THE NORMAL CHRISTIAN LIFE

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
6 November 2005

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Acts 3 [read 3:1-8; 4:1-13]
-- have you ever come to church on a Sunday morning and left thinking, "That's it?" -- have you ever come to church on a Sunday morning and left thinking that there should just be more -- more to life -- more to God -- more of God's power
-- I have -- you know, I read in the Bibles the stories of the great heroes of the faith -- about David standing before a giant with just five stones and sling and trusting God will give him the victory -- or the story of Daniel being thrown into a lion's den for refusing to deny his faith and trusting that God will deliver him -- or the story of Elijah standing on Mount Carmel, calling down fire to light the drenched wood on the altar in the presence of the entire nation of Israel
-- and I think, "Why isn't God doing that now?"
-- I read the stories of the great heroes of the faith -- John Wesley and his part in the Great Awakening that brought revival to England and America -- Billy Graham preaching to hundreds of thousands of people and bringing revival to Los Angeles -- Charles Finney and D.L. Moody and Corrie Ten Boom and all the others who preached and prayed and watched God work through them in such powerful ways
-- and I think, "Why isn't God doing that now?"

-- and I can't help but think, "Maybe it's me" -- maybe I'm just not smart enough -- maybe my faith is not strong enough -- maybe I don't know the Bible well enough -- maybe I can't pray eloquent prayers and tell others about God like those men and women in our Bibles and those great men and women of faith that we read about -- maybe I'm the reason why we aren't seeing revival or seeing miracles happen in our midst -- maybe it's me -- I mean, what can I do? -- I'm just an ordinary man -- why should I expect God to work through me? -- why should you expect God to work through you? -- we're just ordinary folks -- we're not spiritual giants
-- but the message of the Bible is quite clear -- God doesn't wait for extraordinary men and women to be born before He accomplishes His work -- He uses ordinary men and women -- people like us -- to shake nations to their knees and to turn worlds upside down
-- David was just an ordinary shepherd boy when he stood up to Goliath with nothing more than five stones and a sling -- Daniel was just an ordinary government employee when he stood up for God in the workplace -- and James 5:17 tells us that Elijah was an ordinary man -- just like us -- when God worked mightily through him
-- in fact, you could make the case that God always chooses the ordinary to demonstrate His power -- in 1 Corinthians 1:27, Paul writes, "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong" -- in other words, God chooses ordinary, everyday Christians as the ones He will use to further His kingdom here on earth
-- think about the disciples that Jesus chose when He started His ministry here on earth -- they were all regular, ordinary people -- fishermen and tax collectors and blue collar workers -- when he called them, there wasn't a single spiritual giant in the bunch -- they definitely were part of the foolish and weak things of the world
-- but God did great things through them -- think about Peter and John -- this passage tells us that they were unschooled, ordinary men -- nothing special about them at all -- but one day, as they were entering the temple in Jerusalem, they saw a man standing by the gate who was crippled from birth -- and even though they were ordinary -- even though they were unschooled -- even though they didn't know the Bible very well and couldn't pray like the Pharisees -- they healed the man in the name of Jesus and immediately his feet and ankles became strong and his legs became strong and he got up and started to jump for joy

-- God's power flowed through them and resulted in a great miracle -- how was that possible? -- and why isn't it happening in our lives and in our churches today? -- why do our prayer lists stay filled with names week after week after week?
-- is it me? -- is it you? -- is it because we're just a small country church?
-- why do we leave church on Sundays wishing there was more? -- why do we go through life without seeing God's power being made manifest in our lives and in our churches and in the lives of those around us?

-- many years ago, Watchman Nee, the great Chinese evangelist, wrote a book called, "The Normal Christian Life" -- and in this book he makes the case that what we are seeing in our churches today is not the normal Christian life -- it is not normal for us to come to church on Sunday and not see God work -- it is not normal for us to pray for people on our prayer list and to not see them touched by God -- it is not normal for us to see the morals of our country continue to take a downward spiral while the church continues to decline
-- the normal Christian life should be exemplified by God's power -- by His presence in His people -- working in the world to accomplish His purposes -- Peter and John were not spiritual giants -- they were unschooled, ordinary men -- they were normal Christians living the normal Christian life -- unfortunately, most of us in our churches today are not living the normal Christian life but are living abnormal lives devoid of God's power
-- so, what is the secret to unlocking the mysteries of the normal Christian life? -- we see it right here in Acts 4:13 -- look at it again with me [read 4:13]

-- the first criteria for living the normal Christian life is to be normal -- to be everyday, ordinary folk -- just like Peter and John -- just like David -- just like Daniel -- and just like Elijah
-- this means that you don't have to know the Bible frontwards and backwards -- this means that you don't have to know the four Spiritual laws and be able to say them without fail to every person you meet -- this means that you don't have to have a prayer life where you are praying for eight hours a day -- sure, if you can do that, God can still use you -- but He prefers to use normal, ordinary folk because it more clearly demonstrates His power to a watching world
-- I like to use myself as an example in this regard -- I didn't grow up going to church and Sunday School every week -- I didn't read the Bible every day or have this great prayer life -- I certainly didn't have any plans to ever be a pastor -- I was the last person anyone would think would be a pastor -- but after I was saved, God called me into the ministry -- and if God can use me, then He can use anyone
-- so, if you are just a normal, ordinary person this morning, then you have already met the first requirement for living the normal Christian life

-- the second criteria for living the normal Christian life is to be in a relationship with Jesus -- this verse says that the priests noted nothing out of the ordinary about Peter and John except that they had been with Jesus
-- what was the one thing that was common among all the heroes of the faith I mentioned earlier? -- what was the one thing that was common among all those great men and women mentioned in the Bible? -- they knew God -- they were in a relationship with God
-- and, if you are going to live the normal Christian life, then you are going to have to be in a relationship with God, too -- this means more than just coming to church on Sunday -- this means more than just knowing the Bible inside and out -- this means more than having your name on the membership roll with the Methodist Church
-- to be in a relationship with God means, first, that you have recognized that you are a sinner and that the only way for you to be saved is by turning away from your sins and asking Jesus to forgive you of your sins by washing you in His blood which was shed for you -- by accepting through faith His death on the cross and believing in your heart that He is the Son of God and that He rose on the third day
-- but, to be in a relationship with God also means that you keep short accounts with Him -- that you are growing in your faith and that you are spending time with God on a daily basis through prayer and through His word -- that you are constantly repenting of your sins and seeking God's grace and forgiveness in your life
-- God can't work through you unless you are in a relationship with Him

-- the final criteria for living the normal Christian life is that you have courage -- this means that you have faith in Christ -- not only are you in a relationship with Him, but you are trusting Him with your life and with everything in your life
-- to have courage in Christ means that you trust that God is going to work in you and through you in power -- it took courage for Peter and John to grab the hand of the crippled man next to the gate and trust that God would heal him -- it took courage for David to stand before a giant and trust that God would give him the victory -- it took courage for Daniel to stand up to an evil decree and be cast into the lion's den, trusting that God would deliver him
-- and it will take courage for you to put aside your doubt and your fears and start trusting God to work in your life and in this church on a regular basis
-- in John 14, Jesus said that we would do what He had been doing -- in fact, He said, we would even do greater things than He had been doing
-- having courage in Christ means that you trust that what Jesus said is true and then you step forward in faith to do the things that He did
-- think for a moment about what Jesus did when He was here on earth -- He ministered to those in need -- He took care of the poor and the oppressed -- He healed the sick -- He taught the Word of God -- and He led people to salvation
-- these things characterize the life of a normal Christian -- these things characterize the life of a normal church -- when you leave here on a Sunday morning longing for more, this is what you are longing for
-- if you would, flip over to James 5 and we'll close there -- James, the brother of Jesus, was great for giving us practical examples and applications of the normal Christian life -- look with me at James 5:13 and let's see how James saw us living out the ministry of Jesus in our daily lives [read James 5:13-20]
-- in each of the examples that James gave, he told us to have courage in Christ to take care of them -- if someone is sick, then we should pray and trust that they will be healed -- if they are in need, then we should pray and take care of them and trust that God will work through us to meet their needs -- if someone is in need of the Savior, then we are to pray and to lead them to Christ, trusting that He will give us the words to say and will convict them of their sin
-- in each case -- whether it's in ministry or in worship -- James says that we are to have courage in Christ -- to trust Christ -- to work in us and through us to change the world around us


Closing
-- there should be passion and power in the life of a normal Christian -- we should not be satisfied with just coming to church and not seeing anything happen -- we should not be satisfied with our prayers hitting the ceiling and coming back -- we should not be satisfied with living a life devoid of the power and presence of God
-- the normal Christian life should be one of adventure -- the normal Christian life should be one where miracles are experienced daily
-- the normal Christian should be a person who knows God and who is in a relationship with God -- who expects the power of the Holy Spirit to be made manifest in their life and who won't settle for anything less than having their lives transformed through His life-changing grace
-- what does it take to experience the normal Christian life? -- first, we need to get serious about repentence from sin and seeking God's forgiveness for our sin -- and, secondly, we need to live with courage in Christ -- trusting and expecting Him to work in each and every circumstance that we are confronted with -- whether that's a person who needs healing or a person who needs to know Jesus as their Savior
-- the normal Christian life is summed up by Phillipians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" -- if you are not willing to step out in faith and start living the normal Christian life with the power and presence of Christ in you -- then we need to remove that verse from our Bible and stop wasting time coming to church on Sunday morning
-- the normal Christian life trusts that we can do all things through Christ -- to believe anything else is abnormal -- which are you?
-- if God has spoken to you this morning and you feel like you need to make a committment to Him, then I would invite you to come to the altar and to get right with Him before you leave
-- let us pray