The Holy Spirit's Power for Ordinary Believers

God delights in using ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things. In this message from Acts 2 and 2 Samuel 23, Pastor Chris Teien explains how the Holy Spirit empowers believers to courageously stand for Christ, faithfully serve His mission, and pour out their lives for His glory.

God has not called us to simply survive. Through the Holy Spirit, He equips every believer to live with courage, remain faithful under pressure, and make an eternal difference by serving Jesus with their whole lives.

In This Message: 

1. Have the Courage to Stand

God often chooses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary purposes. Just as He empowered David's mighty men and the early church, He gives believers the courage to stand faithfully for Him today. (2 Samuel 23; 1 Chronicles 12:18; Acts 2:1-4)

2. Be Faithful to the Mission

The Holy Spirit empowers believers to faithfully serve Christ, even when sacrifice is required. Every follower of Jesus has been called to participate in God's mission by serving others and sharing the gospel. (Luke 9:23; Acts 4:13)

3. Worship Through Sacrifice

True worship is demonstrated by lives poured out for God's glory. Just as David honored the Lord through sacrifice, believers are called to offer their time, talents, resources, and lives in faithful service to Christ. (2 Samuel 23:13-17; Philippians 2:17)

Takeaway

Yield yourself to the Holy Spirit each day. Courageously stand for Christ, faithfully serve His mission, and willingly pour out your life for His glory.

Illustrations

• David's mighty men demonstrate how God transforms ordinary, overlooked people into faithful servants through His power.

• David pouring out the Bethlehem water as an offering reminds us that every blessing ultimately belongs to the Lord.

• The Day of Pentecost reveals how fearful disciples became bold witnesses when they were empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Key Quotes

"God uses ordinary people."

"The Holy Spirit gives boldness."

"God has not called us just to survive. He has called us to serve."

Search Topics

Holy Spirit, Pentecost, Acts 2, David's mighty men, Christian courage, faithful service, Spirit-filled living, biblical leadership, following Jesus, Pastor Chris Teien

Full Episode & Transcript:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2285086/episodes/19231900

26.0524der Spend Your Life for Something Greater

Helping you apply God's Word and follow Jesus in everyday life. Learn more at ChrisTeien.com and Rockwell.church  Find episode transcripts at Well.faith 

Transcript

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Chris T 0:16

Now, I was thinking about some mighty warriors, David's mighty warriors, the mighty men that we read about in King David's life. Remember, King David was anointed king by Samuel. But then he had to wait forever for it to happen. And then Saul kept trying to attack him and kill him. And it was just this big mess. Maybe it was God's training time for David to go through all that. But as David was going through that, God sent him guys, guys that came alongside of him to protect him, to fight for him, to be his mighty army, to be his mighty men. I'm going to talk about that in a minute. But it's also Pentecost, which we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit on the church. And I actually found a great connection between the two of them. That's clearly in the Bible. That shows that David's mighty men were clothed with the Holy Spirit to be successful. And then in the New Testament, when the disciples had lost Jesus and they were cowering in fear, the Holy Spirit came upon them. And then they had great power. Every week I come up with a ton of information that I'd never have time to share here that's really interesting. But let me just focus on the things that are really important. And let me ask you a question. And that's are you spending your life just surviving? Are you spending your life trying to get all you can for yourself? Or are you spending your life for something greater? Are you spending your life to serve Jesus? Those would be good things to not just chase after comfort or success or money or temporary pleasures, but to spend time pursuing Jesus. But number one, to have the courage to stand. To have the courage to stand. Sometimes people look at mighty warriors and think, well, I could never be them. I don't have the strength. I don't have the experience. I'm not one of those mighty warriors. But if you were to go through and study, oh, 1 and 2 Samuel and 1st and 2nd Chronicles and some other stuff, it really helps if you have a chronological Bible to try to piece it together because it's kind of confusing actually when you're reading in 2 Samuel and you get to the back, because you get to a point where it says, these are David's last words. And then it kicks in with, these are the mighty men. And so it's like, what's happening here? Is this not in chronological order? Who's telling this story? Remember that old Paul Harvey used to be on the radio. You know, he'd tell you the story, and then he's like, now for the rest of the story. And the rest of the story includes David's mighty men. So that's what we see in 2 Samuel chapter 23. I don't have it all on the screen, but I will read this to you. Okay? So 2 Samuel 23, verse 8. These are the names of David's mightiest warriors. And I'm going to get their names wrong and I'm not going to try to pronounce their relatives. But the first was Joshobim, the Hakmon, Hakmonite, who was the leader of the three. He was the three, let's see, who was the leader of the three mightiest warriors among David's men. He once used his spear to kill eight hundred enemy warriors in a single battle. Next in rank among the three was Eliezer. Once Eliezer and David stood together against the Philistines, they were the enemies. When the entire Israelite army had fled, he killed Philistines until his hand was too tired to lift his sword. And the Lord gave him a great victory that day. The rest of the army did not return until it was time to collect the plunder. That is a common theme. The mighty warriors that David had were led and empowered by the Lord. And it repeatedly doesn't say they were superheroes. It repeatedly says they did this mighty thing. And the Lord gave him, gave them a great victory that day. And so many times God gives us victory if we would just hold on, if we would just be faithful to show up, if we would just be faithful to have courage to stand. Next in rank was Shammah, and one time the Philistines gathered and attacked the Israelites in a field full of lentils. The Israelite army had fled, but Shammah held his ground in the middle of the field and beat back the Philistines. So the Lord brought back a great victory. I was so curious. I'm like, what is the deal with lentils? So he's defending the lentil field. Why does that matter? There's probably lentils somewhere else. But the reason that he defended it with all of his might is because he knew that God gave the Israelites that territory that was theirs, and he was not going to let the Philistines take it away. So he was standing in faith, standing in courage, that this is ours, this is God. God gave it to me, to us as a people, and we are going to fight for it and stand our ground. And it says that God brought forth a great victory. So what about these mighty warriors? I mean, were they disciplined? Were they the kind of people that you would want? If you were out to draft an army, if you were picking people, are they the kind of people you would want? I don't know if they were, because it says in 1 Samuel 22, verse 1, David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adulam. Soon his brothers and all of his relatives, or another version says his father's household, joined him there. Then others began coming. Men who were in trouble or in debt or who were just discontented until David was the captain of about four hundred men. So you got all the guys that are hiding from the bill collectors, all the guys that were in trouble with the law, all the guys that were just kind of out there that decided that they were going to come and that they were going to guard, that they were going to protect, they were going to serve David. Actually, if you do a little more Bible study and you go to 1 Chronicles chapter 12, you read more about the warriors joining David's army, and it talks about where they came from and some of those things. And so verse 8 says, Some brave and experienced warriors from the tribe of Gad defected, and it goes on and tells where they came from. But in verse 18, so 1 Chronicles chapter 12, verse 18, it says, Then the spirit came upon Amaze, the leader of the thirty, and he said, So the thirty are the main warrior, like the guys that are in charge. He says, We are yours, David, we are on your side, son of Jesse. Peace and prosperity be with you, and success to all who help you, for your God is the one who helps you. And you know why he said that? Because it says in the beginning of verse 18, then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Amash, the leader of the thirty, because the Spirit of God empowered them. The Spirit of God moved them to be there for David. David wasn't left alone, even though he was running from Saul, even though it took him a long time to acquire the kingdom. Even though there's all these interactions between David and Saul, and it's just bizarre how it all unfolds. I kind of think it had something to do with David's training period to get him ready to be king. But nonetheless, so David's army, the guys that David brought together, they weren't the best of the best at the time. But if you read the scripture a little more, you find out that it appears that under David's leadership, they became some of the best of the best, the mighty warriors, the ones that got things done, the ones that led people, the ones that were loyal to David because of the Spirit of God, and because of David's leadership. And just the fact, I think, that because God called David, God was going to do everything he could to equip David, provide for David, keep David secure, give him everything he needed to be successful, because that was part of God's plan. In 1 Corinthians 1, it says, instead, God chose the things, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. Do you ever feel like that sometimes? Do you ever think, okay, that explains my life? Foolish, powerless. What can I do? How can I even make a difference in the world? But sometimes when you're faithful to show up, then God shows up, and the Spirit of God enables you to have the right things to say, enables you to be at the right place at the right time, enables you to help make a difference in someone's life. And that is a great way to live. I think another reason that God uses unlikely people is because then he gets all the glory. So these people don't go, I'm a real gift to God because I've just got it all together. Instead, these people are like, oh man, I'm not that great, but it appears God used me. Praise God, he is so awesome, and that is a good thing. The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives boldness. God uses ordinary people, and the Holy Spirit gives boldness. Acts 2. The Holy Spirit shows up. Jesus told them to wait for the Holy Spirit, and Jesus said that they would receive power from the Spirit, and that they could be witnesses then all around the world, but they needed the power of the Holy Spirit. And on the perfect day, on the day of Pentecost, the day that was planned, on the day of Pentecost, all the believers were meeting together in one place, and suddenly there was a sound from heaven, like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them, and everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, or some other versions say tongues, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. God showed up at that moment. God showed up, and not only that, but they were able to preach to other people that were all around that could understand what they were saying in their language, because all these people had gathered for this religious celebration from all different places. And so at the right time, God showed up and proclaimed the message to people in a language that the people around them could understand. Everything changed. Before Peter was afraid, he denied Jesus, and then after the Holy Spirit comes upon him, he preaches this message, and thousands of people come to Jesus. The disciples, the apostles, had great power. They had great courage, they had courageousness. They did what God wanted them to do because they were empowered by the Holy Spirit. And you and I can do that too. Ordinary believers can live courageously. We can live courageously. It's interesting that it says in Acts 4, 13, the members of the council, the Sanhedrin, were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the scriptures. Some other Bible translations say unschooled, no special training in the scriptures, and they also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. They were amazed at these guys. It's like, how are they doing this? How are they saying this? How do they know this? Why are they so bold? They took notice of that. God works that way today. God works that way, not when we think we have it all together. You can get training, you can get degrees, you can get certifications, you can get all of these things, but you'll never be as effective as you could be if you prepared yourself by praying, by telling the Lord that you are available by confessing any known sin that might get in the way of God blessing you, and by stepping out in faith to serve, to talk, to share Christ. Maybe today you feel ordinary or inadequate or wonder if your life could really matter. But it can. It can. God use ordinary people and God can use you. God can use you to go out and talk to your neighbors. You do notice your neighbors are finally out in their yard. Did you know that people are much more likely to want to talk about stuff if they're just sitting around at the park doing nothing or fishing or whatever it is this is the season to reach out? And it is a good thing. So the question isn't, are you extraordinary? The question is, am I willing to let God use my life? Number two, faithfulness to the mission. Faithfulness to the mission. Are you faithful to the things of God, the things that God has put in front of you, the things that are available to you, the things that you hear about, that you know about, and the things that God has equipped you to do something about. So unfortunately, not this church. Some churches, people are spectators. I've been to I've been a member actually of a really large church where we estimated that maybe 10% of people in the church did 90% of the work because so many people were spectators. So the good thing about a smaller church is there's many more ways to serve, many more ways to be involved. We don't hire professional people to get involved, to do things that volunteers could do, but to just think about your faithfulness to the mission. And let's just look at some of David's mighty men and how loyal they were, how committed they were, how much they loved David. 2 Samuel 23, verse 13. Once during the harvest, when David was at the cave of Adulum, the Philistine army was camped in the valley of Rephraim. The three who were among the thirty, an elite group among David's fighting men. And like I mentioned before, if you were to look at all the people listed as David's mighty warriors, there's 37 of them. So, anyway, they went down to meet him there. David was staying at the stronghold at the time, and a Philistine detachment had occupied the town of Bethlehem. David remarked longingly to his men, Oh, how I would love some of the good water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem. These guys heard David say that. They heard David say that, and they took an interest in that. They took an interest in what David had said. So real devotion costs something. Sometimes when you find out that somebody really loves something, somebody really wants something, you go out of your way to try to get it for them. You go out of your way to try to provide it for them. So Jesus says, if any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way and take up your cross daily and follow me. And so he did everything for us. Jesus did everything that was required for us to be able to complete our mission. His mission was to come teach us how to live. His mission was to come die on the cross for our sin and then to rise again. And our mission is to tell people about Jesus. Our mission is to serve Jesus and make a difference in the world, to make a disciple, and those things are really important. And so sometimes it costs comfort, sometimes it costs pride, costs selfishness, it can cost money. So when we give, when we contribute, when we help supply, when we show care for others, that can cost money and resources and all of those things. And it leads us to being spirit-filled believers that endure hardship. Spirit-filled believers that endure hardship. And I don't know what kind of hardship you've been through in your life, but I guarantee you that the Christian life isn't easy. The minute you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior doesn't mean that all of your problems are gone. Sometimes they increase as your family and friends persecute you. As now you're in a spiritual battle with a target on your back, because Satan wants to do everything he can to shut you down and to shut you up and to not have you telling other people about Jesus or living for Christ or making a difference. And Paul told Timothy to endure suffering along with me as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don't get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. But Memorial Day, this always happens, it seems, that people start to talk about these people who died, if it wasn't for that political leader, or if it wasn't for this war or lie of a war or whatever, and they start talking politics. But really, Memorial Day focuses on those people who gave their lives doing what they thought was right in the military, under the United States of America flag, doing I mean, sometimes maybe they were hit by crossfire or by allies, but a lot of times they were just serving, doing what they thought was right, obeying their commanding officer, and they gave their life. Many of them knew exactly what they were doing. I think Memorial Day started with remembering those who died in the Civil War. But many of them knew that they were fighting for our freedom. They were fighting for the American way. And a time when the American Way wasn't a way draped in a rainbow flag, but it was more focused on honoring and serving God. Back in those days, as a matter of fact, they used the King James Bible as a reader, as a primary reader to teach the kids how to read. And so, nonetheless, we should know that if we're going to be serious about serving Jesus, that there might be some difficulty, there might be some comfort, there might be some hardship, and there might be some joy. There might be some people out there that are against us, and hopefully you can come to church and be encouraged by your other brothers and sisters in Christ. See, faithfulness continues under pressure. Faithfulness continues under pressure. So as you continue to read in the book of Acts, the apostles were under pressure. They were told to be quiet. They were imprisoned. They went through all of these things in Acts chapter 5, verse 41, because they had the Holy Spirit. The apostles left the high council, rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus. And so they were empowered. And so now let's get back to David's mighty men and how he was looking for some good water, how he thought that would be just so delicious, how that would be so great. Number three, worship through sacrifice. Worship through sacrifice. Like I said, these mighty men were loyal to David. These mighty men loved David. So they heard what he said and they said, Hey guys, let's go get some of that water. 2 Samuel 23, verse 16. So the three mighty men broke through the Philistine lines, drew some water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But they were so happy. They're like, David, David, we got something for you. Check it out. It's the water you asked for. It's right here. And what did David do? The expectation was he would drink it, right? They'd be like, oh, this is delightful, delicious water. Oh, you did so great. Oh, you guys did great. Or maybe here, let me share it with you. But instead, they brought the water to him. And David realized that those mighty men, that maybe he encouraged them, maybe he helped them to become better leaders, but they were a gift from God. They were the Lord's provision to protect David, to help accomplish God's purposes in David's life, that together they were all serving God. And you'll remember, maybe you'll remember, back when Jacob came across the Lord, that in the place that he was in, that he poured out a drink offering, which would become more common in. If you read the Old Testament, when the Old Testament law came out, drink offerings were common where people would pour out valuable things. They didn't have to be at the temple to do it, but it was to say, This precious thing that God has given me, I give to him as an offering. And that's what David did. That's what David did. He said, They brought it back to David. He refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out as an offering to the Lord. The Lord forbid that I should drink this, he exclaimed. So David did not drink it. And these are the examples of the exploits of the three. So David honored their costly devotion. David realized that what they had done was brave and mighty and loyal and delightful, even reward worthy. But he wanted them to know that it was so much more than him, that everything that they were doing, everything that they were about, everything that they were fighting for, everything that they were trying to establish was for the Lord. For the Lord. You'll remember back actually before Saul became king, that the people demanded a king, and Samuel's like, this isn't gonna go well for you. Why can't God be your leader? But they wanted a king like the other nations, so they had Saul, and he worked out for a bit, and then he didn't, and then he was replaced with David, and so we're reading about the exploits of David. But David honored what they did. David recognized what they did, and God honors what you do when you pray, when you spend time in God's Word, when you sacrifice, when you make Every effort to try to help somebody when it's reasonable to make a difference in the world. And so David honored those people, those mighty men, through his sacrifice. Pouring that out was an act of worship. And this moment also points forward to Christ in a beautiful way. David would not consume what presented what was represented him in the lifeblood of his men, and Jesus, the great son of David, would one day pour out his own blood for the people so that they could have eternal life. Be God pours out his spirit. God pours out his spirit. Acts 2 17. In the last days is prophecy from Joel. In the last days, God says, I will pour out my spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams. And God was at work through empowering the people. God was at work through empowering the people through the Holy Spirit. And as I mentioned over and over again, as soon as you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you receive the Holy Spirit. You can yield to the Spirit. You can be filled with the Spirit. You can be empowered more and more with the Spirit. You can keep sinning and have the Spirit's voice grow faint. But the Spirit convicts us of sin. And if you're under any conviction of any type of sin, you should just pray and confess that and acknowledge that whatever it is, that it was wrong, and ask to be forgiven and ask for help to not do it again. And those are good things. But see, believers pour out their lives for Christ. Believers pour out their lives for Christ. Philippians 2.17. I will rejoice, even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. What are you pouring out? We can pour out our time before the Lord. We can give God time in the time that we spend reading the Bible and even verse memorization and stuff. We can spend time serving the Lord. We can give God our time. We can give God of our treasures and our tithes. You know, for a Christian, and in my life experience, when I learned from Ron Blue and some of those other Christian financial concepts and stuff, Larry Burkett, about the importance of tithing and putting God first, as I tested that and as I as I work that through, I agree with many people that say that it's not that I'm so burdened that I have to tithe, it's that because God blesses what I give, I can't afford not to tithe, and I trust God with my finances. And so maybe that's something that God's working with you on. And again, God loves a cheerful giver, not those who give under compulsion, but when you are motivated because you're trying to build the kingdom of God, you see the church as important in the world, you see the local church and the missionaries and just everything that you want to do everything you can to fund it and to help fill the church, and you share your testimony and you try to get involved in the community. All of those things, your time, talent, and treasure make a difference to pour out those lives for Christ because Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice. Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice. In a spiritual war, Jesus is the ultimate who should be celebrated even on Memorial Day. Jesus said there's no greater love than to lay down one's life for friends. And Jesus did that. Matter of fact, Romans 5.8 says that God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And then Romans 6.23 says, The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. And so we would love to talk to anybody that's here or anybody that's watching or listening to ask and answer questions about their faith. And if they're are they saved? Would they like to be saved? What does it mean to be saved? How can you be saved? We would love to connect with you on that. And we have these books, How to Find God New Testaments, that we might be able to mail you. But they're out there. You can share those with your friends. But if you would like to talk about your spiritual destiny, my numbers in the bulletin and call text. I would love to talk to you about that. Jesus, I thank you that we have these stories in the Old Testament to show us how you work, to show us how your spirit empowers even warriors to be mighty warriors for your cause and purpose. Lord, we know that David didn't live a perfect life, but you sure used him, and he was a man after your own heart. Lord, we are not perfect people, but we pray that you would use us and we would also be men and women after your own heart. God, we pray that you would do a great thing this summer in this church, in this region, around the world, that you would be honored and glorified, and people would be saved and equipped to tell everyone that you are our Savior and you are worth living for because you are the author of life and the giver of eternal life in Jesus' name. Amen. Here's the video clip.

SPEAKER_00 28:14

This is not a private faith. This is not business as usual. This is Pentecost. It's the day heaven touched earth and God kept his promise by sending his spirit. Once, God's presence filled the temple, but now it fills his people. Ordinary men and women filled with extraordinary power. Fear turned into boldness. Waiting turned into movement. Silence turned into witness. Pentecost is the birth of the church. Not a building, not an institution, but a living and active community. Spirit-filled people sent into the world by Christ and for Christ, a beacon of hope and a pillar of truth, light of the world and salt of the earth. Pentecost reminds us that God is not distant, God is not passive, and God is not done. Because the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead now lives in us to convict, to comfort, and to transform.