The Power of a Changed Life
Useful or Useless? Your Choice!
Acts 3:1-10
Turn in your Bibles to Acts 3:1-10. We come today to the 5th message in this preaching series titled The Power of Changed Life.
Acts 3:1-10
One of the men God used in the 19th century was D.L. Moody. He was not a pastor, not a great teacher but he was a perfect example of a person whose availability was much greater than his actual ability. No question about it, he is a picture of the power of a changed life. Moody was born in 1837 to a very poor family. His Dad had died at age 41 leaving the family in great poverty. In fact it was so bad that the bank came and took everything they had. All they had were the clothes on their back. When their mother took them to church she had them go barefoot until they got close to the church so that they wouldn’t wear out their shoes walking on the street. Then when their mother got close enough, they were allowed to put their shoes and socks on and walk into the church.
But D.L. Moody became a very successful businessman. He was one of the top shoe salesmen in the country. Moody became interested in the church and wanted to join. But he was so illiterate that he failed the new member’s class. Listen I don’t know anyone that has happened to. So he came back a year later and this time they let him join. But they still said we believe you are really lacking in the things of God.
But he surprised them and said I’m going to sell my business..he was 30 years old and i am going to go to work for God full time telling people about Jesus. One of the first time he ever spoke in church a man in the church came up to afterwards and said Moody I think you can best serve God by remaining silent the rest of your life. Another man came up and said you have offended me today with your poor grammar. D.L. Moody looked back at him and said, “I realize my grammar is very poor. He said to him you seem to have good grammar don’t you? He said yes I have very good grammar. Moody then looked at him and said well what are you doing for God. Enough said.
Moody was in Ireland when he heard someone speak these words: the world has yet to see what God will do with man who is fully committed to him. Moody said let’s see...he said a man...he didn’t say a great man. He didn’t say a smart man. So Moody said I’ll be that man! It is believed that Moody shared his faith with more people than any other man in his day. He was the Billy Graham of his generation.
Here is the question I want you to think about this morning. What kind of person does God really use? In this passage today Peter and John are going to the to pray. It is 3:00 in the afternoon. It occurs to me that the first thing God looks for to decide how he will use them is this...God looks for people who are doing the right things. V. 1
It is significant that as we walk through these early chapters in Acts that we find john and Peter together. God has linked them together in a partnership. John is actually ministering to Peter. They are going to the church to pray. They are doing the right thing. I don’t think that it is difficult to notice that God uses some people but not everyone. I think there are two keys here. (1) availability. Have you opened up your life to God in such a way that he can see that you are available. (2) Not just through your words but through your actions. I hear people say I want more than anything for God to use me. I want to be fully committed to Christ but it’s all lip service. Here’s some good news. If you want God to use you then you make yourself available to do the right things. That’s what Peter and John were doing and that’s what we must do.
2. God looks for people who are willing to be interrupted. God uses people who love people more than anything else in life. Even in the midst of a busy schedule they are willing to be interrupted. V. 2-3.
Peter and John are about to get to the door of the temple/church. Just about to pray and this man interrupts them. Let me ask you? Are you a goal oriented person or a people person? People who are goal oriented have to learn a very difficult lesson. Be flexible. Be spontaneous. Why? Because God uses people who put people first. As a church we are in the people business. Our vision is to enlarge the size of heaven by taking as many people as possible with us.
Do you ever run into people who don’t like people? Like Charley Brown says “you know, I love mankind, it’s just people I can’t stand.” In case this is a new thought for you, Jesus died for people. People are the only thing on earth that will be rescued. Everything else will vanish and pass away. New heaven. New earth. But the same people. That’s what Jesus died for. So when God places someone in your path, let God interrupt your schedule.
3. God uses people who pay attention to the needs of others. V. 4 They were interrupted, they looked at him and immediately knew what his greatest need was. Here is an important truth for us. Givers are not people with fewer needs than others. They are just people who have decided that it is more of a blessing to give than to receive. Givers never concentrate on themselves, they concentrate on other people. I mean think about what Peter and John could have said: this guy says I need your help. They say you know we would love to help you but right now we’re going to church. People like that are so heavenly minded they are of no earthly good.
Or can’t you see Peter and John say hey I know have a need. Bless you. We’ll go in and pray for you.
James 2:14-17.
Or they could have looked at each other and said why is it that every time we come to church we have to do all the work around here? Ask someone else. Peter and John could have said hey this is a big church...let someone else do it.
Or they could have said you know every time I go to this church someone is asking for money. But they said none of those things because they were givers.
4. God uses people who are willing to use what they have. V. 4-5. You see in life there are givers and there are takers. It has nothing to do with money. It has everything to do with what you give and what you take in life. We enjoy being around people who are givers because they contribute to our lives. They make us better people.
Now in v. 6 Peter says I do not possess silver and gold however what I do have I will give to you. You see givers always find a way to give. You can’t keep a giver from giving. They will find a way.
5. Finally God uses people who realize their source for absolutely everything is God. V. 6. I don’t have silver and gold but what I do have I give to you in the name of Jesus. 3 things to notice here.
(1) God’s power. He has the ability to give us anything. Cattle on a thousand hills. Hills too.
(2) God’s provision. Not only does God have the ability; He has the desire. He wants to provide for us.
(3) God’s partnership. God is the creator. We are the vessel/the channel. God pours it in. We pour it out. We pass it on. And whenever we think we can do it alone we are in big trouble. When we begin to think we are the source we will fail.
6. God uses people who realize that he deserves the glory. It’s all about Him.
Let me ask you the same question that was put to D.L. Moody years ago. Will you be that man or woman? Think about it how many people do you cross paths with weekly who are asking do you see me here?
Chuck Swindoll tells about a man who went see a counselor because he was very depressed and just couldn’t snap out of it. So he said to the man, “tonight I want you to go to the circus in town because they have a man who can make anyone feel better. They have a clown named the Great Rinaldi; he is the funniest clown I’ve ever seen. Whenever I go to see the Great Rinaldi it always lifts my spirits. The man said you don’t understand doctor I am the Great Rinaldi. We do not know what those around us may be experiencing. Depression, hurt, bitterness, pain but if we want God to use us he will. The world is full of people like this but if you have Christ in your life then you can make a difference. If God has made a difference in your life then you can make a difference in the lives of others.
