Pastor Andy titled his sermon “Acting Up in Church”. He titled it as a play on words. Too many times, we act up in church in the negative but it’s time we act up in church in the positive. Its time to act on the things God wants us to act on. The first is repentance. Repentance in Scripture is never a quiet whisper; it is a decisive turning that becomes visible in a believer’s life. In Ephesus, new Christians stepped into the light and openly confessed the sins that once owned them. They didn’t hide their occult books or store them for later; they burned them in front of everyone. Their repentance was public, costly, and immediate. They understood that you don’t manage sin; you kill it. Anything that competes with Jesus must be destroyed, not recycled. When they set fire to the tools of their old life, they were declaring that Christ had conquered their former masters and that there was no bridge back to bondage.

Scripture tells us that “the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily” because repentance cleared the ground for truth to take root. Strongholds fall the same way. A stronghold is not a demon or a mystical force, it is a fortress of lies built in the mind, a hidden room in the heart where Jesus is not yet Lord. These strongholds grow through repeated disobedience, through the quiet acceptance of lies like “I can’t change,” “God won’t forgive me,” or “This sin is harmless.” But truth demolishes lies. The Word of God confronts every proud argument and every false belief raised against the knowledge of Christ. When Scripture is preached, idols fall, fear breaks, and bondage loses its grip.

Repentance is costly, but bondage is far more expensive. The believers in Ephesus sacrificed wealth, identity, and reputation, yet they gained freedom. They obeyed immediately, not later, because delayed obedience is disobedience. And when idols burn, revival begins. The gospel reshapes not only individuals but entire cultures; industries built on sin collapse, and the Word prevails. A healthy church becomes a place where people can drag their darkness into the light, confess safely, and watch God tear down the strongholds that once held them captive.

Sin always takes you farther than you want to go, keeps you longer than you want to stay, and costs you more than you want to pay. But when the Word confronts the lie, when repentance becomes visible, and when idols burn in the fire of obedience, Christ prevails mightily, in hearts, in homes, and in whole cities. Toda is the day to act! To destroy strongholds. Even in the church body we have sin that needs to be addressed. Its time to act up in church.

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