The Missing Ingredient
I am writing this article exactly three years form the day a group of us went to a Sacramento Kings basketball game. We arrived early, but the moment I paid for a few soft drinks for my friends, an announcement came over the loudspeaker, “Tonight’s game is suspended because of pandemic concerns.” That was my introduction to the global shutdown that has changed almost everything.
As we maneuvered through the early days of shelter-in-place it became clear that some people were susceptible, they had comorbidities, they were in danger. But for the rest of us who were relatively healthy, I noticed that some people seemed to handle things reasonably well, while others did not. I observed that some churches seemed to do just fine, while others never recovered. And I detected one characteristic that seemed to be evident in those who did okay, but was missing in those who didn’t handle things well. Regardless of political ties, regardless of race or gender, those who seemed to thrive had one thing in common that the others didn’t. I must confess when I had this characteristic active in my life, I did great. When I didn’t have it, like was tough.
This trait is an absolute necessity as we all deal with a crazy, ever-changing, post-pandemic future.
What was that characteristic? It was something that I had actually missed as I read through the Bible. I’ve spent a lot of time studying the book of Acts, but I never recognized this characteristic as a big key to why those folks were able to turn their worlds upside down in a few short years
We’re going to look at that characteristic today. It is found throughout both the Old and New Testaments in the Bible, but it is distinctly mentioned in Acts chapters three and four.
Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money. Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them. All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded! They all rushed out in amazement to Solomon’s Colonnade, where the man was holding tightly to Peter and John.—Acts 3:1-11 (NLT)
What is the game-changing characteristic in this story?
Let’s look at what Peter and John did. Here are ten quick actions they took:
1. They engaged with others.
Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon…--Acts 3:1 (NLT)
Peter and John got out of their office, their seclusion, their comfort zone. They interacted with the people in their lives. Even when shut down, many people were able to connect with other people. People and John connected.
2. They saw the need.
Peter and John looked at him intently…--Acts 3:4 (NLT)
I’m not great at this. It’s not because I don’t have empathy—I do. It’s because I tend to always be in a hurry. John Mark Comer wrote a best seller called, “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.” I listened to most of the first chapter at an enhanced speed and kept thinking, “Get to the point!” I’m considering writing my own version called, “The Ruthless Elimination of Lollygagging!”
One effective leadership is simply, “Walking slowly through the crowd.”
3. They recognized their limitations
But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you.—Acts 3:6 (NLT)
Peter and John didn’t pretend to be something they were not.
Clint Eastwood as Detective Harry Callahan in, “Magnum Force” spoke that classic line: “A man’s got to know his limitations.”
4. They gave what they had
But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!”—Acts 3:6 NLT)
I tend to stop after insisting I don’t have any money. Peter and John continued.
5. They helped him up
Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up.
They didn’t just tell him to walk, they bent over and helped him up. Imagine the act of actually reaching out and pulling this hurting man to his feet. Wow!
6. They seized the opportunity
Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd. “People of Israel,” he said, “what is so surprising about this? And why stare at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness?—Acts 3:12 (NLT)
I suspect there are a lot more opportunities to spread God’s love than we envision. That’s why we keep our eyes open for people who need God. And as Tom Mercer encourages: we list, pray, invest, invite and prepare. Peter was prepared, and he launched into a life-changing testimony.
7. They gave credit to Jesus
While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were confronted by the priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and some of the Sadducees. These leaders were very disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people that through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead. They arrested them and, since it was already evening, put them in jail until morning. But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so the number of men who believed now totaled about 5,000.—Acts 4:1-4 (NLT)
Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene…--Acts 4:10 (NLT)
There is a humility aspect to these men. It wasn’t about them; it was about Jesus.
8. They chose to obey God rather than men
So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.”—Acts 4:18-20 (NLT)
Peter and John disobeyed the authorities in a disarming way. There was a respectful tone to their response. They didn’t say, “You religious types and government leaders are all the same, you’re power-hungry losers!” They simply said, “We cannot stop talking about Jesus.”
9. They connected with other believers
As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said.—Acts 4:23 (NLT)
They joined the other believers, they went to church, they participated in a small group.
10. They held a giving campaign
There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need. --Acts 4:34-35 (NLT)
This story has a strange ending. The chapter ends with them taking an offering. The believers came and gave money and land and houses to the mission.
What Do All Ten Of These Actions Have In Common?
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. —Acts 4:13 (NIV)
What do all ten of these cations have in common? What ingredient did Peter and John exhibit that changed the world?
Courage!
Entrepreneur coach Dan Sullivan quipped, “Fear is wetting your pants. Courage is doing what you’re supposed to do with wet pants.”
Mark Twain defined courage this way: “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear.”
There are only two options in life: There’s courage and there’s courage-avoidance.
Dan Sullivan continues, “If you look at anyone’s life and identify where they’re successful and where they’re frustrated and failing, you’ll immediately see that the crucial difference is the presence of courage or its absence. Intelligence is important, skill is important, and so is successful experience. But without courage, none of these will lead to transformative personal breakthroughs that can generate new kinds of growth in every area of your life.”
It takes courage to go; it takes courage to see; it takes courage to admit what you do no have; it takes courage to invest what you do have; it takes courage to help people up; it takes courage to see and seize opportunities; it takes courage to defer to Jesus; it takes courage to obey God rather than me; it takes courage to connect; it takes courage to give.
Courage is the art of being the only one who knows that you are scared to death.
May Angelou admitted, “Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently.”
Courage is key, but how do we acquire it?
How Do We Get Courage?
Malcom Gladwell, in his classic work, “David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants” wrote, "Courage is not something that you already have that makes you brave when the tough times start. Courage is what you earn when you've been through the tough times and you discover they aren't so tough after all."
1. Get with Jesus.
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.—Acts 4:13 (NLT)
Getting with Jesus gives us courage.
My wife says that courage comes from perspective—from realizing God is in control, we’re on the winning side, and God can do anything. We get that perspective from getting with Jesus.
Courage comes from spending time with Jesus.
2. Get with other people of courage.
As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said.—Acts 4:23 (NLT)
Courage is contagious.
I suspect that Jesus sent his disciples out two by two because alone Peter had already proved he wasn’t that courageous. With John by his side, he was stronger.
A man was bragging that he had cut off the tail of a man-eating lion with his pocketknife. When asked why he had not cut off the lion's head, the man replied: “Someone had already done that.”
Chuck Norris would have died a couple of years ago but death hasn't built up the courage to tell him. Let’s get some Chick Norris-type folks in our lives.
I am part of Excel Network because I need to be around courageous people.
3. Commit.
Have you seen this diagram?
Courage only comes after making a commitment. Commitment; Courage; Competence; Confidence.
We commit to something—to learn to drive, to develop our preaching, to share our faith. That commitment calls for the courage to get behind the wheel. It takes a while for us to develop any sort of competence but we do, and that leads to confidence.
Many of us committed to ministry, to give up other job possibilities and go for it. We committed to planting a church and that led to the courage to move somewhere and launch.
Here is the problem, especially when we’re comfortable; especially for people my age: we stop making commitments. Months, years, decades go by, and we haven’t displayed any courage.
It takes courage to hold a giving campaign, to launch a new service, to re-start, to rustle some feathers.
4. Pray for it
Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” —Acts 4:30 (NLT)
These courageous leaders just demonstrated exemplary courage and immediately they prayed for …more courage.
After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. —Acts 4:31 (NLT)
I encourage you--yes, I want to put some courage in you—to pause right now and ask God for courage. Maybe the place where you are praying will shake. Maybe not. But we all need courage for what we are facing. And we all need to ask God for it.