Catch your breath - WK2 - Walk it out

3:33 - Inherit the moment…Finish up your convos - hope you invited them to coffee or lunch in the month of May or you already have one scheduled. I try to do this right along with all of you. If you want to set up a coffee convo - we can make it happen. Why do we push this so much - we are all about helping one more Person - BE KNOWN - FIND HOPE - and LOVE your City - that often begins with a cup of coffee or it grows with a meal. Summit do me a favor - I know there are some folks tuning in online that are curious about Summit. They are curious about how well they will be welcomed in when they arrive. So will you do me a big favor and welcome anyone who is wondering if they should come by - Encouragement with a little cheer a little hand clap to let them know you are ready to meet them…

CATCH YOUR BREATH

Last week we talked about the importance of catching our breath - Ultimately. When the roller coaster of life rolls over you sometimes you just need to catch your breath -that is actually the series we are in for this week and next week. Life is like a rollercoaster filled with ups, downs, twists, turns. Good bad otherwise. All of it. Sometimes the pain is self-inflicted - sometimes it isn’t.

Truth is life is hard. Jesus doesn’t make our lives easy - in the sense that all of a sudden the hills are flat and the curves are straightened. NOPE but he does make us better at life. He equips us for life - to handle the wild ride. That something has a name - that breath we can catch is actually a gift, it is the gift of the Holy Spirit - the baptism of the Holy Spirit. so when the rollercoaster of life is doing what it does, sometimes we need to find a spot to sit.

SIT with People in Prayer with Power

If you missed it, no worries feel free to tune in online. Facebook usually has a link, its on a podcast wherever you stream podcasts and of course our youtube channel. Church center app home screen has a direct link to those - check it out share those and other messages with your peeps.

POWER - the power of the Holy Spirit is essential and available to you.

Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

This isn’t just for the early church - this power encounter - this filling is available to you. Sit with people in Prayer and ask for the POWER of the Holy Spirit if you haven’t had that power encounter yet.

If life is like a rollercoaster you are gonna need the power to catch your breath. But life isn’t just like a rollercoaster is it. I was recently reminded of what someone once said about life.

Life is like a box of chocolates…you never know which one you’re gunna get…Forest Gump

You know, sometimes art imitates life and at other times life imitates art. Actually, there’s a guy named Rob, Pope that imitated Forrest Gump. This guy from the UK decided to imitate what Forrest did and he ran across the country. He ran across America. I’m not sure if he had a bunch of Forrest Gump sayings in his head as he was running. I couldn’t imagine you running across the United States and you just keep saying to yourself “sometimes…you just gotta…keep run..ning.

I am not sure, but he ran 15,300 miles…Well I don’t know if life is like a box of chocolates or not, but the Christian faith is often described in running terms. So if you’re tacking with me -

Sitting in Power = Getting up and Running

The author of Hebrews tells us to run with endurance, to focus our eyes our thoughts on Jesus. (Hebrews 12) Paul says but don’t just run for the sake of running, don’t run aimlessly but like you are in a race - AND AND AND you are trying to get the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24). The only way to get the prize…is to finish the race well (2 Timothy 4:7)

I don’t know about you, but all that running talk has got me out of breath…Where are my runners that in the room? How many of you have run a 5K or 10k?

Actually at the end of the summer in August at the GP youth initiative is hosting a 30 for freedom run. You and I can find people who are willing to sponsor every mile we run to help end foreign and domestic human trafficking!

BUT BUT BUT, you can’t just jump in and start running AND maintain endurance - you are gonna need to catch your breath along the way.

Catch Your Breath

A few years ago I did that Couch to 5K program on a phone app. Anyone done this? I was much younger, but I got to the point where I could run a 5k.

That process starts out with more walking than it does running. Why, walking helps us catch our breath to keep going. If you start out too soon, too fast, try to go too far, it’s going to be really difficult to finish the race. If you don’t go without counting, counting the cost, you’re gonna end up in the wrong direction or doing the wrong thing all together.

Or you could actually hurt yourself. When I was thinking about how a roller coaster can leave you kind of discombobulated and disoriented and then if you try to just take off right away. We talked about that last week. Too often new believers try to lead and forget to learn how to follow first.

If I were a youth pastor and not concerned about insurance liabilities at the church, I would illustrate this with a baseball bat relay. You know four people up front with two bats. Have them spin around the bat 10 times and make a lap around the sanctuary tag their partner and repeat…ACTUALLY I need 4 volunteers! HAHA

Stop - go back to your seats - I love the energy though!

But that never goes well does it. More often than not you will end up on your face with a twisted neck.

Wanna catch your breath - Learn to walk so you can run

Pastor Eric said something that stuck with me this week. “What happens in the natural happens in the super”. 100% agree. The reason the Couch to 5k stuff is helpful. Is it slowly and steadily increases the efficiency of capillaries in your lungs. Those little dodads that help convert the O2 into the blood stream.

Running, out of breath,…Walking allows your body to recover…rinse and repeat. End result Run further with better endurance! What happens in the natural happens in the super or the natural can mimic the super.

The Christian is challenged to run the race, so as you begin learn to walk to catch your breath so you can run further! But PC! I have been a follower us Jesus for a hot minute. Been faithfully walking even running for years. To which I would say GREAT AMAZING Consider Peter.

Acts 1:15 CSB

In those days Peter stood up among the brothers and sisters—the number of people who were together was about a hundred twenty—and said..

Peter is one of the ones that had been walking with Jesus from the very beginning. If you recall from last week. There were about 120 men and women in the upper room waiting to Catch their breath - or to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Peter stood up and started to lead the next steps - to move the group from sitting to walking…by walking out of the door of the room and into the place where thousands gathered.

That moment when the Holy Spirit came crashing onto the scene was incredible. I have this image of 12 guys standing in front of a gathering crowd. A gathering crowd that was trying to figure out what in creation was happening.

The whole scene would have been confusing. Scripture even says as much. So confusing, but the anchor was the reality of Christ. The words Peter spoke about Jesus pierced the hearts of those in the crowd.

Acts 2:37 CSB

When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”

His response:

Acts 2:38 CSB

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

He said repent be baptized and Catch you Breath. Get the Holy Spirit. And for thousands that is exactly what happened. Over the last 8 weeks approximately 30 people - based on the hands going up, the people walking forward, and the conversations before and after church have given their lives to Jesus.

Yes - we need to celebrate that! Praise God for the gift of fresh faith, for one more person FINDING HOPE in Jesus!

If you are wondering what to do next - Last week was the answer - Sit with People in Prayer with Power. That is what the early church did too. Catch your breath, meet with the other believers, eat with the other believers, pray with the other believers, trust one another.

Turn away from the sin in your life - its a process but you finally have the power to do it. The Holy Spirit in you gives you the knowledge to know its sin, and the power to be free of it!

Thats Repent - Then BE BAPTIZED - I cannot stress this enough - BE BAPTIZED - June 8th we will be baptizing people in service - you need to do this. Go public with your faith. Be obedient to God’s call on your life. Take that step of faith and BE BAPTIZED!

It is part of your walk. When you catch your breath you don’t just sit. You walk out your faith! To Catch our Breath we SIT, and we WALK…Check this out.

So Peter does this incredible work with a sermon that impacted thousands. Literally thousands. And Peter Kept walking - not alone but with a brother.

Acts 3:1–3 CSB

Now Peter and John were going up to the temple for the time of prayer at three in the afternoon. A man who was lame from birth was being carried there. He was placed each day at the temple gate called Beautiful, so that he could beg from those entering the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter the temple, he asked for money.

Peter and John are together a lot in the Scriptures, there is even some fun playful banter between them when you look close. You can tell they were close. From the days of fishing, to the tomb. From trying to figure out which one Jesus liked better, to leading the brand new movement from the moment of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Jesus even interjects between the two of them a couple of times. Hilarious and very real, raw and honest. I love Scripture for that. Its just honest and not polished.

Just like this exchange with the guy asking for money. I love this. Peter and John - scripture says - look straight at the guy who is not looking back.

We see this on the streets in St. Paul don’t we. I know I have seen it on Dale Street, on Lexington.

Acts 3:4 CSB

Peter, along with John, looked straight at him and said, “Look at us.”

This wasn’t rude it was intentional. John and Peter were not about to be those who roll down the window, hang a sandwich out of it and never make eye contact. They were ensuring this man was seen! And that he saw them. I don’t think the guy was being flippant, I think he was despondent, sad, depressed, he was tired, exhausted, maybe feeling worthless. We don’t know from the text but we see it in our city. Some in this room have lived it - you know all too well how he was feeling.

But they made sure he knew that they saw him…

Sidenote: I wonder if this dude was getting exploited. Seriously. Everyday people carried him to his spot at the gate to beg. I wonder what the delivery fee was for him. but I digress.

Peter and John don’t have any walking around cash, everything they have is pooled with the other believers. They consolidated all they had with the newest believers. They didn’t walk with cash but walked with power.

Acts 3:6–7 CSB

But Peter said, “I don’t have silver or gold, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” Then, taking him by the right hand he raised him up, and at once his feet and ankles became strong.

I give you the name of Jesus! Let’s go - song after song we sing about the power in the name of Jesus. Power that will straighten a lame hand, a dead heart, a useless leg, and a twisted mind. This is the part I want to to grab hold of today. When you catch your breath you get to walk! And your walk is your witness to the power of Jesus!

For those of you who were where this man was - get up and walk. For those who were lost in the grip of sin - get up and walk. For those lost in their past choices - get up and walk. Empowered - Filled by the Holy Spirit get up and walk. Walk with those who have been with Jesus. Walk with those who introduced you to Jesus! Get up and walk…WHY?????

Your Walk as a Witness

When I found Jesus, my life changed. When I finally stopped stiff arming Jesus and started asking questions. When I got curious healthy followers of Jesus, did this for me. I may not have been unable to walk physically but I was spiritually crippled. I may not have been sitting by the gate asking for blessing, but I was lacking the things I needed for a healthy life. I was missing out on real life! And when I finally recognized and surrender to the powerful name of Jesus - People who knew me saw something changed.

As I started walking with Jesus - my walk became my witness. A testimony to the freedom giving, grave robbing, life changing name of Jesus! Your walk is your witness.

Thats what happened to this man too. His WALK - very literal walk became his witness of the life changing power of the name of Jesus.

Acts 3:8–10 CSB

So he jumped up and started to walk, and he entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. All the people saw him walking and praising God, and they recognized that he was the one who used to sit and beg at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. So they were filled with awe and astonishment at what had happened to him.

Who in here has some Praise for the life Change Jesus has given you??

I don’t want to rush past this. Talk about needing to catch your breath, Can you imagine this man joy, his pure joy of being able to walk into the temple for the first time in his entire life. For much of his life he sat just outside the gates. This tremendous beautiful gate - Many scholars agree it was the Eastern gate of the temple. Why does that matter.

While this event happened about 3pm, a man spending his life outside this gate had to know he was missing something by not being able to be in the Temple. Sitting outside the gate, depending on the season of the year, the brilliance of the sun cresting the horizon in the morning and striking the bronze archway was no doubt awe-inspiring. But even that brilliance would pale in comparison to the flood of emotions of being healed, and walking into the temple.

You walking out your faith is your witness and it is your worship

Walk in Worship

Acts 3:11–12 CSB

While he was holding on to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astonished, ran toward them in what is called Solomon’s Colonnade. When Peter saw this, he addressed the people: “Fellow Israelites, why are you amazed at this? Why do you stare at us, as though we had made him walk by our own power or godliness?

Obviously this caused a stir. His Walking witness filled with power. Some of you in this room have experienced this. The crowd you ran with is confused, disoriented, and wondering how you - who once were broken, heartbroken, lost, sad, depressed, addicted, we could go down the list. There are people who know you before Jesus that are wondering how you changed. How your life went from what it was Greedy, Envious, Self-righteous, Rude, Arrogant to the person you are today.

If we are honest - those who know you the longest have the hardest time accepting the change. They aren’t the ones that ran up to Peter and John, they are the ones thinking its a gimmick. Thinking its a trick. They are like…just wait it will crash and burn soon. But But But they are still listening.

So catch your breath on the marathon of the following Jesus -

Walk in Worship as a Witness to God’s Wonder

100% what happens here. The crowds press in and Peter filled with the Breath of God - the Holy Spirit takes this opportunity to share about Jesus. Peter even writes about this in his letters - to be ready in every season to share the reason for the hope you have in Christ Jesus. He learned the importance of it in this experience I am sure of it.

Look what Peter does…

Acts 3:16 CSB

By faith in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. So the faith that comes through Jesus has given him this perfect health in front of all of you.

Can I let you in on a little secret church. No one, there is not one person on the planet - except for yourself - that can make you doubt the miracle God did in your life. Nobody. You are a walking witness to the Wonder of God. This is why I want this entire church to record, and practice their story of faith.

But PC I didn’t have a story that was some kind of dramatic life change story. Wait Wait Wait…you mean to tell me. That you were able to navigate the American experiment, the slow steady decline of people willing to say they believe Jesus is who He says He is. You mean to tell me you stood firm in your faith - your child-like faith for your whole life!!

That is an absolute Miracle. Do you know how many millions of people over the last 4 decades have abandoned their faith? How many millions have decided the words of Scripture are just too difficult to allow authority over their life…so they just let it go. Do you know how many allowed the world to create a critic, a cynic, or a combatant out of their heart, they argue against what they were taught as a child. That is a miracle.

OR OR OR

PC, I walked away from the faith for so long. I doubted Jesus and the authority of Scripture so much. AND my faith today is not as strong as those around me. Wait…you mean to tell me that even when it was easier for you to doubt you decided to believe. That Jesus overcame the critic, the cynic, or the combatant in you.

That Jesus overcame your hurt, rejection, pain and doubts. And you can say today that you love Jesus! That you - as imperfect as it might be - are willing to follow Jesus no matter what.

OR OR OR

Maybe you are thinking, I’m just not there yet. I am not so sure about all the Jesus stuff. I know I am missing something in my life, but I am just not sure how to make a change. AND AND AND —- you are here on a Sunday morning listening to this message. You have made it through an hour and 20 minutes of a church service - with me talk for a good bit of it. That is a Miracle in and of itself. Here is what I want you to do. I want you to consider Jesus.

For my followers,

Walk in Worship as a Witness to God’s Wonder

SO that those who need to catch their breath can walk with you. Lets Pray!