Commitment to God: Empowered by the Holy Spirit

Bible Reading:
1. Acts 1:8 #!!01:00:43!!#
2. Ephesians 2:10 #!!10:03!!#
3. Matthew 16:15-16 #!!13:33!!#

Observation Questions:
1. In Acts 1:8, what does it mean to be empowered by the Holy Spirit?
2. How does Ephesians 2:10 relate to the idea of having a purpose in life?
3. In Matthew 16:15-16, how does Peter's recognition of Jesus as the Son of God impact the other disciples?

Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the empowerment of the Holy Spirit influence the actions of the disciples in Acts?
2. What does Ephesians 2:10 suggest about God's role in our life's purpose?
3. How does Peter's declaration of Jesus as the Son of God in Matthew 16:15-16 change the disciples' understanding of Jesus?

Application Questions:
1. How can you actively seek the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in your life, similar to the disciples in Acts?
2. In what ways can you align your life's purpose with the good works God has prepared for you, as suggested in Ephesians 2:10?
3. How can you boldly declare your faith in Jesus as the Son of God, like Peter did in Matthew 16:15-16, in your daily interactions?
4. Can you think of a time when you felt God was using your life or circumstances for a purpose you didn't initially understand?
5. How can you ensure that God is the center of your life and not just a part of it?

Day 1: Embrace the Power of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit empowers us to live a life that reflects the teachings of Jesus. It is through the Holy Spirit that we are able to spread the good news and continue the work of Jesus. We are blessed with the advantages of technology and travel, but it is our commitment and passion for the message that truly makes a difference. [01:00:43]

Acts 1:8 - "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Reflection: How can you allow the Holy Spirit to guide your actions and decisions this week?

Day 2: The Importance of Fellowship

Fellowship is more than just a gathering of good people. It is a community of believers who understand the price Jesus paid and the significance of the cross. When we have the right perspective, we don't close our doors but instead, we go out and spread the good news. [44:47]

Hebrews 10:24-25 - "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Reflection: How can you foster a deeper sense of fellowship within your community?

Day 3: The Power of Prayer

Prayer is our direct line of communication with God. It is through prayer that we align ourselves with His will and develop a deeper relationship with Him. We are blessed with the privilege to come boldly to the throne of God and talk to Him. [46:48]

James 5:16 - "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."

Reflection: How can you make prayer a more integral part of your daily life?

Day 4: The Significance of Scripture

The Bible is our guidebook for life. It provides us with the teachings and wisdom we need to navigate our lives according to God's will. It is important to immerse ourselves in the Word of God to understand His expectations and desires for us. [05:10]

2 Timothy 3:16-17 - "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Reflection: How can you make reading and studying the Bible a regular part of your routine?

Day 5: Prioritizing God

God should always take center stage in our lives. If He is not our priority, then we need to rearrange some things. We need to constantly weigh our hearts and ensure that God is first in everything we do. [30:10]

Matthew 6:33 - "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Reflection: What changes can you make in your life to ensure that God is your top priority?

I'm doing great. How are you doing?

I'm fantastic. Is that how you call it?

Yeah. I don't know that I can say that I have a favorite book of the Bible. I think that I have like a bunch of different, like favorite, favorite, favorite, all in one. I don't know. I don't know that I have one, though. No. I don't know. I don't know. It's just... I don't know. I have favorite moments in different places.

Okay. My true favorite.

Yeah. You know, like I love the Exodus just because how grand it is.

Yeah. You know, it just, it is so much of God choosing His people and God doing miraculous things for His people. And then the people falling. You know, like I like the fact that you see real people doing real things, you know, and I know that it's like you say it's dark and whatever. But I sometimes put myself in their shoes and think, "What would I have done?"

Okay. Because you can't see it now and be like, "Well, dude, like for real, are you really doing this?" Right. But when you don't have the rest of the book to know how it's going to end, like you're living it. Like that's your today. That's real.

Yeah. So like it just, it gives me a perspective, you know, but also I love seeing Joseph faithful to someone God.

Yeah. That he went through all of that. Like he was there. These people were knuckleheads and God still was there. Now they didn't get their way, you know, that he said, "You ain't going into the Promised Land." I mean, a lot of them died in the wilderness.

Yeah. So like there were consequences because God is a just God, but He didn't abandon them.

Yeah, yeah. You know, so it's, that is just amazing. So Exodus, what else you got?

Then you get to Ruth, you know, which is somebody that is just still committed to a person that then ends up being in the lineage of Jesus as the grandmother, you know, as just... I don't know. Like that is, that is another one that I really, really enjoy.

Okay. I really like the Gospels. Like just... It's just that all of them are different. Like if you just have to listen to the podcast from last week, like all of them are different, all of them have different... But if you just pick... I don't know. What is just... that depends, depends on who their person is and how long have you been saved and all of that.

But I think that maybe, I don't know, I think that maybe Mark or John. You know, just Mark, you get a lot of the miracles and the big, exciting moments. The boom, boom, boom. You just see Jesus doing all kinds of things, and that is just exciting.

You know, but then you get to John and it's just this personal, intimate revelation of knowledge of Jesus.

Yeah. It's just, it's just beautiful. I don't know. Like I like Philippians. I like... like I just, I can't, I can't, I can't, I cannot pick one. I cannot pick one. I don't want a big one because I, like it will not be true though. I can, I can just say, I will... yeah, it will be different tomorrow.

Exactly. You're feeling today.

Exactly. I get it. And I think that's where I am with the Bible. It is now that you have a favorite book or a favorite, even scripture, you know, like it's not like... yeah, I admire those people there. This is my life verse and like it will never change because I think that for me, I cling to different verses in different seasons and it is just like the verse that is kind of resounding to me at the moment.

Right. Because I'll be like, "Oh, I'm a different one now." And now the ones that have been a part of my journey, like I still treasure that. But I don't know that it's like, "Well, that was my life verse." And like that was something that marked me or that God did in my life at that specific moment, you know, like right now, like right now we have a verse for a family that we are trying to instill into our kids and making sure that they understand that no matter what they do, as they grow up, they help on purpose, you know.

What's the verse for your family?

So it is... oh Lord. You didn't ask me. I would remember it. Because we are God's handiwork created to do good things. That's what we have in our living rooms. We are God's handiwork created to do good things. And the full verse is that the things that God had already prepared for us in advance to do and that we better be doing.

So I love that because I want my kids to understand that they were created on purpose, that they were crafted by God and that they have something good to do in this world. No matter what, what they end up being, what the career is, the purpose is still there to do good and to work the good that God had already prepared for them to do.

So I think that that is our verse right now, so I don't know what it will be in a couple of years.

Make the most of Acts.

Exactly. I don't keep all of the details. I am not a detail or history buff, none of that. But what I love about the book of Acts is that you see the people who were with Jesus, who learned from Jesus, obeying God, obeying His commands. It's the rubber meets the road in the book of Acts. It's doing something that nobody else has ever done before.

You know, don't ask me where they went and how many numbers and which houses and all of that stuff. So I get all of the details wrong more than likely. But it is just about the zeal that they have. Like there was this aha moment that happens in the book of Acts where all of a sudden it was this light bulb that everything that Jesus has said, everything that Jesus has done is for this.

You know, this is the purpose of it. You know, like everything that we have grown up... not we, but like them, everything that they have grown up knowing and learning and you know, all of the prophecies and all of this, it's finally here and I finally understand that this is it.

I think that it is that huge light bulb moment. The book of Acts is beautiful in that and it is the act of the Apostles because they actually started doing stuff.

Exactly. Like I would have been cowering in the corner too, right? And Jesus lied about it. And even in the Gospels, you know when Jesus is asking them who do people say that I am? You know, well some say that you're a prophet and some say that you are the Baptist and some say that you are... you know.

And the question is who do you say I am? And I can imagine all of them just kind of looking at each other, like, "God, do we say?" Right? I don't even know who you really are until just one person said that you are the Son of God.

But from 12 people, only one says you are the Son of God.

Pretty much.

Yeah. So like it is finally... and I think that in the book of Acts is when all of them realize He is the Son of God. Like there's no more doubt. There is no more like, "Well, some people might think that you are like possibly..." like there is no possibly. This is it.

Yeah.

Yeah. Everybody else.

And that's what I love, the fact that when we receive Jesus, the Bible says that we are grafted into His family, like we are becoming His people, you know, no matter your nationality, no matter what you look like or you know, where you're coming from, you are getting into that family and then you become His people, you know.

And then when you read when the Bible says, "My people" and what I'm going to do for my people, you can count yourself a part of that. Because you've been grafted in, but it is such an honor. It is like an honorary badge, you know, not because you were in the blood, you know, like in like a regular blood, not like the blood of Jesus, but like just natural blood, like you're not a Jew, but you have been put in that same lane with them because of Jesus.

So I was really in my devotion on today and he was talking about when Jesus is teaching the people how to pray, you know, and the very first thing that he tells them that they need to do or to say is to say, "Our Father in heaven," you know, like he is inviting you to, from the get-go, you're part of the family, say, "You are my Father," you know.

So it is beautiful to understand that I can be counted as a child of God, and that is not something that we had before. Like we didn't have that level of connection, that level of intimacy. We didn't have even the right to be able to come to God, you know, like when you read the Old Testament, it was always the God of the people of Israel, you know, like their God.

And like, and that even... even Isaac, Jacob, yes, and even Ruth, you know, like she said, "Your God will be my God," like it was like, "Your people will be my people," like it is all of this that is not mine, like it is your people, you know.

Like it is such... we are being grafted into the family.

Yes, and like when you read like all of these other stories, you know, like you read the story of Daniel, and you read the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and when these big powerful leaders see that there's a God in Israel, they said, "We are only going to pray to the God of the Israelites."

Like he didn't even say, "He will become our God." They said, "No, he's the God of the Israelites," but we are going to, you know, only going to worship Him, but it is not even our God.

So it is in this moment that He becomes our God too.

It's beautiful, and we get the...

Which is crazy to think, right? Like you have Jesus right there. He's saying, "I'm going, but something better is coming."

Hey guys, I'm out of here.

Like what is better than having Jesus?

Put souls touch on it.

Now, I think that it is from the very beginning of Jesus's ministry that being devoted to God was it, because He went around and said, "Follow me," and every single one of the disciples had to leave what they were doing in order to follow Him.

It wasn't like, "Okay, I'll see you there on Tuesday. I'll follow you on weekends." It was at that, right at that moment, they would drop their nets and follow Him. They would stop what they were doing and they followed Him, you know.

Like He even said, "Whoever puts father or mother in front of me is not worthy of me."

Yeah.

So He was expecting to just be able to be fully devoted to say, "Nothing else is important. If you're telling me to follow you, I'll go immediately, like right this second."

And I think that a lot of us follow Jesus when it's convenient.

Yeah. You don't know, like if it's not raining, if it's... if I feel like it.

And, and I see that, like I know that you were talking about, it's not about the church, but sometimes going to church is what is going to help you to regain the perspective and, uh, and realign to where you need to be.

And, and sometimes we put a lot of things before church, you know, like I will just stay in bed or, "Well, we're going to have a brunch today."

Uh, we're just, you know, it's just watch online. It's raining.

I was going to go...

That takes place in the church or should.

Yeah. And I think that, uh, it is just a reminder that God's first, you know, like I'm not, I'm not trying to shame anyone or point fingers at anybody. I'm just saying, um, God expects us.

Yep.

To choose Him over everything else.

Yep.

You know, like it doesn't matter what it is. He has to have first place.

Yep.

'Cause He's not going to compete for second place. He's not going to compete for third place.

Like if He doesn't have first place, then He doesn't have you at all.

Yep.

So, so I think that it is very important for us to always kind of weigh our heart. You know, like what is taking the center stage?

Yeah.

And if it's not God, then we have to rearrange some stuff.

Yeah.

Well, He even says, "You know of Him."

Yeah.

He doesn't know you.

And it's hard because I understand we have things, you know, we're busy lives. Got three kids, one of them plays soccer all the time.

Yep.

And a lot of games are on Sunday.

Yep.

He misses a lot of his coaches. Hate the fact that we're pastors.

Yeah, it's because it's Sunday, you know.

So I was actually very happy. The one time we actually said, "Okay, you can skip church, but we can't."

So somebody else came and picked him up and took him to the game.

And when we got home and he got home, we were asking him, "So how was the game? And did you score and all of this stuff?"

And he did not want to answer a single question. He kept asking us about church.

He kept asking how the service and how many people were there and what did we do and how was the message.

And then he said, "You know, like the whole entire time I was just thinking, it is this time, I would have been in worship right now. It is this time that the message would happen right now. It is this time I would have been in live students right now."

And just to realize that he has been brought up that way.

Yeah.

To remember that God is first.

Yeah.

To the point that when something else kind of took the... we let him go to a tournament.

And he's like, "I wish I would have gone to church."

He feels like, "What is this? Like, this is not right."

So I think that, um, it's very important for us to just always weigh our heart. What is first and foremost?

And, and God has to be it.

And if He is not it, then you're going to have to be a little more, um, hard on yourself a little bit, you know, and to say, "Okay, what do I want?"

Yeah.

Do I want God to be first? Then why do I need to move?

Yeah.

And sometimes that is a hard decision.

Yeah.

Because it's just... it's just reality.

Where were you on Sunday?

And then it's, um, the fellowship, right?

So devotion, then it's, uh, the apostles' teaching.

I mean, if you're not reading the Bible, like there's... there is... you want to hear from God, but you're not reading what He said.

And not just that. When we are not rooted in Scripture, well, we don't know what actually it says.

Yeah.

And what God actually wants from you, then you believe anyone.

Yep.

You know, and, and somebody else can come and say, "Because it is like this and it is like that," and you'll be like, "Oh yeah, that sounds really good."

Because you don't read the Bible. So it sounds good enough. So you will take it.

You know, like I think that all of us should always weigh everything against the Word of God.

You know, like even what a preacher tells you.

Yes.

Even what I tell you.

I was going to say, like I can be preaching. And you can be reading the Bible and say, "Soul, that is not what it means."

Like how do you know that I am not just saying my things?

You know, like we have to be rooted in the Word of God to know what it is that we're supposed to do.

How does God expect me to respond to things?

What is it that God wants me to do with my life, with my time, with my money, with my kids?

All of it. All of it, the answers are in the Bible.

And when we don't read it, then we don't know.

Like what does God expect from me?

You know, like how am I supposed to even worship Him?

You know, because sometimes we think that we are doing the right thing and worship Him in the way that we think is right.

And then you read the Word and it's like, "Oh, that is not what He wants from me."

You know, He wants... you know, "My obedience is better than worship."

Oh, go figure.

You know, like, but if you don't know, then you think that worship means singing.

And that is not what it is.

So you have to be in the Word of God, even for you to truly please God.

Yeah, be able to because a lot of us have good intentions and good hearts.

And we want to do the right thing because we do love God truly.

But if we don't know what He wants from us, then we don't get it wrong.

Right.

And that's why it's important for all of us to just always go back to the Word.

So we have to be really in the Word of God.

We need to know why we're supposed to do and how we're supposed to do it.

Yeah, stick to the book.

Yeah.

You know, first hand, like if you don't think that God can speak to you, you will be surprised to realize that He can and that He doesn't have to only use other people.

Yeah.

Like I think that it is great when a prophet comes and you receive a word that, you know, that is so accurate and so awesome, but we cannot just wait for prophet to prophet to come and tell us something.

God wants to speak to you. So get in the Word.

Yeah.

We were hanging out at the Hope Center.

We got...

That's a mile truth.

That's a mile truth.

No, I didn't have fellowship.

Oh, I didn't say anything about fellowship.

Okay.

Okay. That's part of the difference.

I got to... I got to... I got to strike the one at the mile of the...

I think the fellowship is important.

Like I think that honestly, if you ask of the moments where we had the most success in ministry, have been the moments where we totally connected with people on a personal level.

You know, where we were able to build something from the bottom because we were there with people day in and day out when they were coming to our house for pizza.

When we were able to just talk and sit down and just talk about anything and everything when we were just playing and we were playing.

Yes, playing games together and just having that connection that was so personal that when then something came up, you had the right to be able to speak into their lives.

It gave you a platform.

Yes, because I think that a lot of times you can see something in people, but if you don't have that equity, if you don't have that relationship, just saying it could end up being like, "Well, who do you think you are?"

Right?

But when you have built that trust and when you have built that community, when people know that you truly care for them and you have been there for them, then you have a little more of an end to be able to speak into their lives and they will be able to be more vulnerable and say, "Hey, I'm struggling with this."

That's where the mask comes off and you are true, like you are you.

And I think that that is so important and that's when people feel connected, when people feel seen, when people feel like somebody understands me and cares about me, where they can see my flaws and still embrace me.

When they can see my victories and cheer with me, when they can see me suffering and they are crying with me, that is important because it is not just what other people need, but what we also need.

You need that and they need that.

So we need one another.

So fellowship has to be there because we cannot try to grow together, but at a distance.

Like if we all are in their own pot, it is hard.

And for me, that was like the hardest...

Yes.

Kids that felt the comfortable or like the connection, yeah, the freedom to just be able to go and say, "Are you at home? I'm coming over."

You're like, "Oh, come on."

I think that that is so needed, where you are not just seeing people as strangers, but they become family.

They become somebody that you lean on and they know that they can lean on you as well.

And when somebody that you...

Yeah.

And when you know that these people are saying stuff because they truly care because they truly love, you know, that that even if it was, yeah, and this was an at a boy type of thing.

But even if it has to be something a little bit harsh, you know, they said like, "Hey, that wasn't too cool."

You know, I think that you can receive it better.

There's a proverb that I'm going to care for one another, you know.

Yeah, we should care for one another.

I love that.

So it's breaking bread, breaking bread.

I like to eat. Can I feed tamales instead of bread?

We have something at all, but you know, but I, I, I... some of our reformed friends are just shaking their heads right now going, "Oh my word."

I agree with you that it is all about keeping the cross front and center.

You know, remember the sacrifice that Jesus did for us, you know, the fact that we are redeemed and that our sins have been forgiven, it is not because we deserve it, it is not because we are so good, it's not because we are so cool, it's not because we are so intelligent or anything that you can claim fame to, it is nothing about that.

It is all about the grace and the mercy of God, because I think that the more that you see yourself as somebody that has been forgiven by grace, the quicker you are to forgive others.

Yes.

And the more that the sin in other people's lives will not make you boast, but it will make you pray.

Yeah.

That it will not make you say, "You people, you know, like all of you that are living the crazy life," but they will make you break and say, "God, the same mercy that you have for me when I was crazy, for them."

Yeah.

A Christian that's excited, God's will for everybody to come to repentance.

And if I had the great opportunity of hearing the gospel and being moved to repentance, I should desire the same for everybody else.

But that conviction and that desire doesn't come if I don't value the cross.

Yeah.

If I don't value what Jesus did and I don't put all of it into perspective, then I don't understand that He suffered, not just so that I could be okay.

Yeah.

That He suffered for all of us to be able to experience the freedom and the love and the joy that only happens in His presence.

So I think that it just kind of keeps you in place.

Yeah.

It keeps you in place and it keeps you loving one another.

It keeps that fellowship from being just a club of the good people and to let's do something together because more people need to know this.

And I think that that's what the people in the book of Acts had.

You know, they understood the price that Jesus paid.

They understood what the cross represented.

They understood everything that they have seen Jesus do and how it had a purpose.

And in this moment, they realized we are being able to partake in this because of His great mercy.

So together, instead of just closing the doors, they started to go out.

So I think that's when we have everything into the right perspective, we will not close our doors and we will not just look into ourselves, but we will start going out.

Yep.

And that's what we need.

It's beautiful. I love it.

All right, one last touch prayer.

I mean, come on. I love prayer.

But I also like to talk.

So I guess that's probably three hours.

I can talk to God for three hours.

Like, you're talking, right?

But I think that it is very important for us to have that communication with God because it is in prayer and that true relationship that you receive from Him, you know, and it is not just about the blessings that we sometimes kind of experience or put our minds into the blessings of financial or health or stuff like that, you know.

But I love how Psalms puts it that we don't forget all of His benefits, you know, and the benefits had nothing to do with our wealth.

It is He is the one that forgives our sins and He wants the Ruanzer victims from the pit.

And He's, you know, all of this good things.

And I think that all of that comes as you pray more, you know, that you are talking to Him and that He is bringing you into alignment with His will, that He is giving you His heart, that you are just developing a relationship that becomes more of a friendship.

You know, like I think that, yeah, like we have to have the reverence for God because of who He is, but also we are invited to this closeness in relationship.

So we have been so blessed to have something that the people in the Old Testament never had, no matter who they were, they were not able to just come and just pray.

They had to go to a priest and they were the ones interceding for people.

And now we have this huge, huge blessing that we can come boldly through the throne of God and talk to Him.

And we can call Him Father and we can just, you know, just talk to Him and not to do it.

I like, can you imagine all of the Levites, you know?

So like, you have the freedom to do this and you're not doing it.

Like, are you crazy?

I think that it is so important for us to take advantage of the fact that we get to talk to God.

And we get to have that relationship with...

Prayer is... it's so vital.

Yeah.

And you can pray about big things and you can pray about little things.

You know, like a couple of days ago, we saw on Facebook that somebody got a snake in their backyard.

No, in the backyard in the garage.

And legit. I got... Soul has a severe phobia of snakes.

Oh my gosh.

Like cartoon snakes are still scary.

Like, don't show me a picture.

Don't, don't, don't... just know that that is... no.

Like, I am a fulfillment of the word that God spoke to you, that He was going to put on a mussely between the women and the snake.

Like, it's like fulfilled.

Not so much.

No, not at all.

So, so I'm sorry.

So somebody posted that on Facebook and I legit had a nightmare the very first night.

I was like, "This is... this is ridiculous."

Like, I woke up like sweating because I was dreaming that I was the one seeing the snake.

And the next day, I was like, "Okay, I can't."

Like, I didn't even want to go back to bed because I was like, "I don't want to dream with this snake again."

And, and I kept telling my friend, I'm like, "You have to figure out our garage because I don't want to open my garage and see something in my garage."

And, um, I found out it's up praying, you know, like, bread praying for me, but then I pray by myself because my prayer wasn't good enough.

I was like, "I need more than that."

And it is just remembering.

I think my... no, I like, I need like... I need like real faith here.

Uh, so like, I was really just going to God and saying, like, "I know that you have said that we can bring all our anxieties."

Like, it doesn't matter what it is.

And, and just knowing that God cares, that no matter if it is something that for some people might sound silly, you know, like, "Don't ever let me see a snake ever, please, ever."

Like, like, no, like, around my property, there is like a no snake guardian angel, like, like, whatever, you know, like, I don't know.

Like, the head of protection.

I don't know.

Like, God was bringing all kinds of things.

Uh, but I do believe that God cares for those little things.

Yeah.

The same last that He cares for the big, big things in life that really are weighing you down.

And the same way that He cares about you sharing your accomplishments and the big things to say, "God, like, I was able to make it. Thank you so much for being there with me."

Like, I think that all of the things that happen in our lives we can bring to God.

And, and, and it is beautiful to know that He cares for it.

Yeah.

You know, that He is not like, "Uh, right. Like, you again, with that."

Like, He cares about everything in our lives.

It's beautiful.

I love it.

To the Holy Spirit?

You know, it, um, it's not always easy.

It's not always easy because you can do it on your own, then that wasn't asking you to do it.

It wasn't God, right?

Because we should rely on the power of the Holy Spirit.

I think that it's not easy, but it's worth it.

Yeah.

You know, when you fully understand, and I think that once you have followed the blueprint, you know, when you have put God first, and that no matter what, you know, like you're going to follow God no matter what, when you have devoted yourself to what the Word says, when you have devoted yourself to praying, then the Holy Spirit asks you to do something, and yeah, it might not be comfortable, it might not be what you would have chosen.

But I think that in that moment, they're saying, "Yes," a little bit easier because you have developed that connection to God at a level that it is your life for the gospel.

Yeah.

You know, I love the fact that the disciples were just so bold.

After they received the Holy Spirit, they said, "This is not something that we can keep to ourselves. This is not something that we just, you know, that it is just for us."

But they remember the words that Jesus gave them right before He left, you know, like, "Go and make disciples of all nations."

So at that moment, they felt the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to actually do what Jesus has commanded them to do.

And the same commandment goes for us, like no matter what your job is, no matter what your circle of influence looks like, no matter how many dollars you have in your bank account, no matter what career path you've chosen, no matter what nationality you are, our job is still the same.

It might look different for all of us, but we all have the same commitment, go and make disciples of our nations.

And if you don't feel like you have the empowerment to do it, then you need to spend a little more time with God and then you need to ask for the Holy Spirit.

Because once you have that, you will be able to be bold enough to say, "Here we go."

That doesn't mean that it's going to be easy.

That doesn't mean that everybody's going to love you and be so grateful because you came.

That is not... that is not a guarantee for any of us.

And ran away.

My very first attempt, so...

And some people will like you, some people won't, and some people will accept Jesus, and some people will just look at you and be like, "No dude."

You know, so that it is not that the success is a guarantee.

But as long as you're being obedient to God, you will realize that it's worth it.

Yeah, I would even take that a step...

Yes, no, you're correct.

I agree with that.

And I just feel like for us to be able to just be obedient, you need to be connected to God.

Like you're not going to be obedient if you are not devoted to God.

You're not obedient to a stranger.

Like you're not going to be obedient and endure in the obedience because you may be willing to say, "Okay," but when the things are tough and when things are starting to go sideways and when things don't look like what you thought that they should look like...

It starts costing you more than you thought you could say.

Yes, that's when you can abandon ship real quick.

So you will endure the persecution or the difficulties or the roughness of all of this when you are fully devoted to God, when you have been empowered by the Holy Spirit, when you are building that life of prayer, when you are connected to other people that are going to pray for you because they see like it's rough, it's rough over here.

You know, like when you have all of that, when you are putting the cross front and center and you remember that you are doing this because other people need to know, they just need to know.

Then obedience is not easy, but it is doable.

Then you will say, "Okay, it hurts and it's crushing me and you know, and I don't know what is going to happen, but God you told me to do this. So I'm going to stick the course, no matter what."

So I think that when you have the first part, I love that you brought it back to the blueprint.

You can do the second part.

You cannot do the second part if you have neglected the first part.

Yep, if He beautifully said, terrifying.

And that's what we see with the disciples.

Like you mentioned it, like they were hiding beforehand, right?

It wasn't until all of this started taking place all when they received the Holy Spirit and they are empowered and they are starting to live in this life that then they are spread out and they continue the work because they have experienced firsthand what it's supposed to look like.

So when you don't have that, then Jesus told them, "Go and make disciples of all nations."

Did they do it right away?

No, no, they had to experience the first part first to then being able...

Yeah.

And we have the great advantage of technology.

We have the great advantage of travel.

We have the great advantage of everything that we have today that they didn't have back then.

And I feel like they were more committed and more zealous and more...

They were less distracted by life.

They didn't care what they needed to do.

You know, like Paul had how many shipwrecks?

You know, he was like, "I'm going on."

I've been beaten. I've been poisoned.

You know, like after one shipwreck, I'll be like, "Okay, I'm not going on the sea no more."

You know, he kept just going like, "Okay, I might be the problem."

Exactly.

But when you understand that that was the level of commitment that they had to spreading the news that Jesus was God and that He had come to redeem you from sin, how awesome is that?

And I think that we need to go back to that.

Honestly, like we need to go back to having this desire and that passion for the message that we get to carry.

Like we get to carry this message.

And I love that it's called a good news because we are bringing good news to people.

You know, and still we feel like, "Oh, no, like maybe, maybe, maybe..."

No, like, no, that's not my thing.

Like, "Oh, no, I don't talk to strangers."

Oh, no, like, you know, we got to do this.

We got to do this.

Yeah, we said it.

The very first master of the series just say, tells you to do, do it.

Yeah.

And I think that if we all are committed to the yes, if we are all committed to God, to His Word, to fellowship, to the prayer, and we are saying yes and we're going to cross front and center in everything that we do.

And you decide that I'm going to be bold enough to do wherever the Holy Spirit is telling me to do, you have no idea how your life, your workspace, your business, like it can be a completely different thing, you know, that you thought that you were building this business because you always wanted to have a cupcake shop, right?

But God uses it for something completely different, you know, to bring His name to places that other people cannot go.

Maybe you thought that your dream was to be a pro athlete because you have always liked the game, but God put you there so that you could be a light to the people that can only hear athletes because that's, you know, the wrong model for a lot of kids.

Like you don't know why you are where you are.

So just say yes to the Holy Spirit and just be bold.

I think that's a beautiful place...

Conversation.

I'm winning you over.

I love the Book of Acts.

I've never said I didn't.

No, we're going.

1. "I love the Exodus just because how grand it is. You know, it just, it is so much of God choosing His people and God doing miraculous things for His people. And then the people falling. You know, like I like the fact that you see real people doing real things." - 03:22

2. "When you fully understand, and I think that once you have followed the blueprint, you know, when you have put God first, and that no matter what, you know, like you're going to follow God no matter what, when you have devoted yourself to what the word says, when you have devoted yourself to praying, then the Holy Spirit asked you to do something, and yeah, it might not be comfortable, it might not be what you would have chosen. But I think that in that moment, they're saying, yes, a little bit easier because you have developed that connection to God at a level that it is your life for the gospel." - 53:47

3. "Our job is still the same. It might look different for all of us, but we all have the same commitment, go and make disciples of our nations. And if you don't feel like you have the empowerment to do it, then you need to spend a little more time with God and then you need to ask for the Holy Spirit. Because once you have that, you will be able to be bold enough to say, here we go." - 55:55

4. "You will endure the persecution or the difficulties or the roughness of all of this when you are fully devoted to God, when you have been empowered by the Holy Spirit, when you are building that life of prayer, when you are connected to other people that are going to pray for you because they see like it's rough, it's rough over here." - 58:08

5. "I think that for me, I cling to different verses and different seasons and it is just like the, the, the verse that is kind of resounding to me at the moment. Right. Because I'll be like, oh, I'm a different one now. And now the ones that that have been a part of my journey, like I still treasure that." - 05:56