02 Jan Randy Bezet | “How To Be A Person of Courage”
“How to Become a Person of Courage” by Pastor Randy Bezet
Key Verse: Acts 4:13 ESV
Announcements:
- We praise God for all of those He brought through our doors for Christmas services and for all of our dedicated volunteers who gave of their time to help show them the love and saving grace of Jesus Christ. We had 2,900 people who attended in the sanctuary, 3,000 online viewers, and over 250 volunteers!
- 2017 Recap: This past year we have given 3,000 Bibles out to persecuted believers. We now have an all-time record of 75 small groups with over 100 leaders and 525 of us are in small group. We invested over $250,000 in church planting, bought school uniforms for our orphanage in India, established a Compassion Child Development Center in El Salvador, and funded many other missions operations around the world. In addition, your financial support helped us do what we do right in our own community: we saw over 950 people come to faith, 114 get baptized, and regularly ministered to over 300 children every weekend at Waters Church.
- Upcoming Classes:
- Starting Point is a 3-week course to give you a deeper understanding of or to reconnect with faith. Classes begin Jan. 7th @ 9:30am
- Growth Track is for those who are new or currently volunteering and would like to find out more about Waters Church. It starts on Jan. @ 11:30am
- Financial Peace University is a 9-lesson class to help you learn to control your finances, what God says about money, and how to get out of debt and start saving! It starts Jan. 7th @ 1:30pm
- Baptism Class Baptism is a public declaration of your faith in Christ; it does not save you, but it declares the physical reality of what has already spiritually happened. If you have not been baptized, we encourage you to do so in obedience to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. The next class will be held on Jan. 28th @ 11:30am.
“How to Become a Person of Courage”
How do you become a person of courage? As we are closing out 2017, many times we think about what can we do to make 2018 better. Let “courage” be our word for 2018. God wants us to be people and a church of great courage and that has everything to do with who we are connected with. We will live a life this coming year that is less than it could be if we are not connected to God the way we should be.
Q. We all have things that we would like to change. What are some of your New Year’s resolutions for 2018?
The book of Acts is the history of the New Testament church. This passage takes place just 50 days after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Peter, John, and some of the other disciples are now confronted by the leaders of Israel who were responsible for the murder of Jesus.
Acts 4:13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
These men were full of courage, but the Bible says that they were just ordinary people. The word “ordinary” is from the Greek word “idiōtēs” and is where we get the word “idiot” from. God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things. Therefore, we can be of great courage that with God, we can overcome all of the bondage and habits we are struggling with!
How to Be a Person of Courage:
1. Have a Recognizable Relationship with Christ
Acts 4:13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
They were astonished by the courage they saw in Peter and John and recognized the reflection of Jesus in them. People should look at us the same way. As Christians there should be something about us that is different and attractive– something that looks like Jesus.
Do you think that people outside of church know that you are a Christian? How do your words and actions reflect Christ to those around you? If not, what are some changes that you could ask God to help you make?
2 Timothy 3:5 They will act religious, but they will [deny] the power that could make them godly.
If we have a recognizable relationship with Jesus Christ, we can change the world! That relationship comes from being in “sync” with God. We are good at marking our Bibles, but are our Bibles marking us?
James 4:8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you.
Some Christians only get spiritual vaccinations. They get close to God and get a little booster shot, be never go all in. It is not a half way, check it out thing. It is time to go all in. It is time to serve, give, and go. It is time to be a person of great courage!
Q. Have you have gone “all in” for God? If so, how? If not, in what ways would you like to get involved and in how would you like to see God use you this year?
How to Be a Person of Courage:
2. Surrender to The Holy Spirit
Acts 4:8-10 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! {9} If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, {10} then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that is how this man stands before you healed.”
This is key. This is the same Peter who just 50 days earlier was denying Jesus. How did he accomplish this? It was by the power of the Holy Spirit. Being filled with the Holy Spirt means to be accomplished and to be furnished. There are Christians who are trying really hard to accomplish things on their own and have become discouraged.
Q. In looking back at 2017, what was a challenging experience that you went through on your own instead of collaborating with God? How do you think it could have been easier if you had given it to God? What was an experience that you did give to God and how did that make a difference?
Ezekiel 36:26-27 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. {37} And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
It is not trying harder, but surrendering more.
How to Be a Person of Courage:
3. Be Obedient to God
We cannot be obedient unless we “sync” up with God and surrender to the Holy Spirit.
Acts 4:18-20 They called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. {19} But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. {20} For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
The word obey means to hear and to respond. We all want to obey God when we are in a mess… the “fox hole” prayers. However, obedience is not hearing; it is hearing and obeying.
Q. What is something that God has placed on your heart such as obedience, forgiveness, finances, or service that you rationalized away because of some excuse? What were some of those excuses and how do you think you can overcome them now?
What if God answered our prayers with the same speed we obeyed Him? We know what to do, but we do not do it and then we wonder why God is not blessing us. It is time for us to stop making excuses.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; {6} in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Christianity is all about faith. We need to be even more obedient if the situation does not make sense. That is when we need God more than ever.
1 John 5:4 This is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
Our faith is what gives us victory over our problems. The Greek word for “victory” is “nike” and this is the only time it is used in the Bible. It is faith by being obedient even when we do not understand.
Q. What is something that God is calling you to let go of? What do you need to surrender today and be furnished and equipped by the Holy Spirit to overcome?
PRAY FOR EACH OTHER, THE CAMPUSES, THE LOST, OUR NATION, LEADERS, AND FOR THE LORD TO ACCOMPLISH MORE POWERFUL AND MIGHTY WORKS THAT GLORIFY HIM IN 2018, THROUGH US THAN WE CAN IMAGINE.
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