The Gift – 2025 – 6

The Gift – 2025 – 6

Subject – The Gift of Being Shipwrecked

By Rick Welborne

Acts 28:1-6 (NIV)
¹  Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta.
²  The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold.
³  Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.
⁴  When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, "This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live."
⁵  But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.
⁶  The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god. 

--Sometimes we believe our lives are bad and, I agree, people have extremely tough days. Whether it is loss of a loved one, health issues, family crisis, financial setbacks. Life hurts. Paul’s calling:

Acts 9:15-16 (NLT2) ¹⁵ But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.
¹⁶ And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

--His calling was one of suffering. Paul is arrested and stands before King Agrippa and Felix the Governor. He is accused of being crazy and committing heresy.

--In chapter 27, he and a large number of criminals are placed on a ship and were bound for Italy with many stops in between. Paul warned them of impending danger:

Acts 27:10-11 (NLT2) ¹⁰ “Men,” he said, “I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on—shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.”
¹¹  But the officer in charge of the prisoners listened more to the ship’s captain and the owner than to Paul.

--It hurts when you try to warn people that danger lies ahead if we continue on this same route. I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on—shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.

--Our world and many in the church just believe preachers and pastors are just talking to hear themselves talk when they warn them a storm is coming. Get prepared.

--Sure enough, a storm arises and they are days fighting the wind and waves, and days without food. They feared for their lives. Paul said an angel stood before me tonight.

Acts 27:22-26 (NLT2)                                                                                                                                             ²²  But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down.
²³  For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me,
²⁴  and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’
²⁵  So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said.
²⁶  But we will be shipwrecked on an island.”

--276 people are shipwrecked on the Island of Malta. All cargo gone, the ship is destroyed, they are wet and cold. Today we are going to look at the Gift of being Shipwrecked. Say what?

1. The Gift of Being Shipwrecked.

--Watch the miracles begin to stack up as they get over the shock and fear of being wrecked on an Island. It was a miracle no one died. God had promised and He keeps His Word.

--Often we have events or circumstances that happen in our lives and because we are so overwhelmed with said events, we fail to see what God is truly up to. His gifts.

Romans 8:28 (NLT2) ²⁸ And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

--What an amazing promise from the Word of God that the Apostle Paul is letting us in on but let’s reverse the verse to see what our part is. 

--Our part is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength. And to answer His calling from His Spirit and His Word.

--God’s part…say God’s part…is to somehow, someway work out all the circumstances or everything in my life, good or bad, for my good. Only God can do that. Back to Paul:

Acts 28:1-2 (NIV) ¹ Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta.
²  The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold.

--After surviving the shipwreck, they find themselves on an island where the islanders showed them unusual kindness. Do you suppose God had something to do with that? Could have been wild natives.

--Unusual kindness and they built them a fire. Forgive me for seeing Holy Spirit throughout the whole Bible but I can’t help but see the Spirit of God there on the island with them. The Fire!

--Spiritual maturity demands that I always have my Holy Spirit senses alive and awake so that I can discern what God is doing even in the middle of shipwreck.

--Please keep in mind the Apostle Paul was a missionary and missionaries are never off duty. Paul said that we are to make the most of every opportunity. 

2. The Gift of Being Snake Bit.

Acts 28:1-3 (NIV)
¹  Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta.
²  The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold.
³  Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 

--The devil knows how true missionaries think and he will do anything to stop them for accomplishing God’s will. Arrested, storms, shipwreck, floating on debris, and now snake bit…a viper.

Acts 28:4-6 (NIV)
⁴  When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, "This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live."
⁵  But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.
⁶  The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.

--The islanders had sized Paul up and came to the conclusion that he must be a murderer because he survived the shipwreck and now he is snake bit by a poisonous viper. He dead.

--This is no different than the world when they see one of us surviving one battle after another, and when you think it can’t get any worse, snake bit. Must be something in their lives.

--Remember being snake bit might just be a gift from God. One time a shared the story of my mother being bitten by a rattle snake at the age of seven.

--A dear sweet saint of God came up to me after the service and had a question. Did your mother (7) die of the snake bite? Yes, she had me when she was 6 years old. And I am the youngest of 4.

--The people expected and watched for Paul to swell up and suddenly fall down dead. Your friends and maybe a few enemies, are watching for you to crash and burn but I love what Paul did:

 Acts 28: (NIV) ⁵ But Paul shook the snake off into the fire.... 

--Listen, I don’t know what you are going through now, I don’t know everything you have been through, and I don’t know what has attached itself to you now but I came with a Word…

--Shake it off into the fire…as long as I have breath in these lungs I am going to worship! And when that old serpent attaches himself to me, I will shake him off into the fire.

--Some of you have been snake bit and you have almost given up but I am here to tell you to get to your feet and shake him off into the fire of Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 12:28-29 (NKJV) ²⁸  Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.
²⁹  For our God is a consuming fire. --That snake bite may just be an amazing gift from God because He has given you an opportunity and a testimony to glorify God.

3. The Gift of Missions – Being in the Right Place at the Right Time.

Acts 28:7-9 (NLT2)
⁷  Near the shore where we landed was an estate belonging to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us and treated us kindly for three days.
⁸  As it happened, Publius’s father was ill with fever and dysentery. Paul went in and prayed for him, and laying his hands on him, he healed him.
⁹  Then all the other sick people on the island came and were healed.

--No one in their right mind wants to be arrested, no one wants to be in a storm without food, no one wants to be shipwrecked, and no one wants to be snake bit.

--Do you just suppose the souls on the island of Malta were more important to Jesus than Paul’s comfort. Because all that happened to him, revival came to Malta.

--People were healed and lives were changed because horrible things turned out to be gifts from God so that the Gospel could be preached to an isolated island.

--God is more interested in the souls of men and women than He is in your comfort and prosperity. Maybe God has you where you are for the lost around you.

Romans 8:28 (NLT2) ²⁸ And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Finding Our Identity – 6

Finding Our Identity – 6

Subject – The Lost Need to Know Their Identity

By Rick Welborne

1 Peter 2:9-10&12 (NLT) ⁹  But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
¹⁰  “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”
¹²  Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world. 

--We have looked at people who have struggled with their identity and who have questioned what their real purpose is in this life. Many would question this familiar verse:

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

--Maybe you would question whether God has a plan for you or not. Maybe the thought of living a prosperous life is beyond your comprehension. A hope and a future…you think…I have no hope or future.

--Many could stand and testify today that their lives were empty and they seemed to have no hope at all. Many of them may have had ‘things’ but not true happiness or joy! Maybe you were destitute.

--Don’t misunderstand me, growing up we were never without food or shelter but when I was born we lived in an 800 sq. ft. slave tenant house…My first bike came from the junk yard…junk!

--What was funny, as a very young kid, I did not know how poor we were…when we were in the third grade my parents bought a house in a real neighborhood with paved streets…Clampets had come to town.

--The house cost $6900 and I remember my parents talking about how tough it would be to make a $76 payment every month. When they sold it four or five years after I graduated they got $35,000 dollars. 

--We definitely were poor spiritually…church was never on the radar, and God and Jesus were talked about often but never in ways that was respectable. We were lost with no plan or hope.

--By the time I was 17, not only was I poor, my life was bankrupt. Without love and guidance, I kept falling deeper and deeper into a spiritual abyss. This is when I met Ronnie Chunn…he saw my identity.

--He started a two-year process of witnessing to me. He took much abuse but remained faithful to what I truly believe was God’s mission for him at that time…Imagine being assigned with that task!

--I finally went with him to a revival service…the rest has been history…that one encounter with Jesus has impacted me for eternity…I found my identity…I obviously found out God had a plan for my life. 

1. We Must Know Who We are in Christ!

1 Peter 2:10 (NLT) ¹⁰ “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”

--We once had no identity as people but now we have received the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ and everything has changed, or at least, it should have changed.

--Once you have given your heart to the Lord, the devil has only one plan for you, and that is for you to not know who you are in Christ…for you to lose your identity.

John 10:10 (NKJV) ¹⁰ The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

--Jonah was an Old Testament example of what happens when we do not know our identity in God and how that affects our lives.

--Jonah thought like many of us do, it does not matter what I do or what I am called to do…I will do my own thing and go my own way. We don’t have time to read all of the book of Jonah but:

--First the people on the ship he was taking to Tarshish were affected…They found themselves in a storm that was sent for Jonah…wow…our decisions do affect others who are around us.

--His decision cost others financially…because of the storm and Jonah they had to throw their cargo off the ship to lighten the load…the bad decisions you make can cost others bigtime. 

Romans 14:7 (NKJV) ⁷ For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.

--Even though Jonah told the men on the ship to throw him overboard, they wanted to preserve his life…they rowed harder and harder…our decisions make others have to work harder. 

--He ends up in the belly of a big fish…addiction can be a big fish…the wrong decision can be a big fish…not doing what God called you to do can be a big fish…we can disobey but there is a cost.

--Because Jonah tried to choose a different identity and a different plan an entire city could have been affected. When he obeyed, the people of Nineveh heard the Word and repented…revival came.

Romans 11:29 (NCV) ²⁹ God never changes his mind about the people he calls and the things he gives them.

2. We Must Know What We are Called to Do!

--Do you know what is sad? We are so much like Jonah, in that we know what God has called us to do but we choose to go a totally different direction. 

--When we speak of being called by the Lord we quickly think about specific ministries that God may or may not be calling us into.

Ephesians 4:11-12 (NLT) ¹¹ Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 

¹² Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.

--This next list expands on the first and really opens up the areas we can be called into.

Romans 12:6-8 (NIV) ⁶  We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.
⁷  If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;                                                                              ⁸  if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Galatians 5:13 (NLT) ¹³ For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. 

--I do not want to over simplify this message but according to what we just read, I come up with this basic conclusion…We are called to serve God and serve one another. Agree?

--I truly believe that we, after we have been saved, should feel a call from God to love, serve, and disciple those who have received Christ. But what of those who have not received Christ? His call for us is to go!

Mark 16:15-16 (NKJV) ¹⁵ And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
¹⁶  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

--Once we lead them to Christ, our next job is to disciple them into who God wants them to be…in other words…once they are saved we are called to serve them.

--The reason so many Christians are not enjoying their life in Christ is because they are neither going nor serving. We think, we pay others to go (missionaries) and others to serve (pastors). Out text:

1 Peter 2:9 (NLT) ⁹  But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. 

--Because you are royal priests, because you are God’s very own possession, because you are saved you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. 

3. We Must Know Our Identity is Found in Helping Others Find Their Identity.

--Right after Peter tells us that we can show others the goodness of God (we show them their identity in Christ) we see that it says…Once we had no identity as a people and now we are God’s people.

--Once I did not know who I was or what I was supposed to do with my life, but now, because of finding God’s mercy…I know my identity.

--The sad woman at the well in John 4 did not know who she was and she surely did not know God had a plan for her life…Jesus knew His identity and that He came to seek and to save the lost.

--This woman thought her identity was found in having the right man, and she was right, it was the Son of Man.

John 4:28-42 (NKJV) ²⁸ The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men,
²⁹  "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?"

--Watch this…the woman finds her identity in Christ and goes to tell the men of the city about Jesus. She did for them what Jesus had done for her!

Finding Our Identity – 5

Finding Our Identity – 5

Subject – The One Hundred and Twenty Club

By Rick Welborne

Luke 24:49-53 (NKJV)
⁴⁹  Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."
⁵⁰  And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.
⁵¹  Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.
⁵²  And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
⁵³  and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen. 

Acts 1:8 (NKJV) ⁸ But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." 

Acts 1:15 (NKJV) ¹⁵  And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty)…

--About three weeks ago I was praying and worshiping the Lord and God began to pour this message into my heart. Obviously, I didn’t write anything down, I was in the shower.

--At first, I thought I would veer away from the series about Finding Our Idenity but as God spoke to my heart about the One Hundred and Twenty, I knew it had everything to do with our identity.

--Life Church and La Vida church needs to know who we are in Christ and we need to know what our identity can be in Him.

1. We Have a Choice About Our Identity.

--A couple of Wednesdays ago I preached about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and how those events have such an impact on our identity. Without that we are lost.

--We all know Jesus was crucified for all of our sins but we also know that He was resurrected from the dead which gives all of us new life. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation.

--Jesus appears during the time after His resurrection and before His ascension into Heaven, and actually, He gave all of us a choice about our identity and who we would become.

1 Corinthians 15:3-6 (NKJV)
³  For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
⁴  and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
⁵  and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.
⁶  After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.

--Jesus appeared, after His resurrection, to over 500 people all at one time, showing that he had conquered death and the grave, and giving them a choice to truly identify with Him.

--You see, Jesus said He would build His church and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it. He was putting together His army to change the world. Then, He gave this promise:

Luke 24:49 (NKJV) ⁴⁹  Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." 

--Jesus gives an invitation (altar call) to more than 500 people at one time to identify with Him and to be on His team. Wait in Jerusalem for the Promise of the Father…Holy Spirit.

--How many of them showed up? 

Acts 1:15 (NKJV) ¹⁵  And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty)…

--Jesus gives them the opportunity of a lifetime to be world changers and to identify with Him and only about one-fifth show up.

--Does any of this sound familiar? Week after week, month after month, year after year, we give people an opportunity to identify with Christ and change their world, their families.

--Have you ever asked yourself what was so important in the lives of the other four-fifths that they didn’t think it was important enough to go and wait in Jerusalem? In church? To do what Jesus said?

--Have you ever asked yourself what is so important in the lives of people today that they choose to not show up to hear God’s Word and to experience His presence? 

--Their identity is in the world. How can something like Covid make people choose to neglect God’s house. Shouldn’t we run to God instead away from Him?

Deuteronomy 30:18-20 (NKJV)
¹⁸  I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess.
¹⁹  I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;
²⁰  that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; 

2. Our Obedience Leads to Our Identity.

Acts 1:4-5&8 (NKJV)
⁴  And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me;
⁵  for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
⁸  But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

--Jesus commanded them…if you do what I tell you, you will become a part of propagating the gospel all over the world. A Kingdom Builder. Think about the other four-fifths who didn’t show up.

--Here at La Vida Church and Life Church you can be a part of being a Kingdom Builder. How? Through Missions and Faith Promises. Obedience to the Great Commission.

--Think about, not only what Jesus thought about the one hundred and twenty, but what the world thought about them. Pastor, do you have a verse for that? I do!

Acts 17:6 (NKJV) ⁶ "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.

--How many of you would love to be a part of the one hundred and twenty and be accused of turning the world upside down? Obedience does that.

--Our disobedience puts us in the category of the four-fifths who kind of disappeared into oblivion because they chose not to show up for church and be filled with Holy Spirit power.

--I want to identify with the one hundred and twenty who went against the grain of society and did not fear what man thought about them. They simply wanted to be obedient to God.

--Their obedience was not only a willingness to die to themselves but a willingness to possibly die physically which happened to many of them.

--I am afraid we have raised a generation of disobedient professors of Christ but deny the power of Holy Spirit. We are seeker sensitive and we don’t want to offend anyone.

--Is there anything more offensive than letting people perish when we are supposed to have the treasure of Christ in our earthen vessels? We actually care for their souls.

Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) ¹⁸ Where there is no vision, the people perish: 

--We need to get a vision that our identity is wrapped up in being a part of the one hundred and twenty and that we are unashamedly obedient to Jesus, whatever that may cost us. 

--How will I ever find my identity until I am obedient to the creator God Who has my life in His hands and He is molding me into what I am supposed to be?

 Isaiah 64:7-8 (NLT2)
⁷  Yet no one calls on your name or pleads with you for mercy. Therefore, you have turned away from us and turned us over to our sins.
⁸  And yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand. 

3. What it Means to be in the One hundred and Twenty Club.

--It means that we obey what Jesus commands us to do. We don’t filter His commands thru a world system that says life is all about me. 

Acts 1:4 (NKJV) ⁴ And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father…

--To be part of the One Hundred and Twenty, we simply do what Jesus tells us to do. It comes down to this, is He the Lord of your life or is it you who is in charge of your identity and destiny?

--To be part of the One Hundred and Twenty, we wait and we worship until Holy Spirit comes.

Luke 24:52-53 (NKJV) ⁵² And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
⁵³  and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen. 

--They waited and they worshiped. They waited and they worshiped. They were filled with great joy. Why? They were doing what Jesus said and they were expecting the Promise of the Father!

--To be part of the One Hundred and Twenty they allowed Jesus to decide their identity and their destiny. Because He is Lord, He is the Potter and we are the clay.

--He decides who we are and what we become. 

1 Peter 2:10 (NLT2) ¹⁰ “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” 

--I want to identify with the One Hundred and Twenty! How about you?