayer, and you're good to go.

Let me tell you that repentance is costly.

Baptism certainly at that point in time would be costly because you are now stepping out of your tradition, stepping out of your family, stepping out of your religion, stepping out into something new.

Repentance and baptism was costly because it was done in public eye before Jews, before hypocrites and Pharisees and priests, and that action would be a cross to bear.

Dietrich Bonover says about cheap grace.

He says, cheap grace is preaching, is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance.

Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without a cross to bear, and these folks, when that day came and they said, What shall we do?

Peter says, Come, we're gonna get you wet.

And everybody's gonna know from this point of time that you've made a turn.

You've made a turn.

Your sins are forgiven.

You are no longer the old man, you're the new man.

You baptized into the new covenant community, i.e.

the body of Christ.

Everybody would see that.

That would be a cross to bear.

And the book of Acts shows the tremendous burden of that cross in following Christ.

Now, for those of you who think that Peter is preaching a work salvation here because he's saying, repent.

But little do we know that repentance is a work of God, it's a work of grace in the hearts of men.

Acts 11 18.

When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, Well then, God has granted the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.

God has granted Romans 2, 4.

The kindness of God leads you to repentance.

It's the grace of God that leads us to repentance.

It's not by the will of man or by blood, it's by the work of the Spirit in the hearts of men.

It's by grace alone, through faith alone.

And so you would think by now, Peter, your work is done.

Time to go home.

People feel convicted.

You've told them what to do.

It's go home for tea and scones.

But Peter just keeps going.

You're like, dude, you're not paid over time here.

Acts 2.40.

And with many other words, he solemnly testified and kept exhorting them, saying, Be saved from this perverse generation.

And I wonder who he's pointing.

You know, maybe people are like, they're getting baptized.

I don't know.

And he's like, Yeah, you over there.

Hypothetically, you over there.

Right.

You know, you gotta be different than those over there because those are the perverse generation.

Those are still undecided.

Charles Spurgeon said it is idle to attempt to heal those who are not wounded, to attempt to clothe those who have never been stripped, and to make rich those who have never realized their poverty.

You see, Peter is obviously seeing in the crowd people who are not thoroughly wounded.

There are probably scores of people who have not been stripped of their self-righteousness, and maybe hundreds intermingled who are unaware that they are spiritually bankrupt.

They don't realize their poverty, and that is why he keeps going.

Verse 40, and he kept on exhorting them with many other words.

He was testifying.

I mean, he just kept going.

I don't know how long this took.

I get the idea that it probably took the whole day.

Probably the third hour.

What is that, Jason?

Nine o'clock?

9 a.m.

I don't know.

It's like from noon.

Or from morning, noon, maybe to tonight.

He he just kept going.

At the end of the day, you want to ask yourselves, what did this produce?

You know, after all, who could put up with this in your face type of thing, right?

You know, people was like, yeah, I yeah.

Who could listen to this hellfire and brimstone type of preaching?

I would say five.

Maybe ten people could put up with this kind of pounding, finger pointing type of preaching.

And so I would say at most five people got saved.

Maybe ten.

What would you say?

Don't look at the text.

Woo, fly.

Peter's explanation of scripture and his exhortation in the gospel had intended consequences.

It led to the expansion of the church.

And that's my third point here: the expansion of the church.

After explanation and exhortation comes expansion.

The intended consequences of Peter's scripture explanation and gospel exhortation led to this massive expansion.

I wanted to put the word explosion on there, but if this goes on YouTube, I thought not a good word to use.

But there was really, in a sense, an explosion, an evangelistic explosion happening here.

Verse 41 of chapter 2.

So then those who had received his word were baptized.

It's not like, can I do this later?

Type of things.

They were baptized.

Come on, you in or you out?

No, no, no sitting on the fence here.

And that day were added about 3,000 souls.

Still not a mega group of people compared with the tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of people coming to Pentecost.

But do we forget that the way is narrow?

And those who are few on it few, and those who enter the gates, sparse.

So, so, but 3,000 is cool.

I mean, I can't remember when last some evangelistic event turned out 3,000 people.

But they they were not just people who are like, whoa, now I feel a lot better.

No, no, no, no.

There were 3,000 people who repented that day.

They received the word, they were baptized, and they were added to the to the what?

To the church.

I believe it's the King James Version, there puts the word in the church.

Because they were not just added, they were added to the church.

The church that was just birthed there.

And that was the pattern.

All through the New Testament.

You repent by receiving the word in faith.

You are baptized, and then you can become part of the church.

There's no churchless Christianity here.

There's no like I go to this event and I live my private Christianity out.

No, no, no, no.

Look at verse 42.

Maybe I need to say it, read all these verses here.

And they continually were devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Verse 44, and all those who had believed were together and had all things in common.

Verse 46, day by day, continuing with one mind in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God, and having favor with all people, and the Lord was what?

Adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

The church is a saved community of people.

Added to that community are what?

More saved people.

What is contingent upon being saved?

Repentance and faith.

What is contingent upon repentance and faith?

The preaching of the word.

The preaching of the word.

How will they come to faith if they did not have a preacher?

If they did not get a preacher, who preaches the word of God.

Excellent.

Those who were who repented, those who were baptized, were incorporated into the New Covenant community, also known as church.

They had fellowship together, they had communion together, and it's very surprising if you look at that verses 42 to 47, the word together, together, together, in common, in communion and fellowship.

Here by no means is a missionary or evangelistic endeavor that cultivates churchless Christians.

I mean, we leave people out for the wolves.

That's been my criticism against short term missions or missionary events or evangelistic events.

If that person is not being able to be led into a community of believers, we leave them out to the wolves.

And they will succumb to syncretism of false doctrine.

Just read Acts 20, and Paul explains it very clearly there.

No, Christians are people who belong to the church.

By the way, the word Christian is not being invented yet.

They were known as disciples, and they had fellowship and communion together.

They sat around the word together.

They were eating together.

They were known for their hospitality.

But they were also known for their zeal for evangelism and missions.

In fact, missionary to Afghanistan, Henry Martin, you gotta just read some of Henry Martin, what that man went through.

Oh my goodness.

I think he dropped dead on the mission field preaching the gospel, but he said the spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions.

The nearer we get to him, the more intensely missionary we must become.

You see, this church community had a witness.

They didn't get gospel reducts.

The fruit's there.

Who doesn't want to be part of this thing called the church?

Together, together.

They even began selling their property and possessions and were sharing with them all as anyone might have need.

This is a caring, sharing, preaching, teaching community of believers.

And verse 47 says, that also has an intended consequence.

Praising God and having favor with all people.

And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Wow.

So what's the pattern here?

Bible explanation, gospel exhortation leads to the intended consequence, church expansion.

The church will keep growing if we, as a people, hear explain the Bible and exhort people to receive the gospel and warn them that if they don't, it's not going to turn out good.

And here, my friends, that's the pattern you're going to see in the book of Acts.

And I'm excited, Jason, for the journey that we're going to walk, that you're going to walk us through.

And you're going to see how people hear the word, they receive the word, and the church grows.

That's a replicable pattern there.

In fact, like I said, the book of Acts opens up with a sermon preached in Jerusalem and ends with a sermon preached where?

In Rome.

Mission fulfilled.

Did Jesus not say, You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the end of the earth?

Where's Rome?

End of the earth.

The apostles' mission is done, the mission accomplished.

Is the work done?

That baton has been passed on.

That bat baton is passed on to your hands, Tim.

Your hands, Jenny, Brian.

I'm just gonna include you.

And the question is whether we want to take that baton and whether we're gonna cut corners, take shortcuts, or rush things.

So you probably want to hear what happened to Admiral Rick Hover and his visit with Ronald Reagan.

The Soviets produced a nuclear navy faster and cheaper than Rick Hover's navy.

They were well ahead.

But the Soviets were known as the people who rushed things, who cut corners, and it would take shortcuts.

But they were also known as people who did not think that lives mattered.

The cause in the Soviet world mattered more than people.

The Soviet fleet, however, has suffered no less than 14 nuclear reactor-related accidents.

The flagship of the USSR's submarine fleet was known as K-19.

That's free.

I'm giving that to you today, that vital piece of information.

There's a cool movie about it.

And K-19, however, was later nicknamed Widowmaker.

Because that thing had so many reactor failures, and people suffered radiation sickness and lethal doses of radiation.

That's what you get for taking shortcuts, cutting corners, and rushing things.

It got to the point that they wanted to fire Admiral Rick Hover and not even the then president Ronald Reagan had the heart to fire him.

He was in this meeting with the uh Secretary of Defense, with Ronald Reagan in the room in the Oval Office, and then I you gotta get this fired.

We can't get this guy kicked out.

And the guy said, uh Rick Over said to the Secretary of Defense, would you excuse us for a minute?

And um a few minutes later, Reagan comes out, gives Rick Over a good handshake, and they passed past each other, and the Secretary of Fence looks.

He says, You didn't fire him.

He's like, no.

Why?

Well, he told me, don't rush me.

Don't expect me to take shortcuts.

I don't cut corners.

Why?

Because lives depend on it.

You, Mr.

Reagan, you don't want to call a mother or father who's lost a sailor at sea.

And to date, the U United States Navy has an impeccable track record in terms of its nuclear safety and reliability.

It was largely attributed to Admiral Rickover's work ethic.

So let's think of today.

Our evangelistic, our missionary efforts.

Do we often rush things?

Do we take shortcuts?

Do we cut corners?

Perhaps at the expense of lives?

But here I'm not talking about physical lives.

What am I talking about?

Eternal lives.

People's destinies depend on it.

I'm so thankful for Pastor Joel James that did not preach a reductionistic gospel.

He did not rush things, he did not cut corners, he did not take shortcuts, or else I might have been hellbound.

Still.

They cut gospel corners by being trained in a reductionistic gospel.

And the majority of them are cutting corners and circumventing the sending church in terms of accountability and counseling.

All too many churches and parachurch organizations, they offer more numbers, greater yields, and superior efficiency, but at what cost?

Do they consider Dr.

Horton's words, there is no mission without the church and no church without missions?

And perhaps they should consider this pagan admirable Rakhover's words.

Whatever you do, do it as if lives depend on it.

Horton and Rakhover, they both fallible men.

But I think Acts paints for us a picture inspired by the Spirit of God.

The Word of God is profitable for instruction, correction, and teaching.

May it be for us that we'll take the instruction, take the correction, and take the teaching.

Why?

Because lives depend on it.

Heavenly Father, I pray for your grace in this great endeavor called missions.

We're each called.

Make disciples of all nations.

Baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

And lo, I'm with you until the end of the earth.

Teach them to obey me, to obey my words, and I will be with you until the end of the days.

Thank you, Jesus, that we are not alone in this endeavor.

We are indwelt with the Spirit.

Your abiding presence is there with us.

We can, Lord, not only must be, but give us desire to do it and to do it right, not cutting corners, not taking shortcuts, and not rushing things.

We thank you for your grace and saving us and giving us life in Jesus Christ.

And thank you for this community of new covenant people called the church.

Thank you for Faith Evangelical Free Church and its leadership and those who lead us and those who teach and explain the word to us.

As we leave here, we will fellowship and break bread.

And afterwards we will be in a class where somebody's going to explain the word to us.

And then afterwards, we're going to break some more bread and have fellowship.

Lord, that is signs of a live and thriving new covenant community.

May it lead to the expansion of your church.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

That concludes this sermon from Faith Evangelical Free Church.

Our mission is to declare the Word of God and disciple believers into mature, devoted followers of Jesus.

You can learn more by visiting our website at faithfree.com.