Live the Movement
by Chad Erickson
First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Acts 6:1-8, Isaiah 40:31

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/chad-erickson--live-the-movement
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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welcome to the movement conference 2024 we're so glad you're here tonight thank you for being in marille Tennessee for this week thank you for coming to the conference and thank you for being a disciple maker amen just remain standing for just a moment with me if uh if you just so happen to maybe tag along with your team and came in from out of state maybe someone from your church said hey we're going to a a city call marville in Tennessee they got a church that are having a conference we want you to come and come on come with us just for the week and maybe you don't know what the movement truly means and we are Apostolic we are a part of the apostolic movement but we take it one step further in this is the discipl making movement that's what it's all about it's all about every person in this room understanding who they are in God and who they are in the kingdom of God and we we are discipl makers amen thank you for being here this week turn with me to Acts chapter 6 and while you're turning there I I quickly I quickly want to share what God has given me for this keynote address for the conference I want to get out of the way one of my favorite preachers in all of the world is going to follow me and and I really I don't I'll be honest with I don't feel nervous because I know that if Pastor Jimmy Tony is coming we're going to leave here happy it's going to be all right with God and Jimmy Tony it's all right amen but I do before I begin I want to get started before I get started I want to give high honor to my pastor to my first lady love them so much for the past 25 years uh they have been my my umbrella they've been uh the brilliant leadership that has mentored me and I'm so thankful for it I give honor to my wife 20 years y'all two decades we've been married last month two two decades celebrated I'm thankful uh that God has given us three beautiful daughters Paris Windsor and London and they are brilliant just like their mama they're beautiful just like their mama and I'm so thankful for them I'm thankful to serve listen to me I'm I'm thankful to serve on the greatest pastoral team now I know that you think that you have the greatest pastoral team and that's okay but I'm thankful to serve on the greatest pastoral team Zack and Lauren Nolan and flry uh love them so much uh along with my in-laws we we make up a team and I'm thankful to be a part of a team I'm thankful to be a part listen I I'm thankful that God has put us together for such a time as this and then I also want to thank all of the many volunteers of First Apostolic Church this conference could not happen without the volunteers the ministry team members I love what about this choir I love this choir oh y'all the best of the best been working so hard preparing for this conference and we hope we hope you have a great time this week we hope you leave here changed we hope you have some new ideas and you are the greatest discipl maker that you can be well look with me in Acts chap 6 and verse one the Bible says in those days when the number of the disciple Les was multiplied there arose a murmuring of the grecians against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration the daily food distribution verse two says the 12 I like how it calls them the 12 the twel called the multitude of disciples unto them and said it is not reason that we should leave the word of God and serve tables wherefore Brethren look ye Out Among you seven men of honest report full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom whom we may appoint over this business but we will give ourselves now we're talking about the 12 apostles it says we will give ourselves continually say that with me continually continually to prayer to the ministry of the word and the S I like this right here the same pleased the whole multitude and they chose stepen a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost and Philip proris Nicor teeman parnus Nicholas the proelite of Antioch whom they set before the apostles and when they had prayed they laid their hands on them now I want you to notice right here I'm just going to read a couple more verses but notice the result when the 12 do what they're anointed to do and the Seven do what they're appointed to do I want you to see what happens in verse 7 and the word of God increased and the number of disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly and a great company of priests were obedient to the faith and Stephen one of the seven full of faith and power did great wonders and miracles among the people my title for our keynote message for this conference this year is simply this live the movement live the movement now I know it's the handle for all of our social media it's our website come on YouTube YouTube Facebook Instagram it's our hashtag but more than that y'all it is a lifestyle woo I'm talking about being Apostolic and living what we preach uh and living what we believe if I could if I could subtitle this message I would I would call it 12 + 7 equals Apostolic Revival 12 + 7 equals Apostolic Revival why don't you put your Bibles down and give God loud praise in this place right now come on can you give him louder praise than you've given him all night so far hey Lou it for a choir song Come On louder than other lyrics of another songwriter but can you give God praise from your own lips in Jesus name bless the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me bless your Holy Name I've come tonight I've come this week uh Lord I am unapologetically Apostolic W you may be seated it feels good in the house wherever you came from whatever state you came from whatever organization You Came From You are welcome in this place tonight because there's one thing that brings us all together every Apostolic Oneness Holy Ghost filled saint of God Pastor preach preacher evangelist missionary we got to be discipl makers unapologetically Apostolic I I want to be Apostle like oh now listen I'm I'm a little stirred in my spirit because I I've had the Holy Ghost now for a little over 40 years and and more than ever before y'all I want to be Apostolic more than ever before I want to pass down the same message it was passed down to me the same Holy Ghost anointing that was passed to me I want to pass it down to my children uh I want to pass it down to the student body of this church uh I want to pass it down to every person that I witness to in every person that I disciple I want to be Apostolic from the top of my head all the way down to the souls of my feet I want to teach what the apostolic Pentecost Apostles taught uh I want to preach what the apostles preached uh I want to live a separated lifestyle from the world like the apostles and more than ever before I want to be a discipl maker like the apostles made disciples listen I want the power that the apostles had I want Spiritual Authority that the apostles had I want to be Apostolic I heard a story not long ago of a man who was elderly matter of fact I believe he was somewhere in his 90s and this man uh came across some Apostolic Pentecostals and he began to ask them some questions and he began to tell them his history and tell them his story he said I grew up Pentecostal he said all throughout my teen years and my young 20s he said I went to brush Arbor meetings and I went to tent re vials I grew up Apostolic he said I grew up Pentecostal but for whatever reason this man fell away from the church uh and he fell away from God and he never returned but he had some burning questions in his heart that he had to ask these Pentecostals that he ran into and he said this he said do the Pentecostals still linger he said do the Pentecostals still follow the unction of the Holy Ghost he said to the Pentecostals I just got questions for you he said to the Pentecostals still flow with the spirit and I know that lingering oh I know that's old school verbiage and I know that following the unction of the Holy Ghost can sound a little old school and following the spirit I know know in our new age in our in our new age Church World they got all kinds of new uh spirit this and following the spirit that and nothing's Holy Ghost anymore and and I I don't I don't want to get too far into that but all I want to say is this I'm all about those old school terms because I want the same power that the old school had Bishop M I want the same power you had when you were seven and eight and nine year old preaching the gospel when you are 10 11 and 12 with your twin brother Bobby preaching all across this country I want the same auction of the Holy Ghost to lead me uh when I preach uh when I sing when I Minister when I teach Bible studies woo ah that's a stuff we can't lose y'all we're Apostolic in Doctrine but we're also Apostolic when it comes to following the unction of the Holy Ghost unapologetically uh Apostolic so here's where I feel the spirit of God is is wanting me to to to to lead this conference and start and begin oh at the very onset of this conference uh I believe God is wanting to speak to somebody that now is the time for the 12 apostles uh it's not time for them to hang up uh their prayer garments uh or close their study Bibles or cancel missions trips it's not time for the 12 to get bogged down with issues that somebody else on your team can handle the reason why some Churches become stunted in their growth is because senior leadership has felt forced to stop what they're anointed to do and have to administrate where there's others that have the ability to administrate in their place listen here they are breaking up squabbles between families where one's crying about the other one getting more than they're getting their widows are getting more than our widows are getting my mama ain't getting treated the same way as their mama now I know some of y'all don't have church issues like that that might just be in East Tennessee but my God the apostles they began to talk with amongst themselves and said if we get too deep into all this mess we the growth of the early church is going to be stunted if we don't do what God has called us to do and what God has anointed us to do preachers you got to keep on preaching how then shall they call on him who they've not believed D how shall they believe in him who they have not heard and how shall they hear without a come on preach it preacher preach the word like you've never preached the word before be instant in season and out of season get up before your people and help them to find their path of anointing you may be seated so in Acts chapter 6 we read how the Apostles called all the new Christian Believers the the new disciples together and they had a meeting they said it is not reason that we should leave the word of God let let me let me share a little bit of my personal Ministry background for the past 25 years I I put it upon myself to make sure that my man of God can stay in the word can stay in the prayer closet I'm going to do as the administrative Pastor the associate pastor of this church I'm going to do everything I can that he doesn't have to worry about anything that I can worry about I I'm preaching right now I've been preaching to pastors I've been preaching to leaders and Senior leaders but now I want to preach for a little while to all of the team members that are in the house how want I want to preach to I want to preach to some some some Sunday school departmental leaders to some youth workers and children's ministers and choir members I I I want to preaching some coffee shop Baristas it's my personal goal it's my self-proclaimed responsibility to do everything in my power to administrate this church and Lead multiple Ministries in this church to follow the vision of that man sitting right there on the front row so he can concentrate on hearing what the thus sayith the word of the Lord is for this church I want the him to be able to hear the voice of God the 12 are going to continue to hear the voice of God if the seven step up to the plate and do what you've been anointed to do let me preach to the seven for a minute it's not a negative thing to be part of the seven I'm going to say it again it's not a negative thing to be a part of the seven now I know when we read Acts chapter 6 it's very easy for us to imagine ourselves Pastor BB with the 12 just kind of slide on in with the 12 oh I tell you what yeah cuz here's the deal we we got a Mis perception of what's really going going on right here we we think of we think of of of waiting tables like somebody's working at Applebee's brother St Clair trying to make the ends me working at Ruby Tuesdays or old Charlie or like I did when I was in Bible school had to work at Cracker Barrel to survive trying to get five stars I don't think I ever got more than one cuz I was in at bible school to serve French toast and serves in little bottles but that's not what they're talking about when they talk about waiting tables matter of fact I I wonder if the vast majority of the people in this room could even qualify for the seven that wasn't a cut I promise you Acts 6:3 says wherefore Brethren look ye among you seven men of oh boy honest report not they have the Holy Ghost full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom whom we may appoint over this business we got to find some some believers that have integrity honesty who operate with the right motives this is not my notes but I got to say it who aren't on Facebook aing out their dirty laundry crying because they're not getting asked the preacher because somebody else got their choir solo Oh I'm sorry that was not in my notes I'm sorry the right motives we got to find some believers who are filled with the Holy Ghost uh and not only filled with the but full of the Holy Ghost uh we got to find some men and women who have wisdom oh oh and it's a business so we got to find some entrepreneurs so some good businessmen and business women who are trustworthy to be department heads and Ministry leaders good administrators and managers and directors we need seven supervisors and or seven superintendant now listen that we started off talking about waiting tables at old Charlie and now all of a sudden we're talking about entrepreneurs and managers and administrators but please notice with me they weren't looking for waiters at a restaurant they were looking woo they were looking for Dependable people trustworthy people people filled with wisdom people who are creative we got we got we got creatives all over this house we got we got creatives that are social media creatives we got designing social Social Media stuff we got people that are so brilliant that have come this week you're going to be going through tracks and production people people my head I got I got smoke coming out my ears when I'm around some of you all Chase Conan designed that designed that opening video wasn't that awesome I wish I could come up with something like that I make stick figures like that not on purpose my God n n n n they weren't looking they weren looking for somebody to to put a apron on and come and wait some tables that's not what they were looking for the church was suffering from major growing pains the new believers they were complaining new Believers were fighting amongst themselves they were fussing he said she said they said we said and the 12 apostles they got together they had a business meeting together and they just said it's not right for us to hang up our prayer Shaws if you will it's not right for us to come out of the prayer closet uh it's not right for us to get out of the word it's not right for us to stop preaching this great Gospel of Jesus Christ just to deal with so he said where are the seven I believe in this conference tonight there are seven I would like to know where are the seven that whatever your pastor needs uh whatever your pastor desires uh whatever makes your pastor's Road easier to walk uh easier to travel you might be in a church uh it might be mowing the yard uh mowing the lawn so your pastor can study on a Saturday night it wasn't too long ago I was the Lawn Boy matter of fact my first my my my first job my first job coming out of Bible School Blue Mountain Mississippi y'all I I could drive a tractor like you ain't never seen somebody drive a tractor I'm not talking about one of these little zero turn little sports car tractors I'm talking about the one that you had Bishop mcole you know what I'm talking about the one you you had to step up on that first step to get up on to you had to lower that mowing deck they had softball field I had never played on that softball field but I mow that thing every week I don't know we had I don't we had probably some 15 Acres Monday I got up in a mowe Tuesday got up in a I'm old Wednesday I got up and I did some things that some people don't do I had to use a weed eater and that's the little thing that you got to you got to walk on your feet you got to get off the moving tractor you got to walk with your feet and you actually got to carry it with your arms and you get all kinds of stuff all up in your hair and all of your face story you stick your hand your your finger in your ear and you come out black you know what I'm saying that but but if Pastor Joe mcnight didn't have to mow those fields if Pastor Joe mcnight could be in his office studying for Sunday I'll be one of the seven because you know what I've got enough wisdom to mow with the tractor I got enough wisdom to use a weed eater I got enough wisdom to use a shovel and a wheelbarrow listen listen listen you don't know weed eating until you weed eat a Church Cemetery some of y'all complain about pulling some weeds out of a flower bed try weeding around 40 out of 11 tombstones grave markers I'm so far out of my notes brother Tony I'm almost done I promise you I got to get off this but I believe there are men and women in this conference tonight who I believe like me I believe you've been called into senior leadership but you're still waiting in my notes I have weight right here I have in R because people are are waiting and and I know there's a there's aoo there's a scripture that we love oh we love to quote in Isaiah 40:31 they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength and I know some people misquote this verse and they try to make excuses to sit back and I'm just going to sit back and so in the strength of the Lord sister Ericson I'm going to get out of the choir for a while because I'm going to wait on the Lord might be somebody here might be a preacher in the house you're waiting for that door to open for that church you've been looking for I'm just going to sit on the Pew and I'm going to wait for the Lord to open some doors if there's a church that I see fit to Pastor when all along the senior Pastor the senior leadership of your church is struggling but you're just sitting back on a Pew waiting but I got news for you they that wait upon the Lord it does not mean that the word wait in the Hebrew language is Cava and Cava means to serve they that serve the Lord shall renew their strength they that serve alongside their pastor will renew their strength they that serve the local church uh will renew their strength uh come on somebody you're going to renew your strength you're going to mount up with wings as Eagles you're going to run and not be weary you're going to walk and not faint but you got to get busy waiting I'm hurrying I'm hurrying the seven are busy waiting the seven that don't need the official position or title the seven that don't need to see their name and lights the seven that don't care that their picture will never be on a conference flyer the seven that'll write a song and not care if they ever get any royalties from it they won't care how high it goes in the charts but they write the song because their God has been so good to them they cannot tell it all and so words begin to flow let me tell you something you write a song with the right motive and God only knows what kind of song you're going to write come on to every every musician every singer that's in the house you came here you signed up for the music track listen if you do it with the right motive not to be seen not to be heard not to get popular not to get famous who cares about the Apple music charts well if I could just get if I could just get the crab family to sing my song and I love the craft Family come on if we have the right motives if the seven who are appointed will follow the lead of the 12 who are the anointed for the church that's when the church began to grow that's when things begin to happen when the seven realize who they are when they come up with a revelation that Stephen is a part of the seven I'm I'm I'm I'm what did it say about seven what did it say about Steph Stephen oh Stephen look at verse seven and the word of God increased and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly and a great company of the priests were obedient into the faith and Steven one of the seven full of faith and power did great wonders and miracles among the people I began to read I began to study Stephen nowhere in your Bible does it say that Steph was a preacher now theologians believe he was on his way but nowhere does it say that he was a preacher Pastor evangelist he was was full of the Holy Ghost he was filled with power he was a Believer and he just believe that signs would follow him come on listen I'm not throwing off on pastors I'm a pastor I'm not throwing off please understand but what I'm trying to say is there's people in this room who are selling yourself far short because you got so much power inside of you then you're letting on you got so much power and authority inside of you then you're let m Mires signs and wonders are going to follow the believer Steven full of faith and power did great wonders and miracles among the people and there arose certain of the synagogue which is called the let me just I don't have time to read all this let me just tell you what happened he start he was so wise people people would try to debate him and they could not beat him and so they started lying upon him they said go tell go tell people he's talking about Abraham and he he's talking about our forefathers and he's talking bad and that was not the case at all but they went and fetched him and found him and Drew them in to the to the to the Sanhedrin and they drew him in and they began to question him and as they questioned him he said well let me just tell you what I think of you have you ever wanted to do that don't do it because bad things happen to people to do that but he just began to tell them you're like your forefathers your forefathers couldn't live right your forefathers I'm going to paraphrase a little bit your forefathers were losers and you're a loser too because you do the same thing that your evil forefathers did when they went up against the man of God and brother Fallon they didn't like it it said they begin to Nash on him with their teeth what does that look like like a bunch of wild beasts nashing listen I would rather get stoned with rocks that have a bunch of people chewing on me bottom line is he died he got stoned he he died but there I'm moving musicians just come on come I'm so far behind I could never get done with this message but here's the fact is one of the seven Stephen took it upon himself not to sit back and cry that he was waiting on becoming a pastor or waiting on becoming a preacher or waiting on his Pastor to ask him to preach or ask him to min minister or asking to be youth pastor asking to be the music minister or ask going to be the technical director whatever it was he was not just sitting back oh no he was serving God the best he could serve God he was waiting on tables the best he could wait on tables and it just so happens because of his faith because of the power that he had there was a young man named Saul that came up Upon A stoning and all Saul they began to lay their cloaks at the feet of Saul but the beautiful thing is this although Steven had to die he birthed the greatest missionary Ministry that could ever be birthed because that man named Saul became Paul and when Paul began to cover the Earth with Ministry began to preach for and wide Antioch Philippi thessalonica Corinth Ephesus iy rope I don't know if those churches would have ever been there if stepen would have said I'm willing to wait stand your feet I I I just got one more thing I got to share with you because this is so important 12 + 7 equals rapid increase 12 + 7 equals Apostolic Revival this week oh this week as you move in the tracks from from room to room from Sanctuary to Sanctuary there's going to be people from this local church that are a part of the seven I'm talking about people like our Headmaster for our Christian Academy brother Jacob Sullivan who under his charge he has him and sister Amy Gomez they have over 250 students that are in this building from 6:30 a.m. some of the younger ones all the way to 6:00 p.m. talking about a discipl making machine we got people scattered all throughout this crowd tonight there was one through either our daycare or our school I'm talking about discipl makers I'm talking about people that are willing to wait tables is it hard you better believe it's hard is it grueling at times you better believe it's grueling at times you're going to meet people like Nick Johnstone our connect team leader he's going to talk in in a talk tomorrow you're going to hear that hear all about our connect team and how we're Connecting People we're connecting people to the church you're going to you're going to hear from Amanda solivan let me tell you about a Mana she's a singer songwriter worship team director for our fac severville campus she's in our Green Room this week there she wave your hand Amanda Amanda and her mama Lori just got out of prison this weekend they went in with a group of women and they witnessed and were part of the ministry of 99 incarcerated women get baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of their sins and you might say well hold on 99 surely they could have found one more and they did because one of the chaplain they worked at the prison that had been working there for decades said I want to get baptized too in Jesus come on seven come on we need the seven to rise up uh we need the seven to rise up it's time to live the movement H it's time to do whatever you can to be a discipl maker in this conference this week if you do nothing else uh if you do nothing else leave here and turn your cities upside down make disciples like you've never made disciples before come on one more stop give God praise as the choir begins to sing give God praise in this place uh live the movement