The Word Made Plain

Guest (Male): Welcome to the Word Made Plain with Senior Pastor Tony Clark of Calvary Chapel Newport News in Virginia. Currently, Pastor Tony is teaching a study in the book of Acts. Please open your Bibles to Acts chapter 15, verses 30 through 36.

Tony Clark: All right, let's dive into the word of God together. Turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Acts, chapter 15, as we continue to go verse by verse and chapter by chapter through the book of Acts. We're back in the book of Acts and so thankful to be back, and we're going to be looking at verses 30 to 36.

Father, thank you so much for this time in your word. I pray that you would soften our hearts so the seed of the word of God will go into fertile and good soil and bear fruit. Dear God, I pray that you would just speak to us, give us a word in season that we need to hear today. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Acts 15, looking at verses 30 to 36. And the title of this message is "You've Got Mail" and this is part two of this message. In part one of this study, we saw three of the six ways God guides his people through a letter sent to the church in Antioch of Syria. This is so important for us to see because we want to know what we're doing, whether that is of the Lord and whether it is in the will of God and whether we're walking in the ways of God. We all want to know.

And we look into the Bible, the word of God, to give us some instruction on whether we're walking in the ways of God or not. And we saw how God guided his people through number one, through the oneness of the church, and we saw this when we were studying verse 25. Number two, God guided his people through gifted men and women in the church according to verses 25 to 27. God would use gifted men and women in the church.

We saw from last week, God gave some to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers for the equipping of the saint for the work of the ministry. We saw that. So God will guide through gifted men and women. You will hear a message in church and you will think, "That is exactly what I needed to hear." God will guide that way. Number three, God guided his people through the gifts of the Spirit according to verses 28 and 29. God will use a word of knowledge, a word of wisdom. He will use those things in order to guide us as his people.

Now let's see the other ways that God guides his people. Look at verses 30 and 31. "So when they were sent off, they came to Antioch, and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter. And when they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement." In these verses, we see that they were sent off. The "they" refers back to verse 22, who were Paul, Barnabas, Judas, and Silas.

These men came to the city of Antioch and gathered the church together, who were no doubt anxiously waiting to see the decision of the apostles as to whether their salvation was genuine or not. So when the letter was read to them in verse 31, they rejoiced over its encouragement. They rejoiced that salvation was by grace through faith alone and not by keeping the law of Moses or becoming a Jew first, which is what some of the Jewish believers were commanding them to do.

Look at verses 32 to 35. "Now Judas and Silas, themselves being prophets also, exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words. And after they had stayed there for a time, they were sent back with greetings from the brethren to the apostles. However, it seemed good to Silas to remain there. Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord with many others also."

Now we see in verse 32 that Judas and Silas, two of the men who came from Jerusalem, used their prophetic gifts to exhort and strengthen the brethren there with many words. I want to draw your attention to these two words used by those with a prophetic gift. Judas and Silas exhorted and strengthened the believers. We need to unpack these two words a little bit further.

The Greek word for "exhorted" is parakaleō and it means to come alongside of to help. And the Greek word for "strengthened" is epistērizō and it means to support, to reestablish, or to strengthen. So Judas and Silas came alongside of the believers in Antioch to strengthen and support them in the faith. Paul would later confirm this gift in 1 Corinthians chapter 14, in verse 3, where he says, "He who prophesies speaks words of edification, exhortation, and comfort to men."

And I just want to pause and say, oh, how we need more men and women in the church like Judas and Silas who have the prophetic gift to come alongside of us and speak words of edification, words to build us up in the faith. Words of exhortation, words to urge us on in our faith when we feel like giving up, and speaking words of comfort when life has dealt us a devastating blow.

I just want to pause here and say, parents, can we be more like this to our children? We seem to always point out the negative things that they are doing, especially when you have children that are school-aged. They can have all A's and a C and all you will harp on is that C. I know you, I know how you are. They may have straight A's, but there's a little negative comment about some behavior, and you'll just constantly point out that behavior. Not saying that it doesn't need to be addressed, but can we be more like this?

Can we speak words of edification, words that are going to build our children up? Can we speak words of exhortation when they want to give up? Can we speak words of comfort when they're being devastated at school through bullying and all kinds of other things? Can we be more like this, Judas and Silas, to our children? Married couples, what about you? What about us? Can we be more like this to each other? Always pointing out what he doesn't do.

"You always leaving this around. You never do this. You never have. You never." And you point out the wife, "You never," and it's always those type of things. When was the last time you spoke words that are going to build your spouse up? When was the last time you spoke words that are going to exhort them to continue on when they feel like giving up? When are you going to speak words of comfort when they've been devastated on the job, maybe demoted because of something? When are we going to be like this to one another?

Singles, how about you? Oh, how many singles need to be exhorted to continue on when they are tired of waiting on God's person for them? And when they're tempted to go out into the world to find someone because of loneliness. When are we going to speak words of exhortation to the singles? When are we going to speak words of edification to build them up in their Christian walk when they're being torn down by the world because they are single?

When are we going to speak comfort to them when that loneliness seems to be caving in on them and a depression has set in? When are we going to speak words of comfort to them? Oh, how we need more men and women like Judas and Silas that's going to speak words of exhortation, edification, and comfort to one another. According to verse 33, these men stayed there for a time, and then they were sent back with greetings from the brethren in Antioch to the apostles in Jerusalem.

So as they were sent off, it would seem like Silas had a change of heart and wanted to stay even longer. This leads me to the fourth way that God guides his people, and that is number four through the desires we may have personally. Philippians 2:13 says, "It is God who works in us both to will and to do his good pleasure." In other words, when we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, God works in us his will for our lives.

Let me give you a personal example of this. In 1 Timothy chapter 3, verse 1, it says, "If a man desires the office of pastor, he desires a good work." I am a pastor today because God put it in my heart. He gave me the desire to become one. Many people say, "I wouldn't want to be a pastor for all the tea in China." That's why you're not one. And it has to be a desire, and where did the desire come from? It came from God.

God works in us both to will and to do his good pleasure. God put the desire in my heart to be one. That's where it came from. I didn't have some old mother from the church saying, "Yeah, you're going to be a preacher one day." No, I didn't have that. God put it in my heart to become one, and I am one now because God put it in my heart that way. Let me get very practical with you even further.

I am in Virginia now because when I came to visit 25 years ago, I said there is a need for Calvary Chapels here and I said, "Yeah, I can see myself living here." So I left California, came here, and have been here for 25 years. Some of y'all are looking for God to part the sky and call your name. "So-and-so, this is God. Listen to me, my child." You're waiting on some dream or something God nudged you, "Hey, it's me, God."

We have a saying within Calvary Chapels: God works supernaturally in a very natural way. Y'all looking for some star-spangled banner of some kind of thing, some kind of sparkles and fireworks. No, he works in us. He works in us very naturally to give us desire to the point where we think it's us. "Oh, I came up with this." See, God is so humble that he will give us desires and then we think it's us coming up with it.

And God says, "I'm the one who gave you the desire." It is God who works in us both to will, that's desire, and to do, the power to carry out, his good pleasure. That's what God does. I'm doing what I'm doing now because God put it in my heart to do it. Why am I in Virginia? I came here and said, "Yeah, I can stay here." I had a choice to go back home to Indiana where I'm from. I had an opportunity to go to the Atlanta area.

I came here and said, "Yeah, I can do that." Where do you think that came from? That came from God. Look at all that God has done that showed that that was in line with God. So I came, I stayed here, just like Silas said in verse 34. He said, "I think I stay here in Antioch a little longer." And he stayed in Antioch. Now, what is it that you would like to do for the Lord? What is in your heart? What desires do you have? Then guess what I'm going to tell you? Then do it.

Psalm 37, verse 4 says, "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." So the prerequisite of getting desires of your heart is delight yourself in the Lord, which means to have pleasure in the things of God, his word, and prayer, and talking to people about him. Just delight yourself in the Lord and then do what he put in your heart to do. This is what Silas did in verse 34.

Paul and Barnabas also stuck around according to verse 35 because they were leaders in the church there and they used their teaching and preaching gifts to build up the new Gentile or non-Jewish believers there. Look at what it says there in verse 36. "Then after some days, Paul said to Barnabas, 'Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city we have preached the word of the Lord and see how they're doing.'"

So we see after some days, we don't know how long this was. It could have been several months or it could have been several years. Paul and Barnabas felt like they could leave and go on another missionary trip. The end of verse 35 says that there were many others who came to the church in Antioch to help establish them in their faith. So they felt that they could go on another missionary trip because the church was in good hands.

And suddenly Paul said to Barnabas, "I'm curious as to how the believers we saw years ago are doing. So let us go back and visit them in every city where we have preached the word and just see how they're doing." This is the fifth way that God guides his people and that is number five through the concerns we feel internally. This is what happened to Nehemiah. He heard about the disaster that took place in the city of Jerusalem.

The city was destroyed, the walls were torn down, and it broke his heart. And he just began to weep over the condition of his city according to Nehemiah 1:4. My question is, what are you concerned about? What breaks your heart? What causes you to weep? Is it the marriages in the church? Is it for singles? Is it for the children or for the teens? Whatever it is, then that is what God is calling you to get involved in. Is it the finances, people's finances all jacked up?

Let me tell you what breaks my heart. What causes tears to flow from my eyes. And that is the spiritual condition of America and especially the spiritual condition of the church in America, or Christianity in America. That breaks my heart. And the lack of sound biblical teaching in the church today. That crushes me. Because I've been in ministry over 30-some years. I've been around and I've seen a lot of churches.

I've heard a lot of preaching, teaching, fooling around up in the sacred desk that I'm behind right now. I've seen a lot of it. I've heard a lot of it and it breaks my heart. It breaks my heart to know that we're living in the days of 2 Timothy 4 verses 3 and 4 which say, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. But according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers and they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to fables."

We are living in such days. People not wanting to hear sound doctrine. The Greek word for "sound" is hugiainō and it means to have sound health. It is where we get our English word "hygiene" from. In other words, there will come a time when people will not want good healthy teaching that will teach them how to live a clean healthy life for the Lord. Why? Don't miss this. Because people will have itching ears.

Because of this, they will follow those who will tickle or scratch them and tell them what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear. They will turn away their ears from the truth and turn aside to fables and stories. This is what breaks my heart. And I am mandated by the Lord to do what 2 Timothy 4 verse 2 says: preach the word. Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and teaching.

So I am called to preach and teach the word in season or out of season, or when preaching the word is popular and when it isn't popular. However, now I know why people don't want to hear sound, clean doctrine. It is because of what the word does in our lives when it is properly taught to us. It, number one, convinces or reproves us. That Greek word is elegchos and it means to correct misbehavior.

It affects the mind and helps to convince a person that what he or she is doing is wrong. And people don't want to be told what they're doing is wrong. The first thing out of their mouths is, "You're judging me." Or if it's coming from the pulpit, "That's your interpretation of it, as if you are an expert on this word here." God wants us to be. But I'm so amazed at when people don't want to hear what the word of God clearly says, "You're judging me" or "That's your interpretation."

Because of what the word does, it convinces a person that what he or she is doing is wrong. The word of God when it's properly taught also rebukes us, which means to bring under conviction of guilt and bring to repentance. The preaching of the word does that. It brings us under a conviction. This is why many people don't want to come to a place that is constantly teaching the word of God. Why? Because they don't want to be brought under the conviction of guilt that the word of God is showing them.

The word of God is a mirror to show us who we are so we can correct some things. Ladies, you know this more so than we do. We do it also, but you know it more so. You look in the mirror and watch this. You're looking in the mirror, every woman has a long mirror. I already know it. On the back of some door somewhere, you've got long mirror and then when you're looking at yourself and fixing and then you do this.

And I know that mirror is showing you everything. The Bible says the word of God is a mirror. When we sit under the teaching, it shows us who we are so we can make the proper adjustments. This is what the word is doing. And people don't want to do that. They don't want to be brought under that conviction of guilt that will lead to repentance. Remember the object of walking with the Lord is so we can ultimately become like Christ.

And therefore, when the teaching of the word of God is showing us and we're brought under conviction, that is showing us there is an area that's not like Christ that needs to be corrected in an attitude, a behavior, something we're doing or did. And it brings us under a conviction that will lead to repentance. The preaching and teaching of the word of God also exhorts us or encourages us, which is needed when we want to quit.

Because we may be brought under a guilt and a conviction and we're just like, "You know what? I'm done. Deuces with this Christian stuff. I want to quit." Then the word of God will come and encourage us to continue on in the Christian walk. Then those preaching the word need to do it, notice it says with all long-suffering. That Greek word for long-suffering is makrothumia and it can be translated as patience or endurance.

And the meaning is very clear. The pastor or teacher needs to endure preaching the word even when church members are turning their ears away from it and are stubborn. Still preach the word with patience towards them. So preach the word with all long-suffering and doctrine. That word doctrine or teaching, didachē, it means instruction. So the people of God need to be instructed on how to walk with God.

And this is why I teach the way I do because God's word will convince us, it will rebuke us, it will exhort us on how to walk with God. You've heard me say many times before that many people are not walking with God because they've never been taught how. And this is what breaks my heart about the churches in America. There is not the sound teaching and preaching of the word of God. And therefore, they're not walking with God.

They're taught how to get excited about God, how to run around and flip and roll around.

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