Things I’d liked to Be Accused Of.
1 Peter 3:16
16 having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
Satan is the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10).
The name Satan means accuser / slanderer / adversary.
If you are going to live openly for Christ in this world, you will be accused of all kinds of things.
If you preach against Sodomy, you will be accused of hate speech.
If you preach on hell, you will be accused of being unloving.
If you preach against sin, you will be accused of being a legalist.
If you preach on liberty you’ll be accused of compromise.
If you preach on the blood you’ll be accused of a “slaughter-house religion.”
I’ve been accused of a lot of things (some true; some false):
Bible thumper’—
Religious fanatic—
Holy Roller—
Hard on sin /
Soft on sinners.
They accused Jesus of being demon possessed,
A bastard, and a friend of sinners.
He was accused of being a winebibber because He ate with sinners (Mt. 11:19).
Both Jesus and Paul were accused of being “mad” (John 10:20; Acts 26:24).
As I read through the book of Acts, I see how the world accused the early church and I ask myself,
“Are we being accused of any of these things?” These are things we should want to be accused of…
NOW LETS TAKE A LOOK AT SOME THINGS THAT WERE ACCUSED.
#1 Acts 5:28—Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.
…Behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine...
QUESTION?
Has Troutman been accused of filling the neborhood with the doctrine of Christ?
The disciples just wouldn’t shut up
Acts 4:18-20
18 and they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.
20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
They couldn’t stop talking about Jesus!
Illustration
They were like a talking parrot in a pet shop.
A woman was looking at this parrot sitting on its perch and the parrot said, “You’re ugly! Oh, you are so ugly.”
The woman shocked said, “Say what?”
The parrot replied, “You heard me…
You’re ugly.” The woman’s husband got upset and the parrot said to him, “You’re ugly too!”
The husband complained to the pet shop owner and said the bird should be shatter The owner apologized and took the parrot by the throat, thumped him on the beak, shook him while feathers were flying everywhere.
He set the parrot back on the perch and said, “Again, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
After the pet shop owner left, the parrot said to the woman, “Hey you!” She said, “What?” The parrot said, “You know!” Women, you’re ugly
The parrot just couldn’t keep its mouth shut.
Question?
Does your fellow worker know that you are a Christian?
We should be accused of spreading the news about Christ.
IN OUR WORK PLACE
IN OUR SCHOOL
AND IN OUR NEBERHOOD. AMEN
Story.
I worked at a Trucking company called Howell motor frt. And the lord lay on my heart to buy chick tracts and just put them everywhere. I found myself placing them in uniform shirts, lunch pails, and cases of Beer, in bathrooms, phone booths, and every other place I could find.
It was not long that I was accused of being an idiot bible freak, some called me Noah, and all kinds of making fun. But I want you to know that even thou it hurt to be laugh at but down deep inside I knew I was doing what I knew to do, and that was all that matter.
QUESTION? Are you being accused, or are you being quit?
#2 Acts 16:13-18
13 And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.
14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
15 And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.
16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.
18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
Verse 17.
These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.”
Question.
What are you doing to be accused of being a servant of the most high God?
Question?
Have you shown anyone the way of salvation lately?
#3 Acts 17:1-4
1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:
2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,
3 Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.
4 And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
These that have turned the world upside down are come-hither also
A change agent. Any time a person gets saved, their world is turned upside down! Let’s turn someone’s world upside down with the transforming power of the Gospel!
#4 Acts 24:5—
5 For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes:
LET’S CONSIDER A COUPLE OF THINGS.
#1
A pest—
Irritant;
Annoyance;
Nuisance
Paul would not quit,
Give-in,
Let-up,
Or go away.
Like a fly flying around your nose while you are trying to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
#2
Pestilence:
A carrier of disease.
It was a disease that caused problems for the religious leaders of Paul’s day.
Paul was a “disease” to the self-righteous religion of the Pharisees.
He was a pest to “Pharisees” and hypocrisy!
Religion of works and legalism (Law keepers for salvation)
Religion of rules: do’s & don’ts.
Religion of the flesh (external) and void of the spirit.
Religion of ultra-separatism.
Religion of intolerance towards anyone who is not exactly like them.
ILLUS:
One evangelist was preaching against television in a church. He asked all those who did not have a television to stand up and come forward. A handful of people came forward.
Then he said, “Now turn around and look at the reason why we don’t have revival.”
That evangelist was WAY OUT OF LINE!
God hates phariseeism as much as He hates drunkenness.
Phil. 3:2-9, 18-19
Question?
Are you a mover? Motivator,Activator
Mover—Motivator; activator
A mover stirs things up—Keeps things from stagnating.
1. Move people closer to Jesus.
2. Move people to get involved serving God.
3. Move people to win others to Christ.
4. Move people to pray and read their Bible.
Illstration
FedEx CEO and founder Fred Smith first developed the idea for an innovative airfreight company while he was a student at Yale University. His professor was less than impressed; the paper Smith submitted outlining the concept earned him a "C". Thirty years later, FedEx is the world’s largest express transportation company, with 128,000 employees and more than $7 billion in capital.
This short-sighted professor didn’t take a few things into consideration. One is Smith’s refusal to quit— persistence.
Another is his resourcefulness—when plan "A" doesn’t work, there is always a plan "B" to put in motion.
Most important, however, is Smith’s ability to recruit others to his vision. People want to be part of what he is involved in—even to the point of sacrifice.
In the early days, for example, his pilots often refueled company jets with their own money.
CONSIDER
A Ringleader— One who stands out front; a chief; a director. A leader of a ring of individuals engaged in some activity.
ILLUS: In a circus, he is the one who runs the show and directs the audience’s attention to the various acts performed in the ring.
CONCLUSING.
Have you been accused recently because of your commitment for Christ?
Stand accused of being a pest to the enemies of the cross?
Stand accused of moving people closer to Jesus?
Stand accused of being a servant of the most high God?
Stand accused of showing men the way of salvation?
Stand accused of turning people’s worlds upside down with the gospel?
GUILTY on all accounts?
LET’S PRAY…
