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Acts 27:25  Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

John 14:1  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

 As a result of current events and those that will surely happen in the future, what should we do as Believers?  How can we cope with such uncertainty with confidence and peace of mind?  What must we do to adjust to the changing world scene?  Is there a remedy for such stress and insecurity?  I believe there is.  I know there is.  Let’s take a look at what the Word says and what the Founders of our Christian Faith did in situations similar to those we are facing today.

This is a time in the history of the human race that Believers must Believe God.  Jesus emphasized the need to be ready in the parables He taught.  In His Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24 and 25) when He preached on the Mount of Olives He told us to watch, to be ready, to be prepared, to be faithful.     In light of current events and what seems to be approaching on the world scene, the need to Believe God is absolutely necessary for survival. 

We need to learn How to Believe God before the time of crisis.  It can be antsy to wait until the Storm has hit before we know how to Believe God.  It’s too late to pray when the crisis comes.  And if you do not know how to believe God, it’s too late to learn when you are in the middle of a situation.  The prudent thing to do is to learn how to believe God and be ready when the crisis comes. 

Paul openly declared that he believed God while he was standing on the deck of a sinking ship.  But…. Paul had ample opportunity to Learn how to Believe God before his shipwreck experience in Acts 27.  He stood on the Word for his deliverance many times.

2 Cor 11:

24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.

25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;

26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;

27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches

The time to exercise faith is before the crisis comes.  The time to learn how to believe is before the storm hits.   We can build up ourselves in Holy Faith so that when the unexpected happens we will have a reserve of faith laid up to draw from.  Like money in the bank.  When the bill comes due, there is something in the bank to pay the bill with. 

Jude 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

In Paul’s experience he had testified that he was READY.  Ready for whatever might come and for whatever might happen.  He was Ready. 

Acts 21:13 Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

2 Timothy 4:6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.

What Believing God is not:  (All these are good, but they do not qualify as believing God)

Praying…. You can be a prayer warrior and still not believe God.  How you pray and what you say reveals if you are believing God or not.

Speaking in Tongues… all the wonderful gifts of the Holy Ghost are exciting and beneficial, but you can exercise any or all of them and still not Believe God.

Attending Church…  It’s great to attend church… to not “forsake the assembling of ourselves together”   but you can still have a crowd of people attending church who don’t know how to believe God.

Singing… Great singing and great music can be performed by talented individuals who do not believe God.  Participating in the joy of praise and the exuberance of dancing before the Lord is not necessarily believing God.

Worshiping…  can be engaged in without believing God.

Preaching…. Can be exercised by those who are not believing God and heard and accepted by others who are not believing God

Testifying… May be offered by some who have received great miracles, but who still are not believing God.

Witnessing…  Telling others of your experiences with God and your blessings from God is not necessarily believing God.

Intercession…  May be long and loud without really believing God

Reading the Bible… is good, but you can read the Bible and not believe God

What Believing God is:

Believing God is a conscious and determined act of the human will to:

1.  Trust wholly and unreservedly in God.

            2.  Rely on God.

            3.  Place confidence in God.

            4.  Absolutely and totally depend on God.

            5.  Fully surrender and yield to God.

• Unquestionably expect what God says to come to pass… to really happen.

I’m sure we all understand the importance of believing God.   We need to be able to believe God.  The question is… How Do we Believe God?   How can we learn to Believe God?   This is the heart of our message today.

FIRST…   I really cannot fully believe in something or Someone I know little about.  The first step in learning how to believe God is to learn as much as we can about Him.  Not just to Know about Him, but to Know Him.  Knowing Him is more than being acquainted with Him.  Knowing Him is more than knowing about Him.  Let’s take a little True or False test:

Question number one: Is God Good?   T or F.  If He is good, How do we know He is Good?  What makes Him Good?  Why can we rely on, trust in and depend on His goodness?  Has He proven His goodness to us?   How?   Can we trust Him to be good in every situation and at all times… no matter what?   Even if we are unfaithful?  Even if we sin?  Even if we are in doubt and fear and unbelief?   Is God good when I am bad?  Does He ever change from His goodness?   Will He be good tomorrow?  Is He good even when things are bad?   Do you really Believe that God Good all the time?  The Nature and Character of God defines His goodness.  Our understanding of God and His Nature is revealed in several ways:

            God’s Nature is revealed in Creation

God’s Nature is revealed in History… His intervention in the affairs of men

            God’s Nature is revealed in His Word

            God’s Nature is revealed in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ

These are the primary ways we have to know the Character and Nature of God.  

Question number two:  Does God Honor and Keep His Word?  T or F.    Does He do what He says He will do?  Even when situations seem to contradict His Word, do I still believe… anyway?   How can we know He keeps His Word?  What proof do we have that God actually does what He says He will do? 

1. Fulfilled Prophecies… History.  The rising and falling of Nations
2. The resulting promises that are fulfilled as we Obey His Word
3. Supernatural impartation when we receive Revelation

Testimonies of the faithful….

SECOND…   I cannot fully Believe unless I come into an understanding of what God has Done for me.  Are you saved?  Are you Born Again?  Are you Redeemed?  Then just what does this mean?   It means everything if you understand the TENSE of your REDEMPTION.

Galatians 3:13  Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:  

The redemptive work planned and executed by God through His Son Jesus Christ has been done.  It is accomplished.  It is finished.  Nothing more is (or can be) done.  It is a Perfect and Complete supernatural act.  It has been finished and it still is finished.   Everything that ever needs to be done to make us free and keep us free has already been done.  We have been delivered from the curse.  The curse has been canceled in our behalf.  What is the curse?  Sickness.  Therefore, We are the well resisting sickness.  

Poverty. We are the rich resisting poverty. 

Bondage.  We are the delivered resisting bondage.  

Terror.  We are the Protected resisting terror.  

Fear.  We are the Secure resisting fear and worry.

Death.  We are the Living resisting death in all its forms.

THIRD…  If I am to Believe God, I need to know what His Will is.  What is the Will of God?   What is His Plan?  What has He purposed for me?  Jesus prayed for the will of God to be done on earth as it (the will of God) is being done in heaven.  The will of God is the same thing that a last will and testament is here on earth.  The Will is what God has provided for His Children.  It is what He has left for His heirs.  The Will of God is the Word of God… the composite of Truth that provides revelation and knowledge to those who belong to Him.  The level of  “all things possible” living must come from a revelation of His Will… which is His Word.  What it is.  What is says.  What it promises.  How it works.  Why it works.  To have an understanding of the Will of God opens the door for one to Believe God… because you will know what you can Believe God for….

FOURTH…  What part of me is capable of really believing God?    The Bible speaks of “believing with the heart…” Paul writes in Romans 10:9… 

“If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved…” What is believing “with the heart”?     Understanding the fact that man is a Spirit, who has a Soul and who lives in a Body in essential in comprehending the things of God and being able to believe God. 

“But the natural (psuchikos) man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually (pneumatikos) discerned…” 1 Cor 2:14

• The body feels  (the natural man…. The 5 senses)
• The mind thinks (reasons… the natural, unrenewed mind)
• The Spirit believes  (The heart.  The inner man.  The Real You)

Now… which of the above is really capable of Believing God?  Not the body.  Not the unrenewed mind.   But…the recreated Human Spirit which is made in the Image of God and is partaker of the Divine Nature….

2Pet 1:

⁴Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers (a partner, an associate, a companion, a comrade, a sharer) of the divine nature,

So then, “BELIEVING” with the heart originates in the Will (mind) as a conscious and determined act, and explodes out of the Recreated Human Spirit as a Revelation.

Our main problem is a mind problem.  The mind tends to believe and act on what the senses tell it.  This is called “sense knowledge.”  When what we do is dictated by sense knowledge, we are living in and on the natural, carnal level.  The Word tells us that  “to be carnally minded is death, but to be Spiritually minded is Life and Peace…”  (Romans 8:6)  “Death” has many first cousins.  Worry is one.  Fear is another.  Then comes anxiety, dread, stress, unrest, sickness, poverty, bondage, terror, unstable marriages, messed up kids, fractured and broken relationships.  Death has many facets.  Sense knowledge invites death into our lives and hinders our Spirit from believing God.  This is why Paul tells us that it is important for us to “renew” our minds. 

Romans 12:

²And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

FIFTHLY….  How can Believing God change things in the Natural World?

Believing God is a Spiritual Thing.  It originates as a conscious act of the human will and literally explodes out of the Recreated Human Spirit as Revelation… but how does all this relate to my need?  To my storm?  To my sinking ship? 

Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

How do we get God’s Abundant Supply to my Constant Need? 

We need to understand the Natural World as it relates to and exists with (along side of) the Spiritual World.  Most people do not realize that there are literally two Worlds existing (in the present) side by side.  One is the Natural World (the world we can see and touch and taste and hear and feel).  The visible, natural, physical world.  This is the world we live in.  The world that our mind (soul) and our body relates to.  This world is easy to perceive because it relates to our reasoning… our senses… our sight.   It can be experienced and understood by the natural faculties of man.  However, the “natural” man cannot receive (understand) the things of the Spirit of God because they are “spiritually discerned…” they relate to the Other World…The Spiritual World. 

1 Corinthians 2:14  But the natural man  (psuchikos) receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

1 Corinthinans 2:15  But he that is spiritual (pneumatikos)  judgeth (investigates, examines, searches and discerns) all things, (as to whether they are Truth or Fact…)  

Believing God begins in the Spirit and manifests in the Natural.  It effects change in the Natural World because it is REALITY in the Spiritual. World.  What we make as a determined and conscious act of our human will starts things happening.  When It (our believing) explodes as a Revelation coming out of our Spirit, it produces change in the physical, natural world.  The Spirit of God and the Truth of His Word are always more Powerful in operation than the natural and physical facts that are happening all around us.

The Word talks about seeing the Invisible….

Hebrews 11:27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

The Word tells us that we walk by faith and not by sight.

2 Corinthians 5:7  (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

Walking by sight is living in and by the principles that operate in the natural world.  Walking by Faith is living in and by the principles that operate in the Spiritual World.  If there is a natural world that operates by Facts there is also a Spiritual World that operates by Truth. 

The Word says that we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen….

2 Corinthians 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Jesus told us that we would know the Truth and the Truth would make us Free.

John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

 How does one come to know the Truth?  Listen:

John 8:31 ¶ Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

John 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Truth, which is activated by Faith, is more powerful than Facts that are activated by reason.   Faith was present before Facts existed.  Faith gave birth to facts.  The Faith of God produced the Fact of Creation.  Faith always takes precedence over facts.  Truth has more power than Facts.  When the Word (Truth) is mixed with Faith it becomes Revelation.  It becomes Wisdom.  It becomes the primary force that functions in the Spiritual World.  Truth is Spiritual.  Facts are natural.  Truth is “unseen” Facts are “seen.”  Truth is understood by Faith, Facts are understood by Reason.  Truth is the functioning force in the unseen Spiritual World; Facts are the functioning force in the visible Natural World.  What we believe and how we believe determines which “World” we live in. 

When we Believe with the Heart… we choose to live by Faith.  We live by Revelation.  By the Rhema Word.  By understanding.  By KNOWING.  Then we are enabled to discern the difference between the Truth and the Facts.  When facts contradict Truth then we choose to believe the Truth.  And we continue to believe the Truth until the Truth becomes a fact.

Review:

Acts 27:25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

2Timothy 1:12 …for I know whom I have believed, (“faithed”) and am persuaded (fully confident and totally convinced) that he is able (has the power) to keep (from being snatched away) that which I have committed (deposited) unto him against that day.

What Believing God is not:  (All these are good, but they do not qualify as believing God)

Praying….  Speaking in Tongues…  Attending Church… Singing… Worshiping…   Preaching….    Testifying…    Witnessing…   Intercession…   Reading the Bible… 

What Believing God is:

Believing God is a conscious and determined act of the human will to:

1.  Trust wholly and unreservedly in God.

            2.  Rely on God.

            3.  Place confidence in God.

            4.  Absolutely and totally depend on God.

• Fully surrender and yield to God.
• To Unquestionably expect what God says to come to pass… to     KNOW that it will really happen.

FIRST…   I really cannot fully believe in something or Someone I know little about.  The first step in learning how to believe God is to learn as much as we can about Him.  Is He Good?  Does He keep His Word?

SECOND…   I cannot fully Believe unless I come into an understanding of what God has Done for me.  I must be convinced of the TENSE of my Redemption.

Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:    

THIRD…  If I am to Believe God, I need to know what His Will is. 

FOURTH…  What part of me is capable of really believing God?    The Bible speaks of “believing with the heart…”  (Spirit –  Soul – Body)

FIFTH….  How does Believing God relate to the Natural World?   Believing God is a Spiritual Thing.  It originates as a conscious act of the human will and literally explodes out of the Recreated Human Spirit as Revelation… but how does all this relate to my need?  To my storm?  To my sinking ship?  We need to understand the Natural World as it relates to and exists with (along side of) the Spiritual World. 

Word for Today:  January 31

Restoration

Restoration of the Image of God is an established fact that takes place at the time of Conversion.

To be “in Christ” is to be “out of” Adam.

The restored Image (Righteousness) is what God sees when He looks at us.  Our death-doomed nature has been changed.  We have been “re-gened” (regenerated) with the genetic signature of our Heavenly Father.  God does not look on the sin of our “old man”, in fact, He does not even see them.  They have been removed as far as the east is from the west.  God does not remember them anymore.  (Psa 103).

The image of the Old Man is what satan wants us to see and what Religion shows us and keeps before us.  Any image that is less than the Image of God is to be “cast down”… “casting down imaginations…”   (2Co 10:5).

As we Act on the Image of God (our Righteous Nature) in us the Word becomes flesh.

We should See (know and be aware of) the Image of God that is in us.

And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear:   (blepo:  see what you hear).   (Mark 4:24)

When we see the Image of God in us we develop a concept of Righteousness… we become aware of our Righteousness and boldness and confidence is produced.

We are never to “cast away” our confidence.  (Put aside our concept of Righteousness).

Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. (Heb. 10:35)

Do not allow your “heart” to condemn you!

For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.  (1 John 3:20)

If you are Born Again, you have been Restored!  That which sin destroyed has been reestablished and transplanted into your spirit and you are now a “New Creation.”

Restored.  Recovered.  Redeemed.  Renewed.

Word for Today:  January 29

It’s up to you.

• You will never do what you do not decide to do.
• You will never get what you do not decide to get.
• You will never get what you do not make up your mind to get.
• You will never receive what you are not committed to receive.

It is up to you.   God has given it.  Jesus has paid for it with His Blood.  Now, refuse to waver, to be moved aside, to take your eyes off your goal.  Refuse to back down. Refuse to compromise.  Refuse to be nice to the devil.

Refuse to “calm down” or “understand”… Be determined… get mad and be violent.  The “Kingdom of heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force…”   (Mat 11:12).

Just how mad are you at the devil?  How determined are you to take back what he has stolen?  How ferocious are you in this pursuit?  How enraged are you at the deeds of the devil and the kingdom of darkness? How much do demonic forces fear your resolve to overcome?

“Let not the sun go down on your wrath…”  In other words this can mean “Never let the sun go down on being mad at the devil….”

The ONLY legitimate avenue to release your wrath is to release it on the powers of darkness.

Get mad

Word for Today:  January 28

Faith produces Resurrection Life.

It produces the same kind of Life Jesus had (and still has) when He came out of the grave.

But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal (death-doomed) bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you…  Rom 8:11

Supernatural Faith moves the believer into the realm of Resurrection Life.   We are no longer in the grave-yard stage or the mortuary stage, we are in the Life Stage… the Supernatural Life stage… The Eternal Life stage!

Supernatural faith negates the power of death and energizes the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus (Rom 8).

It is by this law that every believer should live.  And if they do, they will be continually swallowed up in victory.

… Death is swallowed up in victory.   1Cor 15:54

Word for Today:  January 26

God Chose.

Man could never Know God unless God chose to reveal himself to man.

Our God so chose.  He wants us to KNOW HIM.  The real miracle of all ages is that God Revealed Himself to Man.  He continues to reveal Himself to us… we are continually discovering more about God and His Nature and His Redemptive Work and His Word and His Ways.

God reduced Himself to the common denominator of humanity so that we might know Him, love Him, be like Him and enjoy Him.

How can we find out about God?  How can we discover what God is really like?  Is our concept of God accurate?  Does what we know about God line up with the Word?  If God reveals Himself to man… how does He do it?

There are basically six ways God reveals Himself:

• Through the Word.
• Through JESUS CHRIST Who is the Perfect Revelation of God.
• Through the Church: The Body of Christ.
• Through miracles.
• Through individual believers. Every Believer is a reflection of God to the world.
• Through personal experience. How you experience Him in real life situations.

The fact that God, by and through His own Will, chose to reveal Himself to His Creation is a Miracle of the First Order and an indication of His immeasurable Love for you and me.

That I may know him…    Phil 3:10

Word for Today:  January 25

Words are carriers.

We speak words and the words we say become carriers.  When our words agree with God’s Word they will carry God’s Power with them.  When our words agree with the negative world system, they will carry the power of the world system with them.

If we could ever learn to talk right, speak the Word and only what the Word says instead of what we see and feel and think, we could experience a radical transformation in our situations and circumstances.

The Devil and his demons must submit to the Word of God that we speak.  When we come to see that all the death stuff that is happening to us is caused by the devil and his demons and then get a real revelation of the Power of the Word of God we will be on the road to recovery.  We will be positioned to change things in us and around us.

But as long as we set our tongue in agreement with death, we will have what we say.

We can Search out and find those God Words that contradict our particular problem.  They are in the Bible…. Find them!   If we are sick, look up scriptures about healing.  If we are afraid and depressed, look up scriptures that promise peace and assurance.    If we are struggling financially, look up scriptures that promise God’s provision for us.  If we are held captive by habit or addiction, look up scriptures that promise us deliverance and freedom.  Then we make those scriptures a vital and strategic part of our language.  We begin to articulate audibly and forcefully with our mouth what God has already said about us in His Word.

When we do this, we will begin to see immediate changes.  God honors His Word above His Name.  God sends His Word to accomplish and create His purposes.

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish (create) that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Isa 55:11

Word for Today:  January 24

The Glory of God.

The GLORY of GOD is the atmosphere of heaven.  You breathe it but you also absorb it.  It is the sustenance of your spirit.

AIR is the atmosphere of earth.  You breathe it and you absorb it. It is the sustenance of your natural life.

When we come into the Glory of God we are raised up into the atmosphere of heaven.

To come into God’s Glory is to come into His Literal Presence… to be Engulfed and Exposed to the Brightness and Effervesce of His Person.

The Glory of God has a destination.  It has a purpose.  It has an objective.  It will accomplish something.  There is a story behind the glory.  And we must go all the way to Genesis to find the beginning of that story.  Creation is crowned with the Glory of God.  Creation declares the Glory of God.

And God desires to share His Glory.  His Glory is the epitome of all that He is and all that He has done.  You cannot separate God from His Glory.  God and Glory are inseparable.  Where God is His Glory is.  Where His Glory is God is.  And God wants to share His Glory.  This is the reason behind Creation.  He created the Heavens and the earth as a demonstration of His Glory.   They are crowned with His Glory.  The Work of His Hands demonstrate His Glory.

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork.   Psa. 19:1

The heavens and the earth and all that is in them can declare the Glory of God BUT they cannot share His Glory.

Only Man can share His Glory.

What a deal

Word for Today:  January 23

We are not what we were.

Yesterday.  Last Week.  Last Year.  10 minutes ago.  We are changing.  We are growing.  We are conforming more and more to the Image of Jesus.

God’s New Creation Army are Champions.   Achievers.   Overcomers.   Supernatural Men and Women and Children.  More than Conquerors.   That’s us.  That’s you and me.

• We are invincible to the forces of darkness.
• We live in health and prosperity and we walk in constant victory.
• We are New Creation Men and Women.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  2Cor. 5:17

We live by God’s Law of Life and we have been set free from the law of sin and death.  Sin, satan and failure have no dominion over us.

• We know who we are where we are going.
• We are not moved by fear or doubt or unbelief.
• We walk by faith and live by faith.
• We are a “Peculiar People” and Royalty through our Blood Line.

We are the Ones who will rule and run and reign on the earth in this emerging hour… we are the end-time army destined to defeat and destroy the works of darkness and the powers of the kosmos.

God has waited long and patiently for us to be birthed and developed.  He has Plans for us.  He has Provisions for us.  He has Power for us.

Our Time has come.

Your Time has come.

Word for Today:  January 22

Faith produces Resurrection Life.

It produces the same kind of Life Jesus had (and still has) when He came out of the grave.

But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal (death-doomed) bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you…  Rom 8:11

Supernatural Faith moves the believer into the realm of Resurrection Life.   We are no longer in the grave-yard stage or the mortuary stage, we are in the Life Stage… the Supernatural Life stage… The Eternal Life stage!

Supernatural faith negates the power of death and energizes the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus (Rom 8).

It is by this law that every believer should live.  And if they do, they will be continually swallowed up in victory.

… Death is swallowed up in victory.   1Cor 15:54

The Church in the Book of Acts

Acts 2:1-4; 37-47

The Original Church is our pattern church.   It is what God intended all churches to be and to be like.  It did what God intends for all churches to do and continue doing.  It was our pattern, our example, our precedent.  It was right.  It was the Will of God.  It is the blueprint for all churches past, present and future. 

So, what is Real Church?   

Acts 2:1-4;  37-47

 From the record of the Church  in the Book of Acts…

Notice some characteristics of this Pattern Church:

• When they Prayed…  the building shook
• When they Preached… Conviction fell and those present cried out loud for help
• When they Worshipped… they heard sounds from heaven and miracles happened
• When they were Persecuted… They were encouraged and not discouraged.  They exploded in growth
• They were often visited by angels,  saw heavenly sights, and saw awesome miracles  
• They were driven by the Power of the Holy Spirit.  They were filled with the fire of God and were absolutely fearless
• They attempted and accomplished the impossible.  They overcame discouragement.  They refused to be quiet or to quit.  They were passionately devoted to Jesus and willing to follow Him to the death.
• They lived holy lives, were pure in spirit, were right in their heart and lived above reproach with integrity and honesty.  They hated sin and loved righteousness.  They instantly repented at every failure and short-coming.
• They were empowered to do the very works of Jesus Himself.  They healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out demons and lived and moved in the limitless power of the Holy Spirit.

• They were not prisoners of any man, any movement, any religion, any government, any social group, or cultural class.  They were not nervous or impatient.  They came to meeting, and stayed there until they received what God had for them.  No one slipped out or excused themselves or left before the meeting was over.

The historical events recorded in the Book of Acts cover a period of about 53 years.  During this period, the New Testament Church had its birth and in its first 25 years of existence it accomplished more than at any other time in its history. 

This infant, beginning church faced formidable and overwhelming disadvantages.  Notice:

1. They had no Building.  Or “church campus”

2. They had little or no organization. No Sunday School, no Denominational headquarters, no trained or experienced personnel no Seminaries or Bible Colleges.  No president or board of directors.  No business meetings.  No “vision casting” or scheduled agendas.  They were loose.  And dangerous to the devil.

3. Most had limited education.  None were seminary graduates or Bible School Scholars.  Or theologians.  Most were poor common people… laborers… fishermen, tax gatherers, farm hands and shepherds. 

4. They had no finance committee or budget and possessed little money.  Their treasurer had skipped out of town with all their money in a bag.  There were no “fat cats” or commercial enterprises to foot the bills or pay the preacher. 

5. They had no help from Outsiders.  No “sponsors.”  They were hated, feared, rejected, ignored, imprisoned, persecuted, and falsely accused and blamed.  They did not enjoy “popularity” with the masses.  Religious leaders hated them, lied about them, threatened them, and had them thrown in jail.

6. They Believed and Preached an “impossible” and “unbelievable” doctrine:  a Message about a lowly Nazarene, the son of a poor carpenter, Who was in fact the Messiah… the Son of the Living God… Who was arrested, tortured, crucified as a criminal, killed, and buried in a borrowed grave.  Who Rose from the dead three days later and was miraculously lifted off to heaven where He Lives with God.

7.  They had no government support or favor.  No 501 C3’s.  Rome outlawed their worship and threw them in prison to be tortured and slain.  They ministered in an adverse and unfriendly atmosphere.       Hebrews 11:33-38

8.  They had no television ministry, satellite communication, internet, or media technology…  They preached on streets, in jails, in homes and in open fields.  Without microphones, headsets, prompters, or power point presentations.

9.  They were opposed, threatened, and murdered by a highly organized and powerful Religious System… the Jews.  They often had to hide to worship and meet in homes and open fields for their church gatherings.

YET… in 25 years, the Scripture tells us they “turned the world upside down…” (Acts 17: 6)

What was the secret of such extraordinary success?

(1) Jesus was absolutely everything to them.  Nothing else mattered.   No frills. No thrills.  No pizza parties.  No fun time fellowship entertainment.  No “come and get blessed” sermons.  No popular guest speakers or well-known important individuals to come in and draw crowds. 

(2) They were compassionate.  They really cared.  They gave.   They shared.  They loved.  They were free from selfishness and greed.  They sacrificed and held back nothing.  They were focused on the eternal and disassociated with the carnal and natural. 

(3) They really believed God.  They had FAITH.  They were Believers in the truest sense.  They were not moved by sight or circumstance.  They believed God.  They were not skeptics or skeptical of what God said, what the preacher said or what the Word said.  They believed.  They were not moved by the impossible or discouraged by the opposition. 

(4) They were unafraid.  They were brash and bold as lions.  They rested on the Promises of God and were willing to die for Jesus and the Church.  

(5) They were convinced that the Gospel was the only hope for the world.  They knew that the Gospel was and is “the Power of God unto Salvation” and were not afraid or ashamed to preach it, teach it, tell it, sing it, and send it to the “uttermost” parts of the earth.  It is what the preached and all that they preached.  They knew any self-help message or feel good sermon would not stand the test of what they were going through.

(6) They were together… in “one accord.”  They were too busy winning the lost, casting out devils, healing the sick and raising the dead to fuss and fight with each other.  Or to gossip and back-bite.  Or to “not like” the preacher or the way things were done in church.  They were focused.  Determined.  Committed.  And willing to die for one another.   

(7) They were committed and faithful, consistent, and diligent.   They were not “quitters” “complainers” “sissies” “softies” or “spiritual tramps.”   They were dependable, faithful, diligent, consistent, and steadfast.

What was their “normal” church service like?  The pattern is found in Acts: 2:37-47.     This is what “church” was like then:

1.  Anointed, Holy Ghost Preaching  (14) 

2.  The Word was Gladly received (41)

3.  They continued  (42) 

4.  Services were Supernatural (controlled by the Holy Spirit) (43)  Unpredictable

5.  They praised God (46-47) Unashamed

6.  Souls were saved…. Daily!  (47)  Evangelistic

Services were characterized by:

• Holy Ghost and Fire Preaching
• Irresistible Conviction “What must I do?”  Years ago one Sunday morning as I was preaching, a very convicted man stood to his feet and cried out, “I’m lost! I need Jesus! I can’t wait!” 
• Repentance.  Sorrow for sin. 
• Evangelism. Soul winning. 
• They gladly received the Word.  Glad to hear.
• They “continued” … no drop-outs
• God was not number one He was the ONLY ONE.
• Services were supernatural… every time… all the time.
• They lived in constant Praise and Thanksgiving.  They went from house to house breaking bread and celebrating Jesus.
• The Lord “added daily” to the Church.  At least 365 souls a year.

Do you remember the conviction-laden invitations given after an anointed sermon?  Do you remember inviting the back-slidden to rededicate their lives to Jesus?  Asking the wounded and hurting to come and kneel at the altar?  Offering a sanctuary to those who were wandering without a church home?

“Just as I am, without one plea, but that thy Blood was shed for me…

And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come…”

Let’s pray for Real Church to happen again…