Part 23: UNASHAMED, UNDAUNTED and UNSTOPPABLE! Part 7 Living in the Dimension Beyond Average

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1 Part 23: UNASHAMED, UNDAUNTED and UNSTOPPABLE! Texts: Acts 2:42-43 (NLT) - All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord s Supper), and to prayer. [43] Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Part 7 Living in the Dimension Beyond Average A. The last six verses of Acts, chapter two, explain why the early church experienced what I'm calling, Living in the Dimension Beyond Average. 1. The last two factors in verses 42 and 43 contributed significantly to the abundant life enjoyed by these believers. 2. In addition to being filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit and the extraordinary unity among believers, the early Christians passionately devoted themselves to abiding in the Apostles' doctrine, rather than changing scriptural teaching to fit the culture of their world. 3. Not only were they committed to fellowshipping and connecting with other believers, they devoted themselves to prayer. 4. These scriptures seem to have an accumulative effect. Because of the empowering of the Spirit, the unity of believers, faithfulness to the Apostles' doctrine and the Word of God, and their commitment to fellowship and prayer, they began to experience the fear of the Lord. 5. The result? "...and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles." a. Much like the ingredients in a cake, if you leave something out, it doesn't taste the same. b. Because the disciples participated in so many spiritual activities, an atmosphere was created that produced an awesome 'fear' of God.

2 c. As a result, the Lord performed many miraculous signs and wonders among them so that they experienced a continuous display of the supernatural! 6. At some point in our lives, every one of us will need a miracle! a. I'm not talking about luck, serendipity, a good turn, a helping hand, or good fortune, but a real bona fide, hell-chasing, earthshattering, demon-routing miracle! b. In this broken world, sooner or later you'll want God to show up and perform a miracle for you! c. It pays to stay in a position where He can come to your aid when you need Him. 7. Joke: Prayer A man who had encountered a bit of trouble while flying his small airplane called the control tower and shouted, "Pilot to tower: I'm 300 miles from the airport, six hundred feet above the ground, I'm out of fuel, and I'm descending rapidly. Please advise! Over." "Tower to pilot," the dispatcher began. "Repeat after me: 'Our Father Who art in heaven..." 8. Or this one: Boudreaux, the Air Traffic Controller Approaching an airport in Louisiana, a pilot radioed for instructions. Boudreaux advised him to use Runway East and then signed out. When a second pilot requested instructions, Boudreaux advised him to use Runway West. "Wait a minute," the second pilot said. "Didn't I just hear you instruct the other pilot to use runway East and now you're telling me to use Runway West?" Boudreaux answered, "Yea, sha. Das right. Y'all be careful, hear?" No matter how careful you are, life will always have its challenges. 9. How would you like a beyond average prayer and devotional life while enjoying a continuous flow of the supernatural? That's what happened to

3 the first Christians. Because of their tangible fear of the Lord, God did big things in their lives! 10. We know about prayer, but what is the 'fear of the Lord?' a. As a young child, I was afraid to go to bed at night, much like Calvin, the main character in my favorite cartoon strip, Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson. b. Though the cartoon is no longer published, Bill Watterson is so incredibly gifted, he can see the world through the eyes of a small child something few adults can do. c. One of my favorite books by this author is: Something Under the Bed is Drooling. Calvin, a precocious 6 year old with an overly active imagination, has for a best friend, Hobbes, a stuffed tiger. Always in and out of mischief, Calvin fights imaginary monsters at night that are hiding under his bed. Can anyone here relate? d. I remember fearful times as a child when my grandmother would say, God has positioned His angels all around you to protect you. If you will just pray, the fear will go away. 11. Today, I'm not saying to pray until the fear goes away, but I am speaking on this subject: Pray Until the Fear Comes! (That Is,...the Fear of the Lord!) B. We should pray until we experience the fear, or a godly 'reverence for the Lord.' 1. Many today seem to have completely lost that fear. a. Even among church members, the fear of the Lord is missing. People feel that they can live and act any way they please, regardless of what the scriptures teach.

4 b. Believers live such wicked lives, they will curse, use profanity, tell lies, deceive, and live immorally, never thinking twice about whether it pleases or disappoints God. c. I'm not talking about people outside the church; I'm talking about Christians! 2. This 'fear of the Lord' is not about terror or being afraid. a. According to the Word Book Dictionary and Advanced English Dictionary, fear of the Lord does not refer to alarm or concern; it means: a feeling of profound respect for someone or something; such as 'the fear of God.' b. Synonyms for this word: reverence, awe, and veneration. 3. The fear of the Lord is a reverence for God. a. This feeling of awe borders on a holy sense of dread, lest you should grieve Him; but it's not being paralyzed into inactivity. b. In scripture, when people experienced a great reverence for the Lord, they saw Him as bigger than anything that existed, or mightier than any problem or challenge they faced. c. Seeing Him as a great and Holy God creates a sense of wanting to live righteously before Him. d. Early believers loved and regarded God so highly, they wanted to please Him. 4. Because these early Christians drew near to God in their prayers, I believe that relationship created a sense of awe. a. The closer they came to God, the more wonderful He became. In turn, miracles, signs and wonders regularly occurred in their lives. b. Many believers pray very little, if at all. That's why their sense of reverential awe is missing. They haven't spent time developing a close relationship with God. c. The result? Those same supernatural manifestations are seldom seen. So let's talk about prayer.

5 C. Because the enemy is so prevalent in our fallen world, we need God's divine intervention to survive. 1. The demand for God's intervention could involve our health, finances, employment, marriage, or a family problem. 2. I remember very well the night our son Jonathan, at the age of 3 years, simply stopped breathing. While at the home of Geri's mom, who was a nurse, she happened to wake up the moment he stopped breathing. a. They were able to resuscitate him until they arrived at the hospital. But in just two hours, we had rushed to three different emergency rooms in Sulphur and Lake Charles, LA and Beaumont, TX. b. When the doctors in Louisiana couldn't arouse him or help him breathe on his own, they sent him to a more experienced neurologist at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Beaumont. c. We had been there just a short time when Jonathan began to breathe on his own, as if nothing had ever happened. d. The specialist confessed that they did not know what caused him to stop breathing or to breathe again. As he walked to the door, he turned and said, "Let me correct that. We don't know what caused him to stop breathing, but we do know what caused him to breathe again. Someone has been praying." e. He was so right! Not only were we in constant prayer, but others across the nation were also praying. f. I trust that nothing so severe ever happens to you, but I promise that in this broken world, someday you will need God's help! D. The major purpose for our daily devotions should be intimacy with God. 1. The basic definition of prayer is: communication or adoration with a deity. 2. In Acts 2, the Greek word for the disciples' continual prayer actually means: to worship. a. They continued daily in worship speaks of daily devotion not a continual asking for things.

6 b. Collins Dictionary: prayer is the activity of speaking to God; a personal communication or petition addressed to a deity, especially in the form of a supplication, adoration, praise, contrition, or thanksgiving; any other form of spiritual communion with a deity. c. Word Book Dictionary: Prayer is the act of communicating with a deity (especially as a petition, in adoration, contrition, or thanksgiving). 3. For many believers, prayer consists of asking for things or making requests. Yes, prayer can and should refer to a request, when needed. Jesus said we should ask God for our daily bread; but that is not the primary function. Prayer should be drawing close to God and building an intimate relationship with Him in our daily devotions. 4. In our daily prayer and devotion, God becomes more real. Because we're accustomed to seeing things, and God cannot be seen, it's easy to suppose that reality is only what can be seen. But that's not true. What we see is only temporary. 5. Daily prayer and devotion makes us aware of God's presence. The single greatest thing that could ever happen, outside of receiving salvation, is to experience His abiding presence every day of your life. Sadly, most believers only occasionally visit with God. 6. A beyond average devotional life should begin in the home with your family. a. Even though prayer is an intensely personal encounter between you and God, our prayer life is best developed during a daily devotion with your family. b. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NKJV) - Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! [5] You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. [6] "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. [7] You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you

7 lie down, and when you rise up. [8] You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. [9] You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. c. Proverbs 4:20-22 (NKJV) - My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. [21] Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; [22] For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. d. The Book of Proverbs is filled with Solomon's admonitions to young men so that they will not have to learn everything the hard way. E. From these verses in Deuteronomy and Proverbs comes the question: why should we have family devotions? 1. First, because God's Word tells us to do so. Early settlers in the U.S. believed so strongly in family devotions, men were not allowed to take communion if they had not been leading their families in daily devotions. 2. Family worship makes child rearing more successful. Children can speak more openly with each other if they have participated in daily devotion. 3. The brevity of life calls for family devotion. The time spent with children in the home seems to fly by. Every day that we share His Word with our children should be like a gift from God. a. Rick Husband, the commander of the Columbia Space Shuttle that disintegrated in mid-air, was so devoted to family worship, he recorded eighteen devotional videos for his family, one for each day he would be gone. How valuable do you think those videos are to his family now? What a legacy he has left! b. Video of Columbia exploding: (:45-1:00) (1:55-2:15) 4. Daily devotions strengthen the spirituality of each family member. 5. Devotions with the family help them overcome daily struggles in a broken world.

8 6. Family devotions keep Christ in the center of your home. 7. This special time maintains a continual awareness of God's abiding presence. 8. Daily devotions help the family learn biblical teachings. a. Hosea 4:6 (NKJV) - My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. 9. Daily devotionals reinforce godly family values. 10. Apart from loving your child, daily devotions can be the single most important thing a parent will do for their family. F. How to implement family devotions: 1. Set a time. Family devotions should be guarded so jealously, nothing else can take its time or place. 2. Don't try to conduct a full church service. 3. Choose ten minutes in the morning and ten minutes in the evening. 4. Develop your own format: a. Sing a worship song together. b. Read a scripture and then discuss the meaning. c. If that seems to be a challenge, use a daily devotional as a guide, such as Rick Warren's, The Purpose Driven Life Devotional for Kids. d. After reading from the devotional, take turns discussing the meaning. e. Take turns leading the family in prayer. f. Encourage each other by talking through individual issues. G. Objections to family devotions. 1. All of these objections may appear to be reasons for not having a family devotion, but they are actually reasons why you should set aside this time: a. We're just too busy. b. We all have different schedules.

9 c. Not all of us are passionate about God. d. My children are already teenagers. e. My spouse isn't saved. f. We enjoy our TV programs. 2. If your children are grown and you failed to have family devotions while they were younger, here is what to do: a. Confess your past failures and admit that you now see the value of family devotions. b. Because my family and I traveled as crusade evangelists for 19 years, I preached in a church seven times a week which meant that my children attended church every night. c. Since we were in church every night, I did not see the value of daily devotions in the home. After all, we were praying, worshiping and studying the Word of God in a church service every night. d. Many of the churches where I spoke had church schools and my children were involved in the school devotionals, besides the nightly church services. e. It never occurred to me how important a devotional in the home was. Now I realize that I failed my family as a father and a priest by not having a daily family devotional. I was inadvertently teaching them that devotionals were the same thing as the time we spent in church. f. The truth is, even the most devout Christians spend very few hours a week in church. This is why devotions should be conducted in the place where most of our time is spent. In that way, Christ can be with us all the time, rather than a weekly visit to church on Sunday. 3. When should you begin a family devotion? TODAY.