SOMETIMES GOD SAYS YES…SO BE READY!
"…He came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. When she recognized Peter's voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. But they said to her "You are beside yourself!" Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, "It is his angel." Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord brought him out of prison…” Acts 12:12-17
There are four generations of "King Herods" mentioned in the bible, with each generation of Herod unleashing a murderous rampage of persecution on the early Christians. It was the main reason Mary and Joseph had to go into hiding when Jesus was born; Herod The Great was so threatened by news about the arrival of our New Born King that he ordered the extermination of any male infants, so he might snuff out any perceived threat to his throne. Thirty-three years later, it was his son, Herod Antipas, who was friends with Pilate during the trial and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. King Herod Agrippa I, was the grandson of Herod the Great and murdered James (the brother of John, not to be confused with James, the brother of Jesus). Herod Agrippa II was one of Paul's judges. For purposes of this sermon, I am focusing on Peter, and King Herod Agrippa I…but in particular, Peter.
It is quite amazing to me that during the reign of Herod Agrippa I, Peter had risen to be recognized as not only the leader among the disciples, but he was the first great voice of the gospel during and after the Pentecost. He was the leader of the church and its most out-spoken voice (before Paul)…
This was the same Peter who impulsively sliced off the ear of a man who came to arrest Jesus…and after Christ's arrest, this was the same Peter who not only denied knowing Jesus Christ but did so in a profane manner (Matthew 27:74). Peter was the loudest, boldest, seemingly toughest and most flawed (after Judas, that is…). Peter often spoke before he thought, reacted before he could evaluate a situation, and stumbled and fell many times…And Jesus still picked him as one of His 12 disciples. This was the type of person Christ was looking for, believe it or not, to follow Him, continue on with the spreading of the Gospel and become a major part of the early church. Christ was not looking for the winners of popularity contests or role models with perfect lives to follow Him; He was looking for REAL people who had REAL problems and REAL flaws so that the world could see the power of His transforming love. It is better to be a follower that sometimes falls than one who fails to follow at all. Peter is proof that flawed Christians can go on to become great Christians….but back to Peter…
King Agrippa, I was persecuting Christians after Christ ascended back to the Father. No matter what those early Christians went through, they stayed faithful and stayed in prayer, even when things were at their worst and it seemed like God didn't hear them…They stayed strong, they stayed faithful, and stayed in prayer. They were no strangers to violence, pain, or humiliation in the name of Jesus Christ. They knew that Christ had paid the penalty for their sins and that their rewards were eternal, and they set the example of enduring persecution and intolerance. They were led by an older, much wiser Peter. Even after James was murdered, and the odds of getting Peter out of prison were astronomically horrible, these early Christians not only had faith that God would protect them, but that He would bring Peter back to them.
So, when Peter shows up at their doorstep one day, a free man, it blew their minds. He showed up on the doorstep of Mary (the mother of Mark) to the shock of everyone. The believers would often use her home as a place to have a church or assemble to pray, and it became a kind of a headquarters for Peter's plight. They prayed non-stop for his well-being and return, even though the odds were not good. Finally, an angel of God removed Peter's chains, opening the prison gates wide for Peter to walk right out of. When he showed up at Mary's, a young lady named Rhoda answered Peter's knock, and she was so shocked to hear his voice, that she forgot to answer the door. She ran back into the house to tell the people (with hysterical joyfulness) that Peter was outside. And, although these people prayed and prayed and prayed for this miracle, they didn't initially believe that he was really standing outside of their gate, and accused Rhoda of being "beside herself," (A/K/A crazy).
Meanwhile, Peter is still standing outside, wondering what is going on, listening to the people inside argue about whether it was really him or not. When they finally did answer the gate/door and saw him with their own two eyeballs, they all began to thank and praise God loudly and excitedly to the point where Peter had to get them to calm down so he could explain what had happened to him, and how he got out…
These people prayed non-stop, and when God said "Yes" to their prayer, they almost couldn't believe it.
Sometimes God says yes…so be ready. Because when He says yes, you get everything that comes with that yes. When you pray for power, you get power and all of the problems that come with it. If you pray for money and He says yes, you'll get the money and all the issues that come with it. And God will test you with the blessings and gifts He has bestowed upon you, just to see if you'll do the right thing, and weather the storm of the very thing you prayed for. When you pray for patience and strength, that will be tested. What good is having strength if you don't know how strong you are? It doesn't matter how big and strong you look, or tell people you are…God will drop that 3151b. weight on your chest and make you show Him…especially if you prayed for it.
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
Two points before I get to my point; First: God can turn any circumstance around for our long-range good. Even when we fall, there is a lesson and plan God has for us to help fulfill His purpose. Secondly, this promise can only be claimed by those who love God and have been called by Him because their faith in God does not waiver in pain and persecution.
When the Holy Spirit snatched me out of my sleep and gave me the strength and courage to leave Islam and accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I prayed to be used as His servant in any way He needed me. Music is what I thought my mission was. That, and being an example to other people who were trapped by the chains of Islam was the initial spearhead of my purpose. Initially, I spoke all the time about how the Holy Spirit led me out of Islam because I knew God was using me as a blueprint for the way out. But past the music and my testimony, the church (or should I say certain members of the church) were opposed to me doing any other preaching and teaching. It made me second guess myself after my honeymoon to become Christian had waned, the realities and politics of Christianity set in. When I felt weak and useless, I prayed, asking the Lord for guidance. He urged me to continue growing, studying, writing, and helping people while putting good Christian mentors around me. I cannot emphasize enough how much influence Les Alderson of Celebrate Recovery Inside had on me. By the time I met him in 2016, I was bursting at the seams to serve in a greater capacity, but was holding back. He recognized that, and gave me my first real opportunity to lead, allowing me to spill my guts and soul out on people who needed to hear it the most…and not just from behind a keyboard or piano. God answered my prayer…but gave me all that came with it. See, like Mary and Rhoda, I prayed faithfully, even when I saw no solution in sight. I prayed when I felt unworthy and prayed when I felt discouraged. Working with Les and C.R. illuminated a stumbling block that I did not realize I had in that I was easily dazzled by polished Christians who were well versed in scripture and eloquent in prayer, I was also easily angered or discouraged by Christians who had absolutely no problem wallowing in sin Monday through Saturday…but still allowed to open a congregation in prayer or sing in the choir on Sunday. He also illuminated the fact that I had habits and sins that I clung to, that I tried to hide from public view, making me a hypocrite because many viewed me in the same way…as either that polished Christian phony or that weekend warrior Christian. None of that changed the fact that I was called to serve God. It took my involvement in Celebrate Recovery to see that the polished Christian and the most hypocritical one BOTH fall short of the Glory of God. At that moment, I understood what "the equality of sin" is. This point is made even more clear in Peter's life. It is stunning to think about, but at one point, in the eyes of mankind, during the life of Jesus Christ, Judas was considered more reliable and level-headed than Peter, and we know how that turned out. It all taught me that we must always look past a person's shiny facade (even if he does great things), and always look past the stains of sin on a person (even if he does terrible things) because God can and will choose either type of person. No matter what station in life He finds you, no matter who you are, and no matter what you did. The Bible says in Romans 8:28 that ALL things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. I am a perfect example: God chose me, and I had no time to wait until I considered myself "good enough" to fulfill the purpose He has put in front of me to follow through on. I will always be a work in progress. In the Donnie McClurkin song "We Fall Down" (listen to it when you get a chance) they sing "A saint is just a sinner who fell down and got up." We are all works-in-progress whom God will continually shape, mold, bless, and stress test…
Trust me when I tell you that when you do God's work everything about who you are and what you do will be tested. Your sincerity, your character, your past, your present… it will all be hyper-focused on, and poked at, especially when you are viewed as a leader. Some people were alarmed when they saw that a goof like me could have such a vast platform…I am serving a life sentence for murder…who am I to minister to anyone? The attacks came, and were humbling, grounding, & sometimes deserved. But I was still called, and simply prayed for strength, protection, and deliverance from my enemies. God said yes to it all for me…(which is why I am in Centralia right now). Learning from Peter's mistakes, I made sure not to be lured into battles that could tarnish my ministry, and no matter what was thrown at me, I was able to always re-act mildly, and in many cases, just refuse to dignify whatever is being said with a shrug or no response. It wasn't Christians who were taking shots at me once Solafide was up and running…it was always someone who had no relationship with Jesus Christ…so what do I care? Only me having a bad reaction, could destroy what I created. An ungodly reaction would justify all of the attacks of my enemies. Easier said than done, but with God's help, you can do it. I did.
Never forget that God has been so graceful to us…He has been so graceful to me, even when I didn't deserve it…even when I deserved His wrath. He forgave me. So, I had to learn how to be graceful and forgiving to people, even my enemies, even if I thought they didn't deserve it. We must always err on the side of Jesus, and when you do that, God will find you a way.
Jesus Christ's first words spoken to Peter were "Follow me." (Mark 1:17) Christ's last words to Peter were "Follow me” (John 21:2). Christ never asked for perfection…He just asked to be followed by people who can be changed by His love.
Remember three things when you pray to God and he says "yes:"
1.) Persecution is a blessing because it shapes and develops character (Acts 5:41)
2.) Blessings come from staying close to God's people (Eph. 3:14-15)
3.) Don't be so surprised when God answers… (Acts 12;13-15 and Romans 1:9-10)
God bless you, and remember…stay prayed up.