A MODEL FOR SALVATION (13 OF 26)
Scripture: Acts 16:11-40
This content is part of a series.
A Model for Salvation (13 of 26)
Series: How the Church ACTS
Jordan Easley
Acts 16:11-40
Last weekend was a weekend I will never forget.
We saw God move in a powerful way... So many people were saved and 82 people raised their flag for Jesus Christ and were baptized in this room.
Did you hear me? 82 people!
I could stand here for hours and tell you stories from last week... and maybe someday we'll have time to share them. But there's one story that comes to my mind that I believe will resonate with a lot of people today.
As I shared the Gospel last week, a man stood to his feet and responded to the invitation to go ALL-IN with Jesus. I walked to the back of the room and met him behind the cameras... and he told me...
''Pastor, my entire life, I've been in church... and my entire life, I've been wearing a mask. I've pretended to be a Christian... I've looked like a Christian on the outside... But TODAY, I'm going ALL-IN with Jesus, because I know I can't pretend... with a God who knows my heart.''
A lot of people wear a Christian mask. They ACT like they're a Christian. They LOOK like they're a Christian. They TRY TO PASS as a Christian, Sunday after Sunday... I know it sounds crazy, but that truly is a part of our culture.
People grow up 'pretending.' A lot of times, we use the word 'hypocrite' to define these people... and the interesting thing is: That word hypocrite comes from a Greek word, hypokrites, which originated in Greek theater and literally means 'actor.'
In the first century, girls and women traditionally weren't allowed to participate in the theater and so they would have young boys play those roles.
They were given a mask with a stick-and they would hold the mask in front of their face and 'pretend' to be the character they were portraying. They were called 'hypokrites' -they were 'actors.'
In the same way-there are many 'actors' today; even within the church... people that are pretending to be something they' ...
Series: How the Church ACTS
Jordan Easley
Acts 16:11-40
Last weekend was a weekend I will never forget.
We saw God move in a powerful way... So many people were saved and 82 people raised their flag for Jesus Christ and were baptized in this room.
Did you hear me? 82 people!
I could stand here for hours and tell you stories from last week... and maybe someday we'll have time to share them. But there's one story that comes to my mind that I believe will resonate with a lot of people today.
As I shared the Gospel last week, a man stood to his feet and responded to the invitation to go ALL-IN with Jesus. I walked to the back of the room and met him behind the cameras... and he told me...
''Pastor, my entire life, I've been in church... and my entire life, I've been wearing a mask. I've pretended to be a Christian... I've looked like a Christian on the outside... But TODAY, I'm going ALL-IN with Jesus, because I know I can't pretend... with a God who knows my heart.''
A lot of people wear a Christian mask. They ACT like they're a Christian. They LOOK like they're a Christian. They TRY TO PASS as a Christian, Sunday after Sunday... I know it sounds crazy, but that truly is a part of our culture.
People grow up 'pretending.' A lot of times, we use the word 'hypocrite' to define these people... and the interesting thing is: That word hypocrite comes from a Greek word, hypokrites, which originated in Greek theater and literally means 'actor.'
In the first century, girls and women traditionally weren't allowed to participate in the theater and so they would have young boys play those roles.
They were given a mask with a stick-and they would hold the mask in front of their face and 'pretend' to be the character they were portraying. They were called 'hypokrites' -they were 'actors.'
In the same way-there are many 'actors' today; even within the church... people that are pretending to be something they' ...
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