Guest Speaker: Pastor Reggie Roberson
Great things God is doing in this church.
God spoke this to me for this church. Divine Acceleration
Our Bible passage today speaks to Divine Acceleration.
John 6:16-21
When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
Context:
Jesus has just fed 5000 and sent his disciple to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee to Bethsaida. The disciples find themselves trying to make progress in their journey but they are making very little and they are stuck in the middle of the lake because of a storm. Jesus walks on water out to them and then gets in the boat. I want to read again what happens when Jesus gets into the boat: and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.” We should all take note of when John says immediately; that is a big deal because he doesn't use that word very often. The gospel of Mark on the other hand, says it all the time so this is very significant. They find themselves immediately on the other side. They went another 3 or 4 miles without an engine or any mechanism to propel them that fast and quick to the other side. This is a miracle. This is Divine acceleration. This is a picture of how it looks when Jesus gets in our boat and we get through the storm, waves, and winds of life arriving at a greater place of deeper relationship with God, victory and biblical prosperity. He is going to divinely accelerate various aspects of our lives:
Freedom in your soul
Significance and purpose clarity
Ministry Impact
Leadership
God will divinely accelerate various aspects of our lives but we must not miss God's work in our lives that we see in this story.
There are three crucial questions we must consider when it comes to divine acceleration in various aspects of our lives:
Will You Be About God’s Mission?
Divine acceleration happens when we’re engaged in God’s mission. Marks version says:
“Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.”
Mark 6:45
The disciples were following Jesus’ instructions to cross the lake; they were on a journey doing what Jesus had asked, not pursuing their own goals and asking Jesus to bless them after the fact. That’s the critical starting point—being about God’s mission, not our own.
Too often, we set our own agendas and then expect Jesus to align with them, rather than aligning ourselves with His mission. When we follow our own plans, we risk heading in the wrong direction. If we don’t get this, we might arrive at a destination but miss our God-given destiny. You can be moving, but that doesn’t mean you’re growing in the way God intends.
Take my own story, for example: I excelled in academics, basketball, and had favor with people, but I wasn’t aligned with God’s mission. I was busy, but I wasn’t aiming at what truly mattered. It was not until I received Jesus (Gospel) and understood his purpose for me that I began to experience growth and acceleration in my life.
God accelerates and blesses only what He has endorsed. And he endorses his mission. You see, when we are aligned with God’s mission, we come to realize that we each have something to contribute to this world by His grace and for His purposes. We must be about His mission.
Will You Allow God to Address Your Misconceptions?
The disciples had misconceptions that Jesus needed to address, particularly about facing storms while following Him. They had just witnessed the miracle of feeding the 5,000 and were probably on a spiritual high, only to encounter a storm soon after. Jesus wanted to show them that being on His mission doesn’t exempt us from challenges. In fact, divine acceleration often comes through trials and resistance or winds, waves, and storms. Many people become disillusioned because they believe that following God should mean smooth sailing. But the truth is, storms come to everyone, whether we follow God or not. The difference is that when we follow God, He is with us in the storm, making us “storm-proof.” (Western part of North Carolina -Hurricane Helene - God’s people filled with hope). And one day, we’ll be free from all storms in the new heaven and earth.
If we misunderstand this, we might miss the divine acceleration God has for us because we’re looking for an easy journey. Take, for example, the story of a man praying for rescue during a flood. He expected God to save him in a specific way and missed the help that God sent through a canoe, a boat, and a helicopter. This story highlights ho we often miss God’s provision because it doesn’t look the way we expect because of our misconceptions. We must overcome misconceptions.
Will You Make Room for Jesus in Your Life?
In Mark's version of this story in chapter 6:48, we read that the disciples were still rowing in the fourth watch of the night—between 3:00 and 6:00 a.m. They had been rowing for nine hours and had only made it three or four miles. I imagine they were frustrated, exhausted, and confused. Jesus was showing them that, without Him, their efforts were in vain. When Jesus fed the 5,000, the people and His disciples saw Him as a new Moses, but when He walked on water, He was showing them He was greater than Moses. Moses needed the sea parted to walk on dry ground; Jesus simply walked on the waves. As Job 9:8 (ESV) says: “who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea.” When Jesus, the God over the storm, winds, and waves was received by the disciples into the boat, the storm ceased, and they were immediately accelerated to their destination.
We often rely on our own intellect, looks, or abilities to progress in life, and we are stuck not making progress but we must make room for Jesus in our lives if we want true acceleration. A powerful story that illustrates this is the life of George Müller, a 19th-century Christian evangelist known for caring for orphans. Early in his ministry, Müller tried to raise funds through traditional means—appealing to people and relying on his own efforts. But after experiencing little success, he decided to trust entirely in prayer, relying on Jesus to provide for all the needs of his ministry. From that moment on, Müller never asked anyone for donations, but prayed for every need. And every time, without fail, God provided, often in miraculous ways. Over his lifetime, Müller cared for over 10,000 orphans, all because he made room for Jesus in his mission and relied fully on Him.(Pic) Müller’s story shows us that when we leave Jesus out of our plans, we experience frustration. But when we bring Jesus into every aspect of our lives, we see miraculous provision and acceleration.
Divine acceleration happens when we depend on God—when we lean on Him in prayer, ask Him to guide our steps, and invite Him into every part of our journey. We must be passionate in our testimony, filled with worship, declare God’s word out of our mouths, and believe that Jesus can do the impossible. We must make room for Jesus. So, remember:
Be about His mission.
Overcome misconceptions.
Make room for Jesus.
These are vital aspects of the atmosphere where divine acceleration takes place in our.