Unstoppable - Baby Steps that Change the World, Part 2

Do you ever wish you could really experience God. I mean you believe in him. He lives inside of you.

If you have been missing out on not just knowing God or even knowing about it, really experiencing him stay with. Thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram Living on the Edges of international discipleship ministry focused on helping Christians live like Christian Bailey teaching of shipping in just a minute to pick up where he left off last time in a series of unstoppable plan packing the lessons we can learn from the apostle Peter Sprague recorded in acts chapter 3 we about halfway through the series of time to catch up any of these messages you listen anytime of LivingontheEdge.org or by downloading the Chip Ingram map. Now let's join Chip for part two of his message. Baby steps that changed the world God daily prepares divine appointments for you to be the answer to someone's prayer.

Let your light so shine before men, that they might see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

That's from the very lips of Jesus. You know how you do that you draw near to God. So you're in tune you start asking I want to look through life through your eyes, not mine. And then when God and man.

Early on, it's okay if you have a few Mrs. archetypes and other stores. It didn't come out that well. I thought I had a prompting I think was attempting but you know what I would rather go down swinging. When you number four gives God the credit notice when this happens is you think Peter is as shocked as anyone else. You long before these guys got to be in stained glass. They were just ordinary blue-collar workers trying to figure out what was going on so you pick up the store.

Look at verse 11.

While the beggar held onto Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called the Solomons colonnade when Peter saw this, he said to the men of Israel, why does this surprise you. Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus know what, what's Peter do real quickly here got guys understand this and about us, but that this this and this isn't like like I'm smarter, better, cooler, this isn't that I've got all this faith, this isn't my guess this is my personality. This is this is God. God does miracles he did miracles. Then he does miracles now the issue isn't God's power isn't God's will is in God's desire, it's a conduit he's looking for an ordinary person like a Peter or John were Mary to just say hey I'm kind of looking through your lens and I'm gonna take a step of faith and I'm gonna love in places that make me a little uncomfortable and God shows up, but when he does, here's the key be really careful because you not to tell you when I when I drove off after given that lady will money and I was like a ton of money but felt pretty good. I don't know why but when you're generous she's a little happy inside look unhappy and I bet if I did a quick news interview.

I think I could've fallen quickly to know I was pretty wonderful.

Today was not right.

John, in your notes if you would Isaiah 42 eight Isaiah 42 eight I am the Lord. That is my name.

I will not give my glory to another. You'll notice what you need to remember is the world has yet to see the extent of what God will do through someone who does not care who gets the credit God's waiting for a church like that he's looking for people like that and it's subtle right mean none of us are immune to this. It's when you serve. It's when you carrots when you love.

It's when you're generous.

Pride is really really ugly and it's deceptive. The reason that a lot of people are not very responsive to Christ is the package that Christ is coming in and there's there's a it's a very tender arrogance that we have is people that we gotta be careful of. And somehow, over time something shifts in our brain and you get thinking. Will Anna have been there. I have not. I know what's going live the terrible things are doing to look at this and look at that and even if you don't say it when you look down on other people and you think that your superior. I think I'm superior. It is a vibe that comes off you. The reason people were so attracted to Jesus as they never got that vibe and he's the only one that had the right to say I'm up here and you're down here, but he was a servant.

Now he didn't. He didn't back away from the truth. Him and he's talking to a gal that's you had five marriages and shacked up with someone, but she didn't feel she didn't feel condemned, she felt like the truth was there and she was loved and she felt convicted that's what God wants from us and wants us to realize it.

You know what you're like one really bad decision or doing something stupid. From having a life where you'd say what hot how did that happen were all people of flesh, I praise God the Spirit of God lives in the.

The differences were forgiven.

The differences he lives inside of us and where the conduit to share and care the Holy Spirit's job is to convict you share the truth and grace. Usually you hear people that get people all truth, but to give them all grace, love is giving both in balance from a heart that really cares love the verse here put in the Luke 137 because it's so interesting how God chooses to use this as a response of an Angel to Mary member Mary little teenager scholars believe probably 15 years old, maybe 17, at the oldest and Angel says God has a God sized dream for your life. I know you're young but the God sized dream he's going to show up to the planet and he's going to live a perfect life and die for the sins of all mankind.

He's the Messiah he's a Savior and very soon he's going to implant in your womb, the supernatural seat of the spirit of God, and you can have a baby in the slow 15 to 17 your girl goes like I haven't majored in biology but how can that happen since I don't have a husband and Angel says Mary with God all things are possible. He wants you to know that with God all things are possible with God at your work in your marriage in your home in your singleness on your campus with God all things are possible. Do you believe it to the end of the day really what it boils down the whole Christian life you draw near to God live before him. You get strengthening community and as you are on mission.

It's just leaving just trusting with God all things are possible because if that's true, you take steps that you would never take if it's impossible of its note that what you do is your cul-de-sac in your mentality and figure out how can my life in my little world you know can I get safe to make it work for me and then we lose we lose the purpose for living. We lose the purpose for why caput is here, but number one priority of the church is to build up the life of fellow believers so that those who don't know might know and they can know not just by what we say by how we live well it shifts and that we got a pretty good crowd and that the crowd now is good to hear a sermon we got the story and is going to pick up the sermon in and remember it's it's a very Jewish group and he's done this right outside in the open area of the temple courts, and so we pick up the story in verse 13 where he says the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. Now for some of us that's not a real keyword but if you would go back and read in Isaiah 4249 52 and 53 there's a whole section where the Messiah is described as the servant of the Lord. So this this would very quickly get their mind thinking all so you're saying this Jesus was the Messiah. Yep. And then when you share with people you need understand and and let me just give you this and you can listen to how Peter does it. There's part of the of the part of the good news of the gospel is bad news.

It's that you really have blown it. Just like I have in you send and you fall short of a holy God. And we got we had to make sure we say that and then after the bad news, there's a good news but God really really loves you and cares for you. And in that good news there needs to be an explanation that Christ died for you, literally, as your substitute in the final part, when you share as you can see Peter you have to call people to a point of decision. It's not just this is what he did. I hope you not aware of it and you share the gospel. You need to say to them. Is there anything keeping you from putting your faith in Christ today.

Is it uncomfortable, of course, is uncomfortable, but if people just here, you know, there's a movie. It's free. It's the best ever but you can get a ticket or I will tell you how Stephen saying so listen for the bad news. Listen for the good news and then listen as he calls them to a very specific response. Verse 14 you disowned the holy and righteous one and asked that a murderer be released. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead.

We are witnesses of this by faith in the name of Jesus. This man whom you see and know was made strong. It is in Jesus name in the faith that comes through him that is given this complete healing to him. As you can see, so this man for 40 years has been laying outside is leaping and dancing and praising God. A crowd of thousands of people are mushrooming and now he says this Jesus that you disowned the author of life that you killed that you really doesn't sound like good news may not tell you what I mean.

This would be like oh my, what if this guy's right and by the way, here's the proof you see the sky. It's in his name is not me, it's in his name and his power and faith in him. That's done this so they're looking at this miracle.

But notice once you share and I think I think his tone of voice was not condemning I think was very matter-of-fact think Peter love these people and so notice the shifts gears and goes numb brothers.

I know the acted in ignorance when you to eat and get it you did. You didn't really believe is Messiah, as did your leaders, but this is how God fulfilled what he foretold to the prophet, saying that the Christ would suffer so. So basically, the good news is if you fully understood it all. I don't think you done that. So now here's the option here's the call repent then in turn to God, why so that your sins may be wiped out. The times of refreshing may come from the Lord and that he may send the Christ was been appointed for you. Even Jesus, he must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. Then he quotes Moses for Moses said the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people.

You must listen to everything he tells you.

Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people. Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on as many have spoken and foretold about these days.

These messianic days when the spirit will come when the Messiah's promises would be true in your heirs of the prophets, and of the covenant that God made with your father's. He said to Abraham, to your offspring all the peoples of the earth will be blessed when God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways, I want to encourage you that this gets it's a baby step, but boldly share the good news boldly share if you want to know you. Everyone must know what's the real evidence of the Holy Spirit. How do you know the Holy Spirit really has a hold of your life, and some people say what's event like this, or it's an experience like that. Let me tell you, you read all the way to the book of acts. The common denominator when you are filled or saturated and controlled by the Holy Spirit is boldness is boldness. You actually get where you're not so afraid of rejection you get where you realize the love of God in your concern for people who don't know him outweighs your fear what they can think of you and it takes a spirit of God moment it's boldness he's bold I know about you but I take a deep breath. When I have to tell someone. The bad news of the gospel your lost, apart from Christ. 00 am I gonna get put in the category that sounds very narrow. You're saying Jesus is the life and the only what, no, no, I'm not saying he said that okay list at some point in time you really going to kind of slide and sort of try and be okay with everything and everyone is sort have this private and I know this is the Bible says and I know what Jesus done in me, and you know it says in chapter 4.

There's no other name by which we must be saved. At some point in time to realize you're going to share some things with some people in the love with tears rolling down and they can be nice people, good people, moral people, but the God who made them. The second person of the Godhead came to the earth to live the perfect life and died in their place and there is only one way to have relationship with a perfect holy God and be righteous. And that's the atoning covering of Christ. If you have the sun not if you have religion you have life. If you have the sun not you try to be good moral person you have life and that means that there's there's a time where you and I talking with people need to move beyond the comfort level and talk about the bad news of the gospel. If a person never sees their need.

They can never hear the good news and I would guess that the great majority of us struggle with being old. Think about the people that I mean if if someone you know that you care about at work in your family or in your neighborhood or in your network or you chat with what if you knew they had cancer and I got three days to live. Would you today relate to them the same way for the next three days. As you are now there to slip into eternity. What you because at some point in time I get out of being so worried about what people think or what I can answer what I can't answer and I need to boldly share the gospel and the gospel has a promise of eternal life, but he begins with bad news and the problem is sin and it goes to the good news is that Christ is paid for your sin, and has an explanation that he's our substitute.

And then there's an action call.

You need to repent. You need to leave and turn from your sin and put your faith in Christ and what he did and that's when the spirit of God comes inside people's lives and their sealed by his spirit, and they have new life and eternal life, and that's not pastors, jobs or missionary jobs or Christian books, jobs.

Thus, I'm always shocked a member the first time is early Christian some guy came up to me and said you know you're the greatest Christian I've ever met and I thought, man, this guy's in trouble for discussion really big trouble because in a minute on the greatest Christian is ever met in a is the you know the percentages look little bit low for how much of Jesus. He's really gonna see and I just realize you know what, that's true.

All this you are someplace at work people you don't even know I was in the play little basketball and egg. I've come to get to know and I'm not talk with him directly but build a relationship and then went out to lift and he was lifting out of the blue, he turns to me goes Contessa suture said. I started on church or recently great your pastor right I said you had you not heard those other guys talk okay.

He said cut casts free help.

So what you need. He goes like I'm like going to church in this group on with you know I mean I'm there's like a Bible study midweek if you ever heard of this accident.

We do some of those have any say so I'm I'm going to church. I am his Bible study and I'm I stop. I mean, I knew I was doing stuff that was really wrong and not doing the external stuff beside me. I got stuff going on in my head that's really bad a citizen or any help for that. I said you bet. By the way, we all had that stuff really yeah so I said give me your email address and in my sending the book the miracle of life changing and a book that most men would understand about how to overcome the drag of last and you know it is just a divine appointment at some point in time you got across a bridge and a little uncomfortable and share the truth with someone realizing and what it may not hundred percent go well. Notice what the, the remembrance here is how will they know if we do not tell them, and if not you, then who and if not now than when Paul would write in Romans 10 how then will they call upon him, Christ, in whom they have not believed and how will they believe in him whom they've not heard and how were they here without a preacher you want one of things I'm praying just for me.

These baby steps for me. I'm praying God were you please please help me begin to see people through your eyes see their need not there exterior and I'm I'm practicing, going into practice to act on those good impulses and one of the things I'm praying for me is just rather than a otter shooter guilt.

I guess we could rub each other up for a couple weeks. Much love lost people. It's what you know and then sink back to the normal out I been there done that I could get real emotional little socks. I just get this kid right I mean have you been there right you know you want, instead I'm doing I'm just I'm just little tiny prayer God you give me your love for people who don't know you, would you help me love them so much that I wouldn't care what they think of me would you give me sensitivity that instead of it being about how much did I shared it. I share the whole cost when my would you just give me your love for some of them probably not ready to hear this yet, but we help me love them and whether it's groceries today are helping with one of their kids are doing something here or just invite them over and I don't have to tell them anything about Jesus start out you tell me your story.

How are you doing do you have any kids. Where is your biggest challenge. You know, would you mind that I met up unbelieving guy recently and I don't know how we kicked off pretty quickly and I just asked him I said. Which would you be offended if I pray for you. Is there one thing I could pray for you and he looked at me like, are you on drugs man are you kidding me I would love you to pray for me when I got news for you. Like there's no atheists in foxholes there there's there's there's no atheists with people. He got cancer and whose homes are upside down marriages are falling apart and are under addictions and are screaming, and needing help you what they would need many Jesus, the one that lives inside your skin just being you.

We go any farther.

Today's program, let's just push the pause button. That led let's stop and just asked the question who is that person that God is prompting you to talk to. I mean, we knew that the messenger Peter was a failure and yet filled with the Holy Spirit, he saw with new eyes. He followed a prompting.

The power was in the message it wasn't in the messenger. He gave credit and glory to God, but he opened his mouth. Who do you need to be Jesus to a neighbor, a friend, a coworker you've never told them eternal life is free. You've never said that there's someone who loves you and he wants to forgive you and care for you and come into your life and and give you an eternal hope who is that person have you got it.

Now I understand that you might feel afraid, and I understand you might think you're inadequate.

But let's just right now together. Ask God for strength encourage and boldness for you to be Jesus for you to be the bridge to someone who's outside of Christ that needs to hear about the worst thing that can happen is maybe there be a tiny bit of rejection and the best thing that can happen is someone will be thanking God and be in heaven with you for ever and ever. If your heart is to love them, the pick that up. So here's what I want you to do right now. Dear Lord as we pray together with you because those who hear my voice to cross a line and say Lord give me the power given the opportunity give me the courage to share the love of Jesus with you. Fill in the name and after you share with them. Drop me an email let me know how it goes. You can to be shocked at how open and how God is already prepared people for you to talk to great words that ask for that to share your story with Chip just email him at chip@livingontheedge.org you're listening to Living on the Edge of the message you just heard as part of chip series unstoppable. God's agenda for planet Earth including you of your thinking how I'm a part of God's agenda. This series is for you because the fact is, the disciples were regular people to they have their struggles, hardships and pain just like everyone else, but they remained faithful to God and that's the heart of the series when ordinary people like you and me continually depend on God, he will use us in extraordinary ways. I hope you make time to join us for each part of the series as we explore what it means to depend on God and stay focused on his mission for this world. For more information about our unstoppable resources, music, LivingontheEdge.org or call triple late. 333-6003 Apple listeners tap special offers which if you talk a lot about Christians that live like Christians and authentic Christianity your message today really gave us a picture of what that looked like in the early church will how can believers today get a better handle on authenticity, what they will think authentic Christianity comes from walking with God being rooted in his word and and experiencing powerful supernatural things like the book of acts, and also difficult things where you see God come through. I grew up in a church where people said one thing and lived another way, so it was what I knew for sure.

I didn't want and then I met some authentic Christians. I began reading the New Testament and as I sort of went along on that journey God brought some major windows into my life of a mentor here or a big experience there or traveling all over Asia and South America playing basketball, sharing Christ and seeing God work and that he also has taken some difficult times with some of our kids and my wife and I went through cancer that she had and by God's grace. That's all behind us now and she's fine. And so that's why my heart. Dave is for people to understand the book of acts and get a grasp of how real and how powerful and in faith often is more cop than Todd. And so when you read or hear these passages taught. It's amazing that the spirit of God ago you know your ordinary they were ordinary. I can fill you with this same kind of vision and power that I'll use you do your difficult times or use you in ways you never dream so my prayer is that the get the MP3s they can download for free. Just go to LivingontheEdge.org. We would love to serve you. In fact, their sermon notes that they can get for free as well. We want to serve our listeners and help them grow great encouragement to ask for that to get the MP3s Chip mentioned just go to LivingontheEdge.org, maybe download the message notes to this entire series is there. There's a message you find particularly helpful. I hope you'll share it with a friend and be sure to tell him why it was so encouraging. Just before we close all to give you a quick reminder about our midyear match. If you've been benefiting from the Ministry of Living on the Edge, but aren't yet helping us get chips teaching out to others.

There's never been a better time because between now and July 6. Every gift we receive will be matched dollar for dollar. If today's your day to join the team. Just go to LivingontheEdge.org Donate on the app or give us a call at AAA 333-6003 that's AAA 333-6003 help me. Thank you in advance for your generosity will I hope you'll be with us again next time.

But until then, this is Dave saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge