Open to the Power

Introduction

We are in a series entitled, “Spiritual Power.” In this series we are studying the wonderful book of Acts.

It is a book about how ordinary people were filled with, what I call, Spiritual Power which enabled them to do extraordinary things in the name of Jesus.

This Spiritual Power came because of the Holy Spirit’s presence in their lives.

Micah 3:8 - But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord...

The same Holy Spirit that dwelt in the lives of these first century Christians that we are going to study, dwells in the life of the baptized believer in the 21st.

Knowing about it only gets you so far; we must be open to the power!

Here’s why that matters for you.

If your life is going to be different, you need to be open to the power.

If there will be transformation in world it isn’t coming from elected officials, it is coming from people who are open to the power of the Holy Spirit.

If the church is going to make the impact in this society, we have to be open to the power.

If 2021 will be different, then you have to be open to the power. Achieve our vision, we must be open to the power.

This is installment #2 of our series - Spiritual Power. We are calling this one: Open to the Power.

Let me teach this church how to be open to the power. And then we are going to open ourselves up.

Background

Before we jump into the text for today, let me begin with where I ended last week.

Last week, I ended the lesson by speaking about how the disciples of Jesus were filled with the Holy Spirit’s power in Acts 2:1-7

What we are reading is the Holy Spirit’s power coming upon the apostles of Jesus.

The power came to the unlearned and untrained and allowed them to speak in languages never studied to people from every nation under heaven.

If we were to read throughout the chapter, we would see that they spoke with boldness about Jesus being the Messiah and how though crucified, rose from the dead.

The power of the Spirit allowed for penetration of the hearts of those unbelieving Jews who called for Jesus’ crucifixion. All to the point where in 2:37-41

Acts 2 is a testament to what Spiritual Power can do.

Spiritual power allowed untrained and unlearned folks speak in languages never before studied.

Spiritual power allowed fearful folks to boldly preach that Jesus was the Messiah; that He was crucified and rose again, and that salvation is found in His name.

Spiritual power allowed the Word to penetrate unbeliever hearts.

Spiritual power allowed the unbeliever to be transformed into a believer.

Spiritual power allowed the transformed believer to be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins in the very name of the one that they crucified, and added to a community of believers.

Only the power of the Holy Spirit could do that.

Spiritual power moves people to do what they ordinarily wouldn’t.

Before the coming of the power, people had to be open to the power.

Before there was an Acts 2, there was an Acts 1. Acts 1 is where we are going to be today. Acts 1 has to be restored today.

If you grew up in the church of Christ, Acts 2 was the big one. Central to the theology of the churches of Christ.

Acts 2:38 is meaty…but the bread on the meat of that sandwich is the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2 is the end result. Acts 1 is the beginning. Acts 2 is the Super Bowl. Acts 1 is practice.

We have to restore Acts 1, if there is going to be an Acts 2. Our vision is Acts 2, but it is based on an Acts 1 practices.

Acts 2 is about the power coming. Acts 1 is about being open to the power.

Let’s open ourselves to the power. If you are ready, type - “I’m ready.”

Being Open to the Power is about: Positioning, People, and Prayer

Positioning

Spiritual Power comes through expectant positioning.

I spoke to you about positioning last week, but I am adding a word to it - expectant positioning.

Position yourselves with the expectation that something is going to happen.

Specifically, position yourself under the commands of Jesus with the expectation that something is going to happen.

Have you ever tried picking up something heavy? You know in order to pick it up, you have to position yourself just right. Have to get your legs underneath you.

UPS. Expect to pick it up.

Jesus and the apostles knew this principle.

v.12

Jesus’ apostles returned to Jerusalem, because they had been told by Jesus to do so. That was the geographic position that they needed to be in.

Acts 1:4-5

Luke 24:49 - And behold, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.

To obey that command, however, meant that they also needed to be in the right spiritual position.

Your spiritual position is revealed by your answer to this question: Are you going to do what He told you to do?

Jerusalem matters, but what matters above Jerusalem is the location of their heart. Are they going to do what He told them to do?

What is your spiritual position today? Are you willing to do what He asks of you? Are you underneath His commands? If so, you are right where He wants you to be.

You don’t have the power because you are not where you need to be underneath His commands. God has been nudging you, but you’ve been resisting. He’s been working through some folks to try to get to you, but you’ve been resisting.

He has some power for you, but you can’t have it unless you take the right position underneath His commands.

And yes, you are going to stumble, fail, and fall. That’s what life is in the church.

We have to stop painting the picture that church folks have it all together. We don’t.

But we rely on Spiritual Power to win more than we lose. Spiritual power doesn’t make you perfect, just helps to make you less imperfect day by day.

Spiritual Power comes through you yielding to the commands of the Word and living in a state of expectation of what the Holy Spirit can do.

The apostles of Jesus, obeyed with expectation. They expected something to happen, though they didn’t quite know what.

There are some listening to me talk about the Holy Spirit and this power and I know it sounds so ethereal; so non tangible…and we live in a tangible world that if you can’t handle it, it doesn’t make sense.

This is the exact position that these apostles are in as well. They don’t really get this stuff, but they take Jesus at His word. They are just believing in Jesus. They’ve seen enough and believe enough to just put themselves in expectant position. They expect the Holy Spirit to show up.

They are in a position to be open to the power.

Just take a step. A different step.

The People

Then Luke tells you who is in this room.

v.13b; v.14b; v.15a

Comprehensively this is a ragtag group. A bunch of pieces to a puzzle that should not fit together. A collection of misfits, who will be on a mission. They don’t fit with one’s expectation of a follower of Jesus.

The first four: Peter, John, James, and Andrew. Four fishermen.

Peter: impulsive; competitive; looks out for himself, denied even knowing Jesus three times, cut a man’s ear off.

John and James, along with their momma petitioned Jesus to let them be the ones sitting at the right and left hand of Jesus.

Look at the next three: Philip, Thomas, and Bartholomew.

Philip was an early believer. But, Bartholomew or Nathanael when it was told to come meet Jesus of Nazareth, said, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Then, because Jesus said He saw him under a fig tree, he readily believed.

Then there was Thomas, who didn’t put together all that Jesus had told Him about rising from the dead, with his fellow disciples testimony, but need more proof. Unless I can see His hands, place my finger into the mark of the nails and place my hand into His side, I will never believe.

Last four: Matthew, James, Simon the Zealot , Judas the son of James.

Matthew was a tax collector. A sinner. Had sinner friends. Worked for the Roman government.

Simon - was a zealot. Of the party that wanted to over throw the government. These two shouldn’t be on the same team.

The women, Mary, the brothers.

Men and women together in this type of setting, wasn’t even practical.

According to Mark 6:3 - Jesus had four brothers: James, Judas, Joseph, and Simon

The brothers- John 7:5 - there was a time they didn’t believe.

The Spirit can empower anyone who is willing to be filled. The power is for the people.

From the youth, to the college student, young adult, single, married, senior. The power is for the people.

The Prayer

The central thing these people were doing was praying.

With one accord - with amazing unity -they were devoted to prayer.

To be devoted means that they “stuck to” praying. This is the primary thing they did before power came.

Before there can be power, there must be prayer.

What is before them is too great a challenge to be entered into without the power of the Spirit. Acts 1:8

Your openness for Spiritual power is demonstrated through your dependance on prayer.

How often are you asking the Lord to fill you with the Spirit? Then expect it to happen?

All groups need to be praying this. The whole church needs to be praying this.

Time for prayer.

Conclusion

Open to the Spirit in your life?

Show wind turbines or wind farms at the end.

The wind creates power.

It think it is apropos that the word for Spirit in the NT - pneuma - also means wind.

When the Spirit fills a space, things get moving, and power is produced.

The Holy Spirit creates power.

Pray every day for the year, “Fill me with your Spirit.” Let’s see what happens.

At the end of the year, we will look at back at somethings that we will say only happened because we prayed that prayer.

The challenge:

1. Focus on the Word and obedience to the Word. Download the app.

2. Pray that the Lord fill you with the Spirit and expect that He will do so.

It all begins by you being open. Open to Jesus…open to His Word…open to the will of King Jesus…open to the power of the Holy Spirit.

If you are open and want to go further in study about Jesus. Baptism. Prayer for more openness.