The Crippled Begger Series

Acts 3:1-10

The Crippled Beggar

Introduction

A. In the 1990’s everybody wanted to be like Mike

B. Like Mike if I could be like mike

C. Mike obviously referring to Michael Jordan

D. And why not, he was the best player in the NBA

E. Made some amazing shots

F. Led his team to 6 titles

G. Good looking

H. Every time your turned on the TV you saw a Michael Jordan add

I. He had is own shoe

J. His own clothing line

K. He had it all

L. So everybody wanted to be like Mike

M. However, most people just wanted to wake up one morning and be like Mike

N. They did not want to do the things that it took Michael Jordan to become Michael Jordan

O. Many people tell me that they want to be like the New Testament Church, to do the things that the first church did, to experience what the people in Acts experienced

P. Maybe it is possible

Q. Maybe we can get back to functioning like the Church did in the book of Acts

R. Today we are going to look at Peter and John healing a crippled beggar and we are going to find out how it relates to our church today

S. The first thing we notice is that Peter and John lived a:

I. Consistent Life (1-2)

A. Explanation

1. This was a little bit after Pentecost

2. Pentecost was a physically, spiritually and emotionally draining experience

a) When I am at Edinboro I get the spiritually emotionally and physically drained feel

b) You put everything that you have and you are just drained

3. Because this was shortly after Pentecost, I am sure that peter and John were Tired

4. But I want you to notice what they did

5. They were going to the temple to pray

6. I am sure that they wanted to stay at home

7. Get some rest, and just not be bothered with all of that

8. I mean didn’t they do enough for the Lord, didn’t they give enough already?

9. But Peter and John went

10. They wanted to make sure that they were living a consistent life

B. Application

11. How can we apply this to our lives?

12. We all get tired

13. We all get worn out

14. But that is not a reason to get out of a pattern of consistent living

a) Of going to church, going to prayer meeting

b) Reading the Bible

c) Praying

d) All the things that we need to be doing to maintain spiritual Growth

15. “It just doesn’t feel the same as it did when God moved in a powerful way at (fill in the blank”

16. Your right, it does not feel the same

17. Your right, you experienced something amazing, something you will never forget

18. I just don’t feel the same as I did at (fill in your blank again) as I do at Church

19. Here is Peter and John, they were just part of the greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit ever recorded

20. I am sure they were get off the emotional high of the event, but they kept a consistent life

21. Some days you are not going to “feel” anything when you are reading your Bible

22. Some days you are not going to “sense God’s presence” when you are prayer

23. Some days you are not going to see the “power of the Spirit” at church

24. That does not give us any reason to not do what we should be doing

25. Consistency is the key

C. Illustration

26. August 5, 1992 anyone know what happened that day? That was the morning after God called me to be a Pastor

27. The night before was amazing, a lot of people “felt the Presence of God”

28. A lot of people dealt with a lot of issues

29. Our custom was to get up in the morning and have a prayer time, prayer meeting, what ever you want to call it

30. On August 5, 1992 we had a considerable change in attendance, we were down drastically

31. There were two people in particular that were not there that I talk to and asked them why?

32. They both gave me an answer something to the effect “Oh now that I dealt with this issue I finally can get some sleep”

33. Over the next couple of years, those two remembered that day, remembered how it felt, a never was able to get back there again

34. Both of them the last I knew are no longer walking with the Lord

35. August 5 is just one day in their inconstant life

36. Days like August 5 continued to be there norm