Sermon Central
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Kissing Frogs ( Apostolic Action )
Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Jan 31, 2009 (message contributor)
Summary: We must fight the good fight. We must finish the race. Remember you are the Salt of the Earth, the Light of the World. What you do no matter how small it may seem does make a difference. Beloved, Please Remember the Frogs. Updated January 2020.
We have talked about Piety, ......Filling our life with Christ.
We have discussed Study ... deepening our understanding of Gods will for us.
Yet ... These two things are not complete, without Action.
Just as a three legged stool is not complete... without the third leg.
Action will remind us of the Pious life we are to live ... and will stimulate us to Study ... even more.
Without action... our Pious living is a Hypocrisy and our Study to no avail.
James puts it this way : " Even so Faith without works is dead" or we could paraphrase, Faith without Action is Dead. (James 2:17)
The type of Action we are talking about ... is Apostolic Action.
Who is an Apostle?
Mr. Webster states that an Apostle is: One who is sent out with a special message or Commission".
For those walking in the Life of Grace, ... that commission is set forth by Jesus Christ himself.
In the Gospel of Mark Jesus states " Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." (Mark 16:15)
Jesus did not suggest that we go and preach the gospel, ... He commanded it.
We have been commanded by Christ ... to go ... and to spread the good news to the whole world.
Some may feel they do not want to engage in Apostolic Action until they are quote "A Stronger Christians".
These may be the same people ... that would have you believe ... that you become a perfected golfer, ... skier or tennis player ... by just reading about it ... or thinking about it.
We truly become stronger not only in Sports ... but in our Christian walk ... by combining both Study and Action.
Jesus states in the Gospel of John that you should Love one another as I have loved you. (John 13:34)
That makes Apostolic Action ... so much easier.
Love gives us the desire ... to introduce others to our best friend, Jesus.
If you can imagine yourself standing with our Lord ... as the unbelievers are being Judged.
And, there in the crowd is a neighbor ... or maybe it is someone you work with.
They catch your eye.
You hear their voice, Why didn't you tell me? ...... Why didn't you care. (Pause)
We need to exercise our Apostolic Action ... because by telling others about Christ ... we grow.
We learn from our action... how to exercise our Faith.
In the epistle of James, He states that as a result of works, Faith was perfected. (James 2:22)
That is, ... your faith becomes stronger ... due to our Apostolic Action. (Pause)
As men of God ... we are called to be the spiritual leader ... in our household.
Therefore ... Our home is the best place to begin ... our Apostolic walk.
I truly believe that my wife Lee and I have brought up our children in a Christ centered home.
Almost every night ... I laid my hands on Kristin and Justin's head while they are sleeping and would pray for them.
I always end the prayer with "Jesus in your Dreams".
There is such power when Lee and I do Gods work together ... and Pray together.
Our Lords presence ... brings such peace ... in those moments when we are in His will.
Our wives ... are such blessings and they clearly know our weaknesses and I know it is a strong word but they know when we are hypocrites.
If we would only take the time to listen, ... If we would only MAKE time to listen.
I believe that God gives our wives a gift of tremendous insight and intuition.
If we would only listen ... and let that gift permeate our life.
When I think of Apostolic Action it brings to mind Lee's (My wife) , brother Al, who owns a small bakery in Painesville, Ohio.
He places the yeast in a refrigerated area to keep it from spoiling.
Yet when he mixes it with dough,... It starts a reaction that makes the dough truly come alive.
As Christians we are like the yeast.
We can keep ourselves from spoiling by a Pious life and by Study but that is not all God called us to be.
We should be mixed like leaven with the lost world around us ... and start a reaction ... so the whole world can come alive in Christ. (Pause)
We as Christian Men and Women ... are called to bring our Ideal of a Christ oriented life ... into every situation, ... into all of our Environments.
But, to do it in a Spirit of Love..... accompanied by Apostolic Prayer ... and Apostolic Action.
Beloved...... you were called by name,... just as the early disciples, ... from different backgrounds, ... different experiences and even different beliefs.
