Radical Power
Notes
Transcript
Preliminary:
Preliminary:
Invite to Acts 4:32-35
Thanks for testimonies and special song
Acts 4:32
An old Quaker Question is “When did God become more than a name to you?”
It’s one thing to know the lingo and verbiage of religion and Christianity - it is another thing to know God personally.
To these disciples and apostles - it wasn’t some idle fable that had been passed down for generations, or concocted in some back room in behind closed doors - it was a reality that was more real than their existence.
It was as some were known to say from my stomping grounds - “As plain as the nose on your face”
Our text talks about some of this radical power they spoke with.
Lets read Acts 4: 32-35
32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
35 And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
This would be a tremendous passage to talk about the importance of Christian community - and I don’t want to ignore that -
but there is a subtle sentence that has gripped me this Easter season I think is important for us to notice this morning - I want to read it again as I will be using it as a text
33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
I have seen some people who were just loud and sometimes obnoxious - that isn’t what great power means
I have seen some people who have contracted together to tell a story, share a message, that may or may not have been true - we aren’t talking about that
We are talking about men and women who had great power, who spoke with great power, who exhibited great power.
In fact this passage offers several insights into how they were able to testify with great power or I will call it Radical Power
They witnessed with radical power - because they spoke from firsthand experience of the resurrection.
You have to realize - this was not a mutually understood plan among the disciples.
It had been taught that the Messiah would come and fix everything - he wasn’t supposed to be arrested, executed, and buried. - This part of the plan had been a shock and huge disappointment to the disciples. Jesus attempted to prepare them, and tell them explicitly but they missed it.
They saw him arrested, they saw him condemned to death, some were there when the last breath left his body and his head slumped in the cold grasp of death.
Then each and everyone had a moment with the Resurrected Jesus - He was not a ghost, not a spirit, not some mental hallucination - he ate with them, he fished with them, he spoke to them, he prayed with them and for them, he gave them instructions - HE WAS REAL TO THEM - HE WAS MORE THAN A NAME TO THEM- HE WAS ALIVE - that is why they could speak so powerfully about Him.
Think about Peter’s Testimony
Think about Thomas’s Testimony
Think about Mary’s Testimony
When they got up to speak or talked to their neighbors or the waitress at the restaurant - they weren’t sharing some old time story - they were telling them “I SAW HIM” “I FELT HIM” “I HEARD HIM SAY I LOVE YOU” etc
Acts 4:20 “20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”
The application of course - is that before we can effectively be a witness for Christ - we have to have a meeting with HIm. He has to become more than a name to us.
How about you? Have you had an encounter with the Resurrected Christ? Now I realize you may not have the same physical meeting that these disciples had - but by faith He can be just as real to you. You will never have any power in your life, or in your testimony- until that happens.
The Apostles spoke with radical power because they were filled with the Holy Spirit
Acts 2 tells about the day of Pentecost when they were baptized with the Holy Spirit
Here in our passage if you read the verses above where I read - you will find that the disciples had healed a man in the name of Jesus, instead of being moved by the healing - the religious leaders arrested them and told them not to speak in that name again. “He’s dead to us” is what they were really saying -
The disciples meet after that and they pray - not for protection - but for boldness to speak more clearly and effectivley in the Name of Jesus - not because they wanted to be rebellious - but because they knew the truth - and no human punishment could ever take away that reality for them -
Is He that real to you???
The scripture says something amazing after they prayed this prayer
Acts 4:31 “31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.”
It was not just a personal encounter with the resurrected Jesus that gave them boldness - it was also being filled with the Holy Spirit that gave them courage and boldness to speak about Jesus and the resurrection.
Third insight we can glean from this passage - is that they relied on God’s power, not their own for effectiveness.
They recognized it was not their power or abilities that enabled them to witness so powerfully.
Acts 3:11-12 “11 And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering. 12 And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?”
They also spoke boldly, even in the face of opposition:
Despite facing opposition and persecution, they did not back down from their testimony about the resurrection.
In fact none of them ever recanted their story.
Out of the disciples probably John was the only one not martyred - and yet not one of them under great pressure and stress and suffering - even torture ever gave up their testimony that they saw him - the Resurrected Christ.
They spoke continuously and boldly about what they had witnessed.
They weren’t looking for a safe space - they were looking and sharing facts
Peter reminds them some years later
2 Peter 1:16-17 “16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
John tells us 1 John 1:1 “1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;”
No wonder the opposition didn’t stop them - it wasn’t their truth - it was THE TRUTH!!!
To experience the same power in witnessing and living - comes the same way with us:
Having a firsthand experience with God
Being Filled with the Holy Spirit
Relying on God not on ourselves (Last year the prayer of Jesus became so powerful to me because I still sensed in me perhaps some of my insecurities - that I wanted to be liked and I wanted my messages to be liked, and to go over well etc. - then it came to me how Jesus prayed… John 12:28 “Father, Glorify Thy Name” let me be forgotten but Your name, Your message, Your presence be felt and heard. - That has been my prayer and reminder ever since…God help us to live in such a way that God is glorified - that God’s name is glorified. - This can only happen if we are relying on God and not on ourselves.
We cannot allow, under any circumstance, opposition to still or silence the message. We do not have to be popular, or liked, or even survive - we must speak His Message - that is why they spoke with radical power - that is the only way we will testify or witness with great power.
SO I ask you this morning
It this resurrection event just a story to you - or have you had a first hand encounter?
Is Jesus more than a name to you?
My Father-In-Law told many times in his preaching nearly every time with tears the story of a famous actor that came to a sold out sophisticated crowd.
The well paid actor was going to recite Psalm 23 and he did so flawlessly
His dramatic pauses, perfect enunciation, smooth and well timed gestures brought the crowd to their feet.
They cheered, they applauded, they jumped to their feet - the actor took center stage and bowed graciously to the thunderous ovation.
Then the actor had an idea - he had heard the janitor reciting the Psalm right before his performance - he called for him to come to the stage
and there in front of everyone asked him to recite the Psalm.
He began nervously, his delivery was far from perfect although he knew all the words by heart
He didn’t always know when to pause or wave his hand, or even know how to say every word just perfectly
But when he finished there wasn’t a dry eye in the audience.
Even the polished actor was wiping tears from his eyes.
After a few moments the actor took the microphone and in a broken tear filled voice told the audience
I know the Twenty-third Psalm
This man knows the Shepherd.
Where are you in that?
The key to radical power - or speaking with great power, influence, ability doesn’t come from knowing how to put your words together just right - it’s from knowing HIm.
I hope you know HIm.