Unstoppable - The Birth of a Movement, Part 2

Do you ever feel like your spiritual life is dull, boring and irrelevant like you just kinda going through religious motions, but there's no real sense of power drive of mission venture possibility, you know what, that's not God's will. And if you want to find out how it can be different thanks for listening to this edition of living of the year with Chip Ingram Living on the Edges of international discipleship ministry focused on helping Christians live like Christian through the daily teaching know about you but I think we can all use more motivation.

It's so easy to follow a tiresome team this out on the joy that he has finding that drive adjustment's worries headed in this program as he continues his series unstoppable.

God's agenda for planet Earth, including you, just a quick reminder if you miss a portion of this program. Let me encourage you to download shipping remap. It's a great way to catch any time that peers chip with part two of his message the birth of a movement. Acts chapter 2 question what's keeping you from sharing his message when God placed you in a neighborhood got placed you in a home or with a roommate he placed you in a job at least out looking for one.

And yet you you are the answer to someone's biggest need their eternity. It's you, it's me. When you're 24-hour wherever you work out or when you sit in a coffee shop or when you take a walk with the dog in the neighborhood. God's place and people all around you who the Spirit of God has been preparing for a fellow failure like you and me who maybe doesn't know all that we should know to hear the message of life. Some the reasons people don't shares on your network as if you need to be like the very best friend to some people that believe absolutely the opposite of what you believe in his morality, is the opposite often of what you know is right and they experienced someone who loves them for their you don't condone that stuff but they just scratch their head and think of me. I know where you're coming from. Why would you let me second, you need to have intentionality. Some of us have a lot of Christian or non-Christian acquaintances, and they just event you need some intentionality. Where is this relationship going, and maybe give him a CD or give him a book. Have a conversation and asked more questions asked what they were you coming from and why care about them. Third is maybe it's a confidence issue that many just don't really believe the powers in the gospel. You think it's all on you and then finally, this is the one and I'm ashamed to admit this, because after all these years.

It's just it's just fear. The fear of man Bible says, the fear of man as a snare blessed happy is the person you trust in the Lord. I still have times where I realize this is an opportunity and like I'm really afraid what this person's gonna think of me or to be rejected and then later I think. Why you telling someone there's a God who cares and loves him who died for them so so what is coming and I realize just Paul said he wasn't ashamed think a lot of Christians are ashamed of the gospel, the kind want to have this relationship over here but you know to go to public with this.

I'm glad someone went public and told me you third Holy Spirit implanted eternal life of Jesus within all who repented and believe Christ is Lord Messiah Jesus was the first he sends the Holy Spirit. This phenomena occurs. Second, he places in the mouth of this failure is uneducated. This amazing message after he gives us amazing message.

He reminds us that every one of us this week need to tell one person about Jesus at some point or every I just tell one person the Jesus loves them, cares for them and look for an opportunity has as ever, short or long as that may go in and third, what happened was those people who heard the message and repented the word just means to change your mind classical Greek. It meant just intellectually to change your mind by coin, a Greek it meant to change your mind. The sense of sorrow that led to a change in behavior so those people thought Jesus was just an itinerant preacher. They need to change their mind. He's the Messiah he's the hope of the world. Repentance is going down and thinking my life goal is down 85 S. and driving 85 S. and God said, you know what you got the wrong life goal is 85 N. you will. Repentance is you get off go over the overpass now you're on 85 N. you do you turn God brought some of you in this room today to do a U-turn and and whether you recognize it or not you think success are just that person, or enough money or this or that is going to deliver the significance and security and make you with somebody and God saying I brought you in this room to do a U-turn I have already made you a somebody.

And I love you and I'll fill you with my spirit.

How you feel life, but you gotta repent you to change your mind about me. You get a turn from your sin and you gotta believe and trust that what I've done and then what what what he, the Holy Spirit gets implanted inside of you. It's the spirit of Christ onwards before it was you know all covenant the spirit. Few people announce every single person who believes the Holy Spirit comes in the very life of Jesus the life of Christ lives inside of you and that's why in parentheses the just thing you know is what I write, the eternal life of Christ, see if Jesus the spirit of Christ is in you and Jesus is eternal. You now have eternal life from the moment you trust in him forever and ever and ever. What the Scripture says is that the moment you turn from your sin and trust in him. You're justified by faith, and that means all the sin in your column gets deleted and all the righteousness of Christ gets imputed so that the God of heaven.

The father looks on you through what Christ has done in your righteousness site in your born-again scene what's happened here. The church is born. The church is born. Listen. Listen to what happens look pickup in verse 37 when the people heard this, they were cut to the heart. Literally, it means they were stung.

It was like being stunned with a gun and I said to Peter and the other apostles, brothers, what shall we do Peter said repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins may be forgiven and you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off for all whom the Lord our God will call and then with many other words he warned that many plead with him, save yourselves from this corrupt generation and those who accepted his message were baptized, and about 3000 were added that day and so what happened was the church is born and if you have the spirit of God. Your part of this new thing called the church. Romans 89 says, however, you're not in the flesh but in the spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ. He doesn't belong to him. If you don't have the Spirit of Christ living in you, you don't belong to him.

This I think this happened is this was the spirit baptism memory, said John baptized with water, I will baptize with the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul would later look back and say, for by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether Jew or Greek with her slave or free.

We were all made to drink one spirit baptism. The word has a literal meaning and figurative meaning literally the word just means to immerse or to dip figuratively.

It means to identify with someone so if you are a non-Jew before all this happened at Pentecost and say you are a Gentile, and you met these Jews and they said we serve the one true God, Yahweh, if you want to become a Jew you would come, you actually baptize yourself saying my identity of my old past monocultures gone. I now want to follow in Biju. So when Peter is telling these people repent and change your mind and not that baptism say them. He saying your new identity. You need to go public and then this would've been huge for them and so now they're going to be baptized and have to declare that their former thinking was wrong and there can identify and literally be placed into this new supernatural community called the church. Here's the lesson. The lesson is that he that has the son has life and he that has not the son of God does not have life. This this is so clear. The apostle Paul. I mean this intellectual one secular historian who wrote a history of of of mankind describes the apostle Paul is the greatest and elected that century, and Paul would say in Galatians 220 I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ lives within me in this life that I now live. I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. So so the question today is do you have the son not you intellectually believe in God, not are you a moral person I'm I got news for you.

If not, is there some philosophy in Christianity is one of the better ones. This is about relationship. If you have the sun you have life if you don't have a son you don't have life. It's that simple. Is that clear. Later John who wrote that in first John five 1112 would talk about this record. They said these things I've written to you so that you might know the you have eternal life. God wants you to know, so I let me ask you not do quote believe in God, not are you a good moral person I meet Peter was speaking to a group of people that probably their morality was just off the charts above most bars do you have the son because you can only be made whole and perfect and forgiven in God's sight by having the blood of Christ cover you and him giving you as a gift. The very righteousness of Christ. I grew up in the church for 18 years.

Actually I left one is about 15 because we just I can take it. The hypocrisy the junk the religiosity the rules the Christians I met unfortunately were some of the worst people.

Whatever met side and think God even existed.

But when I began to explore what it really meant to have a relationship with God instead of quote, church, or Christianity and who Jesus really was. I discovered the truth and the truth is God the father, the triune God of all the universe who made and created you and me and every human being on the face of the earth. He loves us. He's for you, he's not down you he loves you and he sent his son to die in your place and approve it, but he would rise from the dead, and he makes you an offer and offers eternal life. The life of Jesus living inside of you requirement on your part and mine repent and turn empty hands of faith, Lord Jesus, I accept your death payment for my sin your resurrection. The proof that it's true today we come in my life for me. That was 1972. Are you 100% sure at this moment that you have the son, and if not, can we just stop made on August 4 fourth point on lock it up quick. But I have to believe God brought multiple people in this room, in the spirit of God is going you need the sun. You need the sun today and and this is how your mind got all mad if I need the sun and I go this direction that you turn and I got an addiction over here on living with someone over here I get this issue going over here if she did over here and say what God will clean up your life. Yours is a I'm turning from it.

You don't have the power to change. You asked the sun to come in your life forgive you for your sin. He will give you the strength with God's people to deal with that stuff. Father right now as we stop you know every person that you brought because you love them and you are prompting and speaking deeply in their heart and life and something inside of them is screaming.

Despite all the conflict I want the sun. I want eternal life need to be forgiven if that's you, just in your heart, would you just pray along with me is not the word that you talking to God, saying, dear father, I admit today that I need you.

I ask today that you would forgive me for all my sins I believe and trust that you paid for my sin by Christ death I believe and trust that his resurrection prove that is true.

When you come into my life right now. You make me your son or daughter. Lord, thank you, and give me strength and courage to follow Jesus Christ's name literally millions of people around the world.

They prayed that prayer. They were sincere at the spirit of God came in their life and they heard somehow that that's the big deal is not a big deal.

That's like going into labor and having your wife have a baby not okay. We got that over with a new leaf humming. The baby just got born when your spiritual baby need the milk of God's word and the love of God's people, life and in it by the way can I tell you something is there that stuff you hear on TV.

It's really hard. Okay, it's really hard and it's awesome. It is really swimming upstream and it's blessed and the joy is unspeakable and so once the spirit of God when you pray and ask the sun to come in your life. He comes into your life and your your new person. The oldest passed away. Everything becomes new, but now you have to learn like a little baby learns to walk in the learners even the learners to grow. He's going to conform you he's gonna make you like Jesus. Five years from now your friends ago what happened to you, used to be a selfish creep like the rest of us coming. You hit it well. You're very sophisticated and you know you went to grade school so you had it really well.

You are selfish, creep like all of us and you like care for people that no one cares about leads us to point number four Jesus spiritual body begin doing what he did when he walked on the earth in his physical body.

That's a game plan.

The genius of the wisdom of God was when Jesus walked on the earth to not only reveal what God is like, but it hears a need any meets the need in here some people in the then he feeds them in figure some truth and he gives the truth and he lived and he loved in such a way, and the wisdom was on leave and go to the father and the spirit of God is to come inside every believer. So when I can have one Jesus we can have a thousand, and then a million and then 5 million and 20 million 30 million and you what their job is their job is to stay connected to the father keep their heart tender so we would live the way Jesus lived and we would do what Jesus did when he was here so basically were his spiritual body.

And that's why Jesus said the last night on the earth. You will do greater works than I did not quantitatively but qualitatively. There's it.

If you're a Christ follower in his spirit lives in you. Jesus lives in your house that means he's at your work. That means he's in your neighborhood. You are the light of the world. How does it work. Here's how it works. What did they do, they did bio bed and call it that. That what Jesus did when he was walk on the earth. He got before God and he went to the temple. He worshiped.

He said I need to do life in community. Even the Son of Man, so he had 12 guys that he did life with bed and have some little Bible studies. It wasn't like whoa Peter what what answer did you get for question four minute doing life and was no Lord I'm struggling with this. My mother love make me crazy attempt with less what I do with Jesus, I can't because getting your guys and he taught him and then hit their mission.

Okay you guys ready you learned enough to let you like to really go for you, go to this town before I get there and here's the power be right behind you. They will they live before God, they did life in community.

They were flat on on mission.

Look at verse 42, with businesses they just begin to do what he did what he was alive. They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to the fellowship in the breaking of bread and to prayer before God in community. The word fellowship week when Enya apostles teaching the word before God. The prayed their having meals together. This wasn't some religious group. These are people who do a lot relationship with an eternal God living inside of them. Everyone was filled with a sense of all, and many wonders and miraculous signs were being done by the apostles and all the believers were together and had everything in common.

Selling their possessions and goods, and they gave as anyone had needed every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. This was like a once a week duty minute doing life together and not just big meetings. They broke bread together in their homes and ate together how with glad and sincere hearts, and their praising God and thanking God and enjoying the favor of all the people non-Christians like them.

They were known for what they were against. They were known for how loving they were in the notice, at the very end and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. How did it happen. It was the spirits filling ministry there, filled with the spirit will develop this later. The baptism of the Spirit is a one time event that occurs when you put your faith in Christ prayed asking to come to your life and your baptized replacing the body of Christ. The filling of the spirit happens multiple times. In fact, in Ephesians 518 where it says do not be drunk with wine, for that's dissipation, but be filled with the spirit.

Don't think of a cup and water being pulled in it. Think of a sponge that is filled with something. So when you push on sponge. It's what comes out the word filling here means but be controlled by the spirit allow the word of God and the truth of God in the Spirit have his way so that instead of being selfish and self-centered and right centered you become like this group. They were generous. They were kind, they were sharing why because it was the spirit of Christ living in them in the life of Christ living through them so they were filled with the Spirit were commanded to do that cures the lesson is God's agenda for his people has not changed, and his power is no less available today than it was that yet, but if I can give me and you a gift, it would be that we would actually believe that you will receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you. Jesus said and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, to the uttermost parts of the earth were sitting in this room today because people actually believed it and did it and many of them gave their lives throughout the centuries to think about this to just do the math.

God the Holy Spirit raised Christ from the dead. God the Holy Spirit when you prayed to receive Christ entered your mortal body.

Now he doesn't necessarily have control. You can shut them off and you can quench it.

But if you let it. As you renew your mind with this word as you do. Life in community with people he will fill you and give you the same supernatural power that the early disciples had and he then has an agenda for you it isn't life more than just being successful in being self fulfilled in getting a good job and being upwardly mobile and hoping everything turns out it only get to the end of your life and what I work really hard. I did this I had this crazy schedule. I did this my kids got me schools. I finally got married, you know what I got buffed up in my body and I had money for surgery. Later, I got older, so I still look kinda good and you know I'm gone crazy and I'm either plugging or watching her do women get me like 80 years ongoing, but what a waste. This was all supposed to bring security and fulfillment and joy. And I'd have told to get up and pills and go to sleep and do what you really want to do that you want to do what God made you to do and placed you on this planet to do to change the world.

What's your dream. Should you have something where if the spirit, the raised Christ from the dead is inside of you. Should you expect him to do something supernatural in you and supernatural through you.

You would like Peter go. I can't believe this happened to regular person like me what you dream on a challenge if you don't have one class God as we close.

Let me share mine with you. I have a dream, Lord, that one day churches will be filled with warm, caring, non-legalistic non-self-righteous authentic passionate followers of Jesus, but the broken that your religious The Fall in the different and unlovely would be welcome there. The churches would measure success not by the size of their budgets. The numbers and their flock for the beauty of their buildings, but by the depth of their love.

I'm dreaming the day when Christians would stay married when times are tough when forgiveness is sought and granted in predictable struggles would result in humbly coming to God and his word and a wise brother or sister for wisdom and help I'm dreaming of a day when parents model holiness and purity and set boundaries for their children to protect them from seductive world system that promises everything delivers death I'm dreaming of a day when parents eat together and laugh and tell stories of God's love at bedtime, took each other to tears spilled popcorn on the floor. Pray about tests and lost friends and lost neighbors and make their house. The most exciting fun place to be on the block. I'm dreaming that day when Christians know their neighbors names and eat hamburgers in the backyard a day when were known by our love. I'm dreaming the day when churches work together to paint schools and clean parks and build houses in the tough parts of town and refused to care who gets the credit. I'm dreaming of a day when Christians will be known for, what, where, for more than what were against a day when prayer would be viewed as more powerful than politics and the people would be valued and treated with dignity, even if what they believe is antithetical to all that we stand for. I'm dreaming the day when Christians would cease to be so concerned about being cool and hip and cutting edge and relevant and simply be consistent and caring and committed to be like Jesus and do what he says I'm dreaming of a day one 9/10 Christians would think it abnormal and strange. If they didn't come before God daily to life in community and beyond mission 24 seven. This is a dream I can't shake the dream to Christians everywhere in every culture and every church in every expression of Christ church would simply live like Christians. Maybe it's because it isn't my dream at all, is Jesus divine will and prayer for his church gets what he meant what he taught us to pray made.

I will be done in thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. Just one of right here and you may have noticed that in the middle of the teaching. I actually interrupted the message and shared the gospel is one of those times were literally, I was teaching I was looking out and you know I have these notes that I follow and I'm ready to move on and literally the Holy Spirit arrested me and said right now. Explain the gospel and I have to believe because people in our church in all those services.

A number of them put their faith in Christ. I have to believe that. Of the hundreds of thousands of listeners. There's many of you that you heard that, and something begin to happen inside it. It's like, okay, maybe I don't know what to do with the door. What should I do, here's what you do you stop right now and you ask the Lord Jesus to forgive you of your sins and you receive eternal life, and you like never before. Understand it's not about trying to be a good moral person or going to church will clean up your act. Remember the verse that I shared he that has the son has life he that does not have the son of God does not have life and that I love verse 13 of first John chapter 5, these things are written to you in order that you might know that you have eternal life is amazing. You can know the you have life right now the spirit of God will come into your life. Forgive all your sins, and a new life with Jesus living in you begins now and it will go on forever and ever and ever.

It's not just a length of life. It's a quality of life and so here's the moment of truth right now.

Would you be willing if you're able to bow your head and close your eyes, or if not driving. Would you sort of bow your heart within you and would you turn to God and just say Lord I I repent. I change my mind. I turn from my sin and being control and what I think life ought to be and I want to ask you to forgive me, cleanse me of all my sin and come into my life today. I believe that Jesus died in my place as my substitute and I receive you right now is my Savior. I believe you rose from the dead to prove who you are and what you've done and I ask you right now. Make me your son make me your daughter and I want to tell you that as you pray that from your heart that God of the universe has answered your prayer in your very next step is to thank you call or text the best Christian that you know and then find a church that really teaches the Bible get plugged in as soon as possible. We congratulate you. We obviously have some things on our website that they will tell you about in terms of getting you started, but we are thrilled as we share this new life with you like stripper measure that information or just a second, original, before I do this series is all about the unstoppable wave of grace that brought thousands and thousands to faith in Christ.

So what are we doing to help people share their faith and hope others were new in their faith. That's a great question day, but I have to tell you it is why Living on the Edge exists.

We want to help people connect with God to grow in their faith to learn to get from God's word and in relationships with one another and so we have books and videos small group studies, devotionals, courses they can take online and we even have an app where everything on it is free where they can literally listen to messages or actually do a video study and I will meet with them personally, mentor or disciple them and then those who share their faith in some happens. God works and someone comes to faith.

I mean, you're in a coffee shop and they prayed to receive Christ and you say now what I do what we want to help people get off to good start and we want to help them grow and so we've developed a great resource to help them grow in their faith.

It explains what happens when a person trusts Christ and then there's really basic answers to important Bible questions every believer needs to know it's a very quick download from our website. And here's the deal. We have 2000 years of great history of the living Jesus by means of the Holy Spirit and Living on the Edge is here to help you grow and help new believers get off to great start. Check it out foot strip whether you're a new believer or you're just curious about what Christianity is all about. Let me encourage you to check out this resource. This new believers tool is absolutely free and it will help you gain a clear biblical understanding of what it means to put your faith in Jesus. That's her whole mission here Living on the Edge helping Christians really live like Christians.

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