Acts Project

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I was reading in Luke 6 recently and noticed a time that Jesus prayed all night. Have you ever prayed all night? I haven’t.

I remember a time as a young man that I made a commitment to pray at the Church every morning at 6:00. I would fervently intercede about everything that came to mind, and I’d be done in less than 10 minutes. I can’t imagine praying all night. I want to learn, but I’m certainly not there.

What would Jesus pray about all night? Would he do all the talking? I bet not… I imagine he did a lot of listening as well.

In Luke 6 Jesus prayed all night and then when morning came he called his disciples together and chose twelve of them whom he named apostles.

Do you think that perhaps this is what God was talking to him about throughout the night? Did Jesus decide to appoint some leaders and then decided to pray about it all night, or did Jesus pray all night and was instructed to appoint leaders. My guess is the latter.

There was a lot riding on what the Holy Spirit directed Jesus to do the next day: Who should he appoint? How many? What should he call them? Isn’t it interesting who Jesus chose; fisherman, a tax collector, Judas? Would Jesus have chosen these men if he was taking the practical approach? I don’t think so.

Now if Jesus needed to pray and depend upon directives from the Father… how much more do we need this. I want my heart to change. I want to be a man that’s compelled to spend all night with Father.

Yesterday morning I spent some time in prayer and was refreshed and renewed. I then when to Starbucks and a friend engaged me in conversation. He’s an Unitarian. He began to tell me of his passionate distaste for the war in Iraq. He even marched against the war. I believe the Holy Spirit quickened my heart to ask him about the contradiction of despising war but embracing abortion. I was able to point out man’s futility in establishing a consistent moraliity for himself; the impossibility of imposing morality; the fact we are fallen and the hope we have in Jesus who can miraculously change a heart into one that wants to do what’s right.

I could tell the Holy Spirit was working. I believe Jesus was talking to his heart. I believe he’s a few steps closer to embracing the Gospel.

Would I have had this opportunity if I didn’t spend time in prayer that morning? Would I have known what to say? Would I have had the favor that I did? No, definitely not.

We must pray. We must be renewed each day and be sent out but the Holy Spirit.

“[Mission] is not essentially a human activity undertaken by the church and its leaders out of obligation to the Great Commission, gratitude for what God has done for us, and the desperate plight of the world. It is God’s own mission in which we are invited to participate. The church is not as much a sending agency as it is a sent agency.” (Stephen Seamands, “Ministry in the Image of God”)

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There has been a lot of progress in the relationship with my new friend.  He responds to me now with genuine joy and friendliness when he sees me come into Starbucks.  I am confident that God has given me favor with him.  I want to be a good steward of this favor.  I want to respond responsibly to the Holy Spirit with gentle boldness.  (Or forceful boldness if the situation calls for it.) 

Many times I have heard the following quote ascribed to Francis of Assisi; “Preach the Gospel at all times, use words if necessary.”  Christians have used this statement as an excuse to just “live the life” without taking the uncomfortable step of actually telling others the Good News.  Francis of Assisi never made this statement, and ironically he was an open air preacher. 

Romans 10:13-15 (ESV) says this;  For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  (14)  How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? (15)  And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 

There are three things that I notice in this passage of scripture.  First of all, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.  This is good news!  No one will be rejected that humble themselves.  Secondly, the Good News must be presented.  Isn’t this logical?  The minority of people in our society will go to church, but the vast majority of them will rub shoulders with Christians.  It is clear that laymen need to be messengers.  Thirdly, we must be sent. 

We have been commissioned to carry the Good News to the world, and we need to be boldly responsive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in given situations.  This is a risk.  We may be rejected, made fun of, fired, exiled, punched, or ignored.  Or, we might be listened to.  Maybe that person will actually respond to the Holy Spirit and give their life to Jesus.  What a thought!  Whatever the outcome, the consequences are eternal. 

Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

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Waking up every morning anticipating what You’re going to say this day

Walking out my door anticipating where You’re going to lead me and to whom

Watching those around me anticipating how You want to love them today

Waiting for Your voice anticipating Your every word, Your every move, following Your every lead

Wanting more of You anticipating Your presence every moment – with every breath

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This morning, while driving to Starbucks, I anticipated that something exciting might happen.  I’ve been purposeful about praying for one of my Starbucks friends and I’m confident that God has heard my prayers.  

While praying for him at our Acts Project group this last week, one of our members felt impressed by the Holy Spirit that he had a fear of Hell and that fear may be an entry point for reaching him with the Gospel.  This rang true with me, because recently I finished a study about Hell.  I haven’t studied the Bible regarding Hell for years, but I felt an urgency to “freshen up” on my understanding about this hot topic (pun intended).  Now it seemed to make more sense. 

I was surprised that my friend was absent when I arrived at Starbucks.  I went to get my cup of coffee and sat down in our favorite chair.  In a few moments he arrived and I moved to the second best chair, but he sat down somewhere else.  Out of character I raised my voice across the coffee shop and asked him why he sat down in a strange place and invited him to sit in our favorite chair.  He came over and we exchanged a few pleasantries and he began to read the newspaper.

 I was ready for some kind of “Hell” conversation but it never came up.  He didn’t come across it in the newspaper.  He didn’t turn to me and say, “Hey, there’s this article about Hell in the Lifestyle section, what do you think?”

 How do you bring up the topic of Hell to a relative stranger?  Do you say something like, “Aunt Milly died yesterday; I think she probably went to Hell.”?  Or do you say something like, “I had a h___ of a time this last weekend; speaking of Hell, are you afraid to go there?”

It will be interesting to see where all this goes.  I know that the Holy Spirit is at work.  I trust God to love my friend and to orchestrate the conversations necessary to reach him for the Gospel.  I want to participate with the Holy Spirit in this venture. 

 Father, help me to hear your voice clearly as I visit with my new friend.  Help me to relax and trust your methods.  Help me not to operate out of my own ambitions, but to respond to your Holy Spirit.

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Yesterday morning as I sat with my Lord, I asked Him what was on His heart for me. He took me to the book of Acts and pointed out a few things He wanted me to know.
When the Holy Spirit had poured out, fell on, came on the men and women of Acts, they were:
• Anointed by the Holy Spirit
• Appointed by the Holy Spirit
• Baptized with the Holy Spirit
• Bound by the Holy Spirit
• Commissioned by the Holy Spirit
• Compelled by the Holy Spirit
• Emboldened by Holy Spirit
• Empowered by the Holy Spirit
• Encouraged by the Holy Spirit
• Filled with the Holy Spirit
• Full of the Holy Spirit
• Gifted by the Holy Spirit
• Given the gift of tongues by the Holy Spirit
• Guided by the Holy Spirit
• Prevented by the Holy Spirit
• Prophesied through the Holy Spirit
• Sent by the Holy Spirit
• Spoken to by the Holy Spirit
• Told by the Holy Spirit
• Transported by the Holy Spirit
• United by the Holy Spirit

Lord, make me an Acts woman! Fill me to the top and spilling over with Your Holy Spirit. Let me live each day under the power and anointing of Your Holy Spirit. Where each and every day I live and move and have my being in You. Where everything I see and hear You do – I do too. Where every breath I take is in Your presence. Lord, make me an Acts woman. A woman full of Your Holy Spirit, ready to follow wherever You lead.
I love you, Jesus. Thank you.

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I made a new friend at Starbucks today.  I’ll call him Mr. Fret because he was quite worried about where our economy was headed and talked about it for quite some time.  We traded war stories about how difficult things were in the market place.  The conversation grew darker and darker regarding the looming world financial disaster. 

I knew this was a divine appointment so I began to pray asking the Holy Spirit to show me what to do. 

Well, we talked and talked and I wasn’t sensing any clear promptings about what to do.  I even tried tossing out the question, “So, what’s the answer?”  He proceeded to tell me what the answer “wasn’t”.  I could have jumped in here and told him what the answer “was”, but this didn’t feel right to me. 

I began to notice something unseemly about my own attitude while talking to Mr. Fret.  I was more concerned about how I was going to “edge in” some kind of mention about God rather than truly loving Mr. Fret and having a sincere concern about his soul.  Mr. Fret became to me more of a mark than a person deeply loved by God.  Like I was some kind of Gospel Salesman that would strike if I saw blood in the water. 

This is the danger of being intentional about sharing God’s kindness; our Divine Appointments become more Appointment than Divine.  The true goal of our walk with God is our intimacy with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Out of that intimacy fruit will naturally result.  That’s why our Acts Project meetings center on prayer and devotions. 

While I was visiting with Mr. Fret I quietly repented in my heart about my misguided agenda and decided to listen to him and give him value just like Jesus would.  It wasn’t long where 1 Peter 2:9 came to mind that says, “you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 

I knew what I was supposed to do; I was supposed to proclaim the “excellencies of Him”. 

I told Mr. Fret my own experience with the failed economy.  I told him about the devastation that it brought to my personal finances and the modest life that I’m living in comparison to just a few years back; but yet the peace and joy that I have because of Jesus’ love for me; the way he’s walked with me through difficult things, and the fact that we have the promise of heaven. 

Surprisingly he didn’t react.  He just continued the conversation like I hadn’t said anything about Jesus at all.  But that was alright.  I visited with Mr. Fret quite a bit longer and I could tell that he was pleased that someone would take so much time to lend him an ear. 

Lord Jesus, please help me to love like you do.

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