This woman’s situation was possibly the worst. In accordance to Jewish Law, she was completely shut off from society. She had no one in her life save for the doctors who were causing her grief. They would get her hopes up for healing, but she would only get worse and her hope would fall. Despair and solitude are a bad combination. This combination makes room for bitterness, anger, and thoughts that lead to a twisted, darker view of the world. She was completely alone.

Then, she heard that Jesus was coming. Jesus was on His way through town in order help someone else. Usually, Jesus would show up without any one knowing; this time, word came ahead of Him. And she had heard about Him. Now, she has a choice. She can either adhere to the Jewish Law and stay at home, away from society and from the people who were constantly letting her down. Or, she could muster up her faith one more time and break the rules by seeking out Jesus. To venture out was a danger, for she could not hide her disease; she could not hide that she was unclean; but that fact did not stop her. Her faith was stirred when she heard He was coming. Faith comes when the Word is spoken.

The woman came to an interesting conclusion in verse 28. She thinks that if she can “just touch His robe,” she’ll be healed. Why? There is no Biblical mandate stating that the robes of a Rabbi are holy and have healing powers. She could have come to this conclusion because of the rules influencing her world. An unclean woman is forbidden from touching a Holy Man. So, in following the rules, perhaps she thinks just touching His robe will do the trick.

OR…she remembers the Word of God and has received a revelation. Isaiah 6 describes God as sitting high and lifted up with the train of His robe filling the Temple. There are several Biblical references to God’s robe and His glory. Maybe, she knew this. Maybe, she believed Jesus was the Messiah and how He is different from any other. She believes what she hears and decides to take a chance and break the rules. She fights through the crowd–the doubts, the fears, the opinions of the world–and reaches out to Him and grabs His robe…

And Jesus feels it. He immediately stops what He is doing and asks, “Who touched me?” Everyone around Him is like “We all are touching you!” But Jesus knows. This was different. The woman approaches Him, falls at His feet, and tells Him her story. And He listens intently. That is the nature of Jesus. When someone reaches out to Him, He stops everything and focuses on the person, wanting to know their story. Nothing else matters save this one person.

This woman had lived her life in rejection and pain, yet, in hearing the Word, she stirred her faith. She worked her miracle; fighting all doubts and fears to reach Him. And Jesus listened to her. Then, He completed the miracle. In front of everyone, He says, “Daughter, your faith has healled you.” He elevates her back into the Family of God by calling her “Daughter” and seals the deal started by her faith.

Faith is the key. It stirs a person to go the bold. Position yourself, work the miracle, and GO THE BOLD!

In this story, Jesus is found in His House preaching the Word. The crowds are drawn to Him. Some receive what He is saying; some don’t. Why is that? It is not the issue of God wanting to get something to you; it is a heart issue. Are you submitted to God? Or is your heart hardened against the seed?

Attitude is crucial in living a life for God. Submitting to God’s word is very easy. It is the simple answer to life’s complicated problems. See, in ministry, people often think the pastor has all the answers. They want his council, but the answer is easy: come into the House of God; submit to the Word.

In this story, four young men are carrying a burden. They are drawn to Jesus’ House by His Words (the same Word we have today). They want to receive what He is offering. But they are faced with a challenge. Life throws challenges at you every time you decide to step out. For instance, you decide to come to church, but then, suddenly, you have to work or someone dies and you need to go to the funeral service or you sleep in. So many things try to get between you and your answer. For these men, it was a large crowd. Yet, they are not deterred. They climb onto the roof and dig through. They push through until they reach Jesus.

What obstacles are in your way? Push through! Submit to God’s Word, and your burdens will fall away.

A life that isn’t challenged is the life of a person who isn’t living to the level of potential God requires. God is living. Life is dynamic and growing. We are called to be moving, growing – living our Christian life to the full. We always want to be striving and moving towards a place we have never been before. God wants to bring us into new places and into new experiences that we’ve never had. We are the ones that hold ourselves back by focusing on why things can’t happen instead of walking in faith.

It matters how we think. Paul says that we live small lives because we are thinking too small and living too small. We aren’t possessing what God has for us because we get caught up in life. The stuff of live conspires to lock us into thinking small and keep us from seeing what God wants us to see – what he has for us and where he is taking us. God wants us to trust him and follow him – taking steps toward our visions and dreams in faith – instead of getting caught up in small thinking and focusing on what we can see. We want to live our lives focusing on what is possible with God and not what our natural eyes and thoughts tell us is impossible.

The church is like the twelve tribes – different tribes with different styles for different people – different cultures, emphases and tasks. There are different kinds of churches that God is using. God is working through different peoples and different churches. People are finding their place and their tribe within the body of Christ. One body – many tribes. God is never hemmed in. God is doing different things in different places through different tribes. Anytime you get in a place that claims exclusivity with God, you are in the wrong place. The body of Christ is diverse. There is nothing better than finding where you fit. You can plant, connect and let God start flowing through you and your connections. The whole concept of not thinking small and not being fenced in works from this idea.

Acts 4 – The Jerusalem church in the book of Acts is the first church. We can learn so much from it in the book of Acts because it is the model on which we should base our churches. Everything in this church was new, powerful and exciting. They would meet in the public square of the Temple – the center of Jewish life. All of the early converts were Jews, converted to believe that Jesus was the Messiah (which made the Jewish leaders angry and aggressive towards the early church because they had just crucified Christ). Peter and John would perform miracles within the temple and the religious leaders would question on whose authority they were acting. (When you are stuck in religion, you can’t see the glory of God, even when it is right before your face.)

At this point in Acts, the church is having a prayer meeting. (By the way – there isn’t a gift of prayer. It is something that all Christians need to do. Prayer is the most powerful thing on this planet. It fills your spirit with life and growth. It is crucial for us). v29 – “Give your servants great boldness in their preaching. Send your healing power. May miraculous signs and wonders be done in the name of your servant Jesus.” They prayed for great boldness: courage, daring, audacity, bravery, bravado, valor, confidence, self assuredness, brashness. It’s easy to be bold when you are hiding behind someone who is stronger than you – but that’s not boldness.

Boldness is when you step out of encouragement and start doing – speaking and declaring. Having faith despite the outcome, not knowing what the result or the cost of your boldness will be. The boldness of the first church led to a period of persecution and murder. This led to the Roman persecution of the church, but they were unafraid. But their boldness and their sacrifice led to the spreading of the church across the world. This was the moment that God had planned – everything up until the crucifixion of Christ was to lead up to this moment in which God began to move through human beings and bring his Kingdom and his love back to earth through his church.

v32 – All the believers were of one heart and mind. And they felt that what they earned was not their own, and they shared everything. They began to sell their property and share – created charity. Charity comes from Christ dwelling inside of people. Christ wants us to live and trust that no matter what we have Christ is going to provide for us. This revelation led to the explosion of the church – there was a famine and a need, the church met the need and the people poured in. There was no poverty among them. Some people tried to cheat the system. They sold their things, but kept some of the proceeds. They dropped dead. It’s a big deal when God is doing something, and you miss it. If you position yourself with boldness, faith and obedience, you will catch the wave of what God is doing.

If you hesitate or position yourself in the wrong place, you will miss it. If you become afraid, you will fall off and be pummeled. When God is doing something, you want to position yourself right where God is and be bold. It’s a lot bigger from the top of the wave – from God’s point of view. It can be scary when you decide to step out, be bold and do something radical for God. But when you are in position when God is bringing a challenge, he will bring something incredible through you. It can be scary and challenging, which is why you need to find your tribe, stay covered and stay connected. God used the boldness of the first church to explode his church on the earth. What will he do through you?