This morning, we’re continuing our message series entitled “Team Unity” where we’re learning that God’s desire for the church is that we be united, working together as one.
However, this unity is not achieved through conformity where we all look, think, and act alike, but rather, this unity is achieved through diversity.
As we each fulfill our unique purpose in the body of Christ, Jesus is revealed more clearly to the world around us.
So far, we profiled Tabitha and Barnabas. We learned that through simple acts of service, as well as personal tragedy, that God used Tabitha to transform an entire city. We learned from Barnabas that through simple encouragement, lives can be made new and empowered to do the impossible.
Last week, we learned of the clarity of focus and urgency that the early church had to know and make known the One – Jesus. We learned that all things, including ourselves, were created by Him and for Him and that we could never out give God, simply give back to Him what is already His.
This week, we’re learning together how to practically live a supernatural lifestyle.
Most of us are aware of the life that Jesus lived. We know that where Jesus went, the blind could see, the lame could walk, the lepers were cleansed, truth was proclaimed and an easy-to-understand and practical way, the possess and oppressed were set free, the broken were restored, the dead were raised to life, the proud were opposed and the humble were exalted, and so on.
When Jesus began His ministry, He proclaimed his mission statement by quoting:
Isaiah 61:1-3
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
Jesus also said:
John 14:12
Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
He went on in John 14 and explained how this is possible by promising the gift of the Holy Spirit.
When we look at the early church following the death and resurrection of Jesus, we saw that through them, the sick were healed, the broken were restored, the bound were set free, the dead raised to life, mourning was turned to rejoicing, the lame leaping and walking, and so on.
Essentially, that simple phrase that Jesus taught us to pray occurred, God’s Kingdom come and His will done here on earth even as it is in Heaven.
Now God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He never changes. If those who believed in Him did all of the works that Jesus did and greater things through the power of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts, then those who believe in Him now should be doing the same!
This morning, we’re going to learn how this is possible!
One of the first requirements of living this same supernatural lifestyle that Moses did, that Elijah did, that Jesus did, and that the members of the early church did is simply to believe God’s truth.
We need to believe what Jesus said and not doubt. We need to believe that the same works that Jesus did, we will do simply because we BELIEVE in Him! We need to believe that it is God’s will that right here and right now that the sick be healed, the lost be found, the bound be delivered, that death be brought to life, that sinners be forgiven and become new creations.
For some reason, we have fullness of faith when it comes to believing God at His word for issues such as having our sins forgiven, receiving eternal life through simple faith in Jesus, in all of the unseen things. However, when we have opportunities to see the supernatural trump the natural and be able to tangibly see God’s word and His love manifested physically before us, we begin to doubt. I believe that when I pray and ask God to forgive my sins, that they are instantly forgiven. However, when I pray that this crippled person be able to walk once again, doubt begins to overwhelm and overtake me.
James 1:5-8
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
We need to be a people who possess the fullness of faith and not faith in partiality! If we can trust God in one part of His word without doubt, then we can trust God with the fullness of His word without doubt. The early church had this faith and therefore, signs, wonders, and miracles followed them wherever they went!
Next, we need to understand our role as members of the Kingdom of Heaven, children of the one, true, living God, princes and princesses, heirs of greatness!
Along with full belief, we see two key aspects in the lives of the early church and all those who lived supernatural lifestyles in scripture. Those aspects are humility and willingness.
No, you do not need to be a believer for any period of time, you do not need to go through certain classes or trainings, you do not need to feel comfortable, you do not need to have scripture memorized, you do not need to hold a certain position in the church to live a supernatural lifestyle! Signs, wonders, and miracles can follow anyone who believes in Jesus and should!
Humility is one of the easiest aspects to possess! Humility is simply acknowledging that you can’t do anything good on your own. You are fully reliant on the abilities of the Holy Spirit and have no ability to bring God’s word to pass on your own.
I know that I often quote this scripture, but it has been such and encouragement and inspiration to me in this matter and I hope that it is for you as well!
Acts 4:13-18
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. 14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. 15 So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. 16 “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. 17 But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.” 18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
Humility. That is what the Sanhedrin truly noticed in Peter and John. These were common men who hadn’t received the religious training that you’d expect for someone to bring healing the way that they did. Many of us can relate to that simple description; unschooled and ordinary. If you’ve put your faith in Jesus and received the Holy Spirit, then you have all that you need to live a supernatural lifestyle!
Willingness, however, is what puts a stop to the supernatural most of the time in our lives. God never forces us to do anything. All of the gifts, fruits, and works of the Holy Spirit require a willingness on our part; a cooperation between us and God. They do not naturally occur. If that were the case, they of course, would not be considered supernatural!
Willingness requires us to make a sacrifice and to abandon ourselves. It requires us to surrender our will and submit to God’s will. This is obviously impossible without fullness of belief. The instant that even the smallest doubt creeps into our mind, our willingness is brought to a halt.
We cannot, however, use the evident lack of signs, wonders, and miracles to defend that it is not God’s will for them to occur today. God’s doesn’t lie and His word makes no room for doubt in His will. An evident lack of signs, wonders, and miracles is simply evidence of our unwillingness and selfishness in this area. If we are not doing the works of Jesus, then what we should question is whether we really believe in Him; whether our faith is really genuine.
Humility comes easily for us, however, our willingness is a huge challenge! When you see an opportunity and sense the nudging of the Holy Spirit for you to step out in faith and do something about that opportunity, and are then overwhelmed by your emotions and fear, take heart! Jesus felt the same way!
Matthew 26 reveals that right before Jesus was arrested, tortured, and crucified, He prayed. Three times, He prayed that if there was any other way possible for salvation to be provided for in a way that He not have to suffer that it would be done. However, He prayed that not His will be done, but that God’s will be done. If Jesus hesitated and prayed that He not have to make the sacrifice, then we can take heart when we begin to feel the same emotions rising up. However, we can’t become a slave to our emotions! Just like Jesus, we must submit to God’s will and not our own!
So, we must first of all, fully believe in God’s word and be fully convinced of His will without doubt. We must be humble and willing. Lastly, I believe that in order for us to live a supernatural lifestyle, we must live in God’s presence.
Moses was a clear example of a man who believed in God’s word; mostly because it was verbally spoken to Him directly from God. He was completely humble being abandoned by his parents, then being a murderer and fugitive on the run, then chosen to do the impossible. Moses, though hesitant, was willing. However, there was something more that Moses knew he needed in order to make the impossible possible.
Exodus 33:12-17
12 Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”
14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
Moses knew that he needed God’s presence to go with him. Jesus knew that He needed it, He would often go off to a solitude place to pray. The early church knew that they needed it, they studied God’s word, prayed, fasted, and worshiped. They hungered for God’s presence and adamantly ensured that nothing would separate them from it.
What separates us from the presence of God? Sin!
However, they knew that darkness cannot overcome light, but that rather, light always triumphs over darkness. They chased sin out of their lives by exposing them; confessing them to one another and praying for each other. They wanted God’s presence to saturate every area of their lives so that nothing would hinder them from bringing Heaven to earth!
They hungered and thirsted for righteousness and they were filled!
We also need to remain in God’s presence. We need to do all we can to escape the enticement of temptation and run from sin. We need to allow God’s light to burst forth in every area of our lives and through our lives pushing back the darkness of this world. Studying God’s word, praying, fasting, and worshiping should be commonplace in our everyday lives. We must teach ourselves to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and being lead by it at all times.
This morning, the Lord desires to stir up a passion within each of us for Him and for the world. He wants to encourage us that we can live a supernatural lifestyle! The awesome works of the men and women of faith throughout the scriptures were never intended to stop when “Amen” was written in Revelation. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever! What happened in and through the early church is the same way that the church today can and should operate. Heaven can still invade earth in and through each of us!
If we simply believe and not doubt, remain humble and willing, and keep God’s presence rich in our lives.
Let’s proclaim it this morning for ourselves!
Isaiah 61:1-3
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
We will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.