Acts 3:1-10

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Acts 3 – Don’t worry about what you don’t have. Use what youdo!

Want Biblical experience of Church life and the Spirit

Acts 3:1-10

Story

Man crippled from birth, begging outside the “GateBeautiful” tall ornate gold gate

Relying on religious conscience of religious people andthe Christians who went past for prayer

Peter & John going to pray

Confidently and boldly heal him in a very public place.

“Silver and gold I don’t have, but what I do I give to you. Get up andwalk”

What they didn’t have

Money

Not necessarily poor.

Common purse – pool the money and give it to the leasttrustworthy person!

No cash on them

Their confidence wasn’t in money. Often our is!

Education

V13 Unschooled and ordinary men

Rely on education and letters after the name

Peter and John subsistence fisherman fromGalilee – the place where Israelites who have told Irish jokes about.

Ordinary men – rely on the pastor or the big names to do thestuff.

Most of us write ourselves of with “Wish I…”

Was brighter, had more money, not had such awful roots, notmade so many mistakes, been abused so much, wasn’t depressed, trodden on, moregifted, more useful, didn’t get so nervous.

Don’t think like that! Those things do not qualify you!

What did they have?

Confidence!

Video clip/Bill Johnson story

Confidence in the power of Jesus name

There is power in the name of Jesus!

In John 14 Jesus tells his followers “Whateveryou ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in theSon.

There is no other name by which we can be saved. Act 4:12

In Phil 4 we learn why Jesus name is so powerful “And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becomingobedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highlyexalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every other name, sothat at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow in heaven and on earth and underthe earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory ofGod the Father”.

When we pray, we pray confidently in the name of Jesus.

When we cast out demons, we cast them out in the name ofJesus.

When we heal the sick, we heal them in the name of Jesus.

Because we know Jesus and are getting close, we learn toknow his voice and when to do those things. The Seven Sons of Sceva got a goodkicking by some demons, because they used the name of Jesus without knowingJesus.

Grow in the confidence of the name of Jesus – by pursuingHim and His presence!

Confidence in the anointing of the Spirit of God

Jesus came as 100% God and 100% man, but he operated in thepower of the Holy Spirit on the earth

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord has anointed me…”

Power to do miracles

Luke 5 On one of those days, as he wasteaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had comefrom every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power ofthe Lord was with him to heal.

Acts1:8 Jesus promised the same power to the disciples and us. We are called tobring the kingdom of God and we do that when we lead people to Christ, when weheal, when we cast out demons and one day I would love to raise someone fromthe dead!

Adoption as Sons – not justtheoretically, actually are a son

Romans 8 “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery tofall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, bywhom we cry “Abba! Father”. The Spirit himself bears witness with our spiritthat we are children of God, and if children then heirs – heirs of God andfellow heirs with Christ…”

Boldness – not a spirit offear, but of power, love and self discipline.

2 Tim 1:7 “For God gave us not aspirit of fear but of power, love and self-control

At the end of Acts 4 the church experienced that in a prayermeeting when God shook the room and filled them with boldness!

What is in you comes out

Overflow of the heart Matt 12:34

Tongue and interpretation – lot of anger and un-impressed

“In the name of Jesus get up and walk” – Power

“Took him by the hand” – Love and compassion

What is in your heart?

Where’s your confidence?

End of chapter 4 consequences of the healing: the church grows by 2000, threats by the authorities.

So they pray and are filled with the Spirit again forboldness

Ministry – power, adoption, boldness.

name

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - ANDY MOYLE

Andy Moyle is a church leader and web developer. His biggest project is the Church Admin WordPress plugin and app. He also runs, mainly so he can eat pizza.