Awaken Night

I have been praying that God would meet you where you are at, because we all came here with needs. We all came here expecting to receive something from God, and it is good to come with expectation, always come with expectation. God is a good, good father, and he delights in spoiling us with his goodness. He delights in meeting every one of our needs. And so we are going to dive into the world together, I am going to share what the Lord has laid on my heart for you this evening, and then we are going to spend lots of time at the altar. And if you want to pray, you are going to get praying. And the Lord is going to touch you, and we are going to believe him to do in you whatever needs to be done. If you are trusting him for a healing in your body, well in the name of Jesus, tonight is the night. If you are trusting him to set you free from depression, anxiety, addiction, any form of bondage, tonight is the night. If you are trusting him for direction, I believe tonight he is going to speak to your heart with such crystal clarity. You are not going to have any more doubts about what direction to take. You are going to know, and you are going to pursue what he has told you to pursue. Okay, are you ready for the Word of God? Are you sure? You know, when you open this book, you must get ready. You must get ready. You must get ready to get kicked out of your comfort zone, and that is my job as an evangelist. Pastor Johnny's job is to comfort you. And I think he does the job very well. But every now and again, he invites an evangelist to shake you up, to tell you that life is not about you, to tell you to take your eyes off of your own issues, off of your own situation, and look and consider all the people around you in your community, in your workplace who

are still lost and dying in their sins. So I want us to look at Stephen today. Let's turn to Acts 6, Acts 6, Stephen, I love the character of Stephen in the Word of God, because he sits such an example for all of us. And we are going to read here from verse 1, Acts 6 from verse 1, and we will read to verse 8. Now in those days when the number of the disciples was multiplying, they arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable that we should leave the Word of God and serve tables." Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to pray and to the ministry of the Word. And the same pleased the whole multitude, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith in the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Niconor, Timon, Parminus, and Nicholas, a proselyte from Antioch, who may set before the apostles, and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them. Then the Word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith. And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people, amen. What was happening here? The twelve apostles decided that they needed some help. They wanted to focus on prayer, on preaching, on ministering to people. And so they appointed seven men to look after the day-to-day running of amongst the widows. They helped to navigate the tensions between the Jewish and the Gentile believers. They were the ones who did the tasks that were distracting the apostles from ministering the Word of God. But what fascinates me is that one of these men, Stephen, a man with no title, a man who did not hold one of the five-fold ministry offices, was used so mightily by God that

the enemies of the church completely forgot about the apostles and directed all of the hatred at this church volunteer. He was not apostle Stephen, he was not prophet Stephen, he was not evangelist Stephen, he was not teacher Stephen, he had no office, but he was full of the Spirit, he had a revelation of what being saved is all about, he was a man of action, he cooperated with the Holy Spirit and God used him with power. Can you imagine being used by God so powerfully that the enemies of the early church forgot all about the great apostle Peter, that man whose shadow touching the sick resulted in them being healed. It fascinates me, he became the first martyr in church history. I want you to read the next chapter at home, we will just read the ending because what happens as Stephen was then eventually arrested, he was riling up the enemies of the church to match he was brought before the council, he preached the gospel and then let us read here in Acts chapter 7 from verse 54 to 60, this was how Stephen died. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart and they gnashed at him with their teeth, but he being full of the Holy Spirit gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God and said look, I see the heavens opened and the son of men standing at the right hand of God, then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears and ran at him with one accord and they cast him out to the city and stoned him and the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit, then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, Lord, do not charge them with the son and when he had said this, he fell asleep. Wow. Everybody say, wow. You know, if you want to die as a martyr, this is how you want to die. It reminds me of how Jesus died, asking the Father to forgive those who were busy murdering him, being of such calmness of mind to actually call on the Father and ask him to receive your spirit. Absolutely, absolutely extraordinary, very, very impressive. Now, I want you to pay attention because I want this revelation to sink deep down into you. My friend, the job of the five-fold ministry offices is to equip the church to be used by God. My job as an evangelist is to equip you how to witness, how to share the gospel, how to pray for the sick, how to cast out a demon, how to break

chains of bondage. And then you are meant to go out and be used in your community more powerfully than God is using me. That is what the five-fold ministry offices are all about. The job of the pastor, the evangelist, the apostle, the prophet, the teacher is to equip the church for the work of ministry. Orlando needs to be saved. Florida needs to be saved. You are in your family, you are in your workplace, you are in your community to be a Steven. You don't need a microphone to be used by God. You don't need a title to be used by God. You need to know what it means to be saved. You need to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and you need not to be lazy. Those are the three requirements. Those are the three requirements. That is all Steven really had going for him. We don't know much about Steven at all. I think God intentionally kept it vague, because he wants all of us to see ourselves in Steven. We don't know his level of education. We don't know his age, we don't know his skin color, we don't know much about him. We know he was a believer, we know he was full of the Spirit, and we know he was a man of action. That's all we know about him. So if you have those three things going for you, my friend, you have enough to be a Steven. I want us to focus on a couple of character traits of Steven. The first one, and they're all equally important, but this one sometimes I think we lack as believers, Steven had a complete revelation of what it means to be saved. What do I mean by that? This man had no fear of death, absolutely no fear of death. And if you really know what it means to be saved, if you really know what Jesus achieved when he bled and he died on the cross for you, then my friend, you should be able to look at death like Steven looked at death. Fearlessly, fearlessly, Steven understood that because of what Jesus achieved through his death on the cross and his resurrection, because of what he achieved, death for the

believer is just a doorway that you step through into the manifest presence of God. Your spirit actually does not skip a beat. Your spirit goes from life to life. This physical body, yes, granted, goes into the earth. It disintegrates into bits and pieces, if you are cremated, it disintegrates at a foster rate. But whether it disintegrates quickly or slowly, it disintegrates, but even this body, it is not the end of it for you as a believer. Because the Bible teaches us that one day Jesus will resurrect this flesh. He will, he will collect all the bits, all the bits, for some bodies it is going to be a more arduous process than others. He's going to have to work harder, but he's going to collect all the bits. He is going to piece your body back together again in an incorruptible, imperishable form, shining like the sun, the same type of body that Jesus now has, sitting at the right hand of God, and then he is going to reconnect your spirit and your body, and you are going to be a unified whole again forever, forever, forever. So you better start liking your body. Those of you who are just enduring it and waiting for the end, you must change your mindset. This body is here to stay. Now I'm trusting that the resurrected one is going to be a little bit more perfect looking. But my friend, death for a believer, it is nothing of consequence. It is a temporary separation of your physical form and your spirit. It is a separation from your loved ones. But if they are saved and in the name of Jesus. Amen? If they are saved, it is also only a temporary separation from them. We need to, as believers, have a proper view of death. We have a wonderful friend whose wife is battling stage for cancer.

She's a woman of great faith. And she said, she said, what fascinates her is the attitude of her believing friends. She says it fascinates her how incredibly downcast they are. She says she can understand it from her friends who are not believers, because if you do not believe in Jesus, while then death is rarely the end. I could not imagine living a life so depressing to believe that when you die, that is it. Well, then what's the point of anything? That is always my argument. What's the point? But if you are a believer, death is just the doorway. She said she doesn't understand how they can be so downcast. She says she's trusting the Lord to heal her. But at the end of the day, if he doesn't, she knows where she's going. And one day she'll be there forever with her husband and her children. Death has already lost its sting. Jesus spoke about this again and again and again in Scripture. He really riled up the religious folk. He said, he said radical things. I want to read a couple of statements. John chapter 5, John chapter 5 verse 24. Jesus speaks. He says, most assuredly I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in him who saved me has ever lost in life and shall not come into judgment but has passed from death into life.

The moment you receive Jesus as your Savior, you have already passed from death to life. Death is not death for you anymore. It is just a different season. John chapter 6, verses 47 to 51. Jesus speaking again, most assuredly I say to you, he who believes in me has ever lost in life. I am the bread of life. Your father's ate the manner in the wilderness and our dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I shall give is my flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world. John 8, verse 51, this one could not be more direct. Jesus says, most assuredly I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he shall never see death. It's amazing when Stephen dies. The way Luke records his death, Luke doesn't write and then Stephen died, Luke writes, and then he fell asleep. He fell asleep again and again in the New Testament when a believer is said to die, that terminology is used. They fell asleep. What a inconsequential thing. They fell asleep. John 11, verse 25 and 26. These are two very well-known verses. This is Jesus speaking to Martha, just before he resurrects Lazarus from the dead.

Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? Do you believe this? Yes and amen. Yes and amen. And then hop over to Hebrews for me. Hebrews chapter two, verses 14 and 15. I love these two verses. This is the gospel message in a nutshell. Hebrews chapter two, verses 14 to 15. Inasmuch then, as the children have partake in our flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared in the same that through death he might destroy him who are the power of death, that is the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. You are no longer in bondage. You no longer need to fear death. Now I pray in the name of Jesus, you will live to a very, very old-- But my friend, that day that you go home to be with him, you are going to do it with joy in your heart. Like Stephen entering fearlessly into the presence of your Lord. This is the advantage we have as believers to walk, to live with no fear of death. Now that will make the world pay attention to us. That will make the world consider what we have to say, that we can look at death, that the world considers to be the end so, so fearlessly. What a privilege it is to be children of God. Amen. Amen. Let's look at another characteristic of Stephen. Stephen understood what it meant to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Again and again, in Acts chapter 6, this is emphasized to us that Stephen was full

of the Holy Spirit. And what I love about Stephen is he didn't have the attitude that a lot of believers have that while he didn't have the same Holy Spirit as the Great Apostles. He had a lesser version, a toned down version, not quite as effective version. He had a version of the Holy Spirit who was maybe useful when when sorting out food amongst the widows. But when it came to praying for the sick, no, no, no, no, he didn't have that version. This was not Stephen's attitude and it must not be any of our attitude. And I left this with the church today because I see a shift, I see a shift back in the day the attitude was that God uses the man or the woman with the microphone. You know, there are a select elect of specially anointed ones. And if you want healing, you must go to the service where the healing evangelist is going to be. If you want to be set free from bondage, well then you must go to the prophet who specializes in deliverance. My friend, the church is finally starting to understand that we are all filled with the same Holy Spirit, the same Holy Spirit, the same Holy Spirit. Yes, we have different callings. I get to pray for the sick a lot because I'm going from crusade to crusade. But that doesn't mean that the banker sitting in his office, if somebody comes in feeling sick, feeling under the weather, the banker can't say, hey, you know what? I believe in a God who heals. Would you mind if we gave it to try? God will use that banker with power. God will use that banker with power, the same Holy Spirit who is in me and with me on the crusade field, the same Holy Spirit who's in Dwayne on the mission field. This is the same Holy Spirit who is in you there in the boardroom, there in the classroom, there in the shopping center, there sitting at your desk with you. He is there and he is ready to jump into action. This, this gets me so excited that the same Holy Spirit who was in Peter is the same Holy Spirit who is in me, the same one, the same one, the same Holy Spirit who was in Jesus, who worked with Jesus is the same Holy Spirit who now works with me. This is truth. This is truth. He is in you. He is with you. He is ready to act. He is ready to move. All he needs you to do is cooperate with him. And this is where we get to our lost character trait of Stephen. He was a man of action. He worked with the Holy Spirit. How do I know this? I know this for the simple fact that the Bible tells us that God did great wonders and signs through Stephen. And from experience, I know that if I do not share the gospel, no one is going to get It's safe. From experience, I know if I do not pray for someone who is struggling with some kind of bondage,

they are not going to get sick free. They are. They are the odd exception. I agree. You hear a lot of stories, especially in certain nations where the gospel cannot be freely preached of Jesus, visiting people in their dreams? Of course. But that is the exception that is not the norm. The norm is God using you. God using you. God using me. To share the gospel. To pray for people who are in need. And the fact that God used Stephen, that God worked through Stephen with signs and wonders tells me that he was an action man. That as he fulfilled his different responsibilities, he saw those gaps in conversations that he had with unbelievers. And he got the good news in there. That as he encountered people who needed pray, he took the gap and he prayed for them. He was an action man. And if you want to be used by God, my friend, it's not enough that you have a solid revelation of what it means to be saved. It's not enough that you are filled with the Holy Spirit. You must be a man or a woman of action. Amen? Because you can sit in your office wherever you are, wash with the blood full of the Spirit, and God can still not use you at all. If you want to be used by God, you have to start opening your mouth. You have to start taking those opportunities. And the Lord will help you. He will help you. I love, I love listening to our ministry partners, you know, who are in the marketplace. And they tell me stories about how God uses them in their professions. We have one dear partner. She is a doctor. And she says, I pray, I pray, I pray that people would sense the Holy Spirit. In my consulting room, I pray that people may encounter God. And she says, it is absolutely fascinating how people will walk into her practice. With some minor medical problem, sit down and start, and start breaking down, confessing all their sins, all their shame, opening up. And as they open the door for the conversation, she can. She can get in there and she can speak with him. She can speak with him. The same Holy Spirit who is with me on the crusade field is the same Holy Spirit with her there in that consultancy office, working with her, working with her. My friend, that is how the world is going to be saved. Every believer where God has placed them, where God has positioned them, not being afraid to open their mouth and tell people about Jesus, not being afraid to put a hand on someone's shoulder and say a simple prayer in the name of Jesus. And the incredible thing about the name of Jesus is it is so powerful that you don't even need to pad that with much wording. You can just speak, pray from the heart. Just make sure you get the name of Jesus in there. That name, that name is what unlocks all the arsenals of heaven. And God will use you. You might not see it in that immediate moment.

Never get discouraged. Never get discouraged. The beautiful thing about the Holy Spirit is even after you finish the conversation with that person, even after you finish praying for them, the Holy Spirit doesn't leave them. The Holy Spirit goes home with them. And He keeps on working. He keeps on working. He keeps on working. Hey, man. Hey, man. You just have to do your best. I remember one of our crusades, a man came with a massive tomb on his chest. We prayed. Chuma, go in the name of Jesus. It didn't look like anything had happened. He left. He left. He went home with the Chuma still there, but the Holy Spirit went home with him. The Holy Spirit worked hard. The next morning, when he woke up, he looked down, "Guess what? It was gone. It was gone." Hallelujah! Hallelujah! The only reason we know is because he came to the surface the next day and he told us, otherwise we wouldn't have known. And I would have been sitting there going, "Oh, Jesus, I prayed and nothing happened. I'm never praying for anyone again." My friend, be a Stephen. Be a Stephen. We can all be Stephen's. Surrender your life again to God, stand firm in your salvation. You have been washed with the blood. Jesus took your sins upon himself on the cross. He took the judgment that was meant for you, that was meant for me. He died in our place so that we need never face judgment. We can go from life to life. We are saved. We are secure. But there are people all around us who are not secure. They might put a smile on their face when they deal with you.

But on the inside, they are tormented. They lie awake at night, tossing and turning distressed, not wanting to think of death. If I didn't know Jesus, I would not want to think about death either. I received the Lord of Saviour when I was five. I have only ever known Him. So how people manage in this world without Him, my mind cannot comprehend. I would have been an absolute wreck. I would have been paranoid. I would have been anxious. I would have been a disaster to live life not knowing that you are safe in His embrace. Not knowing that He is a leader and He is God and He is navigating, He is doing damage control. He is going before you. He is coming after you. And is heavy upon you. Not knowing that worst case scenario, you go to heaven. Worst case scenario, my friend Bea Stephen, Jesus needs you, Jesus needs you. And if God could you, Stephen, God can use all of us. God can use all of us. I think God, God intentionally gave Stephen a man with no title, the privilege of being the first martyr. God did it with purpose. Do you know how God must have trusted Stephen? Can you imagine if God, well, He doesn't get it wrong, but they just pertained. God got it wrong. The plan is for Stephen to be the first martyr, okay? He looks like he's got it all together. But then the point comes and he's busy being stoned and Stephen disintegrates into a wreck and starts denying Christ and catching every possible speed wobble. Can you imagine what a disaster that would have been for the early church?

How God trusted this man, how God trusted him, how God believed in him. God knew that that man when he died would die, asking God to forgive those who were busy stoning him. And I think how Stephen died sowed a big seed in the apostle's Paul's life. Because Paul saw it, Paul watched. And even though after that he went on a rampage, I think God used that seed. And at the back of Paul's mind was always, always the question gnawing at him. If this Jesus is not the Son of God, how could Stephen have died that way?