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One reason why reading the book of Acts is so important, is because it's a reminder of
something significant. We read Acts and we can hear, maybe ever so faintly hear, this call that echoes down through the centuries... "There is a cause, there is a story being written that is worthy of your life."

As I read the ending of Stephen's story, I realize that as the stones of hardship, suffering, perhaps even persecution come raining down on us, the most important question is, "Is it worth my life? If what happens to me is what happened to Stephen, would my last thoughts be, "God what a waste." Or would they be "God thank you for counting me worthy of suffering for Jesus?" Which leads to the question, "Is He worthy?" The life of Stephen cries out, "Yes."

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If I lay it all on the line, God’s gonna waste my life. That's the thought that comes to mind when I read Stephen's sermon in Acts 7. Sure Stephen was filled with passionate courage and preached it straight to the Jewish religious leaders. But then look at what happened. And we think, "If I say yes to God, he's going to send me to the last place in the world that I'd ever want to go and then make me do the last thing in the world that I'd ever want to do for the last person in the world that I would ever want to know. And then he's going to have me die penniless; friendless and obscure." Like God is just waiting us to say yes so that He can consume, ruin and waste our lives.

But here's what I believe, "He's your Father, Father God, and if He is waiting for anything, He simply waits for us to say yes to the incredible destiny of someone who is a child of King. There is a cause...a story being written that is worthy of your life. It's the story of Christ.

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Acts chapter 6 is a turning point in our movement. Up until Acts 6, the only names you ever hear about is Peter and John, once in awhile James. Everyone else is part of a group, or just a number. But after Acts 6 it changes. After Acts 6, everyone has a mission. Ministry is handed off from a few leaders to everyone. In chapter 6, it's Stephen. He's preaching, healing, serving widows. In Acts 8, Philip becomes an evangelist. In chapter 9, Saul gets written into the story. Then it's Dorcas the seamstress, followed by Lydia the church planter, Priscilla the teacher, Philip's prophesying daughters and the list goes on and on.

Because that's what happens when the Spirit comes and fills up the followers of Christ.
Everyone has a part. The mission is placed in the hands and hearts of ordinary men and women who loved Jesus and were filled with His Spirit.

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As we dig into Acts 6, here is the first thought that comes to my mind. Sometimes the church is both an unstoppable force and an unspeakable mess. The church in Acts was an amazing movement, full of power and courage, a joy and generosity that would just knock the spiritual socks off your feet. But it wasn't pure. It wasn't perfect.

Don't forget the deceit of Ananias and Sapphira. In Acts 8, we'll see the hunger for self-serving power in Simon the Magician, the fearful retreating of John Mark in Acts 13 and so much more mess. Sometimes an unstoppable force can also be an unspeakable mess, in fact I don't know that history has ever seen a revival that wasn't messy.

But never forget as we look at the church in all her mess. Jesus is so intimately passionate about His church that He calls it His bride. Pretty hard to love Jesus, if we don't love His bride.

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In Acts chapter 5, we find the early church experiencing intense persecution from the religious authorities. The apostles have been arrested, flogged, and commanded to stop speaking about Jesus. But instead of being silenced and scared, they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer disgrace for the Name.

Can you imagine that mindset today? How many of us would consider it a privilege to be beaten and shamed for our faith? The apostles' response reveals just how radical a transformation the gospel had worked in their hearts and lives. Their devotion to Christ superseded even the most basic human instincts for comfort and control. So as we listen to Acts 5:40-42 today, just ask yourself - do I have that same spirit of joyful willingness to endure hard times for the sake of Jesus? Am I grateful for times when I suffered for Jesus? Not easy questions, but they may measure the heart of our passion for Jesus and how full we are of the Spirit.

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In Acts 5, a religious leader by the name of Gamliel, let loose with some wisdom on the Jewish religious leaders. He warned them to leave Peter and John alone because if this movement was not of God, it would die out. But if it was of God...they would find themselves fighting against God!

The church in Acts was of God. It was filled with people who were experiencing the fire of the Holy Spirit filling their hearts and minds. A group of people who were bowing their hearts and bending their knees to give their loyalty and their love to Jesus. And God responded by filling them with his presence, empowering them with his Spirit and giving them courage and deep compassion. A compassionate courage so deep that they just could not stop talking about Jesus!

When is the last time you felt like you just couldn't stop talking about Jesus?

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To turn the world upside down, we must get real with our sin. We have to take off our masks and get real with our sin. When we get real with our sin, grace happens and life is transformed. If you grew up in the church, and you are wearing a mask of spirituality that hides the sin in your heart, then you don't like the story of Annanias and Sapphira, in Acts 5. You hear the story and you think, "God that was a little over the top, don't you think?" I mean it was just a little lie, who were they hurting?

If you are a religious person, God's the bad guy in this story.

But if you have ever got real with God and found forgiveness for your sins; if you have ever dealt with your junk, you know that God's not the bad guy. Sin is a cancer that has
no cure but grace and grace that doesn't come if we don't get real. But when it comes...it is simply gloriously good!

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This episode is about stuff and our masks and getting real with each other and God. And a little bit about what sometimes happens when God gets real with us!

One of the amazing things about people giving up their stuff is that stuff is one of the most secure and effective masks we wear. Right? Because if we have stuff on the outside, then people assume that we are good on the inside. But here's the deal. Stuff means nothing. It can be used for many things, but it means nothing. It defines nothing. We go through life collecting stuff, getting anxious about stuff, and hoping our outside stuff masks our inside stuff.

In real church, real people get real with each other and God.