Power To The Powerless

Acts 4:1-21

We cannot save ourselves under our own power. No more can we live out God's will on our own.
As we board passenger airplanes we are, without apology, instructed to save ourselves first; recognizing the simple logic that if we are dead we are of no use in the salvation of others, in the event of an airline emergency. The same is true of our eternal salvation! If we know not Christ, then we're of no "eternal" value to a single other soul. Yet once alive in Christ, ourselves, the Scriptures make clear.... "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)

POWERLESS
So powerless that about 5,000 were saved....
"But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand." (Acts 4:4 ESV)

"And he said, "Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the LORD to you, 'Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's." (2 Chronicles 20:15)

So powerless that dependance upon the Holy Spirit was absolutely necessary...
"And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, "By what power or by what name did you do this?" Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone." (Acts 4:7-11 ESV)

"I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5 ESV)

"Attempting the world's work in our own power is, at best, short-lived. God's work in our own power is already dead."

SHAMELESS
So shameless they continued to preach despite the threat of losing their freedom...
"And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus." (Acts 4:12, 13 ESV)

SPEECHLESS
The Sadduccees could not untangle the reality that these men had been with Christ, and that a formerly lame man is now walking.
"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition." (Acts 4:13, 14 ESV)

Charged by the Holy Spirit the unspeakable became the unshakable, untamable,u ndeniable, relentless pursuit of preaching the gospel to all the world. Soldiers lay down their very lives to protect the freedom of we who may continue to enjoy them. Christ' soldiers did, and continue to do, the same.
You haven't really lived until you've found something worth dying for.

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)

A little less talk could do us all some good

Actions speak louder than words..... Less talk, more action..... Let your actions speak for themselves..... Let the music do the talkin'! Ok, the last one's an old Aerosmith song, but you get the idea. It's hard to dispute cold, hard facts. The impression left when we allow the results to speak for themselves is most often ...."believability". Empowered by the Holy Spirit ...a couple of uneducated, unlikely men were asked "by what power or by what name did you do this [miracle, healing]?" Peter's response wasn't a self-defense. "Filled with the Holy Spirit" ....he simply presented the raw, obvious evidence of their actions, and that ...simply a result of God's will.

"But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition."

Acts 4:14

Leave the naysayers speechless. Allow the Father, through the Holy Spirit, to give you both words to utter, and drive the actions you may perform. You'll never have to second-guess.

His Glory Is Our Benefit

Rules, commands, demands.... what a great reminder that obeying God's commands is all for our good. When we give Him the glory, we get the benefit!

"And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good?" -Deuteronomy 10:12-13

If God Be For Us...

"No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you." -Joshua 1:5

The same promise God made to Joshua is true for you. He'll never leave nor forsake you. How does this empower your faith? If God is for us, who can be successfully against us?

Wipe Away Worry

"You cannot serve God through faith when shackled by fear."
-Steve Terrell

Matt 6:25-34

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Worrying Is Finite
Whatever the thing is, about which you worry, it is a means to an end, and it is not the end, but it will most definitely end.

"Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?" v25

Whether you worry about work, your weight, your wedding, your wellness, or your windows ...they are "finite" things; things you can't take with you when your days end.

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Worrying Is Fruitless
Worry will not pay you a dime in the meantime.
And while you're waiting on worry to pass ....realize that worry will not pay you a dime in return for your troubles.

"And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?" v27

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Worrying Is Faithless
However big the worry ...it takes only a little faith to overcome.

"But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" v30

Jesus' own disciples asked why they were unable to cast out demons. They didn't understand what it was that rendered them impotent. Christ instructed them that it was "little faith" which caused them to fail. And reminded them that it "only" takes faith, the size of a mustard-seed, to succeed.

"Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:19, 20 ESV)

So wipe away worry ...it only takes a fragment of faith to do so.

Chasing The Dream. Is It Meaningless?

What's the purpose in life? What are we here for? What's to be gained? Eat, drink, and be merry? Or is there more to it .....life? Even kings of old have pondered the questions of life. The people change, but the questions remain the same.

Imagine having all you could want at your fingertips, and the power to give or take. Imagine actually having indulged in every pleasure life can afford! Wealth, wine, women. The modern-day rock star lifestyle was coveted centuries ago ...and, apparently, drove toward the same questions at the end.... is this it? What now? I have "accomplished"! Is there more? It's no wonder the addict isn't completed with her last "high"! Do we wonder why the rich and famous' desires are never quenched? Always striving for more. What does it mean to be truly content. Is that the view of the lazy person today?

The biblical book of Ecclesiastes ponders all these questions, and many more ....coming from a guy who's been there, done that. If we're gonna' "want more" out of life do we want to know what the end of the rainbow looks like. Was it worth it? Was it what you expected, as good as you expected? I have many, many questions for this supposed "wise man". What did your dad teach you .....about wealth, things, relationships? Was it meaningful, or meaningless ....striving after the wind? I wanna' know, so I'll know which rabbit to chase through life.

"Chasing The Dream" -Ecclessiastes ....Sunday evenings winter study at Mt Pisgah in Jonesboro, AR.