Bob’s Blog

All Jesus-followers are called to obediently wait on God’s timing, developing our dreams and lowering our lives into the basin of God’s richest blessings.

God has been disclosing to us through his Word the fact that Caleb was the boldest dreamer in the Bible.  In The Caleb Quest we are learning that dreams don’t come true by accident.  On the contrary, fulfilled dreams are the result of clear thinking, strong faith, patience and hard work.  It is common for us as Jesus-followers to be born with a desire deep within—a seed, a purpose, a dream, and a promise of something greater.

We understood in our last message that a close look at Caleb’s dream revealed three qualities that excited God and made him want to get involved in Caleb’s pursuits.

Caleb activated God’s desires by his humility

Caleb activated God’s desires by his courage

Caleb activated God’s desires by his loyalty

Catherine Marshall in her book entitled Beyond Ourselves, writes…”In order to fly, the bird must have two wings. One wing is the realization of our human helplessness; the other is the realization of God’s power. Our faith in God’s ability to handle our particular situation is the connecting link.”

We all come to points in our lives where we wonder if our dreams will come true.  Perhaps we wonder what we really want to do. Different things can trigger such a feeling—we may be…

in school looking for a career path,

married looking for things to do around our role as a spouse or a parent,

older looking for either a career change, or for new activities that can excite us and fill our days as well as ourselves, or

in our golden years and feeling a desire to still be productive and useful.

What I have learned through 40 years of ministry is this compelling principle:

Dreams don’t always come true when we want them to.

Life is seasonal.  We experience different seasons of life. Like new chapters in a book that keep the story going, seasons reflect periods of time in our lives. God has seasons—similar to winter, spring, summer, and fall.  We all go through periods when we are either in the deserts, beaches, valleys, or mountains.

Just like life is seasonal, so our dreams are seasonal.

There are sequentially four seasons to a dream:

Summer—when an idea or seed thought begins to grow within our heart and mind.

Fall—when that dream is tested.

Winter—when we wonder what is happening to our dream as it seems to be going nowhere.

Spring—when our dream finally comes true.

As we comprehend God at work in the midst of our dreams, we concentrate mostly on what happens in the seasons of fall and winter. This is the time period between a dream’s conception and its birth.

Paul shared with Titus that he was called to be “an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness.”  Paul writes about God’s season in Titus 1:3…

…and which now at his appointed time through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior.

Basically, Paul was speaking of God’s use of his preaching of the gospel at God’s appointed season, or time. Let’s make no mistake about it—God doesn’t do stuff just on a whim or an impulse.   God’s timing is most often different from our timing, but God always has a plan and a purpose for everything he does or allows.

The apostle Peter writes in 2 Peter 3:8…

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

An economist who read this verse was quite amazed and talked to God about it. “Lord, is it true that a thousand years for us is like one minute to you?”  The Lord said, “Yes.”  The economist said, “Then a million dollars to us must be like one penny to you.”  The Lord said, “Well, yes.”  The economist said, “Will you give me one of those pennies?”  The Lord said, “All right, I will.  Just wait a minute!”

Let’s consider Jesus’ coming, for instance. The prophet writes in Isaiah 40:3-4…

A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.  Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.”

Paul writes in Galatians 4:4…

But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son…

Jesus didn’t come to earth until God was ready for him to come. For in God’s timing, his season, Jesus came to redeem us—not a “season” sooner or later.  So the timing of God’s seasons is just as important as the changing of the seasons themselves.

And just like the seasons of the year, our seasons have specific time frames. Now these time frames, these seasons, may be dependant upon our learning and applying specific lessons to our lives or a need for growth and dependence upon God.  So. . . what do we do?

Let’s once again consider what Caleb did and how God responded in Numbers 14:24…

“But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.”

We pursue the heart of God and wholeheartedly follow him. God promises to provide the blessing in his time. Now we discovered in our first message that Caleb waited upon God’s promise during a forty-five year season to inherit the land.  Caleb was still vigorous at the age of eight-five (see Joshua 14:10-11) when he received his inheritance!   

So like Caleb, we ask God to show us the lessons we are supposed to learn during God’s appointed seasons.   We experience a particular season because God has appointed us to be in that season.  We are in that season because God loves and desires that we grow in our faith and in knowledge of him. So. . .let’s make no mistake. . . it’s no accident. . .it’s no coincidence. . . that many of us right now are in a season of transition personally and as a church. So, we should thank God for loving us enough to want us to learn and grow.  We grow in our patience with God concerning his timing.

The key to everything is patience.  You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not smashing it.  –Arnold Glasow.

Divine Delays

We live in a terribly fast-paced culture.  We’re so used to getting things in a hurry that we go from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde if we have to wait even a few seconds longer than we think is reasonable.  For example, notice how instantly irritable we get if the guy ahead of us sits a little too long when the light turns green.  Or think about how many times we’ve rolled our eyes, tapped our feet and grumbled under our breath because the checkout clerk in the express lane of the supermarket had to run and do a price check.  We want our stuff, and we want it now! But when it comes to our dreams, we simply must develop a whole new perspective. 

Worthwhile dreams have many enemies and encounter many obstacles.  Our best friend in the dream business, God himself, is often responsible for the delays we experience.  Let’s look at a few reasons for these divine delays.

1.   God’s timing is governed by first things first

God may love our dreams and their fulfillment might well be on his agenda, but God may have other things he wants to do first.

We must remember that God is sovereign.  God has a plan for this world, and he is going to unfold it as he sees fit, no matter how anxious or restless we may be.  That was certainly the case with Caleb.  He was all charged up and ready to go busting into the land of Canaan in Numbers 13.  But God slammed the door because he had something else he wanted to take care of first.

There were the dream killers who gave a negative report.  God wanted to weed out of the population those who murmured and whined.  So God decided to do it by sending them on a forty-year trek through the wilderness (Numbers 14:29-30).  In essence, God was saying to Caleb, “Sorry, my friend.  I haven’t forgotten you, but I want to take care of this problem first.”

And here’s the point we must not miss: the forty-year delay, as difficult as it must have been for Caleb to endure, actually sweetened his dream when it finally did come true.  So we need to understand that the Bible tells us that God’s character is based on order and design—for God is not a God of disorder, but of peace… 1 Corinthians 14:33.  We need to believe that God knows what he’s doing, that he will take first things first and bless our dreams when the time is right.

2.  God’s timing is guarded by the strength of character

God may be waiting for us to show more passion for the little things, giving us time to prepare for what our dream come true will require of us.

If our dreams came true, would they put great demands on our time?  If so, maybe God is waiting for us to become more disciplined and organized so that we won’t get in over our heads.  God most often will test our strength of character with the little things before he gives us something bigger.

Perhaps we’ve noticed that many great Bible heroes went through a time of preparation before God called them to greatness. For example, Moses lived in a wilderness for many years before God called him to lead his people through one.  Joshua humbly served as Moses’ understudy, hungrily devouring the timeless principles of leadership.  Caleb went through a time of grounding before God called him to go into battle to claim his inherited land.  And Jesus patiently taught and trained the disciples for three years before he turned them loose to build his church.

If our dreams seem to be on hold, we need to spend some time thinking about the specific ways our lives would change if our dreams suddenly came true.  The bottom line is this: if there’s any hint that we’re not prepared in strength of character—physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually—to handle our dreams come true, then we must get to work.  God might be waiting for us to do our part before he does his.

3.  God’s timing is gauged by the sin issue

God may be waiting for us to deal with some sin in our lives.

If we’re parents, we’ll have no problem grasping this idea.  We know how easy it is to grant our children’s wishes when they’re obedient and respectful.  But when they sass us…leave chores undone…or worst yet, when they blatantly disobey the rules we’ve set up, we’re not receptive at all to their requests.

Just as God had to deal with the sin issue regarding the children of Israel, he will deal with the sin issue concerning Jesus-followers today.  Right now, sin may be the only thing standing between us and the fulfillment of our dreams.  We may be smarter and more talented than others who have done what we dream of doing.  We may have fully prepared ourselves to succeed, and we may have shown passion in the small things God has given us to do.  But God may discount our prayers and actively slam every door of opportunity because of some sinful habit or attitude with which we’ve grown comfortable.  God may be actively opposing us as a way of disciplining us for our disobedience. 

There was an old Bible that ended up in our church office after Sunday worship.  As I looked through it, I noticed that the owner had highlighted or underlined many verses that contained a promise of God’s blessing.  Very nice, I thought, until I noticed something odd.  In many cases, the person had failed to highlight the conditions that were attached to the promises.  For example…

“Take delight in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). 

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3).

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7).

In every verse, the owner had highlighted the second half of the verses not the first.

Questions: are we living our lives the way this person marked the Bible?  Are we ignoring the conditions of God’s promises?  Are we assuming that God will bless us, even if we’re not living for him?  Are we telling ourselves that we’ll still get our dreams met, even if we’re not coming before God with our sins under control?  If so, we must wake up.  It doesn’t work that way.

So what we’ve realized is that our dreams come true in the fullness of time.  They come true when God, in his infinite wisdom, says the time is right.

Proverbs 16:9 affirms…

In their hearts human beings plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.

Our job is to be faithful in the meantime.

For Personal or Group Discussion…

Let’s take an inventory and ask the following questions…

1.   Have you ever had a dream come true?  Looking back, could you have done anything      to speed up the process?

2.   Can you think of a reason why God might be waiting to bless your current dream?  Do you need to be attentive to the work God has already given you?

3.   Have you ignored a sin in your life?  Why haven’t you dealt with it?  What could you do today to start bringing that sin under control?

I want to encourage you to lower your bucket into the basin of God’s provision. What is the reservoir of resources that you have— the talents, the motivations that are yours and that were present in your more rewarding experiences through the years? The answers for your future are that close to you. If you haven’t done it, you could make a list of the achievement/experiences that were particularly meaningful and look for what motivated you in those experiences, as well as the talents that you drew upon. These key things will undoubtedly form the core of any new activities or dreams. They are the gifts God has given you for whatever he has chosen you to do. Your deepest passions help to fulfill the purposes for your life. They reveal them to you.  What are your circumstances, who are the people you know, what are the contacts you have? They, too, are part of your provisions. Become aware of the timing and the help of those situations, and the people that surround you. There may be a fit with what you are doing. Some would call it serendipity. I would call it “God in the details.” Something you need or someone you need is there just when you need help the most.

I read of a story of a cancer survivor who was told she had a year to live. She felt lead to write a book about her struggles, even though she basically felt her life had ended. She decided to follow that leading in her heart. She lowered her bucket into the basin of God’s provisions. It would seem God had another job for her to do. Eventually her book was published. As she would say, “By God’s grace a whole new world opened up.” She went on to live thirty six more years! While this might not be everyone’s story, it shows the power of listening to and answering the call of your heart. Sometimes we don’t need to ask “Why?” we should do something, but “Why not?”

What is the message your heart has for you? Take advantage of “where you are” and find the courage to follow your own heart’s leading. Your soul’s story is where your passions and dreams reside, and they hold a rich promise for your future.

As this message series comes to an end and we lay it aside, let’s take up The Caleb Quest.  Let’s pray that someday, at the time of God’s choosing, we’ll each see the fulfillment of our lifelong dreams for ourselves, our family, our community, our church, and our world.  But just as fervently, we must pray that when our dreams happen, we’ll use them to bless others.  If we do, like Caleb—the boldest dreamer in the Bible, we’ll make a startling discovery: that the giving away of our dreams will bring us more joy and beauty than their fulfillment ever did!  The wise man Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 3:11…

He has made everything beautiful in his time.

Amen.

All Jesus-followers are called to exhibit qualities that excite God and make him want to get involved in our dreams—their passions and pursuits.

We discovered in our first message that Caleb was the boldest dreamer in the Bible. In The Caleb Quest we are learning that dreams don’t come true by accident. On the contrary, fulfilled dreams are the result of clear thinking, strong faith, patience and hard work. It is common for us as Jesus-followers to be born with a desire deep within—a seed, a purpose, a dream, and a promise of something greater.

We understood in our last message that a close look at Caleb’s dream revealed three reasons why it was a good one and, at the same time, gave us the tools we needed to assess our own dream.

Caleb’s dream fit with God’s will

Caleb’s dream fit with his talents

Caleb’s dream fit with Israel’s need

Now before we move on to our next segment in the life of Caleb, we need to understand an important truth. It’s simply that God doesn’t take kindly to dream killers. Let’s check out Numbers 14:36-38…

So the men Moses had sent to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad report about it—these men who were responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the LORD. Of the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived.

Of course, we must not suggest that God is going to strike us down with a plague if we dare utter a negative word to a dreamer. But clearly, God came down hard on those who tried to kill Caleb and Joshua’s dream. Therefore, when someone shares a dream with us, we need to be cautious in what we say. Even if the dream sounds a little crazy, we choose our words carefully. The last thing we want is to have blood on our hands. If a dream is going to die, we must let it be of natural causes, not murder!

If we really want to activate a person’s desires it is helpful to know what things please that person. For example, if you want to know what pleases me, it would be good to engage me in a conversation regarding my favorite sport teams, camping at Yosemite, asking me about my five fabulous grandchildren or talking with me about ministry that changes lives for Jesus. If we want to activate God’s desires it is good for us to know what things please God. God has made those intentions known in his Holy Word.

We must also understand that when it comes to activating people’s support, we are drawn to some people more than others. It really has nothing to do with love or affection for a person. Some people can say that they honestly love everybody and do their best to prove it in the way they conduct themselves in life. But if we really want to be honest with ourselves, we connect with some people better than others.

We understand some people better than others. We admire and respect some people more than others. We have more in common with some people than with others. And yes, we enjoy some people more than others. So we must confess: we have favorites. We’ve always had favorites, and we will continue to have those people who we connect with better than others. We must not feel guilty about this because God has favorites too.

Oh yes, God loves everybody. John 3:16 settles that question once and for all. But at the same time, we can see throughout Scripture that God was drawn to certain individuals more than others, and God granted them special privileges and blessings. For example,

God had special feelings for Noah and his family (Genesis 6:17-18)

God shared a special friendship with Abraham (James 2:23)

God placed a hedge of protection around Joseph (Genesis 39:2)

God saw great potential in an obscure shepherd boy named David (1 Sam. 16:12-13)

God favored Mary over all the young Jewish girls in Judea (Luke 1:26-28)

Then there’s Caleb. We discovered in our last message that God made no secret of his special feelings for this high-energy dreamer.

Let’s look again at Numbers 14:24…

The Lord replied… “But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.”

There’s no mistaking the fact that God was a huge Caleb fan, and as such, God was determined to grant him success.

Now I have no trouble understanding this idea that God is on our side when I think about how I feel as a sports fan. For example, I love the San Francisco Forty-Niners. If I had Godlike power, I would definitely use it to help them win some football games. Okay, all of their games. If needed, I would kick up a little gust of wind in Candlestick Park to blow the opponent’s field goal attempt away from the goalposts. Or I would make the football take a bad bounce to let the Forty-Niners fall on a fumble deep into their opponent’s territory. No, I wouldn’t be obvious about it. I wouldn’t trip up the quarterback as he begins to drop back for a pass or cause an intended receiver to drop a pass. Well, maybe I would. Let’s say that, in the interest of good taste, I would try to be discreet about my interventions; but I would definitely see to it that my boys came out on top!

And so it is with God. God’s special affection for Caleb compelled him to get involved in Caleb’s request and even to verbally guarantee the fulfillment of his dream, “I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.” Caleb still had to do his part, and he certainly could have fumbled the ball. But as long as he stayed in the game with his dreams fitting God’s will, his talents, Israel’s need—God was going to be in his side, working on his behalf, helping the pieces fall into place.

Getting God Involved

If we look closely once again at our key verse from Numbers 14:24, we’ll see that God called attention to three qualities in Caleb. No doubt Caleb possessed other admirable traits, but these are the ones God saw fit to mention as he guaranteed the success of Caleb’s dream. Certainly they are the qualities that excite God and make him want to get involved in our pursuits.

1. Caleb activated God’s desires by his humility

“But because my servant Caleb…”

We mentioned in our last message the fact that God identified Caleb as “my servant.” Servants are humble people who recognize their place in the grand scheme of things and do their best to fulfill their accountability to their masters, and also serve as need be, to take the responsibility for those assigned under their care.

Humility =

“An attitude of dependence as we recognize that all we have is a gift of God.”

Humility expresses a genuine dependency on God and others. Humility recognizes that we live the Christian life in the same manner we become a Jesus-follower—by the grace of God. Humility is an attitude of the heart and mind. It asks for and receives God’s forgiveness and, in turn, is quick to forgive others. It is content to be behind the scenes. However, those who are humble can count on God to give them productivity and peace.

Gordon T. Smith writes concerning the call to humility… “The call to humility is a call to serve God with sober minds—with full awareness of our gifts and our limitations. Humility is simply living in the truth—recognizing the reality and character of God, and living in personal dependence on God as Creator and Savior.”

That God used this word “servant” with reference to someone as ambitious as Caleb is quite remarkable. Ambitious people are generally not servants…at least, not for very long. Instead, they live with upward tilt to their chins. They have their eyes on positions of authority. They become the guys who crack the whip and give the orders. So God’s use of the word “servant” shows that Caleb managed to strike a delicate balance.

We know God loves this quality in Caleb, because the Bible speaks again and again of God’s special affection for humble people.

Let’s check out the following verses from the New Living Translation:

The humble will see their God at work and be glad (Psalm 69:32).

Though the LORD is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud (Psalm 138:6).

The LORD supports the humble, but he brings the wicked down into the dust (Psalm 147:6).

God sets himself against the proud, but he shows favor to the humble (James 4:6).

So humble yourselves under the might power of God, and in his good time he will honor you (1 Peter 5:6).

Let’s look at an incident that brings these verses to life for each of us.

Remember the exhilaration you felt coasting downhill on your bicycle when you were a kid? Soak up the stunning scenery on the Maui Downhill Bike Ride as you coast down the slopes of Haleakala, the world’s largest dormant volcano. Cruise down the ever-changing landscape from the lava encrusted top of the crater, to the lush seaside plantation town of Paia, 38 miles away. Bike down a volcano for an unforgettable island experience! It is the world’s longest downhill bicycle cruise down the slopes of Haleakala, the largest dormant volcano in the world. The tour will start just outside Haleakala National Park. Cycle at a leisurely pace, pedaling past open fields and pastures and a stunning Maui landscape spotted with colorful flowers and regal trees. Stop for great photo opportunities as your bike guide shows you the rich cultural and historical background of the area.

Sue and I have taken this Maui downhill bike ride twice. It is truly as described—“an unforgettable island experience.” It is interesting though that when we started the bike ride at the top of Haleakala; our bike guide did an unusual thing. He asked each of the riders how skilled we were in riding a bike. He asked all those who were skilled and good riders to raise their hands. All these riders were ready to roll at great speeds. Therefore, he placed all the riders who wanted to bolt down the volcano at the back of the pack. The slower and least experienced riders were placed up front. It seems that the logic of this placing was reversed. Why not place the best riders first? But because of the treacherous downgrade in which we were going to ride, our bike guide ingeniously placed the slower and most inexperienced riders at the front. This protected all riders from losing control of their bikes and losing their lives at the same time. Now, those of us in the back of the pack had to humble ourselves and let the much slower riders control the pace of the ride. This positioned an attitude of dependence on the slower riders to set a pace that would make the downhill ride safe and enjoyable for all riders!

The laws of logic mean nothing when God gets involved in our dreams. God’s favor can overcome any prideful spirit as we become his servants. And God’s favor is his gift to those who are humble.

2. Caleb activated God’s desires by his courage

“But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit…”

The second quality that obviously excites God and makes him want to get involved in the pursuit of our dreams is courage. God said, “My servant Caleb has a different spirit.” God has always wanted his people to be different. Not weird, but different than the “ordinary” of life—to live a cut above with the strength of character.

Courage =

“The mental and moral strength to trust God,

venturing, persevering and withstanding danger.”

Courage implies firmness of mind, will and spirit to trust God in the face of danger or extreme difficulty. It suggests an ingrained capacity for meeting strain or stress with fortitude and resilience. The spirit of courage suggests a quality of temperament that enables people to hold their own against opposition, interference, or temptation.

Caleb needed that different spirit of courage as he trusted God to lead him into Canaan and inhabit the land promised to him. He knew that it would take a different spirit to claim the dream God gave to him. He would need a spirit of courage that would enable him to hold his own against opposition, interference, or even the temptation to quit.

It takes great courage to be different in a world that worships conformity.

Daniel was thrown into a lions’ den for being different (Daniel 6:19-23)

John the Baptist was beheaded for being different (Matthew 14:6-12)

Jesus was nailed to a cross for being different (Luke 23:44-45)

Even Caleb and Joshua were criticized and threatened with stoning because they dared to stand in opposition to the negative report that the other ten spies brought back to Moses.

The reason the world loves conformity is because it breeds a sense of security. Force is applied by those in groups around us in an effort to restrain the nonconformist. We call it peer pressure, and it can be very powerful.

We are all aware of and perhaps have experienced the peer pressure that is evident in the world.

Conformity says you must approve of and do what I do. Courage says I must do something harder: I will accept you even when your behavior offends me.

Conformity says you must agree with me. Courage says I must do something harder: I will tell you the truth; because I am convinced ‘the truth will set you free.’

Conformity says you must allow me to have my way and lead you in that way. Courage says I must do something harder: I will walk in the right way and plead with you to follow the right way, because I believe you are worth the risk.

Conformity seeks to be inoffensive, but courage takes risks and becomes offensive.

Conformity glorifies division; courage seeks unity.

Conformity costs nothing; courage costs everything.

The good news is that God fully understands the courage it takes to be different and has promised to bless those, like Caleb, who muster that kind of courage. God has promised to be our protector if we can muster the courage to be different. God’s favor is his gift to those who dare to step out of the crowd.

3. Caleb activated God’s desires by his loyalty

“But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly…”

In this phrase from God’s Word, our eyes are naturally drawn to the word “wholeheartedly.” To follow someone or something wholeheartedly takes loyalty.

Loyalty =

“The quality or state of being unswervingly

faithful to God, showing allegiance and fidelity.”

Loyalty is likened to a tie binding one person to another. In the context of this phrase, it means total commitment to carry out God’s way over personal convenience or desire.

In our last message we stated that the trademark of Caleb’s life was one who “followed the Lord wholeheartedly.” Of no one else in the Bible is this testimony repeated so frequently. Let’s check out the other references to Caleb’s wholehearted loyalty to God:

‘–not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the LORD wholeheartedly’ (Numbers 32:12).

“…except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly” (Deuteronomy 1:36).

…but the others who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear. I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly. So on that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly’ (Joshua 14:8-9).

Now loyalty comes easy most of the time. For Caleb, marching into the land of Canaan with his “band of brothers” to carry out their mission was no test of loyalty at all. But when he saw the giants and the fortified cities…when he began to realize that taking the land wouldn’t be as easy as they thought…when panic began to spread among his group…and when the radical element among the people started talking about stoning him—that’s when following the Lord wholeheartedly became a real test.

The vast majority of the time, being loyal to the Lord will be no challenge at all. Life is good for the moment. The thing is, we know Satan has something up his sleeve. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy.” That verse tells us that he’s at the drawing board right this minute, planning a nasty little surprise for those who desire to follow the Lord wholeheartedly. The point is that being loyal isn’t hard. Continuing to follow the Lord wholeheartedly is. Caleb remained loyal to the Lord and won God’s favor in the process.

For Personal or Group Discussion…

Let’s take an inventory and ask the following questions…

1. Could God call you his servant? In what ways are you humbly serving the Lord?

2. Can you give an example of a time when you chose to be courageous and separated yourself from the majority and suffered as a result?

3. Are there specific times, places, or people that Satan uses to attack your loyalty? How can you resist those influences?

As we conclude this message, I can’t help but thinking about one of my all-time sport heroes—quarterback Joe Montana. Having Joe on your team was like having God on your team. Let me explain. The San Francisco Forty-Niners were playing the Cincinnati Bengals in their third Superbowl appearance in 1989. The Niners started their winning drive at their own 8-yard line. Over the next 11 plays, Joe Montana orchestrated a drive covering 92 yards with the decisive score coming on a 10-yard pass from Joe Montana to wide receiver John Taylor with 34 seconds remaining.

Randy Cross, the Niners center, was interviewed after the game and shared why playing with Joe was like having God on your team. He said that as they huddled in their own end zone with 92 yards to go for a victory, Joe knelt down and looked around one by one into the eyes of his teammates. He said the following words, “Ok guys, now is the time to take this ball down the field. We are going to score and take the trophy back to San Francisco!”

The best news that we can hear from this message is this: We can have God on our team.

[Brazilian soccer player, Kaká became engrossed in religion at the age of 12: "I learned that it is faith that decides whether something will happen or not." He removed his jersey to reveal an "I Belong to Jesus" T-shirt and openly engaged in prayer moments after the final whistle of Milan's 2007 Champions League triumph.]

We can have God on our team. Not someone like God, but God himself. God will suit up and take the field with us. God will pass the ball so we can score. God will even call time-out when we’re winded and need a little rest. God will run the plays so we can experience victory.

No, God won’t do it all for us. We still need to be humble, courageous and loyal. We still have to suit up and take the field. We still have to run and block and do our part. But God will be in the game. And, as Caleb discovered, when God is on our side, victory becomes more than just a possibility. Why? Because God is undefeated! Amen.

All Jesus-followers are called to a penetrating purpose, a passion—essentially a quest deep inside them to believe and achieve a God-honoring dream.

Caleb was the boldest dreamer in the Bible. I want to begin this message series on The Caleb Quest by asking some important and penetrating questions:

Did we begin our adult life with ambitious dreams and the energy and determination to make them come true?

Did our focus change along the way as life “happened?”

Did we allow our dreams to fizzle or even die? Is that the way it has to be?

Do dreams come true for “ordinary” people? And if so, what does it take to make them happen?

God has answered these questions in the life of Caleb, the boldest dreamer and achiever in all of Scripture. In The Caleb Quest, we will discover that dreams don’t come true by accident. On the contrary, fulfilled dreams are the result of clear thinking, strong faith, patience, and hard work. Geared to the everyday Jesus-follower, this biblical plan will help us take action in the pursuit of our dreams, and use our dreams to bless others!

It is common for us to be born with a desire deep within—a seed, a purpose, a dream, and a promise of something greater. We have all felt it at times in our lives. There is a certain knowledge within that somehow, somewhere, a destiny lives in our souls, one that will spring up every now and then and tap us on the shoulder with a friendly reminder of that special thing we were created to be.

Dale Carnegie wrote…

One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon—instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.

We have been given by God the responsibility to be bloomed where we are planted.

Paul writes in Romans 8:29…

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…

As Jesus-followers, we have been given a destiny—to be more like Jesus. God has made us in his image, and that’s what The Caleb Quest is all about. A God-sized dream, living and growing way down inside us, causing a desire so strong it can only be satisfied by our heeding it—heeding it and giving everything we have to making it come true.

Maybe we’ve felt it and figured that this dream or destiny wasn’t for us. We know that we are created by God as workers to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, but somehow we’ve given up on that lifelong dream. If so, perhaps the spiritual principles that lie in this The Caleb Quest messages series can change our minds about dreams and purpose, and especially about giving up.

What We Can Learn from the

Boldest Dreamer in the Bible

The Bible has a story about a man named Caleb, who understood that feeling, that thing that we sometimes spend a lifetime chasing. Deep within Caleb’s heart he had a quest, a dream bigger than the sun. And he, knowing this, prayed and asked and searched God on the matter until finally, in all of God’s splendor, events and times and souls came together and Caleb saw his dream come to completion.

There is a defining verse from Scripture that really captures the essence of Caleb’s life from Numbers 14:24…

The Lord replied…“But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.”

Caleb was “my servant,” according to the Lord’s own testimony, and a remarkable servant he was! He—except for Joshua—was the only one of the twelve spies who was willing to follow the Lord all the way, even in spite of the giants in the land. Therefore, he alone was allowed to go with Joshua into the Promised Land. Six times in the Bible, first of all here in the verse above, we are told that Caleb “wholeheartedly followed the Lord.” Of no one else in the Bible is this testimony repeated so frequently.

To possess the Promised Land, however, Caleb had to conquer the land he wanted, the mountain of Hebron. At this time, he was 85 years old, at least 25 years older than any other man in Israel. Yet he and his family alone, of all the tribes who entered the land, were able to complete God’s command to drive out all the pagan inhabitants from his inheritance—even though these were the same fearsome giants who had so terrified the ten spies 45 years earlier!

Likewise, Jesus says to us today in John 12:26…

“Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”

Caleb had a quest. The quest to wholeheartedly follow the Lord all the days of his life.

Now, as we’ve reviewed Caleb’s story, we can come to the conclusion that the best dream is the one that finds us, rather than the one we have to find. We must not think that a dreamless person shouldn’t go looking for a dream. Perhaps many great achievers in life had to search for their dreams for many years. But when we’re blindsided…when the vision of something we’d like to be or do knocks us off our feet, we have every reason to believe it will become the great, driving passion of our lives. And it’s those great, driving passions that stand the best chance of coming true.

If we’re lovers of the ocean, we’re probably familiar with an artist named Christian Lassen. He is known around the world as the premier marine artist of our time—Hawaii’s Master Artist of the Sea. Raised on the Island of Maui, Christian Lassen has translated his love of the ocean into some of the most beautiful and popular works of art the world has ever known. Collected by a host of famous art lovers and commissioned by such institutions as the United Nations and the Walt Disney Company, this young painter is one of the best selling artists in history, with a tremendous following in both American and International markets.

Lassen has a dream. All of his paintings reflect this dream as expressed in the following vision: “I believe in making a difference through my art. In my work, I seek to act as a messenger, alerting people all over the world to the deterioration of the global environment, and to the need, as well, for greater understanding and respect for the world’s diverse cultures. The Earth’s irreplaceable treasures are steadily being eroded, but each of us, collectively and as individuals, can make a difference and must! This is my message.”

Sue and I have one of his paintings adorning our dining room that we purchased in Lahaina, Maui several years ago. Every time my wife, Sue, and I sit down with family and friends in our dining room, we are reminded of what can happen when a man and a dream collide.

Right now, do you have a dream? Something that you are living for… something that you think about every day… something that quickens your pulse when it crosses your mind… something that affects the decisions you make… something you’d even be willing to risk your life for, if it came to that place.

A close look at Caleb’s dream will reveal three reasons why it was a good one and, at the same time, give us the tools we need to assess our own dream.

1. Caleb’s dream fit with God’s will

God made it clear from the very beginning that he wanted his chosen people to inhabit the land of Canaan. Hundreds of years before Caleb was born, Abraham and Sarah with family in tow, left Haran and entered the territory for the first time.

Near a place called Shechem, the Lord appeared to him and said in Genesis 12:7…

“To your offspring I will give this land.”

Caleb would have been well aware of that promise, which is, no doubt the primary reason he held onto his dream for so many years which such unwavering faith, devotion and confidence. It really makes a world of difference when we know beyond any doubt that God is on our side!

So it’s important that we take a look at our dream in the light of what God has said in his Word. It really doesn’t matter how passionate we are about a dream or how relentlessly we’re willing to pursue it. If God doesn’t approve of our dreams, then they’re in serious trouble.

Let’s check out the powerful verses from 1 Chronicles 29:11-12…

“Praise be to you, LORD, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom: you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.”

David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly. God is ultimately the one who determines who among us achieves greatness and receives strength. We often talk about successful people being in the right place at the right time, but clearly there’s more to it than being lucky. God is constantly helping some, hindering others.

Now we can’t always explain why God works a certain way in one person’s life and differently in another person’s life. However, we must do everything possible to make sure our dream fits with God’s will. We must want God to look at us and say, “Yes, I like what you have in mind.”

Personally I’ve often found it helpful to take verses of Scripture and frame them in opposite terms. For example, let’s take Paul’s words in Romans 8:31…

“If God is for us, who can be against us?”

This verse is one we’ve memorized and quoted many times. But let’s discover what happens when we frame the question in opposite terms…

“If God is against us, what difference does it make who’s for us?”

Packs a punch, doesn’t it?

We, as dreamers, must simply take a hard look at our dreams and make sure they fit with God’s will. We must not be afraid. We get out God’s Word and see if our dreams are compatible with what God has said. It they don’t, then we’re on our own. On the other hand, if we’ve searched the Scriptures and know that our dreams fit with God’s will, then we move on to the next tool in assessing our dreams. We’ve already taken the first and most important step in the right direction.

2. Caleb’s dream fit with his talents

We might wonder why Joshua succeeded Moses as the leader of Israel, when Caleb was just as faithful and committed. The reason undoubtedly had to do with their gifts. A special bond existed between Moses and Joshua as specified in Deuteronomy 34:9…

Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses.

This close relationship between Moses and Joshua existed, probably because Joshua was a natural-born student who loved to sit and learn at Moses’ feet. They probably spent countless hours together, much of it one-on-one as Joshua soaked up his mentor’s accumulated wisdom.

Caleb, on the other hand, was more a man of action as indicated in Joshua 14:10-11…

“Now then, just as the LORD promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.”

This in incredible—Caleb’s motor was still running at the age of eight-five! He probably found it difficult to sit still long enough to be trained in the subtleties of diplomacy and political gamesmanship. He was a guy we would call when we have a joy that needs doing. Caleb’s dream fit with his talents.

We must evaluate our dreams in the light of our talents. We have to face up to the fact that there are some things in life we will never be able to do:

If we’re tone-deaf, we’ll never be an opera singer. (Rap, maybe, but not opera!)

If we have two left feet, we’ll never be an Olympic gymnast.

If we can’t stand the sight of blood, we’ll probably never make it as a surgeon.

If we’re six-foot-six and weigh 275 pounds, we have no future as a jockey.

If our patience runs thin being around children, we’ll never be a teacher.

We can mark this down: God’s blessings are always going to harmonize with God’s gifts! God is not going to bless our efforts to achieve something that he hasn’t gifted us to do.

Paul says in Romans 12:6…

We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.

God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. We can be sure that it will be in those different gifts that we’ll find God’s blessing. So it makes sense to invest our time and energy in some talents that we do possess. It sounds noble to say that we’re going to work on our weaknesses, but wouldn’t it benefit us more to work on our strengths?

In his book entitled, Strengths Finder, Tom Rath asks an important question when we seek to fit our dream with our talents. Tom writes… “Do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day? Chances are you don’t. All too often, our natural talents go untapped. From the cradle to the cubicle, we devote more time to fixing our shortcomings than to developing our strengths.” This book is loaded with hundreds of strategies for applying our strengths.

Benjamin Franklin said, “Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What’s a sundial in the shade?

By working hard and reaching our highest potential in the area of our giftedness, we will move ourselves ahead of all the people who may be equally talented but not as committed. And in a highly competitive culture, that’s an essential part of making our dreams come true.

3. Caleb’s dream fit with Israel’s need

One of the first things we realize about Caleb’s dream is that it was going to benefit the entire nation. Clearing the race of giants known as Anakim out of the hill country was something Israel would have to do, sooner or later, if the people were going to enjoy any degree of peace in their new homeland.

Caleb was itching to do the job as recorded in Numbers 13:30…

Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

That Caleb was ready to take possession of the land was an unexpected and very welcome blessing for everyone. We need to think about how our dreams would impact the people around us if it were to come true. So as we access our dreams, it’s important for us to think beyond ourselves.

Philippians 2:4 says…

…not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.

Galatians 6:9-10 says…

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Our dreams may be something we think we can’t live without. But if they aren’t good for the people God has placed in our sphere of influence, than they aren’t good. We can choose our dreams in life. However, God has chosen the consequences. If the dreams aren’t good, especially to those who belong to the body of Christ, than they aren’t good, period.

If we’ve dissected our dreams and found that they don’t fit with God’s will, our talents, or the needs of the people around us, we now face the prospect of discarding them. That can be hard, especially if they’re dreams we’ve been carrying in our heart for a long time. Now is the best time to make that discovery, not after the dream has come true. We can imagine how sick we’d be if we spent our entire life chasing a dream and finally achieved it only to discover that it was hallow all along.

For Personal or Group Discussion…

Let’s take an inventory and ask the following questions…

1. Does your dream fit with God’s will? What specific Scriptures can you point to that confirm this certainty?

2. Do your dreams fit with your talents? Specifically, what talents do you possess that you believe are in harmony with your dream?

3. If your dream came true, how would it affect the people in your world? Specifically, how might it bless them, not harm them?

The story is told of a pastor who saved up enough money to buy a few inexpensive acres of land. He had a dream of fixing up a little run-down, weather-beaten farmhouse that sat on the acreage, a sad picture of years of neglect. The land had not been kept up either, so there were old tree stumps, rusted pieces of machinery, and all sorts of debris strewn here and there, not to mention a fence greatly in need of repair. The whole scene was a mess.

During his spare time and his vacations, the preacher rolled up his sleeves and got to work. He hauled off the junk, repaired the fence, pulled away the stumps, and replanted new trees. Then he refurbished the old house into a quaint cottage with a new roof, new windows, new stone walkway, new paint job, and finally a few colorful flower boxes. It took several years for this pastor to accomplish his dream.

When the last job had been completed and he was washing up after applying a fresh coat of paint to the mailbox, his neighbor (who had watched all this work from a distance) walked over and said, “Well, pastor—looks like you and the Lord have done a pretty fine job on your place there.” Wiping the sweat from his face, the pastor replied, “Yeah, I suppose so, but you should have seen it when the Lord had it all to himself.”

Well, on the night after Moses called the twelve spies together, Caleb hadn’t yet connected with his lifelong dream. However, it was just over the horizon. He didn’t know it, but he was relentlessly marching toward it. Maybe we are personally or as a church too. Maybe today will be the day when our lifelong dream will strike like a bolt of lightening and knock us off our feet. Or maybe it will happen tomorrow. The important think is to believe our dreams are out there. But let’s make sure that our dream fits God’s will, our talents, and the needs of God’s people! Amen.

Jesus-followers are a purpose giving community, yearning and struggling for the good we can’t see over settling for the satisfactions we can now see.

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. –1 Corinthians 15:58

On this Labor Day weekend we are encouraged in God’s Word to know that our “labor in the Lord is not in vain.” And that isn’t always obvious, is it? Too often our labor does seem to be in vain. Faith is easy when the sun’s out. But we find out who we really are when our child has an extra chromosome, or our spouse leaves us for somebody at work, or our medical tests reveal a health problem, or everything we do to get a young man off the streets and out of drug addiction seems to have no effect at all.

We find out what we really believe when we ask, “Is our labor in vain?” and God seems to be silent. God makes us choose the answer for ourselves in his silence. Sooner or later in every life, people come to a fork in the road. And when the road splits, it leads to two very different destinations — two opposite explanations of what life means. Augustine talked about the City of God and the City of Man. John Bunyan wrote about the Celestial City and the City of Destruction. But each of us, at some point, comes to a similar place of testing or crisis where we face the same choice between yearning and struggling for the good we can’t see — or settling for the satisfactions we can see, here and now.

Let’s face it. All Jesus-followers get tired, discouraged, and bummed out in the midst of life’s complex and changing circumstances. Our verse from God’s Word reveals that most of us feel overworked and underappreciated. We need the assurance that God is with us, and he knows fully the work we seek to accomplish in the Lord.

It takes perseverance to stand firm in places of testing or crisis. It takes hard work—constant striving, effort, confidence and endurance to persevere. Otherwise, we will settle for the satisfactions we can see here and now, avoiding the hard times when we yearn and struggle for the good we can’t see.

Perseverance = The quality of trying hard and continuously in spite of obstacles and difficulties.

Wholeness is not realized in a moment. Throughout a lifetime, there must be constant effort and striving toward God-directed purposes. In order to accomplish this, we need the confidence to endure all situations in order to labor in the Lord productively.

Let’s focus for a moment on some citations which help us reflect upon the essence of perseverance…

“Perseverance is another name for success.” Anonymous

“Perseverance shows not only in the ability to persist but in the ability to start over.” F. Scott Fitzgerald

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Arabian Proverb

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through the experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” Helen Keller

“The difference between the ordinary and the extraordinary is that little extra effort called perseverance.” Chinese Proverb

“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” Albert Einstein

“Failure usually follows the path of least resistance.” Anonymous

“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another.” Walter Elliott

“You win some, you lose some, and some get rained out, but you gotta suit up for them all.” J. Askenberg

“Life’s challenges present us with three choices: give in, give up, or go on.”

Duane Hodgin

In our Biblical text for this message, Paul shouts out in triumph that we don’t “give in or give up” but we “go on” because of the victory over death we received through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. So what God leads us to accomplish for Jesus is never in vain. Death is not the end! Death is a defeated enemy, to be swallowed up in victory when God clothes us with immortality. All that we accomplish for the Lord will reflect his glory for eternity.

The Purpose Giving Church

Paul describes the purpose giving church which “goes on” in its work for the Lord…

My dear brothers and sisters

The Apostle Paul addresses us as family– brothers and sisters. Jesus-followers are part of a family that cares deeply for one another. The church is the visible expression of that caring love. And though we sometimes feel alone, we belong to the family of God.

Stand firm

This means, don’t be always moving around. If we’ve been around children a lot we have an understanding of what is called a “tapping disease.” Children, at the age of nine or ten, drum their fingers on the dinner table, swing their feet, and tap their feet. There is constant motion. They don’t settle down. It can drive parents, grandparents and teachers nuts.

A colleague in ministry once shared with me the experience of picking up his grandson after school. In the car on the way home Andrew, six years old, was excitedly moving his legs up and down, back and forth. My coworker asked his grandson, “Andrew, do you have to go to the bathroom?” Andrew replied, “No, I’m just happy!”

However, let’s not say that the “tapping disease” is an epidemic common only to children. We are all vulnerable to acquiring this syndrome. In fact, so much is pressing in on us today that we do not have time to stand still long enough to evaluate life. We gulp life and taste nothing. We eat life and have no savor. “Stand firm” means “be stable; be firm.” The Greek word alludes to becoming “fixed” rather than pacing around aimlessly. We must be able to stand still long enough to evaluate the work and relationships God has given us in our world. We must not let the world invade our thinking, plans, purposes, and our work.

Let nothing move you

This command means “not to be moved from its place.” Perhaps people have called us “stubborn” from time to time. Now we can be stubbornly opposed to God’s will. That’s bad. But we can be stubbornly, doggedly devoted to God, so that complex circumstances and people don’t distract us from him. That’s good. We call it determination, we call it faithfulness.

Always give yourselves fully

The words translated “give yourselves fully” mean “exceeding a fixed number or measure; over-and- above.” Some people do what is expected. Others, out of love, go far beyond that. Their lives pour out and overflow. “Doing what?” we may ask.

To the work of the Lord

This is the answer. Work? “Not a good word,” we say. “We work five or six days a week. When we get home we just want to rest.” That’s understandable. Do we have any loafers at work? We know, people who only do the minimum, and only that if the boss is looking over their shoulder. And who takes up the slack?—we and the other conscientious workers.

God’s work is the same way. Just a few of the ways we do his work, build his kingdom here on earth, is to teach our children about Jesus at home and at church school. We serve as an usher, greeter, and praise team or choir member on Sundays. We teach a class or lead a small group. We encourage those believers who are down. We make a meal for a family when one of the parents is sick. A church is a caring body. But when loafers don’t pull their part of the load, it falls on others to do. These words are for us as brothers and sisters—always giving ourselves fully to the work of the Lord…always, over-and-above.

Because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain

Some people hate washing dishes because more dirty dishes magically appear over night. Sweeping and vacuuming are the same way. Things never stay clean. Someone is always tracking dirt on the carpet. Is there no end? We get discouraged. It’s only when we consider the alternatives that we get out our vacuum cleaner and have another go at it. Women may not keep track of how often men change the oil in their cars. Men have little understanding of how often homes need to be dusted. Children have no idea of the sacrifices their parents perform day-in and day-out. But God keeps track of our faithfulness in his work. God sees us serving him when no one else sees. And seeing us hanging in there pleases God. Our Christian service is not done in vain for three reasons:

Christ’s kingdom is built on our service, stone upon stone.

Seeing our faithful service brings joy to God’s heart.

God will reward us for our faithfulness, even when no one else notices.

The writer to the Hebrews encourages us in a couple of ways to persevere…

Hebrews 10:36

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

Hebrews 6:10-12

God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

So we can be certain that God is perceptive concerning our faithfulness. God’s ledger book gets fresh notations every time we serve him. In short, our labor in the Lord is not in vain!

How can we persevere to the very end?

7 Tips for Persevering—

We clarify our work. We base it on our mission/passion, needs and abilities. We know why we want to work and how we and others will benefit. We state our purpose in the present. We write desired outcomes, what we want to accomplish. Our work is purpose giving—it’s detailed, specific and positive.

We intend to achieve our work. We outline the work, strategies and timeline. We know resources that can help us attain our purpose giving work, such as people, associations and even the Internet. We break the goal into small steps, working backward by forming our desired outcome and achievement date.

We develop support systems. We meet regularly with positive, encouraging people who support our work and celebrate our achievements. We select other sources of positive reinforcement such as books or tapes with uplifting themes.

We choose productive attitudes and behaviors. We don’t dwell in the past or worry about what might happen or view ourselves as victims. We maintain optimism. We reinforce the positive in ourselves and others. We expect good things. We watch self-talk. We replace negative thoughts or statements with positive ones. We focus on what we can do with God’s help. We acknowledge our God-honoring accomplishments. We judge our accomplishments against personal standards of self-improvements. We have the courage of our convictions. We don’t change for others or compare ourselves with others.

We develop the will to risk. We don fear mistakes. We ask: “What’s the worst that can happen?” We decide whether we could live with the worst or take steps to reduce the chance of it happening. We live in the present. We don’t worry about what might happen. We view mistakes as opportunities to grow. We release our grip on our attachments and place them in God’s hand. The more attached we are to someone or something, the greater the fear of losing it.

We maintain a healthy lifestyle. We care for our mind, body, emotions and spirit. We schedule quiet times with God to think and reassess. We practice stress relievers such as deep breathing, exercise, and meditation in God’s Word. We get sufficient sleep and eat healthy. We take time for fun and friends.

We carry on daily in our work. With every “no” of defeat we’re closer to a “yes” of success. If we learn from set-backs and stay on course, success will follow. Every day, at regular intervals, we ask ourselves whether our activities are helping us attain purpose giving work. We believe our work in the Lord in not in vain. So we constantly stand firm with confidence. Our mind, emotions and activities focus on our God-given work, we can achieve the extraordinary.

Paul can identify with God’s worker, contrasting the weak and ordinary character of the messenger with the overwhelming power of the message. He describes the fact that we all find ourselves today under pressure, perplexed and often knocked to the ground. Let’s note his words in 2 Corinthians 4:7-9…

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

Like Paul, everything in our experience reminds us that the dynamic power in our lives has no source in us. We must not let a sense of personal weakness keep us from serving God and becoming God’s chosen worker. We don’t rely on the evidence of our senses—the things seen, but we rely on the utter reality of what has been revealed to us by God in Jesus Christ—the things unseen.

Max Lucado, in his book entitled On the Anvil, writes about the different types of tools available to the blacksmith…

In the shop of a blacksmith, there are three types of tools:

There are tools on the junk pile: outdated, broken, dull, rusty. They sit in the cobwebbed corner, useless to their master, oblivious to their calling. There are tools on the anvil: melted down, molten hot, moldable, changeable. They lie on the anvil, being shaped by their master, accepting their calling. There are tools of usefulness: sharpened, primed, defined, mobile. They lie ready in the blacksmith’s tool chest, available to their master, fulfilling their calling.

Some people lie useless: lives broken, talents wasting, fires quenched, dreams dashed. They are tossed in with the scrap iron, in desperate need of repair, with no notion of purpose. Others lie on the anvil: hearts open, hungry to change, wounds healing, visions clearing. They welcome the painful pounding of the blacksmith’s hammer, longing to be rebuilt, begging to be called. Others lie in their Master’s hands: well, tuned, uncompromising, polished, productive. They respond to their Master’s forearm, demanding nothing, surrendering all.

We are all somewhere in the blacksmith’s shop on this Labor Day weekend. We are either on the scrap pile, in the Master’s hands on the anvil, or in the tool chest. (Some of us have been in all three.) Where is each of us presently today? We are God’s workers for noble purposes. The rubbish pile of broken tools, the anvil of recasting, the hands of the Master—it’s a simultaneously joyful and painful voyage. We are on a journey, as clay jars, awaiting the privilege of being God’s chosen workers.

Yes, we still may get discouraged. But God keeps bringing us back to this verse to rear us up and help us to see the importance of faithful service. So we don’t give up. Our labor in Jesus Christ is not in vain.

What kind of congregation do we want to support in our work:

an agreeable “give in,” comfortable church that does little and expects little of us?

an amusing “give up,” compromising church that engages in all sorts of fun activities?

an alive “go on,” committed church that diligently does the Lord’s work and expects us to pull our share of the load?

Our choice reflects what we want to be in our work for the Lord. We are to be zealous in the Lord’s work and be a member of a local purpose giving church that diligently does what God directs! Amen.

Jesus-followers are to become a renewed community, obediently following the creativity of God to the people, and life situations into which he leads us.

God continues to disclose to us in this message series that Jesus-followers in the book of Acts experienced a renewed community. God stirred the early church through four movements. The church was renewed through the first movement of God: a renewed community, empowered by the Holy Spirit. The second movement of God highlighted a renewed community, living boldly for the Lord and showing loyalty to one another. The third movement of God transitioned the believers into a renewed community, concerned about caring and sharing with others the joy of their circle of fellowship. In our last message the disciples were concerned about caring for the perceived needs of one another, even in the midst of prevailing conflict. God will disclose to us through his Word in this message the renewal of creativity.

Creativity basically symbolizes imaginative skill. It brings to life invention, intuition, and inspiration. To create means to be open to learning in more than one way. One of the ways we create is to express in words what we imagine or wonder about life. For example, writing is a discipline of creativity.

One of my greatest joys in ministry is creatively handcrafting a message from God’s Word. I write not because I am educated but because I am called by the need to communicate the Word of God with clarity and conviction. Behind the need to communicate is the need to share. Behind the need to share is the need to be understood. I’m discovering that I want to be understood much more than I want to be respected or praised or even loved. And that perhaps is what may make writers creatively different from let’s say artists or musicians.

We look yet, another time, at a passage from the experiences of the early church from the Book of Acts. We are discovering in our message series on Acts the principle that out of the insignificant can come the significant, infinitely important things the Holy Spirit is trying to teach us and is using for a greater strategy.

This passage from Acts is a dynamic gem of scripture on creative guidance. The basis for our message is the story of Philip. It is the story of God; it highlights the way God creatively works with us. It is primarily the story of the indwelling, guiding Holy Spirit who leads us in our daily decisions for living. The setting for the story is Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel. And the feast of Pentecost had just occurred when the Holy Spirit had come down and was living inside of the people. There was an incredible amount of inner power and guidance. The experience of the Holy Spirit was fresh and new.

Luke records how Philip shows us receptivity to the Spirit and obedience in Acts 8:26-27…

26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship.

We know from our last message that Philip was appointed as a deacon. He wasn’t a famous preacher like Peter who went and preached a grand sermon and three thousand people were converted in one day. He wasn’t like the famous missionary like Paul who went with the Gospel of Jesus from nation to nation throughout his world. We can observe from these verses how God’s indwelling power came down on Philip, the evangelist. Philip was empowered to talk to people one-on-one about Jesus Christ and his love for all people.

Communicating with the Sprit’s Power

What happened to Philip is a powerful analysis of communication to others about what Christ means to us. Philip has much to teach us from what he did to share with others the joy of his circle of fellowship. His ministry brought about conversion and new life in Christ. Like Philip, God presses us on to another challenge that keeps our eyes on him and his power. God has someone waiting when he has prepared us to be ready for what we have to say.

1. God’s guidance begins through receptivity and obedience

26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”

Most people who ask, “How can I know God’s will for my life?” are really asking, “How can I find guidance from the Lord for my daily choices and decisions?” Philip shows us how. It requires receptivity to the Spirit and obedience. Often the guidance we get does not fit with our practicality or prejudices.

The key to understand this passage is the Greek words for “south to the road—the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” These words can also mean “at high noon along the road.” The Greek understanding here can mean middle-day or south. Now Philip already knew that Gaza was south. He did not need that for guidance. And the instruction to go on the sun-baked Gaza south in the desert must have seemed strange.

The issue is obedience. We don’t know what the Lord has planned in the circumstances into which he leads us. In this case with Philip, God had a meeting with an Ethiopian eunuch planned. God often guides us to people and situations we wonder about at the time. Looking back, we can see that God used what was at the time a difficult order to follow but that blessings flowed from it. God will use everything available to convince us of a direction…

the prompting of the Holy Spirit

insight from Scripture

discernment from Prayer

wise counsel

changing circumstances or events

consecrated thinking

When we are willing, God will help us to want what he wants for us. God can lead us when we are on the move for him. Guidance is difficult when we are stopped on dead center with our volitional gearshift set in neutral!

Now at this moment in time, we need to remember that the Jesus-followers wanted to remain in Jerusalem with all the other Jewish Christians. They didn’t want to advance out into the countryside or out into other villages or out into other nations with the Gospel; these first Jesus-followers basically wanted to remain just in Jerusalem where they could huddle together in numbers and safety. So what did God do? God sent a believer like Philip to go out and share the Gospel, even if it was one-on-one! What was Philip’s response?

2. God’s guidance continues through rightness and closeness

27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship.

The Scripture says that Philip obediently “started out.” There were no arguments or discussion of the hour of the day. Philip didn’t question, whine or moan, “Hey, God? Don’t you know that high noon in the desert is not the place to go, let alone to minister? Nobody in their right mind will be caught dead in a wasteland during that time of day. Besides, I’ve been successful in ministering to the masses and now you’re asking me to go to the desert where I might share Jesus Christ with only one person? Come on God, don’t you have a different direction and assignment?

Guidance comes from…

habitual prayer

consistent Bible study

total surrender to be used

teachable spirit

Out of the flow of the Holy Spirit, the next move in an ongoing obedience is baptized with a feeling of “rightness,” not because it is logical but because closeness with Jesus Christ has made it the thing we want to do. When an opportunity comes, we are ready. What happened to Philip because he obeyed has given us a rich treasure of how we can share our faith under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The Ethiopian treasurer was probably a convert to Judaism. He had a great yearning to know the God of Israel, as demonstrated by his reading of Isaiah 53 and by the fact that he had to travel at least 750 miles one way to worship in Jerusalem. The trip would have taken him and his servants at least 30 days by chariot. How long would he have stayed? A month? Then he faced a return trip. So he spent at least a quarter of a year to travel to Jerusalem to worship God. Reading ahead in Philip’s encounter with this Ethiopian treasurer records the fact that he responded warmly to Philip and the message about Jesus Christ, and became the first known witness—black or white—to Africa.

So we are led into relationships with people who don’t know Jesus Christ. We remember again, this story in the book of Acts is about a lay person who shared his faith with a stranger. This story is not about Peter, the gifted preacher, who preached and three thousand people were converted in one day. This story is not about the Apostle Paul who courageously traveled through the whole world as the greatest missionary for Jesus Christ who ever lived. This story is not about Peter or Paul but about Philip, the deacon who cares for poor people in his church. Philip goes and has a one-on-one relationship with someone, the Ethiopian eunuch. God’s word to Philip was “go”. We go to that person and share with that person what we know about Jesus. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus’ love, we go to others and share our faith in Christ, what we know and have experienced with Jesus, one-on-one.

The lesson to be learned from Philip is that he was the kind of Jesus-follower who listened to the guiding voice of God inside of him. It wasn’t merely his conscience. It wasn’t an angel with wings; it wasn’t an auditory voice; it was not a delusion or a nightmare. It was the inner guiding voice of God, the Spirit of Jesus. And so we like Philip, listen to the inner guiding voice as God talks with us about our marriage, our kids, buying a car, finding a house, getting an education, being on the track team, or even changing jobs or vocations. What do we want to learn from this story? We listen through a rightness and closeness. We listen to the voice of God inside us as we approach our daily decisions.

Jesus-followers are to become a renewed community, concerned about caring for the perceived needs of one another even in the center of prevailing conflict.

God has been disclosing to us in this message series that Jesus-followers in the book of Acts experienced a renewed community. God stirred the early church through four movements. The church was renewed through the first movement of God: a renewed community, empowered by the Holy Spirit. The second movement of God highlighted a renewed community, living boldly for the Lord and showing loyalty to one another. In our last message the boldness the disciples displayed beyond the fellowship was dependent on the loyalty they experienced in that fellowship.

The third movement of God transitioned the believers into a renewed community, concerned about caring and sharing with others the joy of their circle of fellowship. God will disclose to us through his Word in this message the renewal of caring. The outward characteristics of the first church community were quite different, but early on the apostles had to make decisions regarding the division of responsibility and the logistics of maintaining a fair and caring community in the midst of existing conflict.

Caring, in essence, denotes watchful attention. It personifies concern, compassion and cooperativeness. Caring is advocacy. To care means to advocate for the needs of others by developing the characteristics of understanding, action, and perseverance.

The words conflict and caring are seldom linked. They do not enjoy the complementary relationship shared by peanut butter and jelly, knife and fork, salt and pepper, love and marriage, and other common pairs. Yet what two words are more strategically complementary than conflict and caring? Tragically, they are usually viewed as counter to one another, mutually exclusive. So this is not just a message about caring; it is also a message about conflict. It is a message that explains why conflict developed, not only in the first church, but also among some of the finest people and in some of the best churches today. What may be unique is that this message also suggests how conflict and caring interact.

Care-fronting = offering genuine concern that stimulates others to grow

Now, we won’t find this word in the dictionary, but care-fronting is offering real confrontation that calls out careful insight and understanding. It unites love and power. It unifies concern for relationship with concerns for purpose. So we can have something to stand for (purpose) as well as someone to stand with (relationship) without sacrificing one for the other. They are complementary. Care-fronting is the way to communicate with both impact and respect, with truth and love.

We are discovering in our message series on Acts the principle that out of the insignificant can come the infinitely important things the Holy Spirit is trying to teach us and is using for a greater strategy. The organization of the first church was not laid out for the apostles by the Holy Spirit. They simply were in the flow of his power; and when a conflict arose, they did what seemed guided by the Spirit.

This transitional chapter of Acts tells us that we should be open to the Spirit’s guidance in the mundane of life’s common experiences. Luke uses his narrative as a step onward from something mundane to magnificent in Acts 6:1-7…

1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”

5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented them to the apostles, who prayed and laid hands on them.

7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

Luke’s words help us to understand that conflict should not signal the departure of caring. Instead, it should elevate the urgency of caring. The Jerusalem church was experiencing rapid growth. We can imagine the excitement that growth generated. Their group was constantly growing and changing. There was amazing agreement among them. And their material needs were being met through sacrificial generosity. Nevertheless, a situation developed that threatened to fracture this growing movement.

The Potential in Every Problem

Growth never means the end of problems; it just means a new set of potentials. The community of believers discovered this reality as they experienced significant development in their life together. However, a variety of conflict stands out. The first church experienced the problems of discrimination, and distraction from the ministry of prayer and the word. These same problems still exist today in many twenty-first century churches.

1. The problem of discrimination

1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.

The immediate problem had to do with the fair treatment to Greek widows in the daily food distribution, but the underlying issue was ethnic tension between the Hebrews, Jews born in Judea and Galilee, and the Hellenists, Greek-speaking Jews born outside of Palestine. A complaint arose from the Greek-speaking widows.

The church’s responsibility was to help the needy. In this case, it was the Greek-speaking widows. We discovered the fact in our last message that the believers contributed to a common fund and placed their offerings at the feet of the apostles. Each day the church would take something from that account and use it to help the widows. The problem began with the new kid in town. A different kind of person came to church. The congregation was no longer made exclusively of Palestinian Jews. There was an immigrant emergence from Greek-speaking lands. The Greek-speaking Jewish Christians did things differently. They spoke Greek and not the more common Palestinian language of Aramaic. That is the only difference our text mentions, but the language barrier illustrates the larger cultural barrier. Such barriers often lead to discrimination.

Many people experienced ethnic discriminations when they first immigrated to the United States. We had a boarder living with us as I was growing up. His name was Sven. He was a citizen of Denmark, and he came to the United States to become an American citizen. His accent differed from our neighbors; his native tongue was not English. He felt second class as a result. Sometimes those feelings were warranted and sometimes imagined. Either way, he felt discriminated against. The same was true in the early church—cultural barriers resulted in neglect and ultimately discord. In addition, there are other forms of discrimination as well. It may be that a poor church refuses wealthier Jesus-followers, or a cushy, elegant church has lost contact with the poor. It may be that the spiritual gifts of women are not recognized. It may be the distinction between worship and learning styles. Paul says, “there is no partiality with God” (Romans 2:11). No Jew or Greek; no slave or free; no male or female. It need not be as blatant as language or race discrimination. Sometimes we discriminate merely because we resist change due to the personal preferences and persuasions we hold.

This issue describes the perception that a five generation church like Christ First has concerning multiple ministry needs and age-groups.

We want engaging worship with sound biblical preaching and variety in music styles.

We want edifying discipleship opportunities in classes, studies, and small groups.

We want enriching fellowship events that are relational and seasonal.

We want practical service/outreach opportunities that are local and global.

We want a trustworthy governing structure in which to function in ministry.

Age 55 and under Age 55 and older

Worship

celebrative with praise team, band reflective with choir, organ, piano,

and choruses. handbells and hymns.

Discipleship

small groups and faith-based seminars. Sunday school classes and Bible studies.

Fellowship

activities which affirm seasons of activities which affirm seasons of

Easter, Christmas, camping along Easter, Christmas, patriotic celebrations

with family related events, etc. along with hymn sings, etc.

Service/Outreach

sponsor local and global ministry sponsor local and global ministry

through prayer, service mission trips through prayer, financial mission support

and community events. and community events.

Structure

biblical model of church structure institutional model of church structure

that is Council protected, staff led, that is Council led, staff run, congregation

Congregation serving and outward served and inward focused.

focused.

We need to note in the above comparison in multiple ministry needs that this contrast is not meant to stereotype one age-grouping over another or to infer that one age-grouping is more important than the other, but merely shows by distinction between the preferences and persuasions towards which each particular age group may lean.

Oftentimes the values that a culture holds are reflected in and embraced by the church whether they are biblical or not. Coming to faith in Christ does not automatically change our view of the world and its people. We may reproduce and even defend sinful attitudes and actions that are normal for our surrounding culture. The gospel of Jesus must challenge and change these attitudes as evidenced in the early church in dealing with the problem of discrimination.

2. The problem of distraction

2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” 5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented them to the apostles, who prayed and laid hands on them.

The second and compounding problem had to do with the apostles’ concentration on the need to settle this food distribution conflict at the expense of neglecting the ministry of the word of God. We must be impressed with the lack of defensiveness among the apostles as, with the Holy Spirit’s guidance, they confronted—may we say?—“care-fronted” the problem head on without causing distraction in the responsibility they had been given to prayer and the ministry of the word.

The apostles could have actually done the work themselves which would have distracted them from their concentration upon the ministry of the word. Instead, the apostles proposed a plan to have the people themselves select from among them men who were full of the Spirit of wisdom to be put in charge of this task. All believers are called to be ministers (diakoneo), which means “to serve.” Some people feel that “the ministers” are the pastoral team and “the ministry” is their profession. But growing churches cannot afford to think this way.

A number of years ago cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was unheard of outside the medical profession. Today, CPR is being taught on college campuses, through the Red Cross, through the training of paramedics, and even many schools and businesses are training their teachers and workers in CPR. As a result, thousands of lives have been saved because lay men and women have learned how to serve in an emergency. The church today faces a similar emergency and we cannot afford to leave its work exclusively to the professionals.

So if the Hellenists were disturbed about a seeming inequality, put Hellenists in charge of the distribution! Ingenious? Yes. But more than that: guided and wise. The qualifications of the Hellenists to be selected are very significant. They were to be “from among you.” Not just Greek-speaking Jews, but people who were involved in the church because of conversion and transformation in the new life.

However, the ultimate quality mentioned for each of these seven servants was that they were… “known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.”

Certainly the apostles wanted people reported to have the reputation of impeccable character, but that character should be a witness to Christ in them and activate involvement in communicating that love to others. The test of that character was based upon the certainty that they be full of the Holy Spirit. This was to be exemplified in all dimensions of their lives—intellectually, emotionally, and volitionally. The acid test would be in the gift of wisdom. The evidence of the Spirit’s indwelling would be the gift to penetrate the deep mysteries of God and apply them in guidance for daily life.

These qualities should be the basis of leadership in the church today. So often our temptation is to bypass these criteria and select people with natural abilities or training in an area. Important as these are, without the maximizing power of the Spirit, they can stand in the way of spiritual leadership of the church. It is dangerous to lead a church on human training and conditioning alone.

Let’s summarize seven ways how the apostles responded with care in the midst of discrimination and distraction:

They met face-to-face with the Hellenists (the powerful with the powerless).

They listened to the complaints and acknowledged their legitimacy.

Together with the Hellenists, they devised guidelines for godly leaders and chose seven with names that suggest they were from among the Hellenist minority.

They approved and commissioned the new leaders through the laying on of hands and committed themselves to work with them.

They gave the new leaders authority over the distribution.

They shared power and resources and affirmed the dignity of the newly chosen leaders.

They continued to give their attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.

What was the result of their guidance and wisdom?

7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

The blessing of God continued and increased! The church was still unified and it multiplied. This verse is one of several “summaries” found in the book, statements that let us know that the story has reached an important juncture. The word of God spread and the number of disciples in Jerusalem increase rapidly. But another amazing result was that a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. It has been estimated that there were 8,000 Jewish priests attached to the temple ministry in Jerusalem, and “a large number” of them trusted Jesus Christ as Savior!

The following illustration affirms the truth that small efforts of care have tremendous impact. A pastor was asked to conduct the funeral for a man who had helped develop the famous Boeing 747 aircraft. After the service, the pastor spoke with the widow and commented on how remarkable it was that her late husband had helped build that marvelous machine. She said, “The truth is, he worked on one little switchbox smaller than a loaf of bread. That’s all he worked on for 15 years. But when that 747 lifted off the ground for the first time, it was the happiest day of his life.” He worked with great care and precision on one small switchbox for more than a decade. Yet the huge plane couldn’t have lifted off without this man’s contribution. Often we see only our seemingly small efforts of caring and feel we aren’t very important. But when the great kingdom of God “lifts off,” we’ll be thrilled to find out that all of our efforts were not only essential, but they were marked by God for eternity!

Our efforts to see the work of Christ advance in this church is dependent upon the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, coupled with our desire to allow problems to give us potential to carefully exercise our faith. We not only exercise our faith in the Lord, but also faith in each other. When structure and ministry collide, conflict and care connect. May the blessing of God be ignited, and may the ministry of caring be rekindled in these challenging, yet exciting days of ministry! Amen.

Jesus-followers are to become a renewed community, by showing an unlimited commitment to Jesus Christ and each other which is expressed in unrestrained loyalty.

God has been disclosing to us in this message series that Jesus-followers in the book of Acts experienced a renewed community. God stirred the early church through four movements. The church was renewed through the first movement of God: a renewed community, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Through the experience of Pentecost, the believers were promised and received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The second movement of God highlighted a renewed community, living boldly for the Lord and showing loyalty to one another. In our last message the believers spoke boldly, taking a stand and speaking straightforwardly what they believed with faithfulness and obedience. God will disclose to us through his Word in this message the renewal of loyalty. We now turn our attention to the blessing the Holy Spirit helped them to be to each other. The courage the disciples displayed beyond the fellowship was dependent on the quality of life they experienced in that fellowship.

Loyalty is all about quality of life. It exemplifies devotion, dependability and trustworthiness. Loyalty has been pictured in the following ways…

We are all in the same boat in a stormy sea, and we owe each other a terrible loyalty. –G. K. Chesterton

Leadership is a two-way street, loyalty up and loyalty down. Respect for one’s superiors; care for one’s crew. –Grace Murray Hopper

Loyalty means nothing unless it has at its heart the absolute principle of self-sacrifice. –Woodrow T. Wilson

Loyalty to petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul. –Mark Twain

Unless you can find some sort of loyalty, you cannot find unity and peace in your active living. –Josiah Royce

Loyalty may be illustrated by the following amusing example: two friends were traveling together through the woods in Yosemite National Park, when a bear rushed out upon them. One of the travelers happened to be in front, and he seized hold of the branch of a tree, and hid himself among the leaves. The other, seeing no help for it, threw himself flat down upon the ground, with his face in the dust. The bear, coming up to him, put his muzzle close to his ear, and sniffed and sniffed. But at last with a growl he shook his head and slouched off, for bears will not touch dead meat. Then the friend in the tree came down to his comrade, and, laughing, said “What was it that Master Bruin whispered to you?” “He told me,” said the other, “Never trust a friend who deserts you at a pinch.”

A church may be doing a lot of things from a quantitative standpoint in its life and ministry, but it may still struggle with the quality of life they experience in their fellowship. Luke tells us about an essential ingredient of a great church: of one heart and mind with loyal commitment to Christ and loyalty to each other. Our text in this message fits together as a unit; it has a cause-and-effect-progression of thought in Acts 4:32—5:11…

32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. 36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.

1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet. 3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.

7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?” “Yes,” she said, “that is the price.” 9 Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of those who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.” 10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

In a very stirring way Luke describes the effectiveness of the church. There were signs and wonders done among the people of Jerusalem. The power of the Holy Spirit was being released through them. Changes lives, reconciliations, healings, and joy were the evidence of the church alive with the Holy Spirit. The church was growing and dynamic. Would we truly like to be a part of a church like this first church? The church was a vital movement. That’s the effect. What was the cause? Now we are ready to go back to the beginning of the passage for the answer.

Liberated for Loyalty

Luke gives us a moving, narrative description of a church liberated for loyalty and then provides two illustrations—one to show what loyalty really represents, and the other to alarm us as to what happens when it is lacking. The first is very positive and the second is equally negative.

1. Commitment is spelled l-o-y-a-l-t-y

32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.

Luke has been sharing the things happening in the most exalted atmosphere: great thoughts of God; prayers for the Holy Spirit; and exultant quotes from the Old Testament. Now there is a sudden change which is typical of Christianity. Without warning the narrative changes to the most practical things. However much these early Jesus-followers had their moments on the heights, they never forgot that someone had not enough and that all must help. Prayer was supremely important, a witness of words was supremely important, but the result was the loyalty of love of the Jesus-followers.

Two things are to be noted about them. They had an intense sense of responsibility for each other. This stirred in them a real desire to share all they had with each another. We need to note one thing above all—this sharing was not the result of legislation; it was spontaneously sacrificial. It is not when the law compels us to share but when the heart moves us to share that our culture is really Christian.

Let’s just list in rapid order how loyalty was experienced…

Believers were one in heart and mind

No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own

They shared everything they had

They testified to the resurrection of Jesus Christ

God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all

There were no needy persons among them as money was gathered as land or houses were sold

But all this would not be possible without the assurance of loyalty. We all need a handful of people who are loyal to us and to whom we are loyal because of Jesus’ unswerving loyalty to us. He is for us; he will never leave or forsake us when we succeed or fail. When Jesus lives in our heart and mind to repeat Luke’s words, he enables his own loyalty within us—first to him and then to people.

2. Barnabas, son of encouragement

36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.

Luke is generous in his praise of Barnabas as demonstrating loyalty. We will open up our inner heart and share only when we have an assurance of loyalty which keeps confidences and supports us under the fire of criticism from others. Luke’s example of that kind of person is Barnabas, the “Son of Encouragement.” Only two brief verses introduce us to one of the most admirable personalities of the New Testament.

This “Son of Encouragement” embodied the following characteristics recorded in Acts…

Sympathy (Acts 4:36, 37)

Non-judgmental (Acts 9:26, 27)

Gift of exhortation (Acts 11:23)

Spirit Filled (Acts 11:24

Inspiring influence (Acts 11:25, 26)

Trustworthy (Acts 11:29, 30)

Adapted to missionary work (13:2)

Thus, the apostles chose the perfect Christian name for Joseph of Cyprus when they called him Barnabas—Son of Encouragement. Every appearance of Barnabas in Scripture finds him encouraging others in the faith. In fact, he serves as the supreme model for how to mentor young believers. Numerous churches can trace their beginnings back to the efforts of “Joe Encouragement.”

There are a couple of interesting sidelights on Barnabas. One, though Levites traditionally lived off the temple system, Barnabas had real estate. But on coming into the faith, he sold it and donated the proceeds for the care of the poor. Later, he joined with Paul in refusing to make a living from the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:6). Two, over time, with Barnabas’s mentoring and encouragement, Paul became the central figure in the early spread of the gospel. Barnabas also took John Mark aside and mentored him when Paul refused to take the future gospel writer with him on his missionary journey.

Close observation reveals that Barnabas fulfilled four key functions of a kingdom-style mentor: he cared about those who followed him; he conveyed wisdom and skill to his followers; he corrected his followers when they were wrong; and he connected his followers to significant others. Quite often, the loyalty it takes to mentor someone can mean the difference between success and failure in a person’s life. Perhaps it would be good for us to begin a “Barnabas Bunch” which is made up of people whose basic purpose for being together consistently is to mentor and encourage one another in their ministry, and to be supportive of each other in attempts to be channels of the Holy Spirit. It can be exciting to see a group of people adopt the words of Paul from Ephesians 4:1-3; 30-32, and Luke’s example of them in Acts and allow the Holy Spirit to guide them in living them.

Barnabas Bunch Blessings…

Give an hour of your time to someone who needs you.

Give a note of encouragement to someone who is down.

Give a hug of appreciation to someone in your family.

Give a visit of mercy to someone who is needy.

Give a meal you prepared to someone who is sick.

Give a word of compassion to someone who is grieving.

Give a deed of kindness to someone who is overlooked.

Give an act of generosity to someone who is financially in need.

Jesus taught: “…Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). Be really unselfishness, give yourself away!

Sadly, there are few people like Barnabas in the church today. As we will discover next, Christianity still has its Ananiases and Sapphiras. They are examples of offspring of discouragement, who play games with God.

3. Ananias and Sapphira, offspring of discouragement

1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet. 3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.

7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?” “Yes,” she said, “that is the price.” 9 Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of those who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.” 10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

Luke is honest with us about Ananias and Sapphira as an example of the denial of loyalty. This dramatic account of Ananias and Sapphira immediately after the mention of Barnabas draws a stark contrast between two kinds of people—the loyal and the disloyal. Barnabas serves as a positive model of sincere faithfulness, as evidenced by his openhanded generosity. On the other hand, Ananias and Sapphira serve as negative models.

Externally, they appeared the same. Like Barnabas, they sold land and brought money to the church, where they put it at the apostles’ feet. But internally, they had a radically different commitment. The sins that Peter named—lying to the Holy Spirit and testing the Spirit—indicate that they were playing games with God. Peter noted that the source of their deception was Satan. As the ultimate liar (John 8:44), Satan had filled their hearts with lies, in contrast to the Holy Spirit who fills the heart with truth (John 14:16-17; Ephesians 5:6-21). And like Israel, they were testing the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 10:1-13), testing the limits of what he would permit, trying to see how much they could get away with, not getting caught. In this contrast between Barnabas and Ananias and Sapphira, God also calls us as Jesus-followers to authentically hold our resources lightly. After all, everything that we have comes from him. God gives it to us as a trust to be managed—not a treasure to be hoarded.

God dealt severely with this couple by making an example of them. As a result, fear came upon the church—not a cringing fear of dread, but a heightened respect for God’s holiness, and his moral purity. The members of the body saw the wondrous things the Holy Spirit could do with a willing Barnabas, and with Ananias who refused to allow the Lord to be gracious. The incident still stands as a bold warning to Jesus-followers today about relating to God. No one is perfect, and God forgives. But when given a chance to confess the truth, it’s important to speak honestly, not lie as they did.

Luke closes out this section of his account (verses 12-16) by reporting that the church which resulted from being of one heart and mind with loyal commitment to the risen Christ and loyalty to each other, had undeniable miracles. Those miracles are still applicable today in the twenty-first century church. We can become a supernatural church, a respected and growing church, and a healing church.

We can bring this message to its conclusion by learning the lessons of migratory geese. These birds teach us that if we have the sense of a goose, we will support one another being liberated for loyalty.

The fantastic annual migration that birds make between their breeding and wintering grounds is one of the wonders of God’s world. Most of the world’s 29 or so species of geese are no strangers to migration, and some routinely accomplish amazing feats. In Asia, Bar-headed Geese regularly migrate over the Himalayan Mountains, even over Mt. Everest at an altitude of 30,750 feet where the air is thin and the temperatures drop to minus 60 degrees F. When we see geese flying along in “V” formation, we might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way. As each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in “V” formation, the whole flock adds at least 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on the thrust of one another. When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone - and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front. If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those people who are headed the same way we are.

When the head goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point. It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs, whether with people or with geese flying south. Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. What messages do we give when we honk from behind?

Finally - and this is important - when a goose gets sick or is wounded by gunshot, and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or until it dies, and only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation to catch up with their group.

If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other with undivided loyalty. How do we do that? How do we make every effort to support loyalty in the body of Christ? Does that mean we compromise our convictions? No. Does that mean we abandon the truths we cherish? No. But it does mean we look long and hard at the attitudes we carry.

Loyalty doesn’t begin in examining others but in examining self. Loyalty begins, not in demanding that others change, but in admitting that we aren’t prefect ourselves. Loyalty grows as we learn to accept other people’s differences and to forgive when wronged. Loyalty continues as we humbly serve those who are different. Loyalty is fulfilled as we focus on who we believe in rather what we believe in. Loyalty is favored as we become a renewed community based in the authentic, Spirit-filled church of people called to the Lord and then called to loyalty to the members of his body. Amen.

Jesus-followers are to become a renewed community, boldly taking a stand and speaking straightforwardly what we believe with faithfulness and obedience, whatever the cost.

Jesus-followers in the book of Acts experienced a renewed community. God stirred the early church through four movements. The church was renewed through the first movement of God: a renewed community, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Through the experience of Pentecost, the believers were promised and received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The second movement of God highlights a renewed community, living boldly for the Lord and showing loyalty to one another. God will disclose to us through his Word in this message the renewal of boldness. The believers boldly preached with power a message of forgiveness of sins and reconciliation.

There are times when boldly preaching a message is difficult and comes with a price. But I’m reminded of the following illustration… Hugh Lattimer once preached before King Henry VIII. Henry was greatly displeased by the boldness in the sermon and ordered Lattimer to preach again on the following Sunday and apologize for the offence he had given. The next Sunday, after reading his text, he thus began his sermon: “Hugh Lattimer, dost thou know before whom thou are this day to speak? To the high and mighty monarch, the king’s most excellent majesty, who can take away thy life, if thou offendest. Therefore, take heed that thou speakest not a word that may displease. But then consider well, Hugh, dost thou not know from whence thou comest–upon Whose message thou are sent? Even by the great and mighty God, Who is all-present and Who beholdeth all thy ways and Who is able to cast thy soul into hell! Therefore, take care that thou deliverest thy message faithfully.” He then preached the same sermon he had preached the preceding Sunday–and with considerably more energy.

So let’s be courageous and talk about the renewal of boldness. Boldness is showing a fearless, daring spirit. It embodies courage, confidence and self-assurance. Boldness has been described in the following ways…

Fortune favors the bold, but abandons the timid. –Latin Proverb

Finite to fail, but infinite to venture. –Emily Dickinson

It is wonderful what strength of purpose and boldness and energy of will are roused by the assurance that we are doing our duty. –Walter Scott

When the mouse laughs at the cat, there’s a hole nearby. –Nigerian Proverb

Who bravely dares must sometimes risk a fall. –Tobias G. Smollett

The following saying is commonly attributed to Goethe, a German poet […The moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meeting and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.

We discovered in our last message the fact that Pentecost had instilled in the believers God’s boldness. Encountering God’s power through the Holy Spirit had happened. Being filled with the Spirit had happened. A transformation had happened, not only in Peter’s life but in the lives of all the believers. Peter appeared different because he was different. Indeed, something had happened to the man. He was now operating, not in his own ability, but in God’s sufficiency. Peter turned from cowardice in himself to confidence in God.

Now as we move deeper into the text of the book of Acts, Peter had made it very clear that Jesus alone is the way to heaven in Acts 4:12…“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved.”

That is always a tough message for people to hear. People don’t like those who are narrow-minded and think their way is the only way. But in this case Peter and John were hardly narrow-minded, instead they were forward-thinking. So let us proceed keeping the context in mind. The world will say that Jesus-followers are narrow-minded, but to an extent we should be narrow-minded because the road to heaven is a narrow one! And so our gospel presentation should not be broad but bold—the narrow way. We live in a day where people seem to want to make the road to heaven wider, but Jesus said it is narrow.

The ordinary and the extraordinary collide in Acts 4:13-22…

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. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. 17 But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.”

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, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! 20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

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.

Peter and John were classed by the religious elite as “unschooled, ordinary men.” However, Peter and John, though ordinary, had a personal relationship with Jesus that gave them the spiritual power to perform a miracle that not one of the elite could duplicate. Like Peter and John, confident of our relationship with Jesus will cause us to obey God rather than mere people, and speak boldly about what we have seen and heard.

The Gift of Boldness

An undeniable sign of the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit is boldness. It’s the inner delight of a liberated person expressed in daring adventure. In the midst of human helplessness and the timidity of institutionalized religion, the great need is for boldness in loving, forgiving, speaking the truth in love, and obedience to the strategy of God.

Let’s consider in this portion of Acts, the substance and spirit of authentic boldness in two penetrating ways:

1. The boldness of the transformed life

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.

We’ve already noted in our last message that the moment the presence and power of the Holy Spirit came upon all the believers in the early church, they experienced the transformed life. So that’s the explanation why Peter and John, unschooled and ordinary, amazed the Sanhedrin leaders.

Peter and John had not been trained in the professional rabbinical schools of Hillel or Shammai. Where did they get their wisdom and logical speech? We must note the progression of the dawning comprehension of the Sanhedrin. They saw the boldness of Peter and John, realized that they were laymen, and took note that they had been with Jesus. A remarkable compliment!

The same can be true for us as Jesus-followers today. A Christ-captivated life enables us to live an extraordinary life. We are not limited to the confines of our own intellect or talent. The secret of the Christian life is not only that we have been with Jesus but that Jesus is in us! Paul wrote in Colossians 1:27…Christ in you, the hope of glory.

This truth transforms. So because Christ is in us we can be like Jesus.

The story is told of a mother who was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, age 5, and Ryan, age 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. “If Jesus were sitting here, he would say ‘Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.’ Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus!”

Christ manifests himself in us and transforms us into his own image. There should be daily astonishment—first in us and then in others—at what we are able to discern, dare, and do. Christ in us is the inner source of…

wisdom beyond human shrewdness

discernment beyond comprehension

love beyond our cautious affection

truth beyond our experience.

The deeper we grow in Christ, the more people will be forced to wonder.

But most telling of all, there will be changed lives around us because of Christ in us. The apostles had the lame man as evidence that Christ had used them as agents of healing. And yet, the greatest miracle is in the conversion and transformation of a person with whom we have shared the love of Christ. When we give ourselves away in caring, costly relationships of affirmation and encouragement with those who do not know Christ, he uses us to model the Holy Spirit’s power and introduce them to him. People will live forever because of the Lord’s ministry to them through us.

The result is that Christ will get the glory. We can enjoy being a vessel of his grace. All the compliments and commendations go to him. Our reward is a boldness in knowing who we are, whose we are, and for what we were born. People will see…we must be sure of that. They will wonder what has happened to us; they will marvel at what has happened around us; and then finally, they will realize what is happening in us. Jesus. There can be no other explanation!

2. The boldness from opposition

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. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. 17 But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.” 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, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! 20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” 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.

Opposition crystallizes boldness. Difficulties deepen our determination. Conflict forces us to clarify the irreducible maximum of what we believe. So the ruling of the Sanhedrin was a gift of God. Startling? Perhaps. But let’s look at it this way: the prohibition against speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus solidified the apostles and the church in courageous witness in a way that could never have happened without opposition.

Joseph Salon, a Romanian pastor. The communist came to him and said we will let you preach but you must register as a state preacher. He had to think about it. He knew that if he registered with the communist he could continue preaching, but he would have to say that the state is sovereign not just God. And the state would control what he said. So Joseph went to a place of solace in the mountains and prayed and fasted. God made it clear to him not to register. Joseph went to his wife and told her that God told him not to register. So they prayed together. He knew that if they killed him it would be worse on her. He would be in heaven. They agreed that they would trust God. Remarkably, they said they slept very soundly that night knowing that God was with them. The next day that communist came to him and asked if he was going to register. He said sir, I will not register. He said Mr. Salon do you know what I can do to you? Joseph said I’m aware that you can take my life. But I want you to know that your greatest weapon is killing, and mine is death. My greatest weapon is dying. They said what do you mean? Joseph said I preach the gospel at church, on the radio, my sermons have been printed and circulated. People know the life I have lived and what I have preached. Now if you kill me you are going to baptize everything I have preached in my blood. They will know that I believed my message enough to die for it. Joseph finished up by saying, “if you use your weapon, I will be forced to use mine! That communist official left and told his superiors to leave that man alone because he is crazy. Today Joseph Salon is the head of the missionary committee in Romania.

Like this Romanian pastor, Peter and John had to decide whether to be obedient to God or to human authority. Now they could understand first-hand what Jesus had meant when he had challenged them to seek first the kingdom of God and put him first before family, friends, recognition, or popularity.

Just a personal note. I struggle with this principle because I’m a people pleaser. I want to make sure that every person is satisfied with life. But realistically, I know of no truly bold person who has not experienced the sharp razor’s edge of the decision to put God first no matter what the circumstance. When we know who we are and what we are to do because of prolonged time in prayer, we can play to the right audience. Pressure comes in our lives when we vacillate in trying to please everyone. Our insecurity often makes life a popularity contest and we must win people’s approval at all costs. The cost is always overpriced. We live in a time when strong convictions about anything are suspect. Our need to be liked drains our ability to adhere resolutely to what we believe.

C. S. Lewis says about a character in one of his novels: “Mark liked to be liked. There was a good deal of spaniel in him.” So there may be a good deal of spaniel in all of us. But when the issues are focused, we are forced to discover the real center of our security in Christ.

Praise God for opposition! Lives are not changed without it, churches are not renewed without its pain, and we do not become the toughened followers of Jesus we were meant to be without its sharpening discipline. The opposition of the Sanhedrin has given us a motto for bold and courageous living. We would be less without it. Peter’s and John’s response to the threats of the frightened high priest should be memorized and kept ready for life’s tight places where and when we are tempted to give in or give up:

“Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Difficult people populate everyone’s life. Some of us need healing. The Lord is going to break through! He will meet our needs beyond our wildest expectations. All so that our gratitude can be expressed by speaking about what we have seen and heard. Opposition cannot silence the gospel—what a vital message for the church to hear today!

We need to picture ourselves as bold people. How would we act; what would we say; what would we dare? Perhaps it’s an act of love which we’ve resisted doing, or an opportunity to share our faith which has been neglected because of embarrassment or timidity. Or perhaps it’s forgiveness we need to express, or taking a stand and speaking straightforwardly what we believe. Most of all, it’s following Jesus’ guidance with faithfulness and obedience, regardless of the cost. Let’s ask for a special infilling of the Holy Spirit. God is faithful. God will renew us and give us power to speak with boldness! Amen.

Jesus-followers are to become a renewed community, living dynamically by facing our inadequacy and encountering God’s sufficiency through the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus-followers in the book of Acts experienced a renewed community. In our first message we discovered that God stirs the early church through four movements. The first movement of God was empowered by Holy Spirit. This message continues to affirm the empowering of the Holy Spirit in the life of the early church as they experienced the event of Pentecost.

A sense of our own inadequacy is a gift. To recognize that we have a need may be the first step in seeing that need met. Feeling our own inability or insufficiency may seem like a negative thing, when in fact it may be quite the opposite.

There is a notion in our contemporary culture that recognizing our inability or insufficiency is somehow contrary to the principles of success. Self-confidence and high-powered, aggressive personalities seem to be what takes the day. The truth is that most of us simply do not live there. Oh, we might put on a facade in order to appear confident and assertive, but if the truth be known, many times we feel just the opposite. In the wisdom of the great purveyors of television commercial truth we hear the maxim, “Never let ‘em see you sweat.” But, in reality, we do sweat like prisoners trapped in the sauna. We are worried about the future. In fact, we are worried about the present; trying to balance job and family; trying to be good parents, grandparents and providers, good role models, good wives and husbands. Sometimes it’s tough. No, oftentimes it’s tough. And many times we feel totally inadequate.

We can imagine how the apostles felt in the days preceding Pentecost. For several years they had really been living. They were following one of the most exciting figures of history. Daily they were experiencing the miraculous. They were listening to the most insightful teacher of truth who had ever appeared on the face of history. It was indeed a time for high adventure. But they had recently experienced Jesus’ crucifixion. What a sense of despair and defeat that must have been! But Jesus had risen from the dead and appeared to them. What an exhilarating experience that had been!

But now Jesus had left them. He had challenged them with what we know of as the Great Commission. In our last message Jesus had told them to go to Jerusalem and to wait. We can be sure they didn’t quite understand what that meant. But they were waiting. We can be sure as they waited, one terrible truth closed in upon them. JESUS WAS GONE! This powerful figure around whom their lives had been built for so long was now gone and they were alone. Certainly they had themselves, but it wasn’t the same without Jesus. What must they have felt?

We can picture that they must have questioned much, “What would it be like now? Who among them could ever fill Jesus’ shoes? How could they ever fulfill his Great Commission? Was it all a dream? Was it now over? Questions — many questions, but no answers. Whatever else they thought or felt, they must have felt empty. Jesus was gone and they were empty.

This sense of emptiness is shared by many today. Even many Jesus-followers feel empty. There is something missing in their lives; something they can’t quite put their finger on. But they recognize a real need. They feel the need for power in their own personal lives. They feel the need for a sense of adequacy.

We can be sure all of the apostles felt that need, and especially one. Peter is an example of the spiritual pilgrimage of many Jesus-followers. He went through what many of us have gone through or are going through. Facing our inadequacy is an ongoing challenge of life. It doesn’t sound like an exciting thing to do, but in many ways it’s the first step to a fulfilled life. It was for Peter. He needed it desperately. And it can be a first step for us as we face our inadequacy in the grace of God.

Peter is a wonderful picture of a regular guy. He is a most appealing character. He was just an ordinary guy. There was nothing extraordinary about his life. He was a working stiff like the rest of us, just a fisherman. He and his father and brothers had a fishing business. Every day they went to work. Every day they faced the pressures of the marketplace. He wasn’t overly educated. He didn’t belong to the elite social class. He was just like you and me.

Peter was headstrong and he thought he would never deny his Lord. But we know that he denied Jesus three times. He didn’t even have the courage to stand up before a servant girl and confess his faith in Christ. He wasn’t willing to identify himself with the Savior.

Luke records Peter disowning Jesus in Luke 22:54-62…

54 Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. 55 And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. 56 A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.” 57 But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said. 58 A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” “Man, I am not!” Peter replied. 59 About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.” 60 Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” 62 And he went outside and wept bitterly.

How could he do such a thing? Let’s remember that Peter was filled with frustration and a deep sense of failure. Disappointment was probably too weak a word. Total discouragement is far better; perhaps even despair. These are all emotions Peter must have felt. His heart must have ached.

Peter had come face to face with the reality of his own inadequacy. The irony was that he truly did not want to deny his Lord, yet he had. Yet, as Jesus had said only a few short hours before, “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38).

We can imagine Peter in his discontent saying, “Oh, God, how could I have done such a thing? I said I would never deny you and I have done the very thing I said I would never do! What’s the matter with me? Oh, God, I’m a failure.”

Have we ever felt that way? Sure we have. It’s common to all of us. In our jobs, or at home, school and even in the church. Many times we come face to face with our own inadequacy and failure. It’s not encouraging. Additionally, we all feel a deep sense of frustration at times at our efforts to follow Jesus Christ. It’s called the frustration index.

The frustration index is the amount of tension we feel at the gap between what we know to do and our performance of it. You see, we know to do far more than we do. Our level of spiritual knowledge may be high, while our level of performance is much lower. There is a tension created, a sense of frustration felt when we recognize that we are not living up to our own understanding of what God expects of us. And sometimes we must come face to face with our own inadequacy. It’s almost like competing in the high jump. We know we can soar over that bar, but the level of our performance knocks down that bar.

Peter came face to face with his own inadequacy, and so must we. It may be the very thing we need. Facing our own inadequacy is good for us. I believe it prepares us for God’s work in our lives. Someone said, “God only fills empty vessels.” There is a real sense in which that is true. What we may need is to come to a place of emptying in our own lives. We may need to come to a place of brokenness. That may be the very thing we need to give us the right perspective on our lives. The perspective we need in order for God to begin his work in us. That may be the preparation for our personal Pentecost. It was for the apostles and for Peter. It can be for us.

What happened at Pentecost was a transforming event as recorded by Luke in Acts 2:1-4…

1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

The result of Pentecost has one key penetrating lesson:

Only by facing our inadequacy will we come to a place of encountering God’s sufficiency of the Holy Spirit.

Encountering God’s Sufficiency

Pentecost was all about encountering God’s sufficiency. More succinctly, Pentecost was an encounter with God. This is its real significance. We must be careful not to miss that in the details of the day. The real significance of Pentecost is not the rushing, mighty wind or the visible tongues of fire, or even the fact that they spoke in many other languages. The real significance of Pentecost was an encounter with God. God moved in. By his Spirit, God took over. They were filled with God’s Spirit and clothed with power. Pentecost means that God is in charge!

What happened at Pentecost was a transforming event. Like the caterpillar which spins its cocoon and waits there while an inner work of transformation takes place, so the disciples were waiting as God did his unseen work in their hearts to prepare them for that day. Then as the caterpillar emerges, something wonderful has happened. It is no longer a caterpillar, but a beautiful butterfly. Its life has been changed. It’s been transformed, from the inside out!

On the day of Pentecost, God came down in power and changed the lives of a multitude. Like the butterfly, they would never be the same again. They didn’t even act the same. They were intoxicated by the Spirit. They were doing strange things. They weren’t acting like normal people. Some accused them of being drunk, and they were. They were not drunk with wine, they were drunk with the Spirit of God. They were overwhelmed because God had taken over.

But don’t we see the correlation? That’s precisely what we need today. That is what the church needs today. As we see our insufficiency, and as we encounter God’s sufficiency, we understand the dynamic of how to live. Pentecost was an encounter with the sufficiency of God. They had been emptied only to be filled. It finally had clicked; it all made sense now. They understood how to live above the level of their inadequacy. They must learn to depend upon God’s sufficiency, not their own inadequacy. They must learn to live in God’s power. And that is what we need today. We need our own personal Pentecost because, as we encounter God, we will find the power to live our lives through the Holy Spirit. Renewal is given.

What happened at Pentecost was also an empowering event as recorded in Acts 2:14…

14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.

The result of Pentecost has one key piercing application:

Facing our inadequacy not only brings us to a place of encountering God’s sufficiency, but both taken together, produce ability for living dynamically.

Living Dynamically

Let’s notice what happened to Peter. Something has changed! This is a different Peter. A few days prior to this, he could not even admit before a servant girl around a campfire that he knew Jesus. He had acted like a coward. And now, with multiplied thousands gathered together, he dares to stand up and command the attention of the entire multitude? This is a different Peter! Something has happened. What has happened to the man?

Pentecost had happened. Encountering God’s power through the Holy Spirit had happened. Being filled with the Spirit had happened. A transformation had happened. Peter appears different because he is different. Indeed, something has happened to the man. He is now operating, not in his own ability, but in God’s sufficiency. He is moving by the power of God. God is in charge now. The Spirit is in control, and this is precisely what makes for dynamic living. It is living in the power, the “dúnamis” of God. Renewal is given.

Peter’s cowardice had been turned into confidence. But his confidence now was in God. He began to understand what Paul would later write, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). And this was a result of encountering the very presence of God.

Peter and John are before the religious leaders and it is said of them in Act 4:13…

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.

Have people around us noticed that we have been with Jesus? Encountering the presence of Jesus Christ is what will give us confidence. It is the confidence of knowing that God indwells us by his Spirit, that God empowers us by his Spirit, and that God lives in us and through us by his Spirit.

Indeed, it was a life-changing experience for all. On Pentecost, 3,000 came to know the Lord Jesus Christ, and the church was born in Jerusalem. It was a dynamic church, filled with dynamic people who were living out their Christianity in the midst of a secular society. This is the picture of a living, dynamic fellowship of believers who are empowered by the Holy Spirit of God. These are people who have seen their own inadequacy. They have encountered the sufficiency of God. And because they have been filled with the Holy Spirit, they are now empowered to live dynamically changed lives in the midst of a society which runs counter to the principles of God’s Word. It is a Church made up of ordinary people, living extraordinary lives by the power of the Spirit.

I would like to bring this message to a close by sharing with you the example of one Jesus-follower who encountered and learned to live with the sufficiency of God in her life. Pamela Rheude, a member of Christ First who passed away three-weeks ago today, experienced a devastating auto accident in April of 1979 which left her a C-5 quadriplegic. The accident may have broken her body, but not her spirit or will power. These are the words she wrote concerning this experience she lived with in a wheelchair for almost 30 years.

This day, Jesus, I can feel sorry for myself or victorious in You. Show me how to choose the latter.

For me, the real miracle means sitting in this wheelchair and smiling. Everyday I experience miracles of patience and perseverance, endurance and self-control. This ordinary (which is so very extraordinary) work of the Spirit is sufficient. I am more concerned with a heart that works than with hands that function.

Pamela experienced and became victorious over her inadequacy. She learned the lesson that facing her inadequacy not only brought her to a place of encountering God’s sufficiency, but both taken together, produced ability for living dynamically.

Have we come face to face with our inadequacy? Perhaps we have. Maybe we even feel it keenly today. We need not despair — there is hope. It may be just the place God has brought us to. God may be bringing us to the point where we can be filled with his grace and love and power. God fills empty vessels. If we sense our inadequacy today, we can come to God and allow him to fill us up with himself. As we encounter God’ sufficiency, we will be empowered to live dynamically. We will truly experience God’s renewal in spirit! Amen.

Many of us would agree together that we are living in times that are full of great turmoil and uncertainty. All around us it seems like our culture is literally coming apart at the seams. It seems like we have lost our moorings, our absolutes. It’s as though we no longer have black and white, just varying shades of gray. It appears this world of ours is going from bad to worse with no real end to this trend in sight. We live in times in which it seems that is right is wrong and wrong is right.

This message series on Acts—a Renewed Community displays the actions of the early church in four movements. Whenever a new movement gains momentum, we ask basic questions about it. How did it start? What were the obstacles? Who was associated with it? What is its present condition? Where is it going? The early chapters of the book of Acts (1-12) answer these questions about the church of Jesus Christ .

So the church of the first century dramatically impacted their world for Christ with the life-changing message of the gospel. It was said of them that they had turned their world “right side up”. If we apply the same principles that the early church did and allow God’s Holy Spirit to work through us the same can happen in our time.

We will see what the account of their lives, the book of Acts 1-12, has to say to us as Jesus-followers today. As we seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance we will be able to say along with the two disciples who heard Jesus’ words, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32)
According to the surveys of George Gallup, the number one need people have is “the need to believe that life is meaningful and has a purpose.” People want their lives to count. Someone said, “The great purpose of life is to spend it on something that will outlast it.” In attempting to recruit John Sculley, the 38-year-old President of Pepsi-Cola, Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Computer, issued a tremendous challenge to Sculley. He asked: “Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?”

Many people today are afraid that their lives will be lived without any real sense of fulfilling the real purpose God has for them. People everywhere feel this dissatisfaction, this uneasiness about the way in which the purpose of their lives is unfolding. Today many young people feel it. Somehow they know that there is more to life than merely going to school, getting an education, finding a job, marrying the right person, raising a family, gathering the usual security symbols and settling into the ruts of routine.

Deep down within us we all know this is true. The thought of working all our life only to retire with nothing to do but sit in the rocking chair all alone on the back porch just somehow doesn’t seem like enough. Shouldn’t there be some overriding purpose and significance to our pilgrimage on this earth? Surely God is up to more than living in mundane mediocrity.

Well, God is up to more than this. But tragically, too many churches are not into what God is “up to.” One Christian thinker said, “The problem is that faith has been domesticated to suit our culturally conditioned lives, rather than dramatized as the ultimate purpose which gives meaning and direction to all other secondary loyalties.” He goes on to say, “I am convinced that we are living in an unprecedented time of potential blessing and power and this is God’s appointed hour to liberate the church from being a memorial society to becoming a society of movers.”

Our text gives us a foundation upon which we can build lives of purpose because we will be energized by the dynamic of the Spirit’s power in Acts 1:4-8…

⁴ On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem , but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. ⁵ For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” ⁶ So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel ?” ⁷ He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

The Dynamic of the Spirit

What was it that changed that small band of discouraged disciples into courageous ambassadors of Jesus? The answer is one great act of God made up many acts of God’s power. Those acts of power were the daily experience of the Jesus-followers. What evidence do we find of that power?

1. The promise from Jesus to believe

⁴ On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem , but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. ⁵ For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

As the book of Acts unfolds, several important things have happened. The Lord has been crucified and raised from the dead. He has appeared to many of his disciples. He has spoken to them about the kingdom of God . And he is about to be taken away from them into heaven.

Now, we cannot be sure what we would be thinking had we been there, but we can feel certain that these disciples were wondering just what was next. How would they live in the secular society of which they had been a part? How would this encounter with Jesus Christ change their lives? He had commanded them to share this Gospel of the kingdom with every person. How would they do it? What resources would they need? Who would organize it? Who would carry it out? They had many questions just as we have many questions today. Coming to Christ is only the beginning. As we enter into this Christian life, there are still many questions that are unanswered. There are still many fears to be conquered, many issues to resolve. What is really important? What is the next step?

Jesus, of course, anticipated their needs and gave them a promise. What he promised them here was to be the essential ingredient for their future ministry. It was for them, and is for us, foundational to effective Christian living in any secular society. What they needed and what every Jesus-follower needs is power from on high, a mighty baptism in the Holy Spirit. This, Jesus said, is “the gift my Father promised.“

It is interesting that Jesus told them that they must wait in Jerusalem for this promise. We can be sure that many of the disciples were fairly impulsive. Now that they had witnessed the resurrection of Jesus Christ, they were ready to share that news with everybody. What Jesus told them to do was to wait. They needed to wait because they needed the power which the Holy Spirit would provide.

In fact, the profound implication behind this single instruction of waiting is clear: There’s only one need at this time, and that’s for the power of the Holy Spirit. Don’t go anywhere—don’t do anything—until you receive it. What is true for the individual believer is true for the church.

But waiting is one of the hardest things to do. Even when we are waiting for something good, it is still difficult. Waiting for the results of an exam on which we think we did well is difficult. Waiting for the test results from the doctor can seem terribly long. Waiting for someone in surgery can cause one to count the minutes as if they were hours. Waiting for someone to understand or to change can seem to go on forever.

Waiting on God can be the most difficult waiting of all. But we must wait for guidance and direction. We must wait for enablement and power. The disciples were called to wait. Only by waiting and seeking God would they find the promise of God to be real. But if they were to wait, they would be met by God.

There is always a promise. Jesus knows our every need and there is always a promise of his provision for those needs. We may be in a situation today which is difficult. We may have problems and circumstances in our lives around which we cannot see. We may be questioning God, finding it impossible to understand how even God could bring something good into our lives. Or, we may simply be confused by life’s challenging and changing circumstances. Everything seems to be going well, but there is that nagging discontent. There is that desire for something more and we wonder just how to find it. There is a promise for us and it is the same promise that these early Jesus-followers received. It is the promise of the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Jesus told us in John 14:15-16 that he would have to go away, but that when he did go away, he would send us “another advocate.” He was talking about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit of God is the Father’s gift to every believer in Christ. Through his indwelling presence in our lives, we are connected to God. We have the very life of God living in us. He has been given to us to be our resource and guide, to help us through every problem, to make the Word of God alive to us, and to make Jesus real to us. The gift of the Holy Spirit is given to every Jesus-follower to enable us to live an exciting, dynamic, abundant life of the Spirit. The promise given to the early Jesus-followers is the same promise we need today. And, of course, it is the promise given to us.

In Acts 2:39 we read, “The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

The promise is for every Jesus-follower.

2. The priority from God to receive

⁶ So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel ?” ⁷ He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.

However wonderful the promise was, we find that the disciples had their minds on other things. Their priority was a different one. They needed to focus on God’s priority, not their own, but they were distracted by this life. That is why they said what they did.

Jesus was speaking to them about a spiritual reality which would change their lives. But they were thinking of a temporal kingdom of a physical nature. Perhaps the reason was because they were bound up in their own traditional interpretations of what Messiah would do. The Jews believed that Messiah would come to liberate them from the oppressive iron hand of Rome . It is certain that these disciples knew of those teachings and wanted to see Israel returned to its previous glory. But that was not what God was about. As a matter of fact, God wanted them to anticipate the future.

Are we aware that reverence for the past can sometimes block what God wants to do in the present?

All too often churches try to return to something wonderful that happened years ago, when God is attempting to do a new thing in their midst. Many times the Spirit is grieved and quenched by well meaning Jesus-followers who are unwilling to move forward into the future because they will not let go of the past.

So Jesus responds to their question by telling them that they are not thinking in the right way. They should not be worrying about timetables for earthly concerns; they should be open to what God was trying to tell them. God was trying to introduce them to a new dimension of living and they were not listening.

It is hard for us to change our way of viewing things. Over the years we have done things a certain way and thought about things a certain way. It’s hard to change. The preferences and prejudices of people die hard, even when they are wrong. But we must never close ourselves off to new ways of doing things, especially when they are born of God. The message never changes, but the methods do. And if we are to be on the cutting edge of what God is doing in trying to reach this world, we must be ready to take risks and try new things. This is true both in our personal lives and in our life as a church. Our priority must be to hear God’s voice and be sensitive to his Spirit’s guidance.

3. The power from the Spirit to achieve

⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

We have seen that there is a promise given to us of the gift of the Holy Spirit, and that we need to focus in on God’s priority to do a new thing in us. Now let’s look at the kind of power the Holy Spirit wishes to give us.

The promise of the Holy Spirit was a promise of power. The word for power is the Greek word dúnamis. From that word we derive our English word dynamite and dynamic. The power of God is the dynamic and explosive force of the Spirit in the lives of believers. There is incredible power there. But power to do what?

The power we receive is the power to be witnesses. Here we are encountered by another interesting word. It is the word for witness in Greek — the word mártus. It is from this word mártus that we derive our English word martyr. The martyrs for the faith were those who testified for Jesus even with their death. In many ways God is calling us to become witnesses in this same sense. While we may not have to lay down our lives in an arena with real lions, we must lay our lives down in terms of our privacy and schedules and become available to others to share what Christ means to us and what he can mean to them.

This is what it means to be a witness. To be a witness means that there is not only an inflow to our lives, but that there is also an outflow. And without such an outflow, we become like a stagnant swamp or the Dead Sea . Our lives will become dull and dreary and devoid of vibrant life, no matter how much we take in through Bible study and teaching. We are to be flowing channels, not holding tanks. A free flowing river purifies itself and is alive with life. So the Jesus-followers who become involved with others in sharing the gospel discover the reason for their existence on planet earth.

D.L Moody said, “I believe firmly that the moment our hearts are emptied of pride and selfishness and ambition and everything that is contrary to God’s law, the Holy Spirit will fill every corner of our hearts. But if we are full of pride and conceit and ambition and the world, there is no room for the Spirit of God. We must be emptied before we can be filled.”

The Holy Spirit’s power and gifts are never given to be spent on ourselves. There are some like this — people who want a private experience of the Spirit without pouring themselves out for people or giving themselves away to touch human suffering. They are like “Spiritual Butterflies.” They flit from one meeting to another, from one seminar to another, from one Bible study to another, sipping a little spiritual nectar here, a little there, but never becoming committed anywhere so they can give out in service as well as take in. We are called to be witnesses personally—this task is accomplished sequentially and simultaneously.

Let’s see the extent of that witness. They were to start in Jerusalem . That was their own community. Mission begins at home; right where we live. We must never mistakenly think that mission is only out there across the ocean somewhere. Hell is no less hot for the lost of the Covina Valley. This is the place to begin. This is our primary mission field.

Then they were to move to Judea . That was their country. Then on to Samaria . That extended the ministry further into their continent. And finally, they were to go into the remotest parts of the earth. Beginning at home they were to be witnesses in ever widening circles to the entire planet earth. That was their call. But it is ours as well. The great commission is given to every Jesus-follower. We must see that as the great underlying purpose for which we exist on this planet. Only as we go about fulfilling that purpose will we find purpose and meaning for our lives.

But it will take power to do it. And that is what we get in the gift of the Holy Spirit. We receive power to witness! And as we witness, we receive greater power — for ourselves to live for Jesus and to share his love. We must turn to Christ that he may fill us with the power of his Holy Spirit. God’s Word commands us to be continually “filled with the Spirit” in Ephesians 5:18. It’s possible to be a believer and not have power, but it is impossible to live the fulfilling, abundant Christian life without it.

How can we get the air out of a glass? We can try to suck it out with a pump but that would create a vacuum and shatter the glass. The only way we can get air out of a glass is by pouring water into the glass and filling it to the brim. All the air is now removed. Continual pouring of water will insure that the glass will be continually filled. Victory in our lives as Jesus-followers is not accomplished by “sucking out a sin here and there,” but by being continually filled with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
“How do we become filled and stay filled?” We do so by an initial and ongoing act of surrender to Jesus. We do so by prayer, inviting him to take control of our lives. PRAYER: “Jesus, thank you for loving me so much that you died on the cross to pay in full for all of my sins. I am sorry for going my own way for so long. I now admit that I am a sinner who needs a Savior. I believe that Heaven is a gift that you alone can give me, a gift that I cannot earn and will never deserve. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and help me to become your child—the individual you created me to be as I choose to be renewed, follow you and become a worldchanger.”

Renewal is promised, so as we seek him with our whole heart, the Lord fills us with his Spirit and the power will come. The dynamic of the Holy Spirit will become the energizing dynamic of our lives. The reason why we are here — our purpose in life — is to be filled with God! Amen.