REBOOT: Delete Bad Apps
205 Billion Apps will be downloaded this year...
The most used app - Facebook with 2.3 billion active users
The average person has between 60-90 apps on their phone.
They use on average 25 apps during the month
They use on average 10 apps 96% of time
Most apps are deleted within a week...
77% of all apps are deleted after 3 days
90% of all apps are deleted after 30 days
Why do people download and then delete apps?
Use lots more resources than expected ($, memory and battery)
Don’t function properly - cause problems while using or to other experiences
Don’t live up to their promises
Interrupt - notifications, updates
Vulnerable to dangers (bad material, spyware,
Deceptive
Their presence creates a negative user experience, so they are deleted.
REALITY: We are far better at recognizing and deleting bad apps from our phones than we are at recognizing/removing bad apps that we develop during our life journey. But to become the person God wants us to be to experience all that He has for us, we have to participating in this process of deleting bad apps, because they are there.
Acts 8:21–23 (ESV) (Peter to Simon The Magician) ...your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.”
The Setting Of Acts 8
Acts 8:3 (ESV) But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.
Acts 8:4 (ESV) Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.
When bad things happen, God redeems them in the lives of believers for His and their good.
I fully expect for God to use COVID for good!
Acts 8:5 (ESV) Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ.
On of the original 12 disciples
Acts 8:6–8 (ESV) And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was much joy in that city.
Words win over the mind, but a demonstration of power wins over hearts.
Words alone has to rely on a well crafted argument - information
The church today has a lot of information, but little demonstration.
It has crafted an argument as to why there is no demonstration
Samaria already had a ton of information
John 4:16–18 (ESV) Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”
John 4:19–20 (ESV) The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.”
John 4:24 (ESV) God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship John 4:24 (ESV) God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
John 4:25 (ESV) The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.”
John 4:26 (ESV) Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
John 4:29 (ESV) “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?”
Leonard Ravenhill - “A man with an experience of God is never at the mercy of a man with an argument.”
L. H. Hardwick - A man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an opinion.”
It’s important for us to declare truth, but it’s critical for us to look for moments to see the power of God released.
“THERE WAS MUCH JOY IN THE CITY - REVIVAL!
Revival is more the result of the positioning of people for God to move rather than the moving of God.
OUR LIFE APPS ARE WRITTEN ONE EXPERIENCE AT A TIME.
During the early stages of our life, every different experience becomes the lab in which we write the code for the app for navigating similar related experiences in the future. These include our interactions with:
Friendships
Money
Family
Loneliness
Rejection
People in authority: men/women
Sexuality
Discouragement
Success
Failure
Self image
Criticism
God
Church
APART FROM GOD, OUR APPS ARE FLAWED.
We have experiences.
We lack information.
We misunderstand.
We are deceived.
We get bad input.
We formulate responses.
We are prepared for a similar situation, incorrectly.
Acts 8:9–11 (ESV) But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic.
His whole life was based on deception for gain - magic
A means to wealth and fame.
He wanted this fame so badly that he lied and told them he was someone great
He clearly began this as a young man - And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic.
Everyone (least to great) paid attention to him - self made rockstar
We love to be deceived (magician, haunted houses,
We are so hungry to see greatness that we listen to people with the confidence to say, “I am GREAT!”
“This man is the power of God that is called Great.” (supernatural, spiritual)
Every culture without the power of God is hungry/thirsty for a replacement
Ripe for a con: someone to convince them through deception of a replacement and their representation.
Simon has developed his app for now and for the future!
Acts 8:12–13 (ESV) But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.
JESUS SAVES,
BUT OUR BAD APPS CAN LIVE ON,
Acts 8:17–19 (ESV) Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
If only our salvation meant that all of the bad code were removed!
Similar experiences trigger bad apps.
Functioning in a bad app leads to bad outcomes.
We get trapped as we revert to what we know instead of what God wants to do.
That’s exactly what Simon did!
Can you recognize the activation of a bad app in your life?
TRUST GODS CATALYST FOR DELETING OLD APPS AND DOWNLOADING NEW ONES.
God loves you
He wants better for you.
He is unwilling to leave you as you are.
Discipleship is the process of having our flawed apps deleted and replaced with His new ones.
Life will bring along a catalyst to expose the bad app.
Reading the Bible
Listening to a sermon.
Reading a book.
The voice of the Holy Spirit.
Spiritual leaders.
Trust the catalyst and allow the surgery to happen there.
The catalyst for Simon required spiritual leadership.
Acts 8:20–23 (ESV) But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.”
Can you trust your spiritual leaders to be the catalyst for transformation?
Acts 8:24 (ESV) And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”
Closing: 2 Corinthians 7:1 (ESV) Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.
REBOOT: Recognizing Malware
Ezra 4:1–2 (ESV) Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the LORD, the God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ houses and said to them, “Let us build with you...”
Isaiah 54:17 (ESV) no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed.
Today’s Goal:
To challenge you to live your life, on alert, and guarded, watching for the weapons of the enemy, forged against you, and to have the wisdom to resist them.
To challenge you to discover undetected weapons that have made it past your security but are causing damage, and to immediately eradicate them with a simple REBOOT, so that you can step back into perfect alignment with God and the BEST LIFE He has for you.
MALWARE, (MALICIOUS SOFTWARE)
ENGINEERED - real people, behind the scenes, intentionally creating code
DECEPTION - trick you into onboarding
VARIANTS: a. VIRUS, SPYWARE, RANSOMWARE - onboard code, take something hostage and extract payment from you and those you are connected with.
GOAL: your loss, their gain
The digital attack is real, but the everyday attack against the people, and especially the people of God and the purposes of God is very real. Consider this plot in the book of Ezra:
(589BC - 2 Kings 25) Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon burned the house of the LORD and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem, broke down the walls around Jerusalem, and carried everyone to Babylon except the poorest of the land.
(538BC - Ezra 1) God stirs Ezra to send people back to Jerusalem to rebuild the House of God.
Ezra 2:1 - they return to their towns
Ezra 3:1 - in the seventh month they build the altar, offer sacrifices and celebrate Feasts
Ezra 3:8 - in the second year they begin rebuilding the temple
Ezra 4:1–2 (ESV) Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the LORD, the God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ houses and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here.”
“Adversaries”
“Approached Zerubbabel and heads of father’s houses” - fearless
“Let us build with you”
“We worship God as you... ever since we arrived here back in the days of Esarhaddon”
Trojan horse approach
This is an amazing all out nuclear assault
THEY RECOGNIZED THE THREAT AND KEPT FROM ONBOARDING MALWARE - Ezra 4:3 (ESV) But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ houses in Israel said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”
BUT THEY MISSED THE OTHER VERSIONS OF MALWARE AND FELL PREY! Ezra 4:4–5 (ESV) Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. (unti. Artaxerxes)
There is a very real focused attack, engineered for your life:
1 Peter 5:8–9 (ESV) ...be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him...
John 10:10 (ESV) The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
2 Corinthians 2:11 (ESV) so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
THREE TYPES OF MALWARE
VIRUS - SIN THAT STICKS
you onboard code that infect your operating system, doesn’t shut down your function, but makes it problematic.
Hebrews 12:1 (ESV) ...let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely (easily encircles)
SPYWARE - STRATEGICALLY TIMED ATTACKS
you onboard code that waits for the perfect moment, steals key information to steal your resources.
Luke 4:13 (ESV) And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.
RANSOMWARE - ALL OUT ASSAULTS
You onboard code that seeks to lock it all down and take you hostage, demanding payment
Isaiah 59:19 (KJV 1900) ...When the enemy shall come in like a flood... Isaiah 54:17 (ESV) no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed.
1. live your life, on alert, and guarded, watching for the weapons of the enemy, forged against you, and to have the wisdom to resist them.
2. To challenge you to discover undetected weapons that have made it past your security but are causing damage, and to immediately eradicate them with a simple REBOOT, so that you can step back into perfect alignment with God and the BEST LIFE He has for you.
Titus 2:11–12 (ESV) For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
Evil Spirits
Invisible Luchadores: Evil Spirits
Luchadores are the many wrestling personalities that make up Mexico’s wrestling pop culture known as Lucha Libre. The luchador wears an iconic mask and matching outfit to reinforce is characters personality and storyline. He generally has a trademarked grappling move that he uses on his opponent to subdue them, pin them to the ground and disqualify them from the competition.
Luchadores are fictitious characters that exist for our entertainment, but life has a way of revealing very real luchadores that rise up to oppose the purposes and plans God has for all of our lives. They show up the moment we are conceived and are especially active when are young and vulnerable. They look to find success and establish a foothold in our lives, jumping into the ring whenever their grappling skills are needed. The luchador will nudge, shove, contain, carry off, submit and even destroy. He will function at any level we allow.
Luchadores have names, familiar to us all, like insecurity, discouragement, unbelief, fear, bitterness, deception, sickness, spirit, Satan. And the luchador is a master of disguise, the best of which is his ability to function without even being noticed. We see the negative circumstances he creates, but we fail to detect his presence. As a result, we think to ourselves, this is just the way life is sometimes, it’s how things often go, it’s something that we have to put up with, or at best, something we have to work around. We end up living lives that are less than what Jesus died for, simply because we fail to bring about the luchador’s eviction.
This series is designed to expose the invisible luchadores that we need to identify, call out, rebuke and banish forever so that we can thrive in life enjoying the good things that God has for each and every one of us!
Matthew 8:16 That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.
Hollywood and pop-cultures depiction of spirits/demons has led many to disregard and even disbelieve their reality/function in the real world. But scripture paints a far more normative picture:
Jesus had regular interactions with the Devil, demons and spirits.
Satan in the desert – Matthew 4
Syrophoenician woman with an unclean spirit - Mark 7:25–26
Mary Magdalene, who had seven demons - Luke 8:1–2; John 11:2
Man in synagogue - Mark 1:23–26
Man called Legion – Mark 5:2-5
Crowds - Matthew 8:16
Jesus gave His disciples the mission/authority to cast out spirits.
Matthew 10:1 (ESV) And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.
The Early Church regularly dealt with spirits.
Peter - Acts 5:16
Phillip – Acts 8:6-7
Paul – Acts 16:16-17
Casting out spirits is part of a believer’s mission.
Mark 16:17–18 (ESV) And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Notables About Spirits: spirits are not to blame for everything or even the majority of things but they exist and are very real. They are not to be feared.
they impact us all on some level
Ephesians 6:12 (ESV) For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
1 Peter 5:8 (ESV) Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
they attach to people through key gateways of sin (by, and against)
rebellion (Saul’s) - 1 Samuel 16:14–15 (ESV) Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him. And Saul’s servants said to him, “Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you.
prostitution (Mary) - John 11:2 (ESV) It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill.
occult (Slave girl & Paul) - Acts 16:16–18 (ESV) As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.
unsaved (Syrophoenician) - Mark 7:25–26 (ESV) But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.
Judas betrayal - Luke 22:3–4 (ESV) Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them.
In my experience spirits nudge, budge, shove and onboard in moments of fear, deception, loss, trauma, unforgiveness, bitterness, sin
they drive those they attack into acts of self-sabotage\
Young boy - Mark 9:22 (ESV) And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
Demoniac - Mark 5:5 (ESV) Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.
Saul trying to kill David - 1 Samuel 18:10–11 (ESV) The next day a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand. And Saul hurled the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David evaded him twice.
respond to medication (as opposed to eviction) - 1 Samuel 16:23 (ESV) And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.
a common fingerprint of spirits is the presence of bizarre medical conditions
tongue but mute - Mark 9:17 (ESV) And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute.
ears but deaf - Mark 9:25 (ESV) And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
spirit of infirmity - Luke 13:11 (ESV) And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself.
a common fingerprint of spirits is heightened emotional outbursts - Mark 5:5 (ESV) Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.
not intimidated by spiritual atmospheres (church) - Mark 1:23 (ESV) And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out,
when cast out, they will try to come back - Matthew 12:43–45 (ESV) “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”
while spirits will escalate from harassment to attachment to possession, there are no examples of believers being possessed
Walking In Freedom From Nudge, Budge, Shove….
Follow Jesus And Fear Not - Acts 19:13–16 (ESV) Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
Recognize A Spirits Influence
testing - Romans 12:2 (ESV) Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
test - 1 John 4:1 (ESV) Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
recognition - 2 Corinthians 2:11 (ESV) so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
discerning of spirits - 1 Corinthians 12:10 (KJV 1900) To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
ask for wisdom - James 1:5 (ESV) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
Identify And Call The Spirit By Name
what is your name? Luke 8:30 (ESV) Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him.
name reveals attachment point
Command The Spirit To Leave With Your God-Given Authority
cast out with the word - Matthew 8:16 (ESV) That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.
cast out with authority - Mark 6:7 (ESV) And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.
Walk In The Spirit, Strong & Without “Velcro”
be filled with the spirit - Ephesians 5:18 (ESV) And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
the Spirit is the strongest man - Matthew 12:43–45 (ESV) “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”
Renounce all sin (no velcro) - Titus 2:11–12 (ESV) For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,