Author: Geoff Murray

Sermon: Sunday, 14th April, 2024
Speaker: Geoff Murray
Scripture: Acts 11:19-30

As we embark on planting a church in Leven as we seek also to grow in Kirkcaldy? What should the church be all about? What books on church planting should I read? What tips, tricks and methodologies should I follow? What experts should I speak to?

The wonderful thing we see here in the planting of the church in Antioch is we have the perfect model. We see a church which is engaged, even in hardship, in outreach. The persecuted church is fleeing and is scattered yet wherever they go, they share the gospel.

We see a church which is engaged in spiritual growth. This church plant in Antioch in its infancy does not stay stagnant but spends time focusing on maturing and growing as Christians.

I do find books on church planting helpful, I do find speaking with other church planters helpful but this passage surely is a brilliant place to start.

1. New work

We saw last week, the Kingdom of God opening up to Gentiles in remarkable ways. They receive the Holy Spirit, believe and are baptised. It is the most wonderful outpouring of God’s blessing on a people who, by and large, had been under that temporary barrier that John talked about last week. But here is really the first intentional work of Christians to go to the unreached Gentiles. Believing Jews going to the Gentiles to preach the good news of Jesus Christ.

With the martyr of Stephen, the Jews thought that was the end of The Way, they thought that was the end of the Jesus movement. But actually, it was in many ways the beginning. Their persecution and killing of Christians rather than killing off the church, was in many ways the making of the church.

And we ask the question, who is it evangelising? Who is it planting this church? It is ordinary people, not apostles, not ministers. So, the church is reaching new people and it is the whole church, not a select few. Indeed Barnabas and Saul don’t turn up until much later.

And what happens as they go? They share the good news in Antioch, the Lord’s hand was with them and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. (Verse 20)

The first Gentile church plant was not planted by Apostle’s, prophets, ministers, evangelists. It was planted by ordinary folks with the gospel message and many were reached, many were converted, many lives were transformed by the good news of Jesus.

What is remarkable about this church plant is that it is born, not out of a group of Christians moving from a larger church to set up a church plant in a new area, but its actually borne out of conversions. Its born out of some Christians going, proclaiming the gospel and then the church plant which is born consisting of Antiochans turning to Christ by faith.

What a wonderful thing that would be in Leven, and even as we have a few unbelievers coming along on Sundays, how wonderful it would be to see these folk turning to the Lord and actually folks recently converted making up a good proportion of the new church plant in Leven. Please join me in prayer that that would happen as it happened in Antioch.

This is the importance of new work, this is the importance of planting Leven Free Church. This is the importance of considering if there are any evangelistic avenues that may be opening up in your life here in Kirkcaldy. Because there are many who are yet unreached, but most importantly, unreached who may be converted under your influence.

We plant churches because:

1. There are many unreached (see John 10:16 and Romans 10:14-15)
2. The gospel is the power of God to salvation (See Romans 1:16 and Acts 11:21)
3. God uses ordinary people to reach the unreached.

So, whether you are a part of the church plant in Leven or whether you are in Kirkcaldy, do not give up, persevere in evangelism and specifically as it pertains to this passage, are there new avenues that you could explore?

New people, new opportunities – perhaps you can join a new group or club to meet new people and begin a new work with reaching new people
Old people, new opportunities – perhaps you have been friends with someone for years and you’ve never went there with them, you’ve never had a gospel conversation with them. Perhaps this is the time to speak to them about the Lord. God has put you there on purpose. Why do you think God has done that in your negative experiences?

And we go because the gospel message has the power to transform lives as we see it does in Antioch. I think we need to hear this time and again as we plant in Leven but even in the work here in Kirkcaldy as we seek to reach new people

You might have seen few conversions in the lives of those around you, you might have seen no conversions and that may lead you to cynicism because you haven’t seen it. You treat conversions a bit like the account of miracles “aye that’s all fine and well in the times of the Bible, but I’ve never seen it.”

It is the vicious circle of cynicism. Lack of conversions give way to prayerlessness because you think ‘What’s the point?’, gives way to lack of evangelism, gives way to cynicism that nobody is being converted.

We need reminding this morning that the gospel is powerful, God is mighty to save. God is Lord of every heart, he can turn the heart of your spouse, he can turn the heart of your kids, he can turn the heart of your mum or dad, he can turn the heart of your colleague, he can turn the heart of your neighbour or friend.

So don’t lose heart, persevere in prayer and evangelism. What I’m not saying is that you go out on the street right now, speak to the first person you meet and they will be instantly converted. It can take time.

There will always be fear on your part, there will often be unbelief in some people’s responses, but it is worth it even for one soul to be converted. Do you fear how people will respond? Think of the glories which await someone who comes to faith, think of the joys of calling that person a brother or sister.

For Levenites and Lang Toonians alike, let’s remember those we are engaging with, lets remember those who do not currently know the Lord, lets be praying for and seeking the conversion of many souls in Leven, Kirkcaldy, and right across Fife.

Jesus is mighty to save. As we plant in Leven, as you who are not planting in Leven seek to reach out with the gospel here in Kirkcaldy. We are not serving a weak and puny wannabe saviour, we are serving the risen, mighty, strong, awesome saviour who calls us to go to the lost that many may be found in him.

So look for new avenues, new streams for gospel growth in folks’ conversions. Lets pray and lets go.

2 Renewing work

As we saw a few weeks back when we looked at the role of good works in the life of the church, evangelism isn’t the entirety of the church’s work. As people are converted, a renewing work begins. Evangelism is important in the life of the church, vital in fact, but it doesn’t mean it is our only focus. The end is not that folks get converted, but that they end up growing and maturing in their walk with the Lord, that they persevere, that they continue.

It was essential that the Antiochan converts, the infant church plant was nurtured and so Saul and Barnabas spend a years intensive to help these people be grounded in their new found faith. When anyone comes to faith, it is so important their grounding in the Christian faith.

But I want to address not just recent converts but actually to address us all from the message of Barnabas. ‘He was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.’ (Acts 11:23)

We all need to hear this message from Barnabas often and regularly. And even as one of the roles in church planting is establishing a new work with reaching new people, going out to evangelise, this is also one of the roles of the church: to strengthen, equip, encourage, instruct, teach, disciple believers in its care.

Let’s dig into what Barnabas says to you and me in the church today.The great virtue of our age is to be true to ourselves and what we often mean by that is to follow our emotions, follow our desires. If we feel something or desire something, we should go for it.

But friends, whether you’ve been a Christian 5 seconds or 50 years, we need to hear it again stay true to the Lord and not yourself because that temptation will always be there to live for yourself. If the Bible is true on this, and I think it is, following your own heart would be disastrous for you as it would lead you away from God and therefore true and lasting hope, joy, meaning and purpose.

The effects of following our heart – death, decay, slavery.
‘Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.’ (Jeremiah 17:5-6)

The effects of following the Lord.
‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.’ (Proverbs 3:5-7)

The effects of flourishing in the Lord.
‘But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.’ (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

How we need this instruction because, left to ourselves we would incline towards following our own hearts and being true to ourselves, but rather we need something far greater, we need to turn our hearts to the Lord and be true to the Lord.

And it’s interesting how they preach the good news about the Lord Jesus (verse 20), many turned and believed in the Lord (verse 21), they are to remain true to the Lord (verse 23), and a great number of people are brought to the Lord (verse 24)

As Christians, we do not simply acknowledge Jesus as Saviour though he is and we praise God for that, he is also our Lord, our Master, our King. We no longer live for self. We looked on Wednesday at the prayer meeting at Philippians chapter 3 and in it, Paul says many walk as enemies of the cross ‘their god is their belly.’ In other words, they are slaves to their own desires, their own passions, their own longings and lusts. That is what they live for.

But it’s not so for us, we are to press on and pursue Christ, we are to push ahead, we are to follow him. If anyone is to be my disciple, Jesus said, he must deny himself, pick up his cross and follow him.

That has implications for: our finances, comfort and prosperity. Sex, sexuality and relationships
This means that even in a world where the temptation is towards denying Christ and going our own way, literally being true to ourselves, that we pursue and persevere.

When all the disciples desert Jesus, minus the original 12, and Jesus asks ‘Are you going as well?’ and Peter responds ‘To whom else would we go? You alone have the words of eternal life.’ (John 6:67-69)

Jesus elsewhere says, ‘What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world yet forfeits his soul?’ (Mark 8:36)

Therefore, stay true to the Lord. Whatever temporal pleasures this world may offer you could have by the bucket load, they are empty and hollow and they will all melt away one day. You cannot take your riches with you, you cannot take your pleasures with you, you cannot take your comforts with you, but the one who never dies, the hope that never perishes, spoils or fades, the joy that never ends you can take and that is to be found in Christ alone.

The point for this young Antiochan church plant and the point for you and me is not simply that we make ‘decisions for Christ’ that we merely profess faith in Christ with our mouth, but that we press on and make it our life’s work to stay true to the Lord with all our hearts and not ourselves.

Is that your life’s work? Or have you been living for self? Has God been an afterthought most days? Does he feature into your thought process as you make decisions? May he be at the heart of it all in your life. In family life, in work life, in your leisure time, in your finances, in everything. Stay true to the Lord with all your heart.

Friends, whether you’ve been a Christian 5 minutes or 50 years, keep going, keep pressing on toward Christ, stay true to the Lord. When the temptation to give in is there, keep going. Keep persevering. Jesus alone has the words of eternal life. Follow him, live for him, pursue him, stay true to him and his calling on your life to love and serve him with all your heart.

And this is the work of the church as Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples of all nations. To reach the lost and then to help them grow and mature.

What do we want to see in Kirkcaldy? What do we want to see in Leven? Surely, it couldn’t get much better than this. Reaching new people with the gospel and seeing their lives (and ours) transformed and renewed daily. Let’s make that our ambition friends, lets seek to serve him in these ways for the glory of his name in Kirkcaldy, Leven, Fife and to the ends of the earth.

Sermon: Sunday, 24th March, 2024
Speaker: Geoff Murray
Scripture: Acts 9:32-43

1. The importance of Christian family

I think this is an important pitstop to make in a book of the Bible where the majority of time is spent thinking about evangelism. We might think that all the church should be about is evangelism. I’m a church planter, the core team in Leven are church planting; surely evangelism is everything? Well, not entirely. In fact, as Peter went around the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people in Lydda.

There is so much stress on evangelism, and rightly so. If the church is going to grow and thrive, we will be a church which is engaged in evangelism. But spending time with your Christian family is essential. Indeed, in point 7 of our vision statement as a church we want:

To grow closer as a loving church family, through mutual support and practical care.

We want to be a church that reaches the world with the gospel, yes, but we want to be a warm Christian family for people to come into too. As Peter was wearied from his travels, how important it would be for this time of refreshment to be with God’s people again. Whilst we must never use the church as a comfort blanket to avoid spending time with non-Christians, it is important that when we spend so much time with non-Christians that it is good for our spiritual health to spend time with other Christians.

2. The importance of Christian witness

Now I use Christian witness and not evangelism because there’s no preaching in this section, Peter isn’t preaching a sermon to a group, or an Ethiopian Eunuch moment to an individual. What we see here is Christians caring about the good and needs of others and helping.

Before I embark on this heading, I still believe in the priority of gospel proclamation. Our mission given to us by the Lord Jesus is not to alleviate poverty or to open up foodbanks; it is to make disciples. Those things aren’t bad, and it’s not to say churches can’t be or shouldn’t be involved in any of those things. It is to say that the priority in the churches mission isn’t social action it’s gospel proclamation.

There’s a saying ‘Preach the gospel and, if necessary, use words. Whilst I appreciate the sentiment, the saying is unhelpful. First of all, the only way to preach is to use words and second of all, it can sometimes mean that no evangelism is happening at all.

Now, with all that aside, I’m going to speak of the importance of Christian witness, that is; doing good, serving the needy, caring for the outcast in the name of Jesus as a way to point others to him. To steal a phrase from John Piper, ‘Christians care about all suffering, especially eternal suffering.’

As Christians, we’re to care about the suffering and plight of others and do what we can to care for and support those who suffer. But we are to care especially for eternal suffering. The sobering reality that we’re not all just going to go to a party in the sky where we’re all reunited with loved ones and all going to have a good time. Apart from Christ, there is no party in heaven. Apart from Christ, is quite the opposite. If our faith isn’t in him alone for eternal life, it won’t be eternal joy but eternal suffering. That’s why we care especially about eternal suffering because it’s a reality and that’s why we prioritise gospel proclamation. However, we still do care for suffering in this life.

And these guys didn’t do this because it’s a nice thing to do, nor did they see it as an optional extra for those who were particularly benevolent and kind, they saw it as an essential outworking of the gospel. Not only do we have the example of Christians in the past caring for the needy and broken, we see it in this passage here today.

We see two people in this passage who serve the needy and care for the poor; Peter and Tabitha.
In Peter’s case, they are both miracles. One is to heal someone who can’t walk and the other is to raise someone from the dead. What are we to make of the miracles?

You might be sceptical about miracles ever happening, you might be on the opposite end of the spectrum and believe miracles happen today and in the same way as they did in the days of the Apostles. Whatever end of the spectrum we land on what is clear is the action of alleviating suffering.

Now, what are we to make of these two miraculous stories with this story of caring for the poor and needy in the middle? It is to say that one of the roles of Christians today is to do good and to serve the needy around them.

It’s why there is such a thing as Christians Against Poverty, it’s why there is such a thing as Bethany Christian Trust, it’s why there is such a thing as Blytheswood Care, it’s why there’s such a thing as Safe Families for Children, it’s why there’s such a thing as Christian Aid.

It’s why in the 1st century when babies with disabilities were abandoned by their parents, it was very often Christians who took in those babies and raised them as their own. It’s why in the 21st century Christians host foodbanks and soup kitchens.

Christians are to care about all suffering, especially eternal suffering.

‘So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.’ (Galatians 6:10)

Are there those in need around you? Of course there are. In the church? Outside of the church? What needs are there today?

Lonliness and isolation : In 2022, just shy of 50% of people in the UK said they feel lonely occasionally, sometimes or always. Nearly 10% experience constant loneliness. Going by that one in two of you will be experiencing loneliness right now. Going by that 1 in 2 on your street will be experiencing loneliness right now. Going by that 1 in 2 at your workplace will be experiencing loneliness right now

Is there someone who lives on their own or you know to be isolated who you can get to know and spend a bit of time with and support that way. Friendship, what a beautiful way to support someone and care for them.

Poverty : Of course, there’s massive amounts of poverty in this country, in this area, in your street. Some of you may know or not know, we have a small crate in the kitchen that we fill up to take to the foodbank in Kirkcaldy. Maybe in your next food shop you can buy a couple of tinned foods or a jar of instant coffee or a bag of porridge to give to that.

Perhaps you can even serve in our cafe either through baking or through serving on the day if you don’t already. There there are many people who face isolation, mental ill-health or poverty. It could be a great way for you to serve and to care for the needy.

In our Christian tradition to which we belong, we rightly uphold the priority of gospel proclamation, we rightly uphold that people need to come to know Jesus Christ for themselves, we rightly see that the church is not a social enterprise nor does it exist only to care for the needy. However, this mustn’t be a smokescreen to avoid caring for the needy and the poor at all. The priority of the gospel is preaching, is conversion, is folks coming to know Jesus, but the plain outworking of this is good works to the needy.

Could you say that care for the poor and needy, concern for the suffering of others is the clear outworking of the gospel in your life or is it instead of apathy, indifference and inaction?

Friends, God has been so incredibly generous to us in our neediness, in our weakness, in our spiritual poverty. Now he has saved us, now he has cared for us, let us be people zealous in good works to care for, support and love people who are in suffering and in need for the sake of Christ here in Kirkcaldy.

3. The importance of Christian belief

In the coming months, teenagers will sit their exams at school and, if they study hard and work hard at revision, it’s likely to produce good results. If they don’t study or work hard at revision, it’s likely to produce poor results. We have seen healing miracles, we have seen resurrection miracles, but what do they produce? They produce belief.

‘All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw Aenaeus and turned to the Lord.’ (Acts 9:35)

Then again in verse 42 after the resurrection of Tabitha from the dead, ‘This became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.’

It’s amazing to see that end, that as a result of these miracles many believe in the Lord. And that’s what we long for as we serve the needy as we live lives of good works as we seek to show kindness to all, that many will believe.

What I don’t mean is that’s why we do it. We aren’t to do these things so that people will be converted but rather in the hope that people will be converted.

In verse 42 as many believed in the Lord, was what Peter did a waste of time because not everyone believed? Absolutely not. People are not projects.

We don’t do these things so that they become Christians, we do these things in the hope that many will become Christians.

‘In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.’ (Matthew 5:16)

That as we live our lives that many may look on and glorify God. That people would look on at our care for the needy and say “do you know what? There’s got to be something in this if they’re willing to do this.”

We do what we do so that people may take notice, not of us but of God. Why? Because Christians care about all suffering, especially eternal suffering.

I want to take you for a moment to John chapter 5. Jesus heals a man who was paralysed, had been for 38 years. He heals him and then he drops this absolute bomb: ‘Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, ‘See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.’ (John 5:14)

I remember the first time reading that thinking, ‘That’s a bit harsh.’ Thinking of how threatening it all seemed as if Jesus was saying, ‘Don’t sin otherwise I’m going to get you in an even worse way!’

But, of course, that’s not what Jesus is saying that, ‘If you sin again I’ll make you paralysed and blind and deaf!’ Jesus is talking about hell. He’s saying, ‘It’s all well and good you’re healed, but follow me because if you don’t something much worse than being paralysed is heading your way – eternal punishment in hell.’

I think, in that story, is the realisation people can be cared for, the needy and poor served, the lonely befriended but if they never come to know the Lord for themself they can have all their earthly needs met but they will be separated from Christ forever. It also shows our priority that, as we care for the needy, as we do good to all, we do it willingly and gladly for the sake of Christ, but how we long for many to flock to God and find lasting hope, peace and joy in him.

So, as you go out and do good to the glory of God, in the words of Peter the Apostle who performed these miracles, always be ready to give a reason for the hope you have that many might not simply have their lives improved, but their eternity secure.

You never know the impact that your actions can have on someone. Especially cause in Scotland we don’t tend to share about those kinds of things. Someone very dear to me who is not a Christian, it took them nearly 5 years to say to me what an impact it made on him to see my wife and I supported from Cornerstone, our church when we were in Edinburgh at the time that our eldest son Ally was born.

So persevere in doing good, be ready to give an answer for the hope you have that many may find their eternal joy in Christ.

Sermon: Sunday, 3rd March, 2024
Speaker: Geoff Murray
Scripture: Acts 8:26-40

Philip and the Ethiopian

1. God’s leading

In the case of Philip the evangelist, God speaks to him through an angel of the Lord (verse 26) and the Spirit of God (Verse 29). ‘Go south to the road-the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ (Acts 8:26)

What we see here is that there aren’t clear instructions of why. There’s even the thing that God instructs him to go to a road, note, not to a destination. To a road. Where on the road? At what part of the road? Who knows? Yet he goes.

Parallel to God’s leading Philip to this road is also God leading someone else; a man called the Ethiopian Eunuch.This man is described as an ‘important official, in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians.’ An important man in an important position who has just been to worship at the temple in Jerusalem and is on his way back to Ethiopia.

Their paths crossed for a purpose. The Spirit then tells Philip, ‘Go to that chariot and stay near it.’ (Acts 8:29) Philip could have stayed away thinking perhaps, ‘That would be weird. I’m not just going to walk up to a stranger.’ But he was obedient to the command, he goes, and as we’ll see in a moment, leads the eunuch to faith.

Is it a coincidence that a diligent seeker and a gifted evangelist cross paths? The Christian faith would see this is far more than coincidence, far more than chance or luck but rather that there’s a God who rules over all things and brings all things to pass as he sees fit.

So, here we have two paths crossing, both ordained by God. God leads Philip to go to this road at the time that this seeker is on the same road. God has been leading Philip here and the eunuch at the same time to enable this conversation. He is not sitting back in the heavens disinterested and unengaged with the world, he is sovereignly ordaining every moment for his glory.

As we consider what’s about to go down in the conversation this has massive implications in our life and evangelism. Think for a moment about your friends, your neighbours, your family members, your colleagues, those you bump into going about the town or at the gym. God has ordained that they be in your life and you be in theirs. They are all there for a reason. This is no accident, this is no coincidence. That annoying work colleague, a family member who is demanding and harsh. These relationships we find difficult is not for nothing.

Philip had no idea why he was to set down this road, just that he was. Sometimes we don’t know why God has us in a place where we are, but yet we are here. Even if we don’t know the reason why God has placed us where he has, we can trust him that because he is God he knows exactly what he’s doing. It might mean there are aspects which are hard, it might mean there are people that are difficult, but God has a reason for them crossing your path.

More than that though, when we consider evangelism, there’s also the evangelistic imperative to go and tell, to proclaim the beauty and glory of Jesus in the gospel. The fact is for your family member, neighbour, colleague, friend, you might be the only Christian in their life. How might God use you as a witness in their life to point them to Jesus by how you live your life?

God has called us to himself and one of the aspects to our new identity in Christ is that we become witnesses. So, we have a new identity and a role to be witnesses to Jesus Christ and his glory. That, combined with the fact there are many in your social circles who don’t know the Lord, surely means that one of the purposes of God putting the people in your life that he has is that you witness to them.

2. God’s word

So Philip engages the Ethiopian Eunuch. He was reading from the book of Isaiah and the 53rd chapter. And he asks the brilliant question, ‘Do you understand what you’re reading?’ This opens up a discussion where the eunuch replies, ‘How can I unless someone explains it to me? Is the prophet speaking of himself or someone else?’

He opens up from Isaiah 53:7-8:
‘He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.’

Led like a lamb to be slaughtered… it’s an ugly scene of darkness, murder, and brutality. This isn’t a matter of cute sheep walking around on green grass on a lovely sunny day. This is a time of death, of execution.

We know from verse 35 that this passage is talking about Jesus Christ. In a similar way that this isn’t a picture of a nice warm fuzzy sheep, this isn’t a nice picture of Jesus. This is brutal murder, this is public execution, this is blood poured out.The scene is not just of brutal murder and execution, it is an unjust murder and execution.

‘… in his humiliation, he was deprived of justice.’ (Acts 8:33)

It was unjust because his execution was unfounded and based on untruths. The allegations were false. The religious elite conspired against Jesus to bring him down, they created lies to turn people against him.

He was deprived of justice in that even though he was innocent and falsely accused, though there were individuals who could find no fault in him, there was no one who would take up his cause, fight his side, appeal on his behalf. Pilate could find no fault, he wanted to release Jesus but the crowds were insistent that Barabbas goes free so Pilate caves in. Simon Peter denied three times even knowing this Jesus. His advocates either fled or stayed put but stayed silent.

Jesus was denied justice with no one to speak up for him with him being taken all the way to the cross to suffer execution at the hands of unjust men.

It was unjust not just because of the allegations which led to his execution being false, but it was unjust also because of the fact that Jesus never once did any wrong. Jesus knew no sin, he was perfect, without fault. He loved God and loved neighbour perfectly.

Now, a murderer being executed? A rapist? I think many people would say a wholehearted ‘Yes!’ that makes sense. But a good man? No way. That is the greatest miscarriage of justice. Here we have Jesus, not just innocent against the charges levelled at him, but wholly innocent. Dying a criminal’s death.

We read in verse 35; ‘Philip began with that passage telling him the good news about Jesus.’ How can such a sizeable injustice be considered good? How can something which is bad news ultimately be considered good news?

We all like sheep have gone astray and have turned to our own way, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. In light of this we are subject to God’s judgement. We, like the eunuch in the time of the old testament, are excluded from God’s people, we are unable to be a part. There is that great barrier between you and God and that is our sin. That sin leaves us liable to God’s judgement. Yet, the good news is that God sent his son to be pierced for our transgressions, to be crushed for our iniquities, to experience the punishment that will ultimately bring us peace.

How deep is the love of God for you? Have you not sinned against God by turning away from what he has asked from you? Have you not sinned against God in doing what he has said not to? Have you not sinned against God in your indifference and apathy? Yet, he gave his son to take the punishment for your wrong that you may have your wrong forgiven, that you may know him, that you may follow him.

‘Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Romans 5:7-8)

The Eunuch asked, ‘Was the prophet speaking of himself or someone else?’ He was definitely speaking about someone else and that someone else is Jesus.

And notice here all that is happening here is Philip, with an open Bible, is sharing about the Lord. It isn’t fancy, it isn’t a pre-prepared evangelistic speech, it is simply an open Bible bringing out Jesus from it.

May I warmly and heartily commend two resources for you which I’ve used a few times before. ‘Word One to One’ and ‘Uncovering the Life of Jesus’. These are designed to be read with non-Christians on a 1-2-1 basis or in a small group. They come with a small chunk of scripture, discussion points based on the passage and some questions. It’s very simple and straight forward.

Who is there in your life who doesn’t know the Lord? Who could you ask to read John’s gospel with?

3. God’s work

And here we see the work of God.Philip opens up the scriptures, tells the good news about Jesus and we see the effect that it has. Now we have no record of him expressing faith in Jesus but we see here his desire to be baptised, which would have with it the recognition from Philip that he was genuinely converted.

He was genuinely a part of the people of God, converted by the power of God’s Holy Spirit. In the same way that nobody can come to Jesus unless he is first drawn by the Father, so can no one be born again except by the Spirit of God.

It’s clearly laid out in Ephesians 2, we are dead in sins, but God being rich in mercy with the love with which he loved us made us alive together with Christ. The Eunuch believes and is baptised, he goes on his way rejoicing with his new found joy in the Lord.

What is so unexpected about this of course is the fact he is a eunuch. (See Deuteronomy 23:1)

What are we to make of that? Has God changed his mind all of a sudden? I don’t think so for two reasons.

• The Eunuch was on his way back from Jerusalem where he went to worship which shows he was one who had converted to Judaism; he was already a part.
• No Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord. But what about Ruth the Moabite? And her descendants? Her great grandson King David? And ultimately even then the Messiah, Jesus Christ?

I think rather these exclusions aren’t blanket exclusions, I think these exclusions are those from such backgrounds who are not naturally a part of the Israelite people. The Moabite Ruth who said to her mother in law Naomi, ‘Your God shall be my God’ is let in as is her great grandson King David, the eunuch who bows the knee to Yahweh is let in. (See Isaiah 56:3-4)

But that’s exactly what the power of God does in the gospel. It takes people who you would think would have no business being Christians and gives them new life in Jesus. It takes those gripped by addiction, those embittered by resentment, those rocked by suffering, those blinded by religion and those hostile to God and it changes their life completely. The gospel takes those who are meant to be cut off from God and puts someone else in their place.

In the same passage that Philip explains to the eunuch in Isaiah 53, it speaks of the very same person being cut off and being punished for the transgressions of the people.

If you are not yet a Christian and you think, ‘It’s not for me’; think again. Jesus Christ is for every type of person. He is for young and old, for religious and irreligious, he is for every nationality, here we have the gospel coming to the first African convert!

We have one who took your place, who was cut off so that you could be welcomed in. Place your faith in this Jesus as the eunuch did here.

Not only is the work of God found in the conversion of the eunuch, but also that after all that Philip just keeps going. Now he goes from this road and ends up in Azotus and just keeps preaching the gospel in every town until Caesarea.

Philip could have said, ‘Well, that’s all been very successful. Think I’ll enjoy this for a while and then think about something else.’ But, no, the Spirit leads him on to continue his evangelistic endeavours elsewhere.

It might seem that things are going okay here in KFC, we’ve got a reasonable sized congregation on a Sunday, new faces coming in. However, the Spirit would not have us be content with this and to remain in the four walls of the church. The Spirit would continually keep our eyes fixed on the lost and reaching new folks with the gospel.

That’s why we’re planting a church in Leven, but it’s more than that. To bring it full circle from where we started, it’s one of the reasons God has placed you where you are to be salt and light, to be God’s ambassadors to the world where he is making his appeal through you and me.

Remember word-evangelism (word 1-2-1 and Uncovering the Life of Jesus), remember regular witnessing in your life. Remember those in your life who are not yet converted. They, like the eunuch pre-conversion – do not understand about who Jesus is or what he’s done for them.

Let’s put our trust in this Jesus and let us go out and share the good news to many that he may get the glory as he brings many to himself.

Sermon: Sunday, 28 January, 2024
Speaker: Geoff Murray
Scripture: Acts 6

1. The Wisdom of Stephen

Stephen is clearly a man who is being singled out by Luke the author as someone spectacularly gifted by God. This isn’t said of every Christian in the New Testament; it isn’t said of most Christians in the New Testament. He has a full, strong and vibrant faith, he is full of the Holy Spirit which is seen in that he is “full of the God’s grace and power.”

‘a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit.’ (Acts 6:5)
‘a man full of God’s grace and power, performing many great signs and wonders.’ (Acts 6:8)
‘They could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him.’ (Acts 6:10)

Every question they asked, he had an answer. Every comment they made; he could rebut.

Now before we go onto a bit more about the wisdom of Stephen, I’m going to just address the elephant in the room – namely verse 15: ‘All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.’

There are so many thoughts about what this could be. It’s pretty evenly divided between those who think:
His face is simply at peace or that his face shines with light.

It could be any and it could be both, but I personally would favour the simple explanation that his face is like an angel in that he is at peace and at rest for the reason that it never mentions light it just says his face is like that of an angel. Also, when people saw Moses’ face which reflected the glory of God, people were afraid. There doesn’t seem to be any of that here. The link to Moses would be neat given they’re accusing him of rejecting Moses, but I’m just not so sure.

I think he’s at peace because of what he’s communicating. He knows he will be vindicated one day even if he is falsely charged here. He knows that God, far from accusing him, is actually accusing them as he does brilliantly in chapter 7 by just opening up God’s Word. As he is falsely accused here he doesn’t jump about shouting, full of rage. In fact the contrast is huge. Whilst at the end of chapter 7 we’ll see the religious men grinding their teeth shouting, we see a man with a face like that of an angel, perfectly at peace.

Back to wisdom. Stephen is a man full of wisdom. Now, there is a general level of wisdom given to all believers. Wisdom to know Christ, yet we can always grow in that as Paul prays for in Colossians 1. Wisdom to walk in line with what the Bible teaches like the Proverbs call us to.

Where do we get wisdom? It doesn’t come simply from experience, knowledge, but by the Holy Spirit. Of course, the Spirit can teach us wisdom through experience, the Spirit can teach us wisdom through the knowledge we have but these things on their own do not equate to wisdom but only when they are fuelled by the Holy Spirit.

A wisdom which not only possesses knowledge but can apply that in helpful ways that challenge and confront, which encourage and strengthen, which get people thinking.

Stephen clearly has wisdom by the bucketload. Not to jump ahead into future weeks but as we look at his defence in chapter 7 and the thing is littered with Scripture. It is the fullest defence and explanation of Jesus from the Old Testament scriptures recorded in the New Testament.

What is clear is that his wisdom is Spirit given, but it is not Spirit given in an abstract and mystical kind of way. Like he was just zapped with wisdom. It is wisdom that is informed by the Bible. I think it is easy to look at Stephen a man who is full of faith, who is full of grace, who is full of wisdom and think, ‘That’s definitely not me.’

I can understand that same feeling, yet, let’s remember the source of all Stephen’s wisdom: the Holy Spirit speaking in Scripture. Do you have the Holy Spirit? Do you read your Bible? You have all the key ingredients with which to grow in wisdom and therefore all the ingredients to speak up for Jesus to non-believers.

Of course, not all will be given the same degree of wisdom, as I said, Stephen I think is especially wise but if our faith is in Jesus Christ we have been given his Holy Spirit who speaks to us through the Bible.

So as you open up your Bible pray with Paul in Colossians 1:9; ‘Lord, fill me with the knowledge of your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding so I may live a life worthy of you and please you in every way.’

Or as you prepare your heart on Saturday night to come to church on Sunday ask God, ‘Speak to me through your word, give me the knowledge of your will that I may be growing in wisdom and understanding.’

Which means that when you are asked for the reason for the hope you have, you don’t have to panic. Rather go in with confidence, that God has given you his word, he has given you his Holy Spirit, he has given you all the tools to speak up for him.

My point is not to discourage you and simply say, ‘Do more.’ My point is you may not think you have much to offer, but as a Christian, filled with the Holy Spirit, with the Bible in your hands you have every tool in the toolbox that is required to be a wise Christian around non-Christians.

In Luke 21, Jesus is speaking of persecution that will await his disciples but they need not fear. ‘For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.’ (Luke 21:15)

Who was this spoken to? The disciples. The disciples who, far from believing wisdom came from God, spent their time arguing who was the greatest and shooing away children whom they deemed to be the least. The disciples who at Jesus’ arrest all ran a million miles!

Jesus speaks these words to the disciples and he speaks these words to you. When it comes to speaking with non-Christians about Christ we can feel worried we won’t know what to say, we feel worried we’ll get it wrong. But with the Holy Spirit within you and the Bible in your hand read through and prayed through you might be surprised just what words come out.

Don’t feel dwarfed by a man like Stephen, feel encouraged by him.

2. The Desperation of the Jews

They love their way so much and detest Christianity so much that they’re willing to use any means necessary to defeat and bring down the church. Even when they have been disproven, even when they’re stumped by Stephen and have no answer, they don’t humbly admit defeat and gladly accept Christ, they try to take him down by spreading lies.

They’re committed to winning by any means necessary and that comes out here as they change tactics. They lie about what he has said and they strong-arm people into testifying falsely against him. They’re so desperate for Stephen to be wrong, they don’t admit defeat, they don’t trust in Christ. They go rogue. They twist and manipulate Stephen’s words, they caricature his words, the stir up the people, they persuade people to testify falsely so they can eliminate Stephen.

They persuaded people to give false testimony – see verse 11. It’s hard for us to understand in 21st century Scotland what a serious accusation this was but in 1st Century Judaism, to speak against the temple and the law of Moses was the worst possible thing you could do. Those were in many ways your bread and butter of 1st century Judaism.

This is the height of desperation and clutching at straws from the Jews to make things up. They did it with Jesus and here they are doing it with Stephen. The only way they can get round it is to lie and to produce false witness about Stephen. To say he is blaspheming is far from the truth.

What is interesting, of course, is that they’re breaking the 9th commandment as they do it. ‘Do not give false testimony against your neighbour.’ (Exodus 20:16) For all their seeming desire to protect religious observance, they themselves are breaking the commands and are failing to observe one of the 10 commandments.

What’s clear is the utter blindness the Jews have here. They claim to be followers of God, they claim to care deeply about honouring God and Moses the one who received the 10 commandments on Mount Sinai but they find themselves at odds with the law of Moses and therefore God’s law. It seems they have little interest in God or the law, but it seems there is a great interest in preserving the status quo which the Jesus and the early church threatened.

They are so desperate to maintain this whatever the cost – even lying. They’re even willing to disobey the God they say they honour just to preserve and maintain religious order. And they can’t seem to see the problem with this. It seems they’re wanting a certain answer, regardless of the sum.

What we have here is, not a group of God-fearing Jews, we have a group of people who want to preserve an outward appearance of religiosity who have no interest in who God actually is. The problem is of course, they equate their religiosity with honouring God but they are not the same thing and that is an extremely dangerous place to be. As soon as we bend God’s word to accommodate our religious practice, that’s when we know surely we’ve gone too far.

We, of course, don’t know what Stephen said at this point, we aren’t privy to their argument. But there’s nothing in his coming speech in chapter 7 which says he is speaking blasphemous words against Moses or God. And apart from anything else, Acts 6 doesn’t paint Stephen as a dubious character, he is unequivocally good and godly.

And the judgement of God’s Word is clearly the right one. Even if we don’t have Stephen’s words in the argument, we have the verdict given by God’s Word.

They get a false witness to testify against him on trial that he never stops talking against the temple, saying Jesus will destroy the temple, and change the customs Moses handed down.

Again, clutching at straws. They go for Stephen with lies. It’s not that they don’t understand. They understand Stephen’s position clearly hence why they’re stunned to silence. It is their intentional rejection of that position means they are making straw men arguments.

Jesus said, ‘Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days.’ (John 2:19).

They thought he meant the physical temple in Jesus’ day and it’s the same with Stephen, who has clearly articulated a similar thing is getting placed on trial for their misunderstanding.

Similarly, the customs of Moses, they misunderstand everything. Things like Sabbath observance and hand washing laws which were instigated not by Moses but by religious traditions Jesus contradicted. That was met by mass opposition from the religious leaders who again conflated their rituals and regulations with the law of Moses because Jesus was not opposing Moses, he was opposing their man-made rituals. Jesus, it’s fair to say was not a fan of the Pharisees.

‘Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices – mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practised the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.’ (Matthew 23:23-24)

(See also Matthew 5:17-18, Matthew 15:9, John 5:39-40 and 46.)

They were so caught up in what they thought was honouring God that they failed to see who it was all about. Jesus says “if you really did believe Moses, you would believe in me because it was me that Moses was writing about.

The stirred up the people against him – see verse 12. Why did they do this? Just to publicly smear Stephen’s character? Well, it’s worse than that. They knew this would get to the religious high authorities who would put him on trial and that’s exactly what happened.

All of a sudden, this ramps up in seriousness. The elders and teachers of the law are absolutely raging. They are the gatekeepers of the religious community, they are the ones who form the religious council called the Sanhedrin. All of a sudden, these false accusations mean he is to be put on trial.

The application of this point is simply this: don’t be surprised if you have been clear on what the Bible says to outsiders and they oppose you by mischaracterising you or misquoting what you say. It isn’t logical but people will hear what they want to hear, take away what they want to take away and if they don’t like what they hear they’re quite inclined to ignore it.

In fact Jesus says in John 15 as he quotes from Psalm 35, ‘They hated me without reason.’ That’s what happened to Jesus, it’s what is happening to Stephen here and is what happens to us when people understand our position, don’t like it and so hate us. They have no reason for their hatred other than they just don’t like the message. Understand it, yes, but dislike it yes also, so reject it they will.

If we’re unclear or if we’re unfairly representing the Bible, that is fair enough. But sometimes, though we speak the truth, people reject it and will therefore do anything to discredit you or your message.
If this ever happens to you, let Stephen be your encouragement. There was certainly no fault in Stephen or his message. If you’re clear in your message, and your message is the Bible’s message, people can mock, people can misrepresent but God sees your labours.

So to close, in the face of possible persecution in smaller ways today perhaps and maybe in bigger ways to come we can go forward with confidence. God has given us the tools he gave Stephen. The Holy Spirit and the Bible. And if people misrepresent you, misquote or misunderstand you when you did share what the Bible says, take heart, it’s a well-trodden path.

Don’t shrink back from the opportunity to speak up for Jesus. You might fear, you might worry about yourself and your wisdom or lack of it, you may worry about what will people say, think or do. We have been called to speak the truth in all wisdom and love, let that be our task and let’s leave the rest up to God.

Sermon: Sunday, 26th November, 2023
Speaker: Geoff Murray
Scripture: Acts 4:32-37

What would you say was the biggest display of generosity you’ve seen? Maybe on an individual level, someone’s been over the top generous and kind towards you. Perhaps at a community level, recently in Buckhaven there was the fireworks display but that was not going to go ahead because of the sheer expense of it, yet within 24 hours, the community had a whip round to raise £7,000.

But often times generosity has limits and that is partly to do with our limited resources but also partly due to our hearts. It can be very easy for there to be an end of generosity but here we see an extravagant display of generosity in the early church. We see here remarkably:

‘Nobody claimed possessions as their own, but shared everything they had.’ (Acts 4:32)

‘There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.’ (Acts 4:34)

‘Joseph… sold a field and brought the money and laid it at the Apostle’s feet.’ (Acts 4:37)

There are three things which mark the giving of believers in Acts 4; it was selfless, sacrificial & voluntary.

1. Selfless

‘Nobody claimed possessions as their own, but shared everything they had.’ (Acts 4:32)

We see here the selflessness of the believers. What a different mindset in 2023 where our goal can easily be to build our possessions with the emphasis on ‘our’. But actually, the Bible brings to light that for believers, our possessions aren’t our own but are to be shared with others.

You see, God is the giver of all good gifts. What we have is not our own as if we are our own provider. Incidentally, last Sunday night I talked about mindsets sneaking into the church and we’re just so used to it that we don’t think anything of it. It’s possible that possessions is one of them where it might never enter our minds to share with those around us.

Yet, many of the disciples didn’t have that mindset, they never counted any of their possessions as their own but shared everything they had. And this is a selfless attitude in the church. Not selfish, but selfless. Putting others ahead of yourself.

How easy it is for the mindset to be, ‘Ah, another online subscription service to stream more films and tv shows. Let’s get it to join my 5 other subscription services I have.’ Or the newest and swankiest phone on contract or new car on lease. Maxing out the vast majority of our spending on ourselves. It’s very easy to do that.

Now, I’m not saying we should never spend on ourselves or never have an online subscription to Prime or Netflix or whatever, but is our spending also outward on other people. So can we say that a big focus of our spending or our time is on others? Is the giving of our money, resources, time, and talents selfless?

Are you asking: Is there a need? Can I meet that need? Then I will share with you what I have and I can meet that need for you.

So often, it’s easy to be marked by selfishness rather than selflessness, but its what we see here.

2. Sacrificial

I’m sure you can think of things you have that you wouldn’t mind giving away, or times you wouldn’t mind helping out with your gifts and talents. But there would be some things you would really struggle to get rid of, it would be costly and sacrificial.

‘They shared everything they had.’ (Acts 4:32)

How striking is that? Nothing was off limits. They shared all that they had. Which surely means as well as being selfless and other-centred that it was also sacrificial. That’s got to cost at some point. There’s got to be something you come across which you didn’t want to give away. A sacrifice would be made. It would be costly.

Think of all your possessions, think of your most treasured possesions, all of it shared with your church family as they have need. That’s going to be costly, that’s going to hurt. Yet that’s exactly what the believers did.

We also see people selling houses or land and bringing the proceeds to the Apostles to distribute to the needy (verse 34) and also a guy called Joseph who sold a field and brought the money to the Apostle’s feet. (Verse 36) So it’s not just possessions that they had that is to be shared, but also anything they gained had to be shared.

So say you come into a bit of money perhaps through inheritance or like the people in this passage that you sell land or houses and you gain something, that immediately is to be seen through the lens of giving away, of sharing.

That’s massively sacrificial. Think of the amount coming in for land or the amount coming in for houses, that is going to be costly to be thinking, ‘Right, I’m going to share this now.’

’Really? Can’t I just enjoy it?’

Think of how much you could do with that if you kept it to yourself. Think of the nice new house you could get, the fancy car, the extravagant holiday, think of it! But the sacrifice of it all is that for the believers, anything gained was straight away to be thought of in the context of. ‘How can I share this with my brothers and sisters?’

Not only is the giving displayed by the disciples here selfless but it is sacrificial. It cannot possibly be selfless if things are hoarded all to themselves, it cannot possibly be sacrificial if only some things are on the table. But we see that the giving of the believers is selfless and sacrificial.

3. Voluntary

Lastly, giving is to be voluntary. This all sounds slightly like Christian communism and totally bizarre. In a world of self, it actually sounds slightly threatening and upsetting to our lives ‘Really? Sharing everything?’

But it wasn’t forced, it wasn’t under compulsion, there was no arm twisting. They gave of their own possessions willingly, gladly, freely, generously. Now what could possibly generate this kind of generosity? What could possibly lead people to sell what they had and share with all?

‘And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all.’ (Acts 4:33b)

God’s grace intervenes and disrupts the cycles of selfishness and causes an unthinkable generosity amongst his people.

When we consider the famous hymn ‘When I Survey’ – the words ‘love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life my all.’ – we are reminded that Jesus was not stingy towards us, he didn’t hold back, he didn’t give part of his life, he didn’t give some of his life or even most of his life, he gave everything, even his life on the cross to die for us. He has given us everything, how can we respond with anything other than radical generosity with what we do have?

And that really is the key to generous giving that is selfless, sacrificial, and voluntary: the voluntary, selfless, and sacrificial giving of God, giving his son for us on the cross that we might know him, love him, and serve him, giving in selfless, sacrificial, and voluntary ways.

There is no coercion or forced giving here, it is in response to the good news of the resurrection of Christ they share and the grace of God that worked so powerfully in them.

God so lavishly pours out his kindness on us day by day, how can we respond with anything other than a heart which shares with those in need? Receiving such kindness does not lead us to store up and hoard all of our things from God to ourselves, but leads us to have an open hand of generosity to anyone in need around us. God, in his grace, does not have us as individual Christians but he gives us one another, we become family, we become as one, united in heart and mind. In other words, we have others to be generous to!

And the love that that fosters to have unity with believers creates a certain desire to show that in practical ways. We have not only the ability to give and be generous, but in the church we have the people to be generous to!

And that is exactly what we see in Acts 4. We see Christian love being worked out in generosity towards each other as they are ‘one in heart and mind’, in love they show generosity towards each other to the extent there is not a needy person among them. What an incredible thing that would be.

So there is no compulsion, there is no being forced, nor is their acts of religious piety some way of buttering up God to appease him. Their hope is not in their religious efforts, it is in the resurrection to which they testify, it is in the grace of God so powerfully at work among them and their love is for one another.

And that is the powerful combination which leads to such radical generosity. The resurrection of Jesus, the grace of God at work among them and the love they have for one another. It is when these things come together in unison that we see generosity on a selfless, sacrificial, and voluntary level.

This passage gets us to ask these two questions followed by this one answer: Is there a need? Can I meet it? If I can, let’s go for it.

‘Do good to all, especially those of the household of faith.’ (Galatians 6:10)

What might this look like for us today in Fife in 2023? I want to preface this by saying there are some of you who do a tremendous job at supporting and caring for one another. Thank you for how you serve the Lord by serving others in the church, I am often just praising God for the kindness some of you show to many in the church.

But what can this look like? Maybe there’s someone in the congregation who doesn’t have a car who isn’t so able to get to church by themselves on foot, can you bless them by taking them to and from church? I’m so pleased to see this already happening on a couple of occasions.

Or maybe there are other ways we can do this. For example, Jessie and Elijah are about to welcome another baby Lord willing early in the new year. Are there any knitters out there? You can use your gifts and your time to bless baby Brook when, Lord willing, he makes his appearance by knitting a jumper or a hat.

Perhaps a burnt out Mum would appreciate some childcare so she can get 5 minutes to herself.

Maybe there is someone in the congregation who is on their own, could you give them your time, a precious commodity in life today, to spend time with them and keep them company? In the middle of a loneliness crisis in this country, it is a bigger need than we think it is, even amongst those with us here.

There is a multitude of needs even here in Kirkcaldy Free Church, yet there is a multitude of possessions here in Kirkcaldy Free Church. Be that time, money, physical possessions, gifts and talents, whatever that is, you have it and your fellow church member needs it.

So what are the needs? Can you meet them? If you can, may I just encourage you to go and to share freely and liberally what you have to meet that need. This is our calling as Christians and the very natural outworking of having received generous kindness from God ourselves in giving us his Son and giving us one another. Let us give selflessly, sacrificially, and voluntarily towards one another out of love for God and love for one another.

I’ll end with a quote from John Wesley, author of hymns such as ‘And Can it Be?’ said this:

“Do all the good you can by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”