Adventures In Acts: Part 3-Greatness | MercyGate Church (2024)

Adventure Thru Acts:Part 3-Greatness

For years, I’ve, by God’s grace and by believing in what God has created, seen “potential” in people… The truth is, I’ve seen Greatness in them!

• Now I know in Christian circles, we get nervous about using a word like Greatness in reference to people because we think Greatness is only ascribed to the Lord!
• We somehow think if someone is Great it will diminish the Greatness of God…
• If a leader, entrepreneur, husband, dad, pastor should step into Greatness… we secretly wish the Lord would “humble” them!
• But if you and I were created in the image and likeness of God.. and He is Great, you were created for Greatness!

But Greatness is a hard thing!

• In the arena of faith we have religious terms that keep us stuck in apathy… passive.
  • Oh, “God will do it”!
  • “If it’s to happen; it will happen”!
  • “If it’s meant to be, it’ll be”!
  • That is the language of Passivity not Greatness
• These mindsets kill the Greatness of God in our lives!

The mirage is, if Greatness is in me, it’ll just naturally happen!

Brother Sipes preached: “If it’s to be, its up to me.”

• We have to do our part to see greatness show up
• Greatness is Hard!

Bishop 2009 Prophesied over my life and this church.

1. My hands
2. Basket
3. Store

Outcomes of Greatness

1. Many businessmen and women will be blessed because of the gift and wisdom on my life!
2. Ministry leaders will be healed because of the grace on my life and this house.
3. This will be a healing place and a place of peace.
4. Men will bless you and you must just be grateful and say thank you!

*That, my friend, is greatness, but how do you push past the mirage and step into it?!

Psalm 71:21 “You shall increase my greatness, And comfort me on every side.”

• Tell Three People There is Greatness in You…

Have you ever had that moment when you were Great!

• I know in the south and in church, you can’t say it…
• But we’re among friends… matter of fact, you’re thinking about that moment right now!
• Back up quarterbacks are backups because they can’t sustain greatness!

1. The Arch of Greatness

• Sometimes you study the forest, other times we have to study the tree!
• First half of Genesis is all about humanity. But the second half of Genesis is all about one man, Joseph.
• How Great must your life be that your death ends a book of the bible?
• Jospeh, by the odds of men, should not have been great…
  • He’s a dreamer
  • Not the 1^st born… Matter of fact, he’s number 11
  • When you’re the 11^th kid in a home, I’m assuming you get lost in the mix.
  • He’s betrayed
  • Sold
  • Lied about
  • Imprisoned
  • But all of it was fuel for Greatness.
  • When Joseph died the bible says,”Being 110 years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt…”
    • Listen to me…that is the same type of burial they would have reserved for the Pharaohs…
    • That my friend is Greatness…
      • But Joseph tells his people before he dies…don’t leave my bones in Egypt when God takes yall to the promise land…take my bones as well.
    • The Apostle Peter
      • Let’s be honest, his high school year book probably didn’t read, “most likely to be Great.”
      • Peter was a fisherman…more than likely an entrepreneur in the fishing industry…
      • At age 42 started a new carrier path by following a Rabbi, named Jesus. Not a good carrier move…
      • Always spoke out at the wrong times…
      • Had tax problems…
      • Tried to cut a guys head off, missed and only took off an ear…

But Greatness was in Him…and God knew it and Jesus saw it…

1. Ingredients for Greatness

1. A sense of Destiny

• More is in you and for you and you know it.
• It creates a tension in you.
• Now listen, not all of your dreams will become a reality, but if you don’t have a dream… you’ll not have a reality worth dreaming about.
• When God gives you a dream… Dream it on the inside and let it shape you for a long-time before it is spoken about or realized.
• Destiny Discovered
  • This should have been said and defined
• Destinies Created
• We somehow arbitrarily think it is just going to happen…
• That destiny or calling is out there to be run into like a wall…but it has to be created.
• We use the language in faith of “calling” which simply means:
  • Intention
  • Purpose
  • Creating with God the reality of the dream inside of me!
• We, sadly have relegated this word to:
  • Only full-time pastors
  • But, my friend, there is a calling on your life!
  • The greatness of calling is found where Peter started: “Come, follow me” this is what leads you into your life’s Full Intention!
  • Obeying “Come, follow me” is the key to open everything else in your life…

• If you can do anything else, Do It!
• Peter left it all and started following Jesus
  • Immediately his family members got sick
  • Everything he said… was wrong
  • He faced problems so big he couldn’t solve them without help
  • After 3 years and seemingly finally about to get his big moment… Jesus, their leader is brutally killed… betrayed by someone on staff or in the company…
  • Peter denies Jesus… even pronounces a curse upon Jesus!
• But he had accepted a call of God, therefore, a call to greatness and nothing less…was going to satisfy him…
  • We read about Peter and He is hiding for a few days in the house…because he is afraid if they killed Jesus, they’ll kill him.
  • After resurrection, Peter has gone back fishing…
    • He fishes all night and catches nothing…
    • What do you do when what you use to do doesn’t cut it any more…
  • Whatever you’re doing, I hope it is inspiring you to greatness…
  • When I was feeling as if the Lord was leading me into Pastoring… My mentor said, “If you can do anything else, do it.” I have found that statement holds true to anyone and anything God is calling you to!
    • Teacher
    • Nurse
    • Maybe Going back to School
    • Working in a Chemical Plant

1. You must have an internal drive

• If you someone talking smack motivates you, you don’t understand greatness yet.
• If someone else’s greatness motivates you, you don’t understand greatness yet.
• You’re not moving toward Greatness.
  • You’re being moved by envy and jealousy.

Jeremiah said: “It is like fire shut up in my bones.”

• I love that verse because that is what it is like…that internal drive is like Fire…
• At times it is like madness…and others don’t understand because you are in pursuit of Greatness…
  • You get up before others
  • You stay up later than everyone else
  • You push yourself to be the best you can when your average would satisfy everyone else, but it doesn’t you.

1. Too many want success, but greatness requires sacrifice… resilience.
   • The greatness of Peter is found in his resilience and sacrifice!
     1. Greatness escape many because they won’t pay the price
     2. They won’t get out of their comfort zone
     3. I meet so many people who want success but aren’t willing to sacrifice.
   • Greatness is a hard thing because you have to be willing to say No to some things!
   • When we repeat the past, we are forfeiting the future we want!

1. You can’t be afraid of the details
   • As a visionary, if you don’t care about the details, you’re a daydreamer, not a visionary!
   • Greatness is built on the details!
   • When you have a God dream, you start noticing the details.
   • When I began in ministry, I was a visionary who didn’t care about details…
     1. Then I realized…the details is what makes the dream come true…
     2. I believe in Acts 2 Peter is the one who led them back to the upper room…” Jesus, said Go to Jerusalem and you will receive Power…”
     3. Peter had skipped enough details in his life that this time…I think he led the parade back to the place Jesus said Go…
     4. Vision and Power are actualized through the details…

III. Live your life for others

Acts 2:1-14,2 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them ESV

1. But Peter, standing with the eleven…
   • First time we read Peter is finally doing life with others and not just for others…
   • This is the moment Peter decides to step into Greatness…
2. To move into Greatness, you have to live your life toward others!
3. Men, I came today to tell you today, that there is Greatness in you and God put it there… But that Greatness is not for you…

• That Greatness in you is your gift for the world.
  • How is your greatness helping, lifting, and serving those around you?
  • Is your greatness lifting your family, your friends, others?
  • Does your greatness inspire the greatness in others?

1. When Jesus died on the cross, He was sacrificing His greatness, so that our Greatness could be realized…
   • That’s the Forest
   • The tree was Peter… Jesus died on that cross to restore Peter’s greatness!

• Today may be the day your greatness begins to be actualized…
• But it begins by answering the “call of God”
• “Come and Follow Me”
  • Salvation Call
  • Give me a year of your life…and I promise at the end of that year…you’ll see greatness.

Men, Greatness is a hard thing, but we do Hard Things!