overflow
Every morning I get up at 6:15 (ok, most mornings), go out to the living room, turn on the light
and sit down in my recliner. In a spirit of prayer, I open my Bible and ask the Lord to speak to me through His word. Some days I make it through a chapter, most days I only make it through a few verses. Today, I was in Acts 4. Two things stood out to me as I read.
1. Do people notice that I have “been with Jesus?” Verse 12 states; “And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” What difference was there? For a moment I let my imagination get the best of me. I imagined
them radiating a heavenly glow showing they had been with Jesus. I imagined them wearing stickers, like the ones they give you when you vote, that said, “I have been with Jesus.” Then I came back to reality and continued reading. It says that when the rulers and elders and scribes saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished.
Remember, this was the same Peter who denied Christ three times! (There’s a whole lesson on forgiveness and restoration in here too!) The coward was now preaching boldly! In fact, when we continue to read through chapter 4 we see that after they are released they go back to their own people and they all pray for boldness together (vs. 29) and we see God answering that request in verse 31. Spending time in the presence of God is empowering. And I’m not preaching “Your best life now.” Time in his presence should empower us to share our faith. When is the last time you prayed for boldness? Do people notice when I have been with Jesus?
2. Does my experience prompt my proclamation? Before Peter and John were released they were commanded not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. Their reply; “…For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Their experience was so rich that it mandated the proclamation of Christ. Billy Graham said, “It could be that one of the greatest hindrances to evangelism is the poverty of our own experience.” If we don’t experience Christ, there should be no surprise when we don’t share him. And I’m not talking about experiencing Him once a week in a worship service. I’m talking about walking with Him on a daily basis. Living in a continual state of prayer, of fellowship with the creator. Spending time
in His presence will be noticeable to others because it is the driving force behind your proclamation. Not some canned approach that I fumble my way through because I have been guilted into sharing my faith. But sharing from an overflow. When people walk away from me do they think I’m religious or that I have a deep relationship with God.
If you don’t do it already, start having a time where you get away from the distractions of the world, sit down with the Bible and allow God to speak to you.
For His Glory,
David
and sit down in my recliner. In a spirit of prayer, I open my Bible and ask the Lord to speak to me through His word. Some days I make it through a chapter, most days I only make it through a few verses. Today, I was in Acts 4. Two things stood out to me as I read.
1. Do people notice that I have “been with Jesus?” Verse 12 states; “And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” What difference was there? For a moment I let my imagination get the best of me. I imagined
them radiating a heavenly glow showing they had been with Jesus. I imagined them wearing stickers, like the ones they give you when you vote, that said, “I have been with Jesus.” Then I came back to reality and continued reading. It says that when the rulers and elders and scribes saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished.
Remember, this was the same Peter who denied Christ three times! (There’s a whole lesson on forgiveness and restoration in here too!) The coward was now preaching boldly! In fact, when we continue to read through chapter 4 we see that after they are released they go back to their own people and they all pray for boldness together (vs. 29) and we see God answering that request in verse 31. Spending time in the presence of God is empowering. And I’m not preaching “Your best life now.” Time in his presence should empower us to share our faith. When is the last time you prayed for boldness? Do people notice when I have been with Jesus?
2. Does my experience prompt my proclamation? Before Peter and John were released they were commanded not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. Their reply; “…For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Their experience was so rich that it mandated the proclamation of Christ. Billy Graham said, “It could be that one of the greatest hindrances to evangelism is the poverty of our own experience.” If we don’t experience Christ, there should be no surprise when we don’t share him. And I’m not talking about experiencing Him once a week in a worship service. I’m talking about walking with Him on a daily basis. Living in a continual state of prayer, of fellowship with the creator. Spending time
in His presence will be noticeable to others because it is the driving force behind your proclamation. Not some canned approach that I fumble my way through because I have been guilted into sharing my faith. But sharing from an overflow. When people walk away from me do they think I’m religious or that I have a deep relationship with God.
If you don’t do it already, start having a time where you get away from the distractions of the world, sit down with the Bible and allow God to speak to you.
For His Glory,
David
Comments