The church turned the world upside down. They went from a small band, to being all over the roman empire by the year 200. How?
3 things:
1. They were shaken by the world;
2. They were shaken by God;
3. They shook the world
I. Shaken by the world
How do you get in a position where you shake the world and it does not shake you?
(V. 23) "When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them."
What had they said? (V.29) they had been threatened.
What can civil authorities do? They can take away freedom, property, take away life, take away family.
Life, wealth, family, and love, and freedom. Because of these threats, they were visibly shaken.
How do we know this? Because in verse 29 they pray for boldness, because they were scared.
You don’t pray for boldness unless you are scared and thus immobilized. Their lives were being shaken. But as they prayed, they came to understand the true problem. They understand why they are so shaken. It was not the civil authorities alone; it was the world itself.
They don’t pray against the civil authorities, or their circumstances, but just for boldness. Something more fundamental is needed--they need a boldness that goes beyond their circumstances. They want to be unshakable, no matter what the circumstances.
The reason we don’t have greatness of heart is because we are trying to stop the world from shaking. When we pray to get into a certain grad school, or get a certain job, or house, our a type of success, we are often trying to stop the world from shaking. But the world is always shaking, no matter how we try to get it to stop.
Who would have thought the soviet union would be gone? What about the British Empire on which the sun would "never set?"
Every civilization will fall apart. Every corporation will fall apart. You are falling apart... Mountains are falling apart...
Our problem is not the authorities, or your boss, or a friend. It is life--everything is shaken.
[Example about returning from Africa to a dead starter in the truck, a rear-ended Suburban, and awful side effects from malarone.]
Also, the church is being shaken financially. You are being shaken financially and in other ways.
II. Shaken by God
(v.23) "When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them."
The first thing they did was return to their own people, their community, to pray. When tough times hit, they ran to the support of their community.
Do you do this? Or do you drop out for a while?
Second, They realized they could not keep the world from shaking. They realized that some things are unshakable. Even though they are threatened by the Sanhedrin, they realize there is a higher power.
Their first word in prayer is "sovereign Lord." There is a higher throne.
He is also the Creator of heaven and earth and the sea (v. 24.) He has created the foundations on which we stand.
He is the God of history, over all kings.
They quote Psalm 2:1-2
"Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,"
(Psalm 2:6) "As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill."
There are some things that are fixed.
Psalm 103: 15-17
"As for man, his days are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children,"
What is it that is not shaken? The word of God, the Love of God, the promise of God. These last forever.
(1 Cor. 15:58)
"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."
There is something on which the sun will not set.
Some of you are being shaken. Don’t look at the circumstances and say that is the problem. The problem is much deeper. He is shaking you to teach you what can’t be shaken.
Their prayer is that their hearts will be grounded.
After their prayer....
(V. 31) "And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness."
After a response to their prayer, they were shaken.
Exodus 19
Acts 2
Judges 5
The earth shakes when God is present. Why?
To prove he is greater than the world and its circumstances. God is more solid than anything else, even mountains which are the safest place to be.
When God comes down we discern his presence and we see he is the real thing through the Holy Spirit.
An earthquake in our heart and mind.
Here is how you can tell if you are a Christian or just a moral, religious person:
Have you had this experience? Have you realized that God is more important than anything else? If this has never riveted you, then you should wonder.
Have you had the "God quake" and the realization that something greater has come down into your life?
To the extent that this has happened to you, you won’t be scared.
The more the place is shaken, the less the world will shake you.
But the more the world shakes you, the less God has shaken you.
This is a test.
How can anyone be that certain that God loves them that much? How can you be certain?
Matthew 27: 50-54:
’And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, "Truly this was the Son of God!" ’
The curtain was torn and the earth shook. Why? Something was coming down that was heavier than the earth. God came down in justice.
Why is the world falling apart?
The justice of God that was making the world fall apart came crashing down on Jesus.
How heavy was that?
Some of you have families, jobs falling apart. But Jesus understands.
In the garden he felt himself coming apart. And there was an earthquake.
But there was a second earthquake:
(Matthew 28:1) "Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb"
Why?
"Deep magic." His love is greater than the earth. The shaking of Christ shakes the earth.
When we believe in Jesus, the judgment of God can’t shake us.
Jesus was shaken to pieces so we won’t have to be. If we know this, we won’t be shaken.
III. Shake the world
"That made them more unshaken" said Chrysostom.
They were made bold to speak the word of God. But it also made them bold in living.
So many people preach the next section as a separate teaching but it really is connected.
(V. 32-35)
"Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need"
They became radically generous. The phrase, "great grace was upon them all" can be interpreted as "a wonderful spirit of generosity." Their courage makes them generous.
They were in unity; one heart and mind. (4:32)
People don’t give, because they lack courage.
The Old Testament saints gave away 22%. This is "whatever it takes" giving.
Why don’t we give like this? We are scared.
They were not scared. They did not look to money for security, but wanted to put it into the imperishable.
We are too scared. We find our security in our money. But if we put it into the spread of the Kingdom it will last forever.
Our money burns up... But what we give lasts forever.
We need to be liberated from our fears, so we can give.
1. We have to identify our real problem: that the world will not stop shaking.
2. We have to be shaken by God.
3. Then we will have the courage to shake the world.
