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Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram Daily Podcast - Brokenhearted Boldness, Part 2 · The Word On Demand

0:11
Today on Living on the Edge, Chip welcomes guest
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pastor John Dickerson. So this is my prayer for
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you this week. Wherever you are in your journey,
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just say, God, I want to learn this broken heart
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for the lost. And then I don't just want to walk
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around broken hearted. I want to have boldness
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to tell people about Jesus, invite them to Jesus.
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So I want to ask you right now, no matter how
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intimidating that might sound, just ask God right
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now, God, would you give me boldness to start
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asking spiritual questions? Chip Ingram. I'm
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Dave Drury. If the idea of sharing your faith
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makes your palms sweat a little, you're in good
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company. Today, guest teacher John Dickerson
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continues our series, Hearts on Fire, How God
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Sparks Revival, with a message on what he calls
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brokenhearted boldness. He'll talk about what
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really keeps most of us quiet, what should motivate
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us instead of guilt, and why some of the boldest
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believers in history didn't start out that way
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at all. If you have a Bible nearby, we'll start
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in the book of Acts chapter one. Here's John
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continuing brokenhearted boldness. So God commands
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us, he says, go into all the world, preach the
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gospel to all creation. Why? Because he loves
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people. He doesn't want people suffering. He
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doesn't want people living in self -inflicted
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judgment. He doesn't want people to be dying
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and lost. He came to reach the lost and then
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he passed that on to us. And what we're asking
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God this week is, God, make me like you where
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I'll see people with your compassion and I'll
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then learn their name and I'll ask them questions
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about their life. And as you ask legitimate questions
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and you show legitimate interest that you care
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about them, then it's not weird to ask them,
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hey, so what are your spiritual beliefs? Like,
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you know, most people love to talk about themselves.
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And so just ask them questions, get them talking
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about themselves and then just gently turn it
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that way. Ask God to give you the courage for
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that. Another easy entry point is ask God for
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the courage to invite friends, family, people
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you know to church. That's kind of like the entry
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level, right? You're not having to open the Bible
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and explain the gospel yourself. That's like
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awesome. But entry level, just, hey, you want
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to come to church with me sometime? And it doesn't
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have to be weird. You can just let them know
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if it's someone you see and they know you. Hey,
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God's really working in my life. He's giving
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me peace and hope. Things I can't really even
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put into words. I'd love that for you. If you're
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ever interested, I'd love for you to come and
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check out Jesus with me. There's no greater joy
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than connecting a soul, an eternal soul to the
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source of the universe, the father in heaven,
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who is the source of peace and life and hope
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and joy. What if it became the norm in our church
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for every adult to bring at least one person
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to Jesus every year. That is not a crazy goal.
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Let's pray for that as a church. Let's work for
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that like it all depends on us while we pray
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for it like it all depends on God. Lord, let
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every adult and every teenager in our movement
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invite someone to Jesus. Could you imagine the
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church would double and then the next year it
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would double again. And pretty soon central Indiana
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would be experiencing revival. The third reason
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why sharing Jesus matters is that it exhibits
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the heart of God. In other words, it shows if
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you're growing spiritually because the goal as
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a Christian is now as you surrender to Jesus,
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you become more like Christ. Christ came to seek
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and to save the lost. And so part of spiritual
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maturity is I'm gonna deny myself. in order to
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seek and save the lost because that's how Christ
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lived. Philippians chapter two, Jesus Christ
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made himself nothing when he left heaven. He
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took the very nature of a servant and then being
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found in human likeness, found an appearance
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as a man, he humbled himself. According to Philippians
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two, what did Jesus do to reach us? Did he step
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up or step down? He stepped down. Did he stay
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in his comfort zone or did he leave his comfort
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zone? He left. his comfort zone. Aren't you so
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glad that someone told you about Jesus? Aren't
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you so glad that someone woke up enough spiritually
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to invite you to church or to say, hey, there's
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a way to have your sins forgiven or however they
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told you about Jesus? In the 1930s in Ypsilanti,
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Michigan, there was a guy named Earl Peters who
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worked on the Ford Motor Company assembly line.
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Earl Peters was an awake Christian. He'd show
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up every day for his shift on the assembly line
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and he saw all the other line workers as eternal
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souls who needed Jesus. Next to him there on
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the assembly line was a young man named Mark.
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And Earl Peters started to share the good news
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of Jesus with Mark. Mark was very resistant.
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But over time, I mean, they're standing next
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to each other all day, every day, stamping parts.
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Earl Peters keeps telling Mark about Jesus. And
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the day finally came when this young man named
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Mark surrendered, prayed to receive Jesus as
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his savior. Earl Peters got him a Bible, taught
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him that he needs to be part of a local church,
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taught him how to pray. And Mark soon really
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was growing in the Lord, decided to become a
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pastor. Today, there are thousands of people
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in heaven because of the pastor who got saved
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by a Ford assembly line worker. That pastor then
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raised his family to love and know Christ and
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his son became a pastor. And thousands more people
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are in heaven because of Mark the assembly line
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worker's son. And then he had four sons and I'm
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the youngest of those. Mark the assembly line
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worker is my grandpa. And there are thousands
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and thousands of people in heaven because of
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one guy. hidden coveralls on a Ford assembly
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line who said, I'm not just here to get a paycheck.
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I'm not here so people will like me. I'm not
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just here thinking about my life and obsessed
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with myself. I'm here to tell people about Jesus.
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God, the father and son sacrificed their comforts
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to reach you. Now they pass the baton to you
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and they call you to deny yourself in sacrificing
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your comforts to tell others. What blocks us
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from telling people about Jesus? Our own ego
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and our own busyness and distraction. We're too
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busy or we fear rejection. You realize when we
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fear rejection, what we're doing, we're choosing
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our own temporary ego over someone else's eternal
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wellbeing. Can you imagine when that person stands
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before God and they say, wow, John knew all this?
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And he saw me every time he came in to work out
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or every time he got a coffee, John knew all
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this? But he cared more about me liking him for
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a few years on earth than me having eternal life.
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Lord, I repent of that. Forgive me. Forgive me
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for not having the heart of Jesus for the lost.
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What should motivate you? What should motivate
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you as you go out to reach the lost? I would
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suggest it's not shame and it's not obligation.
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If you leave here and you're like, wow, John
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really let us have it. I better be telling people
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about Jesus at my school or workplace. I've just
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been failing. Guess what? That motivation of
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shame and obligation, that'll fire you up for
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maybe a day or maybe a week. And then you'll
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say, I can't live this way forever. Was Jesus,
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when he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom,
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was he motivated by shame or obligation? No,
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he was motivated by love. And this is why the
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sequence of these revival practices matters.
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You say, God, I'm urgent. God, I repent. I need
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the flow between me and you to be unhindered.
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God, I want to start really praying for souls
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around me. Now, because your relationship with
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God is unhindered, he starts to shape your heart
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to beat in time with his and what breaks his
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heart starts to break yours. And God will embed
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in you a love for people that is not from your
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human disposition. People who don't look like
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you, don't think like you, don't believe like
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you, people who are far from you, people who
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hate you, you're gonna look at them and because
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you're growing to become more like Christ, your
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heart's gonna break for them and you're gonna
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love them. You're just gonna long like, oh, if
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they had Jesus, they're striving so hard to meet
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these needs without him. And it's as you get
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the heart of God and you say, Lord, for your
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glory and out of your love, God wants your primary
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motives in evangelism to be compassion. Love
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for God and others. There is an obligation. That
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is true. But as you grow in Christ, it actually
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becomes a privilege and an opportunity to get
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to connect people. You get to save people's eternal
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lives. Only Jesus can do it, but you get to be
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the messenger. Ask God to give you an overwhelming
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love for souls. Well, that's the second question
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that we wanted to ask in our time. How can you
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cultivate? that kind of heart. And as I've just
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suggested, you start by just asking him, God,
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give me your heart for others. Cultivate a broken
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heart of compassion by becoming more like Christ.
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How do you do that? Well, that's what the Revival
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Daily Devotional, the reason there's that little
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Bible study every day, is kind of like spiritual
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training wheels to start training you to really
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become Christ -like through daily obedience,
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daily worship, daily repentance and prayer. Did
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you know that the organ, you think of organs
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like a heart and lungs, the spiritual organ of
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your growth, how do you grow spiritually? What's
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the spiritual organ of your growth? It's obedience.
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It's not just knowledge. Knowledge is dangerous
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without obedience. Obedience is how you grow
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spiritually. Someone asked me this last week,
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John, if a church were to go through the revival
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practices and use the devotional and these messages,
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how long would it take that church to experience
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revival? Sat back, I prayed for wisdom. You know
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what the answer to that question is? Your church
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will move at the speed of obedience. You could
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teach all this material and if the people aren't
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obedient to God, revival's not gonna happen.
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And if you teach this material and the people
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are eager to obey and do it, it'll start happening.
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You're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip
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Ingram and his friend guest teacher, John Dickerson.
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We'll return to today's message in just a moment.
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But first, life doesn't always let you sit by
11:06
the radio at the same time every day. That's
11:09
why there's the Chip Ingram app. Today's program,
11:12
plus video teachings, and so much more, all in
11:15
one place, whenever and wherever you're ready.
11:17
Just search for the Chip Ingram app in your app
11:20
store. Well, now here's John continuing today's
11:24
message. And remember, we're committing to pray
11:26
this out loud every day. If you're not yet doing
11:29
that, join me and thousands of us. Mine's at
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my bathroom sink. I pray it out loud every night.
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Notice the second sentence. God, as I'm praying
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for nationwide revival of Christianity, I surrender
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myself to be used by you in this. So if you're
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a morning person and you're praying that in the
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morning, you're thinking, as I head out to my
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workplace or I head out to school or I head out
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to see my neighbors or whatever's going on today,
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Lord, I'm surrendered today. Use me today to
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play my part in the reviving that you wanna bring
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to this land. Next step, you cultivate a broken
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heart of compassion for the lost by praying daily
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for the lost people in your life. As you begin
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praying daily over the names on your list, God
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will start to open your eyes to their deeper
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needs. You'll start to notice open doors. God
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will begin working in their hearts. I've got
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some, Great stories of that, but I don't have
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time to share them today. I wanna keep moving
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through this. Notice this progression in the
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Bible. It says, for the son of man, that's Jesus,
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he came to earth to seek the lost and to save
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the lost. And then just like a relay runner passes
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the baton, Jesus says in Acts chapter one, verse
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eight, now Jesus followers, little Christs, Christians,
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you go into the world and you be my witnesses.
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The baton. is in our hands. Jesus has entrusted
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it to us. Now, if you think, wow, John, that's
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frightening, that's intimidating. I don't know
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if I'm up for it. Let's close with that third
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question. How can you find the courage to be
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bold? I'm an introvert. You might not know that.
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I recharge by being away from people. My brain
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is very observant, notices every little detail
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and emotion. And if I have too much human interaction,
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it just saps me. You might think as I stand up
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here that I just, a lot of pastors are people,
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people, they're extroverts. I'm the opposite.
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And I'm not bold and courageous by my nature
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or disposition. I'm not up here because of the
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way I'm wired. And here's the beautiful thing
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about the spirit of God living in you. The spirit
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of God empowers you to do things that you could
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never do in your own human strength or disposition.
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And as you walk in ongoing repentance, you're
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keeping the relationship with God clear. You're
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asking God to give your heart. You're fanning
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into flame the Holy Spirit. And he will start
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to give you impulses toward what is right and
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good and love for others and a boldness that
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you will never work up in your own courage. Give
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you the cheat sheet, three answers to this question
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from scripture. I'm not gonna unpack them all.
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So you might take a picture or something, but
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you grow in your courage by calling on the Holy
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Spirit to empower you. If you haven't yet experienced
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some opposition as you're going through the revival
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study, you will. Because there is an unseen enemy
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of souls and there is an active spiritual battle
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going on right now. And when you are consumed
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with the American dream and you just kind of
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go to church and Christianity is the U -Haul
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behind it, you're not a threat to the enemy.
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The moment you say, no, I'm going to live the
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kingdom dream and the American dreams in the
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U -Haul trailer. It's along for the ride as long
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as it can tag along, but I'm really living for
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the kingdom. You become a threat to the enemy.
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Now that you're living in ongoing repentance
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and the power of God is surging through your
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life. Now that you're praying supernatural prayers
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for Brownsburg Avon, Carmel Fishers, your school,
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your workplace, you're wrestling for souls and
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salvations. Guess what? The demons take notice.
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And there will be some opposition in your life,
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humanly and even spiritually. You don't have
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to fear it. Be aware of it, but don't fear it.
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And if you look at the book of Acts, you see
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the greatest revival in human history. Church
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goes from 120 people who are hiding for their
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lives to 10 ,000 people who are willing to be
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physically stoned to death and boldly proclaiming,
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go ahead, take my life. I know there's eternal
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life. I'm gonna stand here and tell all of you
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about Jesus while you kill me. I mean, the courage.
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Why does the courage happen? Because of the Holy
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Spirit. So the Holy Spirit will empower you in
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this spiritual battle. And then secondly, other
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believers. You need to be running with some other
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Christians. I love it when I see young people
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in our services and they're sitting with other
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young people that you've got Christian friends
15:44
who also love Jesus. Because as you start to
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get bold and you say, oh, I'm going to tell that
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classmate or that relative about Jesus. You'll
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have a few times where your hand gets slapped,
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right? There'll be opposition. And they say,
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I don't want to hear about that. You're one of
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those judgy Christians. I had no idea you were
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one of those judgy Christians. And you think,
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oh man. Well, when you have other believers in
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your life, you go and you tell them, hey, I tried
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to tell them about Jesus. I think I messed it
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up. I don't know. And that other believer says,
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hey, way to go. You're making the effort. You're
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stepping out. God's going to help you. Let's
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pick you up. Let's dust you off. Let's get you
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back out there. And then the third way you grow
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your courage is that you do step out of your
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comfort zone. Nothing grows in your comfort zone
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in life. And the image for this is just the little
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toddler or four -year -old maybe at the edge
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of the pool. They don't know how to swim. They're
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afraid to jump in, but dad's there with arms
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up to catch them. It's gonna take a lot of courage.
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They're gonna have to step out of their comfort
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zone to learn the skill of swimming. but their
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good parent is gonna catch them. And it is the
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same as you learn to live these revival practices.
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It will take you out of your comfort zone. God
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will be faithful to you. Step out, test him.
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He will show up. He will strengthen you. In the
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book of Acts. Those 120 Christians are hiding
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for their lives. They're afraid that the same
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people who crucified Jesus would pull them out
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and crucify them. And then Jesus tells them in
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Acts chapter one, verse eight, he says, you weak
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and intimidated Christians will receive power.
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This word power is the Greek word dunamis. It's
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where we get our word dynamite or dynamic. This
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is an explosive power. This is a mountain moving
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power. On the count of three, I want you to say
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power. One, two, three, power. You will receive
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power. When? When the Holy Spirit is active in
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your life. Now, the moment you... proclaim Jesus
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as your savior, the spirit came to live in you,
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but you might not yet know how to walk in the
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spirit and experience his power. As you practice
17:52
ongoing repentance, you're opening the door for
17:54
the spirit to empower you. And look at the order
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of operations here. Jesus doesn't say, hey, go
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be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria.
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Do this in your own strength and have a great
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strategy. And everyone learned to be an extrovert
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and pretend you have the spiritual gift of evangelism,
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even if you don't. Nope. He says, don't go. until
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you have the Holy Spirit. Then you will be my
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witnesses. And Jesus predicts, not only will
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you change Jerusalem, you'll change the surrounding
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county and you'll change the surrounding region.
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That promise given to 120 frightened believers.
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Nine chapters later in the book of Acts, the
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church is now 10 ,000 people. And look where
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it is in Acts 9 .31. The church throughout Judea,
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Galilee, and Samaria. It expanded exactly as
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Jesus predicted. Revival spread. The church enjoyed
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a time of peace and was strengthened. How did
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the church live a revived church? They lived
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daily in the fear of the Lord. God, I revere
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you above any political party or any earthly
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authority. You are my source of security and
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hope. And how did they live? Every day they were
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encouraged by the Holy Spirit. That same Holy
19:07
Spirit who was in Paul, who was in Peter, who
19:11
was in John Wesley lives in you. The Holy Spirit
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is the theme and the main character in the book
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of Acts. It's what launched. the largest movement
19:20
in human history. The Holy Spirit of God works
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in power. It brings supernatural strength. He
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brings supernatural strength. Look at this in
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Acts 4, Peter and John running together, get
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arrested. They get thrown into jail because they're
19:35
preaching Jesus. People are tired of hearing
19:37
about Jesus. They literally throw them in jail.
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Now you remember Peter, the last time he got
19:42
challenged, do you know Jesus? Are you with Jesus?
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He says three times, no, no, I've got nothing
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to do with him. And then we saw on week two,
19:49
how Peter repented of that and was restored.
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And Jesus said, now go feed my sheep. So Peter,
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who really caves under social pressure when he's
19:57
intimidated, now he's got the Holy Spirit. What
20:00
happens, Acts 4 verse 8, when they bring him
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out of jail to try him for his crimes, he's filled
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with the Holy Spirit and he's a totally different
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person. He says, rulers and elders of the people.
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It's by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
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the very one you crucified. That's how we're
20:20
doing these miracles. And then he tells them,
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verse 12, guess what? Salvation, it's not found
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in your temple. It's not found in your religion.
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It's not found in your politics. Salvation is
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found in no one else. There's no other name under
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heaven given to humanity by which we must be
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saved but the name of Jesus. And Peter, yeah,
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who used to be this scaredy cat, He's got this
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boldness. So this is my prayer for you this week.
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Wherever you are in your journey, just say, God,
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I want to learn this broken heart for the lost.
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And then I don't just want to walk around broken
20:55
hearted. I want to have boldness to tell people
20:58
about Jesus, invite them to Jesus. You're listening
21:03
to Living on the Edge and guest teacher John
21:06
Dickerson with the conclusion of his message,
21:08
Broken Hearted Boldness from our current study,
21:12
Hearts on Fire. To learn more about what John
21:15
just shared, just go to therevivalproject .org
21:19
slash livingontheedge. Having a heart for the
21:23
lost isn't something we can manufacture. It grows
21:26
as God shapes our hearts to beat in time with
21:29
His. That's the kind of steady, daily growth
21:32
that Chip Ingram's devotional book, Growing Deeper
21:35
in Christ, was created for. This 365 -day devotional
21:39
gives you a simple place to meet with God each
21:42
day. helping you intentionally draw near to Him
21:45
and allow His truth to renew your mind, reshape
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your desires, and deepen your love. And since
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Christmas will be here sooner than you think,
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now's a great time to pick up an extra copy for
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a friend or family member. And it's also available
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in a new leather -bound edition. Your purchase
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from Living on the Edge helps fund this ministry
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and get powerful resources like this one into
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the hands of more listeners. Get your copies
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of Growing Deeper in Christ at a special price
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today, available only at livingontheedge .org.
22:19
You know, we sometimes hear from listeners like
22:22
Kelly, who wrote, God is strengthening His people
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through this ministry and giving us a heart to
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share Jesus Christ with others. Well, if God
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has been stirring that same heart in you, would
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you help us stir it in someone else? Give at
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livingontheedge .org. Or call us at 888 -333
22:41
-6003. Or put your gift in the mail and address
22:45
it to Living on the Edge, P .O. Box 3007, Sewanee,
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Georgia 30024. Well, now here's Chip Ingram.
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Well, let's pause together today after we've
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listened to John's teaching and let's do a little
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healthy introspection. Let's kind of decide right
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now to become light in the midst of the darkness
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that I live in and you live in. The thought of
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bringing up Jesus to, let's say, a neighbor or
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at the gym or at the coffee shop or just with
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a co -worker. For some of you, that would be
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like, oh, man, I just don't think I could go
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there. I don't have that much power. I don't
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have that kind of personality. And yet, John
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said, somehow over time, we've kind of shrugged
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off. the Great Commission, you know, going to
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all the world to make disciples. And literally,
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the verb, the action, the command is to make
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disciples. And the first step is building relationship.
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The second step is finding some needs in people
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and just meet the needs, whether you say much
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about Jesus or not. And as you meet those needs,
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the third step is tell them the hope that's in
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you. Tell them just personally what Jesus has
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done in your life. Now, here's the point. The
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harvest is white. God's already prepared people.
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He just wants you and me to get tapped on the
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shoulder to make a list of five names. Did you
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get that? Make a list of five names. If you didn't
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hear me, here's a thought. Make a list of five
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names. Do I sound like one of those commercials
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that they want you to get the point? Make a list
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of five names. Pray for them daily. And then
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ask God, where and how can I build a bridge?
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The gospel is the power of God to salvation.
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He wants to reach them and he wants to use you.
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I'm your host, Dave Drewy. And next time, John
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Dickerson turns to a question every parent and
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grandparent wrestles with. How do you prepare
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the young people you love for an increasingly
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divided culture? That's next time on Living on
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the Edge. Today's program is produced and sponsored
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by Living on the Edge.