New Name, New Mission (Part II)

Once, I mentored youths who willingly lived on welfare and disability checks. The Church invested countless hours in setting these youths up for healthy and productive lives. Nevertheless, most returned to their idle lifestyles because changing their ways was too uncomfortable.

It may seem ridiculous to reject such an incredible opportunity, but the reality is that we all do it in one way or another. When Paul preached the Gospel throughout what is now modern-day Turkey (Acts 13), people initially liked his message. That changed when he introduced radical changes to the rules-based religion they were familiar with. The idea of setting the rules aside in favour of a personal relationship with God was too far outside their comfort zone, so they rejected the message and stuck to their old ways.

But God doesn’t stick to our comfort zones. And when we reject His call to try something new, we reject the next step of our eternal life. We aren’t unworthy of the new life Jesus offers us, and we are more than capable of rising to the challenge with His help. When we say “no” to the Spirit, we’re believing a lie and stopping ourselves from growing.

Following the Spirit won’t be easy or comfortable. Recall how Paul endured years of suffering and failure before obtaining his first convert. It’s all part of the process (Revelation 2:17). Life will be hard, but don’t be discouraged. Following the Spirit allowed Paul to get up and keep preaching after being stoned nearly to death (Acts 14). With faith, you can overcome similar challenges with the same boldness.

Watch Part Two of the sermon here.