Small Shifts, Big Faith: Who Are You? Who Is The Church? (Part X)

Sermon Title: Small Shifts, Big Faith – Who Are You? Who Is The Church?

Good News Statement: Jesus encourages his church to be alive

Summary: The church isn’t perfect but yet is willing to grow in faith, practice love, and be alive today and tomorrow.

Preached: Sunday, August 16^th, 2026 at Dogwood Prairie UMC & Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NRSVUE): Acts 19:11-16; Acts 22:25; Acts 23:6-10; Acts 23:16 Today’s scripture passages focus on who Paul was: a Roman citizen, a Jew, a Pharisee, a Tent-maker, a Persecutor of Christians, and much more. May who Paul was help understand who we are today. Our scripture reading comes from the Book of Acts Nineteen, Twenty-Two, and Twenty-Three. May the hearing and understanding of this scripture add a blessing to your life?

 

The Sons of Sceva

11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that when the handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, their diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them. 13 Then some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit said to them in reply, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?” 16 Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered them all, and so overpowered them that they fled out of the house naked and wounded.

 

Acts 22:25

25 But when they had tied him up with straps, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman person who is uncondemned?”

 

Acts 23:6-10

6 When Paul noticed that some were Sadducees and others were Pharisees, he called out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” 7 When he said this, a dissension began between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection or angel or spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge all three.) 9 Then a great clamor arose, and certain scribes of the Pharisees’ group stood up and contended, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” 10 When the dissension became violent, the tribune, fearing that they would tear Paul to pieces, ordered the soldiers to go down, take him by force, and bring him into the barracks.

 

Acts 23:16

16 Now the son of Paul’s sister heard about the ambush, so he went and gained entrance to the barracks and told Paul.

 

This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”

 

 

 

Introduction:

The ministry of Jesus Christ has been shared. Healings have been performed. The blind were able to see and the lame able to walk. Those demon possessed were set free. The chains of the oppressed were broken. People began to believe and prayed to have their “unbelief turn into belief” (Mark 9:24). Some were even raised from the dead to breathe again. And some were welcomed home after being outcast to the dark, damp, tombs outside of the city walls.

Then, after riding into Jerusalem on a never before ridden donkey and being praised as the people laid their cloaks on the ground as shouts of “Hosannas” filled the air, Jesus is turned over to the religious leaders of the day. Jesus is questioned and tortured by the Roman soldiers—beaten nearly to death—prior to receiving a crown of thorns and a purple robe as a sign of earthly mockery. He was presented to the people in the presence of Pontius Pilate, who said, “But what crime has he committed? I cannot find anything he has done to deserve death! I will have him whipped and set him free” (Luke 23:22, GNT). To which the people responded, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” (Luke 23:20, GNT). Luke 23:24 states, “So Pilate passed the sentence on Jesus that they were asking for.”

Jesus is marched from the palace to Calvary, bearing the weight of the cross—most likely the horizontal beam—as excruciating pain shot through his body with every step, as blood dripped from his head to the ground, soaking the dirty road beneath his feet, and as both cries and shouts surrounded him. On Calvary, he hung on the cross for six hours before taking his last breath and proclaiming “It is finished” (John 19:30). Then he was taken down from the cross and laid in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. Three days later he rose from the dead to prove that death does not have the last word, that a tomb sealed by a large stone could not withhold him, and that an instrument of death—the cross—is a promise of hope and salvation. And now, after 40 days of walking this earth in his resurrected form, he has ascended to heaven; but before leaving this earth, he gave his apostles and disciples a challenge: to keep the church alive.

This is where the Book of Acts comes into play. For those that are unaware, the Book of Acts (or sometimes called the Acts of the Apostles), written during the time of 33AD to 62AD, is a sequel to the Gospel of Luke. Luke was a physician back in the day and has been credited to write the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. The theme of Luke’s writing after the ascension of Jesus Christ is focused on how the Holy Spirit empowers believers to declare the gospel among both Jews and Gentiles. In doing so they establish the church, which is the fulfillment of God’s promises from the beginning of time. Jesus states in Matthew 16:18, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Luke’s purpose for writing the Book of Acts—the journey and testimony of Paul and the rise and growth of the early church—was to give an orderly account of the early church after Christ’s resurrection; and to highlight the notion that keeping the church alive was not, is not, and will not be easy. But keeping the church alive is necessary. So, for the next several weeks, we are going to explore certain themes sprinkled throughout the Book of Acts which I believe remind us of how important it is to keep the church alive today for tomorrow. And the question I propose to you is this: “What are we doing and could be doing to keep our church and the whole Church—the body of Christ—alive?”

 

Body:

I would like to begin this message with a little bit of trivia: specifically, trivia about a game that many of you have either played or heard of. This game was developed by Israeli game inventors Ora and Theo Coster, the founders of Theora Design. It was first released in Dutch in 1979. Then, Milton Bradley produced the game in the United Kingdom, and it was brought to the United States in 1982. It is now owned by Hasbro, an American multinational toy manufacturing and media company founded in 1923. The purpose of this game is to guess the other person’s character by asking questions such as “Does your person wear a hat? Does your person wear glasses? Does your person have short hair? Is your person a male? Is your person a female?”

As of today, special editions of this game have been produced: including Star Wars (released 2008 with 24 characters, and 2014 with 15 characters), Batman (released 2019), Animal Crossing (2019), Marvel Comics (released 2022, 24 characters), Super Mario (2022), Disney, Peppa Pig and The Simpsons. Annual consumer reports suggest that two million copies of this game are sold worldwide annually. Do you know what game I am talking about? Guess Who is correct. How many of you have ever played Guess Who before?

My youngest niece, Kinley, on my side of the family, loved to play this game when she was younger. At the time, she didn’t quite understand the rules or strategy. For example, she didn’t always like picking a new character and sometimes she would peek over her board to see mine. But she enjoyed playing the game! After several rounds of playing, I realized that the questions she would ask me actually would be describing the person that she chose. Needless to say, we had a blast guessing who each other had!

I was thinking about the game Guess Who this week as I was preparing the message for today. In our message for the today, we take a step-back and analyze the person that really began to spread the good news as the early church was growing. This person didn’t wear glasses, nor was this person ornately dressed, and nor was this person perfect or of rich lineage. As a matter of fact, this person had an entire life before he was called to follow Christ: a life that administered great pain, torture, and even persecutions. This person had a name change, wrote several important letters (or epistles) to churches and communities, brought a person back to life after the person fell out of a window, and went on to become an apostle. This person, today, goes by the name Paul. Did you know that contained within the words of Luke’s account of the early church we receive glimpses of who Paul is? He was more than an apostle, preacher of the good news, and cornerstone to the rise of the early church. Paul was just an ordinary person, who one day looked in the Jordan River and asked himself, “Who am I?”

Today, through Paul, I extend that question to you: “Who are you?” Do you know who you are? Do you understand the titles you carry and the names you respond to? Does your lineage, history, and ancestry play a part in who you are? Have you ever looked into a mirror and asked, “Who do I see?” Furthermore, who are we as a church? Who do people say we are? Who do we say we are as church? Are we living up to the names and titles we have and carry as a church? In the Book of Acts there are clues about who Paul is or might be. Sure the clues may not add significant depth to the witness of our faith, but the clues do offer us a chance to realize that who we are as individuals helps give life and identity to the church. So, today’s question is “Who are we?”

 

Movement One: Getting to Know the Apostle Paul…

First, we need to ask ourselves, “Who is Paul?” Doing a brief Google Search—in combination with using Walter Elwell and Philip Comfort’s book The Complete Book of Who’s Who in the Bible­—one can find that Paul was born between 4BC-5AD to affluent parents in Tarsus which is modern day Turkey.

• Paul was a Roman citizen at birth, a rare privilege that aided his travels and granted him fair legal defenses.
• Paul was originally a Benjaminite raised in a strict Jewish family and educated under the renowned Rabbi Gamaliel in Jerusalem.
• Paul was a fervent Pharisee: believing in angels, spirits, and in the resurrection. While profoundly Jewish, he was raised in a Greek-speaking city making him fluent in Greek and Jewish, allowing him to bridge Jewish and Gentile worlds.
• As a zealous Pharisee, he originally viewed the early Jesus movement as a threat to traditional Judaism, hence his past life of being a persecutor of Christians—the threat to the Roman and Jewish ways of living.
• Speaking of his past life, Paul was converted around 33AD on the Road to Damascus.
• But before his conversion, he was known by his Jewish name, Saul, meaning “asked for” or “prayed for.” We learn in Acts 18:3 that Paul was a tent-maker by trade.
• Some scholars suggest that Paul’s family might have been descendants of slaves freed from Pompey in 63BC. Lastly, there is a debate amongst many scholars that 1 Corinthians 9:5 may suggest that Paul was married at some point and was quite possibly a widower as he was forming the early church.

Now, if we turn to scripture, we find that some of what I said is supported by scripture. First, Acts 22:25 tell us, “But when they had tied him up with straps, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, ‘Is it legal for you to flog a Roman person who is uncondemned?’” This text simply affirms Paul’s Roman citizenship. Second, we read the following in Acts 23:6-10, “When Paul noticed that some were Sadducees and others were Pharisees, he called out in the council, ‘Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection of the dead.’ When he said this, a dissension began between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection or angel or spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge all three.)”[1] In this passage, not only are we given the definitions for what Pharisees and Sadducees are, be we learn that Paul is a Pharisee and that he is the son of a Pharisee—he was born into the belief system of angels, spirits, and the resurrection.

Third, we see in Acts 23:16 while Paul is on “house arrest” in the barracks, something that we often don’t consider when thinking about Paul: “Now the son of Paul’s sister heard about the ambush, so he went and gained entrance to the barracks and told Paul.” Wait…what? Did you know that Paul had a sister? Did you know Paul was an uncle? Could you imagine Paul, the apostle, the one that was converted, that was renamed by the Messiah, being your uncle? I wonder if Paul and his sister got along. Did Paul have other siblings? This subtle but interesting detail about Paul is treated like us reading that Jesus had siblings (see Mark 6:3 and Matthew 13:55-56), we often skim right over it and don’t give it much thought. But, although we don’t hear about Paul’s sister and nephew again, at least we know that not only is Paul a Pharisee, a Jew, a Roman citizen, and a son, but he is a brother and an uncle adding more to his story.

It is quite clear—quite evident really—that Paul is a man of many characteristics that have helped him figure out who he truly is. Paul is a Roman citizen of Jewish decent with beliefs focused on Pharisee traditions being taught by a Rabbi. He is a prisoner, a son, a brother, and an uncle. He is a believer of and follower of Jesus Christ. He is an enemy of many. He was a persecutor of Christians. He was considered an employee of the Roman Empire. Paul was more than an apostle. Paul was more than a letter writer. Paul was more than a preacher of the good news. Paul was a person who used his characteristics not as a disadvantage to living his life but as tools to bring meaning and purpose to his life. He used what became of him to help others understand who they are. He used his confusing bag of characteristics to create bridges between differing worlds. Why? Because he, himself, was different—not a pure Jew and not a pure gentile. Rather Paul was Paul—the person who gave his life to Christ. It’s no wonder, Paul would later go onto write to the people of Galatia, “There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). Paul understood the importance of who he was, but he also realized the importance that who God made him to be was meant to help others understand, as different as they may be, they are united in Christ Jesus with him.

What I appreciate about Luke’s subtle clues about Paul is that Luke highlights the reality that Paul didn’t fight who he was, but rather used who he was to become who he needed to be for all those who were struggling with their own identity. Can you say the same thing about your own identity? Who are you?

 

Movement Two: Extending into the Gospel of John…

Paul isn’t the only one whose identity gave him a purpose, whose identity was more than what people saw. We see in the Gospel of John a moment when the people are attempting to identify who John the Baptist is. John 1 notes, “There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light…. This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ He confessed and did not deny it, but he confessed, “I am not the Messiah.’ And they asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’ Then they said to him, ‘Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’ He said, ‘I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said” (John 1:6-8, 19-23).

One of the first things we learn is our name. We hear our name long before we completely understand what it means. Before we walk, before we talk, before we do anything, we hear our name. We hear it in the facial expressions of our family members as they smile and play with us. And over the months of development, we absorb the reality that these sounds help us and others identify who we are. Now if our name—a few random words chosen at the beginning of our life—helps shape who we are, how much more are we defined by what we do in our life?

Sports, crafts, music, dance, schooling, jobs—and the biggie: relationships. Surely these things that we do make us who we are. As the saying goes, our actions speak louder than our words. A good friend shows how much they care. Hard work makes us an invaluable employee. Parents parent by example more than by just what they say they will do. So, if who we are is what we do, then life becomes a rather simple calculation. The more I do (especially for others), the better I am. If I work harder, I will be a better person. If I buy flowers, vacuum the carpets and don’t forget my anniversary, then I should be good to go. And isn’t that what God wants? For us to be successful? For our identity to be found in such success: family, security, a nice home, and rewarding career?

Surely God is blessing us for what we do to better our loved ones and ourselves. We hear about this all the time on television and online. Many books have been written by many successful people who just want you and I to be just as successful. It makes you kind of successful just thinking about it, doesn’t it? Knowing that with a sure-fired plan life will be better, if we just get a good night’s sleep, and work a little harder, maybe eat more vegetables. But is what we do really who we are?

So, I ask you this morning, “Who are you really?” John the Baptist answered this question by framing his identity in terms of another. Sure, he had a great name, a name that struck fear and awe in those who heard it. And certainly he always kept himself busy; there was always more work for John to do. But when the priests and Levites and Pharisees challenged his identity, he simply pointed to the one whom he had spent his whole life preparing for. The Messiah. Jesus of Nazareth. The Son of God. It was in this Christ that John the Baptist found ultimate meaning and ultimate identity. John’s words and actions, which would by almost any definition be labeled as bizarre and perhaps even crazy by today’s standards, were founded and fed by a God who called him and loved him for who he was.

Friends, we are God’s beloved. We are loved for who and what we really are. Not the name we were given at birth. After all, we will be given a new name in glory! Not the vocations that occupy much of our life. But, who we really are, deep down, and all the way through. Beloved. We are God’s beloved. This is everything. Christ died so that this would be so. So that you and I can look in the mirror at the person whom God loves. Not necessarily who we love all the time, but whom God loves forever. Amazing, isn’t it? Someone loves you and me, just because. Unconditionally, freely. If you think about it, God does not have to love us. God could just make a whole new batch of folks. God could make them a little more compatible with the world, more likable. But instead, God chooses to work with us. And not only to work with us, but also to live with us, even to die for us. All so that we might love, too. So that we might see this world and its creatures differently, lovingly, unselfishly. So that we might be caught up in a relationship that has been extended to us before we were even born. Before we were even baptized.

We are told in scripture, just like John the Baptist informs those who he is – a preparer of the way—of who we are. Paul tells us that some of us “are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ… (Ephesians 4:11-12). We are told that we have been “fearfully and wonderfully made. [We are His wonderful works.]” (Psalm 139:14). We are also told in the Book of Genesis, we are created “in [God’s] image” (Genesis 1:27). You see, we are more than what people think we are or claim us to be. We are who God has made us to be. People saw John the Baptist as a strange person living in the wilderness, but he was actually preparing the way for Jesus. People saw Paul as a persecutor, but God saw him as proclaimer of the good news. People may see you as one thing, but I bet God sees you as something else. He sees you as a beloved child of His own.

Let me explain some more. People saw David as a simple shepherd, God saw him as one who faces giants with faith and who would become a great King for God’s people. People saw Moses as one born into slavery and later a murderer, but God saw who he really was: a person who would lead his people from slavery to freedom. People saw Rahab as a prostitute, but God saw her as a protector of her family. People saw Esther as a liar and deceiver, but God saw her as a brave person who saved her people from annihilation. People saw Jonah as a problem, but God saw Jonah was a change for a wicked city. People saw Noah as a simple person, but God saw him as the one who would give mankind a second chance by building an ark. People saw Jeremiah as being too young to lead, but knew he would become a prophet. Peter, Andrew, James, and John saw themselves as simple fishermen before Jesus called them to follow him. Matthew only saw himself as a tax collector, but God knew he was much more than that. Simon would identify himself as a zealot—carrying a sword to overthrow the Roman Empire—but Jesus knew who he really was—a future disciple. Mary Magdalene thought she was forever going to be defined by her demons, but Jesus knew she could have a new life in him. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a young teenager, but God saw her as the one who would bring forth a miracle. And I could go on, but my point is, is that every person God chose was identified as something by the people before they received a new identity in God. God used their identity—who they were—to not only to change them but to help change and save others.

 

Movement Three: So, Who Are You?

So, who are you? Paul’s identity has me thinking of my own identity. I am a son, a brother, an uncle, a grandson, a nephew, a cousin, a husband, a drummer, a pastor, a minister, one of Greek and Pennsylvania-Dutch ancestry, and a follower of Jesus Christ. These are just a few of my characteristics that have helped me become who I am today. And to be honest, I don’t spend my days thinking about all of these characteristics. I know they exist, but so what. However, after considering the significance of Luke’s intent to sprinkle throughout the Book of Acts hints of who Paul was, I have come to the realization that God gave him—and us—certain characteristics that help us understand who we are and how who we are helps us to see our purpose in life.

Paul used who he was to strengthen his faith and to help others. He used who he was to help him understand who Jesus was. We have all been given certain characteristics that make us who we are today. But when you look in the mirror, what do you see? Who do you see? Do you see what others see? Do you see only what you want to see? Do you see who God sees? Paul and almost every person in the Bible, aside from Jesus, didn’t live a perfect life—who saw themselves only for who they wanted to be, who others wanted them to be. However, those in scripture, like us today, were seen by God—not just as they were but who they could be.

The early church was built upon people who saw themselves one way but allowed God to show them who He saw. The early church became alive because it saw through Jesus Christ who they needed to be. The early church lives today, through all of us, through our church, because we are allowing those present to be who God knows they can be. It’s the people—who God has made them to be—that keep the church alive. So, I ask, who are we as a church? Who do people—outside these walls—say that we are? Who do you say we are? What are we known for? Who are we today? Are we the same as we were decades ago? Will we be the same decades from today? Who are we as a church?

Before I moved to Oblong, at my home church I was part of a planning committee that considered where the church was, where the church is, and where the church should strive to be. Let me tell you, being the youngest on that committee, it was very interesting to listen to the “elders” of the church describe who the church is. Many of them resorted to past ministries, past events, past celebrations, past outreach activities, and past pastors. I quickly realized that who the church they wanted to be was who it was in the past. That was troubling for me because I wondered how a church who was okay with living in the past could become the church God needed them to be in the present? Granted, the church did some wonderful things in the past: youth groups, potluck meals every month, praise band, adult, young adult, and children’s choirs, elaborate Vacation Bible Schools, Community Services with car shows, funnel cakes, cotton candy, and carnival games, and many other activities. However, by being stuck in the past, they were missing out on who God needed them to be in the present.

Church, at one point, we had a past that was filled with activities, ministries, and filled pews. (And we are getting there today because of your commitment and dedication!) But unfortunately, things change. So, we are left with a decision, much like Paul: who do we want to be? Do we want to be a church stuck in the past? Or do we want to be a church that is alive in the present? If God placed a mirror in front of us today what kind of church would we see? A church you want and the community wants? Or a church you and the community need? Who are you? And who are we as a church?

 

Movement Four: The Beginning of the Paper Chain…

As you think about who we are as a church, I have a task for you. So over the past couple of months, we have been slowly making our way through the Book of Acts, looking at certain moments that inspire us to be a church that is alive. We looked at how the early church dealt with disagreements, how the early church was called to sit with others, how the early church met people where they were, how the early church was formed by people who weren’t perfect, and how the early church sought new things and embraced changes. The early church did all of this because it wanted to establish a church that was known for being alive, for carrying out the mission of Jesus Christ in all that did, through the people it encountered, and for being a place where people felt welcomed and loved.

In thinking about all that we have looked at so far, and the question of “Who are we as a church?”, I invite you to engage in a small activity. In your bulletin, there should be a blank slip of paper. Now on this paper I want you to answer this question: “What do I like/love about our church?” You can write a sentence—not a paragraph. You can write a single word—and no more. Or you can draw a picture. If you would like additional slips of paper, there are more in the basket. There is no limit on how many pieces of paper an individual can turn in! The goal of this activity is to receive as many slips of paper as possible to create a paper chain demonstrating what makes us who we are, and to use this paper chain as motivation to continue to find ways to be a church that is alive. At the end of September, I will present the paper chain to the church and leave it on display! Here’s the catch: like the church, if you want the paper chain to grow, then it needs your participation and commitment. So take some home with you, take some to those who aren’t here today, or make it a goal to fill one out every Sunday or every time you stop by the church. Let this paper chain demonstrate your love for the church as well as your commitment to keep the church alive.

 

Conclusion:         

In conclusion, Paul is more than what people saw. John the Baptist is more than what people thought he was. The Disciples are more than their professions. The church is more than what it did in the past. And you are more than who you think you are. We all have certain characteristics that make us who we are; but we also have a God that tells us who we really are: we are a child of Him, a church of Jesus’ mission, and group of people inspired by the Holy Spirit to keep the church alive. So, who are you? Who are we as a church? The time has come to stop guessing who we are and to start living out who God needs us to be. So what do you say?

Let it be so…

 

Closing Prayer:

Let us pray… Dear God, help us to understand who we are as your children.  Show us who we are as a church. And guide our hearts to be a church that is alive for you, for those here, and for those outside these walls. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

Benediction:

Church, who are we? Followers of Jesus, who are you? Will you allow God this week to help you understand who He needs you to be? May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; and May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26). In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit go forth being the church God needs all of us to be. And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.

 

 

[1] Then a great clamor arose, and certain scribes of the Pharisees’ group stood up and contended, ‘We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?’ When the dissension became violent, the tribune, fearing that they would tear Paul to pieces, ordered the soldiers to go down, take him by force, and bring him into the barracks.”