Acts

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The Act of SAVE (Acts 9)

It is a joy to preach through the book of Acts!  It is filled with examples and lessons that I need to learn and apply.  As I continue to look at the “Acts of Acts” in this sermon series, it seems like each chapter has the apostles, or early Christians, involved in an act that we have a tendency to try to avoid.  Yet it was these very acts of God in their lives that transformed a fledgling group disciples in disarray into a mighty force that turned the known world upside down with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We live in a time where we need such a transformation in the church and in the lives of the individuals who follow Jesus.

As we arrive in Acts 9 in our sermon series, we find Saul on his way to Damascus with the intent of persecuting and taking prisoner all who followed the way of Jesus.  As he went, he had an encounter with Jesus and through Him experienced the Act of SAVE!  Let’s look at some lessons we can learn from the example of the early church and Saul’s conversion.

  • Sight:  Saul began his journey with his sight set on wreaking havoc in the lives of any Christians he found.  In order to experience the act of save, his sight needed to be changed.  God focused Saul’s sight off of his traditions, trainings, and triumphs and onto Jesus!  As Paul, Saul would later write that he had the best of all of this from man’s perspective but none of it had the ability to save him.  When we begin to think we can be saved by holding onto our own traditions, trainings, or triumphs, we too need to have our sight adjusted by God!  For us to experience the act of save, we must see God for who He is and realize the only way to be saved is through His son, Jesus.  For us to be involved in taking the act of save to others, we must see them as God see them — loved and in need of God’s great mercy and grace, just as you and I are.  When God calls you to grow in the Act of SAVE, recognize that to do so will require an adjustment in your sight.
  • Accept:  So, what happens when God brings about a disruption in your sight?  You are left with a choice — accept the change of sight God offers, or reject it.  The act of save requires that we accept Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life and that no one comes to God except through Him!  Saul had to accept that his way of seeing things wasn’t accurate and that the instructions given to him by Jesus were to be followed.  When we are obedient to God’s call to share the act of save with others, we too must accept that God has the power and desire to bring change to their life!  Ananias appears to have had doubts about sharing the gospel of Jesus with Saul but did accept the command of Jesus to do so.  It was through the obedience of Ananias that Saul is able to accept the message and be baptized into Jesus Christ!  Accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior is vital to the Act of Save in your life and learning to accept the power of God to change people is a vital quality to help you grow in the Act of SAVE.
  • Vision: While this may seem similar to the first point, the sight we need adjusted is ours but the vision we must take on is God’s!  Our sight needs adjusted to accurately view what we see but our vision needs adjusted to accurately view what we cannot see!  My good friend David often says, “God can use anyone He wants, whenever He wants, however He wants”, or something like that at least.  To both experience and share the act of save, we must have the vision of that statement for ourself and for the people God calls us to take the message of Jesus to.  When Ananias expressed his concern to God about Saul, God revealed to him the vision He had for what Saul would become.  Saul, as Paul, would later write that “we walk by faith and not by sight”.  He understood the act of save propelled him beyond what was seen and into accomplishing what only God could see possible.    When we are growing in the Act of SAVE, we live with growing amazement that comes from exchanging our inabilities and short-sightedness for the ability and vision of the living God.
  • Escape: Part of what makes the good news of the act of save such good news is the escape from the deserved punishment of sin.  In the past, many people would come to experience the act of save in order to escape the eternal punishment of hell.  While our current culture seems to often steer away from preaching and teaching about the reality of eternal separation from God as a result of sin, the escape from that punishment is just as real as ever for those who are saved.  But we sell the act of save short if we don’t realize a broader, and current, escape that we can experience on a day-to-day basis — an escape from the power of sin and death!  The act of save in Saul’s life not only brought escape to him from the punishment of sin, it also brought an escape to the lives of the Christians in Damascus from the sin he intended to inflict upon them.  It was through this escape that we read the church enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened and encouraged by the Holy Spirit.  When we spend time sharing the Act of SAVE with openness and fullness to all people, we proclaim an escape from the power of sin and death in life and in eternity.

So, how are you doing in living out and growing in the Act of SAVE?  Do you look to God for needed Sight adjustments?  Do you Accept the payment Jesus made to save you from your sin and accept He has the power and desire to save all who call upon Him?  Are you willing to see God’s Vision for your purpose in His kingdom as well as the purpose of others?  Will you enjoy and celebrate the Escape God offers from the power of sin and death?  I pray that the act of SAVE expressed through your life will boldly show the world that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior!

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The Act of TEACH (Acts 8)

It is a joy to preach through the book of Acts!  It is filled with examples and lessons that I need to learn and apply.  As I continue to look at the “Acts of Acts” in this sermon series, it seems like each chapter has the apostles, or early Christians, involved in an act that we have a tendency to try to avoid.  Yet it was these very acts of God in their lives that transformed a fledgling group disciples in disarray into a mighty force that turned the known world upside down with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We live in a time where we need such a transformation in the church and in the lives of the individuals who follow Jesus.

As we arrive in Acts 8 in our sermon series, we find persecution breaking out against the church in Jerusalem which causes the early Christians to scatter.  As the went, they were diligent to preach the word, giving us some examples of an effective Act of TEACH!  Let’s look at some lessons we can learn from the example of the early church.

  • Terror:  This may seem like a strange starting point for the Act of TEACH, but just ask someone to teach children, their neighbor, a co-worker, or anyone else about God — that look you get . . .  that is typically a look of terror!  While Christians in many parts of the world do face the possibility of real acts of terror against them for teaching about Jesus, our American sense of terror at the idea of teaching about Jesus is usually simply a matter of not being willing to leave our comfort zone.  As these early disciples fled, the didn’t just flee from the persecution.  They also left behind that which was familiar as well as those who had instructed them in the truth of God’s Word.  While I think my first reaction would have been to hide and blend in wherever I went, these disciples didn’t do that — they preached the word of God wherever they went.  When God calls you to grow in the Act of TEACH, recognize that the response of terror may be real but it doesn’t have to control your actions.
  • Exchange:  So, when fear wants to control how do you accomplish the Act of TEACH?  You must exchange the terror for purpose!  The early Christians exchanged persecution for opportunity.  The people of Samaria exchanged evil and sickness for wholeness and healing.  Simon attempted to exchange money for the power of God, but that wasn’t about to happen so he exchanged his greed for repentance and forgiveness.  The Ethiopian eunuch exchanged his questions and searching for answers and salvation.  Do you notice the pattern?  The exchanges that God brought about were all taking things that no one would really want and replacing them with godly things of great value!     Learning to exchange things of no, or negative, value for things of eternal value is a vital quality to help you grow in the Act of TEACH.
  • Amazement: This is a result, or at least a by-product, of exchanging your terror for purpose.  When you allow God to replace your fear with the power of His Spirit it produces an amazement not only in your life, but to those who observe.  When the people of Samaria began to see and experience the exchange of evil and sickness for the wholeness and healing from God, the amazement spread to the entire region.  This is the “Wow!” factor in  your life.  When people see the power of God at work in and through you in ways that amaze them, you have the opportunity to teach them about the relationship you have with Jesus!    When we are growing in the Act of TEACH, we live with growing amazement that comes from exchanging our fears, weaknesses, and frailty for the power of the living God.
  • Conviction:  Up until now, the Act of Teach has been nice, helpful, even comfortable once we realized we could exchange our fear for God’s purpose.  But the big question is still there, “What’s the point, or purpose, of the Act of Teach?”.  The teaching of God’s Word brings conviction to those who take it in with an open heart.  When the people of Samaria heard the teaching being shared by Philip, they were convicted of their need to surrender to God and be immersed into Jesus Christ.  Even when pride takes over after Simon is immersed into Christ, the teaching of God brings conviction to his life.  And a worshipper of God from Ethiopia is convicted by the truth of God’s Word when Philip has the opportunity to teach.  When we spend time sharing the Act of TEACH with humility and transparency, we make room for God’s Spirit to bring conviction to us and our listeners.
  • Hearing:  An important key to the Act of TEACH is a willingness to hear.  All throughout Acts 8 you see people willing to hear the direction that God is giving.  This is a hearing that puts into action the message being shared.  Until a genuine hearing takes place, the teaching done lies silent, waiting for growth.  The crowds of Samaria actively hear the teaching of the Christ and respond by turning to Him.  Philip hears the message of God and leaves Samaria to keep an appointment made by God on the desert road.  The Ethiopian eunuch responded to his hearing the message of God with a decision to stop and be baptized immediately.  For the Act of TEACH to be effective, this hearing must take place both by us and by those we have opportunity to share with about our relationship with Jesus.

So, how are you doing in living out and growing in the Act of TEACH?  Do you spend time with God learning recognizing any Terror you must deal with, Exchanging things of no, or negative, value for things of eternal value, living in Amazement at the work and power of God, responding to the Conviction brought by Gods’ Spirit, and actively Hearing the word of God?  I pray that the act of TEACH expressed through your life will boldly show the world that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior!

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The Act of TELL (Acts 7)

Jesus gave the instructions before his ascension that we are to go into all the world and preach the gospel.  This wasn’t directed at “preachers” but at all who would be disciples of Jesus.  As I continue to look at the “Acts of Acts” in this sermon series, it seems like each chapter has the apostles, or early Christians, involved in an act that we have a tendency to try to avoid.  Yet it was these very acts of God in their lives that transformed a fledgling group disciples in disarray into a mighty force that turned the known world upside down with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We live in a time where we need such a transformation in the church and in the lives of the individuals who follow Jesus.

As we reach Acts 7 in our sermon series, we find through the example of Stephen several important characteristics of an effective Act of TELL!  Let’s look at some lessons we can learn from the example of the early church.

  • Truth:  Acts 7 opens with a fairly simple question of Stephen regarding accusations that he had blasphemed both Moses and God — “Are these charges true?”.  The foundation of Stephen’s act of tell was truth.  Sometimes we struggle with the act of tell because our foundation of truth is not solid.  When asked about truth, we trip over our words and struggle to come up with anything meaningful because we don’t have a firm grip on real truth.  Jesus made it clear that he is the way, the truth and the life.  We learn from God that his word is truth.  How much time we spend pursuing God and the truth of his word will be reflected in our grasp of truth.  When God calls you to grow in the Act of TELL, spend time with God because He is truth.
  • Explaining:  When we have a firm grasp on real truth, it makes the act of explaining so much easier!  Stephen relies on the authority of God’s word to explain just how false the charges against him were.  He explains God’s hand in the life of Israel and how Moses was used to fulfill God’s promise to establish a nation from Abraham.  What has God done in your life?  How much do you pay attention to the working of God?  When God gives you the opportunity to explain the hope that lies within you, are you confident enough to tell people about what Jesus has done in your life?     Learning to rely on the authority of God’s word when we explain is a vital quality to help you grow in the Act of TELL.
  • Law: As New Testament Christians it is often easy to forget that the act of law is still in effect.  Yes, the blood of Jesus does cleanse us from all unrighteousness if we accept the payment the he made on the cross to satisfy the law against sin and are immersed into him to wash away our sin!  But the law still exists — the wages of sin is death.  Without the cleansing power of a relationship with Jesus, the penalty of the law is still applied.  The act of the law should compel us to the act of tell every opportunity we have!    When we are growing in the Act of TELL, we live with an understanding that the law applies to all who have not accepted the payment made by Jesus to satisfy it.
  • Love:  Who do you love?  How do you know?  How do they know?  God calls us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us.  The act of love is exemplified through the death of Jesus, and then through the death of Stephen.  Both of them desired forgiveness for their executioners.  Our lack of love often keeps us from taking seriously God’s command to tell!  While we won’t typically state it out loud, we really don’t want our enemies to be forgiven so we don’t tell.  It seems that we constantly need reminded that God expressed his love and forgiveness to us while we were still enemies of his.  When we spend time asking God to help us love people with the love he has,  and we put that love into practice, we are well on our way to growing in the Act of TELL.

So, how are you doing in living out and growing in the Act of TELL?  Do you spend time with God learning real Truth, Explaining to others the work God is doing in your life, living in awareness of the consequences of living under the Law, and growing in Love for all?  I pray that the act of TELL expressed through your life will boldly show the world that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior!

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The Act of SERVE (Acts 6)

As I continue to look at the “Acts of Acts” in this sermon series, it seems like each chapter has the apostles, or early Christians, involved in an act that we have a tendency to try to avoid.  Yet it was these very acts of God in their lives that transformed a fledgling group disciples in disarray into a mighty force that turned the known world upside down with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We live in a time where we need such a transformation in the church and in the lives of the individuals who follow Jesus.

As we reach Acts 6 in our sermon series, we find a need and an example of the Act of SERVE!  Let’s look at some lessons we can learn from the example of the early church.

  • Shortage:  Sometimes we are not serving because we don’t know where to serve or what is needed.  The Act of SERVE often begins when we listen to people and allow God to show us a genuine shortage or need.  While complaining is not a godly characteristic — God says to do everything without grumbling or complaining — open listening to the complaints of others can often reveal a real shortage that is just waiting for someone to serve.  It was the complaints of the Grecian Jews that made the apostles aware of a shortage in the needs of widows being met.  When God calls you to grow in the Act of SERVE, spend time with God looking for a shortage that He may be equipping you to meet.
  • Enlist:  Sometimes we fail to serve because we don’t notice the need, other times it is because we notice the shortage and it seems too big and impossible for us to do on our own.  This is where the next principle comes in — the Act of SERVE often calls us to enlist others to meet a need that is beyond what God has equipped us to do on our own.  When we enlist others it gives them an opportunity to serve with us and it allows us to train together for future needs God may call us to meet.  In Acts 6, the shortage was made known and the apostles recognized a need to enlist others to meet the need as it was necessary for them to stay focused on the work God had given them in prayer and ministry of the Word!  Learning to enlist others to meet a need that is larger than you can do on your own or would take you away from work God has already called you to do, is a vital quality to help you grow in the Act of SERVE.
  • Results: This is the fun part of growing in the Act of SERVE — the results!  When we begin to regularly notice areas of shortage and are able to enlist others in meeting real needs, God gives the results.  God calls us to serve one another out of obedience to Him and in reflecting the nature of Jesus.  Jesus-style love is like faith — it requires action to be alive.  Jesus says that the results of this type of love among Christians is that the world would know we are His.  Verse 7 of Acts six begins with the word “so”.  It is a transition that indicates because the shortage was identified and people were enlisted to meet it, the word of God spread and the number of disciples increased rapidly!    When we are growing in the Act of Serve, we commit to being faithful and trust God to provide the results.
  • Vision:  Sometimes we are not serving because we need an eye exam and corrective lenses that help us to see people and situations as Jesus sees them!  Our vision becomes cloudy and cynical as the world tries to convince us that the only needs that exist are self-created and therefore not our problem.  The Act of SERVE requires that we have the vision to see the service we do as vital and important enough that the quality of our character is at the core of the requirements for the task.  At first glance, it would seem that the need presented in Acts 6 is so basic and mundane that the qualifications for someone to meet that need would be pretty basic — we might go looking for people who had experience in the food-service industry — yet the problem is addressed with true vision when the primary qualifications for those who would serve is that they are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.  When we spend time asking God to help us see people and situations as He sees them and when we view the spiritual qualities of our life as the most important qualification that we have, we are well on our way to growing in the Act of SERVE.
  • Envy:  If only I could leave chapter six without discussing this final point.  Yet there it is, unmistakable envy rearing its ugly head directed at one living out the Act of SERVE.  It still happens.  People serve God with reckless abandonment and as they serve others in His name God brings about the amazing result of drawing people to Himself.  There seems to be a part of us that is so much about us that we can’t stand to see others reap the results of faithfully serving God — at least not if their results look better than our results.  We must be very careful that we allow absolutely no room for envy to take root and express itself in our life.  It is one of those thoughts that we must take captive and make obedient to the word and will of God.  It is also something we must be warned of — when we grow in the Act of SERVE, others will envy the results that are provided by God.  Knowing it is coming will not keep it at bay but it should help us to rest in our relationship with God and break the power that envy has over us.  When the religious leaders saw the results of God working through Stephen’s Act of SERVE, envy settled in and grew to great hatred and animosity expressed toward Stephen.  When you set out to grow in the Act of SERVE, you must be on guard against envy by being prepared and allowing God to give you the confidence to stand firm in your relationship with Him.

So, how are you doing in living out and growing in the Act of SERVE?  Do you spend time with God noticing the Shortages, Enlisting the help of others, trusting God for the Results, seeing everything with the Vision of Christ, and guarding yourself against Envy from within and without?  I pray that the act of SERVE expressed through your life will boldly show the world that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior!

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The Act of FEAR (Acts 5)

The fear of God can be a very confusing topic as modern Christianity has done its best to make its version of the gospel more appealing and user-friendly.  We focus on the love of God, even at times to the exclusion of His sovereignty.  God tells us in Proverbs that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom.  Sometimes learning the lesson of the fear of the Lord can be painful and costly.  Such was the case in the New Testament church as it began to grow from infancy to maturity.

As we reach Acts 5 in our sermon series, we find a couple whose lack of fear of the Lord cost them their lives and their example caused great fear to grip the church and all those who heard what had happened.  So, how do we know if we’re growing in a healthy fear of the Lord?  Let’s look at some things that went wrong, and right, in Acts 5 as we learn how to grow in our fear of the Lord.

  • Falsehood:  How much value do you put on truth?  Really?  How do you know?  Would an examination of your actions reveal the same value on truth that your words would say or would your deeds tell a different story?  Ananias and Sapphira hatch a plot that seems to have no benefit other than to perhaps make themselves look better in the eyes of people.  Upon questioning, Peter makes it clear that there was no requirement for them to sell their property, no requirement to give all, or any, of the proceeds once the property was sold.  Their sin wasn’t in keeping back some of the proceeds, it was in giving an impression that was different from reality.  A genuine fear of the Lord requires that we see falsehood as more than “little white lies”, but as the deadly sin that it is in God’s view.
  • Exposure:  I have often heard it said that if God dealt with sin in the church today as He did with Ananias and Sapphira, the church would be full of straight-living Christians.  Unfortunately, while that’s a good thought, I think the church would be pretty empty as most of us would be dead!  Sometimes it is the fear of exposure more than the fear of God that keeps us making right choices.  While intellectually we probably don’t believe it, our actions often say quite loudly that we don’t really think God sees or knows our every action.  When questioned separately, Sapphira had the opportunity to “come clean” and confess her sin, which was already known, yet chose to hold fast to the deadly deception.  God gives us the opportunity to come clean and confess our sins to Him who is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  This voluntary exposure gives us a clean slate before God so that when our deeds are exposed at the final judgement, the sin in our life need not be exposed before God because it has been washed clean in the blood of Jesus!  The fear of the Lord ought to drive us to voluntary exposure where we confess our sins and receive forgiveness that only God can offer.
  • Accusation:  Living a godly life does not exempt you from accusation.  As a matter of fact, satan is the master accuser and the more you seek to live a life pleasing to God, the more he will attack you with one accusation after another.  Sometimes we live as if our fear of accusation against us is greater than our fear of the Lord.  After the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira, fear gripped the entire church yet the apostles continued to preach and teach publicly with great boldness.  Even when jailed, and released by an angel of the Lord, they kept on doing what God had commanded them.  How often is a simple accusation against us enough to keep us quiet?  Are we confident of the message and command God has given us?  A genuine fear of the Lord says that I must obey God rather than men even when the accusations hit hard.
  • Rejoicing:  Life is hard!  Living life as a Christian can be hard as well!  It seems that sometimes we forget that or we think that God ought to smooth everything out for us.  Paul writes and tell us, “Rejoice in the Lord always!  I will say it again, Rejoice!”.  He does so because God knows we need that reminder because things get tough in life.  The end of Acts 5 tells us that the apostles left the meeting of the Sanhedrin rejoicing.  Must have been a nice peaceful meeting where everyone was getting along with each other, right?  Oh, wait, there’s more!  The previous verse tells us the apostles were flogged and ordered to speak no longer in the name of Jesus — not quite the action that we would think should bring about rejoicing.  Yet here they were, rejoicing that they were counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the name of Jesus!  A real fear of the Lord causes us to rejoice at every opportunity to be identified with Jesus — even when that opportunity is in suffering.

So, how is the act of FEAR being expressed both in and through your life?  Are you putting off Falsehood, voluntarily Exposing yourself to God through confession, living life so that the Accusations against you have no place to stick, and are you Rejoicing that your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life?  I pray that the act of FEAR brings great knowledge and wisdom to you and to many others through you.

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The Act of BOLD (Acts 4)

It is hard for me to read the book of Acts without being overwhelmed by the sheer boldness that is shown by the Apostles and Christians represented on its pages!  It is nearly impossible to miss the power of God at work as the disciples are transformed from a small group huddled together in fear in a small upper room following the crucifixion of Jesus to bold preachers of the gospel of Jesus with disciples numbering over five thousand by Acts chapter 4.

It seems that a missing quality in the lives of many Christians and churches today is the act of BOLD that made the early church come alive with power.  We have too often bought into a politically correct, soft-spoken acceptance of any way is as good as any other.  Following the act of healing found in Acts 3, we are able to see some critical elements to living with The Act of BOLD as we look at Acts 4!  Here are some bold characteristics we should cultivate in our life.

  • Bold Belief:  The religious leaders of the day were “greatly disturbed” because Peter and John were teaching and proclaiming the bold belief that Jesus had resurrected from the dead.  This bold belief did two thing — it got them thrown in jail by the leaders and it drew more followers to the ways of Jesus.  When you act with a bold belief, there will be some who are troubled by your belief and seek to discredit you or even do you harm.  That is part of the price  you pay for a bold belief that will lift up Jesus and draw others to Him.  Does your bold belief make it clear in your life that Jesus has the power to change you?  You cannot expect to bring change into the lives of people by sharing the gospel if your belief in Jesus hasn’t changed you!
  • Bold Obedience:  Another quality that I see in Peter and John that seems to often be missing today is a bold obedience to the authority of Jesus!  When you truly have a bold belief, there will be many who would like to silence you and make the gospel of Jesus ineffective.  Peter and John’s response to being commanded to no longer talk about the resurrection of Jesus was that they must obey God rather than man.  Many times we base our definition of right and wrong on our feelings, popular opinion, or what will be least offensive.  Does your bold obedience cause you discomfort as you lovingly stand for God’s Word as ultimate truth?  If bold obedience to God is not a part of you life, you will have great difficulty in seeing the results of obedience to God in others through the message you share!
  • Bold Living:  The bold belief and bold obedience of Peter and John translated into bold living!  When your life is sold out for Jesus Christ, you live with a boldness that understands the power of the resurrection.  Not only did Peter and John express a bold obedience to God when commanded to stop speaking or teaching about Jesus, they prayed for greater opportunities to do the very thing they were told not to.  They lived with a boldness that asked God for an even greater display of His power through more healings, miraculous signs, and wonders.  Their request was for the ability to speak with an even greater boldness.  Does your bold living ask God for more opportunities in and through you life for His power to be displayed?  If bold living is not a part of your life, you will struggle to make an eternal impact in the lives of any who are watching your actions and listening to your words!
  • Bold Decisions:  Ultimately, the act of bold ought to lead us to bold decisions!  Even in the face of persecution, we see the number of people making the bold decision to follow the way of Jesus growing from the 3000 who were baptized in Acts 2 to over 5000 in Acts 4 as people respond to the message of the resurrection that Peter and John are sharing.  The chapter ends with the reporting of the bold decision of believers to share whatever they had that could be a benefit to other believers.  In a culture so obsessed with obtaining more and more stuff, it is a very bold decision to accurately evaluate what is excess and voluntarily give away anything that could help a brother or sister in Christ.  Do your bold decisions go against the status quo and acknowledge God as provider and owner of all that you possess?  If fear and selfishness keep you from making bold decisions, you will likely never help the people who God has put in your life to be helped by you!

So, how is the act of BOLD being expressed both in and through your life?  Are you sharing a bold Belief, a bold Obedience, a bold Living, and a bold Decision as you encounter Jesus and the people He brings across your path?  I pray that the act of BOLD brings great transformation to you and to many others through you.

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The Act of HEALing (Acts 3)

You don’t have to look far to find someone in need of healing.  If we consider all the types of aches, pains, sickness, and brokenness that exists, it shouldn’t take long to realize that each of us need to experience healing on a regular basis.  The good news is that God can heal the innermost parts of a person in ways we would never expect and never even realize we needed!

In keeping with my acrostic method, I titled the Acts 3 sermon, “The Act of HEAL”, but that was just grammatically awkward even for a title. 🙂  So I modified it for this article to “The Act of HEALing”.

Acts chapter three has two main parts — the story of a man who is healed and the explanation that the act was only astonishing because the people refused to acknowledge the power of God revealed through his son, Jesus.  As we consider this chapter, I want us to look at four components that made the act of healing possible or overflowed into life as a result of this man’s healing.

  • Heart:  Foundational to us receiving genuine healing, or us sharing such healing with others, is the act of an open heart.  In explaining why people would not understand and accept his teaching, Jesus quoted from Isaiah in saying, “For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.”  (Matthew 13:15)  Our heart must be open to the working of God and His Spirit in our life.  We must also open our heart to see people as God sees them.  When we close our heart we fail to see people who are in need of God’s healing.  Peter and John approached the temple with hearts open to God and in doing so noticed a man in need.  The act of an open heart aligns our eyes with Jesus and we begin to see people in need of healing as He sees them.
  • Expectation:  The act of expectation can mire us in the mud of brokenness, settle us in the dust of average, or propel us beyond the ceiling of possible!  When Jesus encountered a man in need of healing in John 5 he asks the man, “Do you want to get well?”.  What do you expect from an encounter with Jesus?  What should people expect when they encounter Jesus through you?  Do you fail to even see the possibility of healing because you don’t expect it?  Do you fail to offer the real gift of healing to others because they expect something less?  The man Peter and John encountered was expecting money, food, or some small act of kindness.  While they did not have the ability to give any of those things, they saw beyond the expectation and offered the healing power of Jesus.  The act of expectation must reach new levels as we expect God can bring true healing to all in need.
  • Amazing:  Have you ever had an encounter with someone who made you say, “Wow!  That was amazing!”?  These amazing moments usually come when your expectations are exceeded.  When I began working at the camp we had an oft-repeated slogan, “and then some”.  The idea was that we would do our best to meet expectations . . . and then some.  Our goal was the “Wow!” factor.  We wanted our campers and guests to have an amazing experience.  How about your encounter with Jesus?  Do you live like it is amazing?  How about your interactions with people each day?  Are they amazed at how much you talk and act like Jesus?  People took notice of a formerly crippled man they had probably passed by day after day without a second thought because his life had an amazing encounter with the power of Jesus.  The act of amazing in our life ought to make the healing power of Jesus attractive to all who see us.
  • Leaping:  There is something about unexpected excitement that tends to make people jump for joy.  From sporting event victories to solving game show puzzles, people from all walks of life do a lot of leaping.  The man in the text was leaping and praising God because it was the best expression of the act of healing he had received from God.  What does the act of leaping look like in your life?  If you have experienced the healing power of God you ought to be leaping for joy in ways that are noticeable to your neighbors, co-workers, friends, and family.  Perhaps we don’t leap so much because we have forgotten how much we’ve been healed.  The act of leaping expresses our joy of receiving the healing of God in our life.

So, how is the act of HEALing being expressed both in and through your life?  Are you living out the act of Heart, Expectation, Amazing, and Leaping as you encounter Jesus and the people He brings across your path?  I pray that the act of HEALing brings great joy to you and to many others through you.

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The Act of CHANGE (Acts 2)

There are many jokes about change because as much as we like to think others need to change, most of us are much more resistant to the idea of change when it involves us!  Last week we looked at the Act of WAIT which prepared the disciples, and should prepare us, for the CHANGE that we see in Acts chapter two.

It is important to note an often overlooked detail of the events in Acts 2 — the crowd that the apostles are in the midst of is described as God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven!  Yes, even those who believe in God, who fear God, need to hear the message of God from time to time in ways that call them to change!

Acts chapter two has all kinds of lessons in it for us as individuals and for us as the church — the body of Christ.  Here are six components that I see which contributed to, or resulted from, the change that takes place in many lives from that day until now.

  • Correction:  Sometimes we need to gently and accurately correct the perception of others before we have any hope of them listening to the truth.  Other times we must have our perception corrected before we can begin to make necessary changes.  In Acts 2, the perception of some of the crowd was that the apostles were drunk.  Instead of being offended, Peter steps up and addresses the crowd based on their view of authority!  Remember, this crowd was God-fearing Jews.  Peter met them where they were and corrected their perception with scripture that they would have held as authoritative.  The act of Correction should bring us, or those listening to us, to a point of recognized authority.
  • Hearing:  Once we reach a point of recognized authority, the next step is hearing what that authority has to say.  How often do we resist change because we are not willing to hear what is being said?  This is a version of the old, “I know what the Bible says, but . . .”.  We may know what God says in his Word, but if we’re not doing it then we’re not really hearing what he has to say!  This hearing is a two-way street — we must take the time to really hear those we are sharing the gospel of Jesus with just as much as they need to hear the message.  The act of Hearing ought to connect us with our listener and our listener with God.
  • Accepting:  The intended result of the correction and hearing is the accepting of the message of change — in the case of Acts 2, the message of salvation.  James tells us that we ought to not simply be hearers of God’s Word, we ought to do what it says!  Accepting a message that calls us to change means that we will change.  We don’t know the exact size of the crowd that had gathered in Jerusalem but we do know that about three thousand of them accepted the message and were baptized that day!  Many others were corrected and may have even heard, but the real change didn’t take place until the message was accepted.  The act of accepting call us to respond to the message of truth with the appropriate action of change.
  • Noticing:  When real change takes place, we begin to notice things from a different point of view.  We may claim to be changed, but how often do we not notice the people around us?  While the message and response of salvation gets most of our attention in chapter two, the story doesn’t stop there.  As a result of the change in their life, people begin noticing that others are in genuine need and hurting.  While the needs of Christians increase greatly soon after this due to persecution, at this point the needs that exist are the same needs that existed unnoticed the day before.  When we accept the act of change in our life, we ought to notice that people really are hurting and genuine needs really do exist.  The act of noticing takes our eyes off of ourself and causes us to look toward the interests of others.
  • Giving:  Just as accepting ought to be the expected outcome of correction and hearing, giving should be the natural response to noticing.  John warns us that if we notice a brother or sister in need and have no pity on them, how can the love of God truly be in us?  The first act of giving is the giving of ourself, our everything, to God.  It is this change in our life that helps us to give to the needs we notice.  We realize we are stewards, managers of God’s possessions, and we give out of his abundance not out of our means.  These early believers in Acts 2 not only noticed the needs of other believers, they gave freely to any who had need.  The act of giving acknowledges that all the stuff in our life belongs to God and it is His to use in meeting the needs of everyone.
  • Eternity:  The act of change that makes a real difference is the one that impacts where a person spends eternity.  This is why the other components of CHANGE are so important.  Change for the sake of change isn’t all that significant.  Sometime it can be a good thing to break us out of our comfort zone and other times it can be so distracting and upsetting that it is harmful.  The change that matters is change that aligns us more fully with the will and word of God — change that molds us more fully into the image of Christ.  The act of eternity causes us to see the hardships of this life as momentary troubles that are preparing us for the eternal reward that is waiting for all who call upon the name of the Lord and are saved.

So, how many parts of this act of CHANGE is God calling you to work on?  I pray that we see the act of Correction, Hearing, Accepting, Noticing, Giving, and Eternity from God’s perspective and we eagerly accept his act of change in our life.