Trust God…but keep your powder dry.

Steve Brown:
Trust God…but keep your powder dry. Let’s talk about it on Key Life.

Matthew Porter:
Welcome to Key Life. I’m Matthew executive producer for the program and our host is author and seminary professor, Steve Brown. The church has suffered under do more, try harder religion for too long. And Key Life is here to proclaim that Jesus sets the captives free.

Steve Brown:
Thank you Matthew. If you have your Bible open into the first chapter of Acts and we’re studying the book of Acts. And I really believe that we’re studying this book, because it may have been indigestion, but I don’t think so. I think it was the Holy Spirit, because this is an important book, especially for our time. Our time is not that different then the first century when all of this began. I mean, they were confused of why we are, there were all kinds of weird anti-God ideas floating around. We’re going to look at Paul going to Athens, I mean, and what he did and that kind of, I mean, we’re living in a time, not that different then the first century. And it behooves us to go back and see how our brothers and sisters did it with their time. You know, if you play golf, that’s called learning on somebody else’s ball. In other words, you watch how they putt and the way the bowl goes on the green. And then when it’s your time, you learn stuff from somebody else who was doing it before you did. Well, they did it before we did in a time, not dissimilar to our time. And so it’s a good thing to go back to the book of Acts. And we’ve seen that the first thing that Jesus told his disciples was be still and wait. And he did that, because that’s when the Holy Spirit comes. It’s not a time to wonder if you’ve been called into the battle, once you’re fighting it. That’s before, the Holy Spirit comes before the battle, let’s you know if you’re the soldier supposed to fight in that battle where you’re supposed to go and what you’re supposed to do. That’s the Holy Spirit’s business. It’s called guidance and you gotta be still, because God doesn’t need your help. He’s going to let you see some amazing things, but he’s going to do it. And that’s another reason because God gets the glory for it and we don’t. And so Jesus said, when you start and you do what I tell you to do, you’re going to know that wasn’t you, because you weren’t capable and God will get the glory. And because we have a plan and God has a plan and inevitably we’ll choose our plan over God’s plan, because it always makes more sense than God’s plan makes. And then there’s something else I want to show you before we finish looking at this. And then I want to go back to the text. And look at what Jesus told them to do. Jesus could tell the disciples to wait, because he knew that he would be sitting at the right hand of God, the Father. That’s the Ascension, to sit at the right, what does that mean? That means there were two, no, it’s not talking about that. It’s talking about a position of all authority, where every knee will bow and every tongue confess and the rule is the King of Kings. And that would be Jesus. Now, when he ascended into heaven, they knew that, they knew that God was going to be in charge of the mess, no matter how messy it got. I don’t know about you, but and I don’t know how much of this is just because I’m old. And I think it’s just not the way it used to be. There’s some of that, I’m sure. I’m not sure if my being disconcerted with modern times and social media and a lot that’s being reported, politically, both right and left, that I’m confused with it. Cause I’m old, but I don’t think so. I think we’re going through a major social transition. And when we interviewed, I told you about it, Os Guinness, about his new book, The Magna Carta of Humanity. When we interviewed him, I began to realize that if Os, a tremendous scholar and I’m not, he’s got a PhD and I’m not even a nurse. When Os Guinness is worried, then it’s time to be worried. When I got on a plane and I never put all of my weight on a plane, I’ve spent most of my life on airplanes. I’ll always watch the flight attendant. And as long as she’s not nervous, I’m not nervous. When she gets nervous, I’m looking for a parachute, because we’re in trouble. Well, it’s kind of that way with Os Guinness, he’s getting worried, and that makes me worried. And that’s why this is so important and it’s so important to remember what the disciples understood at the Ascension, that Jesus was ascending to a position of total power over everything, the creation that he created. Now, I don’t know about you, but our culture requires that we not shilly shally. The first century culture realized that they not shilly shally and I won’t, as long as I remember the King of Kings. Augustin wept, when Rome fell, a lot of things came into that and it was an awful time. And he loved Rome, and he broke down and wept, but then he sat down and he wrote the city of God about a King that nobody ever elected and nobody would ever depose. I think of the city of God too. And I think of Jesus too. And I think of his rule and that’s the place of courage. It’s the place of being able to stand. It’s the way you decide, it’s better to be with God’s people than the cool kids and you stand up and you speak truth with love and kindness and gentleness to a culture that desperately needs to hear the truth. And so, Jesus said, be still. And if you listen to what I taught you, you’d know why he said be still. Did you know that Leonardo da Vinci said, and I love this quote.

When I pause the longest, I make the most telling stroke.

Hmm. That’s good enough to repeat.

When I pause the longest, I make the most telling stroke.

Jesus said something, sort of like that too. Alright, let me, I want to read you and we’ll talk a little bit more about it next week, but I want to read you the verses that go with, after he told them to be still. Let me read that entire paragraph. I’ll start at the sixth verse and I’ll get down to the 11th verse.

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom of Israel?” and he said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons, which the father has fixed by his own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come up on you, and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven, as he went, behold, two men who stood beside them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Jesus, didn’t say that we were to go and do all the world and do stuff. He told us that we’re to go into all the world and witness. Witness to the truth that changed our lives, the forgiveness we have been given, the eternal life we have been promised and the power that he is bestowed on us. That’s it. Wherever you go, whatever you do, be a witness and point to him. And the great commission, you’ve got to go to the gospels for that. Go into all the world and make disciples, Jesus said. You know what the actual original language says, as you are going, make disciples. Combine that with Acts 1 and you’ve got a plan. And that plan will make all of the difference in the world, as you’re going to school and you’re in school, as you’re going to work and you’re in work, as you’re changing diapers, as you’re teaching children, as you’re watching television with your family, as you are doing what you do and what you’ve been called to do, don’t forget, there’s an element that a Christian never leaves out. And that element is simply a witness. The witness is verbal, it’s in servant-hood, it’s in caring, it’s in love. And sometimes it’s in words. So, Jesus said, go and be my witnesses. And he says it again right now, you go be my witnesses. You think about that. Amen.

Matthew Porter:
Thank you Steve. That was Steve Brown wrapping up our second week exploring the book of Acts. And yeah, we are just getting started. We’ll resume our guided tour on Monday, but first, tomorrow, well, you know what I’m going to say, it’s Friday Q&A. That’s when our friend Pete Alwinson swings by and together, Steve and Pete answer some really challenging questions that you’ve sent in. Don’t miss it. Well, you know, I’ve said this before, but our language is funny. You can get your pet fixed, but that’s different than fixing a broken lamp. And, and if you’re from the South, you can be fixing to do something, including fixing someone’s wagon, which has nothing to do with repairing anything. But there are times when we just can’t fix it. Maybe someone has hurt you. Maybe your kids are in trouble. Maybe it’s a spouse who isn’t a believer. Well, what do you do then? Well, that’s exactly what Steve speaks about in an article titled You Can’t Fix It. You can find that article in the new 2021 edition of Key Life Magazine, along with other great pieces by Robin DeMurga, Chris Wachter and Chad West. Grab your free copy right now by calling 1-800-KEY-LIFE. That’s 1-800-539-5433. You can also e-mail [email protected] and ask for the magazine. If you’d like to mail your request, send it to

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