Ordinary to Extraordinary

The members of the council 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. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. ¹⁴ But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say. ¹⁵ So they ordered Peter and John out of the council chamber and conferred among themselves.

Acts 4: 13-15

From Ordinary to Extraordinary is the theme of the week. Finding that “extra” is the hard part. When Peter and John were changing the course of history, the people around them couldn’t help but notice that these were just “ordinary men with no training in the Scriptures.”

Yesterday, I learned the 3 ways that Peter and John found their “extra.”

1. They were bold
2. They spent time with Jesus
3. They were a “they”

The first is obvious. Difficult, but obvious. They made bold decisions, and said “no” to a life of comfort.

The second is crucial. They spent time with God. Being extraordinary hinges on our personal relationship with God—reading and praying.

The third is easy to miss. Peter and John were a “they.” They were bold. They spent time with Jesus. They worked together. When you close your eyes and think of being extraordinary, are you thinking of your own accomplishment? Or are you thinking of your friends and your team? If you answered honestly, you may have answered like me—believing extraordinary to be a solo affair. And that’s a big problem. Because in the Bible, extraordinary is always between friends. If we look for extraordinary alone, the only thing we’ll find is the “alone.”

So here are 2 tips and verses about the kind of friendships we need to go from ordinary to extraordinary:

1. Learn from your friends – Proverbs 1: 5-7
2. Sharpen your friends – Proverbs 27: 17

• What are 3 friendships you need to change to be extraordinary?
• How can you start becoming a “they”?