Worship

“I’m So Glad I Met Jesus” by Thrive Worship

Scripture

“Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.” -Acts 5:12-16, ESV

The Transforming Work of Christ

Do you remember the day you met Jesus? It was the day you were invited by the Spirit of God to leave the ordinary behind for the greatest adventure of all time! And today, this adventure with Jesus is calling, “Will you go with Me?”

Go in Power

I had lunch this week with four women (two being my daughters) where we just shared stories of when we had seen Jesus move in power. The question was posed at the table: “What is the most amazing thing you have seen God do on your trips?” Hands down, the miracle of salvation answers that question emphatically.

Three of us sitting around that table take regular trips around the world to share the gospel. What was once a cry of our hearts to see God move in power has become normative. Healing and miracles are normal place now as I travel around the world. It’s glorious, and it’s who Jesus is and what He does. He’s so profound, and He loves so profoundly.

Just before Luke’s testimony in Acts 5, believers were asking the Lord to move in power, to bring healing, and perform signs and wonders (Acts 4:30). It was the cry of their hearts that the demonstration and the proclamation of the gospel would go out as the believers were filled with the Holy Spirit. The Church was purified at the beginning of Acts 5 with the death of Ananias and Sapphira, and a fear of the Lord settled on God’s people. And the Church began to grow.

One of our missionaries located in one South American country recently shared of a 15-year-old girl who would no longer speak because she stuttered. She had been so traumatized by the mocking she had endured, she refused to speak anymore. As soon as she met Jesus, He healed her stutter, and now she is the most powerful evangelist for the gospel!

In an article from CBN, it says “Two Assembly of God missionaries … report Muslims are meeting Jesus in their dreams and converting to Christianity at an alarming rate.” He is going where we cannot go. But where we do go, He is moving with wonder upon wonder so that everyone will be given a chance to receive Jesus as Savior.

Go in Unity

The unity of God’s people was a powerful sign as the Church was growing in the book of Acts. When hearts are united by the power of the Spirit, it not only is a combined force of faith, but it is an otherworldly demonstration of Christ’s life in His people. The apostles were chosen to lead the way in the early Church, showing the believers what life in the Spirit looked like. “Follow me as I follow Christ” was imperative to all these young believers. Church was not sitting in a building gaining head knowledge, nor was it hiding behind closed doors in safety. Jesus had commissioned His Church to go and move and display the wonder and power and presence of the Living God. It was the mandate for them, and it’s the mandate for us today!

Go Before Jesus Returns

Remember the scene before the infant Church set out? Jesus had just ascended and told them He was coming back to get them. They stood staring into the sky. I wonder if they were thinking He’d be right back. More than 2,000 years later, the cry of God’s people is getting louder, “Maranatha, come Lord Jesus, come!”

Kendall Bridges, my pastor, preached a fiery sermon on the return of Jesus. He said, “The coming of Jesus should be the single greatest influencer of our lives.” In other words, this soon coming reality should influence every single area of our lives. We must go and tell others of the salvation found only in Him while we still can. He is looking for faithful servants who are willing to open their mouths with a declaration of the gospel and pray for what God wants to release in this hour in the Earth for those who are seeking Him.

“My dear friend, there is no more worthy way to spend that shrinking gap between now and forever than fulfilling your mission as an ambassador for Christ. In your home, in your workplace, in your church, in your neighborhood, be a light that shows people that there is hope in this deteriorating world. Let them see the peace that can be had in our divided, violent culture. Tell them that worse times are coming, but that they don’t need to be afraid. Jesus is coming to take those who belong to Him, and all they need to do to be part of that rescue operation is to believe and receive the free gift of salvation. That is why you are here.” -Amir Tsarfati, “Has the Tribulation Begun?”

Amir Tsarfati’s book is one of my most favorite books of 2023!

Unity and Mission in God’s Plan

Church, how do we tie all of these factors together: unity, power, a heart’s cry to see Jesus again, and—one last detail from this passage—multitudes being added? All of these elements build the foundation for an extraordinary life together as the Church! I have seen and can testify to this! When I take a team of fiery, Holy Spirit-filled women, whose hearts are knitted together with Jesus as the singular focus, who are living with the reality of our soon coming King, I watch the power of God on display through their faith, courage, and obedience. Multitudes get added! The sick are healed, and the fear of the Lord rests on His people in even greater measure. Worship rises. It’s symbiotic in nature and a glory only the Lord could display. But it all works together in unison. The context of these new believers and commissioned apostles in Acts 5 grew on the basis of their longing to see Jesus again, their conviction that the Great Commission was given to them as their mandate to own, and their faith that nothing was impossible for those who believe. Every element of this framework is necessary for the spread of the gospel to the ends of the Earth.

So as the spirit of offense is seeking to divide and conquer God’s people this year, we press even further into loving one another deeply. As fear rises because of the Earth is groaning for the return of Jesus increases, we fix our eyes on Jesus, shoulder to shoulder with one another and move forward. Multitudes will be added in the face of impossibility for those who are not satisfied with ordinary and status quo. It’s His final word of victory that He has in store for the upright.

Let me end with this captivating quote from Francis Chan from his book, “Letters to the Church”:

“People were attracted to the early church. Who wouldn’t be fascinated by a group that shared possessions, rejoiced nonstop, had peace beyond comprehension and immeasurable power, never complained, always gave thanks …? Some people joined them, others hated them, but few could ignore them. They wouldn’t allow people to ignore them as they went out fearlessly sharing the gospel. This is our heritage. This is in our DNA. We must stop creating safe places for people to hide and start developing fearless warriors to send out.”

This is our heritage. This is in our DNA.

Maranatha!

A Few Key Notes

• Join me and other Arise women for Make Room, a time of worship and prayer on August 8. Come and go between 7-9 a.m. at Freedom Church, 2435 E. Hebron Parkway, Carrollton, TX 75010.
• See God’s power unleashed in your life. Save the date for a six-week study through the Robby Dawkins book “Do What Jesus Did” beginning September 5. Registration details are coming soon!
• Join me as we spread the gospel in Latin America, November 9-17. Learn more about this short-term mission team and apply today!