What's the Difference?

Scripture: Acts 2:42-47, "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

Observation: In this chapter Jesus has already ascended back into heaven. He has told his disciples to wait and they have. The Holy Spirit comes upon them in a miraculous way at Pentacost and they immediately go out and start sharing the message of Jesus with the people in Jerusalem. Peter then begins to preach his first sermon, and boy is it a powerful one. He shares about who Jesus really is and opens the eyes of his listeners. The passage records that about 3000 were saved that day.

Application: What's the difference? The passage I put up top says that the "Lord added to their number daily those who were being save." So again what's the difference? Why are we not seeing that today? Is it apathy? Polls will tell you that America is taking a shift for the traditional evangelical christianity that we've known for so long. Why are our churches not seeing this kind of revival? What is the difference between us and them? Eric Batt asked me that sunday. We were talking about Charles Spurgeon, John Wesley and Martin Luther. He asked me what the difference was between us and them. The conclusion we came to was nothing. They were just ordinary men whom God used for extraordinary things. The difference was that they trust the Holy Spirit and took a leap of faith. The same goes for the disciples. They trusted the Holy Spirit that had now given them power and they took a leap of faith.

Prayer: Lord, you only are worthy of all the glory. I confess that I don't take risks as much as I should. They are not risks when I have the power of the Holy Spirit guiding me. I thank you for that power and I ask your strength to use an ordinary guy to do extraordinary things, Amen!