Empowered tp Impact 4

Hello Everyone,

There's one more vital question to ask —

Can it Happen Today?

"Jesus healed in many ways, and all of them were miraculous. We must never lose sight of this fact.

On 21 occasions, he healed through his spoken word.

13 times, he healed by touching someone.

9 times, people were healed in the course of his preaching and teaching.

8 times, he healed by driving out demons.

Another 8 times, he healed because someone other than the sick person demonstrated faith in him.

On 7 occasions, he healed because the sick person had faith.

4 times, Jesus healed because he was moved with compassion.

At least one time, he healed when someone touched him.

Listen carefully — We need the miraculous in the church today. Postmodern people are too broken to be fixed through simple human care giving; they need to be pieced back together through the supernatural healing of Jesus through his body, the church.

Can what happened in Acts 3 happen today?

It has to … for two vital reasons:

1. Only God's POWER can put broken people back together again!

2. The demonstration of God's POWER readied people for the DECLARATION of God's WORD!

Crowds gathered to HEAR the MESSAGE because they couldn't miss the miracle!

Acts 8:6 —

"… when the crowds saw the miraculous signs he (Philip) did, they all paid close attention to what he said."

Conclusion

Power … in the animal and human kingdom is often a tool of intimidation… it's used to get ahead and stay ahead and diminish or destroy anyone who dares to get in your way!

POWER … in the Kingdom of God has an entirely different purpose … the power Jesus promised and provided through the person of the Holy Spirit isn't power to intimidate or impress … it's power to IMPACT!

Never ever forget that —

The power of Pentecost is for people … it's God's answer for the broken of the world … that's what Acts 3 is all about!

Only God's POWER can put broken people back together again!

The demonstration of God's POWER readied people for the DECLARATION of God's Word!

Greater Things Are Still To Come!

Pastor Phil   

Empowered to Impact 3

Hello Everyone,

A second question we need to ask is —

Why did it happen?

[There are at least 3 reasons why this miracle happened]:

The first reason is — FAITHFULNESS!

Note carefully that —

Peter and John were on their way to a time of prayer and praise!

It was while they were being faithful to what they knew to do that God worked miraculously through them!

Remember this from last week:

"When we do what we know we'll know what to do!"

Key — It was the God-connectedness of the disciples that enabled them to be the right men in the right place for the right purpose!

A second reason for the miracle can be summarized by the word — FOCUS!

Verse 4 — "Peter looked straight at him, as did John."

Peter and John had undoubtedly passed this man before … but they'd always looked past him … as so did many others!

[Let me ask you a question] —

Why do you think they focused on him this time?

Why was it that they couldn't ignore the beggar's calls or brokenness?

Answer —

The Christ who heard what others didn't hear and saw what others didn't see the Jesus who was so incredibly interruptible was now in them!

Christ's focus became their focus and they couldn't take their eyes off an incapacitated man who had God's focused attention!

How many believe that —

God had always heard and always seen the hurt and heartache of the beggar … He just needed to find some faithful followers who would convey the message that — God knows your name and your needs … and He has the power to make you complete!

Don’t miss it —

Our Spirit-focused attention on an overlooked life is more life-changing that we can imagine!

That fact is made crystal clear in the following story —

"I grew up knowing I was different, and I hated it. I was born with a cleft palate, and when I started school, my classmates made it clear to me how I looked to others; a little girl with a mis-shapen lip, crooked nose, lopsided teeth, and garbled speech.

When schoolmates asked, 'What happened to your lip?' I'd tell them I'd fallen and cut it on a piece of glass. Somehow it seemed more acceptable to have suffered an accident than to have been born different. I was convinced that no one outside my family could love me.

There was, however, a teacher in the second grade whom we all adored — Mrs. Leonard by name. She was short, round, happy — a sparkling lady.

Annually we had a hearing test … Mrs. Leonard gave the test to everyone in the class, and finally it was my turn. I know from past years that as we stood against the door and covered one ear, the teacher sitting at her desk would whisper something, and we would have to repeat it back — things like 'The sky is blue' or 'Do you have new shoes?' I waited there for those words that God must have put into her mouth, those seven words that changed my life. Mrs. Leonard said, in her whisper, 'I wish you were my little girl.'"

The focused attention of a teacher … changed a little girl's life … because it was a life-giving message that she was —wanted … chosen … special!

That's the power of focused attention? It declares—

"you do count … you are known … you are loved!"

There's a third key reason for the miracle of Acts 3 — FULNESS!

Verse 6 —

"Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk."

The Key phrase is —"But what I have…"

This phrase can also be translated —"But what I've been given … I give to you!"

Key question —

What had Peter and John been given?

Answer — The abilities (gifts) of the Holy Spirit to meet the needs of the man! (Several "gifts" in operation … discernment; faith; healing, miracles)

To Phrase It Differently —

The Holy Spirit filled Peter and John with the necessary tools to touch and transform the crippled beggar!

Key — That's what the gifts of the Spirit are — ministry tools for changing lives!

Listen carefully —

The gifts of the Spirit are not — trophies ... toys ... talents ... or traits — they are TOOLS ... Tools for touching and transforming people by the POWER of Jesus Christ!

Let me repeat and expand on that statement for a moment:

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are not — trophies!

They are not spiritual merit badges that say — "We've arrived at some level of spiritual stardom!

When God uses us it is humbling not exalting ... we know we didn't do it … God did!

There’s no room for show-boating our spirituality!

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are not — toys!

They are not given for our personal or private pleasure ... they are given for service and edification ... those are not ends unto themselves!

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are not — talents!

The ability to make a man crippled from birth walk ... was not the result of Peter or John's medical knowledge or surgical skills!

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are not — traits!

Because we are an “intellectual” doesn't mean we have the gift of knowledge or wisdom!

Let me say it again — The gifts of the Holy Spirit are? TOOLS!

Tools for everyday and everywhere ... essential tools for life-changing ministry!

That's why we're to earnestly desire spiritual gifts because without them we're on our own and we don't have what it takes to change a life!

Greater Things Are Still To Come!

Pastor Phil   

Empowered to Impact 2

Hello Everyone,

In Acts 3 … we see the purpose of Pentecost lived out in the lives of the disciples … and by studying the ways the Holy Spirit worked in and through them — we discover the ways the Holy Spirit wants to work in and through us!

There are questions we need to ask if we're going to really understand and properly use the POWER Jesus promises his followers —for today our first questioned is:

What Happened?

Let's read it together — 3:1-10

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. ² Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. ³ When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. ⁴ Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” ⁵ So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

⁶ Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” ⁷ Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. ⁸ He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. ⁹ When all the people saw him walking and praising God, ¹⁰ they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

[Luke, who was a doctor, offers a very detailed and descriptive analysis of this day in the life of the disciples … let's walk back through his record of events]:

Peter and John are on their way to the temple for afternoon prayers...

Their attention is captivated on an incapacitated beggar that they had most likely passed many times before ... but this day they can't dismiss his calls or his need ... something, literally someone, directs them to stop and become agents of the miraculous in this man’s life!

Every day we pass people in need. People hurting, sick, addicted and loss who knows it could be someone we see every day. But this could be the day that we are The Holy Spirits agent for that moment in time.

Luke uses medical terminology to describe a man who was cripple from birth —

The word that Luke used translated 'feet' is used only by Luke, and it's found nowhere else in all of scripture but here!

It's a technical term? A medical term that refers to the 'base' or 'heel' of the foot?

The term 'ankle' or 'ankle-bones' is again a medical term found only here in all of scripture...

Leaping up — is an ancient medical phrase which describes the suddenness of a socket coming into place ... the instantaneous healing of a joint!

Peter and John speak 'healing' to the man, they reach for him ... he reaches for them ... and he is instantaneously healed ... a man who has never walked in his life begins to leap and dance and praise God!

Crowds gathered in amazement as the crippled man they'd known for years was now miraculously healed!

Greater Things Are Still To Come!

Pastor Phil            

Empowered to Impact 1

Hello Everyone,

I want to begin with a story I ran across of a lion, who wanted all the other animals to know just how powerful he was … the story goes like this —

"One day a large male lion decided to make sure that all the other animals knew he was the master of the jungle so he went to the gazelle and roared, 'Who is the king of the jungle?' Trembling, the gazelle answered, 'Why, you are mighty lion.'

He went next to the zebra and roared, 'Who is the king of the jungle?' Fearful, the zebra answered, 'Why, you are, mighty lion.'

Then he went to the monkey and roared, 'Who is the king of the jungle?' Startled, the monkey answered, 'Why, you are oh mighty king!'

Finally, full of himself, he went to the elephant and roared, 'Who is the king of the jungle?' The elephant reached out and grabbed the lion with his trunk, whirled him around in the air like a top, body slammed him to the ground several times, and then he flattened him against a large boulder.

The beaten, bruised, and battered lion struggled to his feet … he looked up at the elephant and said — 'Look … just because you don't know the answer doesn't mean you have to take it so personally!'"

To the lion … the purpose of his power was to make sure everyone else knew that he was king!

In the animal and human kingdom — power is often a tool of intimidation … and for many that's what the perks of power are all about — dominating, dictating and even destroying!

Listen Carefully —

Power in the Kingdom of God has an entirely different purpose … the power Jesus promised and provided through the person of the Holy Spirit isn't power to intimidate or impress … it's power to impact!

Commentator Lloyd Olgivie puts it like this —

"The power of Pentecost is for people. What happened at Pentecost is for the broken of the world. The Holy Spirit, Christ in the present tense, is for the healing of people in the present age. The excitement and enthusiasm of the infilling of the Spirit was to create a people through whom the Lord could continue his ministry of restoration and healing. A new age was born, Christ was alive in his people, and they were now equipped to do what he had done and the greater things he promised — communicating his love and bringing people to him."

Don't miss it —

"The power of Pentecost is for people … it's God's answer for the broken of the world!"

[Here are the questions we need to ask ourselves]:

Have I been filled with the PERSON and POWER of the Holy Spirit?

Has the filling with the nature and abilities of the Holy Spirit equipped me for ministering to people in need?

Are the giftings of the Holy Spirit being used in my life to intimidate AND impress or to impact?

Greater Things Are Still To Come!

Pastor Phil