1 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:08,119 This is Living Waters of Grace, the teaching ministry of Clark 2 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:12,240 Wofford, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland, 3 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:16,400 County of Greensburg, PA. Now here's Pastor Clark as he 4 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:18,720 continues teaching through God's Word. 5 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:40,800 I don't know if we were told that prior to becoming 6 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:43,000 believers. If someone said, by the way, if 7 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:46,400 you commit your life to Christ and you really want to follow 8 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:49,440 him and be serious about him, you're going to have some 9 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:53,280 struggles in life, persecution. And how many people would be 10 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:56,640 willing to sign up for that? No one told me that. 11 00:00:56,640 --> 00:01:00,040 So I just believe real simply, and I'm thankful I did. 12 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:02,800 But if someone would have told me, if you become a believer, 13 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:04,879 you're going to have a lot of struggles, I might have had to 14 00:01:04,879 --> 00:01:07,520 think about it a little bit. You may have heard it taught 15 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:10,320 that if you give your life to Jesus, all your troubles will 16 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:13,120 disappear. Well, in his message today, 17 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:15,280 Pastor Clark wants to set a few things straight. 18 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:18,920 You see, it is true. The biggest problem you'll ever 19 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:22,360 face in life is sin. So when you give your life to 20 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:25,240 Christ, you'll be forgiven of your sin and receive eternal 21 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:27,320 life. But The thing is that when you 22 00:01:27,320 --> 00:01:31,200 follow Christ, you're choosing to do so in hostile territory. 23 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:35,800 Following Jesus is a difficult journey, but the destination is 24 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:39,400 eternal life. Now here's Pastor Clark in Acts 25 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:43,120 Chapter 8 with today's edition of Living Waters of Grace. 26 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:50,400 This is Acts chapter 8 where Paul was baptized by Ananias and 27 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:55,080 it talked about the things that we're going to occur in his life 28 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:58,480 and it says there how many things he must suffer for my 29 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:01,440 name's sake. So Paul was going to suffer a 30 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:06,640 great deal because he was a follower of now Jesus Christ. 31 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:09,400 And we don't think about that. We become believers. 32 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:12,440 We sometimes think that everything is going to be 33 00:02:12,920 --> 00:02:16,640 perfect and awesome and no more problems, no more worries, no 34 00:02:16,640 --> 00:02:19,120 more difficulties. But if you've been a Christian 35 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:22,080 for any length of time, you know that's just part of the story, 36 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:23,600 right? There is a lot of wonderful 37 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:27,560 things we experience, a lot of joy, a lot of overcoming power 38 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:30,160 in our life. We're not stuck in sin anymore, 39 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:34,560 but the difficulties we struggle with many times have to do with 40 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:39,520 people that don't want to identify with us anymore because 41 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:41,880 we've become believers. Sometimes that happens in a 42 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:45,280 household where maybe a husband becomes a believer in the wife 43 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:49,160 isn't yet or vice versa, or kids that aren't interested or family 44 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:51,560 members. And sometimes you're rejected by 45 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:54,280 your own family because of your faith in the Lord and that's 46 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:58,560 very, very painful to deal with. Also sometimes work, sometimes 47 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:02,240 employers if they find out that you're and zealous through your 48 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:05,560 faith and following Jesus Christ, they sometimes aren't 49 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,560 interested in promoting you or maybe they're interested in 50 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:12,680 eliminating your position. This has happened to many people 51 00:03:12,680 --> 00:03:16,360 even in our own country. And so I wanted to look at a 52 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:20,440 couple verses regarding the difficulty that we have at times 53 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:25,040 because we're Christians and just be upfront about what we do 54 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:28,560 go through. And Second Timothy, Pastor Lewis 55 00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:30,800 had taught us on this a few weeks ago. 56 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:35,200 But second Timothy chapter 3, this is a good reminder 57 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:41,480 regarding what will happen when we become followers of Jesus 58 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:45,600 Christ. It tells us in verse 11 he 59 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:50,360 speaks about this issue of persevering and persecutions 60 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:54,640 afflictions which happened to me at Antioch at Iconium at Lystra 61 00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:59,280 what persecutions I endured out of them all the Lord delivered 62 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:01,600 me. Yes and all who desire to live 63 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:05,680 godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 64 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:09,760 I don't know if we were told that prior to becoming 65 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:11,960 believers. If someone said by the way, if 66 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:15,280 you commit your life to Christ and you really want to follow 67 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:18,240 him and be serious about him. You're going to have some 68 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:21,959 struggles in life persecution and how many people would be 69 00:04:21,959 --> 00:04:25,800 willing to sign up for that. No one told me that, so I just 70 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:28,560 believe real simply, and I'm thankful I did. 71 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:31,280 But if someone would have told me, if you become a believer, 72 00:04:31,280 --> 00:04:32,560 you're going to have a lot of struggles. 73 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:36,160 I might have had to think about it a little bit, but now it's 74 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:38,560 too late. I'm already a believer, I have 75 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:40,760 gone through a lot and then we'll continually go through a 76 00:04:40,760 --> 00:04:43,480 lot as you guys do too, following Jesus Christ. 77 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:47,640 But I wouldn't turn back or regret anything thus far in my 78 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:50,520 life. Regardless of the challenges and 79 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:53,960 difficulties that we experience as believers in Psalm chapter 80 00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:56,760 34, this is a tremendous encouragement. 81 00:04:56,760 --> 00:05:00,320 Psalm chapter 34. We'll flip through the Bible a 82 00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:03,800 little bit here before we get started in Acts 21 today, but I 83 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:08,080 just wanted to sort of lay a foundation for why we go through 84 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:11,040 what we go through, and how the Lord is there to help us 85 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:17,080 continually. Psalm 34 verses 19 it says many 86 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:20,560 are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers 87 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:24,560 him out of them all. He guards all his bones, not one 88 00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:27,720 of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, and 89 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:29,960 those who hate the righteous shall be condemned. 90 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:34,120 The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who 91 00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:39,440 trust in him shall be condemned. I like what it says in verse 17 92 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:41,960 of that Psalm. The righteous cry out and the 93 00:05:41,960 --> 00:05:45,200 Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. 94 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:48,600 So we all go through challenges, difficulties, but we can be 95 00:05:48,600 --> 00:05:52,440 assured that when we call upon the Lord, he hears us and he 96 00:05:52,440 --> 00:05:55,920 will eventually bring us through the difficult times. 97 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:58,280 And I love this. The Lord is near to those who 98 00:05:58,280 --> 00:06:02,400 have a broken heart and say such as have a contrite spirit. 99 00:06:02,840 --> 00:06:06,120 So when we're struggling, when our heart is broken, when we're 100 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:09,840 overwhelmed, we call upon the Lord, we cry out to him, we ask 101 00:06:09,840 --> 00:06:12,480 for his help. He's always there to listen and 102 00:06:12,480 --> 00:06:16,280 come alongside of us and get us through those challenging times. 103 00:06:16,760 --> 00:06:21,600 Jesus himself and the Beatitudes in Matthew chapter 5 tells us 104 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:25,160 how to deal with the challenges that we go through. 105 00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:29,360 It says in Matthew 10, blessed are those who are persecuted for 106 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:32,800 righteousness sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of God. 107 00:06:33,160 --> 00:06:37,160 Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and say 108 00:06:37,160 --> 00:06:41,400 all kinds of evil against you falsely for my name's sake. 109 00:06:41,680 --> 00:06:45,120 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in 110 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:47,200 heaven. For so they persecuted the 111 00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:50,920 prophets who were before you. And Jesus has written this to 112 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:53,000 all of us, and we are persecuted. 113 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:57,520 We can thank the Lord that we are counted worthy as followers 114 00:06:57,520 --> 00:07:02,360 of Jesus Christ to be suffering and challenged at times and have 115 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:06,600 difficulty from people who don't believe in the Lord and aren't 116 00:07:06,600 --> 00:07:09,120 interested in following Him at this point in time. 117 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:12,480 And people watch how you and I walk through adversity and 118 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:17,320 persecutions. We have to show one another that 119 00:07:17,320 --> 00:07:20,440 no matter how hard life can get at times and the challenges that 120 00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:23,040 we face, we're trusting the Lord, right? 121 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:25,920 We're depending on him. We're not giving up, we're not 122 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:28,960 complaining, we're not whining. We're just OK, I'm going to 123 00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:32,800 believe God in this challenge. And many times, you know, the 124 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:36,760 persecution comes this not from people who are unbelievers, but 125 00:07:36,960 --> 00:07:39,240 it comes also from the enemy, the devil. 126 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:42,280 He comes to steal, rob, kill and destroy. 127 00:07:42,280 --> 00:07:46,280 The devil is our enemies is not our friend and many times 128 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:51,000 affliction, adversity, financial challenges, health issues, 129 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:54,720 conflict. This is all part of what we deal 130 00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:58,000 with as followers of Jesus Christ in this world. 131 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:01,600 Jesus said we will have tribulation, but he said be of 132 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:04,240 good cheer have overcome the world. 133 00:08:04,520 --> 00:08:07,920 And then the apostle Paul himself that wrote the book of 134 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:13,080 Romans, you know, he also verifies the fact and we know 135 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:15,760 what he's been through and study more and acts what he went 136 00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:17,760 through. It says in verse 3. 137 00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:22,000 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing 138 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:25,720 that tribulation produces perseverance and perseverance, 139 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:29,200 character and character hope. Now hope does not disappoint 140 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:32,520 because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the 141 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:38,159 Holy Spirit who was given to us. So when we have these challenges 142 00:08:38,159 --> 00:08:41,880 and these difficulties in our lives, they cause us to grow 143 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:46,160 deeper in the Lord, don't they? They humble us. 144 00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:51,440 They make us realize that there's more to life than this. 145 00:08:51,840 --> 00:08:56,000 Focusing on what I can get from this present life in this world. 146 00:08:56,920 --> 00:09:00,760 Whenever I go through struggles and difficulties, it reflects 147 00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:05,040 upon my potential to be superficial as a Christian at 148 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:10,480 times, not to be all in maybe or be sidetracked by something 149 00:09:10,480 --> 00:09:12,360 else. It's attracting my attention. 150 00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:16,560 And whenever a persecution comes, or an adversity or a 151 00:09:16,560 --> 00:09:19,840 trial or even a chastening of the Lord is discipline, whatever 152 00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:24,760 it causes me to, you know, get on my face before the Lord and 153 00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:27,720 begin to live for what really matters again, right? 154 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:31,680 Not living for temporal stuff, not living for this, my own 155 00:09:31,680 --> 00:09:36,680 sense of my own opinion or my own feelings or my own hope to 156 00:09:36,680 --> 00:09:38,760 have everything go well all the time. 157 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:42,320 It doesn't work that way. So the Lord allows the trials 158 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:45,440 and we, none of us like him, none of us like the persecution, 159 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:48,440 none of us like the afflictions, none of us like the tribulation, 160 00:09:48,440 --> 00:09:50,560 whatever term you want to call it. 161 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:53,560 But we all have to go through these things because this is how 162 00:09:53,560 --> 00:09:57,040 God makes us more like himself, his Son, Jesus Christ. 163 00:09:57,880 --> 00:10:01,440 This is how we become conformed more to the image and likeness 164 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:04,160 of Jesus. And the Bible is full of 165 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:08,040 teaching on adversity. I don't know how some of these 166 00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:12,040 teachers on TV talk about, you know, the best life. 167 00:10:12,040 --> 00:10:14,960 Now, the best life is when you're with the Lord in heaven 168 00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:17,600 for all, all eternity, right? That's the that's what we're 169 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:20,560 looking for. But in this world, we do have 170 00:10:20,560 --> 00:10:24,360 many joys and we and experience many joys and blessings. 171 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:27,720 But we also have to understand that this is part of the 172 00:10:27,720 --> 00:10:31,000 identity of being Christians. It tells us in the book of 173 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:35,040 Hebrews, it refers to some of the people that went through 174 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:39,560 difficult times. It says some of these people 175 00:10:39,560 --> 00:10:42,480 that were used by the Lord in past times. 176 00:10:42,480 --> 00:10:46,960 They stopped the mouths of lions in Hebrews Chapter 11. 177 00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:49,160 They quenched the violence of fire. 178 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:52,400 They escaped the edge of the sword out of weakness, were made 179 00:10:52,400 --> 00:10:55,240 strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight. 180 00:10:55,240 --> 00:10:58,680 The armies of the aliens women received their dead, raised to 181 00:10:58,680 --> 00:11:00,920 life again. Others were tortured, not 182 00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:03,400 accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better 183 00:11:03,400 --> 00:11:06,080 resurrection. Still others had trials of 184 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:09,440 mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 185 00:11:09,760 --> 00:11:13,440 They were stoned, they were son, and two were tempted, were slain 186 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:15,480 with the sword. They wandered about, and 187 00:11:15,480 --> 00:11:19,640 sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, 188 00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:23,120 of whom the world was not worthy, they wandered in deserts 189 00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:25,560 and mountains and dens and caves of the earth. 190 00:11:25,840 --> 00:11:29,080 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, 191 00:11:29,360 --> 00:11:32,840 did not receive the promise. God having provided something 192 00:11:32,840 --> 00:11:35,720 better for us, that they should not be made perfect. 193 00:11:35,720 --> 00:11:38,760 Apart from us, all these people went through all these difficult 194 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:43,280 trials and heartache and torture and adversity and pain, and they 195 00:11:43,280 --> 00:11:46,360 didn't see what we have experience in regard to the 196 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:48,560 death, burial and resurrection of Christ. 197 00:11:48,560 --> 00:11:50,120 They were looking forward to that. 198 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:53,360 Now we look back and we remember what Christ did and how he 199 00:11:53,360 --> 00:11:56,040 suffered for us. And so when we go through 200 00:11:56,040 --> 00:12:00,920 suffering, Jesus makes us partners together with him 201 00:12:00,920 --> 00:12:03,720 because if we're going to take part in the resurrection, it 202 00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:07,480 says we're also going to have to endure the sufferings that 203 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:10,400 Christ went through personally. We identify with these things 204 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:13,560 ourselves. And it's a wonderful thing when 205 00:12:13,560 --> 00:12:16,720 you can see it from a biblical perspective that whatever you 206 00:12:16,720 --> 00:12:19,160 may be going through, you're not alone. 207 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:23,200 People in countless years of history before you and I have 208 00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:26,680 gone through things that have been even more difficult and 209 00:12:26,680 --> 00:12:31,880 more challenging to deal with. And Paul also says in verse 10 210 00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:35,600 of 2nd Corinthians 12, therefore, I take pleasure in 211 00:12:35,600 --> 00:12:39,360 infirmities and reproaches and needs and persecutions and 212 00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:43,720 distress for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am 213 00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:44,920 strong. Amen. 214 00:12:45,640 --> 00:12:48,920 So whenever we get beaten down and we feel like we can't go on 215 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:52,640 and we're overwhelmed and just, you know, like over everything 216 00:12:52,640 --> 00:12:54,760 that's happening in life, we just don't want to have to deal 217 00:12:54,760 --> 00:12:58,320 with it or whatever the Holy Spirit comes upon us, encourages 218 00:12:58,320 --> 00:13:00,360 us. And all of a sudden we realize 219 00:13:00,360 --> 00:13:03,320 that we're strongest when we're weakest, when we're weak in 220 00:13:03,320 --> 00:13:05,360 ourselves, we're strong in the Lord. 221 00:13:05,360 --> 00:13:08,920 And that's the upside of the challenges that we go through 222 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:13,000 now since we're hitting on difficulties regarding these 223 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:16,600 kind of situations in life. I wanted to read something here 224 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:20,200 in regards to persecution. This is important to know 225 00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:23,360 because right now in our country, we still have the 226 00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:25,040 ability to do what we're doing today. 227 00:13:25,040 --> 00:13:28,000 No one's going to break in here and tell us we can't worship. 228 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:30,800 No one's going to handcuff me and say, well, you, we're taking 229 00:13:30,800 --> 00:13:33,320 you to jail and you're never going to be able to talk about 230 00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:35,720 this stuff again. That's happening in places in 231 00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:38,520 the world right now. It's hard for us to understand 232 00:13:38,520 --> 00:13:40,920 that, but it's true. One in eight Christians 233 00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:45,160 worldwide live in countries where they may face persecution. 234 00:13:45,720 --> 00:13:49,640 So one in eight people are facing unbelievable situations. 235 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:54,280 Open Doors and international NGO advocating on behalf of 236 00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:58,200 persecuted Christians released their annual World Watch List. 237 00:13:58,400 --> 00:14:02,600 The World Watch List assesses 50 countries where Christians face 238 00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:04,920 the most severe types of persecution. 239 00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:08,320 The newly published data reveals that during the reporting 240 00:14:08,320 --> 00:14:12,600 period, and this is from October and 2019 through September a 241 00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:16,000 couple years later, more than 340 million Christians were 242 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:20,120 living in countries and where they might suffer high levels of 243 00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:23,520 persecution and discrimination because of their faith. 244 00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:27,600 Among this #309,000,000 Christians were living in 245 00:14:27,600 --> 00:14:31,280 countries where they would experience unbelievable 246 00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:35,920 situations that one in eight worldwide, one in six in Africa, 247 00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:39,600 two out of five in Asia, and one in 12 in Latin America. 248 00:14:40,040 --> 00:14:45,880 It researched this time that Christians. 4761 Christians were 249 00:14:45,880 --> 00:14:51,120 killed for their faith. 4488 churches or Christian buildings 250 00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:57,000 were attacked. 4277 Christians were unjustly arrested, detained 251 00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:01,880 or in prison. 17110 Christians were abducted for faith related 252 00:15:01,880 --> 00:15:04,480 reasons. On average every day 13 253 00:15:04,480 --> 00:15:07,920 Christians are killed for their faith. 12 churches or Christian 254 00:15:07,920 --> 00:15:10,760 buildings were attacked. 12 Christians are unjustly 255 00:15:10,760 --> 00:15:14,560 arrested, detained, or in prison and five Christians are abducted 256 00:15:14,560 --> 00:15:18,640 for faith related reason. It's hard to comprehend that 257 00:15:18,640 --> 00:15:21,840 this is occurring right now throughout the world. 258 00:15:21,920 --> 00:15:26,680 Extreme levels of persecution. Some of these places are so 259 00:15:26,680 --> 00:15:30,440 radically insane that you would never consider wanting to be a 260 00:15:30,440 --> 00:15:35,000 missionary in North Korea ranks #1 as a world's worst persecutor 261 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:38,080 of Christians. For the 20th consecutive year, 262 00:15:38,280 --> 00:15:41,160 being a Christian in North Korea is a death sentence. 263 00:15:41,360 --> 00:15:44,200 If not killed, Christians are taken to labor camps as 264 00:15:44,200 --> 00:15:47,920 political criminals. Kim Jong Un is reported to have 265 00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:51,920 expanded the system of prison camps in which an estimated 50 266 00:15:51,920 --> 00:15:55,440 to 70,000 Christians are currently in prison. 267 00:15:55,800 --> 00:16:00,320 Nigeria also entered the top 10 for the first time, reaching a 268 00:16:00,320 --> 00:16:04,040 maximum violence score. Nigerian Christians face violent 269 00:16:04,040 --> 00:16:08,280 attacks from Islamic extremist groups including Boko Haram, 270 00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:12,120 Falami Muslim militia, Dairish affiliate, especially in 271 00:16:12,120 --> 00:16:15,120 northern Nigeria. In the Middle Belt and Nigeria, 272 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:18,000 men and boys are particularly vulnerable to being killed. 273 00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:21,160 The women and children they leave behind are often displaced 274 00:16:21,160 --> 00:16:25,200 to informal camps, face sexual violence, or even at risk of 275 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:28,920 abduction and forced marriage. China has entered the top 20 for 276 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:32,360 the first time in a decade due to ongoing and increasing 277 00:16:32,360 --> 00:16:35,800 surveillance and censorship of Christians and other religious 278 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:39,720 minorities in China. The policy of Since sizing the 279 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:43,640 church has been implemented nationwide as a Communist Party 280 00:16:43,640 --> 00:16:46,600 limits whatever it perceives as a threat to its role in 281 00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:49,040 ideology. Thousands of churches have been 282 00:16:49,040 --> 00:16:52,240 damaged or closed. In some parts of China, children 283 00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:55,480 under the age of 18 aren't allowed to attend church, part 284 00:16:55,480 --> 00:16:57,880 of the country's effort to stunt future growth. 285 00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:01,640 While China is ranked 17th as a place where Christians are 286 00:17:01,640 --> 00:17:05,160 subjected to high level persecution, the situation of 287 00:17:05,160 --> 00:17:08,880 all religious groups China is dire and has been deteriorating 288 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:11,560 over recent years. Considering the current trends 289 00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:14,960 of persecution in China, it's expected that China will be 290 00:17:14,960 --> 00:17:19,480 topping the list soon with North Korea as a worse place to live 291 00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:22,200 as a Christian. I mean, there's an agenda that 292 00:17:22,200 --> 00:17:25,839 the world has to basically eliminate Christianity from the 293 00:17:25,839 --> 00:17:28,480 face of the earth. And so that's why it's even more 294 00:17:28,480 --> 00:17:32,200 important for now for churches like ours to be simply teaching 295 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:35,960 the Bible simply verse by verse, day by day, week by week, month 296 00:17:35,960 --> 00:17:39,080 by month, year by year. Having young people over there 297 00:17:39,080 --> 00:17:42,160 getting discipled in the truth of the gospel so that their 298 00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:44,200 worldview is a biblical worldview. 299 00:17:44,360 --> 00:17:47,560 And they can stand against all this agenda of all this 300 00:17:47,560 --> 00:17:51,200 godlessness that's occurring at the top levels of our government 301 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:53,680 today. We have to pray like we've never 302 00:17:53,680 --> 00:17:56,520 prayed before, intercede, get before the Lord. 303 00:17:56,520 --> 00:17:59,960 The Lord knows what's happening, but He's only going to move in 304 00:17:59,960 --> 00:18:03,560 the degree that we're all committed together as a group of 305 00:18:03,560 --> 00:18:09,000 people in our nation to pray for our country and that we can be 1 306 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:12,080 nation under God again. For right now, we are one nation 307 00:18:12,080 --> 00:18:15,240 under secular humanism and moral relativism. 308 00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:17,240 You and I are one nation under God. 309 00:18:17,240 --> 00:18:19,360 We're the remnant, we're the church, we're the believers. 310 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:24,440 But the ongoing issues of our ideology, of our governmental 311 00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:28,160 system right now and denouncing our Constitution, among many 312 00:18:28,160 --> 00:18:31,280 other things, freedom of religion, freedom of rights, 313 00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:34,920 culture wars, everything is occurring right now to divide 314 00:18:34,920 --> 00:18:38,680 people and to cause more and more chaos in our world. 315 00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:41,680 We need to just simply keep teaching the truth. 316 00:18:41,880 --> 00:18:45,920 And Jesus told us that these things would occur in the last 317 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:48,240 days. And so the last days could be 318 00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:50,080 another 1000 years. I don't know. 319 00:18:50,680 --> 00:18:54,000 They felt like Paul and those guys, they all felt that they 320 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:55,920 were in the last days in the book of the Acts. 321 00:18:56,240 --> 00:18:58,160 But obviously it's been 2000 years. 322 00:18:58,160 --> 00:19:00,840 So the Lord's on the scene, He's on the way. 323 00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:03,440 He's with us. He'll never leave us or forsake 324 00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:05,520 us. But that's why it's important to 325 00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:08,720 study the Bible so that when you were going through trials and 326 00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:10,640 you're going through difficulties and things, you'd 327 00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:13,040 understand. You go back to the Scriptures 328 00:19:13,040 --> 00:19:16,200 and you're reminded God's got it all under control, doesn't He? 329 00:19:16,880 --> 00:19:19,240 Amen. He's on the throne. 330 00:19:19,960 --> 00:19:22,560 No matter what we read, no matter what we see, no matter 331 00:19:22,560 --> 00:19:28,040 what we hear, His will is going to be completely, 100% 332 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:31,560 ultimately accomplished. And that's what gives us the 333 00:19:31,560 --> 00:19:33,960 encouragement to keep on keeping on. 334 00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:38,480 So turning your Bibles to Acts 21, this is the subtitle. 335 00:19:38,480 --> 00:19:41,200 My Bible says warnings on the journey to Jerusalem. 336 00:19:41,200 --> 00:19:43,960 So Paul has been persecuted at times. 337 00:19:44,240 --> 00:19:46,200 He's been put in jail for a day or two. 338 00:19:46,520 --> 00:19:49,680 But it's going to get a lot worse for him in these remaining 339 00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:52,920 chapters of Acts. Now it came to pass that when he 340 00:19:52,920 --> 00:19:56,720 had departed from them he set sail, running a straight course 341 00:19:56,960 --> 00:19:59,880 we came to cost. The following day it arose, and 342 00:19:59,880 --> 00:20:03,360 from there to Partara, and finding a ship sailing over to 343 00:20:03,360 --> 00:20:05,800 Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. 344 00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:11,000 And when we had sighted Cyprus, we passed it on the left, sailed 345 00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:15,240 to Syria and landed a tire, for there the ship was to unload her 346 00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:18,640 cargo. And finding disciples, we stayed 347 00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:21,920 there seven days. So the wonderful thing is that 348 00:20:21,920 --> 00:20:24,480 they found believers and they want to have some fellowship 349 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:25,480 now. So let's pray. 350 00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:29,520 Father God, we are here today as a body of Christ believers to 351 00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:31,920 encourage one another to build each other up. 352 00:20:32,280 --> 00:20:35,760 That's the very presence of every life here today represents 353 00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:39,760 people who are following you and trusting in you and living for 354 00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:43,480 you, Lord, and your Kingdom. And from your vantage point, we 355 00:20:43,480 --> 00:20:48,160 are the majority because heaven and earth will pass away, that 356 00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:52,600 all those who do the will of God and the truth of the Word of God 357 00:20:52,920 --> 00:20:55,920 will abide forever. You promise us these things, 358 00:20:55,920 --> 00:20:58,120 Lord. So as we study today, we humble 359 00:20:58,120 --> 00:21:01,240 our hearts before you that we might be able to be taught by 360 00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:03,840 your Holy Spirit. Because you resist the proud, 361 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:06,800 You give grace to the humble. In Your name, Lord Jesus, I 362 00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:10,080 humble myself along with my brothers and sisters that we 363 00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:14,000 would be open to believe and no need to believe, but live out 364 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:17,000 the things we learned today and we pray all these things in 365 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:22,720 Jesus name, Amen. So he's there fellowshipping 366 00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:25,080 with people. Some of these people he never 367 00:21:25,080 --> 00:21:27,360 met before. I'm sure most of them he didn't. 368 00:21:27,360 --> 00:21:29,040 He knew maybe something about them. 369 00:21:29,720 --> 00:21:33,000 They were a result of the persecution that occurred in the 370 00:21:33,040 --> 00:21:36,160 early part of the church and Acts, where churches spread out 371 00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:39,840 and those regions and so many, many people became followers of 372 00:21:39,840 --> 00:21:41,720 Christ. Paul wasn't responsible for 373 00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:45,480 every church plan or every move that had occurred at that part 374 00:21:45,480 --> 00:21:48,520 of the world at that time. And so they began to speak to 375 00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:50,600 Paul. They told Paul through the 376 00:21:50,600 --> 00:21:53,120 Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem. 377 00:21:54,120 --> 00:21:57,800 The Holy Spirit's laying it upon their hearts to tell Paul that 378 00:21:57,800 --> 00:21:59,960 it isn't a good idea to go to Jerusalem. 379 00:22:01,120 --> 00:22:03,400 OK, He's hearing it right from them. 380 00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:06,760 And when he had come to the end of those days, we departed, and 381 00:22:06,760 --> 00:22:10,400 we went on our way, and they all accompanied us with wives and 382 00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:13,920 children till we were out of the city, and we knelt down on the 383 00:22:13,920 --> 00:22:17,280 shore and prayed. And when he had taken our leave 384 00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:21,200 of one another, we boarded the ship and they returned home. 385 00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:24,320 And what a beautiful setting. I'm an ocean guy. 386 00:22:24,320 --> 00:22:26,360 And boy, I'll tell you, nothing better than praying on the 387 00:22:26,360 --> 00:22:28,880 beach, right? And he's there with his brothers 388 00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:31,760 and sisters and saying goodbye. And the kids are there and the 389 00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:34,760 families are there and they're just worshiping the Lord and 390 00:22:34,760 --> 00:22:38,520 they're praying for Godspeed and blessing upon the apostle Paul. 391 00:22:38,720 --> 00:22:41,760 So you can mark in your notes, that's one warning right there 392 00:22:41,880 --> 00:22:43,240 that he shouldn't go to Jerusalem. 393 00:22:43,720 --> 00:22:46,280 Verse 7. And when he had finished our 394 00:22:46,280 --> 00:22:51,000 voyage from Tyre, we came to put Talamas and greeted the brethren 395 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:55,040 and stayed with them one day. On the next day we who were 396 00:22:55,040 --> 00:22:59,080 Paul's companions departed and came to Caesarea and entered the 397 00:22:59,080 --> 00:23:02,280 House of Philip the Evangelist who was one of the seven and 398 00:23:02,280 --> 00:23:04,840 stayed with him. You remember Philip had 399 00:23:04,840 --> 00:23:07,160 witnessed to the Ethiopian eunuch. 400 00:23:07,160 --> 00:23:10,720 He was one of the seven that was picked to help serve tables in 401 00:23:10,720 --> 00:23:12,760 the church. The church was growing so much 402 00:23:12,760 --> 00:23:15,720 they needed physical help to take care of the widows and some 403 00:23:15,720 --> 00:23:17,400 of the other issues in the church. 404 00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:21,600 But these are spirit filled men, gifted men with callings and 405 00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:25,000 teaching abilities and preaching and evangelistic opportunities. 406 00:23:25,240 --> 00:23:29,600 Philip was one of these seven and he went down and he went and 407 00:23:29,600 --> 00:23:31,200 preached to the Ethiopian eunuch. 408 00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:35,040 That guy ended up getting saved after he heard Philip explain 409 00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:38,840 what Isaiah 53 meant. And eventually he baptized this 410 00:23:38,840 --> 00:23:43,320 man in the water, complete immersion, baptized him in the 411 00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:47,080 river there, and he came up. And then Philip was translated 412 00:23:47,080 --> 00:23:51,080 and This is why he was able to go from 1:00 point in time and 413 00:23:51,080 --> 00:23:54,760 space, and he was taken to another place approximately 3035 414 00:23:54,760 --> 00:23:58,640 miles away. We're so glad you joined us 415 00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:01,360 today on this edition of Living Waters of Grace. 416 00:24:01,680 --> 00:24:04,800 Pastor Clark is teaching through the book of Acts, which is the 417 00:24:04,880 --> 00:24:08,000 only book that chronicles the history of the early church 418 00:24:08,320 --> 00:24:11,160 immediately after Jesus's ascension. 419 00:24:11,720 --> 00:24:15,000 It gives us a front row seat to how the Gospel began to move 420 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:18,720 outward, starting in Jerusalem and reaching into the heart of 421 00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:22,160 the Roman Empire. In just three decades, a small 422 00:24:22,160 --> 00:24:26,400 group of frightened ordinary believers became a bold, spirit 423 00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:29,760 empowered movement that transformed the known world. 424 00:24:30,400 --> 00:24:32,600 Acts is not just a history lesson. 425 00:24:32,680 --> 00:24:35,840 It's a reminder of what God can do when His people are 426 00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:39,680 surrendered, obedient, and filled with the Holy Spirit. 427 00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:43,440 Their perseverance still inspires us today. 428 00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:47,920 May we follow their example and live faithfully for Christ in 429 00:24:47,920 --> 00:24:50,280 our own time. We hope today's message 430 00:24:50,280 --> 00:24:53,000 encouraged you. Living Waters of Grace is a 431 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:55,840 ministry of Calvary Chapel, Westmoreland. 432 00:24:56,320 --> 00:25:00,240 If you're in the Greensburg, PA area, we'd love to have you join 433 00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:02,920 us in person. Our Sunday service begins at 434 00:25:02,920 --> 00:25:08,400 10:30 AM at 400 E Pittsburgh St. Unit 6B. 435 00:25:08,920 --> 00:25:12,040 Be sure to visit calvarychapelonline.com to 436 00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:15,440 confirm times and learn more. If you are in the Greensburg 437 00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:20,320 area, you can listen to Grace FM on the new 91.7 frequency. 438 00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:23,320 Please pray about supporting this outreach. 439 00:25:23,760 --> 00:25:31,240 Gifts can be sent to Grace FMPO Box 716, Greensburg, PA 15601. 440 00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:35,880 Stay connected through Facebook, YouTube, or our Calvary Chapel 441 00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:39,360 Westmoreland app. Join our e-mail list, submit 442 00:25:39,360 --> 00:25:45,600 prayer requests, and give online all at calvarychapelonline.com. 443 00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:48,360 Thank you for tuning in and spending this time in God's 444 00:25:48,360 --> 00:25:50,360 Word. Be sure to join us again for 445 00:25:50,360 --> 00:25:52,000 Living Waters of Grace.