ACTS : week 6

Levi Lusko - Fresh Life Church

A RECIPE FOR A ROCKING CHURCH

Acts 2:42

These who have turned the world upside down, have come here also.

These who bring the message of Christ have turned the world upside down.
We know their humble beginnings.

Their church started out simple.
75-120 people and jumped to over 3,000.

It was simply the Word of God that pierced hearts and caused people to seek the Lord.

It is critical to take care of the "spiritual infant." [new believers]

Establishing good roots so you can grow & produce an abundant harvest.

Showing people how to walk in Christ.

If we want to have a church that connects and is on track, there are certain things we need to put in place.

It's easy to slip into a spiritual cruise control.

In Revelation God says return to your first days as a Christian.

Four things that make the recipe of evangelism :
1. The apostles doctrine
2. Fellowship
3. Breaking of Bread
4. Prayer

You want to see the new believer cultivate a hunger for the word of God.

Seven days outside the word of God makes one weak.

Psalm 19:7-13
"David thinks God's Word is neat."

Four Things That Are Wonderful In God's Word
1. Practical
It gives direction & is simple.
2. Personal
It's God's love letter to us.
3. Prophetic
Speaks the future.
4. Powerful
When we feed on it, we become more powerful.
We grow stronger against the enemies attacks.

It's essential to have unity.
We need the body of Christ.

Breaking of bread isn't just talking about communion.
They used to have the equivalent of potlucks and then at the end of the love feast you would remember what Christ has done and you would break bread and drink wine.

Taking communion sort of resets our priorities.

Put on the armor of God, and then the secret weapon is prayer.

Pray without ceasing.
Having a consciousness of God.
Always aware of Him and shooting up small text message prayers.

Make sure your prayers are not "gimme, gimme, gimme."

A - adoration
C - confession
T - thanksgiving
S - supplication

Warren Wiersbe

Fear of the Lord is more fear of displeasing Him or making Him sad.

God isn't screaming at us...he is guiding, comforting, gracious, kind.
We just don't want to disappoint Him.

ACTS : week 5

Levi Lusko - Fresh Life Church

THE CHURCH'S BIRTHDAY
Acts 2:22

Looking at the beginning of Acts it's an exciting time. The birth of the church!

The first sermon of church history.

Peter

God uses people with issues...there is hope for you.

Jesus of Nazareth is the subject of his sermon.
Simplicity & his subject.
Jesus is center stage.

God chose to bring Jesus from an unlikely beginning.

Peter gives a shoutout from David.

We need to adapt to our audience.
Relate on their terms.
Get on their level.
Get into their heads.

The church often thinks 'they need to come to us' but we need to go to them!

If we don't evangelize, we'll fossilize.

With God, all things are possible.

There are things that are looming that seem impossible.
Getting out of debt, sharing your faith, kicking a bad habit, etc.

Through the Holy Spirit's power, you can supernaturally have victory in what seems to be doomed circumstances.

Peter used the Word of God and it cut their heart.

Repent.

ACTS : week 4

Levi Lusko - Fresh Life Church

A CONTROLLED BURN

Acts 2

The Holy Spirit is now going to show up in a full way.
The Holy Spirit has been compared to fire a number of times :
- in the burning bush
- fire down from Heaven
- led the children through the desert with a pillar of fire

People when mentioning The Spirit either eye-rolling or hand-rubbing.
Don't want anything "wacky" to start taking place.
So ready to start swinging from chandeliers - falling - barking

Finding the balance :
open our hearts and hands to allow the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts and lives.

His ways are above our ways.
He wants to take control of our lives.
He will have His way.

1. THE DELIVERY OF THE SPIRIT

Suddenly a sound from Heaven - as a rushing, mighty wind.
The birth of the first church.

Passover
Feast of Firstfruits
Pentecost - 50 days

A. Obedience
God always keeps His promises.

We should keep up our end of our deals.

2 Peter 1:5
Bearing fruit for the Lord

B. They had Unity
The were in one accord.

Body Identity Integrity Disorder - you want to hurt your own limbs

Spiritually the church "shoots our wounded instead of helping them heal.
Jesus will know us by the love we have for one another.

C. Receptivity
Willing to receive with open hands.

There are radio waves constantly going, but you're not going to hear what it's putting out unless you are TUNED IN! Tune out the static.

Is your life characterized by the Holy Spirit?
Is Jesus glorified in your home?

2. THE DEMONSTRATION

They began to speak in other tongues.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:29
Are we all the same?
No.

We all have a diversity of gifts.
Gifts may manifest themselves for a season, and then might not ever happen again.
Pray for a gift you don't have.

Speaking in tongues is meant for speaking to God & not to men.
Prayer or praise.

1 Corinthians 14:26-40
Never supposed to be out of control.

The Spirit groaning in you that cannot be uttered.
Groaning to God in prayer.

There were mockers.

Anytime we step out and allow God to work in our lives we should anticipate the mockers.

3. THE DEFENSE

Paul stands up and says, "men of Judea - listen to me and I'll tell you what this means."

There was confusion about the church & Jesus. 

Urban legend - folklore, often thought to be true by those who spread it.

We're trying to straighten out Christian urban legends.

Busting the myths & misconceptions.

Paul in Ephesians 6:19
Make known the mystery of the Gospel.

Christian evangelism - you're solving the mysteries for them.

The Bible has everything to do with your current life. The guidebook that is relevant throughout every generation.


Vs 21 it shall come to pass that whomever shall call upon the Lord will be saved.

There is nothing stopping us from delivering the good news.
The only thing stopping us is our pride or laziness.

ACTS : week 3

Levi Lusko - Fresh Life Church

Floating, Exploding & Voting

Acts 1:9

Jesus had just given the promise that the Holy Spirit would come.
You will be my witnesses.
You don't need to know the time of My return.

When Jesus spoke "these things" He was taken up to Heaven...

1. Jesus in gravity.
Jesus was standing on the Mount of Olives - 400ft tall

God seated & in-control.

Acts 7:55 Stephen was the first martyr and Jesus chose to stand.

When a saint is received into Heaven God chooses to stand - the ultimate gentleman.

Why did Jesus leave?
A. His mission was accomplished.
B. The Helper would come - the Holy Spirit
C. He went to make intercession for us.  He's praying for us!

2. Angels & Prophecy
"Straining their eyes" to get one last glimpse of Jesus.
They saw Jesus perform so many miracles and yet they were awestruck at the sight of Him ascending to Heaven.

The two angels were inspiring them to get to work and live for Jesus' return.

Jesus is the same
He will come again
He will come again in like manner

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus is the same yesterday, today & tomorrow.
Grace & Judgement

3. The Disciples & Unity
You can't be a solo, lone-ranger Christian.
Jesus taught the disciples to pray.
It's the only thing the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to do.

We hate silence or dead air.

Taking time to talk to God keeps you close to the Father
1. Prayer is not optional - it is vital.
2. We all can stand to grow in our prayer lives.
3. Conversation - we should also listen.
4. Prayer is not just for ourselves - it's for others.
5. Not for getting what we want done in Heaven, but praying His will for earth.
6. Prayer can happen any time, any where.
7. We can pray God's word back to Him.

4. Judas & Iniquity
Psalm 41:9 it was prophesied
Luke : the doctor : gave vivid description of what happened to Judas.
*this is the exploding part of the title*
Judas hung himself.
Judas never imagined that that one sin would have ended his life this way.
We don't consider the end result of a seemingly "small" sin.

Psalm 109:8 They would need to fill Judas' place
They formed a committee and voted on who would fulfill his place.

They said, God show us which of these two men you want us to replace Judas.

Is there a Mathias that you're keeping in your life, that you need to see that God has a Paul for you instead.
Praying I'll go anywhere for you God as long as it's one of these two places.
I'll take any position of work as long as it's one of these two jobs.

How did a one-time disciple [Judas] end up so badly?
Small compromises.

Blood & Thunder : Week 4

Levi Lusko - Fresh Life Church

How to have the spirit of giving...

THUNDERSTRUCK

Definition : to be so astonished that you're rendered speechless!
Astonished : in Latin - to be struck by thunder

John 12
A perfect illustration so overcome by the Power that was happening.

Are you welcoming and inviting Jesus in?
Wherever He feels welcome, He shows up.

When God touches your life the only right reaction is to extravagantly do something in response.

Your worship is revelation of what God has done for you!

Mary of Bethany - 3 appearances - every one she's at the feet of Jesus.
*I want to be more like Mary!*

Mary was so wise because she didn't just say thank you, she showed her appreciation.

Where your treasure is, there your heart is.

The Good Samaritan

“No-one would remember the Good Samaritan if he'd only had good intentions; he had money as well.” Margaret Thatcher

Mark 14:8

1. She gave what SHE could.

God wants you to be blessed so you can be a blessing.

The key isn't equal sized giving, it's equal sized sacrifice!

2. She gave while she could.

What He had done.

What He would do.

When it's personal your giving grows.

This was her moment, her window.

This was her opportunity to thank Jesus.

Had she snoozed, she would have losed.

When God saw lavish giving he asked Solomon, "what do you want?"

A. She got to be included in a story bigger than just her life.

Mathew 26:13

B. She actually got back the same thing she gave.

She poured out her perfume and then wiped His feet with her hair. She got to keep what she gave.

Luke 6:38

C. She got to walk away with a new memory as well.

Smells are connected to memories. 

Now every time she smelt that perfume she would remember that moment.

The potential is for God to rewrite horrible memories in your life.

Luke 7:38

God can write over old memories with new ones!

Blood & Thunder : Week 3

GUEST SPEAKER : Darren Kitto

WE CAN'T DO EVERYTHING BUT WE MUST DO SOMETHING!!

Have the spirit to pay for what you pray for.


Ever felt out of your depths? Over your head?

Luke 10:25
Story of the Good Samaritan

Allow your heart of compassion to flow even when you've had a jaded experience.

We often rush in order to wait...quit doing that.
Allow "inconveniences" to happen.
Open yourself up to stopping & helping & doing something.

*Doing something even if it means getting dirty.

Can't wait for something to fall into our laps.
"He bandaged his wounds."
A naked guy, covered in blood - first inclination is not to help him.
Helping people beyond just monetary gifts.

James 2:14-19

1 John 3:18

*Sometimes doing something means personally sacrificing.

Not equal giving, but equal sacrifice!

*Doing something isn't just a feel-good action it's a future minded help.
Sowing into the future.
Take more ground.
Thinking forward with our finances & resources.

We have an opportunity to leave a legacy.

Sow in faith.
Lay a foundation.

*Doing something is never for the 'thank you', show or accolades.

We need to become those who CAN.

Blood & Thunder : Week 2

Levi Lusko - Fresh Life Church

FIRST BLOOD

Proverbs 3: 9-10

Honor God in everything you own, give him your FIRSTFRUITS!!

1. GIVING IS A RESPONSE
We begin with knowing that God is the ultimate sacrifice.
God is the reason we give.
God gave first blood.
God gave us everything.

Tithing
Abraham gave God the first & best.

I *GET* to tithe.
A cheerful heart of giving God the first & best.

"You'll never come in 2nd by putting God first." Brian Houston

2. REWARD OF GIVING
What do we receive when we give?
The law of sowing & reaping .

A farmer puts seeds into the ground that produces trees, that produce fruit, that produce seeds and so on...
A farmer gets back not what he plants but more than what he plants.

Tithing unlocks God's blessing!

Malachi 3:8
You've robbed me because you're not letting me bless you the way I want to.
He's not sad that He has less, He's sad that WE have less!

The more you give, the more you receive!

Mathew 6:33
Proverbs 3:10

3. REACH OF GIVING
As you give you start to sense, God is using you to reach more people.
It takes place when we use what we're giving and together can do more, and make a huge impact.

Doing things together often has greater impact than doing it by yourself.
Great strength in unity!

Our reach gets longer.

Get in a regular rhythm of giving!!

ACTS : week 2

Levi Lusko - Fresh Life Church

Don't Leave Home Without It

Acts 1:1 -8
Even the best plans can go awry
unforeseen variables can exist

The strength comes from the struggle.
As we struggle, we grow.
We avoid failure at all costs.
Failure can be a good thing.

Jesus is preparing these disciples...
3 areas for the apostles to be knowledgeable in :
1. understand the proof of the Son
2. the promise of the Father
3. power of the holy Spirit

People believe God was a historical figure but they'll use a lot of theories to explain away the resurrection.
1. Fabrication - blatantly lied
2. Dreamed the resurrection up
3. Misdirection - the woman went to the wrong tomb
4. Jesus didn't die all the way...

God had predicted His death and resurrection.

Vs 4 : Proof of the Son / Promise of the Father
It's important to use the correct tools to finish a job.


It's possible to miss out on the benefits of the relationship with the Holy Spirit.
"ignore your teeth and they'll go away"
"ignore the Spirit and He'll go away"

How much room are you making in your life for God to move?

Full hands can't receive a gift.

Phase 3 : the plan of the Spirit
it's not for you to know times or seasons...just get busy

ACTS : week 1

Levi Lusko - Fresh Life Church

What We Should Know Before We Go :

Acts is :
The history of the Christian Church.
Has been referred to as the 5th gospel.
Happened just as Jesus "disappeared" - ascended into heaven.

Judas committed suicide so now there are only 11 disciples.
They have taken on the task of spreading the gospel around the world.

From Jerusalem to Rome, Italy.

The Author//
God - God breathed the book of Acts
We believe Luke penned this.


His Aim//
LUKE : To record everything Jesus said and did physically on the earth
ACTS : To record everything Jesus continued to do spiritually

His Approach//
The path he took to land where he wanted to land.
There is a possibility there is a mistake in this book.
The Holy Spirit is responsible for everything
Vs 8
Jerusalem Chapters 1-8:3
Judeah & Samaria Chapters 8:4-12:25
All the ends of the earth Chapters13:1-28:31

Paul gets to Rome and there's no ending. No good-bye, no formal end.


1. Through it we can see how anyone can be saved.
2. We see how God can use hardships to further His plan.
3. We'll see how God can use humble means, simple people
4. Our role in the continuing saga as the acts of the Holy Spirit through the apostles - it's still ongoing
Still building the church.