Latest / Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast / Learning to Walk in the Power of God

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Learning to Walk in the Power of God · Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast

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Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram.
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Have you ever felt paralyzed by fear? I mean,
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there's something you know you want to do. You
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know God wants you to do it, but you're just
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afraid. I mean, you're just afraid. And because
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you're afraid, you don't do it. How do you overcome
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that fear? That's today on Living on the Edge.
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Stay with me. I'm Dave Drewy, and today on Living
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on the Edge, Chip Ingram opens Acts chapter 4,
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where Peter and John are standing before the
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most powerful religious court in the land, being
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ordered to stop talking about Jesus. Their answer
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is one of the most remarkable things in the entire
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book of Acts, and it's the launching point for
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today's message. And stay with us, because later
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in today's program, Chip will be sharing about
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our mid -year match, a special giving opportunity
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happening right now that we don't want you to
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miss. Well, now here's Chip Ingram with his lesson,
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Learning to Walk in the Power of God. There's
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this amazing mission, this unstoppable grace,
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tsunami grace, when Jesus died on the cross and
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he rose from the dead, and his passionate love
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for every human being forcefully moving forward
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for the last 2 ,000 years. And he started with
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about 120 people and their mission. You talk
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about mission impossible, reach the world. And
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for 40 days, he talks to them and he teaches
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them. And then they watch him, chapter one, ascend
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into heaven. Chapter two, he sends the Holy Spirit.
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And then chapter three, remember? Kind of like
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the movie, What About Bob? Right? Just take,
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you know what, guys? You're just normal, ordinary
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people. Just take baby steps. And the baby step
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was Peter and John just did, you know, what you
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normally do. They draw near to God. And so they're
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walking their way to the temple. And they see
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a guy that since they were children have been
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crippled, but they saw him through new eyes.
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They saw him through the eyes of his need and
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the resources of God and he acted on that good
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impulse and he speaks and he takes this big step
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of faith and he reaches down and as he reached
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and pulled the man, bang, a miracle happens.
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And pretty soon there's thousands of people seeing
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this man that everyone has seen crippled from
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birth. What would happen if 100 % of us just
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acted on that Holy Spirit inspired impulse to
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love someone, to communicate to someone? 120
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people transformed the world in the last 2 ,000
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years, not because some big thing came down from
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heaven and there was a scroll with a game plan
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that said what to do every moment of every day.
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It was ordinary people just like you, just like
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me, and pretty soon they just draw near to God
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and they begin to look at people differently
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the way Jesus looks at them. And then they acted
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on those good impulses. And when they did, then
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God began to do some amazing things and they
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gave him credit. And then they boldly explained,
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we have to tell you this isn't us. Jesus who
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was killed rose from the dead and he loves people
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and he wants to help you. And he preaches this
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amazing sermon. It doesn't end there. Last part
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I want you to remember when you take these baby
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steps for God is to expect a polarizing response.
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Expect a, polarizing response. If you'll pick
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it up with me in Acts chapter 4. So Peter has
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just preached this sermon. I mean, the fearful
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fisherman, the uneducated guy that doesn't bring
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much to the table, the blue collar worker preaches
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a sermon and we're going to see what happens.
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Some really good stuff and some really hard stuff.
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Beginning in chapter 4, the priests and the captain
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of the guard and the Sadducees came to Peter
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and John while they were speaking to the people.
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And they were greatly disturbed because the apostles
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were teaching the people and proclaiming Jesus,
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the resurrection of the dead. And they seized
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Peter and John because it was evening, and they
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put him in jail until the next day. But many
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who heard the message believed, and the number
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of men grew to about 5 ,000. You know, sometimes
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it's just, I guess, human nature. When you do
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exactly what God wants you to do, And you begin
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to draw near to God and you say, you know, I'm
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just gonna, I may not be really good at this,
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but you start reading the Bible on a regular
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basis and you start talking to him. And, you
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know, even while you're driving, you start communicating
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throughout the day. And in the middle of a meeting,
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something comes up and you start saying, Lord,
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what do you want me to do? And then pretty soon
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you start looking at people instead of by the
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outside and judging them through Jesus' eyes.
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And then he'll give you these little impulses.
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And you think only it could be someone else and
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you act on one and then he confirms it and you
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act on another and pretty soon you find yourself
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explaining to people. Explaining to people that
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there's hope and there's life and there's forgiveness.
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The assumption is that everything's gonna go
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great. Since you're doing the right thing at
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the right time and honoring God, it's gonna be
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great. What I wanna tell you is that it usually
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produces a polarizing response. They end up in
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jail negative. People come to Christ and a movement
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has begun, positive. You need to grasp the reality
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that a student isn't greater than his teacher.
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And Jesus lived a perfect life, loved people
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perfectly, and when he told people the truth
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out of love, from a tender heart, some people
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responded, it changed the course of their eternity,
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and other people rejected him. And that's how
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it goes with us. Because that's true, and because
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down in your psyche you know that's true, I want
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to move from taking baby steps to walking in
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the power of God. As you go through this tsunami
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movement that you see in Acts chapter 1, 2, 3,
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and 4, and 5, and the rest of this book, this
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little fearful group of people, they change the
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world. They take on the establishment. They start
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with baby steps, but they begin to walk in the
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power of God. They begin to expect God to do
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supernatural things, and he does. The scripture
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says, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, And
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forever. Chapter 3 told us that there's power
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available, but it starts with baby steps. Chapter
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4 is going to address the biggest issue why most
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followers of Christ don't walk in the power of
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God. And you know what that reason is? Fear.
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Fear. Well, I would step out and say something,
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but I don't know what I would say. What if someone
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asked me a question? Fear. Well, what if I take
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a couple steps and then God has some bigger plan
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and wants me to go someplace I don't want to?
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Fear. Well, what if I want to do something, but
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I just don't have what it takes? Fear. What if
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people reject me? Fear. The average follower
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of Christ is paralyzed by the fear of what might
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happen or what you don't possess in order to
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be the person that God wants to use. And it's
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so interesting, in Acts chapter four, there's
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four clear lessons about how the spirit of God
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living inside of you as his follower will help
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you overcome your fear. Lesson number one, fear
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not, the Holy Spirit will speak through you.
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I mean, let's face it, all of us are pretty concerned
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that someone's gonna ask you something, you don't
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know how to respond. Pick up the story with me
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in chapter four, verse five. The next day, the
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rulers, the elders, and the teachers of the law
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met in Jerusalem. And if the high priest was
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there, so was Caiaphas and John and Alexander
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and the other men of the high priestly family.
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They had Peter and John brought before them,
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and they began to question them. And here's the
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question. By what power or what name did you
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do this? This man who was crippled and healed?
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He's standing in front of them. It's a semi -circle
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of about 70. It was the council made up the Sanhedrin,
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which are the Sadducees. And they don't believe
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in the resurrection. And then you have the high
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priestly family. We get four or five different
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names during that time. And then you have some
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teachers of the law. So you have sort of the
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court of Israel of that day. And they made all
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the recommendations in terms of what would happen
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to the Roman government. They had authority except
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for issues of like capital offenses. And so they
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bring these two guys and you've got this testimony
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of this guy that was, Crippled and he's healed.
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And they're saying, now, by what power or what
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name, how did you guys pull this off? Peter then,
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verse eight, filled with the Holy Spirit, rulers
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and elders of the people. If we're being called
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to account today for an act of kindness shown
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to a cripple and are asked how he was healed,
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then know this, you and all the people of Israel,
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it is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth
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whom you crucified. but whom God raised from
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the dead, that this man stands before you healed.
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He is the stone which you builders rejected,
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which has become the capstone. He's quoting Psalm
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118. Salvation is found in no one else, for there
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is no other name under heaven given to men by
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which we must be saved. Now, again, we put these
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apostles in stained glass way too quickly. This
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is a guy that it was less than a month ago or
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so, maybe six or eight weeks, a little servant
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girl says, do you know him? And he starts swearing.
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I've never seen him before in my life. And then
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he's filled with the Holy Spirit and he meets
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the resurrected Christ. And he's no superstar.
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All he's doing is going about doing what he knows,
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the next logical thing, and so he's on his way
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to a prayer meeting, and God gives him this prompting,
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and he responds to that prompting, a miracle
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occurs, and now he's in jail. And now he's in
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jail, and now he's brought before the intellects
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of his day. This is like going before the equivalent
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of Harvard or Stanford, all the PhDs, and you
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haven't even been to college, and they're gonna
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ask you the questions. And I'm thinking Peter
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in his heart of hearts is thinking, oh Lord,
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I gotta trust your promise. I gotta trust that
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you'll teach me what to say. And I believe because
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Jesus promised, he said the Holy Spirit will
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bring to mind everything that you need. Did you
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notice I put the promise in there? Look what
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God promised the disciples and he promises us.
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Jesus promised in Luke 21, verses 12 to 15, he
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says, but before all of this, they will lay hands
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on you and persecute you. They will deliver you
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to the synagogues and prisons and you will be
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brought before kings and governors on account
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of my name. This will result in your being witnesses
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to them. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand
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how you will defend yourselves. For I will give
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you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries
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will be able to resist or contradict. Notice,
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make up your mind in advance. That's a pre -decision.
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In other words, you don't have to be afraid about
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what you're going to say in a situation at work
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or with a relative or with a friend or someone
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that you meet. And you don't have to be afraid
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because in that moment, make up your mind, God
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so cares about them and is so prepared, he will
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put words in your mouth to help them. Because
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he wants you to know you don't have to be afraid.
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He wants to release us as his followers to love
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and care for people and not be afraid of what
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we're going to say. Look how bold Peter was.
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I mean, notice that's pretty good psychology,
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right? Oh, if we're on trial for this act of
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kindness, that was a good line, wasn't it? Right?
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I mean, you're down on us for doing something
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really wonderful and kind and good to someone?
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And then he just goes strong and tells them,
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he quotes scripture so there's truth behind it.
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And then after he quotes scripture, he looks
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them dead in the eye and says, there is salvation
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in no other name. He's bold. He's bold because
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these aren't Peter's words. These are the spirit
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of God speaking through Peter. And that promise
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is as true for you and me as it was for them.
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Sadly, sadly, about eight to nine out of every
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10 Christians who are legitimate followers of
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Christ have never verbally shared the gospel
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with another person. have never explained to
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another person, even though we are the possessors
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and stewards of eternal life, have never shared
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with another person at work or in our family
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or in our neighborhood or who we hang out with
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very specifically how Christ died for them, that
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their sin separates them from God, that he died
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and rose from the dead. He's paid for that and
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makes an offer by grace of eternal life. Now,
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I told you we're in this series. powerful. I'm
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not going to do the, we need to really start
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caring about people that don't know about Christ.
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And you know, the guilt trip never works. Lord,
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would you create in my heart a love for people
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the way you love them? Especially those that
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are outside of a relationship with you. Lord,
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would you give me a boldness that I don't have?
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Would you help me to see people not through how
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they appear or how they might intimidate me?
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Would you just give me your eyes? And so I've
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been praying that. And God answered my prayer
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this week. Just a little, I'm just taking gradual
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baby steps. And so I was working out, and as
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I was working out, a guy came in, and we played
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a little two -on -two, and I could tell he's
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from another country, and I said, where are you
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from? He said, I'm from Egypt. And I said, hey,
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I've been there a couple times, and where are
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you from? And we talked a little bit, and I said,
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what's your name? He said, Amen. I said, no,
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no, no, I appreciate that, but what's your name?
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He says, that is my name. And so we got talking
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a little bit and, you know, it wasn't like I
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had some big plan or anything. I'm just working
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out and he's sweaty and I'm sweaty. And, you
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know, I didn't know. I just heard come out of
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my mouth. I said, you know, I use your name a
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lot. And he says, what do you mean? I said, well,
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you know, I pray like during the day and at the
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end I say amen. So I use your name a lot. He
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said, that's very interesting. He said, you know,
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I had a friend invite me. Now think of how God's
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working. I went to a Christian church this last
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weekend and he told me a little bit about it.
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And I said, where are you coming from? Long story
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short, this guy came from a wealthy family in
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Egypt, has been in the country for over a decade,
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very articulate, 28 years old, has studied Islam
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and went to actually school and graduate school.
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understands it. And we begin to have a dialogue
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about Jesus and Abraham and Islam and Christianity.
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And I said, do you ever wonder, you know, we
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had a really good conversation and I probably
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spent, it's hard to believe, about 70 % of the
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time listening and asking him questions and really
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just realizing, I just want to know what's in
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this guy's heart and I want to learn. And finally
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he says, you know, there's not that much difference
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between us and everything else. I said, well,
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you know, I kind of think there really is. And
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he said, well, what do you mean? I said, well,
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I can, let me give you the difference in just
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six letters. Just six letters is all the difference
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between Islam and what Jesus taught in the Bible.
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And actually the difference between Jesus and
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every other religion in the world. And, you know,
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we're dripping in the basketball court. He goes,
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well, what is it? Well, the first two letters
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are what Islam demands in every other religion.
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And the letters are D -O. You gotta do. You gotta
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do, do, do, do, right? I said, you pray five
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times a day? Yeah, you gotta pray five times
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a day. You need to go and pray. Do, do, do, do,
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do, do, right? To earn God's favor. He says,
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right. I said, how do you know for sure if you've
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ever done enough? And you know, it was that moment
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of, he gave me that look. I don't know. But we
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were friends. It's coming. And I said, here's
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what Jesus taught. Everything he taught can be
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summed up in four letters. D -O -N -E, done.
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See, it's not about, now, because he said, look,
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you know, you want to tell the truth? I want
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to tell the truth. You want to be a good husband?
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I want to be a good husband. You know, see, there's
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not much difference. I said, no, no, no, you
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understand. You're doing that to try and earn
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someone's favor that you're really afraid of
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down deep, and I'm doing it because I'm so loved
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that it's done. He died for me. I'm already forgiven.
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I have a relationship, and that flows his life
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out of me. And, you know, we got done, and I
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said, I have learned so much today. Would you
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be open to kind of hanging out and teaching me
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about Islam? I said, because let's face it, aren't
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there like idiots and radical extremists, you
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know, in the name of Christianity or Islam that
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do wacko stuff? He goes, yeah. I said, I'd really
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like to understand it. He said, well, I'm here
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every day. I said, okay. So we exchanged a little
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information. Now, I got to tell you, where did
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those six letters come from? They came from the
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Holy Spirit. I've never shared the gospel like
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that in my life. I didn't. I mean, he was bringing
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stuff to my mind that I studied about Islam,
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you know, who knows where. And what gave me,
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you know, Mr. Mouthy, the person who's always
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gonna say da -da -da -da -da -da -da and make
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these reasoned arguments, who in the world could
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have me shut up and listen and actually just
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care about someone and realize all I wanna do
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is understand where you're coming from and care
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and allow the love of Christ to come through
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me to you. I just acted on a good impulse. I
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saw him through different eyes. God will give
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you everything you need and he'll speak through
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you. This promise is for you. People in your
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office, he's preparing them. People on the job
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side, he's preparing them. When you walk your
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dog in the park, he's preparing them. Let it
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come out of your mouth. The second lesson from
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Acts 4 is fear not, the Holy Spirit will protect
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you. Because see, once you say, well, if it starts
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coming out of my mouth, well, you know, I'm going
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to get a bad reputation or it might limit my
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job or, you know, he might protect, oh gosh,
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what if it works? That could get really scary.
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I might have to go on a missions trip. So pretty
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soon we have this fear of what might happen.
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Notice what happens as we pick up the story in
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verse 13. When they saw the courage of Peter
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and John, they realized they were unschooled
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ordinary men. That's good because that's who
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most of us are. They were astonished and they
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took note of these men that they'd been with
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Jesus. But since they could see the man who'd
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been healed standing there with them, there was
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nothing they could say. So they ordered them
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to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then they
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conferred together. What are we going to do with
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these men? They asked. Everybody living in Jerusalem
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knows that they've done an outstanding miracle
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and we can't deny it. But to stop this thing
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from spreading any further among the people,
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we must warn these men to speak no longer anymore
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in his name. Then they called them back again
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and commanded them to speak or teach. No longer
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in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied,
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judge for yourselves whether it's right in God's
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sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot
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help speaking about what we have seen and heard.
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And they had further threatened them than they
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let them go and they couldn't decide how to punish
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them because all the people were praising God
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for all that had happened for the man who was
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miraculously healed was over 40 years old. Will
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you underline this one verse? We could not stop
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or help ourselves from thinking. It's unstoppable.
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But notice what? He doesn't say we couldn't stop
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speaking about these intellectual arguments.
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We couldn't stop thinking about this obligation
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and duty. He says we couldn't stop speaking about
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what we personally have seen and what we personally
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have heard. You know, when I hear some of us
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as pastors tell people about what they need to
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do in terms of being more active and caring and
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sharing for their faith, I think we push the
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wrong end of the stick. I think that's a mixed
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metaphor, but you get the idea, right? See, I
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think we're always telling people what they ought
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to do, ought to do, ought to do, ought to do.
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Here's the deal. When you are experiencing the
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love of Jesus and you're experiencing his power,
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when you see him working in you, when you hear
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his voice, you won't be able to stop telling
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people about what's going on. Because what's
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gonna happen over time is you're gonna start
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caring way less about what people think of you
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and way more about how much God thinks of them.
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And that's freeing. Notice the promise that Jesus
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gave. He says, the Holy Spirit will protect you.
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Fear not. And then notice the very last night.
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I mean, he knew. These were people that lived
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with Jesus for three years. Night and day, they
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knew him. And on the very last night, he said,
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I've told you these things so that in me you
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may have peace. In this world you'll have trouble,
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but take heart. I've overcome the world. He protected
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Peter and John. It doesn't mean you're not gonna
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have a hard time. They had a night in jail. We'll
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see later they go through some difficult times.
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But God will protect you. He can protect your
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heart. He can protect your children, protect
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your fears. But you need to understand when you
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boldly step out and allow him, not just through
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your life, but through your words to speak, he'll
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take care of you. He'll protect you. I mean,
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he's God. He spoke and the world came into existence.
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And he loves you. And he loves those people that
21:12
you care about that so many times, right, you
21:15
get right there and the words are stuck right
21:17
here and you just can't get them out. There is
21:20
no other name given unto man under heaven by
21:23
which we must be saved. You are the conduits.
21:26
You are the greatest Christian some people know.
21:28
Some people may never hear unless they hear through
21:30
you and me. The third lesson is fear not. The
21:36
Holy Spirit will empower you. Some of us feel
21:40
like, you know, I just, I don't have what it
21:43
takes. It's not just that I don't know what to
21:46
say. I just don't have what it takes. Notice
21:51
how the story continues on verse 23 and where
21:55
and how they experience God's power. On their
21:58
release, Peter and John went back to their own
22:00
people and they reported all that the chief priest
22:02
and the elders had said to them. And when they
22:05
heard this, they raised their voices together
22:07
in prayer to God. Listen to this prayer. And
22:12
then they quote Psalm chapter 2. Do you see what
22:31
they're doing? They were just taking baby steps.
22:34
I mean, the morning, it was just less than 48
22:37
hours ago, Peter's just on his way to a prayer
22:39
meeting. He doesn't know anything anymore than
22:42
you and I. On the way to the prayer meeting,
22:43
this happens. Then the miracle happens. Then
22:45
he ends up in jail. Then he's in front of all
22:47
these really smart, powerful people and stuff
22:49
starts coming out of his mouth. When he got done
22:51
with that, I bet John went, whoa. Man, where
22:54
did that come from? Oh, remember he said he would
22:56
speak through it. Boy, that happened. And then
22:58
they leave. And they go back and they tell the
23:00
people, this is what happened. And then they
23:02
realize, wait a second. This is exactly what
23:04
David prophesied. He said the nations would rage.
23:08
They would come against his Messiah. And then
23:10
notice what the text says. And as they prayed
23:13
to the God who created everything, who's in charge,
23:16
who's sovereign. What does he say? Indeed, he
23:19
gives examples. Herod and Pontius Pilate met
23:22
together with the Gentiles and with the people
23:24
of Israel and this city to conspire against your
23:26
holy servant Jesus whom you anointed. They did
23:30
what your power and your will had decided beforehand
23:33
should happen. Now, Lord, consider their threats
23:36
and notice his request. enable your servants
23:40
to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch
23:43
out your hand to heal and perform miraculous
23:45
signs and wonders through the name of your holy
23:47
servant Jesus. And then in response, kind of
23:51
like God saying, you boys, you're on the right
23:53
track. Verse 31, after they prayed, the place
23:58
where they were meeting was shaken and they were
24:00
all filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke
24:02
the word of God boldly. Now notice one line that
24:06
may, catch you is verse 29, verse 28, right above
24:13
it. They did what your power and your will had
24:18
decided beforehand that should happen. God wasn't
24:21
caught off guard by Judas. He wasn't caught off
24:24
guard by Herod. He wasn't caught off guard by
24:27
the religious leaders or by the Gentiles. You
24:29
need to understand there's a sovereign God over
24:31
his story that we call history, and he's absolutely
24:35
in control. However, he gave us as individual
24:39
beings the freedom to make choices that we're
24:41
responsible for. Judas, the Gentiles, Herod,
24:45
Pontius Pilate, they freely made those choices
24:47
that God was aware of. He is absolutely sovereign
24:51
and they're absolutely responsible and free moral
24:53
agents. Anytime you push either of those things
24:57
to an extreme, you get in trouble. God's ship
25:01
of history will arrive exactly where he determines
25:04
it to be. But inside of that ship of history
25:07
on the journey, we all make very individual decisions
25:10
that we have the freedom to make and are held
25:13
responsible for that do make a very real legitimate
25:16
difference. But Peter was saying from the big
25:19
picture, God knowing his love for us, knowing
25:23
the human heart, he would bring his son and allow
25:27
these people to rage against him. And notice
25:31
what the issue here is. He empowers them. Notice
25:37
they didn't pray for protection. They prayed
25:40
for more power. See, something has happened.
25:45
It's a real subtle thing. When paradigms shift
25:48
and they happen real subtly, what happens is...
25:50
You don't even see them happen and pretty soon
25:52
you're over here and you're using all the same
25:54
words and you're in your heart of hearts as far
25:57
as you know doing exactly what you think is right
25:58
but the paradigm has shifted. This group of people
26:02
actually believe that they were on mission and
26:05
their mission was to fulfill what Jesus told
26:08
them who raised from the dead. They felt like
26:10
their number one priority was to take this message
26:13
of life, that people's eternity was hanging in
26:15
the balance and the creator of heaven and earth
26:18
and all that there is had actually empowered
26:21
them to express his love to people. They weren't
26:24
trying to figure out how Jesus could make their
26:26
life easier. They didn't pray, oh God, change
26:29
the circumstances. Oh God, stop the persecution.
26:31
What do they pray? Give us power. God, will you
26:34
enable us to do even more of what just happened?
26:39
In a couple chapters, it gets worse in their
26:41
persecution. And instead of whining and complaining,
26:44
they thank God for the unspeakable privilege
26:47
of being counted worthy to suffer for him. That's
26:50
a little different than Christianity today, isn't
26:51
it? See, what's happened, the subtle shift is
26:56
our consumeristic mindset, oh God, make my world
27:00
work out, little by little by little has drifted
27:03
into the church. And so the depth of our hearts
27:07
are prayers that go something like this. God,
27:09
make my life work out. God, give me a nice home.
27:12
God, help everyone I know and love not to get
27:14
sick or get bad. God, help me find that right
27:16
person so I'll really be happy. God, once I find
27:19
that right person, will you give us a couple
27:20
kids? 2 .8 would be great. And then would you
27:23
please protect them and allow them to get in
27:25
really good schools? And God, you know, they
27:27
have to be in this and this and this and this
27:29
because I want them to be the king of their world
27:31
because I need to be the best in music, the best
27:32
in that. And I'm going to tutor them for their
27:34
SAT schools. And really what I want to do is
27:36
I want to be the king of my world. I want my
27:38
world to totally work out. Jesus, will you please
27:40
help me make my work out so I can be super happy
27:43
and fulfilled because I'm the center of the universe
27:46
and I'm the king? And that's how we view. God,
27:50
what's wrong? Why did you allow this cancer to
27:52
happen? Why did I lose my job? Why did my house
27:54
go upside down? As though God's purpose is to
28:00
be his, your self -help genie. You're on his
28:04
team. He's not on your team. You're on mission.
28:08
They don't pray for God, take away all the pain.
28:11
Give us power in a fallen world so that when
28:14
I lose my house, they see something different.
28:17
When I get cancer, they see something different.
28:20
God, life is so short and so temporal. Would
28:24
you enable and empower me and give me all that
28:27
I need to fulfill your divine plan for my life?
28:34
Here's what you gotta understand. When you do
28:36
that, out of his overflowing mercy, he will often
28:40
bring a wonderful person into your life. He'll
28:42
often give you, usually three or two, not 2 .8
28:45
kids. He will often bless your kids with talent
28:49
and allow them to get into nice universities
28:51
or be gifted in sports or music. And if properly
28:55
understood, they'll realize what do they have
28:57
that they haven't received and they'll be stewards
29:00
of that for the glory of God. Not asking Jesus
29:04
to make their life work out to make them, quote,
29:06
fulfilled and happy. See, that paradigm shift
29:11
changes everything. This group was trying to
29:14
figure out how do we fulfill the agenda God gave
29:16
us, not how do we get God to fulfill the agenda
29:19
we think will make us happy. And so he answers
29:24
their prayer. I couldn't help but see this. You
29:31
know, they go through this and as soon as they
29:34
get out of jail, they came together corporately
29:38
and they prayed. That's like before God. And
29:43
then their prayer was that they could be on mission.
29:48
And then what we find is they gather in community.
29:52
See, you all need to understand, we're not trying
29:56
to figure out how many people we can get inside
29:58
this building and count that number and be happy
30:00
with that. We're not trying to figure out how
30:03
we can just sort of up everyone's moral quotient
30:06
15 or 20 or 30 % and give everyone a little nice,
30:10
I'm a Christian. We're trying to become Romans
30:14
12 Christians. We're trying to be authentic followers
30:16
who are surrendered to God, who live separate
30:20
from the world's values, have a sober self -assessment,
30:22
who love each other, serving in love passionately,
30:25
and supernaturally respond to evil with good.
30:27
And the pathway of God, Old and New Testament,
30:30
is that individual people who say, I will discipline
30:34
my life and arrange it to come before God. I'm
30:38
going to get connected from the heart and get
30:40
in community where the real me shows up and meets
30:43
real needs for the right reason in the right
30:44
way. And I'm gonna do all that because I have
30:47
a purpose and a destiny by the God who created
30:50
me. I'm gonna be on mission 24 -7. That B -I
30:54
-O life brings about transformation in your home,
30:58
with your roommate, at your work, in your neighborhood.
31:02
That's the game plan. And so it starts with baby
31:05
steps. But after the baby steps, God's looking
31:09
for a church and a group of people that do what?
31:12
Walk in the power of God. We can't do this. Everything
31:16
I've described, the vision of this church, it's
31:18
laughable in our strength. God's looking for
31:21
some people that'll walk in his power because
31:24
what happens? Then the spirit of God is working
31:26
inside of you and he's doing supernatural things
31:29
because have you ever thought God lives inside
31:32
of you if you're an authentic follower of Christ?
31:35
I mean, think of that. your expectations ought
31:38
to be pretty high. The Father, the Son, the Holy
31:41
Spirit lives inside of you. Now, you notice we
31:44
talked about fears, and did you notice each time
31:46
there's a promise? Notice what Jesus promised
31:49
in John 15, 16. You didn't choose me, but I chose
31:52
you and appointed you that you should go and
31:54
bear fruit, and your fruit will last or remain.
32:00
Then the Father will give you whatever you ask
32:02
in my name. So what do they ask? They ask for
32:04
more power. This is the very last night again,
32:07
John 15. What's Jesus saying? You're on mission.
32:10
I chose you. You're on my team. There's something
32:14
to do. And you should produce fruit is first
32:17
and foremost the in -character quality, love,
32:19
joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness,
32:21
self -control, that you'll become like Christ
32:23
and then you'll fulfill that mission. Final lesson,
32:27
lesson number four is fear not, the Holy Spirit
32:30
will provide all your needs. So one of our fears
32:33
is you start getting generous with your time.
32:36
You start getting vulnerable with people, you
32:39
know. You start getting generous with your money.
32:44
You know, down deep, all of us are like, ooh,
32:46
what about me, right? I mean, I'm all for being
32:50
like Jesus, but I'm thinking if I do this, what
32:52
about me? What about my needs? What about my
32:55
spiritual needs, my emotional needs, my financial
32:57
needs, my social needs? And so what we do is
32:59
we create this little box and say, God, I want
33:01
you to know I am really all in as long as it's
33:04
inside that box. Right? I mean, don't take me
33:10
too much out of my comfort zone, whether that's
33:11
financially or socially or geographically, but
33:14
God, I really, and as you grow, oh, I made a
33:16
bigger box. And here's what the Holy Spirit wants
33:20
you to know. He wants you to know, you know what?
33:24
Stop thinking with the small pie mentality. The
33:29
small pie mentality means it's people who think
33:32
like the world is filled with limited resources.
33:35
I mean, the God who spoke the world into existence,
33:37
what do you need that he can't give you? You
33:41
need some money? He'll give you some money. You
33:43
need some faith? He'll give you some faith. You
33:44
need a friend? He'll give you a friend. But he
33:47
gives those things to what? To people that are
33:48
on mission. Notice, well, how does he do that?
33:52
We pick up the story in verse 33. All the believers
33:55
were one in heart and mind, unity. No one claimed
34:01
that any of his possessions was his own, but
34:04
they shared everything that they had. With great
34:06
power, the apostles continued to testify to the
34:09
resurrection of the Lord Jesus and much grace
34:12
was upon them all. There was no needy person
34:15
among them for from time to time, this isn't
34:17
socialism, it wasn't communism, it was voluntary.
34:20
But there was this love for one another. And
34:22
so from time to time, I mean, you got to remember,
34:24
it's a startup, right? Startup needs an infusion
34:28
of capital. It's a startup group with startup
34:31
leadership that's going to change the world.
34:33
And so they were sharing and helping one another
34:35
as a continual basis, but it was voluntary. You
34:38
didn't have to do it. And then from time to time,
34:40
some of the people with significant resources
34:41
said, you know, if we're going to get this thing
34:43
off the ground, and if we really care about one
34:45
another, you know, man, I got two homes. I don't
34:47
need two. I got four of these. I don't need four.
34:50
And so they would sell some of their property
34:52
and notice what they do. They'd bring it to the
34:54
apostles' feet and they distributed it to anyone
34:58
as they might have need. Here's Jesus' promise.
35:03
Jesus said to you and me, when you fear, what
35:06
about my needs? But seek first his kingdom. There's
35:11
the paradigm shift. His rule, his agenda, his
35:14
mission. And then his righteousness. being like
35:19
him, being loving like him, being kind like him,
35:22
being pure like him, being holy like him. Seek
35:25
first God's agenda, God's kingdom, and his righteousness,
35:28
and all these things will be added to you. See,
35:33
if you had one of those highlighters, if I had
35:35
a yellow highlighter, and we were like a second
35:37
grade class, I would say, okay, everyone, put
35:40
your notes down, please. And then I would take
35:42
the yellow highlighter and then in big bold words
35:45
across sort of horizontal, those notes that you
35:47
have, I would write F -A -I -T -H. So you could
35:53
still read all the notes, but you'd realize at
35:54
the end of the day, what God is saying is, Jesus
35:58
made promises. You're on mission. It's faith.
36:04
Everyone in the world is either going to live
36:05
by fear or by faith. You fear rejection. You
36:08
fear the future. You fear the stock market. You
36:10
fear what other people think. All your fears
36:13
are what dysfunctions grow out of. Or you step
36:16
back. You either fear stuff or you fear God.
36:18
Everybody fears something. But if you fear God,
36:22
then you live by faith. And you say, God, I'm
36:24
afraid to live any other way than the way you
36:27
want me to. And yes, it is reverential awe. But
36:30
it's also, he's the all -knowing, all -powerful,
36:33
consuming fire who's put me on mission. It's
36:37
not like, I hear people pray like it's negotiations.
36:39
Well, I know you created everything there is,
36:41
and you know what? I think the top three look
36:43
pretty good to me, but I'm really not interested
36:45
in numbers four and five. Like, who are you talking
36:48
to? You know? God's commandments aren't like
36:53
a salad bar that, but what happens is if you
36:56
could just understand how, deeply you're loved.
37:01
He that spared not his own son, how would he
37:03
not freely give you anything and everything you
37:08
need? He's so for you, but you need to be positioned
37:12
to be blessed. You know, instead of the sort
37:16
of guilt route, what I've learned, when God helps
37:19
me begin to see other people, because you know,
37:21
it says when you're walking in the power of the
37:23
Spirit, what's the evidence here? They're unified,
37:25
right? They're bold. and they're generous. When
37:31
God's spirit is working in an individual and
37:33
a group's heart, you will find a group of people
37:35
that are bold, they're unified, and they're very
37:38
generous. And what I've learned over the years
37:40
is trying to muster that up doesn't work. But
37:44
when I can see through the lens of others' needs,
37:47
God does something in my heart where I want to
37:50
extend the money he gave to me or the time he
37:52
gave to me or the gifts he gave to me to really
37:55
care about other people. That's Chip Ingram on
38:00
Living on the Edge with the conclusion of learning
38:03
to walk in the power of God. Well, don't go anywhere.
38:06
Chip has something important to share about the
38:08
mid -year match in just a moment. When the Spirit
38:12
of God fills a group of people, three things
38:14
show up. They're unified, they're bold, and they're
38:17
genuinely generous. That's not a program. That's
38:20
not a stewardship campaign. That's what happens
38:23
when people stop asking God to make their world
38:25
work and start asking Him how to make His kingdom
38:28
come. That's what the Jesus Revolution is all
38:31
about. And did you know every message in the
38:33
Jesus Revolution series is available on the Living
38:37
on the Edge podcast? So if you've missed any
38:39
part of this study, you can catch up anytime.
38:42
Full -length sermons are also available through
38:44
the Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast, wherever you
38:47
get your podcasts. Unified, bold, and generous.
38:52
That's the description Chip gave of a Spirit
38:54
-filled community. Well, here's Chip to tell
38:56
you how that description is coming to life right
38:59
now through Living on the Edge and how you can
39:02
be part of it. Peter was a fisherman, not a theologian,
39:05
not a polished public speaker. In fact, the last
39:09
time it got difficult, he denied even knowing
39:11
Jesus three times. But in Acts chapter 2, that
39:15
same Peter stood up in front of thousands and
39:18
preached with such power that 3 ,000 people were
39:22
saved in a single day. So what changed? The Holy
39:27
Spirit. And that's the whole point of the Jesus
39:29
Revolution. God doesn't call the equipped. He
39:33
equips the called. He's looking for ordinary
39:36
people who are willing to be filled with the
39:39
Spirit and be used by Him. You know, as I've
39:43
studied the Scripture all these years, if I had
39:46
to summarize the entire Bible, the Bible is about
39:49
God. delighting in using ordinary people to extend
39:53
exceeding grace to undeserving recipients for
39:57
his glory. You know, 50 years ago, I was a basketball
40:01
coach, coaching high school kids, helping a few
40:04
college kids, just trying to walk with God the
40:07
way God called me to and what I knew. I wasn't
40:11
a theologian. I never dreamed I'd be a pastor.
40:14
God's looking for ordinary people like Peter
40:16
and ordinary people like me and ordinary people
40:19
like you. But the next step is to step out, to
40:23
be used, to get in the game, to join the movement.
40:27
And right now, you can make a real difference
40:30
in the lives of people, not only with your prayers
40:33
and your personal life, but when you give to
40:35
Living on the Edge this June, your gift is doubled
40:39
dollar for dollar. It's ordinary people like
40:42
you and me gathering together, coming together
40:45
and saying, you know what? This revolution is
40:47
going to go on. We want to be a part of it. And
40:50
you can make a real difference by giving this
40:52
month. Thank you for whatever God leads you to
40:55
do. Ordinary people, extraordinary God. That's
40:59
the whole equation. Step into the movement today
41:01
by joining the mid -year match and have your
41:04
gift of any amount doubled dollar for dollar
41:06
all this month. To give right now, just go online
41:09
to livingontheedge .org or call us at 888 -333
41:13
-6003. You can also send your donation through
41:17
the mail by writing to us at Living on the Edge,
41:20
Post Office Box 3007, Atlanta, Georgia 30024.
41:26
Every ordinary dollar becomes an extraordinary
41:28
one when it's matched. Don't wait. Give today
41:31
and watch God multiply it. I'm Dave Drury. Coming
41:35
up, something has gone wrong inside the early
41:37
church. Chip Ingram names it, and the warning
41:40
is as urgent today as it was in Acts chapter
41:43
5. Join us next time on Living on the Edge. Today's
41:50
program is produced and sponsored by Living on
41:53
the Edge.