inq

1. I used to think that the apostles in
the early church were not like us
until I read 1 Timothy 1:15. James...
Reverend Pastor Paul Njoroge.
The early church's
apostles were positioned
for impact. The book of
Acts ideally lays the
ground for how The
Church should be and
how she should conduct
her business.
And because of how
positioned they were
and the impact they
brought into the world,
we are still feeling the
effect of the early
Church more than two
thousand years now.
In the world there have been great
men and women and great inventions
and great ideas have been discovered.
But you realise these great ideas have
been improved upon in such a way
that the people who initially came up
with these inventions, if they were to
come back to life today, would not be
able to recognise the improvement
their ideas have gone through.
Talk about Graham Bell and the initial
telephone compared to the current
world of communication. It's a total
change. Talk about the automobile
industry, the education system and so
forth. All these have metamorphosis
into different things.
Interesting though, when we talk
about the early Church, the apostles,
the first sermon that apostle Peter
preached in the book of Acts chapter
two, the council in Jerusalem in Acts
15 and all we read in the book of Acts
is still relevant today. That we can
read the book of Acts without adding
or even explaining, and it's going to
make sense. One can stand and
present the resolution of the council
in Jerusalem without adding anything
and it's still going to make sense. The
letters of apostle Paul are very relevant
even today. Therefore, it is very
prudent to study the lives of these
wonderful men and women to find
out how they made such huge impact.
Men Just Like Us
I used to think that the apostles in the
early church were not like us until I
came to the book of 1 Timothy 1:15
where Paul says that, "Christ Jesus
came into the world to save sinners,
and I am chief among them." James
says in chapter five that Elijah was a
man just like us!
How then did they manage to
turn the world upside-down?
Acts
17
1-12
What had made these brethren so
powerful in such a way that every
place they went, people there were
not left the same? As a matter of
fact, Jews used to follow them so
that at least they could try to water
down what Paul and Silas were
doing.
The answer is found in verse
number two.
We are talking about positioning
ourselves for impact. Ask yourself
whether there is something that you
need to change or do that you are
not doing so that you can begin to
turn the world upside down. Many
years after you have gone, will
people be referring to you in regard
to positive things you will have
done
WELL DEFINED CUSTOM
The reason why early Church
brethren were people of high impact
is because they had a well-defined
custom. According to the online
dictionary, a custom is a habitual
practice, or the usual way of acting
in given circumstances. A practice so
long established that it has the force
of law. It can also be defined as a
tradition.
Two things need to be considered if
you are to develop a custom that will
help you achieve your impact;
consistence and persistence.
Consistence
The Paul you met in Ephesus was the
same Paul you met in Antioch and
Thessalonica. He was consistent. The
message he gave to the idol
worshippers in Athens was the
message he presented to Felix in his
courts. He was such a consistent man
in his walk with the Lord and in the
way that he carried himself that in 1
Corinthians 11:1 he looked at the
Corinthians in the eyes and told
them, "Imitate me as I imitate Christ."
(or follow me as I follow Christ).
In other words, Paul was telling them
that they can actually do what he did
because basically what he was, was
defined by Christ in his life. He wasn't
one person in the morning and
someone else in the evening! If you
just think through it, you will realise,
it's such a hard statement to say.
That he could tell the people of
Corinth, guys I am your Bible! What I
do- do it.
A high impact person must be
consistent. Some of us in the Lord
cannot have people following us
because they cannot tell who we
really are. The problem we are having
in church today is because we are
having people who are not
consistent. Where are the Christians,
we see on Sundays? Where are they
Monday to Saturday? Where are the
Christians who know where they are
going and can say, "This is the way,
walk ye in it?” God had a problem
with the church at Laodicea
(Revelation...) They were neither cold
nor hot. James says double minded
men cannot receive anything. *
The message of the cross had
transformed these people so much
that even being in prison couldn't
stop them from sharing the Gospel of
Christ. Apostle John in 1 John 1 says,
"That which we have heard, that
which we have seen, that which we
have touched... is what we are
sharing with you." What these people
were in private is the same they were
in public. Are you consistent when it
comes to the things of the Kingdom?
Persistence
"...for three Sabbaths, he reasoned
with them from the scriptures." For
Paul he was not just fulfilling
righteousness, but getting results.
That is why we are talking about
them today. It was not about a
one-day thing. It was not just a
Sunday thing but a daily experience.
He reasoned with the people from
the scriptures and some of them
were persuaded, and a great
multitude of the devout Greeks and
many of the leading women
followed Paul and Silas. They were
persistent both in the walk and in
the message.
In this era of 'fast everything', if
there is a virtue that is missing in us
is a virtue of persistence. Because
persistence demands that you
remain there to pay the price until
you see the results of what you are
trusting God for.
Acts 4:20 Peter and John are
released by the Sanhedrin and
towards the end of this chapter, we
interact with the prayer that the
brethren prayed. They were not
praying for protection and cover.
They were not casting out the
demons of the people who were
arresting them. Instead they were
asking God to help them speak His
word with boldness. They were
willing to persist until they see the
transformation that they were
looking for. Are you persistent even
in the area of prayer, because a lot
of Christians are abandoning the
place of prayer. You can tell the
health of a church by looking at their
prayer meetings! We need to persist
at the place of prayer if we need to
impact the world.
The impact that we want will not
just come. There must be people
who will be willing to pay the price.
The same is the fact if we are to see
the change that we want in our
nation. And this price is the price of
setting a custom, tradition or a
lifestyle that we are known for.
In Daniel 6, those who were jealous
of Daniel because he was promoted
by King Darius looked for a way in
which they could accuse him. In
verse five, they could not get Daniel
on any other thing for which they
could accuse him because he was a
faithful man, with no fault or error in
him. They could only be able to get
him if they were able to set him
against the law of his God! A man
who had such a custom that
everybody in the land knew.
Persistence in prayer. Persistence in
reading the Word, not just to fulfil a
particular obligation. Make a point
of not only coming to church but
coming to learn and know because
you want to be a person of high
impact. The Bereans are listed in the
Bible because of the one aspect of
being diligent in God's word. That
after the sermon they went home
and checked whether what the
minister was saying was true!
Persist in the Word of God. Even if it
does not make sense to others
around you. Persist, even if your
family members cannot understand
why at your age you cannot get out
and get a baby. Persist even if your
fellow youth cannot understand why
you cannot compromise. Because
you have a custom you live by. A
custom that is in line with God's
purpose in your life.
We pray for revival. It is not
supposed to come from out there,
but from inside the fellowship. If
there will be men and women who
will say, I'm going to set myself in a
lifestyle that is in line with God's
purpose and I am willing to pay the
price for the same. You cannot
achieve high impact if you are a
mediocre in the way that you do
things. The apostles and the early
Church were called Christians
because they were identified with
Christ.
..
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified
with Christ, It is no longer I who lives
but Christ who lives in me. and...
Paul to Timothy: reflect on what I
have given you, and may the Lord
give you understanding