And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ. My task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God, who created all this in the first place, has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all along. Through followers of Jesus like yourselves gathered in churches, this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked about even among the angels! (Heb 2:1-2 MSG).
His plan for our life is really remarkable, amazing, marvelous, and unimaginable. Our plans are common, normal, and the usual. The system of the world, and Satan as the god of this world, is to keep us all as slaves to society. We are programmed to live our lives in such a way that we can’t get out of our rut because of the debts, degrees, and dogmas of our communities. Our communities pressure us without words to fit in. By the time we are sixteen we have to get in debt to our stuff. We have to pay for our televisions, fancy and stylish clothes, cars, hobbies, etc. And the latest fad is a huge cell phone bill with a texting, picture and data plan. We are pressured to fit in to the latest and greatest from all parts of society. We have pressure to keep up in order to fit it.
But in the Acts of the Apostles the reputation of the believer was to live totally radical for Christ. Followers of Christ were heroic and at times ungodly people thought they had super powers. They had so much fire and power that it was common for members of their society to over esteem them. For instance, Cornelius, a highly esteemed officer in the most powerful army in the world, bowed down to worship Peter and his men. Peter shockingly replied, “Stand up; I am also a man” (Acts 10:26).
In Acts 17:6, ungodly men warned others, “These who have come to turn the world upside down have come here also.” We were put on the earth for these times. Our hearts burn to be courageous and brave for the cause of Christianity in our day.
The men of Lystra were caught up in a mob over the fact that Paul and his men came to town. They replied, “The gods have come down! These men are gods!” Paul quieted them: “What do you think you are doing! We are not gods!” (Acts 14:11 MSG).
On the Island of Malta, Paul was collecting sticks for a fire. When all of a sudden a very poisonous snake bit him but he shook it off in the name of Jesus while the inhabitants expected him to die. “But when it was obvious he wasn’t going to, they jumped to the conclusion that he was a god!” (Acts 28:6).
What if we believed that we could live an extraordinary life? I urge you to pray that God would open your heart to receive his courageous fire and new bravery. I plead with you to follow the Lord with all of your heart. Do not settle for the common mold. You are made as His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. Pray that He would mold you and make you in to his artwork. Allow him to utilize your life for love and good works. Pray that the world will be a better place because you lived on the earth.
Meditate for five minutes on this lesson.
Journal one whole page.
Pray this Prayer: Father, I pray that You will mold me and make me. Please be the pottery maker and let me be Your clay. Let me be used by You in uncommon ways. I choose Your extraordinary plan! In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!
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