Week five of With Authority answers the question every ordinary believer asks: can God really use me? We are not called to be fans of Jesus watching from the sidelines — we are called to be followers in the game. You do not need an impressive resume, your weakness can display His power, and the Holy Spirit equips the entire church to speak boldly.
Acts 4:8-13, 2 Corinthians 4:5-9, Acts 4:23-31
We are not called to be fans of Jesus watching from the sidelines — we are called to be followers in the game. Jesus holds open tryouts every single day, not just for the best of the best, and He entrusts ordinary, weak, Spirit-filled people to carry His message with boldness.
When Peter and John stood before the council, the members were amazed at their boldness — because they could see they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. The council wrote them off the moment they walked in, but God showed up. Jesus entrusted these unschooled men to deliver His message, and God will always speak through who He entrusts. Amos said it the same way: "I'm not a professional prophet, and I was never trained to be one. I'm just a shepherd." And Isaiah simply said, "Here I am. Send me." Jesus entrusts you to deliver His message to your family, your coworkers, even to yourself in the mirror. Stop treating "I am ordinary" as a reason to remain a spectator — every believer can serve, pray, share the gospel, and use the gifts God gives.
Paul says we are like fragile clay jars containing a great treasure — and that contrast is the point. Clay jars in the ancient world were ordinary, breakable, everyday containers. The value was never in the container; the value was in the treasure it carried. We are fragile, imperfect, and ordinary. We all have issues and problems, and the devil tries to convince us we need to be perfect before sharing the treasure inside us with those around us. He places an impossible task on us and shames us into doing nothing for the kingdom of God. But Paul says we are pressed on every side yet not crushed, perplexed but not driven to despair, hunted down but never abandoned, knocked down but not destroyed. Name the limitation you keep using to count yourself out — then ask God how to serve faithfully with it rather than waiting to become someone else.
After Peter and John were freed, they returned to the other believers — and all of them lifted their voices together in prayer. They asked for great boldness in preaching, for healing power and miraculous signs through the name of Jesus. Then the meeting place shook, and they were ALL filled with the Holy Spirit, and they ALL preached the word of God with boldness. The anointing to preach moved from just Peter and John to every believer who prayed. Peter didn't pray over everyone — everyone prayed. Don't let the devil lie to you and keep you from sharing the gospel any longer. Tell someone about Jesus, ask them if they need prayer, pray for healing, invite them to church. Their pattern is our pattern: they had been with Jesus, they prayed with one another, and they went forward with the Holy Spirit. This week, keep praying out loud — if you have never prayed before, congratulations, you are no longer a fan but a follower of Jesus.
This week, stop spectating and get in the game. Name the limitation you have used to count yourself out, pray out loud every day for the Holy Spirit to speak through you with boldness, and take one bold step: tell someone about Jesus, ask them if they need prayer, pray for healing, or invite them to church with you.
Spend the week reflecting on this message with daily scripture readings, reflections, and prayers. Each day builds on the sermon and helps you apply biblical wisdom to your life.
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