Acts: Opportunities

[podcast]http://www.revkwon.com/podcast/acts-opportunities.mp3[/podcast] We’re continuing our journey into the Book of Acts. How many of you have started reading the Book of Acts on your own? How many of you, in reading the book of acts have begun to think about the song that we just sang? It’s beautiful, isn’t it? “All I want, all I need, more of you, less of me, take this life, Lord it’s Yours.” That’s exactly what the mindset the Apostles had when they started to live their lives so boldly because they received the Holy Spirit. I said this last week, but I’ll say it again—you will receive power and His name is the Holy Spirit. We were all created to live a life greater than the ones we’re living now. We were created for something greater than we are now. In fact, we were created for something that goes to the end of this world. This morning we are going to talk about what we should do with all this power that we received in the name of Jesus. You see, power doesn’t mean anything if you can’t use it. I started playing soccer once or twice a week lately and see, when the teams are picked, I’m usually picked last, not because they saved the best for last, but because the worst is saved for last in sports and because everybody knows I’ve never played soccer growing up. It just wasn’t something you did as a kid in the 90s in NY. But everywhere else in the world, they played soccer. That’s not the point. The point is this, after the first game, everybody realized that I may not be that good as a soccer player—because for some reason, people who grew up internationally don’t have to dribble the ball, the ball just kind of follows them—but they realized that when I do get the ball, I’m like a monster—that ball starts to fly, zip and spin in a way the ball shouldn’t ever go. So now, I’m still picked last, but they have me stand in the middle of the field and wait for the ball. The reason they have me wait in the middle of the field is because when I get the opportunity, I use my power and smack that ball through the goal. I’m telling you that story for one reason and one reason only, and no, it’s not show off my vast soccer lack of skills. Rather, it’s to show you that when you have power, you will receive opportunities to use that power. When we recap to last week, Jesus says to the disciples, that includes you and me, by saying, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses…” (Acts 1:8a).  The problem is not that we don’t have power, but that we don’t do anything with it. Let’s look at Acts 3 and see what the disciples started to do with their power. ¹One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. ² Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. ³ When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money.⁴ Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” ⁵ So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. (Acts 3:1-5) Opportunities present themselves in the form of needs. Do you see what happened here in verse 3 and 4? Peter and John were going about their normal business when there was an opportunity that showed up. That opportunity came in the form of somebody who needed them. We have that same opportunity. Did you know because you have power that other people don’t, they need you. If we slowed down enough to recognize that your power from God is there to help somebody who needs it, the opportunity for you to use that power would be incredible. Check it out—I want to clarify here that your “power” or skill, talent, or whatever you want to call it—that thing that comes from deep within you that only you can do because it’s from God, everybody doesn’t have that. God gave that to you. God gives you people around you who are needy so that you can have opportunities to use that power God gave you. That is how you can be a witness for God. Peter and John were just going to church. The beggar happened to be in their way and they used that opportunity to be a witness of God. But I want to show you something, because when you stop the story there, it’s too easy. Now comes the difficult part that only God can do. Let’s go to verse 6. ⁶ Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” ⁷ Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. ⁸ He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. ⁹ When all the people saw him walking and praising God, ¹⁰ they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. (Acts 3:6-10) Peter and John’s power were nothing without their faith. They had to trust in Jesus Christ for their power! Write this down: Opportunities are seized only by faith. If you don’t believe God has called you to meet a need you see in front of you, then I’m going to tell you right now that you’re missing the whole point. The reason you have that opportunity is so that you can, by faith, take it and do something with God in the moment. Do you see how Peter and John responds? “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you.” That thing they had was faith—it was the power of God. The power of God is in you if you believe God is in you to give it to you. You better believe it. It was in faith that Peter and John used the power that was within them. They knew they had nothing else to rely on. It was God and only God. And they shared that power with somebody who begged for a living. There are people in this room right now that need to give some of that power they are holding and harboring for somebody who is begging for some. They are clamoring for the power of God. They don’t even know they’re begging for it, but they need it. You need to seize your faith and take advantage of that opportunity. Let’s see what happens when the entire church does what Peter and John do. Let’s go to Acts 4. ³² All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. ³³ With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all ³⁴ that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales ³⁵ and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. (Acts 4:32-35) Write this down because it is a fact: When God works through you, need ends. When all of us in the church becomes a vessel of God’s power here on earth, then there will not a single person in need of anything. Everybody would have more than enough. Underline verse 33 for me right now. “And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them.” Let me explain that to you because I think some of you don’t know what that means. It means, if every single person when they saw another who needed help and helped them, then when you need help, somebody would come and help you. This chain reaction would go on from here into forever. How amazing would it be to have people come help you when you need it? Unfortunately, it doesn’t start somewhere else. It starts right here with you. It starts with you allowing God, through your faith, to use the power God gave you to meet needs. Needs end right here. Somebody say, “Amen.” When you say Amen, it means you agree and you’ll go and do it. Let’s go to Acts 5:12-16. Because now I want to show you what happens when the church starts using their power in situations that opportune themselves. ¹² The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. ¹³ No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. ¹⁴ Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. ¹⁵ As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. ¹⁶ Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed. (Acts 5:12-16) The world changes when you execute your faith. Do you see what Luke wrote here in verse 14? Somebody read that out load. It says, “more and more men and women believed.” It’s not just “more”, it’s an abundance of “more.” This is why Jesus said we would receive power. He said he was going to give us power when the Holy Spirit came down upon us so that we would be able to be witnesses from Jerusalem, Judea and to the ends of the earth. Peter and John were just starting here in Jerusalem. We’re going to see in the next few chapters how the 12 seemingly ordinary guys make it to the ends of the earth as witnesses. You will see how their opportunities start to multiply as not just “more”; but more and more. I love that the Bible says that people brought the sick into the street hoping that the shadow of power may fall on them. And when the shadow of power—I call this influence—came I want to tell you right now because this is what Luke wrote because he witnessed it—peoples lives were changed. Today, this summer, I want you to make the decision to take your power in God into your schools. If you’re not in school, I want you to make the decision to take your power in God and take it to your jobs, to your friends, to your family. I want you to take the opportunity of neediness—that is people who need something from you because they can’t do it on their own—and execute God’s power as His vessel. I want to share our memory verse for this week. It comes from the Book of James. But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. (James 1:22) The reason we’re studying the book of Acts is so that we can take where the disciples took the gospel and take it further. They thought they reached the ends of the world when they got to Rome and to India and to Africa. Then they discovered America. Did you know that even now there are over 7,000 different people groups who have never been touched by the outside world? They have never heard Jesus, they have never seen a TV. They don’t know what Coke tastes like. They have serious needs. More than that, there are people in this world who have so much need because they don’t have the opportunity, not because they are unreached, but because they are oppressed. When James says don’t just listen to God’s word, he means that we shouldn’t just be sitting at church. He is saying that we must bring the church outside to them and do church and live it every single day. Sing praise to Jesus. Pray to Jesus. Love like Jesus. Can we do that? Let’s get into our small groups after serve and start talking about the opportunities we have right now to use our power and how that can reach the ends of the Earth. Let’s pray.