WHAT ARE YOU POWERED BY?
ACTS 4:12-20
As a God called Evangelist, and traveling around
to several different churches, and not to mention
several different denominations.
Just this year I’ve been in the Pentecostal,
Apostolic, Church of God, 1st Baptist, Missionary
Baptist, and the list goes on and on!
What we are seeing is The Churches are all
seem to be gasping for air!
Churches are losing their power
and their lives are slowly dying away!
All over this country there are church congregations
that are dying this slow death because they
Have No Vision!
They are just focused on paying their next bill
and wondering if its gonna get paid
or someone in the congregation has split
and half of the people or more has
left with them!!!
They’re struggling to just maintain what
membership that they have!!!
Churches have lost their passion today
for those who don’t have any idea about
God’s Grace and His goodness and His Love!
AMEN
They have got themselves into a rut!!
They just want to stay in that comfort zone!
Their only mission is to keep their doors open!
Their plans don’t measure up to God’s size!!!
I SERVE A BIG GOD TONIGHT
HOW ABOUT YOU???
Because they’re afraid, and they have convinced
themselves that they can’t get any larger,
because they can’t handle it
and they think that they can’t handle it now!!!
They’ve lost their power and they have
convinced themselves that if anything gets
done then they’ll have to do it theirself!!!
People churches today have forgot that
God is their Strength
and they have forgot that God is
their Redeemer
And they have forgot that Prayer is
where their power is at
And as a result they’re dying and dwindling
and they are declining in that purpose
and God’s passion and God’s power
AMEN
Along with these churches that are dying
is another group that’s dying that slow death
and they don’t even know it
Just like someone who has cancer and they
don’t know it!!
These churches are carrying on and totally
unaware that their very souls are being
eaten away with something that’s more deadly
than cancer.
They are being eaten up by the devil himself
and these churches are most deadly because
there are no outward signs
everything seems just hunky dory!!!
New people are joining all the time!!!
They have new programs popping up
and they have plenty of money
but when you look at what’s really happening
you’d be crazy to think
ALL IS WELL!!! AMEN
JESUS SAID IN REV. 3:14-18
And unto the angel of the church of
the Laodiceans write’
These things saith the Amen, the faithful
and true witness, the beginning of
the creation of God;
I know thy works, that thou art neither
cold nor hot: I would thou wert
cold or hot
So then because thou art lukewarm
and neither cold nor hot I will spew thee
out of my mouth
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased
with goods and have need of nothing;
and knowest not that thou art
wretched, and miserable, and poor,
and blind, and naked!!!
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried
in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and
white raiment, that thou mayest be
clothed and that the shame of thy nakedness
do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with
eye salve, that thou mayest see!!!
I can see the large congregation’s that’s
growing and growing and they boast that
they have a 500 thousand $ budget!
But people they are neglecting that firm
foundation that God commands them to lay
that firm foundation that would grow their
Church, and it would grow their ministry
for many years to come.
BUT GUESS WHAT?
GOD HAS BEEN LEFT OUT OF IT!
Churches all across this nation are building
bigger buildings to house all the people
but GUESS WHAT?
they don’t have no altars!!
They are missing the whole point of the matter
THE POWER OF PRAYER!!!
In the Churches today the stock holders or
the Christians are looking for charismatic
leaders, that will have people holding on
to every word,
And all the time God is looking
for people who will seek Him on their knees!!
AMEN
Can you see it today?
Can you see what their lacking
What is it that eats away at this thriving
congregation in the large churches, that’s
growing in members
and their growing in money
and their growing in popularity
and their growing in power in
their local communities, BUT
they are just going through the motions!!
They wonder why God ain’t moving among them!
They wonder why they don’t see people healed
They wonder why they don’t see people delivered
God’s Power is being neglected!!!!!
That’s what the difference is that I see
and the big churches with the big congregations
are just someplace for the hypocrites to hide
their sins amongst everybody!!!
And still have their friends and family think
that they are Holier than thou
but guess what NEW FLASH
THEY AIN’T FOOLING GOD!!!!!
PRAYERLESSNESS IS POWERLESSNESS!!!
There’s way to many people today in the
churches that ain’t looking to be fed with
God’s word.
There’s way to many people today that think
that they don’t have to pray to make it to heaven
There’s way to many people today that’s looking
to be entertained instead of being fed The pure
word of God!!!!!!AMEN
OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH but don’t you
never doubt that they’re all crying out
BLESS ME LORD
BLESS ME LORD
BLESS ME LORD!!!!!!
When all along we better be crying out
BLESS YOU LORD
BLESS YOU GOD
BLESS YOU JESUS
PRAISE YOU LORD!!!!!!
PRAISE YOU JESUS!!!!
I read a saying:
You can tell how popular a church is by who comes
on Sunday morning
you can tell how popular a pastor or evangelist is
by who comes on Sunday night
but you can tell how popular Jesus Christ is
by who comes to the mid week prayer meetings!!!
People prayer is that oxygen that comes straight
from Jesus Christ
Prayer is us giving God our thoughts
and it should be coming from the minds
of each and every one of us!!!!
Men, women, boys, and girls!!!
Prayer is how God gives us the sight to see
through the fog and the smoke that the
devil tries to blind us with!!!
Prayer is us sharing that passion with God
Prayer is what overrides everything into GOOD
Prayer cancels the devil’s plan
to kill, steal, and destroy
The devil don’t want you to pray
if you’re prayer less then he has no fear of you
He laughs at us and mocks us when we’re down!
But He trembles when we pray!!!!!
Prayer is our power when we are in
terrible times. Its our power when we’re down.
It’s easy to understand that Jesus’ Disciples
were on their knees at every turn
when great things came from their ministry
they were in prayer.
And after Jesus was crucified they were lost
they didn’t know where to turn
they didn’t have Jesus to make the decisions
for them
He wasn’t there anymore in the flesh to
lead them and guide them and give them
that direction, and that encouragement
They were forced to get on their knees!
They didn’t have any confidence in themselves
to Continue God’s work
They all scattered like a bunch of rabbits
running from a Beagle when Jesus was
Crucified!
They were defenseless, and powerless
and they had no vision and no hope
BUT
THEY HAD THE POWER OF PRAYER!!!
Today people just like in Jesus’ day
when we begin to seek God in prayer
we’ll find God there!
When we begin to pour our hearts out
before God He’ll be there!
In our reading tonight Peter and John
are persecuted as always, because of the
healing of a man that was born crippled!
They were threatened as usual,
and told they were not to mention the
name of Jesus!!!
What would you do if you were in that
position???
We don’t know for sure what we’d do!!
How would you feel if every time you had
Church, you were persecuted or even
hauled off to jail???
And in Jail you’d no doubt be worrying
what they’re gonna do to you next!!
We would be thinking We should’ve left
that little crippled guy alone!
We should have minded our own business!
If we can just get a lawyer and enter a plea
they’ll let us out and God will surely understand!!
Today we’d probably say I’ve got my family
to worry about!!
I’ve got a business to run
I’ve got so much work to do!!!!
And anyway I’m no benefit to God
here in jail!!!!
But when the authorities would begin to question
Peter, and they asked by what power or
by what name did you do this?
and ole Peter, all filled up with the Holy Ghost
said:
BY THE POWER OF JESUS CHRIST
For there is none other name under heaven
given among men, whereby we
must be saved!!!!
Ain’t God Awesome tonight??
Even the rulers knew that it was the power
of Jesus Christ that had accomplished such
wonderful things through Peter and John’s lives
Vs 13 says:
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and
John, and perceived that they were unlearned
and ignorant men, they marveled; and they
took knowledge of them, that they had
been with Jesus!!!!!
Peter and John were awesome workers for God
because they were men of prayer
They were used of the Holy Spirit because
they devoted their lives to God’s work
before anything else!!!
Peter and John had a zeal for Jesus
they had seen Him in action
in all His glory
And He had not only left an impression
in their minds but
He had totally changed their lives!!!
And they were like me
they couldn’t shut up about Jesus
even if they wanted to!!!!!
And the most important thing we need to
remember here, is that not only did they
get threatened, but they were threatened
by people, that could completely do them in
if they really wanted to!!!!
But lets not forget that they had
the power of prayer!!!
They didn’t sit around and wonder what
to do to stay out of trouble!
They prayed!!!!!
And they did what God is still calling
us Church to do today!!!
Many people today have realized that their lives
are out of balance, and they’re suffering from
blurred and smoked up visions, and their
problems in their live’s are overwhelming
and they feel powerless!!!!!
Listen to me people if this is you tonight
Then lift up your head and your hands
and praise God
You weren’t created to stumble around and
fumble everything you touch
you were created to be Powered up
by PRAYER!!!!
Our Churches today need to be shaken
with the Power of God!
Our lives today need to be shaken up
with the Power of God!!!
Children our churches ain’t been shook up
and our world ain’t never been shook up
by the Power of God
And our Churches ain’t gonna be shook
up until you and I get shook up by God!!!
People tonight Prayer is important in
the good times as well as the bad
Prayer can change your life and your home
and your neighborhood and your church
your city your state and your world
Prayer is what will help you discern God’s will
for your life.
Prayer will turn everything around if you’ll let it!
Prayer will turn gray skies to blue!!!
Make prayer your daily habit
I invite you tonight to come and cry out to God
Make Jesus your personal Savior tonight
No matter what condition your life is in tonight
God can straighten it out if you’ll just let him!!!
