K.P. Yohannan passionately teaches that ordinary believers empowered by the Holy Spirit can become a mighty minority, revolutionizing the world through sacrificial living and bold witness.
The sermon titled 'A Mighty Minority' focuses on the Book of Acts, highlighting the power of the first-generation Christians and the impact of ordinary believers who became revolutionaries for Jesus. It emphasizes the importance of honesty, sincerity, and faith in serving God, showcasing examples of God's transformative work in the lives of those who are willing to be open and genuine in their relationship with Him.
Full Transcript
If you are writing a title for my teaching tonight, it's all about missions by the way, but I want to call it a mighty minority. That's what I'm calling it. Now, Book of Acts is so significant because this is where we see the first generation Christian, the church, in action.
It covers some 30 years of history obviously, but there is life and movement and action and verb and all the excitement in the world and suspense. I mean you can make 10,000 movies out of this if you want to. It is so fantastic.
I went to seminary in Dallas and learned five and a half years and got my degrees and all those things. I remember one of the books I had to study was Book of Acts, but it was all about history, all about the Greek and the tense and all this stuff and all kind of stuff. By the time they finished teaching Book of Acts, they said, what on earth is this? But the Lord would ask me to go back and read the Book of Acts, not for getting a degree, but to see life in it.
And my life was revolutionized. And you see, we always need absolute. If you do not know law, saying you should not steal, you should not do this thing, how do you know what you should do, what you should not do? The same way, there are absolutes through life, living examples God gave to you and gave to me that we can say, wow, this means this and this is how I can imitate, I can follow.
And that's the reason why I like the Book of Acts very much. You know, brothers and sisters, there's a false thinking that God's heroes are some special breed of people, some superstars, those who are, you know, having the high IQs and special look and certain caste they come from or background. When you read this book, you will find it is not like that.
The weak, the simple, the nobodies, the common folks that came into relationship with Jesus Christ, the risen Lord, they became revolutionaries as a matter of fact. And you read in the Book of Acts chapter 17, verse 6, this fantastic verse. These, those who have turned the world upside down, they have come here also.
Now in Philip's translation says, these world revolutionaries have come here also. Think about it. In the words of Keith Green, a dear friend who now is with the Lord, God is calling us to be just all out crazy for Jesus.
There's nothing, what people call normal is the way we should be living. We are outrageous, wacko, crazy people, not dumb, stupid. I don't mean that way.
But there's something about our way of life. They turned the world upside down not because they were famous and rich and smart and good-looking and movie stars. No, they had such impact upon the generation in their workplace, in the marketplace, in all circumstances, just by the way of life.
It was so contagious. And I believe even today there is a kind of life I think the Lord is calling us for. And this will not happen without paying the price and making some choices.
God never commits himself at random to anyone. He waits for us to respond and willing to count the cost. Jesus could never save the world without embracing the cross and going after the cross.
That's what the Bible says. We want to be like Jesus. World revolutionaries impact our children, our grandchildren, our society just by saying nice spiritual words and knowing all the doctrines.
It never happens. It's a way of life. And often we do not want that because it cost us something, namely giving up our self-centeredness.
But for the joy that is there when we make those choices is outrageous. Now starting from book of Acts chapter 1, in the very chapter 1 we find the first verse about things Jesus began to do and to teach and all those things. Now the journey must continue.
Jesus began and then he is asking us to continue the journey. Fulfill the suffering of Christ's poor son through his life and his commitment. Now here's the thing.
In Matthew's gospel chapter 28 verse 18, Jesus said to the disciples, all authority is given to me now you fellows go. I'm with you. I mean think about these weak little people.
Thomas was one of those fellows. You remember the doubting Thomas? He came to India to my village. As a matter of fact when I was studying seminary they handed over this big huge church history book and was flipping through that and I found under the church planting era of India the name of my own village N-I-R-A-N-A-M, Niranam.
That is where I was born. A tiny little village in the southern part of India. He came to India in AD 52, planted seven churches and one of those churches happened to be three kilometers from where I was born and raised.
You know what that makes me a better Christian. I mean today I go to Philippines or China or India or Burma anywhere. I go to the airport and get on the 747 you know jets and zoom.
Here I go you know I mean few hours I'm landing in the other side of the globe but it was not so for Thomas. Ask the Christian who paid him to travel like that. What was the salary? What life insurance? Who told him I will stand by you? I mean you think about those things.
In the end after planting those churches he was murdered by Hindu Brahmins in Chennai for preaching the gospel. He lay down his life. What motivated him to offer his life as a living sacrifice? It was a encounter with the living Christ and those who know the Lord will want to continue run the race no matter where they are.
And again Jesus telling in verse 8 chapter 1 verse 8. By the way I'm just going through different chapters so just stay with me. When you receive the power he said you know you wait when the Holy Spirit come upon you, you will receive power and you will become a witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost the ends of the earth. Now here's the thing that I want to say to you.
If Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will have a holy goal to someone else. You know when the Holy Spirit come upon you if you are baptized in the Holy Spirit don't look for goosebumps. You know I'm tired of this false gospel that some people are preaching you know when the Holy Spirit come upon you, you will fall down, you scream, you crawl like a snake and bark.
I don't know this stuff but I'm telling you Jesus said this. When he comes he will take the things of mine and he will reveal them to you. He will never talk about himself.
When a preacher or a pastor or anyone anywhere glorify the Holy Spirit, promote the Holy Spirit all about this all about that and Jesus is left out you can be sure this guy's off the wall. California talk because the job of the Holy Spirit is to lift up Jesus and the power is given not to feel nice good feelings about it although that is wonderful. I remember the time I was baptized in the Holy Spirit many years ago back in India all alone praying in the room and I tell you I was so filled with his grace and love in there and I said Lord stop it I can't handle it anymore if Jesus asked me to jump off from a 10-story building I would have done it I loved him so much I couldn't stop loving him that was a result of my being baptized in the Holy Spirit not jumping up around screaming and crawling like a snake and I'm telling you my brothers and sisters if the disciples needed the power of the Holy Spirit after being taught three and a half years by Jesus himself God himself you tell me how much you and I need the Holy Spirit it is our birthright please remember that and he is waiting and willing to give you the power the Holy Spirit you know by the way I was asking the Lord give me power to preach the gospel I was not praying for tongues although I spoke in tongues that I never learned before which was not my orientation but for me that's what happened but I'm telling you that the call of the Lord upon our life is to demonstrate Jesus to others through the power of the Holy Spirit this is a revolutionary concept and a revolutionary life I remember my wife in Germany as a young girl came to know the Lord after a couple of years 13 or 14 at that time she was baptized in the Holy Spirit and I tell you what that changed her life so much as a young girl studying in Germany she would go on the streets and witnessing to people and while she was in high school she led over 20 young people to Christ and started a Bible study for those lost German young people that came to know Jesus Christ she was so moved with the burden for the lost while she was born in a very high affluent nice German family they want her to learn the graces of the high society the dancing all those stuff she said to her mom and dad Jesus called me to be a missionary I cannot drink this stuff I cannot be part of any of those things and you know what she did she took an American Indian a South American Indian coin and put a hole and drill a hole through that and put a string and tied it around her neck every morning she stood before the mirror she sees the American Indian head the coin which reminded her you are called to be a missionary to serve God and her sister two girls the month every month her parents give both of the same amount of money her sister would go and spend the money and buy a new dress and this and the all kind of trinkets but Gisela a young 14 year old girl 15 year old girl 16 year old girl she will take that money and never spend it on chocolate and chewing gums and all kind of funny stuff she would collect the money eventually would send it to Wycliffe missionary working in South America that was a journey she made as a result of knowing Jesus and being filled with the Holy Spirit I'm telling you some individual who say I know Jesus and have no concern to pray for some people out there I have great trouble in understanding them I'm not saying we are all called to be preachers and you know miracle workers I'm not saying that but you know the ministry that you and I have may be different but there need to be that concern for others that do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and so we move to the book of Acts chapter 2 find these people again now there you have this Holy Spirit coming upon the people and what a wonderful event to witness and watch and then you will find the preaching take place verse 41 you can read the whole chapter by way tonight don't go to bed just stay and read the Bible and yeah you will find three thousand people what an incredible thing to happen in the midst of all the difficulties Peter of all the people who denied Jesus I don't know this man you're talking about now he stands up with a whole bunch of others and preaching the gospel he was no more alone there's unity others standing with him you know my brothers and sisters the body of Christ we work as a unity there is tremendous power when there is unity you know every morning my wife and I with my son and his wife and my daughter after breakfast we sit together and we pray specifically for things that the Lord has given to us we agree on things we talk about things why don't you start doing that you'll be amazed and surprised what God will do in a fellowship like this don't be a spectator saying oh thank God they're taking care of my kids thank God they take care of my teenagers and listen plug your life into something with some commitment it may cost you something but it's worth my brothers and sisters you know in the years past when I was living in North India am I talking too fast all right um when I get excited I talk too fast I had to be careful uh in the years past when I was in North India in the winter time you know December January it's very cold no heat nothing and it just you know you shiver through the night but what we used to do we get uh one of these this um this this um iron um uh a ball and we put coal in it you know this large black hole in it and we start fire and this thing really catch fire it all turned kind of blue flame in the end and and through the whole night the thing keep our room warm for little fellows like me those days you know weighing 70 pounds I ate too many hamburgers in America now but you know what think about your life like one of those black big chunk of coal you can stay out or you can stay in why don't you walk into the fire it will change you it will give you warmth the struggles and pain and agony and concerns and suspicions and all the stuff that you're dealing with will melt away you will find others are going the same struggles they care about you and we come together for the purpose of Jesus not for self-centered reasons and try that out you'll be amazed how God will move in you and through you I remember the story from Himachal Pradesh that some time ago it happened some of our brothers went out to do some open air preaching and bunch of people began to stone them and it was really getting difficult and I've been stoned stoned not on drugs by the way I'm talking about real you really throwing stones and honestly I ran many times as they were throwing rocks at me and now I remember if I could run like that now I could win the gold medal in Olympics and and and these brothers they had no way to escape and one brother spoke up as loud as he could please just give us five minutes that's all then you can kill us then they all stopped he got up on a higher ground on a piece of stone something like that and he began to tell about Jesus you know what happened the five minutes extended to 30 minutes and 21 people on the street weeping coming forward kneeling before them asking forgiveness and they want to know more about Jesus sometime we run away on the face of difficulty saying that they're going to reject me they're going to throw me out they're going to kill me if I give a tract what they will do to me hey listen don't be afraid Jesus said I will never leave you I will never forsake you and give your life away and see what God will do with that and this is absolutely beautiful all right let's go to chapter three you know the chapter since pastor Steve talked talked through this whole book 10,000 times I don't want to read through all this in chapter three we read about the healing of the crippled beggar this guy was sitting there begging for alms and of course you know Peter and John says you know we don't have any money to give to you but in the name of Jesus you get up and walk they had more faith but I tell you what it really happened it really happened we see about 15 churches planted every single day on the mission field right now 15 churches every day a great number of these churches are planted by some incredible miracle that take place absolutely amazing you know um some stories I'm a little nervous to tell Americans because they think this is really wacko it can't be really true you know but God is still in the business of touching the lives of people and changing them forever in Punjab some of the brothers were preaching the gospel one evening and bunch of extremist radicals they brought a man to them bound up in large chains and said this man is mad he's mentally deranged he's demon possessed as you people talk about would you please pray for this man so he can be healed and of course you know our brothers looked at the situation and said oh dear me what are we going to do and it's an amazing thing the reality of Christ presents and he sincerely believed this is true and as he was going to pray for this demon possessed man the Lord whispered to him I will show myself mighty tonight and he laid hand on this man the whole hell broke loose this man snapped all the chains he was not demon possessed he was a normal human being these radical anti-christians to make a mockery of Christ's name put him chained him and and wrap him up in these chains and brought to the preacher so that he will pray and then they will declare you see you see what these people have done he's a normal human being to make a mockery of the name of Jesus but as he stretched his hand the whole thing the guy really got completely wacko and then they realized what was going on then this brother took the microphone and said you see we had no knowledge what you guys were doing of course the whole crowd became totally crazy and then these fellows who brought them said please forgive us do something about it do something about it then our brother said you know what if all your gods any of your gods all of them together can set this man free and heal him I will stop preaching and go after your God I mean you can imagine this a real story in the end this brother would pray and the Lord heals the man that was the beginning of one of the churches in the community you tell me about Jesus being alive he is not dead you know what other day my colleague David Carroll and I myself we were on some American airline flight and by the grace of David Carroll we got bummed up to first class and I was quite happy I was working on my notes and everything sitting next to me is this lady she was sneezing and you know wiping her nose and I turned to her and said you seems to be not doing so well sick she said yeah I'm sick I got a cold and then I found out she's a high powered lawyer travels all over the world and all kind of stuff and I said let me pray for you she said and she kept her eyes open like a monkey all the time I laid my hand on her and and prayed for her saying Lord Jesus you are our savior I preached the gospel through praying for her Lord would he just touch her and heal her as she was leaving the plane she said I feel so good I said I will send you some materials to read and I got her address so I can send her some gospel tracts and stuff obviously she doesn't know the Lord wherever you may be in the bus in the train standing to buy hamburger at In-N-Out or Burger King or wherever or supermarket your neighbor when you run into people those who look sad and gloomy and sick listen those are opportunities God is giving you to minister in the name of Jesus you don't need to know all the Bible like Pastor Steve Mays to pray for a sick person Jesus Christ is the one who heals people not you I remember when my daughter she was so tiny two three years old one night she was screaming on the top of her lung you know in her room and because in Dallas you know when my wife and I ran to her room and found her chest in terrible pain crawled up on her bed and we realized two o'clock in the morning what do you do the little girl is hurting so bad and I said to her you know we'll pray for you Jesus will heal you and Gisela and I we laid hand on little Sarah and said Lord you are the one who promised you will hear our prayer and you died on the cross for our sins and you are able to heal us Lord would you touch her and heal her instantly she stopped crying I'm not saying you got any sickness any time you pray instantly everything be healed I'm not saying that to you there are some time I get a headache I take aspirin I pray all the prayers in the world and nothing happened Jesus says he could ask me take a couple aspirins doctors and nurses are God's gift to us in medicine but what I'm telling you with or without medicine why don't you first trust in the Lord let him be the real physician let him be the real doctor your dependence is not on any of this stuff God will use all those stuff hey listen you want to be a revolutionary impact through your way of life start praying for sick people wherever you find in Jesus name and and watch and see how the Lord will do wonderful things in their life and so when you read the book of Acts read about a crippled man let it not be just a story to read but let it be something for us to learn and follow now in chapter four you'll find you know these people are in big trouble they are brought before Sanhedrin Peter and John you know why their problem he said you fellow stop talking about this Jesus you're Jesus stop it we're tired of it we don't want to hear it anymore well I wonder why they are so upset about Jesus there is something about that name isn't that true there is something wonderful about that name and you know the beautiful thing is this the answer to all problems people have it is Jesus it is Jesus it is Jesus you know this morning I talked about the bridge of hope taking care of the children did you know 23 percent of all the food grains in India eaten and destroyed by rats r-a-t-s when you talk about food grains rice beans wheat 23 percent destroyed by rats you say why don't they kill the stupid rats well I am asking the same question you want to know the answer go with me to India to Bikaner Rajasthan to a large Hindu temple with compound walls in the temple compound you will find couple of million rats crawling all over the place then I will show you people coming rich famous educated crawling among these rats not hurting them hoping some white rat will crawl on them and then I will show you truck loads of grain brought and dumping into the compound for the to have a wonderful seven course meal you say what they are worshipped as gods the 300 million people's travesty of life and poverty and illiteracy and brutality and and and and the terrible life they go through the 400 million backward caste you can take the whole American dump into India you will never have the answer to their poverty their problems the real answer is Jesus changing the lives of people I am one who walked and traveled years all over this country of India my native land I'm telling you I'm still convinced the number one answer is Jesus we cannot ignore the poverty we cannot walk away from the suffering children we must go after them but if Jesus is not there you know it's an interesting thing this tsunami took place you know the tsunami a year ago and we sent about nine million dollars worth of medicine and food to Sri Lanka to help the people there and we start building houses and taking care of 3,000 kids the product of tsunami and all these different things and all of a sudden I get telephone calls from BBC in London Chicago Tribune and Philadelphia newspapers and all kind of radio stations from Australia and different you know all they want to know why on earth are you people exploiting this poor suffering people in the midst of their problems by preaching Jesus and one lady she was on the telephone she was really angry with me it is illegal it is bad it is wrong and she went on his English accent you know she I mean I said I thought you are a reporter and she used some very big words to attack me for I was telling people about Jesus and I said to her madam may I ask you a question she said yeah she was so mad I said say I'm a psychiatrist you came to me of course you know you are in England and well fed and taken care of and live in a mansion with air-conditioned buildings and beautiful nice circumstances and nice car and everything in the world you got you got plenty of money but you are ruined emotionally and you are on the verge of committing suicide and I being a reputable psychiatrist you come to me for counseling and you come and sit on the sofa and look at you I know exactly what you should do I know the answer but then I said to myself well this poor lady is a basket case she is so ruined emotionally if I tell her to do something that's taking advantage of her weakness and emotionally devastated time in her life so I decide not to tell you anything I said lady please go home and get well then come back and I tell you the answer I said if I do something what would you say to me there was silence I said you know what you sit in London and I just came from having walked and wept in Sri Lanka in India among tens of thousands tsunami victims I said I saw people who made their decision to commit suicide and the last minute our people met these people and talked to them and when they offered rice and beans and clothes and drinking water and tents some of them refused we don't want it and then they find out they didn't want it because that night they were going to kill themselves and their remaining children and as they began to talk to them read bible verses pray for them every one of those people found hope in Jesus Christ I remember meeting one widow a beautiful beautiful young lady 23 24 year old incredibly beautiful lady carrying a tiny baby in her arms tiny little thing wrapped in kind of dirty clothes the baby was born a week after the tsunami and our pastor said to me yesterday we met her when we offered food she refused knowing she is sick and weak and tired and hungry we sat down and began to talk to her read bible verse from book of psalms and prayed for her and finally she said thank you for telling me about your God about Jesus somehow something happening in my heart then she said tonight I was going to kill my baby and end my life thank you for telling me about Jesus then she took the food then she took the clothes and the following day I see her with a little baby there is some hope in their eyes you know we still serve among the tsunami victims we care for the poor and needy but I'm telling you America is full of so-called Christian organizations that are crying out to help the poor and needy in the name of Christianity yet they do not promote Jesus never tell people he is the ultimate the only answer I'm telling you Jesus remains the real answer to the problems of the world today and you know I just came from India I told you this morning I was in Delhi before coming here and some of my brothers were telling me they were in a prayer meeting and a lady began to scream and shout forms coming out of her mouth you know crawling on the I mean manifesting all kind of demons and eight nine people tried to hold her down they couldn't she was so powerful that the powers of demons in her and the pastor was telling me he simply went to her and said in Jesus name you leave her alone she belonged to Jesus instantly all the demons left hallelujah and then she said what happened to me what happened to me what happened to me you know I don't know about you a lot of problems we deal with we sometimes think it is visible it is not our battle is not against flesh and blood it's against principalities and the powers of darkness worry and care and depression and agony and fear and anxiety anger bitterness when these things are playing you know with your brain and and your brain becomes a you know like a like a ping pong ball and the demon just beating you up listen stop just and say in Jesus name leave me alone don't attack my mind I belong to Jesus and if there's some sin in your life confess it and you'll be amazed you'll be amazed I mean I tell you talk A.W. Chaucer wrote this book I talked to the devil I tell you what I talked to the devil I don't know how many million times the devil is a liar you belong to Jesus and the name of Jesus is good enough for you you try this and we see this always in what in Jesus name you have the victory in Jesus name you have the authority and don't walk away from it no wonder why people hate the name Jesus the devil hate the name Jesus this is your name this is your privilege because you belong to him and I hope you take that serious all right our time is running chapter five we have this um situation with a husband and wife you know not being very upright you know Ananas and Sapphira and you know people were giving money to the work of God and they were kind of being talked about and they realized my goodness we need to get some credit so let's do this so they played games with God in the modern language and in the end they both lose their life you know God is more concerned about honesty than great performance and lot of external our impressions we make on people as a matter of fact the definition of holiness I tell you is honesty you know remember the two thieves on the cross one guy pretended the other guy said Lord I deserve this stuff this is me and he walked into paradise with the son of God the other one lost it did you know Judas and Peter both did the same stupid thing denied their Lord they both did it but one committed suicide and the other ended up being the greatest apostle what was the difference Judas faith was insincere while Peter's faith was weak not insincere my brothers and sisters is God will work with the worst kind if they're honest with him but God cannot help people who are dishonest I remember the early days of my life in the United States falling into materialism going after all the good stuff of this country and my church I was pastoring they thought I was the greatest thing ever happened to their church people were getting saved and being baptized I was marrying people burying people all kind of stuff it was a very busy life and I memorized a lot of Peter Marshall's prayer and added my statements and my prayers were outrageously wonderful in my seminary my prophecies thought I was the best student and I was but I was dying on the inside and finally I remember sitting in my room not on the fancy nice leather chair but on the carpet like a little Indian boy and I remember saying these words to Jesus Lord I am lost I don't know what to tell you my heart is cold I can't cry anymore and I know all the stuff in my head everybody think I'm wonderful but Lord I don't know you anymore is there anything you can do to help and change my heart if you ever heard a grown-up person praying simple words like a little three-year-old kids you now heard it and you're sat there in helplessness just didn't know what to do I was lost like a little kid among hundred thousand people having lost touch with the parents running around screaming mommy and mommy and daddy and daddy I was like that you know what Jesus came into the room one afternoon and he began to talk to me my life was completely changed that was before gospel of asia began my brothers and sisters you can study all the books in the world memorize all the answers in the world I tell you what that be all in your head it will help maybe but please learn to come before the Lord and be open and honest you want to raise your children godly ways be honest with them don't pretend they will never become like what you teach but they become what you are when my son was in Nepal somebody asked him you you was you were born in America and had all the wonderful opportunities the world why on earth you made a decision to be a missionary and come to Nepal and I he never told this to me by the way some other people that talked to him and heard this said this to me his answer was well obviously the Lord called me but everything goes back to one thing whatever my mommy and daddy were teaching and talking to other people I saw them living behind the doors they never told me to go and be a missionary never asked for it but we couldn't resist my sister and I I couldn't resist this Jesus because I saw in my parents honestly I feel so bad often because I'm I don't think I'm a good father I failed a thousand times and thousand ways and I wish I could go back in and do things differently a lot of things but even my failures my sin my lack my children saw I was not covering up times I punished him in anger I would go and say I'm so aggrieved that I did it wrong forgive me my son he saw my getting angry with my wife but they will always find out I asked her forgiveness they always saw my struggles my sorrows my failures but I didn't pretend I'm not saying I never pretended I'm sure a thousand times I failed that I do not know about but my brothers and sisters God is not disappointed about our failures as a matter of fact I am now convinced failures our falling in sin God allows that is my theology if you don't like it no problem pastor Steve will still love me I think you know why because that is the only way we find out the grace of God sometime Peter Jesus could have stopped all the devil and demons and kicked them out Jesus said Peter they will ask to find you that child and I prayed for you that your faith may not fail he did not say I prayed that you will not fall in sin you will not deny me you will not do the dumb stupid thing no I only prayed when you make the mess of your life that your faith and assurance in your Lord will not fail no wonder when he backslide take bunch of people with him go to do the old business Jesus comes after him after Jesus said you know the only name he picked and said tell my disciples and Peter and he goes after Peter what a rascal you are I did so much for you you denied me how can he do this I will kill you he will never catch a fish again he didn't even ask one question isn't amazing if I were Jesus I just want him to repent about 10,000 times not one time Jesus only asked Peter do you love me and you see Peter melting and crying and then says Lord what can I tell you you know I do love you but I am a miserable creature and the Lord simply said I'm giving you the highest responsibility go and be my shepherd did you know in the old testament God the father said I'm the shepherd Jesus said I'm the good shepherd in the new testament Peter you are the shepherd he takes the weak failing backsliding individual and put God's name with him you know Jacob wasted 20 years of his life he was clever smart and dumb also I think but finally the encounter with the living God changes him his name is no more Jacob but from now on you are no more a deceiver but the prince of God Israel ah but something strange and interesting after that you read throughout the Bible the God of Abraham Isaac and what happened Israel God forget stuff or what I mean if your name is changed you should be a new new name God is saying I'm still the God of the failures I'm still the God who makes people the best not the second best when they miss out everything they think they lost and missed out you know to me chapter 5 in the book of Acts is a lesson that I must not forget that is the Lord is not concerned about big amount of money I give or amount of work I do no he just want sincerity from the inside when you talk to children talk to others and giving our resources you know one more thing I tell you nobody nobody will know how much money you give to God or anybody could ask you when I was a 16 year old boy I made a decision that I will never miss giving tithe to the Lord's kingdom there's no law that somebody says you have to do this thing or I'm going to kill you nothing like that no you know but the grace of God now I'm 55 years old my wife and I can tell you before the Lord we remained faithful to him not please anyone and we cannot contain the blessings you received from our father and I encourage you in your money in your time in your discussions whatever stay true on the inside you'll be amazed how the Lord is pleased with that but even if he failed hey listen he is much more loving gracious than you are than I am run back to him where I go to chapter 5 this means my brother Pastor Steve Mays may have to ask me to come back again I did that deliberately so I would have another chance to come back blessings on you and may this week and this month be a time when you are renewed and encouraged to serve the Lord and go out of your way to reach the lost world and it's worth doing that by the way the Lord's coming is very near also may the Lord speak to us
Sermon Outline
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I. The Call to Be a Mighty Minority
- The Book of Acts reveals ordinary believers as world revolutionaries
- God uses the weak and simple to impact the world
- Being a revolutionary follower of Jesus requires costly commitment
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II. Empowerment by the Holy Spirit
- Jesus promises power through the Holy Spirit to be witnesses
- The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus and empowers bold living
- Baptism in the Holy Spirit leads to love and courage, not just emotional experiences
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III. Living a Sacrificial Life for the Gospel
- Following Jesus means embracing the cross and self-denial
- Examples of early believers and missionaries who laid down their lives
- Sacrificial living results in joy and lasting impact
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IV. Practical Mission and Unity
- The early church’s unity empowered effective witness
- Prayer and commitment within community strengthen faith
- God works through ordinary believers in everyday opportunities
Key Quotes
“These world revolutionaries have come here also.” — K.P. Yohannan
“When you receive the power, you will become a witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost ends of the earth.” — K.P. Yohannan
“If all your gods together can set this man free, I will stop preaching and go after your God.” — K.P. Yohannan
Application Points
- Seek to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to boldly witness for Jesus in your daily life.
- Commit to sacrificial living by putting aside self-centeredness to follow Christ fully.
- Engage actively in a community of believers for prayer, support, and unified mission.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to be a 'mighty minority'?
It means being part of a committed group of believers empowered by the Holy Spirit who live sacrificially and impact the world for Christ despite being few in number.
How does the Holy Spirit empower believers?
The Holy Spirit gives believers power to witness boldly, reveals Jesus to them, and produces love and courage to live out their faith effectively.
Is being filled with the Holy Spirit about emotional experiences?
No, the sermon emphasizes that the Holy Spirit’s work is to glorify Jesus and empower believers, not just to produce emotional or physical manifestations.
How can ordinary believers impact the world like the early church?
By living a life of sacrificial commitment, unity, prayer, and boldly sharing the gospel in everyday situations.
Why is sacrificial living necessary for effective Christian witness?
Because following Jesus involves self-denial and embracing the cross, which leads to genuine transformation and powerful impact on others.
