Internal Combustion

Acts 12:7-12 (KJV)

7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.

8 And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.

9 And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.

10 When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.

11 And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.

12 And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.

Internal combustion- the power comes from within itself to run, once started it can keep itself running

STEPS TO STARTING YOUR CARS ENGINE:

• Turn on the ignition key
• This allows current to flow from the battery to the starter
• The starter then turns and catches the flywheel
• Which in turn begins the rotation of the crankshaft
• This moves the pistons (on alternate cycles) up and down
• A pressurized condition develops
• The valves open and let the gas and air mixture into the pressurized situation
• The sparkplug then fires causing an explosion which pushes the piston back down
• Which starts the cycle all over again for the other alternate pistons

Once started, the engine has the ability to keep itself running.

OUR POWER COMES FROM WITHIN OURSELVES!

Once the key to your life has turned over and Jesus provides the spark to ignite His power within us, Internal combustion takes place within the church.

Romans 12:4 (KJV) For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

• Many parts but one car
• Over 9000 parts are in one Camry
• The car is incomplete and will not function properly without all the parts

We are not all the same, but we are all important!

WE HAVE ALL THE POWER WE NEED WITHIN OURSELVES!

2 Chronicles 20:20-22 (KJV)

20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.

21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.

22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.

• City is besieged
• People are worried about where there help is going to come from
• Jehosophat determines that worship will be their weapon in battle
• God utilized their faith and worship and turned their enemies to flight

THE POWER COMES FROM WITHIN!

Acts 16:23-26 (KJV)

23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:

24 Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.

25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.

• Stripes on their back
• In prison
• Strange country
• At midnight
• No help, no bail bondsmen, no lawyers, only themselves
• Jumpstarted by faith
• Their motor purred to life
• God moved on their situation

THE POWER COMES FROM WITHIN!

Acts 12:7-12 (KJV)

7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.

8 And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.

9 And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.

10 When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.

11 And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.

12 And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.

• Peter in jail to have his head cut off
• Behind three gates and 16 soldiers
• Church is praying
• Peter is delivered from prison
• The deliverance came their prayers

INTERNAL COMBUSTION!

GOD ONLY USES WHAT WE HAVE AND NO MATTER HOW LITTLE OR BIG, IT IS ALWAYS JUST ENOUGH!

THE POWER COMES FROM WITHIN!