How to unleash god¡¦s power
in your life
Acts Series: ¡§Completely Irreligious, Yet Radically Christian¡¨ Part 27
Pastor Jeff Christopherson
July 20, 2003
Acts 16:9-40
6 WAYS TO TAP INTO GOD¡¦S POWER:
1. Follow God¡¦s Vision:
(Do the Last Thing that God said to you.)
¡§During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ¡§Come over to Macedonia and help us.¡¨ After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.¡¨ Acts 16:9-10
2. Release God¡¦s Message:
(Allow the Good News to Travel.)
¡§On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul¡¦s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized¡K¡¨ Acts 16:13-15a
a) Take the Initiative.
b) Find a Common Ground.
c) Let God do the Convincing.
d) Let the Good News travel through Relationships.
1. Follow God¡¦s Vision:
2. Release God¡¦s Message:
3. Practice Godly Hospitality:
(Be set free from the Performance Trap.)
¡§¡Kshe invited us to her home. ¡§If you consider me a believer in the Lord,¡¨ she said, ¡§come and stay at my house.¡¨ And she persuaded us.¡¨ Acts 16:15b
1. Follow God¡¦s Vision:
2. Release God¡¦s Message:
3. Practice Godly Hospitality:
4. Identify ¡¥Anti-God¡¦ Strongholds:
(Be aware of the Demonic Sources of influence.)
¡§Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, ¡§These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.¡¨ She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, ¡§In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!¡¨ At that moment the spirit left her.¡¨ Acts 16:16-18
¡§At that time if anyone says to you, ¡¥Look, here is the Christ!¡¦ or, ¡¥Look, there he is!¡¦ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect¡Xif that were possible. So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.¡¨ Mark 13:21-23
5. Find Freedom through Authentic Worship:
(Allow Jesus to transcend your Circumstances.)
The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks¡K
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody¡¦s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, ¡§Don¡¦t harm yourself! We are all here!¡¨
The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, ¡§Sirs, what must I do to be saved?¡¨ They replied, ¡§Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved¡Xyou and your household.¡¨ Acts 16:22-30
1. Follow God¡¦s Vision:
2. Release God¡¦s Message:
3. Practice Godly Hospitality:
4. Identify ¡¥Anti-God¡¦ Strongholds:
5. Find Freedom through Authentic Worship:
6. Resist Spiritual Intimidation:
(Defend our rights of Religious Freedom.)
¡§When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: ¡§Release those men.¡¨ The jailer told Paul, ¡§The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.¡¨
But Paul said to the officers: ¡§They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.¡¨
The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city.¡¨ Acts 16:35-39
Scripture passages from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Home Church Discussion Guide: unleashing God¡¦s power
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. In what types of situations do you feel confident? In what types of situations do you feel insecure? 2. In Acts 16 we see examples of people operating with incredible confidence despite the circumstances ¡V read vs. 9-10 ¡V what is the source of their confidence? Why is this important? 3. In vs. 13-15 we see some keys to unleashing God¡¦s power in evangelism. How would these principles be applied in Oakville? 4. In vs. 16-18 we see an example of a different kind of spirituality. Why do you think Paul reacted as he did? What should we learn from this example? 5. Read vs. 22-30. If you were a bug on the wall, what conclusions would you draw from the experiences of this day? What phrase or though inspires you the most? 6. In vs. 35-39 we see Paul behaving in a way that seems uncharacteristic to someone who understands that suffering is a part of an authentic Christian life. Why do you think Paul responded in the way he did? What should we learn? 7. All of us are in the process of becoming more like Jesus. To that end, which one of these six principles do you need to focus on this week?
㦠2003, Jeff Christopherson, The Sanctuary
