Provoked - July 27th, 2014 sermon

By Pastor Greg

Listen to sermon HERE

A cowboy rode into town and stopped at the saloon for a drink (root beer, of course!).  Unfortunately, the locals always had a habit of picking on the new guy in town.  When he finished, he found his horse had been stolen.  So he stormed back into the bar and fired a shot into the ceiling, and shouted, "WHICH ONE OF YOU SIDEWINDERS STOLE MY HOSS?"  No one answered.  "ALRIGHT, I'M GONNA HAVE ME ANOTHA SODA, AND IF MY HOSS AIN'T BACK OUTSIDE BY THE TIME I FINISH, I'M GONNA DO WHAT I DUN IN TEXAS! AND IIIIIIIIIIII DON'T LIKE TO HAVE TO DO WHAT I DUUUUUN IN TEXAS!"  Some of the locals shifted restlessly.  After his second root beer he walked outside.  To no one’s surprise, the horse was back.  Just as he jumped into his saddle, the bartender called out, "Say partner, what happened in Texas?"  The cowboy turned back and said, "I had to walk home..."

          Obviously the guy was bit provoked.  You could tell by the words he used.  You could hear it in the tone of his voice.  And if you could, you would be able to see it on his face. 

          Today the word provoked is commonly used to describe someone who has become angry.  They are irked, annoyed, aggravated, exacerbated, and infuriated.  But a lesser known meaning is someone who is roused; someone who is urged on or stimulated to action.  And it is this definition that aptly describes what happened to the Apostle Paul one day.

          Paul and Silas had been in Berea preaching and proclaiming the Good News of Jesus.  But they are forced out of town because of some jealous Jews.  Paul travels to Athens, Greece by himself, waiting for the others to arrive.  That’s when Paul gets provoked; not necessary provoked to anger but to action (Read Acts 17:16-34).

          Was Paul provoked to anger?  Probably not, for his words caught the attention of the philosophers.  He reasoned in the Synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles.  His words were reasonable, spoken not from a heart filled with anger, but a heart troubled that there were people in this city who did not know Jesus as Lord.  As Paul walked through this city, the Lord stirred his spirit to action.  His heart was roused; provoked to do something, to tell someone about Jesus and the resurrection of the dead.

          Paul was provoked.  And because of this, some people became believers.  This is what happens when a person is stirred to action in the name of Jesus.  When the heart of a believer is roused to action, only God knows the difference they will make in someone’s life.  When a church is roused to action, only God knows how much of a difference that church will have on someone’s life and possibly in the life of the entire community.  Provided, or course, that the church does have a heart that can be provoked.

I want you to see a noticeable contrast that happened when Paul started talking about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment (See Acts 17:30-31).  Most of these Epicurean and Stoic philosophers laughed at Paul.  In their arrogance, they sneered at Paul’s seemingly childish philosophy.  Oh, they loved to talk about religion.  They loved to toss ideas back and forth.  But no one was provoked about what they heard.  They simply wanted to get together and talk.  They wanted to speak of religious ideals and ponder things of eternity, but they were not roused to action.  Well, most of them were not.  One man, one of these philosophers, was provoked by what he heard, and he allowed Paul’s words to change his life.  Dionysius, a member of this council, along with a woman named Damaris, heard what Paul had to say, and became provoked to action.  They, and a few others, joined Paul and became believers.

A heart that is easily provoked by the Spirit is a key foundation to the life of a church.  In order for a church to truly make a difference in a community it must be provoked to take action; to get involved, and to try and make a difference in this world.  A church that has a heart easily provoked is a church that is ready to speak about Jesus and the resurrection of the dead.  A church that is easily provoked becomes a church that is stimulated to action.

          You can tell when a church is provoked.  You can hear it in their words.  You can see it on their faces.  You can tell by their actions.  These are the churches who take bold steps to reach out to their communities, not only telling about Jesus but also doing for others in the name of Jesus.  These are the congregations that see a need and take measures to meet that need.  These are the congregations that realize there is much more to being a church than meeting once a week to talk about God and sing to Jesus.  Missionaries are sent and supported.  Ministries are offered to help people find healing and wholeness through Jesus.  Teaching is provided in order to train and equip people to serve.  When we see a church acting this way, it is a sign that they have become provoked; stirred to action.

          You can tell when a church is not provoked.  You can hear it in their words.  You can see it on their faces.  You can tell by their actions.  Their words do not strengthen and build up the Body of Christ.  They become harsh and critical of others.  Their faces show no joy or enthusiasm for Jesus.  There is no passion; no zeal.  There is no harmony.  There is no unity.  No one is roused to action.  They love to sit around discussing religion and toss ideas back and forth, but there is no action.  And unfortunately, when a church is not provoked to be a witness for Christ, they become provoked at one another.

          In the City of Athens, this center of religious diversity and the intellectual capital of the world, we find idolatry.  Many different gods were worshiped.  There were temples and shrines to these gods everywhere.  But also in this city there was a Jewish Synagogue, a local place for Jews to assemble for fellowship and for teaching.  The text does say that there were a few God-fearing Gentiles in this Synagogue, but for the most part it seems the rest of the city did not know a thing about this God of Israel.  This is why the philosophers scoffed when Paul started talking about sin, righteousness, and judgment; things that even a Jew would understand.  But apparently even though this Synagogue existed within a city filled with idol worship, no one was provoked to do anything or say anything about it, until Paul came along.

          I wonder, is this a lesson we need to learn?  Do we battle with complacency, or do we truly become provoked by the Word of God?  Does it change us and challenge us?  It’s important we ask ourselves this question because complacency within the North American church is epidemic.  There are few Christians provoked to action any more.  There are few churches roused to truly make a difference.  Across America thousands will shake their pastor’s hand after church saying how wonderful the message was, yet never allow the words to provoke them.  Few people are provoked to change or provoked to tell their neighbor about Christ.  It’s gotten so bad in North America that Anglican Bishops from Africa and Asia have formed Anglican Mission in America (see article HERE).  The godly in Rwanda are sending missionaries to America to do what we have been commanded to do in the first place.  It’s become that bad.

          And so I beg you, please, let’s not let this happen to us.  Let the Word provoke us to change, and let it challenge us to follow our Lord’s command to make disciples, to baptize them, and preach the Good News throughout the earth.  I fear that unless we are careful, one day there may not be one Christian or one church left in our community that can be provoked to action.