Megas | Viral Courage

Message Recap

Message Text: Acts 13-14

[Psalm 34:1-4 KJV]

I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. 3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. 4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

___________

[John 14:12]

I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater (Megas) works, because I am going to be with the Father.

[I John 4:4b]

…greater (Megas) is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

___________

We don't need to be told to not be afraid, we need taught how to not be afraid.

It starts with not only what you think but how you think

You can’t become fearless until you really understand life and death

In our first birth our ultimate fear is physical pain and physical death.

Everyone in the Bible who wrote the words “fear not” eventually died. 

We live in denial of things that will Inevitably happen

___________

[I Corinthians 15:17-20]

If Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. 18 In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! 19 And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. 20 But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead.

___________

My ultimate faith in Jesus is not that He will save me from death related to sickness.  It’s that He already saved me from death related to sin. 

It’s not in something that I hope He will do someday. It’s in my understanding of what He has already done.

Fearlessness isn’t something you’re born with. It’s something you’re born again with.

___________

[Philippians 1:20-25]

I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. 21 For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. 22 But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. 23 I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. 24 But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live. 25 Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith.

Antioch

[Acts 13:44-45]

The following week almost the entire city turned out to hear them preach the word of the Lord. 45 But when some of the Jews saw the crowds, they were jealous; so they slandered Paul and argued against whatever he said.

[Acts 13:49-52]

The Lord’s message spread throughout that region. 50 Then the Jews stirred up the influential religious women and the leaders of the city, and they incited a mob against Paul and Barnabas and ran them out of town. 51 So they shook the dust from their feet as a sign of rejection and went to the town of Iconium. 52 And the believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

It’s not that you undervalue your life. It’s that you understand your purpose.

Iconium

[Acts 14:1]

The same thing happened in Iconium. Paul and Barnabas went to the Jewish synagogue and preached with such power that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers.

[Acts 14:4-7]

But the people of the town were divided in their opinion about them. Some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles. 5 Then a mob of Gentiles and Jews, along with their leaders, decided to attack and stone them. 6 When the apostles learned of it, they fled to the region of Lycaonia—to the towns of Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding area. 7 And there they preached the Good News.

Lystra-

[Acts 14:18-20]

But even with these words, Paul and Barnabas could scarcely restrain the people from sacrificing to them. 19 Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowds to their side. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of town, thinking he was dead. 20 But as the believers gathered around him, he got up and went back into the town. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.

Go Back

[Acts 14:21]

After preaching the Good News in Derbe and making many disciples, Paul and Barnabas returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch…

___________

We don’t fear death because we understand true life.

___________

[Acts 20:22-24]

And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me, 23 except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. 24 But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.

___________

Fearlessness comes from the belief that although physical death is inevitable, so is eternal life because of Jesus. 

___________

[Hebrews 13:6]

So we can say with confidence, “The LORD is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”

___________

Be careful, be wise…it’s ok to be concerned…but for goodness sake don’t be afraid. 

The more I worship the less I worry.

Discussion Questions

  • How does fear affect our relationship with God?

  • Have you ever had somebody tell you to not feel what you were feeling and it just made it worse?

  • How can you be filled with joy when something threatens your life?

  • How have you seen fear hinder what God was trying to do?

  • What are some ways you have overcome fear?

  • What have been some keys to courage in your life?

  • How does the quest for comfort help or hinder you in regards to fear?

  • What should a Christ-follower's response be to societal crises?

  • What are some ways we can help bring peace and life in chaotic moments and seasons?

  • How have you experienced moments of fear/worry being worse than the actual event?

  • What do these verses and this discussion speak to your life about fear and faith?

Amanda Majors