Just Ordinary Men... But no Ordinary God!
Pastor Glenn Newton
10-16-05
AC 4:13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. 14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. 15 So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. 16 "What are we going to do with these men?" they asked. "Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it. 17 But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name."
AC 4:18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. 20 For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."
AC 4:21 After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.
AC 4:23 On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God.
AC 4:31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Last week I asked you the question, Will you live by Fear? Or will you live by Faith? How many of you decided to live by Faith this last week? Good.
I know some of you have recently made a commitment to start tithing… what a great way to demonstrate a life of Faith and Trust in God…. You will be amazed at how God will bless you as you tithe and trust.
Living by Faith requires us to stay close to the one who will empower our life…. So this morning I want to take you to a scripture that will help us see how living a life of Faith can bring powerful results in our lives…. Even if we are just ordinary men and women.
It’s OK to be just ordinary when your God is Extraordinary… Amen? This last Thursday we had a Missionary here who shared with us some Extraordinary stories of God’s power in the face of danger, in the face of persecution…. Friends when you miss our missionaries when they are here… you miss a great blessing. Rev. West, his message was right along with what we have been talking about…. How God can turn Fear into Faith, how we can take Grasshoppers (Me and You), and help us defeat the Giants in the land.
Lets look at His Word together…. Acts 4:13
AC 4:13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
1. Courage Comes from being with Jesus. v. 13
Have you thought about the transformation that has happened in the life of these disciples? It wasn’t long ago that these disciples were all running away from Jesus when the soldiers came to arrest him. It wasn’t long ago, that Peter was denying Christ to the people in the courtyard, denying that he even knew the man.
It hadn’t been that long ago since the disciples watched Jesus die on the cross, they were afraid, they were confused, and they were hiding behind locked doors waiting for the Romans, the authorities to come and get them next. These disciples don’t sound like extraordinary men do they?
These men and women were in need of a Transformation in their lives… they needed a transplant… a courage transplant. Have you ever wished that you had more courage? Do you read the Bible and think to yourself….. Boy I wish I could respond like that! Lord, Help me to be as courageous as these servants… give me what I need. Have you ever prayed something like that? I have.
The question we need an answer to is what caused this transformation in their lives, what so moved them from being ordinary men who were willing to run when things got hot, to men who would stand before the great Sanhedrin and preach with boldness and courage that defied their heritage and schooling?
One thing that I love about God’s Word is that it always can be applied to my life. The question is, What caused this transformation in their lives…. Where did this courage come from?
Key thought: These men encountered the Risen Savior, Jesus Christ.
These men came in contact with Jesus Christ after he rose from the dead… Jesus Christ spoke to them, ate with them, had fellowship with them…. Continued to teach them what they were going to need to know to carry out the mission.
Can I tell you something this morning? We all need to have this encounter with the Rison Savior! Our lives need to be transformed by the power of God, as we spend time with Jesus Christ, as He talks with us through prayer, as He teaches us through His Word and through His Church, as He disciplines us through our personal time with Him, and through our fellowship with one another.
Friends, if we are to have the courage that it will take to have influence on our world, we need to spend time with Jesus, we need to allow His power to be continuously transforming our lives… so that we are becoming more and more like Him… More and more like Christ in our attitudes… in our actions… in our words… in our service to others… in our everyday life.
This transforming power comes from having personal encounters with Jesus Christ, the resurrected King.
Did you come here this morning expecting to have an encounter with Jesus Christ? He has brought you here just for that reason, He wants to get personal with you… but you have to invite Him into that kind of relationship… He won’t push his way into your life. Have you invited Him into you life? You can today, He’s waiting and He has the transforming power to change you from the inside out… You won’t be the same person… just like these fishermen… they turned into great leaders for the church, because they allowed the Risen Savior to empower them for His service… what about you?
I know I’m not satisfied with where I am today, I need Jesus more today than I ever have? How about you?
Courage comes from being with Jesus.
2. When God’s people live like Jesus, Miracles happen. AC 4:18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. 20 For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."
AC 4:21 After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened.
When we live for Christ, in His power, in His Will… I believe that His power will be demonstrated through our lives and in the lives of others. God is a miracle worker, He allows miracles to take place so that the Father will receive the glory.
Let me tell you, some of you are miracles of God’s Grace. You are living examples of what God can do with a persons life when it’s given over 100%.. Amen? Who would have ever guessed that some of you would be involved in the church today? Nobody. Right? God can do what no man can fathom….
As Christians we need to follow Peter and John’s example, and no matter what kind of pressure comes our way, no matter what kind of temptation comes our way to compromise our beliefs, to compromise our relationship with God, to compromise our faith, or our promises…. We need to stand up strong and remember who we are who we belong too, who we represent…. And say, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” In other words…. We are not going back. We live by Faith.
Have you experienced a miracle in your life? Have you seen it happen in the lives of others? I have. If you will live for Him, believe in Him, put your faith in Him, you will be in miracle working territory… and you will see with your own eyes what only God can do.
1. Courage comes from being with Jesus.
2. When we live for Christ, Miracles will happen.
3. When God’s people pray, God’s Power is unleashed. AC 4:23 On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God.
AC 4:31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
One of my favorite illustrations about God’s Power being unleashed through the prayer of His people.
Jim Cymballa, pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, who has written the book,
“Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire” tells a personal story of the power of prayer.
He said, “I was alone in Florida when I received a call from a minister whom I had
persuaded Chrissy (Jim’s daughter) to talk to.
“Jim’, he said, “I love you and your wife, but truth of the matter is, Chrissy’s going
to do what Chrissy’s going to do. You really don’t have much choice, now that she’s 18.
She’s determined. Your going to have to accept whatever she decides.”
I hung up the phone. Something very deep within me began to cry out. “Never”.
I will never accept Chrissy being away from the Lord!” I knew that if she continued on
the present path, there would be nothing but destruction awaiting her.
There came a divine showdown. God strongly impressed me to stop crying,
screaming, or talking to anyone else about Chrissy. I was to converse with no one but
God. In fact, I knew I should have no further contact with Chrissy --- Until God acted. I
was just to believe and obey what I had preached so often----
“Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will answer you.”
Jim said, I dissolved in a flood of tears, I knew I had to let go of this situation.
Back home in New York, I began to pray with an intensity and growing faith as never
before. Whatever bad news I would recieve about Chrissy, I kept interceding and actually
began praising God for what I knew he would do soon. I made no attempts to see her.
Carol and I endured the Christmas season with real sadness. I was pathetic, sitting around
trying to open presents with our other two children, without Chrissy.
February came. One cold Teusday night during the prayer meeting, I talked from
Acts 4 about the church boldly calling on God in the face of persecution. We entered into
a time of prayer, everyone reaching out to the Lord in concert together.
An usher handed me a note. A young women whom I felt to be spiritually
sensitive had written: “Pastor Cymbala, I feel impressed that we should stop the meeting
and all pray for your daughter.”
I hesitated. Was it right to change to flow of the service and focus on my personal
need?
Yet something in the note seemed to ring true. In a few minutes I picked up the
microphone and told the congregation what had just happened. “The truth of the matter,”
I said, “although I haven’t talked much about it, is that my daughter is very far from God
these days. She thinks up is down, and down is up; dark is light, and light is dark. But I
know God can break through to her, and so I’m going to ask Pastor Boekstaaf to lead us
in praying for Chrissy. Let’s all join hands across the sanctuary.”
As my associate began to lead the people, I stood behind him with my hand on his
back. My tear ducts had run dry, but I prayed as best I knew.
To describe what happened in the next minutes, I can only employ a metaphor:
The church turned into a labor room. The sounds of women giving birth are not pleasant,
but the results are wonderful. Paul knew this when he wrote, “My dear children, for
whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you....”
There arose a groaning... a sense of desperate determination, as if to say, “Satan,
you will not have this girl. Take your hands off her ... she’s coming back!” I was
overwhelmed. The force of that vast throng calling on God almost literally knocked me
over.
When I got home that night, Carol was waiting up for me. We sat at the kitchen
table drinking coffee, and I said, “It’s over.”
What’s over?” she wondered.
“It’s over with Chrissy. You would have had to be in the prayer meeting tonight.
I tell you, if there’s a God in heaven, this whole nightmare is finally over.” I described
what had taken place.
32 hours later, on Thursday morning, as I was shaving, Carol suddenly burst
through the door, her eyes wide. “Go downstairs!” she blurted. “Chrissy’s here.”
“Chrissy’s here?” “Yes, Go down!” “Just God down, she urged, “It’s you she
wants to see.”
I wiped off the shaving cream and headed down the stairs, my heart pounding.. As
I came around the corner, I saw my daughter on the kitchen floor, rocking on her hands
and knees, sobbing. Cautiously I spoke to her name:
“Chrissy?”
She grabbed my pant leg and began pouring out her anguish..... “Daddy... Daddy.... I’ve
sinned against God. I’ve sinned against myself. I’ve sinned against you and Mommy.
Please forgive me...”
My vision was clouded by tears .... I pulled her up from the floor and held her close as we
cried together.
“Suddenly she drew back. Daddy, Who was praying for me? Who was praying
for me? Her voice was like that of a cross-examining attorney.
“What do you mean, Chrissy?”
ON TUESDAY NIGHT, DADDY -- WHO WAS PRAYING FOR ME?” I didn’t say
anything, so she went on.
“In the middle of the night, God woke me up and showed me I was heading
toward this abyss. There was no bottom to it.... it scared me to death. I was so
frightened. I realized how hard I’ve been, how wrong, who rebellious.
“But at the same time, it was like God wrapped his arms around me and held me
tight. He kept me from sliding any farther as he said, “I still love you.”
“Daddy, tell me the truth -- who was praying for me Tuesday night?”
Jim Cymbala said, I looked into her bloodshot eyes, and once again I recognized the
daughter we had raised.
Chrissy’s return to the Lord became evident immediately. By that fall, God had
opened a miraculous door for her to enroll at a Bible college, today she’s a Pastor’s wife
in the midwest with three wonderful children
What or who are you praying for? Do you realize that we have a God who can do the impossible?
Are you living the transformed life… a life being changed by the Risen Lord? You can, if you will invite Him into your life… He will come.
Let’s close in prayer to the one who can answer.
