What a Difference! (Acts 4:13)
(Acts 4:13)
Check this out:
“When the council saw the boldness of Peter and John,
and could see that they were obviously uneducated,
non-professionals, they were amazed and realized what
being with Jesus had done for them.” (The Living Bible)
Last week we chatted about Peter and John healing the lame man who was sitting on the steps of the Temple.
After being healed, he jumped up!
He ran around the Temple courtyards.
He began shouting and praising God.
Can you imagine?
Muscles, tissues, ligaments, sinews that had never worked before—
now suddenly in motion.
Ooops!
All this commotion drifted to the Sanhedrin Council.
When THEY heard about it, they were furious!
OK. Who’s the Sanhedrin Council?
Sort of a “religious supreme court” in biblical days.
They were furious, because they’d told Peter and John—
and the rest of the disciples—not to talk about Jesus anymore.
“He’s dead.
It’s over.
This Christianity thing is never going to get off the ground.
We demand your silence!”
They were used to intimidating the disciples.
They knew the disciples were a
timid
weak
frightened
group of men.
Where were they when their LORD was crucified?
They fled.
They were scared.
They ran for their lives.
(Except for John—who stayed with Jesus’ mother during the crucifixion.)
So the Sanhedrin Council is thinking,
Bring them in again, and we’ll lower the boom.
How should it go down this time?
Should we shackle them first?
Maybe we’ll starve them a few days before confronting them.
Should we bring out the cat-of-nine-tails?
How should we deal with them this time?
But this time . . .
when Peter and John stood before the Council,
they didn’t nervously shift their weight from foot to foot.
Their eyes locked intently into the eyes of the Council.
And when they spoke, it was with such determination,
such confidence.
This time, their words were articulate.
Dynamic.
Filled with power.
They stood with boldness.
There was such a DIFFERENCE in Peter and John
that the Council began arguing between themselves:
“Hey, these aren’t the same two guys we’ve hauled in before.”
“Of course they are! Look at their teeth—they’re still crooked.”
“No, I’m telling you, these are different guys!”
“Nah, they’re the same two. Notice the dirt underneath their fingernails?”
“They’re not the same!”
“Of course they are. They’re uneducated. They’re non-professionals.”
They WERE the same two men . . . but they WEREN’T the same.
That’s because the Holy Spirit had transformed them!
The Holy Spirit had taken a rag-tag gang of fearful disciples
and had transformed them into a godly band of flaming evangelists!
That’s the difference the Holy Spirit makes in our lives.
God is not into recovery; He’s into complete restoration.
He wants to sanctify us wholly to live holy lives.
Yes, Peter and John had been with Jesus.
And the difference in their lives was so astonishing that even the Sanhedrin Council noticed.
But it wasn’t simply being with Jesus that made the difference.
It was the Holy Spirit’s power being released in every area of their lives.
It was the fact that Peter and John had completely yielded to the authority of Christ. They had “died to themselves” and were genuinely living in the power of the Holy Spirit.
That same mighty power—
the power that healed a lame man
and caused the blind to see . . .
The same mighty power that set the stars in the sky
and placed the entire universe in order—
The same mighty power that raised a dead man to life . . .
is YOURS to live in every single day of your life!
Yes.
You may be a Christian.
But are you living in this kind of power?
He Wants YOU to Participate! (Acts 3:1-10)
It’s a fascinating account.
Peter and John are on their way to the temple to praise God and to worship.
They see a lame man sitting near the temple steps begging for money.
That’s the only way handicapped people could earn a living in Bible days; they held out a tin cup.
When he saw both Peter and John approaching, he got excited thinking, Great! There are two men. I’ll get double the amount.
But Peter gave the classic response (that you’ve probably had memorized since Vacation Bible School days): “Silver and gold have I none, but what I have, give I thee.”
In other words, “We don’t have any money. But we have something much greater! We know the Creator of the universe. We’re on a first-name basis with Him. His name is Jesus Christ. He was crucified, but He conquered death and is alive right now. He has the power to forgive sins and grant you eternity in heaven with Him. Would you like to receive salvation?”
YES! The man excitedly accepted the apostle’s invitation to pray. And then—to the man’s surprise—Peter and John . . . in the authority of God Himself . . . healed the man.
Scripture tells us that he went leaping and screaming praises to God! He ran all around the temple courtyard.
We would, too!
Imagine: Muscles, limbs, ligaments, which had never worked before—now in fluid motion!
He could walk.
He was completely healed.
I love it.
But here’s what amazes me:
Jesus passed that man several times.
How often did Jesus go to the temple?
A lot!
The man had been there for years.
Year after year, his loved ones had carried him to the temple steps.
This was his spot.
Jesus walked right by him.
Why?
Jesus healed so many during His time on earth.
Why not this man?
Could it be . . . that Jesus simply wanted Peter and John’s participation?
Could it be that Jesus was saving this miracle for these two disciples?
Perhaps to strengthen their faith?
Maybe to remind them—after He had ascended into heaven—that His authority and power really DOES inhabit His disciples?
Jesus knows all.
He knew the exact time, moment, date . . . that Peter and John would approach this man.
He granted them the authority and power
exactly when they needed it.
I’m learning more and more that Jesus wants US to participate in what HE does!
He wants to USE us.
Sure, He could simply do each miracle with the blink of His eye,
But could it be . . . that He’s saving some things for us?
We are His disciples.
We have His authority.
We live within His power.
Are we using it?
Are you participating in all that God wants to do through you?
iSLEEP
I mentioned last week that I love the book of Daniel,
and by reading a commentary about him, I discovered
some exciting things.
Last week I shared that I found out Daniel was only 14
when he was captured.
And his three best friends—Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego—
were even younger than he was!
I’m impressed with their strong relationship with God,
and I’m impressed with their backbones of steel.
I sure hope we’re bringing up some Daniels today.
I challenged you last week to grab a student and help him/her become a Daniel by participating on our Susie Shellenberger Ministries missions trip to Haiti June 27 to July 10, 2016.
BUT I gave the wrong address to our Website!
Here’s the correct address if you’d like to get the info:
I mistakenly put a period after org and you told me you couldn’t connect.
Try it again with this correct address.
OK. Let’s get back to Daniel.
Here’s another amazing thing I’ve discovered.
Most Bible scholars believe Daniel was 87 years old when he was
thrown into the den of lions.
87!!!!
And most Bible scholars also believe that he just slept the entire night.
I know what some of you are thinking.
Some of you are saying, “Susie! When you’re 87, that’s all you do—sleep!”
Maybe.
But I think he slept not simply because he was getting up in years.
I believe he was able to sleep because of his strong relationship with God.
In other words, Daniel’s relationship with Jehovah God was so intimate . . . so secure . . . so strong . . . that he could simply sleep
IN THE MIDST of persecution.
Wow.
That’s what I want.
When I feel as though my world is falling apart, or people make fun of my convictions, I want to be able to simply relax and think,
God has my back.
So I don’t need to worry.
I can just sleep right through this.
Maybe sleeping can become my spiritual gift.
Ha!
iSLEEP
Wouldn’t it be great to actually be so calm during trials or persecution that we could actually just sleep right through it because we know God is in complete charge?
Let’s “dare to be a Daniel” (as the old hymn says).
And let’s reach out to some students and help them become intimate with God. We need more Daniels today.
Will you join me in becoming a Daniel?