The Spread of The Gospel - Acts

I'm very thankful for Pastor Johnny and the team here.

And we're very thankful for Joy Campbell and Russ for their hospitality.

So we are big J fans and that does not mean that we don't like others.

All my kids' names are Joshua, JJ, and Jude.

So it's great to meet the Js again here.

Thank you for having us.

It's been, you know, it's a blessing to us just being here.

I'm just, you know, I'm praising God just for all of you.

And so many people, not just at Southern Seminary in the U.S., but so many churches are praying for you all.

Yeah, so we will continue to do that.

Yeah.

So I just briefly shared that myself and my wife, we worked with leprosy patients for six years.

So when I came to know that, oh, we are going to Ireland, I was like, man, I'm so excited.

Because since 2002, I'm hearing about Ireland.

So here's the interesting story.

I think in 1869, an Irish teacher, his name is Wellesley Bailey, right?

Wellesley Bailey.

He went to India on a short-term mission trip, and he saw the leprosy patients.

They're lying on the streets and dying patients.

And the Lord gave him burden for them.

And then he started sharing the gospel with them, an Irish teacher from Ireland.

And then after that, he came back, and he shared that with his friends here and different countries.

And today, there are more than 18 hospitals.

And over the years, I don't know how many children and families the leprosy mission served.

So many.

There are incredible stories.

But I want to tell you this morning, we will be briefly looking at the promises of God and the power of the gospel.

The promises of God and the power of the gospel.

So these leprosy patients, even today, if you go to India, in some places you see the leprosy patients staying in the campuses for the last 60 years.

Do you know why?

Because when they were like 10 years old, 9 years old, because of leprosy, their own families, they said, please don't live with us.

Go live somewhere outside of the city.

Then the leprosy mission, they went and they cared for these children.

And now the children, at the age of 10, they came to the mission.

And now they're 60, 50.

They're there.

But praise God, some of them, they heard the gospel.

They repented their sin.

And they trusted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

And they trusted God's promises.

And now, like, I don't know how many of you have seen leprosy patients.

So when they have leprosy, basically, if they don't give treatment within a year,

eventually, their fingers and legs got deformed and they don't feel the sensation, whether it's in the eyes or, you know, hands or legs.

So in the night, they go to bed.

They sleep.

And in the mornings, they open their eyes.

They'll be missing their fingers.

They'll be like, oh, what happened?

In the night, maybe the rats, you know, went and they bit them.

So all kinds of things, they're suffering constantly.

Suffering.

In midst of all this suffering, they're praising God.

They're praising God.

Because, do you know why?

Because one day, they will see their Lord and Savior face to face.

This is our temporary home.

But one day, we all will be with Him.

We all will be with Him.

I can tell you stories like this.

So many.

But in Matthew chapter 28, verse 20, the Lord says, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Matthew 28:20

This is the Lord's promise.

You are in this world.

One day, you will be with me.

But even now, I am with you all.

I am with you all.

To encourage us, to strengthen us, to give us courage and boldness, to proclaim the gospel.

And 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 3, 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 3, you can listen to me.

1 Peter 1:3 1 Peter 1:3

It says, Praise be to the God, our Father, of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In His great mercy, He has given us the new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

From the dead and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade.

This inheritance, especially those who are followers of Jesus Christ, this is for all of us.

This inheritance is kept in heaven for you.

So these are the promises for us as well.

No matter what trials we all face, Christ never leaves us.

Christ never leaves us.

Just thinking of my childhood, when I was five years old, my dad, one evening, he was a whole day he was at home.

And then in the evening, all of a sudden, he said, like, okay, I'm going to office.

And, well, we can't stop him.

And he said before leaving, he promised me that I will bring this thing, that thing.

And then he left home.

And he did not return.

He did not come back.

And after two months, he died.

After two months, he died.

So I remember my dad's words.

And after many years, when I heard the gospel, when I heard about God's promises,

and I was listening.

Listening to people sometimes can be disappointing.

But listening to God and following God, we are never going to disappoint in this life.

Because God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,

he is pleading with the Father for us now.

And one day, he promised that one day we will be with him.

We'll be with him.

Friends, that's a great promise.

That's where we can.

Now, the question is, do we trust God's promises?

And the power of the gospel?

So this morning, we'll look at briefly the book of Acts.

The first two chapters, kind of like I'm going to give you a big overview.

So if you have your Bibles, the Red Bibles with you,

it's on page number 1093.

In a while, we'll be reading a few verses from Acts chapter 1 and Acts chapter 2.

Acts 1 · chapter mention Acts 2 · chapter mention

So now the question, who wrote the book of Acts?

But it is undisputed that Luke was the author of Acts,

and also the gospel of Luke.

The date will be early 60s, probably before the death of Paul.

Before the death of Paul.

So why, here, what is the purpose of writing the gospel of Acts,

and also the book of Acts, and the gospel of Luke,

to show that Jesus, Lord Jesus,

remained faithful to his purpose of dying,

and raising again as those promises are worked out

in the establishment of his church.

Of his church.

So in both the books,

we see, whether it is in the book of Acts,

or the gospel of Luke,

we see the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

We see the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

We see people praying.

We see God's interest to the outcasts,

to the poorest of the poor.

And the fact that the gospel is for the whole world.

We see the gospel expansion in these books.

So the basic outline,

the basic outline of the book of Acts,

geographically,

if you see from chapter 1 to chapter 7,

it's all the work is in Jerusalem.

And then from chapter 8 to chapter 12,

all Judea and Samaria.

So the gospel work started in Jerusalem,

and then slowly it spread to Judea and Samaria.

And from chapter 13 to Acts chapter 28,

Acts 28 · chapter mention

we see gospel spreading to the ends of the earth.

Gospel spreading to the ends of the earth.

But if you see personally,

the first 12 chapters,

we see the ministry of Peter and others.

And from chapter 13 to 28,

we see the ministry of Apostle Paul.

Apostle Paul.

So there are some lessons we can learn

from the early church.

So especially the early church,

so these are the main points,

the big points I'm giving you.

So the early church trusted God's promises and plans.

The early church trusted God's promises and his plans.

And the second one,

the early church preached the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The early church preached the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And finally,

the early church prayed and sacrificed everything

to spread the gospel.

They gave up everything.

So the first one,

trusted God's promises.

The early church trusted God's promises and plans.

So if you see the Old Testament,

God promised everything.

And in the New Testament,

we'll see God's fulfillment through Jesus Christ.

So God's promises in the Old Testament.

In the New Testament,

we see God fulfilling his promises through his son,

Jesus Christ.

So in Genesis,

you see God created man

and put him into the Garden of Eden.

He wanted man to live a godly life

and also not only live a godly life,

maintain a perfect relationship with God.

But what happened?

Man disobeyed God.

But still,

that's in the first,

like if you see in the beginning of Genesis.

But in Genesis 3.15,

we see God's promise in the book of Genesis,

the seed of the woman,

the seed of the one day

that this Christ will come

and restored the world,

restored the world to himself.

And then in,

in,

and Noah,

you see during the flood,

the man kept on sinning,

obeying Satan instead of God.

So God destroyed all the people

except Noah and his family.

We see Genesis,

then Noah,

and then Abraham.

By the time of Abraham,

almost all the people were bad again.

But God promised Abraham

that he would become

the father of great nation.

He would become the father of great nation

and people are chosen by God.

And then Abraham's son,

Isaac,

and his grandson,

Jacob,

had the same promise.

So when Jacob's son,

Joseph,

became the governor of Egypt,

Jacob and his tribe

moved to Egypt

for about 400 years.

They lived peacefully in Egypt

until Pharaoh decided

to make them his slaves.

And then we see Moses,

the people of Israel,

left Egypt

and lived in wilderness

for 40 years.

They conquered the land

under the leadership of Joshua,

which God had promised them

and lived under judges

for about 300 years.

It's so interesting.

Like God's promises

and people disobeying.

God's promises

and people disobeying.

But still,

God has been so faithful.

Not only to them,

even today,

to us.

Today to us.

So when the judges were old,

the people of Israel

demanded a king.

We need a king.

We need a king, Lord.

And Saul

became the first king.

But he did not obey God.

He did not obey God.

The next king,

David,

tried to please God

in most things

and build a strong kingdom.

Build a strong kingdom.

King David.

That was the golden age

of Israel's kingdom

when David was the king.

David's son,

Solomon,

was a wise king.

But he loved luxury

and foreign wives.

He let his foreign wives

build pagan altars

and turn the people

away from God.

He taxed the people

heavily to pay

for his luxuries.

Solomon's son,

Rehoboam,

tried to live like his father,

but the people rebelled

and split the kingdom

into two parts,

Israel and Judah.

As the new kings

came to the throne,

both parts,

the divided kingdom

became weaker and weaker

until they were conquered

and the people

carried away.

Carried away.

Some of the people

came back home

years later,

but they were conquered

again by Greeks

and later by Romans.

Tired of being

a conquered people,

they cried out

for a promised Messiah

who would save them.

These people,

they cried out.

But when the Messiah came,

when Christ came,

they did not recognize him.

They did not recognize him.

Even though God

spoke from heaven

and said that

this is his son,

they would not believe in him.

They would not believe him.

Jesus did many miracles,

healing,

and even raising people

from the dead.

Dead people,

literally dead people.

But still,

people would not believe

in him.

But at the last

time cave,

when Jesus was crucified

by his enemies,

then conquered

according to God's plan,

he rose from the dead

and appeared to

many people.

Later,

he rose up from the earth

to return to heaven.

Return to heaven.

So if you have your Bibles,

turn with me to Luke chapter 24.

Luke 24 · chapter mention

Luke chapter 24.

Luke 24 · chapter mention

I'll be reading

from verse 20,

Luke chapter 24,

Luke 24:44–49

verse 44 to 49.

I'll be reading from verse,

it's so beautiful

how

the Lord,

our Lord God,

through the inspiration

of the Holy Spirit,

written this

word of God.

Luke chapter 24,

Luke 24:44–49

verse 44 to 49.

He said to them,

Jesus,

Jesus appeared to his disciples,

and he said to them,

this is what I told you

while I was still with you.

everything must be fulfilled

that is written about me

in the law of Moses,

the prophets,

and the Psalms.

And then he opened their minds

so that they could understand

the scriptures.

Brothers and sisters,

we have seen from Genesis

to book of Acts,

everything,

whatever has been said,

it's all about Christ.

The whole Old Testament

is pointing to Jesus Christ.

And now clearly,

in the words of Jesus Christ,

we are hearing

that everything

must be fulfilled

that is written about me

in the law of Moses,

the prophets,

and the Psalms.

He told them,

this is what it is written,

the Messiah will suffer

and raise from the dead

on the third day,

and repentance

for the forgiveness

of sins

will be preached

in his name

to all nations

beginning at Jerusalem.

You are witnesses

of these things.

I am going to send you

what my Father has promised,

but stay in the city

until you have been clothed

with power

from on high.

And we see,

please turn with me

to Acts chapter 1.

Acts 1 · chapter mention

Acts chapter 1,

Acts 1:8

verse 8.

Acts chapter 1,

Acts 1:8

verse 8,

page number 10,

1093.

But you will receive power

when the Holy Spirit

comes on you,

and you will be

my witnesses

in Jerusalem

and in all Judea,

Samaria,

and to the ends

of the earth.

So when Jesus

was gone,

his disciples

began to pray

in the upper room.

Then the Holy Spirit

came upon them

and they were changed.

They were changed

and they were praising God.

All of them.

All of them.

They were praising God.

So God is sovereign

Lord of history.

He is a faithful God.

He is not only

promising,

but he fulfilled

his promises

that things happen

in fulfillment

of God's plan

from Genesis,

from the beginning

of this universe.

And Lord

is fulfilling

all his promises.

The only thing

left out

is coming back.

He's coming back.

So one day

he will be back.

He'll be back.

You can clearly

see how God

fulfilled

all his promises.

That's where

we can place

our trust upon him

for everything.

Especially

for our salvation.

So the early church

trusted God's promises

and his plans

and the second point

they preached

the early church

preached

the gospel

of Jesus Christ.

They preached

the gospel

of Jesus Christ.

So Peter,

how many of you

have heard

of Apostle Peter?

He's a friend?

Yeah?

He's a friend?

Yeah?

Yes.

Yes.

Peter,

this man

denied Jesus Christ.

How many times?

How many times

Apostle Peter

denied Jesus Christ?

Three times.

Literally three times

that was a small

girl witness like,

Oh,

you are with him.

And Peter said,

No,

what are you

talking about?

No,

I don't know

that man.

I was not with him.

Three times

Peter denied.

The fourth time

when he remembered

God's words,

he wept.

Wept.

he gave his life

to Jesus Christ.

He gave his life.

This man,

please look with me

in Acts chapter 2.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

Acts chapter 2.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

Acts chapter 2,

Acts 2:22

verse 22.

Acts chapter 2,

Acts 2:22–24

verse 22 to 24.

This man who denied

Jesus Christ,

now the Lord

poured out

the promised Holy Spirit

and now

standing in front

of everybody

and these are his words,

Apostle Peter were.

Fellow Israelites,

listen to this.

Jesus of Nazareth,

a man

accredited by God

to you by miracles,

wonders,

and signs

which God did

among you

through him.

As you yourself

know,

this man

was handed

over to you

by God's

deliberate plan

and foreknowledge.

And you,

with the help

of wicked men,

put him to death

by nailing him

to the cross.

But God

raised him

from the dead,

freeing him

from the agony

of death

because

it was impossible

for death

to keep

its hold

on him.

It's impossible

for death

to keep

hold on him.

Peter,

he stood

before these people.

They were laughing

at him.

But then,

he preached

the death

of Jesus Christ

and the resurrection

of Jesus Christ.

friends,

in Hebrews

9,

Hebrews 9,

Hebrews 9:27

verse 27,

it says,

man is destined

to die once

and after that

he has to face

judgment.

In Hebrews,

Hebrews 9,

27.

But praise God,

just a few minutes

back,

we have seen

in Genesis,

God created

everything very good.

And he looked

and said,

yes,

very good.

and he created

man and woman

in his own image.

But what happened?

What happened?

Because of man's sin,

disobeyed God

and we are all

separated from God.

And now,

how we are going

to

reconcile

with God?

The good news is,

is not only

just following Jesus.

Here is the thing.

according to Hebrews

9,

27,

we are all

destined to die

once and after that

we have to face

judgment.

But even now,

if God

looked at us,

I don't think

we can stand

before a holy God

without knowing

Christ,

without knowing

Christ.

It's all

God's grace

and love

that I have

this life

and you

have this life.

time for us.

Time for us.

Praise God

for Jesus.

But God

loved us so much.

But to be honest,

you know,

I cannot

pay for my sins.

Jesus Christ,

he came

and he

lived

a righteous life,

a perfect life

and he

died

on the cross

in my place.

and he

took

God's

wrath

upon him

and he

paid

for my sins

and for our sins.

And he

rose again

on the third day.

He rose again

on the third day.

But see,

because of our sins,

God did not

destroy us

or punish us

for disobeying him,

but

God has been

so kind

and gracious

in sending

his son,

Jesus Christ,

to this world.

This fully God,

fully man,

came to this world,

lived a righteous life,

sinless life,

even though he was

tempted,

but

he obeyed

his father

completely

and he lived

a holy life.

This Jesus,

son of God,

son of David,

the son of man,

the Lord,

the author of life,

savior,

holy,

righteous one,

took the wrath

of God

on him

and he died

for our sins.

and now,

when we have

that opportunity,

we are hearing

this gospel

again and again

and again,

what should be

our response?

What should be

our response?

Asking forgiveness

from God.

Asking forgiveness

from God.

So that's what

the apostles,

the early church,

when they

received

the Holy Spirit,

when they received

the power,

they did not,

you know,

shut their mouths

and they were not

hiding inside

their houses.

They went outside

and they boldly,

they preached

the gospel to people.

In Acts chapter 2,

Acts 2 · chapter mention

if you read,

if you have time,

like,

Lord willing,

after the service,

when you go home,

please read Acts chapter 1

Acts 1 · chapter mention

and chapter 2.

After hearing the gospel

message,

when Peter preached,

they were like,

what shall we do?

What shall we do?

How can we be saved?

And Peter,

repent your sins,

ask forgiveness

from God,

and be baptized.

Trust in Jesus Christ.

Trust in Jesus Christ.

And what happened

in Acts chapter 2,

Acts 2 · chapter mention

at the end,

3,000 people

came to faith.

3,000 people

came to faith.

So they

preached the gospel,

people repented,

and they started

following Jesus Christ.

First,

these are the consequences.

Now,

we all have

choice.

Like what Adam and Eve

did,

and even today,

what so many people

are doing

is rejecting

to follow

the creator,

and following

their own heart,

and following

the idols

of this world.

In India,

we have like,

330 million gods.

330 million gods.

They have like,

every day,

they have one god

to worship.

But,

where are they going?

Where are they going?

Their destiny

is very different

from ours.

Their sin is not.

People go

and take bath

in River Ganges.

Do you know why?

So that their

sins will be

cleansed.

Literally,

millions of people

every year,

they go there,

and even

they bring

the water

from River Ganges,

and worship

the water.

So,

but where are they

going?

Their destiny

is different.

They are not

going to see

the savior.

here.

But we

have the

opportunity.

We are

hearing the

gospel again

and again.

We are

following Jesus

Christ.

Our sins,

if we place

our trust

in Jesus

Christ,

our sins

are forgiven.

One day,

one day,

we'll stand

before God

with confidence

on what Christ

has done

for us.

If you

fear

today,

that day,

we can stand

before God.

So,

the apostles,

the early

church,

they preached

the gospel,

and finally,

they prayed

and sacrificed

everything,

including their

lives,

to spread

the gospel

of Jesus

Christ.

Please look

at me to

Acts chapter

Acts 2:42–47

2,

verse 42

to 47.

Acts chapter

Acts 2:42–47

2,

verses 42

to 47.

So,

we have

seen the

early church

trusted God's

promises and

plans,

and the

early church,

after receiving

the power

of the

Holy Spirit,

they preached

the gospel,

they preached

the gospel,

and finally,

the early church,

they prayed,

they prayed and

sacrificed everything,

including their

lives,

to spread of the

gospel.

gospel.

So,

Acts chapter

Acts 2:42–47

2,

verse 42

to 47.

They devoted

themselves to

the apostles'

teaching,

and to fellowship,

to the breaking

of bread,

and to prayer.

Everyone was

filled with awe

at the many

wonders and

signs performed

by the apostles.

All the believers

were together

and had everything

in common.

They sold

property and

possessions to

give to anyone

who had need.

Every day,

they continued

to meet together

in the temple

courts.

They broke

bread in their

homes and

ate together

with glad

and sincere

hearts,

praising God

and enjoying

the favor of

all the people.

And the Lord

added to their

number daily

those who

were being

saved.

So,

they did not,

they did not

stop like meeting

once.

they were

meeting

continuously.

You see,

if you read

the whole book

of Acts,

you see people

coming to faith,

people coming

to faith,

and people

gathering,

and these churches

started,

and the gospel

not only started

with Jerusalem

and spread to

Judea and

Samaria,

and then finally

to the ends

of the earth.

So,

we see these

people are

gathering,

so what

happened?

Well,

they were all

like,

you know,

yes,

definitely they

were all

joyful,

and they were

rejoicing and

praising God.

So,

was it like,

was it fun?

Kind of fun,

but at the

same time,

they faced

persecution,

persecution

from the

community,

and people

died,

the first,

Stephen was

murdered,

and they

faced religious

opposition,

they faced

like,

even,

people putting

into jail,

you know.

So,

if you see,

if you,

so these are

the summary

statements I'm

giving you,

from Acts,

Acts chapter

Acts 6:7

6,

verse 7,

Acts chapter

Acts 6:7

6,

verse 7,

so I'm

giving you

six summary

statements,

we'll see in

these summary

statements,

how the

gospel spread

from Jerusalem

to Judea and

Samaria and

to the ends

of the earth.

So,

chapter 6,

verse 7,

and the word

of God

continued to

increase,

and the number

of disciples

multiplied greatly

in Jerusalem,

and a great

many of the

priests became

obedient to

the faith,

became obedient

to the faith.

And in

chapter 9,

verse 31,

Acts chapter

Acts 9:31

9,

verse 31,

so the

church

throughout

all Judea

and Galilee

and Samaria

had peace

and was being

built up,

and walking

in the fear

of the Lord

and in the

comfort of the

Holy Spirit,

it multiplied,

it multiplied.

We're hearing

this word

again and

again,

like multiplied,

the church

multiplied.

And again,

Acts chapter

Acts 12:24

12,

verse 24,

but the

word of

God

increased

and multiplied,

increased

and multiplied.

And Acts

Acts 16:5

chapter 16,

verse 5,

Acts chapter

Acts 16:5

16,

verse 5,

so the

churches

were strengthened

in the

faith,

and they

increased in

numbers

daily.

They

increased in

numbers

daily.

And Acts

Acts 19:20

chapter 19,

verse 20,

so the

word of

the Lord

continued to

increase

and prevail

mightily,

prevail

mightily.

And finally,

Acts chapter

Acts 28 · chapter mention

28,

Paul,

he lived

there two

whole years

at his

own expense

and welcomed

all who

came to

him,

proclaiming

the kingdom

of God

and teaching

about the

Lord Jesus

Christ with

all boldness

and without

hindrance.

With all

boldness

and without

hindrance.

So these

are the

summary

statements

from the

book of

Acts,

how the

Lord used

his people

to preach

the gospel

with much

boldness,

in spite of

persecution,

in spite of

religious

opposition,

in spite of

difficulties.

What did

they do?

The early

church,

they gathered

together on

regular braces,

praying,

they listened

to the

apostles'

teaching,

that's why

we hear

God's

word every

Sunday or

in small

groups and

even one

to one.

We read

God's

word,

we pray

because we

receive power

through God's

word and

through his

spirit.

And as we

go out,

even now as

we go out,

friends,

the Lord

called us to

open our

mouth and

share the

gospel with

people,

share the

gospel with

people.

So God

is actively

bringing about

the fulfillment

of his

plan.

It is an

unstoppable

gospel.

In so

many places,

people are

trying to

stop this

gospel work.

Even from

my own

country,

it's so

difficult for

people to

go inside

now.

But by

God's

grace,

can anyone

stop the

gospel?

No,

God is

working.

God is

working.

There are

people who

even today,

how many

people are

giving their

life for

the sake

of the

gospel?

Even

today?

I can

tell you,

but for

sake of

time,

I don't

want to

tell,

but there

are people

leaving their

homes,

leaving their

families.

I have

seen people

leaving their

families,

leaving their

homes for

the sake

of the

gospel.

even if,

for example,

in some

places,

if you

started

following

Jesus

Christ,

basically

you are

outcasted

from that

village.

They will

not sit

with you,

they will

not eat

with you,

they will

not invite

you to

their birthday

parties or

any functions.

That's the

cost of

following

Jesus.

but they

are thankful,

they are

joyful for

following Jesus

Christ and

they are

faithfully

proclaiming

his word

to the

lost people.

Time flies

very fast.

Our lives

are here for

a moment

and gone

the next.

Our lives

are here for

a moment.

This is why

the Bible

compares our

lifespan with

grass and

vapor.

Sadly,

the world

is more

excited about

things that

will not

matter in

eternity.

Yet as

Henry Matthew,

the great

commentator,

once said,

it ought to

be the

business of

every day

to prepare

for our

last day.

It ought to

be the

business of

every day

to prepare

for the

last day.

Or as

Martin Luther

says,

declared,

there are

two days

on my

calendar.

There are

two days

on my

calendar.

Today and

that day.

Today and

that day.

Honestly,

a day is

coming when

all that

will really

matter is

how you

and I

lived our

life for

the sake

of eternity.

It's great

we can

get the

Lord command

us to care

for our

families,

our

children,

community,

but more

than

everything

else,

we have

to care

for how

we live

today

for the

sake of

the gospel.

For the

sake of

the gospel.

Why is

it matter?

Why should

we live?

Why should

we deny

ourselves and

live for

Jesus Christ?

One thing

is the

Lord called

us to live

a faithful

life and

the other

thing,

not only

living a

faithful

life,

but to

share his

word,

to share

his gospel

with people.

I'll tell

you very

briefly one

of my

experiences

and then

we'll close

in prayer.

There are

thousands of

people dying

every day.

There are

thousands of

people dying

in different

places.

So if you

and I sit

comfortably,

when we have

the opportunity,

please open

our mouths

and proclaim

his gospel.

Pray for

opportunities.

Pray for

opportunities.

If not,

what's going

to happen?

I tell you.

This was

four years

back,

four years

back,

when I was

in India.

I used to

go to a

shop with

myself and

my wife.

We go and

buy clothes

in that

shop.

So once

in six

months or

three months

and then

one uncle,

the shop

owner,

we became

friends with

him and

because we

have known

him for

four or

five years,

he kept

all these

Hindu gods

pictures on

his desk.

In the

middle of

all these

pictures,

he kept

the

Indian

actress.

I said,

Uncle,

do you

worship her

also?

He was

like,

no,

no,

no,

no.

These

college

students,

they'll

visit my

shop.

I just

want to

give them.

I asked

him,

Uncle,

I would

love to

give you

a Bible.

Would

you like

to read?

He said,

son,

I'm here

a whole

day sitting

from 9

a.m.

to 9

p.m.

I'll be

very happy

to read.

I said,

okay,

Uncle,

I'll see

you soon.

I went

home and

I did

not go to

that shop

for three

months.

For three

months.

After three

months,

I went

to that

shop and

his daughter

was sitting

on the

chair.

His daughter

was sitting

and I

said,

hi,

hello,

where is

your dad?

She was

so serious

and she

pointed her

finger

upwards.

My head

was like

this and

I saw

his picture

on the

wall

with

flowers

on it.

I was

like,

what

happened?

My dad

died last

week with

a heart

attack.

Friends,

I had

tears.

Literally,

I asked

forgiveness

from God.

Lord,

please forgive

me.

When you

gave me the

opportunity

to witness

and share

the gospel

with this

man,

now he's

gone.

Now he's

gone.

Friends,

whenever you

have opportunity,

please pray for

opportunities

that the

Lord will

use you.

The Lord

will use

you.

The reason

I'm telling

you,

it's not

that we

sharing the

gospel,

we doing,

you know,

our God

is powerful.

Our God

is powerful.

Recently,

like three

months,

two months

back,

I met

one family.

I did not

even share

the gospel

to them.

Basically,

I said,

like,

friends,

please come

and visit

our church.

They came

the second

week,

the wife

gave his

life to

the Lord.

Just opening

our mouth,

opening our

mouth,

and just

sharing the

goodness of

God,

the grace

of God

to this

lost world.

The early

church,

they did

that.

The apostles,

all the

apostles,

they gave

their life

for the

sake of

the gospel.

They trusted

in God's

promises,

they preached,

they proclaimed

God's word,

and finally,

they gave

everything,

whatever they

have,

for the

sake of

the gospel.

God's

gospel.

I beg

you to

pray

that the

Lord will

show you

what he

wants you

and how

he's going

to use

you to

share the

gospel with

those who

have not

heard.

I pray

that the

Lord will

open the

eyes.

I request

you all

pray.

Pray for

your neighbors,

pray for

your co-workers,

pray that

they will

hear the

gospel,

and they

will be

part of

the

churches

around

in

Corp

or

Ireland.

As I'm

looking at

the

sheets

there,

see how

your church

is passionate

about taking

the gospel

to the

ends of

the

earth.

Praise

God.

Keep up

the good

work.

I pray

that the

Lord will

use you

all

mightily,

not only

here,

even to

the

ends of

the

earth.

There

are so

many

unreached

people

groups.

Thousands,

literally,

they haven't

heard the

gospel.

They haven't

heard the

gospel.

Let's

pray.

Father,

thank you

so much

for your

son,

Jesus

Christ.

Lord,

we are

very,

very grateful

to him

for his

death and

resurrection.

Lord,

thank you

for granting

us the

gift of

faith and

repentance.

Lord,

thank you

for giving

us this

opportunity

to gather

as your

people and

worship you

this morning,

Lord.

Lord,

I pray for

the people

here.

Lord,

please,

especially

if someone

is not a

follower of

Jesus Christ

here this

morning,

I pray,

Lord,

that would

you please

touch them

and help

them to

follow you,

Lord.

Lord,

this is the

day.

Lord,

we don't

know what's

going to

happen the

next moment.

Lord,

would you

please grant

them the

gift of

salvation?

Lord,

it's a

free gift

from you.

Father God,

I pray,

Lord,