January 4, 2026 • 42 mins
God doesn’t just want to “fix” you, He wants to restore you. Right now, He’s transforming you to impact others. Expect more than a personal breakthrough; expect God to exceed your expectations and bless others through your life.
If you’ve just made a decision for Christ, please respond HERE: ele.vc/tIepfr
Scripture References:
Acts 3, verses 1-12, 16
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this is our podcast.
I wanted to thank you for joining us today. Hope
this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith. Hope it
gives your perspective to see God as moving in your life.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Enjoy the message slipped our hands together for a moment.
Let's have a prayer of consecration as we head into
a new year together as a church family. Jesus, it's
your name we exalt today. We exalt you in our lives.
(00:34):
As we head into a new year. We just re
establish in our own hearts today that Jesus, you are
our priority, You are our desire, You.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Are our one ambition.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
I don't know what this year holds, whether it's hills,
whether it's valleys, but I know that you go with me,
and that you go before me. So we head into
this new year, we thank you God that, oh the
weapons might be formed against us, they will not prosper
or prevail. I thank you that surely goodness and mercy
will follow me all the days of my life, and
(01:11):
I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.
Thank you for your abiding presence. Thank you for your
strength this year.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Thank you for a spirit of perseverance falling on your people.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
God.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Thank you Lord that is we orient our hearts towards you.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
We will see your kingdom come. Your will be done
here on earth as it is in heaven. We honor you, Lord.
We give you our hearts, we give you our lives.
It's in your name we pray.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
Amen. Amen. Well, Happy New Year, everybody.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
It feels good to start out the year in worship,
doesn't it. If I haven't got a chance to meet you.
My name is Jonathan. I know we have so many
new people here today.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
My name is Jonathan. I'm one of the pastors here.
And let me show you a picture of my family
real quick, they'll throw it up there.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
It's my wife, Anna and our three kids. And we've
been a part of this church for thirteen years now.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
And for us it's such a joy to be able
to be a.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Part of this church family, this church community, and to
be under the incredible leadership of our pastor. Can we
thank the Lord for our pastor? And you know, not
too long ago after I preached recently, someone came up
to me and they said, man, I really enjoyed the
sermon you preach.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
I said, thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
And then what they said next, They said it like
it was the big accomplishment. They said, you know, I
used to get so upset when Pastor Stephen wasn't preaching,
And they said, but now I've decided when he's not preaching,
I'm just gonna thank God that he's getting to rest
his voice. And I didn't really know how to take that,
but let's get in on it together, and let's thank
God that our pastor is getting to rest his voice.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Listen weekend of Hoory Kidding.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
He's probably writing a brand new song for us to
say right now. But I'm really excited about what the
Lord has given me to share with you today on
the cusp of this new year. And we're gonna look
at a scripture from Acts three that I think has
several implications for us today, but we'll also set the
tone for us. We're gonna read our scripture. You can
stay standing for just a moment and then we'll get
(03:19):
to sit down after that. It's optional, but Acts Chapter three,
One day, everybody say one day. I won't have you
repeat every two words, but just to fuel along the way,
everyone say. One day, Peter and John were going up
to the temple at the time of prayer at three
in the afternoon. Now a man who was lame from
(03:41):
birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful,
where he was put every day to beg from those
going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and
John about the enter, he asked them for money. Peter
looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said,
look at us. So the man gave him. Gave them
(04:04):
his attention, expecting to get something from them. Everyone say, expecting.
Then Peter said, silver or gold.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
I do not have.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
But what I do have, I give you in the
name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth walk Taking him by
the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the
man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his
feet and he began to walk. Then he went with
them into the temple courts, walking and jumping and praising God.
(04:38):
Did anyone walking to church like that today? Walking and
jumping and praising God. When all the people saw him
walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same
man who used to sit begging at the temple Gate
called beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement
(05:00):
what had happened to him. My title for today is
Expecting change. Expecting change, go ahead and grab a seat.
I thought that would be a good title for your
first Sunday of a new year. Anyone expecting change going
into this year? Now, I know that there's probably sixty
(05:22):
percent of you that when it comes to a new
year you roll your eyes at the thought of new
year's resolutions. You're like, it's January fourth, and already most
people have already failed at the things that they set
out to do this year, and so this is not
a new Year's resolution message. Don't worry even though there's
others of you who who I mean? This is like
your favorite time of the year. You've already had an
off site with your spouse, You've reflected on the prior year,
(05:45):
You've set your budget, all your vacations planned, every date night,
all your workouts.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
You've got all locked in.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Anybody like that, You're just so excited for a new
year and the possibility of change. No one, Okay, cool,
we're talking to a cynical church today.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
That's amazing, Oh good.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
But there is even though I know there's a part
of us that goes, what's so different about December thirty
first to January first?
Speaker 1 (06:08):
It's just a change on the calendar.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
And yet there's something about transitions in our life that
create a sense of expectation or even anticipation for change
to happen in our life. Often God will use external
transition to bring about internal change in our lives. So
even though you're heading into a new year and some
of your I don't know what's going to be different
from this year to next, there is a sense of optimism,
(06:33):
let's say, in the atmosphere even today, that maybe something
could be different as we head into a new year. Now,
new year's resolutions, that's that's one thing. If you're trying
to lose weight this year or set up an emergency fund,
that's amazing. You can come up with your plan and
set your goals. But what I want to talk to
you about today is less about those those type of
(06:55):
changes that you need to see happen in your life
and that you want to work towards this year. I
want to talk to you more so about the God
changes that you need to see happen in your life.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
As we ended last year.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
Many people in our church participated in our year on offering.
Once again, thank you to everyone who is a part
of our trust in God offering this year, and as
part of that process, we ask everyone in our church
to write down a word that represents what they're believing
God for as we head into a new year, and
as our staff was praying over those words, there wasn't
a single word that I saw that looked like a
(07:29):
new year's resolution.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
I didn't see go to the gym eat more vegetables.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
I saw words like restoration. I saw words like healing.
I saw words like forgiveness. These aren't ordinary changes. These
are God changes. These are things that can only happen
in our life when God begins.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
To create change in us.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
So I love the story of this man in Acts,
and I was drawn to it because on this ordinary day,
an ordinary day. Remember, Luke starts out, Luke, who wrote
the who wrote the Book of Acts, and the Gospel
of Luke starts off by.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Painting this as just a day like any other day.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
This is not December thirty first, This is not January first.
This is not Peter's birthday, This is not the man's birthday.
It's not Christmas, it's not Easter. It's an ordinary day,
and yet something extraordinary happens in the middle of an
ordinary day. How many believe that God can do something
extraordinary on an ordinary day. Everything about his language is
(08:28):
indicating that there's nothing special about today. One day, Peter
and John are going to the temple. They're going at
the time of prayer. This would have been part of
their custom. This is just what they do. And then
it tells us that there is a man who every day,
every day was put out by the temple gates to
beg for money. It's an ordinary day, and yet something
so profound happens to this man on this day, This
(08:49):
man who was lame. Luke later tells us that who's
about forty years old. But all his life, this was
his routine wake up in the morning. And I don't
know who took him to the gates, whether it is
his parents or whether it's for his friends, but someone
took him and set him outside that gate, and day
after day.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
He would sit there and beg for money.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
And yet something happens on this day that changed this
man's life forever. Now, when you come to church, it's
so important that you come in with a level of
expectation that God could do.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Something in your life today.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
Sometimes we get in the habit of treating it like, Oh,
it's just another Sunday, I'm going to hear some worship songs,
I'm gonna hear a message. But what if you came
in with the expectation and belief that today God could
do something in your life that would change you for
the rest of your life. Anybody believed that anything is
possible with God today. Now, as I read about this
(09:45):
man's miracle, the question and the tension for me of
why I kept going back to this passage is I
think it's so amazing that as he meets Peter and
he meets John, and that his legs are strengthened, and
he jumps and he leaps and he praises God. I
want to celebrate the miracle that happened and in his life.
But the question that brings up in me is why now,
after forty years of waking up day after day, why now,
(10:11):
why did God choose to heal them this day? Even pastorally,
I wonder that a lot. It's amazing what I get
to see God do in the lives of the people
of this church. And when someone lets me know that
God set them free from PTSD or God set them
free from a pornography addiction, I'm the first one to
celebrate and praise God for what he's done. When someone
tells me how God completely restored their marriage after all
(10:34):
kinds of betrayal. I want to praise God, jump, leap,
praise God with them for what He's done. But in
the back of my mind sometimes I'm asking the question
why now? And maybe you found yourself in that place too,
where you're like God, I'm so thankful after all these
years of being single, you finally brought a man into
my life. But God, why now? Why now? What was
(10:56):
it about today? What was it about this one that
led to this man being changed? And so look at
the story with me, says day after day, every day
he was put at the temple to beg from those
going into the temple courts, and he sees Peter and
John and he asked them for money. Peter looks at him,
as did John, and look at this in verse five.
So the man gave him, gave them his attention, expecting
(11:20):
to get something from them. But he's not expecting a
healing that day. He's just expecting some money, he's just
expecting change, and yet what he got was so much
greater than even what he was expecting. Now, I wonder
if there was ever a point in this man's life
where he was expecting a miracle.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
It wasn't this day.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
But I wonder maybe if in his teenage years he
had days where he would just wake up in the
morning and try to wiggle his toes, wondering, maybe things
will be different from me today. Maybe today I won't
have to call my friends and ask them to.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Take me to the gate.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
But some of us get stuck in a condition for
so long that it becomes our reality in such a
way that when it comes to our relationship with God,
we've even given up on expecting anything to change. And
yet I'm so thankful that God is a God who
exceeds our expectations. There's this phrase I picked up somewhere
(12:15):
that I used to say that God will often meet
you at the level of your expectation. And I would
love to say that coming into church because and on
one hand, it means that that if I come into
church just expecting it to be an ordinary day or
the message was okay, then I'll often.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
That's what I'll experience.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
And so it say God will often meet you at
the level of your expectation. If you come into church
with an open heart and an open mind, if you
come in expecting that through the Holy Spirit, God will
speak to you, often that's the very thing you receive.
And Yet when I think about that statement, I couldn't
be more wrong, because when I look back over my life,
I'm so grateful that God did not meet me at
(12:52):
the level of my expectation. I'm so grateful that time
and time again God has done exceedingly more than I
could ever ask or imagine.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
Is that anyone's testimony?
Speaker 3 (13:03):
Like you didn't expect to even be alive today. You
didn't expect to be where you are. You didn't expect
to be blessed with this family, blessed with this purpose.
You certainly didn't expect that you would be in church
in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
But how many you want to praise God that he
did more than you could ever expect or imagine.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
So He's expecting to get some change from them, and
instead Peter speaks to him, and it's so swaggy the
way Peter does it in the name of Jesus, get
up and walk and look at this. Taking him by
the right hand, he jumped up and instantly the man's
feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet
and he began to walk. And this is key. It
says that he went with them into the temple courts.
(13:49):
That's a key detail because all this all his life,
he was not allowed to go into the temple. Every
single day of his forty years, he was sat down
outside of the temple gates. His condition prohibited from prohibited
him from going into the temple.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
And yet when God heals.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
His condition that day, not only does he jump and
walk and praise God, but it says that he went
into the temple. I want you to know that when
God brings about a change in your life, it's not
just to fix you.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
It's to restore you.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
Because him going into the temple is significant because it
represents him being restored to worship with God and restored
into community with others. The things that God wants to
bring in your bring about in your life, the changes
that God wants to do on a deep level, they're
not just meant to fix your condition. To make you
feel better or to alleviate your pain temporarily. They're meant
(14:49):
to restore you in worship and restore you in community.
That's this most significant change that happens to this man.
He goes into the temple, and as he's in there,
everybody reckon as the man who look at this used to.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
Sit at the gate called beautiful.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
I love that language, because y'all this just happened to him.
This just happened to him. And yet they're already calling
him the man who used to sit. That's like you
introducing your husband to someone in the lobby after church
and say, oh, this is Frank who used to have
road rage, and.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
They're like, what are you talking about? I just saw
him getting angry in the parking lot on the way in.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
It wasn't all that long ago. No, No, he used
to have road rage. He's a changed man because he
was a church and God touched him and he changed
the man who used to sit. And they're filled with
wonder and amazement because they recognize them. This guy for
forty years has been sitting at this gate, and isn't
that the same guy? Now he's walking, he's leaping, he's jumping,
(15:46):
he's praising God, and they're filled with wonder and amazement.
Look what God does in their life because of what
He's done in this man's life. God heals him, but
he fills them with wonder and amazement. When when a
God change happens in your life, it creates wonder.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
And other people, if it's possible for.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
Him, I wonder what God could do for me, And
they're filled with wonder and amazement because look at that
this man who had just been sitting there instantly his
feet and ankles became strong instantly. And as I thought
about that word, I thought, man, it must have been
so amazing for everyone to see this man who had
(16:26):
just been sitting there lame suddenly walking. And yet for
this man, this miracle is anything but sudden. It's been
forty years, and often the God changes that happened in
your life will look sudden to other people. But for you,
I mean, you know, all the labor and all the
(16:47):
prayer and all the tears you cried to get to
this place, and so other people are filled with wonder
and amazement. Look what God has done in your life,
and it looks so easy to them. And yet you know,
all the petitions, is when you went before God's saying, God,
can you do something about my situation?
Speaker 1 (17:04):
God, can you help me right now?
Speaker 3 (17:06):
And so it was sudden to them, but it was
slow to him, And it brought back up that question
in my mind.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
So why now, forty years, day.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
After day this man is put by the temple gates
to beg for money. It was just his way of surviving.
Day after day he was placed there begging. And yet
on this ordinary day something happens in his life that
changes him forever. Why today? And I sat there with
this question looking for some deep answer, you know, something
(17:41):
beyond just oh, well in God's timing, because how many
you know when you're really wrestling with something, When you've
been chained up and bound by something for so long,
the last thing you want to hear as you're working
to get free is just, oh, in God's timing. I
want to be able to trust.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
God's timing, but that's not the thing I want to
hear all the time.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
And so I'm looking at this passage going what was
different about today? One day, every day time of prayer?
One day, every day time of prayer? What was different
about today? That led to this God change in this
man's life. And the answer is right on the surface.
What was different about today he met Peter. That's what
(18:21):
was different about today he met Peter.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
And y'all, the man's not the only one changing. Peter's
changing too.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
And I realized that as Luke writes this story, the
man who was healed, that was lame from birth, he's
not even the main character.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
Peter is.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
And Luke is trying to get us to see that
Peter is changing, as there's a whole bunch of transition happening.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Let me give you some context.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
Luke wrote the Gospel of Luke, where he recorded the
words and deeds that Jesus did on the earth, and
then he continues his Gospel of Luke with the Book
of Acts. Acts Chapter one starts out with Jesus, who
is resurrected from the dead ascending into heaven. So Luke's
trying to get you to see there's a God change happening. Jesus,
who had been doing ministry on earth for three years
(19:13):
has now resurrected and ascended to the Father.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
That's Acts Chapter one. Acts Chapter two.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
There's another God change that happened as the apostles. The
people who had been with Jesus during his earthly ministry
are in an upper room in Jerusalem praying. God sends
the spirit, the Holy Spirit, and it falls on them
like tongues of fire, and the church begins that day.
In Acts chapter two, y'all, that's a god change. God
(19:41):
is saying, although Jesus in his physical body has ascended
into heaven, Luke wants us to know that the ministry
of Jesus is now continuing, but it continues through his church.
And then in Acts chapter three, where we are, Luke
is trying to get you to see that not only
is there so much change happening, but as the way
God is working in the.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
Earth is changing, he's changing.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
Peter two, the Peter we read about in Acts chapter three, y'all,
if you read about him and the.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
Gospels, this is not the same Peter. This Peter in
the name.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
Of Jesus Christ of Nazareth walk. But y'all, it wasn't
too long ago. Right now he's healing people, but not
too long ago he was cutting off someone's.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
Ear with a sword. How many you know this is
not the same Peter.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
This Peter here who's boldly declaring who Jesus is and
what he's done.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
Not too long ago, just weeks earlier.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
Was keeping his distance as Jesus went to the cross,
and even denying that he knew him. This is not
the same Peter. He's somewhere between fishermen Peter and Saint Peter.
He's not there yet, but he's certainly not who he
used to be.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
And a miracle takes place.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
In this man's life because God is changing. Peter is
going through a God change right now. I want to
show you a few things that are changing in peter life.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
The first one is this.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
It says that Peter looked straight at him, as did John.
Then Peter said, look at us. So the man gave
him his attention, expecting to get something from him. It's
amazing to me that before the man gave Peter his attention,
Peter gave him his.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
Peter's changing because Peter had a.
Speaker 3 (21:22):
Tendency, if you read about his life, to always be
caught up in what he was doing, always be caught
up in his agenda, always be focused on what's in
it for Peter. Right now, and it's amazing that is
Peter is doing his thing, going up to the temple
to pray. It was the right thing to do. It
was on his calendar for the day. I'm going to
(21:42):
the temple to pray. It's amazing that Peter, as God
is changing him, stops to see someone in their condition
who needed help. The fact that Peter saw him is incredible.
It lets me know that Peter is changing, because that's
not like Peter.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
Now.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
When the scripture says that he saw him, it's an
echo to when the scripture uses the word saw, it's
an indication of It means he was filled with compassion
and a sense of responsibility.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
Y'all.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
This is Peter who would say, Hey, tell the little
children to get away from Jesus.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
I'm spending time with them.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
He's now filled with compassion and a sense of responsibility.
Like when Jesus was about to heal, about to raise
a little boy from the dead, it says that he
saw his mother and his heart went out for him.
Jesus saw people and had compassion, And after three years
of being of Jesus and not always getting it, now
Peter is changing, and as he's going to the temple, he.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
Sees this man.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
Now every day thousands of people would have walked past
this man, and many of them would have given him
money as they went to the temple the worship. Part
of their worship was giving alms to the poor, so
there would have been beggars all around the temple and
people as they would walk to the temple, they would
walk past them and maybe throw them some money. They
would look past them, but they wouldn't look at them.
(23:04):
What's different about this is that Peter stops and he
sees the man. He gives him his attention instead of
just giving him money. This isn't transactional, it's relational. And
one of the ways that I know God is changing
me in my life is when I begin.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
To see people, see people. Not get so caught.
Speaker 3 (23:27):
Up in my world and what I have to do
and what I think should happen. But I want God
to give me eyes to see people for where they are,
and that he would fill me with compassion. I'm so
glad Tad's sitting in church today. You're always in church,
but I was glad you're here today. One of the
things I love about Tad is this is one of
the things I admire about Tad because Katie, when we
(23:49):
do baptisms as a church, and there's sometimes hundreds of
people lining outside the tank waiting to get baptized. You
can see them kind of shaky, tears in their eyes
at such a big and special moment for them. I
love watching your husband because he has a way of
seeing people. And Tad will walk through the line and
stop and talk to each person and pray for every
(24:09):
single person being baptized.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
That day because he's a changed man. God saw him
and now he sees others. I wonder what.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
I wonder what God might do through you if you
become a person who has eyes to see people who
are in need. That was a prayer I had for
a year. I'd wake up every day it was simply
went like this, God help me see Christ in others
that they might see Christ in me. God help me
see Christ in others that they might see Christ in me.
See Peter, he's not seeing like he used to see.
(24:45):
He's seeing like Jesus. He's noticing people in their need,
in their condition, and he senses not only compassion, not
just I feel for them, but I have a sense
of responsibility to do something about it. And look what
happens next. Not only does Peter see him. But Peter
then says, silver or gold I do not have. If
anyone had an excuse just to walk by this man
(25:06):
that day, it was Peter because he did not have
what the man was asking for.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
He didn't have silver or gold.
Speaker 3 (25:14):
And as this man is asking for money, Peter could
have just been nope, gone on his way.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
But he stops and.
Speaker 3 (25:20):
He says, silver or gold I do not have, but
look at this, But what I do have I give
to you. I know Peter is changing because most of
his life Peter operated from a place of scarcity. Like
when crowds of people were waiting around to hear Jesus,
Peter's the one saying send the crowds away so they
can get something to eat, because he himself was hungry.
(25:42):
Peter had a way of just thinking about being protective.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
And yet here he is in this scenario.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
I know God is changing him because he says, I
don't have what you're asking for, but what I do have,
I want to give it to you. I know God
is changing me when I begin to give more than
what people ask for. If you can get this idea
in your heart, I really believe it will unlock your
ministry this year and the things that God wants to
(26:07):
do through your life. So many of us live our
lives going well, if someone asked for it.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
I'll give it to them.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
But something fundamentally shifts in the way that God can
use you when you stop limiting your ministry by what
people are asking for and you begin to look at God,
what have you already given me in my life that
I can give to be a blessing and make a
difference in someone's life. Because you have to realize people
will rarely ask you for what they actually need. They
(26:35):
just ask you for what they want. This man, he
wasn't asking for healing, he was asking for money.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
An example in my life, my friend Levi's here today.
I didn't tell him I was going to use him
as an example. But when we were getting to know
each other, we'd.
Speaker 3 (26:49):
Hung out a couple times through a mutual friend, and
one day that friend of ours, he pulls me aside privately,
I've never told you this, and he said, he said, leave,
I wants to go to church with you so bad.
I said what, And two things came through my mind.
I said, all the times we've hung out, he's never
asked me about going to church.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
What's up with that? And second of all, it's a church.
Speaker 3 (27:08):
He doesn't need a special invite to come.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
If he wants to come, you can just come.
Speaker 3 (27:12):
You don't need an invite from the campus pastor to
show up here. But I thought about it. I said,
he said, no, he really wants to go with you.
I bet if you ask him, he'll come. And so
on his encouragement, I invited Levi to church and guess
what he came.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
Now, this isn't a dramatic story.
Speaker 3 (27:25):
He already had a relationship with Christ, but he was
outside of Christian community and he didn't have a place
of regular worship. And I knew that, and I knew that,
and I knew I had what he needed, but I
never offered it because he never asked. And I wonder
if there are people in your life who need what
(27:49):
you have but you are withholding it because you're waiting
for them.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
To ask you.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
And I wonder, well, you're assuming, well, if they wanted
to come to church with me, if they wanted me
to pray with them, they would ask.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
And they're going I don't get it. I know they
love their church, they talk about.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
It all the time they post the messages, they're always
playing the worship song. I wonder how they love their
church so much, and yet they've never asked me to come.
My dad's here today, so I want to use him
as an example, and it's it's a good one.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
Too, okay.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
But so often when I call my dad to talk
to him, talk to him, he'll tell me how he
got the minister to someone, how he.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
Got to pray with someone, whether that's.
Speaker 3 (28:27):
Praying for someone in an employee at his office who
got a cancer diagnosis, or someone at the gym who's
going through a divorce.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
And he always call me with these stories, I got
to pray for so and so. They're going through this,
they're going through that.
Speaker 3 (28:41):
And I was always wondering, why are so many people
asking my dad.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
To pray for him pray pray for them.
Speaker 3 (28:47):
Because, y'all, I'm a pastor, and people don't even ask
me to pray for them as.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
Often as they ask him.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
Time after time he tells me these stories, and then
I realize, no one's asking him to pray with them.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
No one's asked asking him to pray with them. But
somewhere along.
Speaker 3 (29:03):
The way, he decided to be intentional with what God
has given him, and instead of waiting for someone to ask,
he decided to give.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
So when someone said I just.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
Got a diagnosis, he knows he can't heal their cancer,
but he gave what he had. Can I pray for
you When someone's going through a divorce. He knows I
don't know how to fix your marriage right now.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
But can I pray for you? He gave what he had.
Speaker 3 (29:30):
And I want to let you know, brothers and sisters,
that God has given you so much. And what God
has done in your life is not just meant for you,
It's meant for other people around you. There are people
in your world who need the peace you have, who
need the joy you have, who need the hope you have,
who need the strength you have, and God has given
(29:51):
it to you. God has changed you so that you
can give it to them. Peter says, silver or gold,
I don't have. What I do have, I give to you.
He gave the man something so much greater than what
he asked for.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
And that's my heart for.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
This year, not only for myself, but for all of us.
As a truth, what would this city look like if
we became a people who did not wait to be asked,
but decided that we're gonna freely give what God has
given us.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
He gave what he had.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
Look at this last thing that's changing in Peter's life,
and it shows up in this powerful statement he says next,
in the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
Walk, y'all. This is a change for Peter too.
Speaker 3 (30:38):
Now, sometimes when we read these stories, it's easy for
us to kind of strip.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
The humanity out of it.
Speaker 3 (30:42):
Sometimes Peter sounds so bold, in the name of Jesus
Christ of Nazareth, Walk, But I wonder do you think
maybe underneath the surface Peter's heart was racing a little bit.
Do you think maybe, as he said in the Name
of Jesus Christ, walk, that his voice go a little
bit shaky, wondering, Man, I've seen Jesus do miracles before.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
But what if this doesn't work. There's all these people around.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
What if I say, get up in the name of
Jesus and this man can't. What if it doesn't work,
What if he can't walk? Worse, what if I set
him up to hope again and it doesn't work. I
wonder if Peter was feeling a little bit anxious as
he walked past this man and decided that day I'm.
Speaker 1 (31:24):
Going to pray for his healing.
Speaker 3 (31:26):
Maybe he was a little bit anxious, or the old
Peter certainly would have been arrogant.
Speaker 1 (31:30):
You know, Peter had a way of just doing things
his way. I know what's best.
Speaker 3 (31:34):
But whether it's insecurity or conceitedness, it's all self consciousness.
And one of the changes that God wants to bring
about in our life is taking us from being self
conscious to Christ conscious. When he says in the name
of Jesus, this is not just like a formality like
what you pray at the end of giving a blessing
(31:55):
over your food, thank you for these carrots, thank you
for this chicken.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
Bless it to our bodies. In the name of Jesus.
Me no, no, no.
Speaker 3 (32:01):
When he says in the name of Jesus, it means
that it's in reference. It means that he is walking
in the identity of Jesus, the power of Jesus, and
the authority of Jesus.
Speaker 1 (32:14):
So as Peter.
Speaker 3 (32:15):
Stands before this man, this is a change for Peter
because for once in his life, he's not trying to
do it in his own strength. He's doing it in
the strength and in the name, and in the authority
and in the power of Jesus.
Speaker 1 (32:32):
Some of us talk.
Speaker 3 (32:33):
Ourselves out of being used by God because we're going,
how can I give someone advice on how to fix
a relationship when there's people I'm afraid to pick up
the phone and call.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
How am I going to talk to someone.
Speaker 3 (32:43):
About their addiction when I've got this plank in my
own eye?
Speaker 1 (32:46):
And so we.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
Disqualify ourselves from being used by God because we think,
how can God use someone like me? But the reality
is that if you are in Christ, it has nothing
to do with your worst days or your best days.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
When you stand up in front of someone.
Speaker 3 (33:01):
To minister or to be used, you're not doing it
in your name.
Speaker 1 (33:06):
You're doing it.
Speaker 3 (33:06):
In the name of Jesus. Do you have his power,
you have his authority, You're doing it in his name, y'all.
Yesterday Anna said to me, she said, do you try to.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
Be nicer to me before you preach?
Speaker 3 (33:21):
I think she said to you being so nice lately,
it's like I need to come up here with a
clear conscience. And uh, I said, in my head, I thought, well,
it's better than the alternative, right, because not too long ago.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
I used to be so mean before I preached. Wouldn't
that be mean?
Speaker 3 (33:36):
I can't believe I'm telling them this right now. And honestly,
for a long time, it was the pressure and the
anxiety I would feel around preaching, because I would I
would think, what do I have to say? What do
I have authority to speak on? Who am I to
stand up there and talk to people? And through the
(33:57):
work of God in my life, something that began to
shift where all that anxiety started to go away, because
I realize it's not me standing here that when God
gives me an opportunity to minister, I'm not doing it,
as Jonathan josephs, I'm here to minister in the name
of Jesus. So it's not about what I have to say.
Speaker 1 (34:21):
It's about what he has to say.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
And it's not about my worthiness whether I was mean
or whether I was nice. But I'm glad I'm being
nice now. It's not about that. It's about what he's done.
It's about what he did. Peter looks at the man
and says, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
walk and instantly the man's healed and he gets to
his feet and he's jumping, and he's leaping, and he's
(34:46):
praising God because on this ordinary day something changed.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
He met Peter, and Peter's a changed man.
Speaker 3 (34:55):
There are things that God will do in your life
that aren't just meant for you, They're meant for other people.
To God changes you so that he can change others.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
And look at this.
Speaker 3 (35:05):
As people are standing looking at this man in wonder
and amazement, it says that a bunch of people start
to come together, the words getting out about what has happened.
Speaker 1 (35:15):
And in verse twelve, look what Peter says.
Speaker 3 (35:18):
When Peter saw this, he said to the crowd, he
uses every miracle as an opportunity to declare the gospel.
When Peter saw this, he said to them, fellow Israelites,
why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at
us as if it's by our own power or godliness?
Speaker 1 (35:35):
We had made this man walk.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
Look at verse sixteen by faith in the name of Jesus,
this man whom you see and know, was made strong.
It is in Jesus's name and the faith that comes
through him that has completely healed him. As you all
can see, it is in Jesus's name and the faith
(36:00):
that comes through him. Peter said, what are you looking
at us for? It's not by our power, it's not
by might. It's by the power of Jesus that this
man can walk not only Jesus's name, but he says
by faith in the name of Jesus. Now the question
is whose faith? Whose faith in Jesus healed this man?
(36:23):
This man never asked to be healed, was in his faith.
There's no indication this man even knew who Jesus was.
It was in his faith. So whose faith in Jesus? Peters? Peters,
your faith isn't just meant to change you. Your faith
(36:46):
is meant to change others. And some of us are
in the habit of just, you know, come to church
when we need something from God.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
I got to get to church today. I need encouragement,
I need strength.
Speaker 3 (37:05):
And as long as you look at your faith that way,
as if it's just for you to help you get
through and to help you get by, you always limit
what God can do through your life. But what if
you decided that, hey, I'm coming to church anyway, because
even though I might not have a need today, maybe
there's someone else coming to church that needs a touch
from God, and maybe God has given me what they need.
(37:29):
Your faith isn't just meant to change you, It's meant
to change the people around you. And Luke goes on
to say that there were many many people who place their.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
Faith in Jesus that day.
Speaker 3 (37:41):
People's lives were changed because God changed that man.
Speaker 1 (37:45):
But God changed that man because he changed Peter.
Speaker 3 (37:50):
And I see this year being different for you because
I know all of us have things in our life
that we're saying, God, just help me believe. I want
to expect you. I want to have expectation, and I
want to have faith. I want to have hope, I
want to have trust. There are things in my life
that I want to see God change. But I have
to remember too that some of the things that God
wants to change in my life aren't just meant for me.
It's because God has blessed me to be a blessing.
(38:14):
God changes me so that he can change others. I
need eyes to see, I need open hands to give
what He's given me.
Speaker 1 (38:22):
And I don't do it in my own strength. I
do it in the name of Jesus.
Speaker 3 (38:26):
I see this year being a year where you go
from just coming to God like Peter used to do.
So much of Peter's life was following Jesus because of
what was in it for him.
Speaker 1 (38:36):
And now Peter's changing.
Speaker 3 (38:39):
Peter's changing and he sees his purpose in life not
just knowing Jesus for his own sake, but for the
sake of others. I see this changing in your life
this year. I see you coming to church not just
to receive but to give. I see you praying for
people out in the lobby after church because you saw
an orange Bible in their hands and you said, I
can pray for them, I can give I'm a word
(39:00):
of encouragement. I see you looking at someone in worship
and God giving a scripture on your heart, and you
going up to them and being a blessing to them.
Because your faith is not just for you. God changes
you so that he can change others. So I want
to close by just praying over you a prayer of
activation today as we head into this new year, that
(39:24):
this would be a year that not only do you
see God changes in your own life, but that God
would change people through you as well.
Speaker 1 (39:31):
Can you stand to your feet hm? Hm, and let's
do it like this.
Speaker 3 (39:44):
Let's put our hand on the shoulder of someone around
us right now, and in the spirit of this message.
Speaker 1 (39:52):
I'm gonna pray and you're gonna repeat after me.
Speaker 3 (39:55):
And I haven't planned this out, so there's not like
a nice cadence to it.
Speaker 1 (39:58):
Just you just gotta go with me.
Speaker 3 (40:01):
But you're going to pray for the person on your
right and on your left because you have been given
the spirit of God and you are in Christ. The
Bible says that the prayers of the righteous are powerful
and effective, and God is getting ready to do incredible
things in our church this year. God is getting ready
to do amazing things in your life, things that will
exceed your wildness imagination. But it's not just what He
(40:23):
wants to do in you, it's what He wants to
do through you. So with your hand on the shoulders
of the people next to you, do your best to
flow with me as we say this prayer together.
Speaker 1 (40:35):
Okay, say Father, I.
Speaker 3 (40:36):
Thank you for the person on my right and on
my left.
Speaker 1 (40:42):
Thank you for what you've done in.
Speaker 3 (40:43):
Them, thank you for what you're going to do in them.
And I thank you for what you want to do
through them. I pray that you would give them boldness
this year, I pray that you would open up their
eyes to say, see the opportunities that you're giving them to
(41:06):
make a difference for your glory, Strengthen them, increase their expectation,
stir up their faith, that we would see you move
like never before.
Speaker 1 (41:22):
We pray these things in the name of Jesus. Let's
give God a praise. Thank you for joining us.
Speaker 2 (41:37):
Special thanks to those of you who give generously to
this ministry. Is because of you that this ministry is possible.
You can click the link in the description to give
now or visit Elevationchurch dot org slash podcast for more
information and if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe.
You can share it with your friends. You can click
the share button, take a screenshot and share it on
(41:58):
your social stories and tag us at Elevation Church. Thanks
again for listening.
Speaker 1 (42:02):
God bless you.
Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this is our podcast.
I wanted to thank you for joining us today. Hope
this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith. Hope it
gives your perspective to see God as moving in your life.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Enjoy the message slipped our hands together for a moment.
Let's have a prayer of consecration as we head into
a new year together as a church family. Jesus, it's
your name we exalt today. We exalt you in our lives.
(00:34):
As we head into a new year. We just re
establish in our own hearts today that Jesus, you are
our priority, You are our desire, You.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Are our one ambition.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
I don't know what this year holds, whether it's hills,
whether it's valleys, but I know that you go with me,
and that you go before me. So we head into
this new year, we thank you God that, oh the
weapons might be formed against us, they will not prosper
or prevail. I thank you that surely goodness and mercy
will follow me all the days of my life, and
(01:11):
I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.
Thank you for your abiding presence. Thank you for your
strength this year.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Thank you for a spirit of perseverance falling on your people.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
God.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Thank you Lord that is we orient our hearts towards you.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
We will see your kingdom come. Your will be done
here on earth as it is in heaven. We honor you, Lord.
We give you our hearts, we give you our lives.
It's in your name we pray.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
Amen. Amen. Well, Happy New Year, everybody.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
It feels good to start out the year in worship,
doesn't it. If I haven't got a chance to meet you.
My name is Jonathan. I know we have so many
new people here today.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
My name is Jonathan. I'm one of the pastors here.
And let me show you a picture of my family
real quick, they'll throw it up there.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
It's my wife, Anna and our three kids. And we've
been a part of this church for thirteen years now.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
And for us it's such a joy to be able
to be a.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Part of this church family, this church community, and to
be under the incredible leadership of our pastor. Can we
thank the Lord for our pastor? And you know, not
too long ago after I preached recently, someone came up
to me and they said, man, I really enjoyed the
sermon you preach.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
I said, thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
And then what they said next, They said it like
it was the big accomplishment. They said, you know, I
used to get so upset when Pastor Stephen wasn't preaching,
And they said, but now I've decided when he's not preaching,
I'm just gonna thank God that he's getting to rest
his voice. And I didn't really know how to take that,
but let's get in on it together, and let's thank
God that our pastor is getting to rest his voice.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Listen weekend of Hoory Kidding.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
He's probably writing a brand new song for us to
say right now. But I'm really excited about what the
Lord has given me to share with you today on
the cusp of this new year. And we're gonna look
at a scripture from Acts three that I think has
several implications for us today, but we'll also set the
tone for us. We're gonna read our scripture. You can
stay standing for just a moment and then we'll get
(03:19):
to sit down after that. It's optional, but Acts Chapter three,
One day, everybody say one day. I won't have you
repeat every two words, but just to fuel along the way,
everyone say. One day, Peter and John were going up
to the temple at the time of prayer at three
in the afternoon. Now a man who was lame from
(03:41):
birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful,
where he was put every day to beg from those
going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and
John about the enter, he asked them for money. Peter
looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said,
look at us. So the man gave him. Gave them
(04:04):
his attention, expecting to get something from them. Everyone say, expecting.
Then Peter said, silver or gold.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
I do not have.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
But what I do have, I give you in the
name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth walk Taking him by
the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the
man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his
feet and he began to walk. Then he went with
them into the temple courts, walking and jumping and praising God.
(04:38):
Did anyone walking to church like that today? Walking and
jumping and praising God. When all the people saw him
walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same
man who used to sit begging at the temple Gate
called beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement
(05:00):
what had happened to him. My title for today is
Expecting change. Expecting change, go ahead and grab a seat.
I thought that would be a good title for your
first Sunday of a new year. Anyone expecting change going
into this year? Now, I know that there's probably sixty
(05:22):
percent of you that when it comes to a new
year you roll your eyes at the thought of new
year's resolutions. You're like, it's January fourth, and already most
people have already failed at the things that they set
out to do this year, and so this is not
a new Year's resolution message. Don't worry even though there's
others of you who who I mean? This is like
your favorite time of the year. You've already had an
off site with your spouse, You've reflected on the prior year,
(05:45):
You've set your budget, all your vacations planned, every date night,
all your workouts.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
You've got all locked in.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Anybody like that, You're just so excited for a new
year and the possibility of change. No one, Okay, cool,
we're talking to a cynical church today.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
That's amazing, Oh good.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
But there is even though I know there's a part
of us that goes, what's so different about December thirty
first to January first?
Speaker 1 (06:08):
It's just a change on the calendar.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
And yet there's something about transitions in our life that
create a sense of expectation or even anticipation for change
to happen in our life. Often God will use external
transition to bring about internal change in our lives. So
even though you're heading into a new year and some
of your I don't know what's going to be different
from this year to next, there is a sense of optimism,
(06:33):
let's say, in the atmosphere even today, that maybe something
could be different as we head into a new year. Now,
new year's resolutions, that's that's one thing. If you're trying
to lose weight this year or set up an emergency fund,
that's amazing. You can come up with your plan and
set your goals. But what I want to talk to
you about today is less about those those type of
(06:55):
changes that you need to see happen in your life
and that you want to work towards this year. I
want to talk to you more so about the God
changes that you need to see happen in your life.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
As we ended last year.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
Many people in our church participated in our year on offering.
Once again, thank you to everyone who is a part
of our trust in God offering this year, and as
part of that process, we ask everyone in our church
to write down a word that represents what they're believing
God for as we head into a new year, and
as our staff was praying over those words, there wasn't
a single word that I saw that looked like a
(07:29):
new year's resolution.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
I didn't see go to the gym eat more vegetables.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
I saw words like restoration. I saw words like healing.
I saw words like forgiveness. These aren't ordinary changes. These
are God changes. These are things that can only happen
in our life when God begins.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
To create change in us.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
So I love the story of this man in Acts,
and I was drawn to it because on this ordinary day,
an ordinary day. Remember, Luke starts out, Luke, who wrote
the who wrote the Book of Acts, and the Gospel
of Luke starts off by.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Painting this as just a day like any other day.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
This is not December thirty first, This is not January first.
This is not Peter's birthday, This is not the man's birthday.
It's not Christmas, it's not Easter. It's an ordinary day,
and yet something extraordinary happens in the middle of an
ordinary day. How many believe that God can do something
extraordinary on an ordinary day. Everything about his language is
(08:28):
indicating that there's nothing special about today. One day, Peter
and John are going to the temple. They're going at
the time of prayer. This would have been part of
their custom. This is just what they do. And then
it tells us that there is a man who every day,
every day was put out by the temple gates to
beg for money. It's an ordinary day, and yet something
so profound happens to this man on this day, This
(08:49):
man who was lame. Luke later tells us that who's
about forty years old. But all his life, this was
his routine wake up in the morning. And I don't
know who took him to the gates, whether it is
his parents or whether it's for his friends, but someone
took him and set him outside that gate, and day
after day.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
He would sit there and beg for money.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
And yet something happens on this day that changed this
man's life forever. Now, when you come to church, it's
so important that you come in with a level of
expectation that God could do.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Something in your life today.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
Sometimes we get in the habit of treating it like, Oh,
it's just another Sunday, I'm going to hear some worship songs,
I'm gonna hear a message. But what if you came
in with the expectation and belief that today God could
do something in your life that would change you for
the rest of your life. Anybody believed that anything is
possible with God today. Now, as I read about this
(09:45):
man's miracle, the question and the tension for me of
why I kept going back to this passage is I
think it's so amazing that as he meets Peter and
he meets John, and that his legs are strengthened, and
he jumps and he leaps and he praises God. I
want to celebrate the miracle that happened and in his life.
But the question that brings up in me is why now,
after forty years of waking up day after day, why now,
(10:11):
why did God choose to heal them this day? Even pastorally,
I wonder that a lot. It's amazing what I get
to see God do in the lives of the people
of this church. And when someone lets me know that
God set them free from PTSD or God set them
free from a pornography addiction, I'm the first one to
celebrate and praise God for what he's done. When someone
tells me how God completely restored their marriage after all
(10:34):
kinds of betrayal. I want to praise God, jump, leap,
praise God with them for what He's done. But in
the back of my mind sometimes I'm asking the question
why now? And maybe you found yourself in that place too,
where you're like God, I'm so thankful after all these
years of being single, you finally brought a man into
my life. But God, why now? Why now? What was
(10:56):
it about today? What was it about this one that
led to this man being changed? And so look at
the story with me, says day after day, every day
he was put at the temple to beg from those
going into the temple courts, and he sees Peter and
John and he asked them for money. Peter looks at him,
as did John, and look at this in verse five.
So the man gave him, gave them his attention, expecting
(11:20):
to get something from them. But he's not expecting a
healing that day. He's just expecting some money, he's just
expecting change, and yet what he got was so much
greater than even what he was expecting. Now, I wonder
if there was ever a point in this man's life
where he was expecting a miracle.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
It wasn't this day.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
But I wonder maybe if in his teenage years he
had days where he would just wake up in the
morning and try to wiggle his toes, wondering, maybe things
will be different from me today. Maybe today I won't
have to call my friends and ask them to.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Take me to the gate.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
But some of us get stuck in a condition for
so long that it becomes our reality in such a
way that when it comes to our relationship with God,
we've even given up on expecting anything to change. And
yet I'm so thankful that God is a God who
exceeds our expectations. There's this phrase I picked up somewhere
(12:15):
that I used to say that God will often meet
you at the level of your expectation. And I would
love to say that coming into church because and on
one hand, it means that that if I come into
church just expecting it to be an ordinary day or
the message was okay, then I'll often.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
That's what I'll experience.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
And so it say God will often meet you at
the level of your expectation. If you come into church
with an open heart and an open mind, if you
come in expecting that through the Holy Spirit, God will
speak to you, often that's the very thing you receive.
And Yet when I think about that statement, I couldn't
be more wrong, because when I look back over my life,
I'm so grateful that God did not meet me at
(12:52):
the level of my expectation. I'm so grateful that time
and time again God has done exceedingly more than I
could ever ask or imagine.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
Is that anyone's testimony?
Speaker 3 (13:03):
Like you didn't expect to even be alive today. You
didn't expect to be where you are. You didn't expect
to be blessed with this family, blessed with this purpose.
You certainly didn't expect that you would be in church
in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
But how many you want to praise God that he
did more than you could ever expect or imagine.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
So He's expecting to get some change from them, and
instead Peter speaks to him, and it's so swaggy the
way Peter does it in the name of Jesus, get
up and walk and look at this. Taking him by
the right hand, he jumped up and instantly the man's
feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet
and he began to walk. And this is key. It
says that he went with them into the temple courts.
(13:49):
That's a key detail because all this all his life,
he was not allowed to go into the temple. Every
single day of his forty years, he was sat down
outside of the temple gates. His condition prohibited from prohibited
him from going into the temple.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
And yet when God heals.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
His condition that day, not only does he jump and
walk and praise God, but it says that he went
into the temple. I want you to know that when
God brings about a change in your life, it's not
just to fix you.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
It's to restore you.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
Because him going into the temple is significant because it
represents him being restored to worship with God and restored
into community with others. The things that God wants to
bring in your bring about in your life, the changes
that God wants to do on a deep level, they're
not just meant to fix your condition. To make you
feel better or to alleviate your pain temporarily. They're meant
(14:49):
to restore you in worship and restore you in community.
That's this most significant change that happens to this man.
He goes into the temple, and as he's in there,
everybody reckon as the man who look at this used to.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
Sit at the gate called beautiful.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
I love that language, because y'all this just happened to him.
This just happened to him. And yet they're already calling
him the man who used to sit. That's like you
introducing your husband to someone in the lobby after church
and say, oh, this is Frank who used to have
road rage, and.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
They're like, what are you talking about? I just saw
him getting angry in the parking lot on the way in.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
It wasn't all that long ago. No, No, he used
to have road rage. He's a changed man because he
was a church and God touched him and he changed
the man who used to sit. And they're filled with
wonder and amazement because they recognize them. This guy for
forty years has been sitting at this gate, and isn't
that the same guy? Now he's walking, he's leaping, he's jumping,
(15:46):
he's praising God, and they're filled with wonder and amazement.
Look what God does in their life because of what
He's done in this man's life. God heals him, but
he fills them with wonder and amazement. When when a
God change happens in your life, it creates wonder.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
And other people, if it's possible for.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
Him, I wonder what God could do for me, And
they're filled with wonder and amazement because look at that
this man who had just been sitting there instantly his
feet and ankles became strong instantly. And as I thought
about that word, I thought, man, it must have been
so amazing for everyone to see this man who had
(16:26):
just been sitting there lame suddenly walking. And yet for
this man, this miracle is anything but sudden. It's been
forty years, and often the God changes that happened in
your life will look sudden to other people. But for you,
I mean, you know, all the labor and all the
(16:47):
prayer and all the tears you cried to get to
this place, and so other people are filled with wonder
and amazement. Look what God has done in your life,
and it looks so easy to them. And yet you know,
all the petitions, is when you went before God's saying, God,
can you do something about my situation?
Speaker 1 (17:04):
God, can you help me right now?
Speaker 3 (17:06):
And so it was sudden to them, but it was
slow to him, And it brought back up that question
in my mind.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
So why now, forty years, day.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
After day this man is put by the temple gates
to beg for money. It was just his way of surviving.
Day after day he was placed there begging. And yet
on this ordinary day something happens in his life that
changes him forever. Why today? And I sat there with
this question looking for some deep answer, you know, something
(17:41):
beyond just oh, well in God's timing, because how many
you know when you're really wrestling with something, When you've
been chained up and bound by something for so long,
the last thing you want to hear as you're working
to get free is just, oh, in God's timing. I
want to be able to trust.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
God's timing, but that's not the thing I want to
hear all the time.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
And so I'm looking at this passage going what was
different about today? One day, every day time of prayer?
One day, every day time of prayer? What was different
about today? That led to this God change in this
man's life. And the answer is right on the surface.
What was different about today he met Peter. That's what
(18:21):
was different about today he met Peter.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
And y'all, the man's not the only one changing. Peter's
changing too.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
And I realized that as Luke writes this story, the
man who was healed, that was lame from birth, he's
not even the main character.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
Peter is.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
And Luke is trying to get us to see that
Peter is changing, as there's a whole bunch of transition happening.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Let me give you some context.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
Luke wrote the Gospel of Luke, where he recorded the
words and deeds that Jesus did on the earth, and
then he continues his Gospel of Luke with the Book
of Acts. Acts Chapter one starts out with Jesus, who
is resurrected from the dead ascending into heaven. So Luke's
trying to get you to see there's a God change happening. Jesus,
who had been doing ministry on earth for three years
(19:13):
has now resurrected and ascended to the Father.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
That's Acts Chapter one. Acts Chapter two.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
There's another God change that happened as the apostles. The
people who had been with Jesus during his earthly ministry
are in an upper room in Jerusalem praying. God sends
the spirit, the Holy Spirit, and it falls on them
like tongues of fire, and the church begins that day.
In Acts chapter two, y'all, that's a god change. God
(19:41):
is saying, although Jesus in his physical body has ascended
into heaven, Luke wants us to know that the ministry
of Jesus is now continuing, but it continues through his church.
And then in Acts chapter three, where we are, Luke
is trying to get you to see that not only
is there so much change happening, but as the way
God is working in the.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
Earth is changing, he's changing.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
Peter two, the Peter we read about in Acts chapter three, y'all,
if you read about him and the.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
Gospels, this is not the same Peter. This Peter in
the name.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
Of Jesus Christ of Nazareth walk. But y'all, it wasn't
too long ago. Right now he's healing people, but not
too long ago he was cutting off someone's.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
Ear with a sword. How many you know this is
not the same Peter.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
This Peter here who's boldly declaring who Jesus is and
what he's done.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
Not too long ago, just weeks earlier.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
Was keeping his distance as Jesus went to the cross,
and even denying that he knew him. This is not
the same Peter. He's somewhere between fishermen Peter and Saint Peter.
He's not there yet, but he's certainly not who he
used to be.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
And a miracle takes place.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
In this man's life because God is changing. Peter is
going through a God change right now. I want to
show you a few things that are changing in peter life.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
The first one is this.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
It says that Peter looked straight at him, as did John.
Then Peter said, look at us. So the man gave
him his attention, expecting to get something from him. It's
amazing to me that before the man gave Peter his attention,
Peter gave him his.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
Peter's changing because Peter had a.
Speaker 3 (21:22):
Tendency, if you read about his life, to always be
caught up in what he was doing, always be caught
up in his agenda, always be focused on what's in
it for Peter. Right now, and it's amazing that is
Peter is doing his thing, going up to the temple
to pray. It was the right thing to do. It
was on his calendar for the day. I'm going to
(21:42):
the temple to pray. It's amazing that Peter, as God
is changing him, stops to see someone in their condition
who needed help. The fact that Peter saw him is incredible.
It lets me know that Peter is changing, because that's
not like Peter.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
Now.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
When the scripture says that he saw him, it's an
echo to when the scripture uses the word saw, it's
an indication of It means he was filled with compassion
and a sense of responsibility.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
Y'all.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
This is Peter who would say, Hey, tell the little
children to get away from Jesus.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
I'm spending time with them.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
He's now filled with compassion and a sense of responsibility.
Like when Jesus was about to heal, about to raise
a little boy from the dead, it says that he
saw his mother and his heart went out for him.
Jesus saw people and had compassion, And after three years
of being of Jesus and not always getting it, now
Peter is changing, and as he's going to the temple, he.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
Sees this man.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
Now every day thousands of people would have walked past
this man, and many of them would have given him
money as they went to the temple the worship. Part
of their worship was giving alms to the poor, so
there would have been beggars all around the temple and
people as they would walk to the temple, they would
walk past them and maybe throw them some money. They
would look past them, but they wouldn't look at them.
(23:04):
What's different about this is that Peter stops and he
sees the man. He gives him his attention instead of
just giving him money. This isn't transactional, it's relational. And
one of the ways that I know God is changing
me in my life is when I begin.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
To see people, see people. Not get so caught.
Speaker 3 (23:27):
Up in my world and what I have to do
and what I think should happen. But I want God
to give me eyes to see people for where they are,
and that he would fill me with compassion. I'm so
glad Tad's sitting in church today. You're always in church,
but I was glad you're here today. One of the
things I love about Tad is this is one of
the things I admire about Tad because Katie, when we
(23:49):
do baptisms as a church, and there's sometimes hundreds of
people lining outside the tank waiting to get baptized. You
can see them kind of shaky, tears in their eyes
at such a big and special moment for them. I
love watching your husband because he has a way of
seeing people. And Tad will walk through the line and
stop and talk to each person and pray for every
(24:09):
single person being baptized.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
That day because he's a changed man. God saw him
and now he sees others. I wonder what.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
I wonder what God might do through you if you
become a person who has eyes to see people who
are in need. That was a prayer I had for
a year. I'd wake up every day it was simply
went like this, God help me see Christ in others
that they might see Christ in me. God help me
see Christ in others that they might see Christ in me.
See Peter, he's not seeing like he used to see.
(24:45):
He's seeing like Jesus. He's noticing people in their need,
in their condition, and he senses not only compassion, not
just I feel for them, but I have a sense
of responsibility to do something about it. And look what
happens next. Not only does Peter see him. But Peter
then says, silver or gold I do not have. If
anyone had an excuse just to walk by this man
(25:06):
that day, it was Peter because he did not have
what the man was asking for.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
He didn't have silver or gold.
Speaker 3 (25:14):
And as this man is asking for money, Peter could
have just been nope, gone on his way.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
But he stops and.
Speaker 3 (25:20):
He says, silver or gold I do not have, but
look at this, But what I do have I give
to you. I know Peter is changing because most of
his life Peter operated from a place of scarcity. Like
when crowds of people were waiting around to hear Jesus,
Peter's the one saying send the crowds away so they
can get something to eat, because he himself was hungry.
(25:42):
Peter had a way of just thinking about being protective.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
And yet here he is in this scenario.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
I know God is changing him because he says, I
don't have what you're asking for, but what I do have,
I want to give it to you. I know God
is changing me when I begin to give more than
what people ask for. If you can get this idea
in your heart, I really believe it will unlock your
ministry this year and the things that God wants to
(26:07):
do through your life. So many of us live our
lives going well, if someone asked for it.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
I'll give it to them.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
But something fundamentally shifts in the way that God can
use you when you stop limiting your ministry by what
people are asking for and you begin to look at God,
what have you already given me in my life that
I can give to be a blessing and make a
difference in someone's life. Because you have to realize people
will rarely ask you for what they actually need. They
(26:35):
just ask you for what they want. This man, he
wasn't asking for healing, he was asking for money.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
An example in my life, my friend Levi's here today.
I didn't tell him I was going to use him
as an example. But when we were getting to know
each other, we'd.
Speaker 3 (26:49):
Hung out a couple times through a mutual friend, and
one day that friend of ours, he pulls me aside privately,
I've never told you this, and he said, he said, leave,
I wants to go to church with you so bad.
I said what, And two things came through my mind.
I said, all the times we've hung out, he's never
asked me about going to church.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
What's up with that? And second of all, it's a church.
Speaker 3 (27:08):
He doesn't need a special invite to come.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
If he wants to come, you can just come.
Speaker 3 (27:12):
You don't need an invite from the campus pastor to
show up here. But I thought about it. I said,
he said, no, he really wants to go with you.
I bet if you ask him, he'll come. And so
on his encouragement, I invited Levi to church and guess
what he came.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
Now, this isn't a dramatic story.
Speaker 3 (27:25):
He already had a relationship with Christ, but he was
outside of Christian community and he didn't have a place
of regular worship. And I knew that, and I knew that,
and I knew I had what he needed, but I
never offered it because he never asked. And I wonder
if there are people in your life who need what
(27:49):
you have but you are withholding it because you're waiting
for them.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
To ask you.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
And I wonder, well, you're assuming, well, if they wanted
to come to church with me, if they wanted me
to pray with them, they would ask.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
And they're going I don't get it. I know they
love their church, they talk about.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
It all the time they post the messages, they're always
playing the worship song. I wonder how they love their
church so much, and yet they've never asked me to come.
My dad's here today, so I want to use him
as an example, and it's it's a good one.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
Too, okay.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
But so often when I call my dad to talk
to him, talk to him, he'll tell me how he
got the minister to someone, how he.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
Got to pray with someone, whether that's.
Speaker 3 (28:27):
Praying for someone in an employee at his office who
got a cancer diagnosis, or someone at the gym who's
going through a divorce.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
And he always call me with these stories, I got
to pray for so and so. They're going through this,
they're going through that.
Speaker 3 (28:41):
And I was always wondering, why are so many people
asking my dad.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
To pray for him pray pray for them.
Speaker 3 (28:47):
Because, y'all, I'm a pastor, and people don't even ask
me to pray for them as.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
Often as they ask him.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
Time after time he tells me these stories, and then
I realize, no one's asking him to pray with them.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
No one's asked asking him to pray with them. But
somewhere along.
Speaker 3 (29:03):
The way, he decided to be intentional with what God
has given him, and instead of waiting for someone to ask,
he decided to give.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
So when someone said I just.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
Got a diagnosis, he knows he can't heal their cancer,
but he gave what he had. Can I pray for
you When someone's going through a divorce. He knows I
don't know how to fix your marriage right now.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
But can I pray for you? He gave what he had.
Speaker 3 (29:30):
And I want to let you know, brothers and sisters,
that God has given you so much. And what God
has done in your life is not just meant for you,
It's meant for other people around you. There are people
in your world who need the peace you have, who
need the joy you have, who need the hope you have,
who need the strength you have, and God has given
(29:51):
it to you. God has changed you so that you
can give it to them. Peter says, silver or gold,
I don't have. What I do have, I give to you.
He gave the man something so much greater than what
he asked for.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
And that's my heart for.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
This year, not only for myself, but for all of us.
As a truth, what would this city look like if
we became a people who did not wait to be asked,
but decided that we're gonna freely give what God has
given us.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
He gave what he had.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
Look at this last thing that's changing in Peter's life,
and it shows up in this powerful statement he says next,
in the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
Walk, y'all. This is a change for Peter too.
Speaker 3 (30:38):
Now, sometimes when we read these stories, it's easy for
us to kind of strip.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
The humanity out of it.
Speaker 3 (30:42):
Sometimes Peter sounds so bold, in the name of Jesus
Christ of Nazareth, Walk, But I wonder do you think
maybe underneath the surface Peter's heart was racing a little bit.
Do you think maybe, as he said in the Name
of Jesus Christ, walk, that his voice go a little
bit shaky, wondering, Man, I've seen Jesus do miracles before.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
But what if this doesn't work. There's all these people around.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
What if I say, get up in the name of
Jesus and this man can't. What if it doesn't work,
What if he can't walk? Worse, what if I set
him up to hope again and it doesn't work. I
wonder if Peter was feeling a little bit anxious as
he walked past this man and decided that day I'm.
Speaker 1 (31:24):
Going to pray for his healing.
Speaker 3 (31:26):
Maybe he was a little bit anxious, or the old
Peter certainly would have been arrogant.
Speaker 1 (31:30):
You know, Peter had a way of just doing things
his way. I know what's best.
Speaker 3 (31:34):
But whether it's insecurity or conceitedness, it's all self consciousness.
And one of the changes that God wants to bring
about in our life is taking us from being self
conscious to Christ conscious. When he says in the name
of Jesus, this is not just like a formality like
what you pray at the end of giving a blessing
(31:55):
over your food, thank you for these carrots, thank you
for this chicken.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
Bless it to our bodies. In the name of Jesus.
Me no, no, no.
Speaker 3 (32:01):
When he says in the name of Jesus, it means
that it's in reference. It means that he is walking
in the identity of Jesus, the power of Jesus, and
the authority of Jesus.
Speaker 1 (32:14):
So as Peter.
Speaker 3 (32:15):
Stands before this man, this is a change for Peter
because for once in his life, he's not trying to
do it in his own strength. He's doing it in
the strength and in the name, and in the authority
and in the power of Jesus.
Speaker 1 (32:32):
Some of us talk.
Speaker 3 (32:33):
Ourselves out of being used by God because we're going,
how can I give someone advice on how to fix
a relationship when there's people I'm afraid to pick up
the phone and call.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
How am I going to talk to someone.
Speaker 3 (32:43):
About their addiction when I've got this plank in my
own eye?
Speaker 1 (32:46):
And so we.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
Disqualify ourselves from being used by God because we think,
how can God use someone like me? But the reality
is that if you are in Christ, it has nothing
to do with your worst days or your best days.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
When you stand up in front of someone.
Speaker 3 (33:01):
To minister or to be used, you're not doing it
in your name.
Speaker 1 (33:06):
You're doing it.
Speaker 3 (33:06):
In the name of Jesus. Do you have his power,
you have his authority, You're doing it in his name, y'all.
Yesterday Anna said to me, she said, do you try to.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
Be nicer to me before you preach?
Speaker 3 (33:21):
I think she said to you being so nice lately,
it's like I need to come up here with a
clear conscience. And uh, I said, in my head, I thought, well,
it's better than the alternative, right, because not too long ago.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
I used to be so mean before I preached. Wouldn't
that be mean?
Speaker 3 (33:36):
I can't believe I'm telling them this right now. And honestly,
for a long time, it was the pressure and the
anxiety I would feel around preaching, because I would I
would think, what do I have to say? What do
I have authority to speak on? Who am I to
stand up there and talk to people? And through the
(33:57):
work of God in my life, something that began to
shift where all that anxiety started to go away, because
I realize it's not me standing here that when God
gives me an opportunity to minister, I'm not doing it,
as Jonathan josephs, I'm here to minister in the name
of Jesus. So it's not about what I have to say.
Speaker 1 (34:21):
It's about what he has to say.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
And it's not about my worthiness whether I was mean
or whether I was nice. But I'm glad I'm being
nice now. It's not about that. It's about what he's done.
It's about what he did. Peter looks at the man
and says, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
walk and instantly the man's healed and he gets to
his feet and he's jumping, and he's leaping, and he's
(34:46):
praising God because on this ordinary day something changed.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
He met Peter, and Peter's a changed man.
Speaker 3 (34:55):
There are things that God will do in your life
that aren't just meant for you, They're meant for other people.
To God changes you so that he can change others.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
And look at this.
Speaker 3 (35:05):
As people are standing looking at this man in wonder
and amazement, it says that a bunch of people start
to come together, the words getting out about what has happened.
Speaker 1 (35:15):
And in verse twelve, look what Peter says.
Speaker 3 (35:18):
When Peter saw this, he said to the crowd, he
uses every miracle as an opportunity to declare the gospel.
When Peter saw this, he said to them, fellow Israelites,
why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at
us as if it's by our own power or godliness?
Speaker 1 (35:35):
We had made this man walk.
Speaker 3 (35:38):
Look at verse sixteen by faith in the name of Jesus,
this man whom you see and know, was made strong.
It is in Jesus's name and the faith that comes
through him that has completely healed him. As you all
can see, it is in Jesus's name and the faith
(36:00):
that comes through him. Peter said, what are you looking
at us for? It's not by our power, it's not
by might. It's by the power of Jesus that this
man can walk not only Jesus's name, but he says
by faith in the name of Jesus. Now the question
is whose faith? Whose faith in Jesus healed this man?
(36:23):
This man never asked to be healed, was in his faith.
There's no indication this man even knew who Jesus was.
It was in his faith. So whose faith in Jesus? Peters? Peters,
your faith isn't just meant to change you. Your faith
(36:46):
is meant to change others. And some of us are
in the habit of just, you know, come to church
when we need something from God.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
I got to get to church today. I need encouragement,
I need strength.
Speaker 3 (37:05):
And as long as you look at your faith that way,
as if it's just for you to help you get
through and to help you get by, you always limit
what God can do through your life. But what if
you decided that, hey, I'm coming to church anyway, because
even though I might not have a need today, maybe
there's someone else coming to church that needs a touch
from God, and maybe God has given me what they need.
(37:29):
Your faith isn't just meant to change you, It's meant
to change the people around you. And Luke goes on
to say that there were many many people who place their.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
Faith in Jesus that day.
Speaker 3 (37:41):
People's lives were changed because God changed that man.
Speaker 1 (37:45):
But God changed that man because he changed Peter.
Speaker 3 (37:50):
And I see this year being different for you because
I know all of us have things in our life
that we're saying, God, just help me believe. I want
to expect you. I want to have expectation, and I
want to have faith. I want to have hope, I
want to have trust. There are things in my life
that I want to see God change. But I have
to remember too that some of the things that God
wants to change in my life aren't just meant for me.
It's because God has blessed me to be a blessing.
(38:14):
God changes me so that he can change others. I
need eyes to see, I need open hands to give
what He's given me.
Speaker 1 (38:22):
And I don't do it in my own strength. I
do it in the name of Jesus.
Speaker 3 (38:26):
I see this year being a year where you go
from just coming to God like Peter used to do.
So much of Peter's life was following Jesus because of
what was in it for him.
Speaker 1 (38:36):
And now Peter's changing.
Speaker 3 (38:39):
Peter's changing and he sees his purpose in life not
just knowing Jesus for his own sake, but for the
sake of others. I see this changing in your life
this year. I see you coming to church not just
to receive but to give. I see you praying for
people out in the lobby after church because you saw
an orange Bible in their hands and you said, I
can pray for them, I can give I'm a word
(39:00):
of encouragement. I see you looking at someone in worship
and God giving a scripture on your heart, and you
going up to them and being a blessing to them.
Because your faith is not just for you. God changes
you so that he can change others. So I want
to close by just praying over you a prayer of
activation today as we head into this new year, that
(39:24):
this would be a year that not only do you
see God changes in your own life, but that God
would change people through you as well.
Speaker 1 (39:31):
Can you stand to your feet hm? Hm, and let's
do it like this.
Speaker 3 (39:44):
Let's put our hand on the shoulder of someone around
us right now, and in the spirit of this message.
Speaker 1 (39:52):
I'm gonna pray and you're gonna repeat after me.
Speaker 3 (39:55):
And I haven't planned this out, so there's not like
a nice cadence to it.
Speaker 1 (39:58):
Just you just gotta go with me.
Speaker 3 (40:01):
But you're going to pray for the person on your
right and on your left because you have been given
the spirit of God and you are in Christ. The
Bible says that the prayers of the righteous are powerful
and effective, and God is getting ready to do incredible
things in our church this year. God is getting ready
to do amazing things in your life, things that will
exceed your wildness imagination. But it's not just what He
(40:23):
wants to do in you, it's what He wants to
do through you. So with your hand on the shoulders
of the people next to you, do your best to
flow with me as we say this prayer together.
Speaker 1 (40:35):
Okay, say Father, I.
Speaker 3 (40:36):
Thank you for the person on my right and on
my left.
Speaker 1 (40:42):
Thank you for what you've done in.
Speaker 3 (40:43):
Them, thank you for what you're going to do in them.
And I thank you for what you want to do
through them. I pray that you would give them boldness
this year, I pray that you would open up their
eyes to say, see the opportunities that you're giving them to
(41:06):
make a difference for your glory, Strengthen them, increase their expectation,
stir up their faith, that we would see you move
like never before.
Speaker 1 (41:22):
We pray these things in the name of Jesus. Let's
give God a praise. Thank you for joining us.
Speaker 2 (41:37):
Special thanks to those of you who give generously to
this ministry. Is because of you that this ministry is possible.
You can click the link in the description to give
now or visit Elevationchurch dot org slash podcast for more
information and if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe.
You can share it with your friends. You can click
the share button, take a screenshot and share it on
(41:58):
your social stories and tag us at Elevation Church. Thanks
again for listening.
Speaker 1 (42:02):
God bless you.
Host
Steven Furtick
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!