The Seven Wonders of the Christian World
Gerald Harris
Acts 1: 1-14
If you could get in a time machine and in some mysterious way travel back in time to the first century, you would be shocked at how much it was like the world you know today.
First century Christians lived in an hour of high prices and hardship. Half the people were in slavery. Another multitude was on relief. No fewer than 300,000 adult males in Caesar's day received their needs from the government treasury.
With this was the problem of unused time. Workers had 135 days a year of leisure; and the appetite and looseness of that ancient world hung over the people like a dark cloud. Family life was breaking down; homes were going to pieces. Little children were without parents - and no one could have cared less.
But do you know what God did in that discouraging day? He took ordinary people a man here, a woman there, a boy here, a girl there and after touching their lives he flung them out into that ancient world. And he tipped that up-down world right side up!
This excites me! This stirs my soul! And when I see what is happening in our world today; my heart cries out, ''O Lord, do it again! Do it again!'' And I want God to do something like that with me. I want to go out without whimpering and complaining and having a defeatist attitude, but go out like these 1st century men and women to be mighty for him.
I tell you, the church, this church needs to realize that the time is short and situation is desperate and the devil is gaining a stronghold in our world. Business as usual in the church will not suffice in this day. And I tell you that the fair weather, milk-toast, candy-legged, Sunday morning glory Christian who sits in the pew when the sky is blue won't do.
Listen if we can work our way through these five services this week and not gain more love for one another, more compassion for the lost, and experience the wonderful discovery of the spirit-filled life, and take new s ...
Gerald Harris
Acts 1: 1-14
If you could get in a time machine and in some mysterious way travel back in time to the first century, you would be shocked at how much it was like the world you know today.
First century Christians lived in an hour of high prices and hardship. Half the people were in slavery. Another multitude was on relief. No fewer than 300,000 adult males in Caesar's day received their needs from the government treasury.
With this was the problem of unused time. Workers had 135 days a year of leisure; and the appetite and looseness of that ancient world hung over the people like a dark cloud. Family life was breaking down; homes were going to pieces. Little children were without parents - and no one could have cared less.
But do you know what God did in that discouraging day? He took ordinary people a man here, a woman there, a boy here, a girl there and after touching their lives he flung them out into that ancient world. And he tipped that up-down world right side up!
This excites me! This stirs my soul! And when I see what is happening in our world today; my heart cries out, ''O Lord, do it again! Do it again!'' And I want God to do something like that with me. I want to go out without whimpering and complaining and having a defeatist attitude, but go out like these 1st century men and women to be mighty for him.
I tell you, the church, this church needs to realize that the time is short and situation is desperate and the devil is gaining a stronghold in our world. Business as usual in the church will not suffice in this day. And I tell you that the fair weather, milk-toast, candy-legged, Sunday morning glory Christian who sits in the pew when the sky is blue won't do.
Listen if we can work our way through these five services this week and not gain more love for one another, more compassion for the lost, and experience the wonderful discovery of the spirit-filled life, and take new s ...
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