Look At Us!

Bradley

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This morning we are picking back up in our study of the book of Acts.

If you’re new to MCF, it would be good for you to know that we practice a form of preaching called “Expository Preaching”. What that means is we believe the Bible is best taught by taking books of the Bible and then studying them from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, in order to understand how God’s Word applies to our lives today.

With that said, we are currently walking through the book of Acts. And what we have learned so far is the book of Acts is probably one of the most important books in the Bible for the modern church to study and understand. I say that because it’s:

A book of the Bible that highlights the beginning days of the church.

A book of the Bible that teaches us what the mission and purpose of the church is.

A book of the Bible that shows us how the church is meant to accomplish that mission through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

A book of the Bible that has the ability to spiritually transform and redirect any church that is willing to embrace it.

In fact I know this to be true, because since we started studying the book of Acts, God has begun a transformational work in our church.

We’ve seen in through the Wednesday night prayer meeting as nearly 100 people are coming on Wednesday nights to seek a deeper commitment to the Lord.

We’ve seen it on Sunday mornings as just a few weeks ago 35 people made faith commitments and were water baptized.

We saw it last week through the women’s conference as nearly 200 women were encouraged, strengthened, and many lives were transformed.

We’re seeing it in our New Believers class as 14 people signed up for the class last week.

The fact of the matter is, since we started digging into the book of Acts God has been transforming and changing our church. And I truly believe the most impactful days or our church lie ahead. That as we continue to seek the empowerment of the Spirit God is going to continue to transform us and open up doors of opportunity we never dreamed possible.

I don’t know about you, but I’m excited for what the future holds. I can’t wait to see what God is going to do next.

So, as we come back to our study today, I want to encourage you to keep seeking the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. To be “All In” as you continue to ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with His power and presence.

Which brings us to our topic for today. Because as we continue in our study, we now come to a pivotal moment in the life of the early church.

You may recall from a couple weeks ago, we learned out the early church functioned from within. How they were devoted to prayer, fellowship, and the teaching of the Word. But now Luke is going to show us how they functioned outside of the church. How the first disciples began to publically minister in the power of the Spirit.

A moment of opportunity.

A moment where the disciples move out of the 4 walls of their church and begin to publically minister in the power of the Spirit.

So, in order to set up where we are going this morning, I want to take a few moments and build some framework to help get our minds around this passage. And to do that I want to begin by asking you a couple of questions about YOUR personal and daily witness for Jesus. The first question is this:

First Question - As a Christ follower, do you desire to be a witness for Jesus?

In other words, in your day to day life, is one of your main focuses for the day to be used by Jesus?

Meaning, do you want to be the kind of Christian that God works in and through on a day to day basis? Do you want to be the kind of Christian that ministers to the needs of others. Do you want to be the kind of Christian who is a public witness for Jesus?

Now, the truth is, when I ask that question, I think most Christians would say, “Yes Pastor, that’s me, that’s what I desire. I desire to be used by God in order to help and lead people to Jesus.”

And if that’s you, then I think that’s great. Way to go! But let me push back on that with a second question.

Second Question - If your desire is to be a witness for Jesus, can you honestly say you are being used by him? In other words, does your day to day life actually consist of witnessing to and ministering to people who need Jesus?

While I would hope we could all say “yes” to that question, I think if we are really honest with ourselves, that most of us would have to say, “Probably not so much.” That maybe the desire is there, but the actual implementation of that desire is lacking.

I’m going to say, very few of us are doing that on a day to day basis.

So, what do we do? How do we change that? How do we move from desire to the actual implementation of our witness? Because the fact is, the first believers were leading people to Jesus everyday. Remember, we read at the end of chapter 2 that day by day the Lord was adding to their number those who were begin saved.

So, how do we become the kind of Christian that is daily ministering and leading people to Jesus?

I think we need to know the answer to that question. In fact, I know we do. Because if you really want to be “All In” for Jesus, then part of being “All In” means you are "All about” daily ministering and leading people to Jesus through the power of the Spirit.

The question than again is, “How and what does that look like?” How does one function and minister in the power of the Spirit?

Thankfully Peter and John are going to demonstrate that for us today through the first miracle story recored in the book of Acts. And from their example, I believe we too can learn how to function and minister in the same way.

So, here’s what we are going to do today.

First, we’re going to read through the passage so we can get the context of what is happening.

Second, we are going to walk back through the passage and learn what it takes for you and I to publically minsiter in the power of the Spirit.

And what we’re going to learn is that publically ministering in the Spirit is a process. In other words, there are some steps involved. Four specifically. Four steps that you and I need to be willing to take if we want to publically minsiter in the power of the Spirit and lead people to Jesus.

So, to discover these steps, let’s begin as we read through the passage. Beginning in chapter 3:1, Luke writes:

Acts 3:1-

Acts 3:1–10 ESV

1 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. 3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. 4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” 5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8 And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

As we move into chapter 3, Luke begins by giving us a an exciting miracle story, in fact the first miracle story in the book of Acts.

And if you grew up in church, it’s a story you might be familiar with. In fact, there’s actually a song some of us learned as children that tells this story. It goes like this, and please excuse my lack of music ability. And if you know the song, sing along with me:

Song:

Peter and John went to pray. They met a lame man on the way He asked for alms and held out his palms, And this is what Peter did say Silver and gold have I none, But such as I have give I thee, In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. He went walking and leaping and praising God, Walking and leaping and praising God, In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.

Silver and gold have I nine, But such as I have give I thee, In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. He went walking and leaping and praising God, Walking and leaping and praising God, In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.

How many of you learned that song as a kid? For those of you that did, what a great song and story, right?

Well, I would say it’s important for two reasons. First, it’s important because it’s the first recorded miracle story in the early church. In other words, following the coming of the Holy Spirit, apparently this is the first miracle that takes place.

Second, it’s important because as I said, it demonstrates how to function and minister in the power of the Holy Spirit.

A story about a lame man who had never walked. In fact, Luke says he was lame from birth. But by the end of the story he’s no longer lame. Luke says after his encounter with Peter and John the man was walking and leaping for joy?

So, what’s going on here? Why is this story so important? Why is there a song about it?

To discover that, we need to dig a little deeper into the passage. Because buried in this passage is the key to you and I learning to publically minister in the power of the Spirit.

So, let’s go back to the passage and let Luke guide us through this process. Beginning again in verse 1, Luke writes:

Acts 3:1 ESV

1 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.

The first thing I want you to notice about this story, is that it begins with Peter and John going to pray. Now, you might ask, “Why is that important?”

It’s important because it shows us the daily mindest and habit of Peter and John. It shows us what was important to them on a day to day basis.

You see, they understood,

So, what was important? Praying was important. In fact, it was so important, that at 3:00 in the afternoon, they were taking time to attend the prayer service at the temple, not just once a week, but everyday.

So important, that at 3:00 in the afternoon, they were taking time to attend the prayer service at the temple.

Probably a lot of other things they could have been doing at that time. But Peter and John are “All In”. And part of begin “All In” is they are making time in their day to pray.

That being the case, it shouldn’t surprise us that along the way, a spiritual opportunity would arise. Which lead us to the first step in the process, and I would state it like this:

That being the case, it shouldn’t surprise us that along the way, a spiritual opportunity would arise.

Beginning in verse 1 again, Luke writes:

In order to be used by God, I have to walk with a spiritual mindset.

Acts 3:

Acts 3:1 ESV

1 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.

You see what we have to understand is if you want to be used by God, then you have to put yourself on a path where God can speak to you. Where God can direct you. And that’s where Peter and John were headed. They were headed to the temple to pray. They were on a path to be used by God.

They were living their life with a spiritual mindest. A mindset that kept them in tune with the Spirit.

The Apostle Paul puts it like this in :

Romans 8:5 ESV

5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

Paul says for the person who wants to walk with a spiritual mindset, has his/her mind is set on the things of the Spirit. In other words they are spiritually minded, spiritually focused.

So, that raises a great question, “What does it mean to be spiritually minded?”

Well, it could mean several things, but to make it simple, it means that your mind is set on what is important to God. The Apostle Paul puts it like this:

Colossians 3:1–2 ESV

1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

Paul says now that you’re a Christ follower, your mind should be set on what’s important to God. That your passions, thoughts, and desires should be heavenly focused, not earthly focused.

Now, the truth is, that’s hard to do, right? And the reason it’s hard is we currently live on the earth. And because we live on the earth we are surrounded by earthly distractions. Distractions that sometimes keep us from focusing on heavenly things. Distractions that play to our fleshly desires and passions. Distractions that often drowned out what is important to God.

So, what are those distractions? Well, there are various distractions, but let’s start with the obvious ones:

SmartPhones: For some of us, and I’d say a lot of us, including myself, the distraction is called a smartphone. It’s the first thing we grab when we wake up. It’s the first thing we give our time to as we check our messages, respond to our texts, check our email, check our facebook and instagram feeds, and play Candy Crush. For a lot of us, instead of starting our day looking up, we start it by looking at a screen. Instead of starting our day spiritually minded, we start our day facebook minded, news minded, instagram minded, snapchat minded, candy crush minded. And the list goes on. So, I’d say a big distraction are our smartphones.

Instead of starting our day spiritually minded, we start our day facebook minded, instagram minded, candy crush minded, and the list of useless apps goes on.

For others, along with your smartphone, its media distraction. It’s your favorite podcast, news outlet, Netflix show, morning show, Soap opera, reality tv show, or whatever other media consumes your day. In fact, it might surprise you to know the average American gives consumes 614 minutes a day of media consumption. That’s 10 hours a day of media input into your life. Makes you wonder how we get anything done, right? So, media plays a big part in distracting us.

For others, it’s the distraction of earthly desires. It’s how much money you’re going to make today, or what you’re going to buy that you probably don’t need, or what relationship is going to consume your thoughts, or what you need to do or consume in order to be happy.

And because of these distractions, many of us spend our day looking down rather than looking up. Looking at the temporal desires this world offers rather than the eternal treasure God wants to give us. We are distracted.

And because we are distracted, we’re not spiritually minded and we’re not focused on what is important to God.

Which lead us to another question. “What is important to God?”

Well, probably many things, but we know one for sure. We know that people are important to God. So important that He gave His only Son to die for them. Which is why the primary mission of the church involves telling “people” about Him.

But the problem for most of us is we aren’t people focused. We’re smartphone focused, media focused, or focused on what makes us happy. And as a result, we aren’t focused on what is important to God. Instead, we are focused on what is important to us.

And then we wonder why God isn’t using us. We wonder why we can’t hear God’s voice. We wonder why others have testimony stories and we don’t. And maybe for some of us that’s not even something we are concerned about.

So, what do we do? How do we move away from earthly distractions and become more spiritually minded?

that consumes your day as you look to see who has liked your post, who has made a comment on your feed, and what everybody else has been doing since you went to bed the night before.

To be honest, it starts in your heart. It starts with you wanting to be used. And then it moves to a discipline. It’s you and I making a conscious effort to focus on what’s important versus what’s not important. Like Peter and John, it’s you and I putting first things first. For Peter and John, it was prayer. It was seeking the Lord’s will and staying in touch with Him.

For others, the distraction is Netflix. When you get home, its the first thing you turn to as you binge watch anothe r

As we learned a couple of weeks ago, the first disciples were devoted to prayer. Devoted to seeking God’s will and direction. Devoted to staying in tune and in touch with Him.

You see, the problem for a lot of us, is the reason God isn’t using us, is because we’re not focused on Him. We’re not listening to Him. We’re not putting ourselves on a path where He can speak to us, direct us, and use us.

Instead, we’re focused on other things. Our minds are preoccupied. And the fact of the matter is, if you want to follow Jesus, if you want to be “All In”, you have to walk looking up. Only then will you be able to follow Him. Only then will you see what He wants you to see.

So, let me ask you this question, “When it comes to your life, would you say your earthly minded or spiritually minded?” And if you’re not sure, here are some questions you can ask yourself to help determine that:

Question #1 - On a daily basis, do you begin your day with a quiet time with God? In other words, do you spend time in prayer?

Question #2 - On a daily basis, do you seek Jesus’s guidance in your life? In other words, are you asking Jesus to guide your steps?

Question #3 - On a daily basis, do you read and study your Bible? In other words, are you spending time allowing God’s Word to infiltrate your heart?

Acts 3:2–5 ESV

2 And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. 3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. 4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” 5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.

Question #4 - Do you live your life by biblical standards or worldly standards? In other words, if you’re “All In”, does your life look different than the person who is not?

Your answer to those questions will go a long way in determining if you are spiritually minded or earthly minded.

Now, when I say that, some of you might be thinking, “Ok pastor, I get what you’re saying, but that sounds so radical.” And you’re right, it is radical. It’s called being “All In”. Because the fact of the matter is, the person who is “All In” is daily focused on what is important to God.

Acts 3:2-

What’s the first thing you give yourself to when you wake up? In other words, where does your mind go as you begin your day? Is it earthly or spiritual? Do you start your day by asking, “Lord what do you have for me?” Or do you start it by grabbing your smartphone?

What consumes your thoughts throughout the day? In other words, what thoughts, desires, and passions drive your day? Are they if an earthly or spiritual nature? And please hear me, when I say that I’m not saying you have to be fully focused on spiritual matters. I’m just asking you to consider what dominates your desires and passions?

And just to be clear, to be “All In” doesn’t mean you can’t have a life outside of Jesus. What it means is you now live your life out of your relationship with Jesus. Meaning, Jesus is in the driver seat, not you. And when Jesus is in the driver seat, it will change the direction you go.

At any point in your day do you ask God to direct your steps? In other words, are you concerned with what’s important to God? Are you concerned with what He wants you to accomplish today?

Peter and John walked looking up. They were of a spiritual mindset. They were in the perfect position and place for God to use them.

Which leads us to the second step in this process. Because:

2. If I walk with a spiritual mindset, God will give me ministry opportunities.

Luke writes:

Acts 3:2–5 ESV

Acts 3:

What I want you to notice is as Peter and John were on their way to pray, they encountered a man, and in pointing out the man Luke gives us some key details.

First, the man was at one of the gates of the temple. A gate called the “Beautiful Gate”.

Now, some might ask, “Why was it called the Beautiful Gate?”. Well, probably because it was beautiful. But that’s not why Luke is giving this detail. Meaning he doesn’t want us to go off on some rabbit trail trying to figure out why the gate was beautiful. He gives this detail to simply give a location for where this man was.

He gave this detail to simply give a location for where this man was. People reading Luke’s letter in the 1st century would have known what gate he was talking about. It would be like me saying, “The man was laying at the front entrance of the church.” If I said that, you’d all know where I was talking about. Same thing here.

People reading Luke’s letter in the 1st century would have known what gate he was talking about. It would be like me saying, “The man was laying at the front entrance of the church.” If I said that, you’d all know where I was talking about. Same thing here.

Second, Luke says the man was lame and was laid there daily. Again, a detail for reference. You see, what Luke is doing is trying to trigger everybody’s memory. He’s saying, “You know, the crippled guy that used to sit in front of the beautiful gate. That’s the guy I’m talking about.”

And at that point everybody would say, “Oh yeah, now that you mention it, I do remember that guy. He was always sitting there by the beautiful gate.”

Third, Luke says he had been crippled since birth. Another important detail that tells us the severity of this man’s disability. Meaning, this isn’t a guy that sprained his ankle last week. This isn’t somebody with a recent injury that is now mending. This is a guy that has been crippled since birth. He’s not somebody on the mend. He’s been crippled and unable to walk his entire life.

Fourth, Luke says the reason the man is laying there is so he can beg for alms. In other words, he’s a beggar. He’s the guy out at the Walmart stop sign. He’s the guy sitting next to his vehicle with the gas can and a sign that says, “Need Help”. That’s who this guy is. He’s the guy begging for mercy and help.

So, those are the key details. But that’s not what is most interesting. What’s most interesting is that more than likely this isn’t the first time Peter and John have walked by this guy. I mean think about it, Peter and John are like you and me. This isn’t the first time they’ve been to the temple and they are creatures of habit.

Like you and me, when they got to the temple or the church, they parked their donkey in the same stall they always did, just like you park in pretty much the same parking spot. They walked through the same entrance they always walk through, just like you come in the same door each week. And once inside, they sit in the same seat they always do, just like you typically sit in the same place and maybe the same seat. They’re just like you and me.

And what’s interesting about this entire picture that Luke is painting, is that more than likely this isn’t the first time Peter and John have walked by this guy. I mean think about it, Peter and John are like you and me. They are creatures of habit. When they got to the temple, they parked their donkey in the same stall they always do. They walked through the same entrance they always walk through. And once inside, they’re going to sit in the same seat they always have. They’re just like you and me.

Same thing here. Peter and John have entered by the Beautiful gate before, and in doing so they’ve passed by this man. In fact, there’s a good chance they passed by this man with Jesus at some point.

But this time, something is different. This time as once again they pass through the same gate and pass by the same man, the routine changes. And probably for the first time Peter actually notices this man sitting there. In fact Luke says:

Acts 3:4 ESV

4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.”

Luke says as Peter and John are about to enter the temple, they both look over and they gazed at this man. The Greek word translated for gaze here means “to fix one’s eyes on some object continually and intensely. To look straight at, to stare at, or to keep one’s eyes fixed on.”

Have you ever had somebody stare at you like that? It’s almost kind of creepy, right. Like they’re seeing something in you or on you that you’re not seeing or aware of.

In fact, what’s the common reaction we have when somebody stares at us like that? We’re like, “What are you looking at? Do I have a piece of food in my teeth? Is there a bug on me? Do I have something on my face? What are you staring at? What are you seeing that I’m not seeing?”

Acts 3:6

With supernatural insight, God will give you the boldness, faith, and power to help people in need.

So, why are Peter and John staring at this man? Have they never seen a crippled man before? Is he wearing a Broncos Jersey and they can’t take their eyes off of it? What’s going on here? Why are they staring at this crippled man?

What I want to suggest to you, is in this moment, because Peter and John were spiritually minded, because their on a spiritual path, because they were walking in tune with the Spirit, that for the first time they an opportunity they hadn’t seen before. An opportunity to help this man in a way they couldn't’ before.

Because prior to this. Prior to the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, Peter and John had walked by this guy with nothing to offer him. They couldn’t help him. Sure, they could throw some change his way, but that’s not really helping this guy. But now, full of the Spirit, Peter and John are able to help this man in a way they couldn’t before.

What is it they hadn’t seen before? What they can now see is an opportunity to help this man in a way they couldn't’ before. Because prior to this. Prior to the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, Peter and John had walked by this guy with nothing to offer him. They couldn’t help him. Sure, they could throw some change his way, but that’s not really helping this guy. But now, full of the Spirit, Peter and John are able to help this man in a way they couldn’t before.

And so, this time, instead of passing by the man, Peter and John stop, and gazing at the man they say, “Look at us.”

Now, I want you to think about this. What do you think was going through the man’s mind when Peter said this? He’s probably thinking, “I’m going to get some money off of these guys.” But that’s not what Peter offers him. In fact, listen to what Luke says Peter said:

“But Peter said, ‘I have no silver and gold...” (ESV)

3. If I embrace the opportunity, God will give me what I need to minister.

Acts 3:6–8 ESV

6 But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8 And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.

Luke says in this moment of awkward staring, Peter calls the man to attention and tells the man what he doesn’t have to offer him.

Peter says, “I don’t have any silver or gold.” In other words, “Sir, I don’t have what your asking for. I have nothing of wordly value to offer you.”

Doesn’t seem very helpful, does it? I mean think about it. Imagine there’s a guy at the Walmart stop sign with a sign that says, “I need $10 for gas.” So you stop, roll down your window, motion the guy over and the first thing you say to him is, “I don’t have $10.”

“Oh, you don’t. Well, thanks for letting me know. I appreciate that. That was really helpful.”

That’s kind of what Peter did. And if that’s how the story ended, then we’d think Peter is kind of a jerk.

But the story doesn’t end there. Peter has more to say. Because after telling the man he doesn’t have any silver or gold to give him, Peter tells him what he does have. Peter says:

“…but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.” 7(ESV)

In this moment, what this man never dreamed possible. What money could never buy him. What no doctor could ever do for him, Peter now offers. Peter reaches down and offers the man the ability to walk. Which leads us to the third step in the process:

When you

3. If you’re willing to seize the opportunity, God will give you the boldness, authority, and power to act.

You see, in this moment Peter offers something he couldn’t have offered before. In this moment with a boldness Peter didn’t have before, with an authority he didn’t have before, and with an empowerment he didn't’ have before, Peter steps out in faith and tells the man to stand up.

That took a lot of boldness, right? I mean think about it. This guy has been crippled since birth. He’s never walked. But in this defining moment, having been directed by the Holy Spirit, Peter boldly tells the man to stand up. And for the first time in his life, the man stands up.

How does it happen? How was this possible? Luke tells us. Luke says Peter performs this amazing miracle through the powerful name of Jesus. In other words, through the empowerment of the Spirit, Peter acts on behalf of Jesus. Peter extends to this man only what Jesus can offer. Peter says, “In the name of Jesus Christ stand up!”

Now, at this point you might be thinking, “Wow pastor, that’s an amazing miracle. And I wish that kind of stuff happened today because that’s amazing. But pastors, let’s be realistic. That kind of stuff doesn’t happen anymore. That’s bible stuff. Come on pastor, I hope your not going to suggest that God could do the same type of thing through us.”

That’s exactly what I’m going to suggest. Because the truth is, if you’re walking in the Spirit, and God presents you with a ministry opportunity, just like He did Peter, He will give you the boldness, authority, and power to act in that situation. The real question will be, “Will you have the faith to act?”

Here’s the reality of our situation church, and here’s how this applies to us.

The truth is, our community is full of people just like this crippled man.

But what if I told you that you have the same opportunity and ability that Peter displayed in thi

4. When I trust God to minister, God will be glorified and more opportunities for witness will follow.

People who are sitting outside the doors of our church. They’re out at Landoll’s. They’re at Walmart. They’re at Casey’s. They’re at Blue Valley. They’re at Tension. They’re at Subway. They’re at Sonic. They’re at Valley Vet. They’re at GP. They’re on the railroad. They’re at the hig school, the junior high, and the grade school.

People who you pass by everyday as you go to work, get your coffee, buy your groceries, do your job, sit at the games, and go about your daily routine.

People who you know are there but you rarely notice.

People who are spiritually crippled. People who are begging for help.

People who have marriages that are falling apart.

People who are addicted to drugs and struggling with substance abuse.

People who are living in hopelessness and brokenness.

People who are suffering with depression and thoughts of suicide.

The fact is, our community, your community, is full of spiritually crippled people sitting outside of the church, outside of the entrance to this building. People you pass by on a daily basis.

And as a result, there are two questions we need to ask ourselves:

First question - Are we willing to put ourselves on a path that will allow us to see these people? Because the truth is, if you’re not being led by the Spirit, if your’e not focusing on what’s important to God, if you’re walking around distracted, then you’re not going to see these people.

Your’e not going to see these people if all you’re looking at is your smartphone. You’re not going to see these people if your consumed by media. You’re not going to see these people if all your concerned about is what’s best for you today.

But, if your’e willing to be spiritually minded. If you’re willing to allow the Lord to lead your day, then you’re going to start seeing people you’ve never seen before. People who are in need. People who are begging for help.

This leads to a second question - If you’re willing to put yourself on that spiritual path, are you willing to act when the opportunities presents itself. In that moment, like Peter will you step out in faith and give that person what you don’t have, but what Jesus does offer.

A solution that money can’t buy.

A solution that no marriage counselor could provide.

and in doing so provides us with specific instructions from Jesus on the mission of the church and how that mission is to be accomplished. In , Jesus lays it out like this:

Acts 1:8 ESV

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

In this one verse Jesus gives us the mission of the church and the means for accomplishing the mission.

The mission is to reach the entire world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ beginning in the community we live in and then extending out from there.

The means for accomplishing the mission comes through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. And as we’ve learned in our study, not only is that empowerment necessary, but it is available to all who would seek it.

We saw that throughout chapter 2 as the Holy Spirit was poured out on the first disciples on the day of Pentecost as they began to function under the power of the Holy Spirit. An empowerment that resulted in 3000 people coming to faith in Jesus in one day.

We also saw as the early church began to function

A solution that brings greater comfort than any form of substance abuse.

A solution that nothing this world can offer can compete with.

What’s the solution? If you’re truly “All In”, in that moment will you be able to extend to them the powerful name of Jesus.

A name that can bring hope.

A name that can bring deliverance.

A name that can bring reconciliation.

A name that bring healing.

A name that has the power to raise them up out of the muck and mire of their situation and set then on a path of hope and life.

And if you’ll have the faith and boldness to do that, God will empower you, equip you, and enable you to lead that person out of darkness and into light.

But for any of that to happen, you have to be spiritually minded. You have to be willing to set your gaze on those who are in need. And you have to be willing to act when the opportunities come.

And if you’ll do that, not only will God act, but it will open the door for you to share your faith to a greater degree. Listen to what Luke says happened next:

“And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.” (ESV)

I’m not going to point out who this person is, but in my daily routine, there is a person God has put in my path. And for weeks I felt the Holy Spirit putting this person on my heart. For weeks giving me a burden for this person. And finally, the other day, I invited this person to church. I’m not sure if he’s here today or listening online, but you know who you are, and I want you to

And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.” (ESV)

Luke says as the man stands to his feet, he begins to not only walk, but he begins to leap and he begins to praise God. And as he celebrates what Jesus has done in his life, it gets the attention of others. Luke writes:

Acts 3:9–10 ESV

9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

4. When I trust God to minister, God will be glorified and more opportunities for witness will follow.

Acts 3:9–10 ESV

You see that’s what happens when a crippled person gets healed. It catches the attention of everybody that knew him. And it leaves them asking the question, “What is going on here? How is this possible?”

And as we’re going to see next week, it opened the door for Peter to share the gospel to a greater degree.

And so here’s how it applies to us. The fact is, when you extend Jesus to the person God has put in your path, and when God acts on their behalf, it’s going to catch the attention of others.

As God delivers somebody from substance abuse, it’s going to catch the attention of their buddies who are struggling with substance abuse as well.

As God reconciles a broken marriage, it’s going to catch the attention of other couples who are on the brink of divorce as well.

As God physically heals somebody, it’s going to catch the attention of somebody who needs healing as well.

As God emotionally heals somebody, it’s going to catch the attention of others who are hurting as well.

I’m just telling you, when you and I are led by the Spirit, when we will set our eyes on people who are in need, and when we are willing to step out in faith and allow the Lord to work in and through us, it’s going to catch peoples attention. And it’s going to open the door for you to share Jesus to a greater degree.

You see, at the end of the day, the reason we are here, the reason God has raised this church up, is so that we can be an extension of Jesus to people who desperately need Him. People who are sitting outside of our church doors. People who are crippled by this world. People who are crippled by the affects of sin. People who are begging for help. People who if we will extend the hand of Jesus to, could walk as they never have before.

Would you bow your heads with me.

As the worship team comes, and as we close this morning, I want to leave you with a couple of questions and a few challenges.

My first question for you is, “Are you really all in?” In other words, Are you really committed to giving yourself to what is important to God? Do you want to be an extension of him to this world? Are you heavenly focused or earthly focused?

My prayer is that you are. And if you are, then I would challenge you to seize the opportunities. To ask the Lord to open your spiritual eyes to those in need around you. To ask God to show you who the crippled people are. To set your gaze on those who need hope, who need healing, who need to know there is a savior that loves them, died for them, and wants to have a relationship with them.

You can be that extension. If you’re willing to step out in faith, God will equip you with everything you need to lead them to Him.

But if you’re not “All in”, my next question for you is, why not? What’s distracting you? What has your attention? What is keeping you from being heavenly focused? What haven’t you given up? Is it your smartphone? Is it social media? Is it an earthly desire? Is it your own success? Is it your own happiness? What aren’t you willing to give up? What is keeping you from walking looking up? What’s distracting you?

I would challenge you to discover what your distraction is, and to ask the Lord to take it from you. To ask Him to give you a heavenly mindset. To ask Him to help you live your life out of your relationship with Him.

Because if you’ll do that, then you’ll find your true purpose, and begin to exprience the life that God

If that’s you, can I challenge you to consider that maybe the first person that needs to be healed is you. That maybe it’s time you allow the Lord to do a work in you. That today, you stop living for yourself, and start living for Him.

The reason I ask you these questions is because this is where our church is headed. And you can either choose to be a part of that plan or not. The choice is yours. You’re either All in with us or you’re not. To be honest, that’s what a church is. It’s a group of people who are all in. Christians who are committed to reaching people for Jesus. That’s God’s plan for our church.

I don’t know about you, but I want to be a part of His plan and I want to be all in. I want to be his extension to this community. I want to be the one who walks into casey’s or walmart, or wherever the Lord leads me, and say to that person in need, “Get up, rise up. In the name of Jesus Christ experience the life he has for you. You don’t have to live crippled any longer. You don’t have to live in hopelessness any longer. Jesus wants to give you new life. Jesus wants to transform you. Jesus wants to heal you. Take my hand, come with me. Let me show you what God wants to offer you.

That’s my desire, and I pray it’s your desire as well.

So, if it is, here’s my challenge for you this week.

Challenge #1 - When you wake up tomorrow, don’t wake up distracted. Instead of looking at your phone, instead of turning on the tv, instead focusing on what you want to do, begin your day by asking the Lord to lead you. Begin your day spiritually minded.

Challenge #2 - When you go to work, when you go to Casey’s, when you go to Walmart, when you go about your day, ask the Lord to show you who the crippled people are. Ask the Lord to open your eyes and set your eyes on people who are in need of Jesus. I can tell you, they are all around us. They are sitting outside of our church doors. And they are begging for help. And the truth is, you have a solution nobody else can offer them. Something money can’t buy. Something only Jesus can give.

Challenge #3 - “When God shows you those people, act. Trust that God is with you and tell them about Jesus. Give them a word of hope. Invite them to church. Tell them that God loves them. Extend your hand to them and say, “Let me show you a better way.”

If you’ll rise to those challenges, I can promise you that miracles will take place. That like Peter, you’ll be a part of something beyond you. Something you could never do. Something only God could and will do through you.