Letting Go (13 of 16)
Series: Acts
Dave Gustavsen
Acts 16:1-15
Open to Acts 16.
Okay-so-we are taking a few months to walk through the book of Acts. And the book of Acts is the history of what happened just after Jesus left this earth, back in the first century. There was a group of people that was so convinced that Jesus had come back from the dead, and was alive, and they were so passionate about continuing the mission that Jesus had started. And Acts is the story of those early days of the church.
And we went a little bit out of order, because we wanted Eric to speak on Acts 17 last week. So this week we're going to back up and look at Acts 16.
There are some stories that are so memorable that they just stay with you. And one of them, for me, was told by a pastor named John Powell. He was taking care of his elderly mother. And he used to carry her up and down the stairs of their house. But every time he'd carry her, she would grab onto the banister and hold on to it so tightly that they couldn't move. So he would say, ''Momma, you have to let go of the banister or we can't move.'' And she would say, ''I'm afraid you'll drop me.''
And he would say, ''Momma, if you don't let go, I'm gonna drop you right now. When I count to three, I'm going to drop you!'' And then she would let go, and they'd go two more steps, and she'd grab on again. And so it would take forever to take her where she needed to go.
And maybe the reason that story stays with me is that, after fifteen years of pastoral work, I've seen how much we can be like that elderly woman. God wants to take us somewhere, and our instinct is to hold on.
Here's what I know for sure: Jesus showed up 2,000 years ago, and he started a movement. And the reason this church exists is to continue that movement. And I really believe that God has given us a unique position and unique voice in our community, and He wants to continue to use us in significant ways. But we always need to be willing ...
Series: Acts
Dave Gustavsen
Acts 16:1-15
Open to Acts 16.
Okay-so-we are taking a few months to walk through the book of Acts. And the book of Acts is the history of what happened just after Jesus left this earth, back in the first century. There was a group of people that was so convinced that Jesus had come back from the dead, and was alive, and they were so passionate about continuing the mission that Jesus had started. And Acts is the story of those early days of the church.
And we went a little bit out of order, because we wanted Eric to speak on Acts 17 last week. So this week we're going to back up and look at Acts 16.
There are some stories that are so memorable that they just stay with you. And one of them, for me, was told by a pastor named John Powell. He was taking care of his elderly mother. And he used to carry her up and down the stairs of their house. But every time he'd carry her, she would grab onto the banister and hold on to it so tightly that they couldn't move. So he would say, ''Momma, you have to let go of the banister or we can't move.'' And she would say, ''I'm afraid you'll drop me.''
And he would say, ''Momma, if you don't let go, I'm gonna drop you right now. When I count to three, I'm going to drop you!'' And then she would let go, and they'd go two more steps, and she'd grab on again. And so it would take forever to take her where she needed to go.
And maybe the reason that story stays with me is that, after fifteen years of pastoral work, I've seen how much we can be like that elderly woman. God wants to take us somewhere, and our instinct is to hold on.
Here's what I know for sure: Jesus showed up 2,000 years ago, and he started a movement. And the reason this church exists is to continue that movement. And I really believe that God has given us a unique position and unique voice in our community, and He wants to continue to use us in significant ways. But we always need to be willing ...
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