The Book of Acts ~ Study Forty-Five

"Words of Encouragement"


Acts 13:13-52 (NLT) Paul and his companions then left Paphos by ship for Pamphylia, landing at the port town of Perga. There John Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem. But Paul and Barnabas traveled inland to Antioch of Pisidia.   On the Sabbath they went to the synagogue for the services. After the usual readings from the books of Moses and the prophets, those in charge of the service sent them this message: “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, come and give it.”
   So Paul stood, lifted his hand to quiet them, and started speaking. “Men of Israel,” he said, “and you God-fearing Gentiles, listen to me.
   “The God of this nation of Israel chose our ancestors and made them multiply and grow strong during their stay in Egypt. Then with a powerful arm he led them out of their slavery. He put up with them through forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Then he destroyed seven nations in Canaan and gave their land to Israel as an inheritance. All this took about 450 years.
   “After that, God gave them judges to rule until the time of Samuel the prophet. Then the people begged for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years. But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.'
   “And it is one of King David’s descendants, Jesus, who is God’s promised Savior of Israel! Before he came, John the Baptist preached that all the people of Israel needed to repent of their sins and turn to God and be baptized. As John was finishing his ministry he asked, ‘Do you think I am the Messiah? No, I am not! But he is coming soon—and I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the sandals on his feet.’
   “Brothers—you sons of Abraham, and also you God-fearing Gentiles—this message of salvation has been sent to us! The people in Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize Jesus as the one the prophets had spoken about. Instead, they condemned him, and in doing this they fulfilled the prophets’ words that are read every Sabbath. They found no legal reason to execute him, but they asked Pilate to have him killed anyway.
   “When they had done all that the prophecies said about him, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead! And over a period of many days he appeared to those who had gone with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to the people of Israel.
   “And now we are here to bring you this Good News. The promise was made to our ancestors, and God has now fulfilled it for us, their descendants, by raising Jesus. This is what the second psalm says about Jesus: ‘You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.’
   For God had promised to raise him from the dead, not leaving him to rot in the grave. He said, ‘I will give you the sacred blessings I promised to David.’ Another psalm explains it more fully: ‘You will not allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.’ This is not a reference to David, for after David had done the will of God in his own generation, he died and was buried with his ancestors, and his body decayed. No, it was a reference to someone else—someone whom God raised and whose body did not decay.
   “Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in him is declared right with God—something the law of Moses could never do. Be careful! Don’t let the prophets’ words apply to you. For they said, ‘Look, you mockers, be amazed and die! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe
      even if someone told you about it.’ ”
   As Paul and Barnabas left the synagogue that day, the people begged them to speak about these things again the next week. Many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, and the two men urged them to continue to rely on the grace of God.
   The following week almost the entire city turned out to hear them preach the word of the Lord. But when some of the Jews saw the crowds, they were jealous; so they slandered Paul and argued against whatever he said.
   Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles. For the Lord gave us this command when he said, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.’ ”
   When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message; and all who were chosen for eternal life became believers. So the Lord’s message spread throughout that region.
   Then the Jews stirred up the influential religious women and the leaders of the city, and they incited a mob against Paul and Barnabas and ran them out of town. So they shook the dust from their feet as a sign of rejection and went to the town of Iconium. And the believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Wow that's a BIG chunk of Scripture! I want to break it down into chewable portions. God's Word is infinite and what I glean from it is but a minuscule amount compared to the infinite content of what He has to say to each one of us. Bear with me as I listen to Him and write what He tells me.

First, we meet Paul and his companions in Antioch. Here's a little glimpse of this city according to the IVP Commentary: "Pisidian Antioch was also founded by Seleucus I Nicator. The Romans made it a Roman colony in 25 B.C., settling army veterans and their families there. It served as the main garrison city for a number of Roman outposts to the south. Pisidian Antioch sat astride the Via Sebaste, the Roman road from Ephesus to the Euphrates. Such a location and history meant that the population was a diverse mixture of Phrygian, Greek, Jewish and Roman."

The location was as diverse as any city we could find nowadays. Where would Paul begin to preach about the Good News of Christ Jesus? We find that he began by speaking in the local synagogue on the Sabbath. Motioning with his hands to get their attention he addressed the congregation. We see that this particular congregation had both the Jewish faithful and converts to Judaism.

After the opening scripture reading, the synagogue rulers asked Paul and his companions to give a word of encouragement. I don't think that what Paul had to say was what they had in mind. Little did they know that he was about to turn their world upside-down by introducing Jesus as Messiah. He gave a history lesson to the crowd gathered there. (Remember, Paul was a very learned man who had been a member of the Sanhedrin. He knew the Torah and knew the Law. He sat under the most educated and sought after instructors in Israel ~ Gamaliel.)

The Greek word for "encouragement" is "parakaleo" which means "to help, comfort, encourage." When Paul responded to the call of "parakaleo" he presented the best he knew to offer. This comfort was Jesus the Messiah.

How often do you go to church to hear encouraging words only to find yourself being convicted? Do you go to church to get a message that tickles your ears only to come out with a stomping of your toes?
Our encouragement is found in Jesus and the truth found in Him.

Paul, presented Jesus and laid the foundation for His (Jesus) being the true Messiah. The message fell on a diverse set of ears. The message of encouragement Paul gave is this, "Brothers—you sons of Abraham, and also you God-fearing Gentiles—this message of salvation has been sent to us!" (verse 26) Some received this news with gladness and others received it with resentment and anger.

What we want to hear may not be what we need to hear. What we need to hear is that Jesus loves us and died for us to make a way for us to have a relationship with God through Him. That is true encouragement.

Isaiah 40:9-11 (NLT) O Zion, messenger of good news, shout from the mountaintops!Shout it louder, O Jerusalem. Shout, and do not be afraid. Tell the towns of Judah, “Your God is coming!” Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power. He will rule with a powerful arm. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes. He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.

God told His people over and over again about the coming of the Messiah. This verse from Isaiah describes Jesus in detail. This is the Good News, words of encouragement, that Paul proclaimed to this congregation. Those whose hearts were open to God's truth received it readily and wanted more. Those hearts that were hardened by the rituals of religion and the demands of the political world were opposed to receiving it.

Hebrews 3:12-15 (NLT) Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. Remember what it says: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled.”

Are there things in your life that has caused hardeness in your heart toward God? What is it? Are you willing to allow God to soften your heart and mind to hear the Good News about Jesus? 

Like the religious Jews of old, many hearts are so hard that they are blinded like a cataract blinds the eye. Religion and even politics obscures the relationship that Christ Jesus offers everyone. Let us lay down our doubts and hurts, fears and frustrations and allow the true words of encouragement found in Christ to break down the walls we may have built up.

Let these words of true encouragement soothe your soul; Jesus loves you and died for you so that you could be made right with God. Enter into the delight found in Him. Open your hearts to hear and receive this Jesus who loves you beyond reason.

Week Three ~ BibleWise Group Lesson and Homework for...Week Three

Group Lesson Three Teacher’s Notes

"Ain't Beggin' No More"

Acts 3:11-16 (NLT) They all rushed out in amazement to Solomon’s Colonnade, where the man was holding tightly to Peter and John.

     Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd. “People of Israel,” he said, “what is so surprising about this? And why stare at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness?For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of all our ancestors—who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this. This is the same Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before Pilate, despite Pilate’s decision to release him. You rejected this holy, righteous one and instead demanded the release of a murderer. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact!

     “Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes.

The lame man who was begging by the "Beautiful Gate" at the Temple was now healed and holding on to Peter and John. This man was well known at the Temple because he went there everyday to beg for years. Now he's walking and holding on to Peter and John and the people were astonished. I would be too, wouldn't you?

We all want something from God. Even those who doubt His existence. Our spirits within us yearn for Him. What scares us most is that what we believe may not exist. Do you ever wonder if you are wasting your time asking God for things? We see ourselves in this beggar. He sat at the same gate year after year. Healing wasn’t his aim, he was accustomed to being this way. Now it was his way to make a living. Sitting at the entrance to the Holy Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem was his position of faith. What he expected from Peter and John that day was blown away with the desire of God’s heart for Him.

He was changed. For years he was know as. The "beggar" but now the "healed man." He was now a "new man" because Jesus healed him. It's a perfect illustration of how we become a new creation in Christ when we come to Jesus and allow Him to take control.

What we’ve known for years in our lives is often where we stay. We don’t realize that there is more. God has a new position and a new perspective for you. He has His best in mind for you.

Galatians 6:14-16 (MSG) For my part, I am going to boast about nothing but the Cross of our Master, Jesus Christ. Because of that Cross, I have been crucified in relation to the world, set free from the stifling atmosphere of pleasing others and fitting into the little patterns that they dictate. Can't you see the central issue in all this? It is not what you and I do—submit to circumcision, reject circumcision. It is what God is doing, and he is creating something totally new, a free life! All who walk by this standard are the true Israel of God—his chosen people. Peace and mercy on them!

"It is not what you and I do..... It is what God is doing, and he is creating something totally new, a free life!" Peter made the point, at Solomon's Colonnade to the curious folks gathered around, that it was not about him or the beggar, it was about what God had done through the name of Jesus.

"It is not what we do..... It is what God is doing, and he is creating something totally new, a free life!"

How do your view yourself? Are you living as a new creation in Christ or are you holding on to your old life before you came to know Jesus? Maybe you haven't asked Jesus to take control. Would like you like to do so now? Take this time to ask Him to renew your thought pattern about who you are in Him or ask Him to renew you for the first time now. He's waiting patiently for you.

God wants our attention directed on His Son not on this world.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (NIV) The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 

Peter took this opportunity to direct the crowds attention to Jesus. He gave Him the credit for the healing. He also reminded them of Christ's crucifixion, so fresh on his mind, and let them know Jesus had risen from the dead. "You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead." He didn't pull any punches but used the opportunity to show how Jesus was very much alive and had healed this beggar they all had seen for so long at the temple gate Beautiful.

2 Corinthians 5:16-17 (NLT) So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

I think that’s what is wrong sometimes when I get frustrated with what's going on in my life. I am evaluating others and situations from a human point of view. I can't look at Jesus from this vantage point. I need to see Him with the new spiritual eyes that He's supplied me with. How about you? How do you view things? Do you use your new eyes or your failing human ones?

Our frustration in life comes from a human point of view not from the vantage point of Jesus.

Jesus wants us to see things from His vantage point. He desires that we trust Him and step out to walk on some water towards Him. Keep your eyes on Jesus and you'll see wonderful things happen.

Psalm 119:18 (NLT) Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions.

We aren't beggars anymore. We are new creations in Jesus!

Lesson One

"Open Eyes"

* Read Acts 3:17-26. What did the prophets foretell that God fulfilled? 

* What does it mean to “repent” ? 

* God promises us “times of refreshment” in the presence of Jesus. Describe what that means to you in your walk with Him. 

* Why are people “cut off” from “God’s people” if they don’t listen to Jesus (the Prophet)?

* If God is so merciful, then why doesn’t He just give everyone a free pass? 

God gives each person ample opportunity to turn away from their sins and turn to Jesus. He started His redemptive plan from before the beginning of time. His plan was that He would send down His own Son Jesus to pay the price of our sins so that we could have a relationship with Jesus.

Make it relevant. How would you explain the redemptive plan of Jesus to someone that doesn’t know Him? 

With the crowds gathered around, curious about the beggar they had known being healed, Peter took the opportunity, to speak more about Jesus. God had been speaking through all the prophets down through the ages about the Messiah ~  "a Prophet among your own people." 

Why didn’t the Israelites listen? 

Why don’t all people listen? 

Why didn't the Jews recognize who Jesus was? Heck, they had all those miracles and things like that... Hey don't be too hard on them. We aren't much better. Who knows how we would respond if we were in their shoes? The good news is that God gives chance after chance after chance to know about His Son. He will continue to do so until the time when He's says, "Enough!"

Luke 24:25-27 (NLT) He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

This scripture is concerning Jesus appearing to some of His followers as they were walking on the road home to Emmaus. They didn't recognize Him because they didn't expect to see Him. They were walking beside Him and still didn't get it. Again, we can't know how we would respond, but are we any different?

* Are there times when you don’t recognize Jesus in your life? For instance, you don’t feel His presence and wonder if He cares? Describe what that’s like for you. 

Those who believe that Jesus is the Leader of their lives will only see Jesus when they keep their eyes on Him. Let me clarify. When we aren't focusing on Him and instead focusing on ourselves and what we think He should be doing in our lives, we won't recognize Him. We miss His face and continue walking on the downtrodden path of our expectations. Instead we should rely on Him and look for Him. He is right here with us, walking beside us and speaking to us. We need to look and listen for the beautiful face and the marvelous voice of our Savior.

* Read James 1:22-24. What should we do besides listening to God’s Word? 

What happens why we don’t obey? 

How funny would that be if we were to look in the mirror and forget what we look like? James, who wrote this scripture, was the half-brother of Jesus and it wasn't until Jesus died and came back to life that He finally believed that Jesus was Messiah. He knew "Torah" (The Old Testament) and he still didn't recognize the Messiah in his own brother.

We are much like James and the disciples walking on the road to Emmaus. But we are even closer because we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us and we still don't always pay attention to what we have right in front of us.

Make it personal. Do you ever get so focused on what is going on around you that you don't see Jesus? Describe what that is like for you. Is the mirror of your life fogged by the breath of your worries? How can you clear the mirror so that you can see Jesus? Write a prayer telling Jesus all about it. 

1 John 3:23-24 (NLT) And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.

"And we know he lives in us because the Spirit He gave us lives in us." Oh Lord Jesus, that we would live our lives daily remembering and believing that you are here ~ right here~ living fully within us. 

To see Jesus we must look at Him, believe Him and follow Him in His will and way for our lives. When we do this, we will experience the fullness of Jesus and see what He can do for our lives according to His perfect will. Let's live fully in Jesus our Messiah and not miss what He is doing in us, through us and for us.

Open our eyes Lord we want to see Jesus!

Lesson Two

"The Jesus I Got"

* Read Acts 4:1-4. Who confronted the Peter and John? Why? 

* What did the opposition do to them? 

* How many people, up to the apostles’ arrest, had believed their message about Jesus and came to faith in Him? _

Peter and John were making headway with people at the Temple in King Solomon's Portico. A lame man, who was a beggar, at the Beautiful Eastern Gate going into the Temple, had been healed by the Name of Jesus. Everyone knew this man because they saw him there everyday. Now, he was walking alongside these two disciples ~ Peter and John. Peter began to teach those who had gathered there at Solomon's Portico about Jesus and why this man was healed. It wasn't because of anything they had done. They directed them all to Jesus who healed this man, not themselves. They gave Jesus all the credit and took none for themselves.

Today's passage brings us to this scenario: Peter, John and the once lame beggar were standing in the massive portico called Solomon's Porch. Many people gathered there daily to get out of the sun and meet others there worshipping at the Temple Mount. Peter began to preach about Jesus because many people had seen the lame man healed. The crowd listening, grew to thousands of people. In come the big wigs: the priests ~ the temple guard ~ and the Sadducees. Does this sound familiar to you? Look up the following scripture and note the similarities:

* Read Luke 22:47-53. What are the similarities between this scenario and the one we just read? 

This was the same group that had arrested Jesus and were now confronting James and John. You could taste the fear in this face-off. Yet, the fear wasn't in the disciples. The fear was in the priests, the temple guard and the Sadducees. Their fear was that the Name of Jesus was being used to heal people and bring many others to believe that Jesus was definitely the Messiah.

John 3:19-21 (NLT) "And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

Make it relevant. How do Jesus’ words in John 3:19-21 apply to us today? 

Fear!! The disciples had nothing to fear. They had faced their greatest fear when they saw Jesus being dragged before an illegal court, tried and convicted, then crucified. They saw His body buried and then...then... they saw Him alive again. They learned that death was no longer a concern because their Messiah was alive.

Fear!! The priests, the temple guard and the Sadducees had everything to fear. They had crucified the man who many people regarded as alive and was their Messiah. They knew that the lame man they passed each day was now walking and was walking because the disciples had used the Name of Jesus. Fear!! They feared that so many people believed in this Jesus as Messiah. They feared their own demise as leaders of the Jewish nation. Oh, they had every reason to be afraid.

Make it personal. Who or what do you fear? Do you fear death? Do you fear other's opinions? What is it? Write it out in the form of a prayer to Jesus and tell Him about your fears. 

Luke 12:4-6 (NLT) “Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that. But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to fear.

     What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them."

Those of us who love and follow Jesus have only one thing to fear and that is God. However, Jesus has paved the way for us to be in relationship with God. Our fear should only be the kind of fear that inspires our awe of our Creator. We respect and honor Him because He is God.

When we are confronted by those in the world who threaten us, because of who we believe in, we shouldn't fear them. We should pity them. They can't do anything to the part of us that will live forever ~our souls. We must pray for them and love them as Christ loves us.

Psalm 91:14-16 (MSG) "If you'll hold on to me for dear life," says God, "I'll get you out of any trouble.  I'll give you the best of care if you'll only get to know and trust me. Call me and I'll answer, be at your side in bad times; I'll rescue you, then throw you a party. I'll give you a long life, give you a long drink of salvation!"

I recently saw a video clip on youtube that blew me away. It was of a robbery taking place in a cell phone store. The story opens with a young woman behind the counter who was helping a man who had just come in. It soon turned into the man pulling a gun on the woman and asking her for the money. Instead, she began to tell him about her faith in Jesus. She said, “I want to tell you about the Jesus I got.” He was taken aback by what she said. He admitted that he was a Christian too but was at his wits end because he needed money for rent. He left the store apologizing. She depended on Jesus for her rescue. Whether she died or not, she wasn’t afraid to tell the robber about Jesus.

If you would like to watch this video, go to youtube.com and type in “Jesus' saves a storekeeper from a robber” in the search box and see for yourself. It’s really great.

This young lady was not afraid to tell the would-be robber about Jesus. Would you be brave enough to do the same? Why or why not?

We all have fears. But because we believe in Jesus we have power. Even if we die using the Name of Jesus we will be in His presence immediately. What are your fears? Who wants to harm you? Remember that Jesus has saved you and has promised you that He will never leave you or forsake you. 

Hold on tight to the Jesus you got. 

Lesson Three

“Not Ashamed”

Peter and John were confronted by the same group of people that arrested Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. The priests, temple guards and the Sadducees were "greatly disturbed" because Peter and John were saying that Jesus was no longer dead. So...they arrested them and put them in jail. More than likely it was the same jail that Jesus was placed in. History tells us that it was an old cistern underneath the High Priest Caiaphas' house. It had no light and was cold and damp. 

The Old Cistern that was used as a jail 

where Jesus was held under the Caiaphas' house.    

                                        

* Read Acts 4:5-12. Who was present at the council meeting the next day? 

* What did they ask the Peter and John when they had them brought out of the jail? 

* Peter answered their question with two questions. What were they and why do you suppose he did this? 

* How did Peter turn this interrogation around to a biblical lesson for the council? 

* Who is “the stone that the builders rejected” and why would it be relevant to the Council? 

* Make it relevant. How would you explain to someone that Jesus is the only name under heaven and earth by which a person can be saved? 

The Council asked them, “By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?” They knew exactly whose name Peter and John healed the lame man and this name scared them to death. These priests were not of the line of Aaron but were placed there by the Roman government. So the name of Jesus was a threat to their political security. Jesus was popular and loved by many. They thought they had gotten rid of the "problem." Now it was happening again. The Name of Jesus was alive and active ~ healing people and making a way for them to have a relationship with God.

Peter and John were not afraid to tell them like it was. Salvation for the Jews (and Gentiles) was now available to anyone who believed Jesus to be The Messiah. "There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” Over the centuries since, followers of Jesus have been accused of being narrow-minded and exclusive. 

John 14:6-7 (NLT) Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”

What do you believe about Jesus? Do you believe that He is who He says He is? Why do you believe it? 

The message that we are to proclaim is that Jesus is the only way to God. There is no other way. Is this narrow-minded? I think so, but is that a bad thing? We have to decide if what Jesus said was really true or not. There is no such thing as "kind of true."

* Read Romans 1:16-17. How does this passage describe the Good News? 

* Who is it available to?

* How is it accomplished? 

Make it personal. Tell the Lord why you may be ashamed of telling others about Him? If not, then ask Him for the ability to share the Good News with others. 

The Good News (Gospel), is this that we have been made right in God's eyes because of the sacrifice Jesus made for us. We must believe that what Jesus says is true. This may make us offensive to others, but as long as we are gentle and kind about it we can tell others the truth about Jesus.

2 Corinthians 2:15-17 (NLT) Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?

     You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us.

Sincerity and Christ's authority are the foundation from which we preach the Good News. Are we willing to stand up and deliver? Is the eternal future of others important? Jesus thinks it is and we are to imitate Him. Its time to be bold and tell others about Him. Are you with me? Let's be like Peter and John and tell the world we live in about Jesus.

"For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ..."

Lesson Four

"Using the Ordinary"

* Acts 4:13-15 (NLT) The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say. So they ordered Peter and John out of the council chamber and conferred among themselves.

The Council were amazed ~ they could see Peter and John were ordinary men uneducated men ~ they recognized them as being with Jesus ~ they could see the man that was healed ~ they had nothing to say. That’s what happens when ordinary people believe in the extraordinary Christ! As much as the important men of the temple wanted to argue with these men they couldn't ~ they were stumped. 

What does the world see when it sees a believer? Do they see the famous speaking for Jesus? Well, of course there are some. For instance, there is Billy Graham and Mother Teresa. There is Beth Moore and Anne Graham Lotz. These are ones that are bold enough to step out it faith and speak about our Savior. I pose to you that these are ordinary people doing extraordinary things for the Savior they love and obey. And we are called to do the same and reach people within our own world.

Let's see if we meet the qualifications for being a representative of Jesus:

How do you view yourself? Ordinary or extraordinary? 

Do you love Jesus? If so, when did you decide to love Him?

Do you want others to know about Him? Why or why not? 

Do others know that you are a Christ follower? Why do they or don't they know? What’s different about you? 

If you are an ordinary person, educated or uneducated person who loves and serves Jesus, then extraordinarily qualified to tell others about Him. Now all you need to do is let others know. 

* Read Isaiah 44:8. What does this verse say about fear? 

* Make it relevant. What does this verse have to do with your life of faith in Jesus? 

* How do you view yourself and your testimony of Jesus? 

God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Look at how He used the disciples. Before Jesus found them they were blue collar workers with a minimal education. He saw their hearts and the capabilities He had placed within them as they were spun together in their mother's womb. (See Psalm 139) He saw what they couldn't see and He taught them to do greater things than they ever thought they could do on their own.

The same holds true for you and me. He has so much planned for us, but first, we have to believe that God does use ordinary people. What about some of the famous we know? What were they before they became famous for Jesus? Let’s take a peek:

Billy Graham was born on a dairy farm near Charlotte, NC. He was an ordinary farm boy.

Mother Teresa was born in Albanian and became a nun at 18. She was an ordinary nun.

Beth Moore was born a daughter of a cinema owner. She her ministry by teaching Adult Sunday School at her church in Houston, TX. She was an ordinary Sunday School teacher.

Anne Graham Lotz was born to an evangelist who was absent most of her growing up years. She was an ordinary girl with an absent father.

* Fill in the blanks for yourself. _________________ is an ordinary ____________________. 

You may wonder what can God do with your ordinary life? Oh child, He can do so much! It may not be as an evangelist or author, movie star or politician but I promise you that if you are willing to see what God has in store for you He'll affect your world for His glory.

Read 2 Timothy 1:7 and make it personal by writing it out in the form of a prayer for yourself. 

God has given each of those who love Him a spirit of power, love and self-discipline. He does not give us the spirit of fear and timidity. So when you feel this fear and timidity it doesn't come from Him but is a lie directly from the evil one. Let go of the fear and grab onto the power, love and self-discipline that He has given you. Stand strong and God will do great things in your life. Go out into your world and live boldly and bravely for Him. You are extraordinary.

God uses the ordinary for His extraordinary purpose!

Lesson Five

"Ready to Explain"

* Acts 4:16-22 (NLT) “What should we do with these men?” they asked each other. “We can’t deny that they have performed a miraculous sign, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it. But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.” So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus.

     But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.”

     The council then threatened them further, but they finally let them go because they didn’t know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising God for this miraculous sign—the healing of a man who had been lame for more than forty years.

* Looking at the scripture above, can you pick out one major thing the disciples did that indicates an aspect of being a true believer? 

* Make it relevant. Why is obeying God and not man so central to being a true follower of Jesus? 

The world doesn't know what to do with true followers of Jesus. There have been so many bad things done in the name of Christianity that we have a lot of work to do to make up for it all. Being a true follower of Jesus entails only a few things which are often harder to do than you think. Obedience to God is central to the condition of our hearts. Yes, we will fail, but it should be our main goal to set God’s will above our own or the will of those in the world.

Read Luke 9:25-26. Answer the question that Jesus poses in this verse. 

Peter and John were completely sold out for Jesus and refused to stop using His Name. The world fears what they don't understand and the world doesn't understand Jesus. In fact, it stinks to those who oppose the news that Jesus loves them. The Good News about Jesus making a bridge of grace to the throne room of God doesn’t settle well with some. In order for it to be accepted there has to be a belief that there is someone greater than oneself and this may be hard to swallow for some.

2 Corinthians 2:14-17 (MSG) In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—an aroma redolent with life. But those on the way to destruction treat us more like the stench from a rotting corpse.

     This is a terrific responsibility. Is anyone competent to take it on? No— but at least we don't take God's Word, water it down, and then take it to the streets to sell it cheap. We stand in Christ's presence when we speak; God looks us in the face. We get what we say straight from God and say it as honestly as we can.

A true believer is an irritant to those who are against what we stand for and what we stand for is loving others as Christ loved us. The leaders of the temple were so scared and irritated that they couldn't refute the miraculous outcome when Jesus' Name was used. The formerly lame beggar was now standing before them whole and praising God. There was no denying it! They couldn’t quiet the Name of Jesus.

The thing is we don't have to argue for Christ. Our only obligation is to live for and like Christ so others cannot argue with us. How can you argue with someone who is kind and loving? On the other hand, we are told that we will encounter harsh opposition and to be ready for it.

* Read Matthew 5:10-12. When are we blessed according to Jesus? 

* Why did He say we should rejoice? 

Jesus told us that we would face persecution for loving and serving Him. He didn't say that we would face persecution for rule following and judging others. In fact, He told us just the opposite. 

Read Luke 6:37. What does Jesus tell us NOT to do in this verse? 

Why? 

What happens when we forgive others? 

Make it personal. Write a prayer concerning this verse. Where are you in your personal walk with Jesus when it comes to judging, condemning and not forgiving others? 

Jesus is saying that He will judge us with the judgment we hand out to others. He won't forgive us when we won't forgive others.  In wrapping this study up, we learn from Peter and John that we are to continue to speak in the Name of Jesus and not be ashamed to do so. We must love and be kind to those who persecute us for loving Jesus. Living an authentic Christian life involves loving and behaving as Jesus loved and lived while He walked as a man upon this earth.

1 Peter 3:14-16 (NLT) But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.

Imitate the Savior and don't be ashamed to do it!

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* What is something new that God has taught you through this week of Study and prayer? What do you need to focus on in your life? Make it a prayer? _________________________

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