When God calls us, He equips us! Author Lisa Harper looks at the power of God in the book of Acts and what happens when we turn to Him in radical surrender.
Lisa shares her heart for living the all-out life:
“I don’t want to be one of those Christians who love Jesus but live quiet complacent lives because no one is affected by my faith. These believers [in Acts] experienced horrific persecution for being audacious enough to say ‘Jesus is the only way; I love Him; He loved you.’ Just for that testimony they were killed. I’ve never faced persecution like that…”
Lisa shares how God’s power and radical surrender came to bear in her own life. She carried the dream of adoption for many years but struggled with feeling inadequate as a single woman. After two failed adoptions Lisa’s heart was raw – but God brought her to a small HIV-positive Haitian girl named Missy. “It took two years [before Missy came home]. It was a hard process but God just carried us and I definitely got the long end of this stick. Just watching God’s tangible grace in her life… watching her embrace life… ” Lisa feels blessed.
There are a number of takeaways from the book of Acts.
• Risks are possible at every age and stage.
• The Holy Spirit can empower us to talk about Jesus when we would otherwise be fearful.
• The early believers were “filled and satisfied” in their relationship with Jesus because of the Holy Spirit’s presence.
• The Holy Spirit does not confuse; He clarifies.
Lisa challenges us not to lose focus. It will be a messy journey – but Jesus makes it worth it. “I never want to offend for the sake of offense. I will say foolish things and I need accountability. But I always want to hold things loosely. We run hard toward Jesus and don’t spend a lot of time looking to the left or looking to the right.”
Key Scriptures: Acts 17:6; Acts 2; Acts 15
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