Refuge Church Byhalia exists to share the hope of Jesus, grow together, & love our neighbors in Byhalia, Marshall County, Lewisburg, & surrounding areas. Below is a sermon outline from our Grand Opening Celebration on 4/27/25. From Acts 19 titled, ‘When Kingdom & Culture Collide’ that was part of our ‘Grand Opening Celebration’ series where we share the heart of Refuge Church Byhalia.
Intro
- Good Morning & welcome again to Refuge Church Byhalia!
- We are so glad that you are here today.
- We’ve been praying that you would feel right at home here at Refuge & leave with high thoughts of Jesus.
- My name is Michael and I serve here at Refuge as the Planting Pastor.
- What an amazing few week sit has been for us here at Refuge.
- 4 Sundays ago we celebrated our church’s grand opening on March 30th.
- We spent 3 weeks celebrating our grand opening and honing in on our 3 pillars
- 3 weeks looking at our 3 key activities to do as a church that are rooted in scripture.
- As you walked through the lobby you saw them on the wall.
- Share the Hope of Jesus
- Love Neighbors
- & Grow Together
- Everything we do, we aim to accomplish these 3 biblical ideas
- And after spending 3 weeks on that we had Easter last Sunday, which is always a special day for Christians. As we look at the finished work of Christ. Through His death & Resurrection
- Such good news is wrapped up in what Jesus did.
- He said it is finished, and that means it is finished. The bill we owed due to our sin, paid in full by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
- Well after those 4 weeks of awesomeness, we capped it off yesterday with our biggest outreach event of the year
- Our Crawfish Boil – in early 2022 I was talking to Zac and my friend Wesley. And we asked the question, what can we do that would draw a crowd so we can love our neighbors, share the hope of Jesus and invite them to grow with us? And they came up with the idea for this.
- And 3 years in, we are figuring it out.
- Yesterday was the least stressful boil for me. Maybe it’s because we are learning, or maybe I’m growing up and trusting God more to move and work as we go wherever we go
- Either way – it was a beautiful day yesterday
- And God gathered many from Byhalia, Barton & beyond!
- And we got to love that crowd well. Folks were praying for people
- Helping them with their trash
- Striking up conversations
- Discussing life and its ups and downs.
- It was a beautiful sight.
- Not only that but we shared the Gospel and invited folks to church
- But also, we as a church serving and laboring for a goal together, it brings us closer and helps us learn each other
- And learn how to love one another as we work towards a common goal
- So thank you, if you helped, if you attended
- And a big thank you, if you’re visiting today after that wonderful event
- We are so honored and glad you are here
- And we really do care about what’s going on in your life – and so does God.
- So as I preach today, if the Lord prompts something, please write it down on a care card and turn that in. Big or small – God cares, we care – and we would love to pray for you this week.
- Now just like we are still learning how to put on a fun & delicious crawfish festival
- We are just getting started and still learning how to do church
- And we are growing
- And figuring things out
- Before our grand opening day we spent a lot of time in the book of Acts
- Looking at what the early church did as it exploded across Europe & West Asia
- Asking – what did the church do & what should the church be?
- So that in a culturally appropriate and relatable way, we can do similar things.
- Well today, we dive back into the book of Acts as we work to finish the book, which will be a regular habit for us.
- Walking through books of the Bible book by book & verse by verse
- When Kingdom & Culture Collide.
- So open your Bible to Acts 19:21-41 Page ____.
- If you don’t have your own BIble with you or on a device, I’ll invite you to use one of those Blue Bibles around you. Page numbers for all the passages I read are going to be on the screen.
- Today we are looking at the collision of Kingdom & Culture
- You see as Pual & his missionary team took the GOspel out
- Jesus started moving
- Folks got saved
- And the norms of the day began to be disrupted
- And that collision of the Kingdom of God and the Cultural norms – came to a head
- Let’s read about it now & see what we should take form this passage.
‘21 Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit uto pass through vMacedonia and Achaia and wgo to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, xI must also see Rome.” 22 And having sent into Macedonia two of yhis helpers, zTimothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia afor a while. 23 About that time bthere arose no little disturbance concerning cthe Way. 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, dbrought no little business to the craftsmen. 25 dThese he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. 26 And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, esaying that fgods made with hands are not gods. 27 And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the ggreat goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.” 28 When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, g“Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and hAristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s icompanions in travel. 30 But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. 31 And even some of the Asiarchs,5 who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. 32 jNow some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. 33 Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, kmotioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, l“Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 35 And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from mthe sky?6 36 Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. 37 For you have brought nthese men here who are neither osacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38 If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are pproconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. 39 But if you seek anything further,7 it shall be settled in the regular assembly. 40 For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.” 41 And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.’
Pray!
Zone 1
- Paul
- The one that used to go by Saul,
- Formerly a man working to destroy the church
- Then dramatically saved and rescued by Jesus
- And set on a path to be God’s chosen instrument to the Gentiles
- Is continuing his missionary journeys
- And is leaning into the Holy Spirit as he goes
- To share the hope of JEsus
- And as God saves & establishes churches
- He spends time teaching & guiding them as they Grow Together
- But the Holy SPirit is making it clear to Paul & his team, it’s time to move
- And getting to Rome, that’s the next goal
- But first he must go to Macedonia & Achaia and back to Jerusalem with a love offering for the poor and destitute believers there that was gathered from the churches.
- This entire time in Ephesus – God was on the move
- The church was growing
- Verse 23 calls the church the Way
- Which is an interesting phrase, I like it. Because Jesus said He was the Way, the truth, & the life.
- And members of the Way
- Members of Jesus bride, the church
- You’ll find this phrase used in other places.
- But the Way was growing
- And as it grew
- What do you know, folks lives were changing.
- Things they used to love, because they got saved by the grace of God
- They stopped loving those things
- And started to love things, they used to hate.
- They started following Jesus & His commands
- Something important for us to know & remember ‘When God saves a person it is easy to see, because their lives start to change.’
- Their is fruit of salvation
- Their is a change.
- Its clear to the new believer
- And those around them.
- When you come face to face with Jesus Christ & His love for you
- His love for you even though your sin – your lying, stealing, cheating, & worship of created things – all of that sin – put Jesus on the cross to fix the separation between God and you caused by that sin
- Jesus knew your name, knew hwen and where you would live
- Knew every sin past present and future that you would ever commit
- And still said ‘I love him, I love her’
- And I’m paying their bill in full
- And Jesus did it – he conquered sin and death – rose from the grave after dying on that cross
- And all who believe in Him, trust in His work, & submit to Him as boss of their life
- Will be saved
- And when they are saved – as the shirt that we give people when they get baptized says
- Jesus Changed Everything
- Has he changed everything for you?
- Have you put your faith & trust in Jesus?
- And let him change you
- Break you free from bondage
- Break you free from your past
- And set you on a new Way?
- Do it today! Trust in Jesus!
- Come forward after service and let us pray with you and discuss the things of God with you
- Mark it on your care card – salvation/baptism
- So we can talk about our beautiful awesome savior Jesus!
- There’s nothing more important
- Don’t wait
- Let today be the day of salvation.
- And then see God move in your life!
- ‘When God saves a person it is easy to see, because their lives start to change.’
- Well this was happening a lot in Ephesus
- And it was disrupting the businesses of the day.
- ‘As Jesus changes a town 1 soul at a time, those benefiting from the bondage of past sin, get upset.’
- In Ephesus it was those that made little silver idols or statues for the false gods of the area
- We see this in verse 26-28 of Acts 19
- Demetrius makes his case to his fellow silversmiths
- We aren’t making as much money because people aren’t worshipping Artemis as much
- And therefore aren’t buying the little silver statues
- And all the sudden – their profit line was shrinking
- Because God started saving people
- And they stopped loving the false god Artemis
- And started loving the real true and 1 God of the universe
- When the money stops flowing from the people GOd saves
- People get ticked.
- And we should expect this.
- Warren Wiersbe says ‘Wherever the gospel is preached in power, it will be opposed by people who make money from superstition and sin.’
- In Ephesus it was the statue makers
- What is it in Byhalia?
- In Barton?
- Maybe 1 of the 50 liquor stores in our small town can no longer keep their doors open because God rescues many from alcoholism
- Maybe the drug dealers, the meth dealers, start seeing their customer base decrease
- Maybe God closes another strip club, another porn company, another Girl comes off the street corners
- Because God starts to move
- 1 soul at a time
- And the sinful businesses profiting off of folks stuck in bondage
- Start to hurt.
- Oh that should be our prayer
- God dry up the meth dealers business and save him or get him out of here
- God get that girl of the streets
- God close down the liquor stores
- God move in Byhalia, Barton, & Beyond
- And make it clear – that the habits of sin – are dying because the Holy Spirit is moving!
- What a beautiful thing it would be
- But it would upset many – WE can know that.
- Matthew Henry says ‘Men are jealous for that by which they get their wealth; and many set themselves against the gospel of Christ, because it calls men from all unlawful crafts, however much wealth is to be gotten by them.’
- We want to see God move
- We want to see God save 1 soul at a time
- And we have to be ready – for that to disrupt things in the world around us
- And some people to not be happy about that
- Oh but we should yearn
- We should desire
- We should pray for God to move in this way.
- ‘We should pray for the demise of businesses that profit off of sin.’
- And then be bold in the face of the opposition that comes against us as God moves.
- But not combative.
- It’s important to see Paul didn’t picket or protest these silversmiths
- Paul and th members of the way were not rioting against the silversmiths
- They were just boldly walking and living in their new lives.
- And that new life – was full of jumping when the Bible said Jump, & sitting when it said sit.
- Which meant – no more idol worship with little silver statues
- But just because we are not combative – doesn’t mean the closed businesses won’t be combative
- Warren Wiersbe reminds us on this passage ‘Our motive is love, not anger; and the glory of God, not the praise of men. This is why the church goes on and we must keep it so.’
- God gets glory when people come to salvation
- God gets glory when people find freedom from sin
- God gets glory when sinful businesses have less customers
- & God gets glory when we – like the members of the Way in Epehesus, Stand boldly as a theater 20,000 strong riots over the life changing news of Jesus
- God worked it out
- And used a local politician to calm the crowd –
Conclusions
- As we wrap up today
- The heart of Refuge – is going to be to see God keep on moving
- Keep on saving and keep on changing lives.
- And we need to remember that
- When God saves a person it is easy to see, because their lives start to change.
- And then – As Jesus changes a town, 1 soul at a time, those benefiting from the bondage of past sin, get upset.
- But what does this mean for us
- How can we apply this to our lives
- Well – evaluate if there is evidence of God changing your life
- What has God set you free from
- Celebrate and praise God for that freedom – right that on the praise line of your prayer card
- And then evaluate again – if there is anything you are still holding onto from your pre-salavation life
- Anything that God can rescue you from
- For the Glory of God – any habit, any activity, any sinful tendency – big or small – lay it at the feet of Jesus
- Write it down on the pray for me line
- And then come get prayer for these things after service
- God is ready to save – and God is ready to set you free
- Feeling secure in your freedom in Christ – pray for someone you want to see get set free
- Pray for your one – that is currently far from God but close to Refuge Church
- Write their name down on the pray for friend/relative line
- I’m about ot pray – but before that My friends Scott & Ashli are going to come up here – and they are ready and happy to pray for you today
- About salvation
- Freedom from bondage
- And for boldness to go and share the hope of Jesus – if you wrote something down on your care card – you can get prayer today.
- Especially if there’s a habit – thats costing you money and time – that you cannot go hours without
- Get prayer for it.
- God moved in Ephesus – and closed the businesses tied to false gods
- May He do the same in Byhalia, Barton, & Beyond.
- Let’s Pray
- We should pray for the demise of businesses that profit off of sin.
- Trust God if your changed life results in opposition.
Warren Wiersbe
- Wherever the gospel is preached in power, it will be opposed by people who make money from superstition and sin.
- Paul did not arouse the opposition of the silversmiths by picketing the temple of Diana or staging anti-idolatry rallies.
- As more and more people got converted, fewer and fewer customers were available.
- Demetrius and his silversmiths were promoting idolatry and immorality in order to make a living, while Paul was declaring the true God and pointing people to cleansing and purity through the free grace of God.
- Demetrius made use of the two things the Ephesians loved the most: the honor of their city and the greatness of their goddess and her temple.
- Ephesus is a place visited primarily by archeologists and people on Holy Land tours. Yet the Gospel of God’s grace and the church of Jesus Christ are still here!
- Our motive is love, not anger; and the glory of God, not the praise of men. This is why the church goes on and we must keep it so.
Matthew Henry
- Men are jealous for that by which they get their wealth; and many set themselves against the gospel of Christ, because it calls men from all unlawful crafts, however much wealth is to be gotten by them.
- There are persons who will stickle for what is most grossly absurd, unreasonable, and false; as this, that those are gods which are made with hands, if it has but worldly interest on its side.
- Zeal for the honour of Christ, and love to the brethren, encourage zealous believers to venture into danger.
- Whatever side in religious disputes, or whatever name this spirit assumes, it is worldly, and should be discountenanced by all who regard truth and piety. And let us not be dismayed; the Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters; he can still the rage of the people.