Sermon Tone Analysis

As the years went by, his two daughters committed their lives to Christ and married men who went into full-time ministry.

The two couples produced four girls and one boy.

Each of the girls married a minister, and the boy became a pastor.

The first two children born to this generation were both boys.

Upon graduation from high school, the two cousins chose the same college and became roommates.

Series: Lead

During their sophomore year, one boy decided to go into the ministry.

The other didn't.

He undoubtedly felt some pressure to continue the family legacy, but he chose instead to pursue his interest in psychology.

He earned his doctorate and eventually wrote books for parents that became bestsellers.

He started a radio program heard on more than a thousand stations each day.

The man's name was James Dobson.

Through his prayers, George McCluskey affected far more than one family.

Title: Leading from Your Knees

ATTN

ATTN

Pic - Steak

Pic - Ice cream

Pic - Krispy Kreme

Slide - “Anybody hungry???”

(Show pics of delicious foods: Steak, Ice Cream, Krispy Kreme: End with the Caption: Anybody hungry?)

Wow!

Maybe we should just dismiss now, right?

I know some of you are saying, “Rusty, I didn’t have time for breakfast and you have just made sure I am going to be sitting here in torture till I can get to the doughnuts in class or the meal at Western Sizzling.

You are making me very hungry right now!”

BACKGROUND

Sorry for the torture, but I want to make a point.

Like you, when I see some of those pictures I get really hungry, but I’ll have to be honest.

There are also some passages of Scripture which, when I read them, make me hungry.

Now I’m not saying that they make me hungry for food.

They actually make me hungry in another way.

Can I read one of them to you?

(NKJV) — 12 And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people . . .

Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly.

And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,

(NKJV) — 12 And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people . . .

Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly.

And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,

That makes me hungry.

It makes me hungry to see God do something like that here—in this place.

We have been in this series entitled On the Move: Overcoming the Obstacles of Growth.

The first week we talked about the obstacle of initiative and said that until every disciple internalizes the power of God and takes the initiative, we will struggle to grow.

Last week we looked at the obstacle of apathy and showed how, by listening to the Spirit and capitalizing on our opportunities, we can begin to multiply.

Today we want to look at a huge obstacle that keeps us from growing.

It is an obstacle that affects each of us personally and it is an obstacle that affects us as a church.

I’m talking about the obstacle of FEAR.

See, I know that many of you, like me, are hungry to see God at work.

We long to see this church bring the people of the Wilson community to a place of such reverence for God that it causes them deep conviction and opens their hearts up to the gospel.

Pic - Book

But sadly, at least in this country, that is not where we are.

In his book, UnChristian, Dave Kinnamon revealed that the research shows that people living in this country see the church as judgmental, hypocritical, too political, irrelevant, insensitive and boring.

Hey, the people of Jerusalem in the first century may have hated the church, but they would have never seen it as irrelevant and boring.

First there was the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came and they people began to speak in other languages so that everyone could clearly hear the gospel, no matter what their native tongue was.

Then came Peter and John’s trip to the temple in Acts chapter 3.

They were accosted by a beggar who could not walk.

They were empty of money, but they were full of the Holy Spirit.

In the name of Jesus, his ankle bones came alive the Bible said, and that new believer started making laps around the temple praising God.

Because of his testimony and Peter’s message, the powers that were called them on the carpet and demanded that they stop talking about Jesus.

They said, “No!

Can’t do that!”

So the powers that were said, “O yeah?

Well if you don’t stop we will stop you!” Peter replies, “You do what you gotta do, but we can’t stop talking about what we have seen and heard.”

So they threatened them some more and let them go (I mean, what else could they do?)

But the secret to their great impact is found in what happens next.

Read it with me in (Read text).

(NKJV)

23 And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.

24 So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, 25 who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things?

26 The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the Lord and against His Christ.’

27 “For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.

29 Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30 by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

NEED

NEED

And how we need that kind of impact!

We need that impact personally.

If you are like me, I feel so inadequate and afraid when talking to others about Jesus.

I don’t want to think that I am ashamed of Jesus, but I have to admit that sometimes I am silent when I should speak up.

I sacrifice my impact on the altar of my fear.

Do you?

And what is true for us as individuals is true for us as a church.

We often are so timid and afraid.

Sometimes we’re so afraid of losing givers to other churches that we don’t make the moves in ministry we need to make.

Sometimes we are so afraid of offending someone that we are afraid to call out sin that needs to be called out.

Sometimes we are so afraid of losing a building or losing a family or losing our claim to be the “biggest church in Wilson,” that we are afraid to be bold in our ministry.

O, we need confidence!

We need impact!

And I believe that this prayer shows us what we need today.

I also think that it tells us why this early church had so much impact and we have so little.

In the first place:

D1

We have little impact because we have little boldness.

EXP

There is no doubt that this growing band of believers had powerful impact.

says that men and women by the “multitudes” were having their lives changed by the power of Christ.

The reason so many people were being saved is found in v13.

It says that everyone esteemed them highly and it was just a surface admiration, No! v11 says that “great fear” came on all those people who heard about all that God was doing.

The people of Jerusalem were not talking about the cool tunes the Praise Band was playing or the sermon series on overcoming depression that Peter was preaching.

No, I think the people were saying, “Hey you better not go to that church unless you’re ready to encounter God! God is there!”

That church had impact and they were bringing great glory to God.

And why were they able to have such impact.