Transformative Encounters: The Gospel's Power in Acts 16

The gospel is not the gospel doesn't make people religious the the religious need the gospel Lydia was religious but she needed the gospel and here's why because religion is outside in if I had really obey the law really if I really hope if I live right then God will come in and bless me but Christianity is inside out God through Christ completely loves and blesses me and therefore I try to please him that's compared to completely different dynamics as we often say here because in religion God is useful I obey because it's useful why my obedience is useful I obey if I obey then God will give me things God will bless me he'll answer my prayers he'll keep my give me good health he'll he'll take me to heaven I obey because God is useful but in Christianity you obey because God is beautiful you don't obey Him to get things because in Christ you've got everything. [10:54]

Lydia was reached through rat through reason Lydia was reached through a kind of rational discourse this girl is reached through a power encounter a deep existential power encounter in the deep recesses of her being, but this is the most interesting thing for us to note especially for us especially for Christians to notice this is that she doesn't only have demonic masters she has human masters she psychologically bound through the demons but she's socially bound through human masters she's exploited socially she exploited she is the victim of social injustice as well as demonic oppression see that and when she's liberated by the gospel she's liberated across the board she's not just liberated internally personally and individually she's also she's also socially liberated because when the demons cast out she no longer fits in the old exploitative economic system. [16:34]

Paul and Silas knew once the doors were open that they could escape and after all they didn't deserve to be there right but they also knew if they escaped they escaped at the cost of the jailers life and they knew that all the other prisoners if they escaped they would only escape and get their freedom at the cost of the jailers life but guess what they kept them in there they repaid evil with good they knew that all they had to do was even one guy leave the jailer was gone and after what the jailer did to them get this he they repay evil with good and the jailers never seen anything like that now we know that at the very center of paul and silas's personality was a whole new pattern and what is the pattern the ultimate example of repaying evil for good was Jesus Christ dying on the cross Jesus Christ praying for forgiveness for the people who were killing him or put it another way the reason that they would not get their freedom at the expense of the jailers life is because they'd already gotten their freedom at the expense of Jesus life so they now were people who overcame evil with good. [28:03]

The gospel is for religious types but not only for religious eyes religious types really need it badly because they're kind of screwed up this this what Luke is trying to say is there is no type of person that the Gospels were natural to for example there's no racial type you know these are three different races at least Lydia would be with some Fiat IRA she was probably Middle Eastern she would have what to our would have looked Middle Eastern or Indian the slave girl was probably could have been anybody it's you know because she was a slave she could have been from anywhere they uh the the jailer was a Roman he would have been European but here we have all the different races and Christianity is the only religion friends listen carefully that has never been dominated by one part of the world. [35:46]

The gospel can't be canned now what I mean by that is I'm not saying you can't take a summary of the gospel and learn it and use it with people that's fine but I'm talking about the approach look at these three approaches they're utterly different I'm remind of Jesus Jesus moves in to remember John chapter 11 he goes to the funeral of Lazarus the first woman that comes up is Martha and she says Lord if you had been here my brother wouldn't have died Jesus says resurrection yes I know the resurrection I am the resurrection he says then he moves to Mary and Mary comes up and says Lord if you had been here my brother wouldn't have died and Jesus just weeps now wait a minute here two sisters same situation brought their brothers died same situation same funeral same words they both come up in to him and say the same words and Jesus response to them is really different why he's smart he knows what they need listen he challenges you and he adapts to you he challenges your condition and he adapts your gonna if he only adapted to your condition you'd never be changed we need people to tell us the truth but if he only challenges you and doesn't adapt your condition you would turn him off you wouldn't you wouldn't hear him Jesus is always the one who perfectly challenges you and adapts to you he knows just how much the challenge just how much - adapting is just what you need he knows the process let's be like him and the way in which we talk to people Jesus was powerful enough for the slave girl he was beautiful enough for Lydia he was practical enough for the jailer he's whatever you need he'll challenge you but he'll be whatever you need go to him. [39:30]

Lydia was religious but she needed the gospel and here's why because religion is outside in if I had really obey the law really if I really hope if I live right then God will come in and bless me but Christianity is inside out God through Christ completely loves and blesses me and therefore I try to please him that's compared to completely different dynamics as we often say here because in religion God is useful I obey because it's useful why my obedience is useful I obey if I obey then God will give me things God will bless me he'll answer my prayers he'll keep my give me good health he'll he'll take me to heaven I obey because God is useful but in Christianity you obey because God is beautiful you don't obey Him to get things because in Christ you've got everything. [10:54]

Lydia was reached through rat through reason Lydia was reached through a kind of rational discourse this girl is reached through a power encounter a deep existential power encounter in the deep recesses of her being, but this is the most interesting thing for us to note especially for us especially for Christians to notice this is that she doesn't only have demonic masters she has human masters she psychologically bound through the demons but she's socially bound through human masters she's exploited socially she exploited she is the victim of social injustice as well as demonic oppression see that and when she's liberated by the gospel she's liberated across the board she's not just liberated internally personally and individually she's also she's also socially liberated because when the demons cast out she no longer fits in the old exploitative economic system. [16:34]

Paul and Silas knew once the doors were open that they could escape and after all they didn't deserve to be there right but they also knew if they escaped they escaped at the cost of the jailers life and they knew that all the other prisoners if they escaped they would only escape and get their freedom at the cost of the jailers life but guess what they kept them in there they repaid evil with good they knew that all they had to do was even one guy leave the jailer was gone and after what the jailer did to them get this he they repay evil with good and the jailers never seen anything like that now we know that at the very center of paul and silas's personality was a whole new pattern and what is the pattern the ultimate example of repaying evil for good was Jesus Christ dying on the cross Jesus Christ praying for forgiveness for the people who were killing him or put it another way the reason that they would not get their freedom at the expense of the jailers life is because they'd already gotten their freedom at the expense of Jesus life so they now were people who overcame evil with good. [28:03]

The gospel is for religious types but not only for religious eyes religious types really need it badly because they're kind of screwed up this this what Luke is trying to say is there is no type of person that the Gospels were natural to for example there's no racial type you know these are three different races at least Lydia would be with some Fiat IRA she was probably Middle Eastern she would have what to our would have looked Middle Eastern or Indian the slave girl was probably could have been anybody it's you know because she was a slave she could have been from anywhere they uh the the jailer was a Roman he would have been European but here we have all the different races and Christianity is the only religion friends listen carefully that has never been dominated by one part of the world. [35:46]

The gospel can't be canned now what I mean by that is I'm not saying you can't take a summary of the gospel and learn it and use it with people that's fine but I'm talking about the approach look at these three approaches they're utterly different I'm remind of Jesus Jesus moves in to remember John chapter 11 he goes to the funeral of Lazarus the first woman that comes up is Martha and she says Lord if you had been here my brother wouldn't have died Jesus says resurrection yes I know the resurrection I am the resurrection he says then he moves to Mary and Mary comes up and says Lord if you had been here my brother wouldn't have died and Jesus just weeps now wait a minute here two sisters same situation brought their brothers died same situation same funeral same words they both come up in to him and say the same words and Jesus response to them is really different why he's smart he knows what they need listen he challenges you and he adapts to you he challenges your condition and he adapts your gonna if he only adapted to your condition you'd never be changed we need people to tell us the truth but if he only challenges you and doesn't adapt your condition you would turn him off you wouldn't you wouldn't hear him Jesus is always the one who perfectly challenges you and adapts to you he knows just how much the challenge just how much - adapting is just what you need he knows the process let's be like him and the way in which we talk to people Jesus was powerful enough for the slave girl he was beautiful enough for Lydia he was practical enough for the jailer he's whatever you need he'll challenge you but he'll be whatever you need go to him. [39:30]

Lydia was religious but she needed the gospel and here's why because religion is outside in if I had really obey the law really if I really hope if I live right then God will come in and bless me but Christianity is inside out God through Christ completely loves and blesses me and therefore I try to please him that's compared to completely different dynamics as we often say here because in religion God is useful I obey because it's useful why my obedience is useful I obey if I obey then God will give me things God will bless me he'll answer my prayers he'll keep my give me good health he'll he'll take me to heaven I obey because God is useful but in Christianity you obey because God is beautiful you don't obey Him to get things because in Christ you've got everything. [10:54]

Lydia was reached through rat through reason Lydia was reached through a kind of rational discourse this girl is reached through a power encounter a deep existential power encounter in the deep recesses of her being, but this is the most interesting thing for us to note especially for us especially for Christians to notice this is that she doesn't only have demonic masters she has human masters she psychologically bound through the demons but she's socially bound through human masters she's exploited socially she exploited she is the victim of social injustice as well as demonic oppression see that and when she's liberated by the gospel she's liberated across the board she's not just liberated internally personally and individually she's also she's also socially liberated because when the demons cast out she no longer fits in the old exploitative economic system. [16:34]

Paul and Silas knew once the doors were open that they could escape and after all they didn't deserve to be there right but they also knew if they escaped they escaped at the cost of the jailers life and they knew that all the other prisoners if they escaped they would only escape and get their freedom at the cost of the jailers life but guess what they kept them in there they repaid evil with good they knew that all they had to do was even one guy leave the jailer was gone and after what the jailer did to them get this he they repay evil with good and the jailers never seen anything like that now we know that at the very center of paul and silas's personality was a whole new pattern and what is the pattern the ultimate example of repaying evil for good was Jesus Christ dying on the cross Jesus Christ praying for forgiveness for the people who were killing him or put it another way the reason that they would not get their freedom at the expense of the jailers life is because they'd already gotten their freedom at the expense of Jesus life so they now were people who overcame evil with good. [28:03]

The gospel is for religious types but not only for religious eyes religious types really need it badly because they're kind of screwed up this this what Luke is trying to say is there is no type of person that the Gospels were natural to for example there's no racial type you know these are three different races at least Lydia would be with some Fiat IRA she was probably Middle Eastern she would have what to our would have looked Middle Eastern or Indian the slave girl was probably could have been anybody it's you know because she was a slave she could have been from anywhere they uh the the jailer was a Roman he would have been European but here we have all the different races and Christianity is the only religion friends listen carefully that has never been dominated by one part of the world. [35:46]

The gospel can't be canned now what I mean by that is I'm not saying you can't take a summary of the gospel and learn it and use it with people that's fine but I'm talking about the approach look at these three approaches they're utterly different I'm remind of Jesus Jesus moves in to remember John chapter 11 he goes to the funeral of Lazarus the first woman that comes up is Martha and she says Lord if you had been here my brother wouldn't have died Jesus says resurrection yes I know the resurrection I am the resurrection he says then he moves to Mary and Mary comes up and says Lord if you had been here my brother wouldn't have died and Jesus just weeps now wait a minute here two sisters same situation brought their brothers died same situation same funeral same words they both come up in to him and say the same words and Jesus response to them is really different why he's smart he knows what they need listen he challenges you and he adapts to you he challenges your condition and he adapts your gonna if he only adapted to your condition you'd never be changed we need people to tell us the truth but if he only challenges you and doesn't adapt your condition you would turn him off you wouldn't you wouldn't hear him Jesus is always the one who perfectly challenges you and adapts to you he knows just how much the challenge just how much - adapting is just what you need he knows the process let's be like him and the way in which we talk to people Jesus was powerful enough for the slave girl he was beautiful enough for Lydia he was practical enough for the jailer he's whatever you need he'll challenge you but he'll be whatever you need go to him. [39:30]