The Greatest Love

Thursday, September 08, 2011, 7:33 a.m. – The song, “God’s Great Commands,” was playing in my mind when I awoke this morning. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Acts 14 (quoting vv. 1-7):

At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed. 2 But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. 3 So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders. 4 The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. 5 There was a plot afoot among the Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. 6 But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, 7 where they continued to preach the good news.

My Understanding: The song the Lord woke me with this morning has to do with the two greatest commandments to love God and to love other people as we love ourselves. So, it is with that theme of loving God and others that I will discuss this passage of scripture this morning and how it relates to that subject.

Effective Speaking

Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue where they had the freedom to speak and to share the gospel message. It was not like our churches today. There were places inside the temple area where people could speak publicly and were invited to do so and where people gathered to hear them speak. Jesus often spoke in the temple courts. Recorded in the Bible are accounts of the disciples speaking on the porch area, which seemed to be a common place for such informal speeches. I wish the church today was more like that. It is supposed to be more like that in that, when the church meets together, people with the gift of prophecy should be permitted to speak and to share what the Lord is teaching them and what the Lord has laid on their hearts for the church, too. So much of today’s institutional church is so structured that the Holy Spirit has no room to work and to speak through men and women, because church meetings today often do not allow for that kind of freedom in the Spirit. Yet, the temple area appeared to allow for this to a point.

When Paul and Barnabas spoke, they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed in Jesus Christ. Obviously they spoke in the power of the Holy Spirit, because only the Spirit of God has the power to convict men’s hearts and to draw men to faith in Jesus Christ. Yet, there were those among them who refused to believe, so they poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against these godly brothers in Christ. This is human nature of the worst kind, I believe, in that it is not content with sinning alone but must drag others down with it. They didn’t want to believe so they didn’t want others to believe either, so they made up lies about the apostles in order to draw other people away from the truth of the gospel message and to bring them down to their own level of unbelief. And, there will be those today, as well, even in the church, who will refuse to believe in Jesus or who will refuse to believe in the true gospel (the full gospel) message and will want to water down the gospel so that they can continue to do whatever that allows them to do, and they will often poison the minds of others who might be led to believe the full gospel, otherwise, because they want others to be where they are so they feel less guilty about themselves.

An Opportunity

I like the word that came next. The scripture says, “So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there speaking boldly for the Lord.” The word “so” means “the reason for an action or situation, or its result.” They not only did not let this discourage them, but it was a springboard for them to motivate them to be even more determined in sharing the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And, as we face opposition from sinful men, it should also strengthen us in our resolve to continue faithfully in obedience to Christ and to not let the opinions of men discourage and/or to feel somehow that men have power over us to stop us, for the only power men have is what is given to them or is allowed to them by God. If God wants us to speak, he will open the doors for us to speak, because what God opens no man can shut, and what God shuts, no man can open, so we should, like Paul and Barnabas, use persecution and opposition as a springboard to strengthen our resolve to be even more vigilant in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and in obeying our Lord Jesus.

The people were divided. Some were for the apostles and some against, and we, too, will face opposition when we are fully obeying our Lord Jesus in sharing the full gospel message. So, we will have those who will be with us and those who will be against us. In addition to this “for and against,” from the people, the apostles also faced the real possibility of having their lives taken from them for their commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ, which many believers throughout the world face on a daily basis, but that we have not had to face much to that extreme here in the USA, though I believe our time is coming, too. Yet, there is much persecution and rejection of the Lord’s messengers in the church today. Those who are preaching the full gospel message often come under persecution and rejection because much of the church has embraced the teachings of men and a watered-down gospel message in order to attract the world to the church, but they are merely attracting the world to more of the world, only maybe just a cleaned up version.

Continuing to Preach

Paul and Barnabas found out about the plot, so they fled to other cities where they continued to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, i.e. the good news of salvation from sins via Jesus’ shed blood for us on the cross and via our faith in Jesus Christ. There they healed a man who had been crippled in his feet, because they saw that he had the faith to believe. The crowd deemed “god” status upon the apostles, but they tore their clothes and rushed to the crowd and told the people that they were just men; humans like the people who were trying to make them into gods. Most of us will probably not be idolized to the point to where we are declared to be gods, but it is possible that we may have a following or we may have people who want to glorify us and give the honor for what we do to us rather than to God, and it is so important that we always give the praise back to God for what we know he alone has done in us and through us, for we are all sinners. So, sometimes we may face this kind of overpraise of men and it will serve as an opportunity for us to humble ourselves before God and man and to give credit where credit is due, rather than taking it for ourselves.

I liked what the apostles said to the crowd. They said, “We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. There were many that the people called “god,” so it was important to specify which “god” they were referring to, i.e. they were talking about the one and only true God and creator of all that lives. This God, the One and Only, is the giver of life to all men. And, the “Good News” of the gospel that the apostles were preaching was that the people must turn from the worthless things of their lives, such as idolatry, and they must turn to follow the One true God instead. And, this is why the apostles were being persecuted. It was because they were telling people they had to give up their lives of sin and they had to follow the Lord Jesus Christ in obedience. The watered down gospel says that repentance and obedience are not necessary for salvation and that God is pleased with us no matter what we do, yet the “Good News” that the apostles preached was one that required turning from (repentance) sin and turning to follow the Lord Jesus, to obey him.

More Opposition

Then, some of the Jews won the crowd over and they stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. Wow! They were calling him a god one minute and were stoning him nearly to death the next. This reminds me of the crowd who was waving palm branches at Jesus and shouting “Hosanna” one day, and less than a week later they were calling for Jesus to be crucified. And, we will face this, too, when we are committed to the full gospel of Jesus Christ or even if we are not, because human nature can be so fickle and they can love us one minute and turn against us the next, just like they did Jesus.

Yet, Paul survived, and he went back into the city. Wow! They just tried to kill him, yet he went back. He didn’t let that intimidate him. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe. They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then, they went back to Lystra where the people there had stoned Paul and had left him for dead. The apostles went back in order to strengthen and encourage the disciples to remain true to the faith. So, even though some of the people there had been poisoned against the apostles and even though they had stoned Paul and had left him for dead, still Paul and Barnabas went back into the city because they wanted to use this as an opportunity to encourage and strengthen the believers there and to let them know that, as followers of Jesus Christ, many hardships awaited them. This is love!

Jesus never promised us that our lives would be easy if we followed him. In fact, he told us we would be persecuted, abandoned, rejected and mistreated because of him and because of the gospel of Jesus Christ, so if everyone likes us and thinks we are awesome, then maybe we need to see if perhaps we are not standing out in being lights for the true gospel like we are supposed to be in order to lead men and women to leave their lives of sin and to follow our Lord Jesus in obedience to his commands.

So, what does this have to do with loving God and loving others? – Everything! We show we love God when we obey him, when we feed his sheep, when we are his witnesses, when we bring hope and healing to others, when we care about the needs of others, and their most important need of all is to be told the real “Good News” of the gospel of Jesus Christ so that they, too, can come to know Jesus and can be set free from sin and can be free to love, honor and obey God, too. The greatest love there is, is when we are willing to give of our lives, our reputations, our wants, our earthly dreams and pleasures and our time and energies to share with people the only hope they will ever know that will free them from lives of sin and will give them eternal life with God in heaven. That is what the apostles did and that is what we are called to do, too, forsaking our old lives and going forward in God’s grace and love in ministering Christ’s love and his gospel to a world in need of the Savior.

God’s Great Commands / An Original Work / July 10, 2011

Loving God and loving others
Are the Lord God’s great commands.
On these rest all of the others;
Live by them and you’ll not fail.
Be a witness, share the gospel,
Be a light in this dark world.
Share the love of Jesus always
To a world who has not heard.

Serving others; be like Jesus;
Wash their feet and pray with them.
Be a healer; mend their hurts and
Show them how to turn from sin.
Be a living example of
How to live for Jesus Christ,
Walking with Him in His footsteps,
Leading others to new life.

Give to God and give to others
Of yourselves in ev’ry way.
Obey your Lord, do His bidding;
Bow your knees and humbly pray.
Pray for others to know Jesus.
Tell how they can be set free
Of their sins and live for Jesus;
Walk with Him eternally.

Song Lyrics @ Public Domain

Audio, song lyrics and sheet music at:
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs/home/songs/god-s-great-commands

Song on video at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DWGg3-NvEE

Preparation for Ministry

Wednesday, September 7, 2011, 5:20 a.m. – The song, “When I’m With You,” was playing in my mind when I awoke this morning. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Acts 13 (quoting selected verses):

In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper…

Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit…

“Brothers, children of Abraham, and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent. 27 The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. 28 Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people…

“Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39 Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses…

On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying.

46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us:

“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

49 The word of the Lord spread through the whole region…

My Understanding: As I read through this passage of scripture this morning, the Lord brought my attention to the preparation involved in being set apart by the Holy Spirit for Christian ministry, as well as what is involved in the ministry itself that qualifies it to be of God or not of God. So, I will prayerfully examine these two aspects of ministry this morning: 1) The Preparation and 2) The Proclamation.

The Preparation

As I read through this passage of scripture, the Lord helped me to see several prerequisites to involvement in Christian ministry:

Worship – The scripture states that it was while certain prophets and teachers (named) were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said to set apart Paul and Barnabas for the work to which God had called them. Worship involves adoration, love, reverence, and devotion to God Almighty, but not in form only. True worship is lifestyle worship of God. And, I know of no better Biblical description of what it means to truly worship God than is found in Romans 12:1-2, where it states that the offering of our lives to God as living sacrifices to him, holy and pleasing to him, is our “spiritual act of worship” towards God. Involved in that is that we are to no longer be conformed to the pattern of this world, but we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. As well, John 4:22 states that true worshipers worship the Father in spirit and in truth, “for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” So, true worship is of the heart, must be truthful, must truly honor and glorify God, and must involve the forsaking of this world and its sinful pleasures and an embracing of the cross of Christ in our daily lives, living lives holy and pleasing to God.

Fasting – Fasting is normally associated with the concept of abstaining from food for a period of time, as Jesus did when he was tempted in the desert by Satan just prior to the beginning of his public ministry. Yet, it is possible to fast from food for religious reasons and yet not be in a right relationship with God to where we can hear him speaking to our hearts. Isaiah 58 gives us a prime example of this. God’s people were rebellious against God and were involved in living sinful lifestyles and yet they were seeking God out, seeming eager to know his ways, as if they were a people who were doing what was right and had not forsaken God’s commands. They even fasted and prayed, and expected God to hear and to answer them. And, they wondered why God did not seem to notice. God said that on the day of their fasting, though, they did as they pleased.

So, God let them know the kind of “fasting” he had chosen: To loose the chains of injustice, to set the oppressed free, to share their food with the hungry and to provide shelter for the poor wanderer, to clothe the naked, and to not turn away from the needs of their own relatives. Then, they could call on the Lord, he would hear them, and he would answer them. Obviously this is not an exhaustive list, yet the point is made. True fasting before God and true humility before God is self-sacrificial and is willing to give up whatever God would require us to give, or to give up, in order for us to ultimately meet the legitimate needs of others. Again, this involves a willingness to lay our lives down on God’s altar as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him, which is our spiritual act of worship.

Prayer – According to Isaiah 58, true humility before God, exemplified by lives willing to give up whatever earthly pleasures or possessions he might require of us in order to meet the legitimate needs of others, is a prerequisite to having the kind of prayers that God will hear and that he will answer. In Isaiah 59 we learn that if we are holding on to sin that our sins will separate us from perfect fellowship with God to where God will not hear our prayers. Jesus often spoke against prayer that was only for the purpose of show. We are also taught to pray in the name of Jesus, which means to pray according to his will, which is exemplified in the model prayer Jesus gave to us as is recorded in Matthew 6 where it calls for the will of God to be done here on earth as it is in heaven. As well, we learn in James 4 that we may not receive of God what we ask for in prayer if we ask with the wrong motives. So, prayer must be truthful, humble, seeking God’s will (not our own), come from a heart willing to obey God, and must have the right motivation of heart at its root.

Of God and Willing to Obey – This passage in Acts 13 states that as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting that the Holy Spirit of God said to set apart these men for the work to which God had called them. Christian ministry, if it is to be blessed by God, must originate with God. We cannot pick and choose what we want to do for God and then expect him to bless it, especially if we are operating in the flesh and/or we are working for the approval of men. We must find out what God wants us to do and we must be willing to do whatever he requires of us. That is what jumped out at me from this passage about King David. He was a man after God’s own heart who would do everything God wanted him to do. David was human, and we know he sinned against God greatly, yet he repented of his sin and God chose to continue to use him. And, God can use any one of us no matter our past sins, yet we must humble ourselves before God, we must repent of our sins, and we must be willing to obey God in doing whatever he wants us to do.

The Proclamation

Once these men of God had truly worshiped God, had fasted and prayed, were called of God and set apart for specific ministry, originating with God, and they had responded with hearts that were willing to obey God in doing whatever God wanted them to do, then they were sent off to do the ministry to which God had called them. When we understand all that was involved in their ministry and what it took for them to do what God had called them to do, then I think we understand more fully the importance of this preparation prior (and continuing daily) to being sent off, because many a ministry will fail (in relation to God’s plan and will for the ministry) when opposition and persecution arise, because the ministry did not originate with God and/or the people themselves were not adequately prepared spiritually for what they were to face as they were sent out. And, this spiritual preparation must be continued on a daily basis or we cannot operate in the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and when opposition arises, we may want to flee rather than persevere.

Once Paul and Barnabas were called of God and were set apart for the ministry to which God had called them and they were sent off to do the work of the ministry, they began their ministry of proclaiming the word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ in the synagogues. Yet, they encountered much opposition and persecution from the Jews, and God gave them the wisdom and the strength and power to know how to address the opposition and how to continue in the work to which they were called in the power of the Holy Spirit within them.

They shared the gospel message of how Jesus, God the Son, was sent to the earth, became a man, was sinless, though tempted as we are tempted, was crucified on a cross for our sins, he was buried in a tomb, yet he was resurrected, and all this was to fulfill what had been written about him in the prophets. As we know, when Jesus died on the cross for our sins, he took upon himself the sins of the entire world so that when he died our sins died with him, and when he was buried our sins were buried with him, yet when God the Father raised him from the dead, he left our sins buried and he triumphed over them via the cross and via his resurrection so that we, who put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, could go free from the ultimate penalty of sin, and so we could go free from the control of sin over our daily lives. This is the Good News! We don’t have to be controlled by sin any longer, but we can be free now to live and walk in fellowship with our Lord, in obedience to God, and in victory over sin and over Satan. Hallelujah! Jesus set us free!

They shared this good news of the gospel, yet they also warned of judgment of God on those who refused to believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Messiah, and this, too, is part of the gospel message of salvation. We need to recognize that judgment awaits those who refuse God and who refuse His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ. Yet, God is calling us to obedience, to repentance, and to faith in Jesus Christ and to the work of the ministry to which he has called each and every one of us to do in the wisdom and power of the working of the Holy Spirit of God within each one of us, as we daily continue in him.

When I’m With You / An Original Work / April 22, 2011

When I’m with You, Lord, hear my cries.
Soon I’ll be with You, by Your side.
Harken to me; Lord, hear my plea
When I’m with You and You’re with me

Precious Savior, Lord, and my friend,
Life with You has no final end.
I’ll reign with You eternally
When I’m with You and You’re with me.

Father, God, my only desire.
Your word is in me like a fire.
I’ll sing Your praise all of my days
When I’m with You and You’re with me.

Song Lyrics @ Public Domain

Audio, song lyrics and sheet music at:
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs/home/songs/when-i-m-with-you

YouTube video of song at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYi_-8oW8TI
http://www.godcares.tv/video/1148/When-Im-With-You

Hear, Receive and Obey

Monday, September 05, 2011, 6:33 a.m. – The song, “Where is Jesus?” was playing in my mind when I awoke this morning. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Acts 10. Due to the length of the passage, I will summarize some and will quote some.

THE VISIONS

Cornelius was a centurion in the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing. He gave to the needy and he prayed to God regularly. He had a vision in which an angel of God spoke to him. The angel told him that his prayers to God and his gifts to the poor were a memorial offering before God, so God wanted him to send some of his men to Joppa to get a man named Peter. So, Cornelius did as the angel had instructed him to do, and he sent for Peter.

The next day, while Cornelius’ men were on their way to get Peter, the Lord gave Peter a vision, too. Peter had gone up to his roof to pray. He had a vision of all kinds of animals, reptiles and birds coming down from heaven to the earth in what looked like a sheet. A voice told him to kill and to eat. Peter responded, “Surely not, Lord! I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” The voice spoke a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” The passage says that this happened three times.

I find that interesting since Peter was the one who had denied Jesus Christ three times and then the Lord had him reaffirm his love for Jesus three times, and now he had this vision three times, as though Peter was the kind of person who needed to see something more than once to believe it, and the three times was a way in which the Lord let him know it was God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – speaking, and that he was to pay attention.

THE ENCOUNTER

The passage states that, while Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius showed up and asked for Peter. Then, it says that while Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit told him that three men were looking for him. There is that number three again. He was not to hesitate to go with the men, for God had sent them to Peter. Peter went down to the men, the men relayed to him why they had come for him, and he invited them into his house to be his guests.

The next day Peter and some of the brothers went with the men. The following day they arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. He began by informing them that it was against Jewish law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile. But, he continued, God had shown him that he should not call any man impure or unclean, which is how the Jews had viewed the Gentiles, which is why they were not permitted to associate with them. So, when Peter was sent for, that is why he went without hesitation with the men. Then, he asked them, “May I ask why you sent for me?”

THE DIVINE APPOINTMENT - ACTS 10:30-48

Cornelius answered: “Four days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. 32 Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”

34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.

Then Peter said, 47 “Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

CONCLUSION

Peter heard God speak because he was praying, and because he was receptive to hear God speak. He just had to work through some things he had always been taught, and God knew just the right way in which to speak to Peter and to help him with this transition from a Jews only mentality to incorporating Gentiles into his life, as well as to accept that they, too, could become children of God. So, just as Peter had denied Jesus three times before the rooster crowed, and he had to reaffirm his love for Jesus three times, Jesus gave him this vision three times, because it was God’s way, I believe, of letting Peter know without a doubt that this was God speaking to him. The three times also reinforced the message.

Cornelius, as well, heard God speak because he was a man who prayed to God, although he did not yet have faith in Jesus Christ. He heard God speak because he was available and receptive to hear God speak to him. Both Peter and Cornelius were not only in a position to hear God speak, and not only were they receptive to hear what God had to say to them, but they were both willing to obey the Lord, even if what the Lord asked of them took them out of their comfort zones, and even if the message came in a form that took Peter out of his comfort zone, for sure, because it challenged what he had always been taught to do.

Because Peter and Cornelius were both in a position to hear God speak, they were both receptive to the message God spoke to them, though Peter needed a little more convincing than Cornelius did, and because they were willing to obey God and to do what he said, even if it took them out of their comfort zones, God was able to work in both of their lives and through their lives to fulfill his divine appointment in all of their lives and, as a result, many people came to know Jesus as Lord and Savior and were filled with God’s Holy Spirit.

What this says to me is that we, too, need to be in a position to hear God speak by first of all being in a relationship with Jesus Christ or by seeking after God who is seeking after us first. We come to relationship with Jesus Christ via his grace, through Jesus’ shed blood on the cross for our sins, and by genuine believing faith that produces repentance and obedience to our Lord’s commands. Then, we need to spend time with the Lord in prayer and in the reading of his word so that we know him and so we can hear him speak. If we are too busy with all the activities of our lives to where we never take time each day to hear from our Lord, then we will never hear him speak because we are not in a position to do so.

As well, even if we do take time with the Lord, and we do hear him speak, but we are not receptive to the means in which he chooses to speak to us and/or we are not receptive to what he wishes to say to us because it challenges our traditions and/or things we have always been taught, though never in conflict with his divine truth or with God’s righteous nature, then we cannot truly hear him because we are not receptive to his words to us. And, even if we are in a position to hear his voice, and we are initially receptive to how he chooses to speak to us and even to what he has to say to us, yet we are not willing to act upon what he has shown us, even if we don’t completely understand it all, then we cannot participate in his divine blessings he has for us in the divine appointments he has for us each and every day. And God cannot use us to impact other people’s lives for Jesus Christ.

This song is asking the question, “Where is Jesus?” The song lists possible activities that we might be involved in on a daily basis and it asks where Jesus is found and where he fits into all these activities of our lives. It does not assume that Jesus is not there, but it is asking us to examine our lives to see if Jesus is there with us, and, if so, how does he fit into all our activities. I believe the Lord gave me this song with this passage of scripture today because, in order for us to hear God speaking, to be receptive to what he has to say to us, and then to obey what he has for us, Jesus needs to be central in our lives and cannot be crowded out by all of these (and more) activities that can push him aside or that can crowd him out altogether. So, the challenge today is to ask ourselves where Jesus fits into our lives. Is he just someone we talk to on occasion when we want something, or do we have the kind of relationship with him to where we do hear, are receptive, and are willing to obey his voice?

Where is Jesus? / An Original Work / May 22, 2011

Fishing, swimming, boating, sailing,
Driving, hiking, camping, trailing,
Bowling, golfing, TV watching,
Videos, movies and talking –
Where is Jesus found?

Friends and Facebook, chat and email,
Internet, blogs, news sites, retail,
Magazines, books, sports and music,
Laptops, I-Pads, smart phones, texting –
Where is Jesus now?

Jobs, careers, and data bases,
Business, money, many faces,
Get ahead of everyone who’s
Competition; always running –
Where does Jesus fit?

Song Lyrics @ Public Domain

Audio, song lyrics and sheet music:
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs/home/songs/where-is-jesus

Song on video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk4Ry8EzJbY

http://www.godcares.tv/video/1156/Where-is-Jesus

God's Grace and Power

Friday, September 02, 2011, 7:07 a.m. – The song, “Laodicea,” was playing in my mind when I awoke this morning. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Acts 6:8-8:1. Due to the length of the passage, I will quote some verses, yet I will summarize a good portion of the passage of scripture, and the summaries and quotes will be intermingled.

The Opposition

Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people (6:8).

Stephen was a man full of God’s grace and power and did great miracles among the people, yet opposition arose against him. The men opposing him tried arguing with him, “but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke” (6:10). So, the men made up lies about Stephen. They stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law and they seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. As well, they produced false witnesses against him. Does this have a ring of familiarity? This is what they did to Jesus, too. Yet, the scripture says this about Stephen:

All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel (6:15).

The History Lesson

The high priest asked Stephen if the charges against him were true. Stephen responded to the question by sharing Israel’s history. He began with Abraham being called of God to leave his country to go to the land God would show him. Stephen recounted how God gave the covenant of circumcision to Abraham, and he told of the birth of Isaac, of Jacob becoming the father of the “twelve patriarchs,” how Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him so they sold him as a slave into Egypt, how Joseph became ruler over Egypt, about the famine, the move of Jacob’s family to Egypt, the number of Israelites in the land greatly multiplying, and how a new king came into power who did not know about Joseph and how he oppressed God’s people.

Stephen went on to tell about the birth of Moses, the call of God on Moses to be the deliverer of God’s people, and Moses prophesying concerning the coming Messiah. Then he told about the people of Israel refusing to obey Moses, their God-appointed leader, and how they, instead, made an idol in the form of a calf, so “God turned away and gave them over” to their idolatry (see parallel idea in Romans 1).

Then Stephen went on to recall that the Israelites had with them in the desert the very presence of Almighty God and how the “tabernacle of the Testimony” had traveled with them in the desert, too. He told of Joshua leading the Israelites into the “Promised Land,” of the time of David and Solomon’s kingdoms, and how Solomon was the one to build the temple, yet Stephen also said this of God and the temple:

“However, the Most High does not live in houses made by men. As the prophet says:

“‘Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me?
says the Lord.
Or where will my resting place be?
Has not my hand made all these things?’ (7:48-50)

The Confrontation

Then, Stephen moved from recounting Israel’s history to directly confronting his opposition:

“You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it” (7:51-53).

This passage began by stating that Stephen was a man “full of grace and power.” So was Jesus. I think a false impression of God/Jesus is often proclaimed, which pictures God/Jesus as all sweetness. Yet, being full of grace and the power of God does not mean one is all sweetness and never saying anything to hurt people’s feelings. Jesus said things that hurt people’s feelings all the time, because he was more concerned about their eternal salvation. Sometimes the most loving and kind thing we can do for someone is to tell him or her the truth, even if it hurts, and even if he or she ends up hating us for it. Stephen was not afraid to tell people the truth, because he loved them more than he loved his own life and he wanted to see them turn their hearts and lives over to Jesus Christ in faith and obedience.

The truth was that, even though God had been with them all through history and they should have known God, which means they should have recognized his One and Only Son as being from the Father, they refused God’s voice and became stiff-necked people who not only opposed God’s servants, but who opposed God Almighty, whom they claimed to serve. They resisted the Holy Spirit of God and they persecuted his true servants and messengers. And, they murdered God the Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Savior. Although they were a privileged people who had been given this rich history and had been given God’s laws and the first to receive the knowledge of the gospel of salvation, they refused to obey God.

In many respects, the church in the USA could be paralleled over to the Israelites with whom Stephen was speaking that day. We have been given great freedom of religion, Bibles coming out our ears, and the gospel preached on TV, in movies, on the radio, in books, etc. There is no want for the gospel message being preached and known throughout our nation. We have hundreds, if not thousands of Bible colleges and seminaries where people can study the Bible. We have thousands upon thousands of church structures where the gospel is preached, or at least a form of the gospel is preached. Christian books and Bibles are available in most stores in our nation. And, we have the freedom, right now anyway, to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ on the internet, and to reach those in the world, with internet access, with the gospel message, too, if we will avail ourselves of this opportunity.

Yet, many in our nation who proclaim to know God and even to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are in the same situation as what Stephen’s accusers found themselves in that day. Many professing Christians are following the idols of men and are refusing God’s voice and are even persecuting and rejecting God’s servants and messengers who are bringing to them the full gospel message, and who are calling this nation of ours to repentance and to true faith in Jesus Christ, in making him truly Lord and master of our lives.

Many professing believers in Jesus Christ do not even know the voice of the Holy Spirit of God and others are resisting that voice and are thus quenching the Spirit of God in their lives. And, many within our churches and even among today’s clergy are even being taught to exclude those in the body of Christ who have strong convictions and who speak boldly in the name of Jesus Christ concerning our salvation and our need, as a nation, to come to repentance. Many are watering down the gospel message to tickle the ears of the people and are becoming followers of men over and above following the Lord and obeying his truths, and this is happening in great numbers, even among our clergy. And, in so doing, they are, in essence, crucifying our Lord all over again.

They Were Furious!

When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep (7:54-60).

And, chapter 8, v. 1, states that Saul (who later became the apostle Paul) was there giving approval to their actions in the murdering of Stephen, a man full of grace and the power of God, who had the face of an angel.

The Call

Within our nation of the United States of America, we may not have gotten to this point yet, though some may have, to where we will murder the innocent just because they tell us the truth that we don’t want to hear. I do believe there are factions within our government in coordination with the NATO alliance and the New World Order who are doing this very thing in other nations of the world, and I do believe our time is coming, because the Bible says so. In the book of Revelation, chapter 3, Jesus spoke to the church in Laodicea concerning their relationship with God/Jesus. They were neither hot nor cold concerning their relationship with the Lord, but they were lukewarm, so he was about to spit them out of his mouth (judgment). I believe the church in the USA, overall, is lukewarm and that God is giving this same message he gave to Laodicea to his church in the USA today. I pray you will hear his call and that you will heed his call and that you will not refuse the Lord today.

Laodicea / An Original Work / April 29, 2011

Laodicea, Laodicea, I’m calling you.
You hear Me calling, you hear Me calling. I’m calling you.
Will you not answer? Will you not answer? I’m calling you.
If you but follow, if you but follow, I’ll answer you.
Won’t you give Me your heart and your soul,
So I can cleanse you and make you whole?
Laodicea, Laodicea, I’m calling you.
If you will answer, if you will answer, I’ll come to you.

I stand at your door, I stand at your door. I’m knocking there.
Will you not listen? Will you not listen, while I’ll be there?
If you’ll but open, if you’ll but open your hearts to Me,
I’ll come within you, I’ll come within you, you’ll sup with Me.
Won’t you buy from Me some gold and salve?
These costly treasures are yours to have.
Laodicea, Laodicea, I’m calling you.
If you will answer, if you will answer, I’ll come to you.

Are you contented, are you contented to be lukewarm?
Will you not have Me? Will you not have Me? Of this I warn –
If you don’t hear Me, if you don’t hear Me, and so obey,
I will spit you out, I will spit you out without delay.
So why not heed this your final call,
And give to God absolutely all?
Laodicea, Laodicea, I’m calling you.
If you will answer, if you will answer, I’ll come to you.

Song Lyrics @ Public Domain

Audio, song lyrics and sheet music at:
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs/home/songs/laodicea

Song on video at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5NJW_jgp88
http://www.godcares.tv/video/1144/Laodicea

Why?

Tuesday, August 30, 2011, 7:57 a.m. – The song, “Refresh My Spirit, Lord,” was playing in my mind when I awoke this morning. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Acts 4:13-31:

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. 14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. 15 So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. 16 “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it. 17 But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name.”

18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. 20 For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

21 After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.

The Believers’ Prayer
23 On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
“‘Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the Lord
and against his Anointed One.’

27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

I also woke from A DREAM: I attended some kind of public gathering of people. There were pipes of some kind that were being unloaded from a truck. I had a sheet of paper and I numbered the pipes, either individually or in groups on the paper. My numbers were in a horizontal line, not a vertical line, yet I had more than one row of numbers. I think I put circles around the numbers, too.

Someone came to me and wanted my sheet of paper so he could unload the rest of the pipes. Evidently, I was holding up progress and the last of the pipes were the ones on my sheet of paper.

A pastor and his wife appeared to be involved in this process. They asked me to babysit their kids so they could go somewhere to deliver these pipes. I agreed. I had to go straight to their house without the benefit of going home first and gathering a few personal things. I knew I would be there probably most of the night, so I would have liked to have brought something to do, in particular I wanted to be able to write, but then I decided they probably had paper and pen.

I got to their house. It was a two-story, four bedroom house. They had a huge back yard (north of the house) that set way downhill from the house. When someone opened the back door, I could see there was a gigantic drop-off down to the back yard. They had a baby, a toddler and some older children. I wondered how they kept the babies from going out the back door and falling. I knew that part of the trip they were taking involved buying another house. The house they lived in was huge and gorgeous and had so much. I wondered why they were buying a new house when the one they had was so nice.

I asked them if their kids were self-sufficient or if they needed to be waited on. Then we ended up in the back yard, which had all kinds of play things for the kids. There was something similar to a table hockey game, a huge sandbox, a set of swings, etc. I asked if there was a weight limit for the swings, but they indicated there was not one.

The swings had double or triple seats, i.e., depending upon your size, you could choose the seat appropriate to your weight, yet the seats were layered on top of each other, so that was not real comfortable. Yet, I got on a swing and I began to swing. The pastor was standing northwest of me and I was facing north. I told him that, as a child, one of my most favorite things to do was to swing.

At the end of the dream, I was in a large gathering of people. It appeared to be outdoors. We were sitting in rows of what appeared to be metal folding chairs, and we were facing north. The pastor and his wife were in the front (all the way north). They had a book they were discussing. It was a Bible study book that was from a series. They wanted all of us to follow the same book. I asked the pastor’s wife if she enjoyed reading novels, and then I said something about how this author’s books read like novels. The pastor’s wife, though, appeared to be very spiritual.

There was a black person who came in late, and who sat a row or two in front (north) of me and far right (east) of me. This person said something about the book, and he or she appeared to be catching up with where everyone else was in the book. END

My Understanding: There is so much here, so I pray the Lord would give me the words he wants me to share today (9/1/11) from this dream, from his word, and in coordination with current news stories. I will begin with his word, which is what this dream is about, and it also explains what the news stories I read are about, too.

The passage of scripture, the dream and the news stories all have one common theme, i.e. the persecution and deaths of God’s saints worldwide at the hands of world rulers who have gathered to come against the Lord and against his “Anointed One.” This is about people and rulers and people who work for the rulers “taking note” of those who have been with Jesus Christ, not those who are Christian in name only, but those who are in the Lord’s presence each day and are standing out as his witnesses to the gospel of Jesus Christ in a world who rejects Jesus, for the most part.

These kings, rulers and people are gathering together, are raging against, plotting against, and conspiring against the Lord and against those who are his true servants. They are commanding the Lord’s servants to stop speaking in the name of Jesus Christ in order to stop the gospel and the conversions to faith in Christ Jesus from spreading. Yet, the believers in Jesus who are strongly committed to their faith and to the gospel and to witnessing for their Lord are refusing these orders. They, as did the apostles before them, are, in essence, telling these rulers that they must judge for themselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey them rather than God, “for we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” That is why they are being killed and why they are being persecuted.

Yet, God’s power and will decided beforehand that this should happen. We can read about it in the Bible, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, in particular in the book of Revelation. So, the saints of God are calling out to God in prayer and are asking God to consider the threats of their persecutors who are demanding that they stop sharing the gospel and that they stop speaking in the name of Jesus, and they are asking God to enable them, the Lord’s servants, to speak God’s word with great boldness, despite the threats and the potential danger that awaits them. As well, they were praying and asking God to perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of Jesus Christ. And, the scripture says that after they prayed they were filled with God’s Holy Spirit and they spoke the word boldly. Amen! There is much power in prayer!

In the dream, I attended such a gathering of people. There were pipes being unloaded from a truck. I had a document of some kind on which I was numbering the pipes and was drawing circles around them. I believe these pipes to be one or both of these things: 1) Believers in Jesus Christ who are publicly declaring the gospel in foreign countries, in particular (in relation to the news stories) in Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq, though not exclusive to those countries by any means. 2) Informants on the believers in Jesus who are giving intellectual information about them so that they can be captured and killed.

I believe I am representing the Obama administration in this dream and that I am handing over these plans for the capturing and killing of our Lord’s witnesses as well as I am handing over the witnesses to be killed, or else I am handing over the plans for the intelligence gathering against the believers and I am unloading, as well, more intelligence equipment for the carrying out of such a plan. And, it appears that I am handing these plans to NATO and/or the New World Order. The circles may represent some kind of identification system to identify who is to be targeted for persecution and/or extermination, and/or they most probably symbolize the New World Order (global government) and those targets being captured by such.

The pastor and his wife appear to be NATO and the people who work for them, though I am not quite sure yet who the wife represents. They asked me to babysit their kids so that they could go someplace to deliver pipes and so they could buy a new house, so I went to their house, which had a huge backyard. What I have been able to ascertain via the Holy Spirit speaking to me as I read these news stories is that the house represents NATO headquarters, not sure yet on the location, and the backyard appears to represent Afghanistan, Iraq, and/or Libya, where NATO troops are involved in takeovers of nations. I saw the “babysitting” as “government intervention” and I was asked to intervene in some fashion or other with the troops. I wondered why this pastor and his wife wanted to buy a new house (Libya, perhaps) when the house they had was beautiful.

The passage of scripture asked why do the nations rage and the people plot in vain against the Lord, so I believe very much that the Lord is showing me that the US presence and NATO’s presence in these nations in Africa and Asia are directly related to the nations gathering together and plotting against the Lord and against his followers.

In the news stories about Libya, the Lord consistently shows me that the “two sides” that are supposedly warring against each other in Libya are NATO/N.W.O., i.e. the story in the news is a fabrication and the two sides are really NATO/N.W.O. going against the Lord and against his servants; his witnesses. This is about the murdering of Christians because they believe in Jesus Christ, and it is at the hands of the Obama administration, NATO and the N.W.O. And, it is coming to America in due time. It could be that we are the last missing pieces (the pipes) and we are being handed over to the N.W.O. by the Obama administration who has been gathering intelligence on the Lord’s servants in the USA, so it is just a matter of the Lord’s timing before this hits us, too. We will not be spared.

The stronghold in Libya is not Gadhafi. It is the N.W.O. and it is the gathering of people outdoors in my dream seated in rows on metal folding chairs. We were all discussing a book that was supposed to be a Bible study book and we were all supposed to follow the same book. It appears that the pastor’s wife could be a small military unit of advisers who are meeting with a group of us outdoors in this stronghold to discuss matters of intelligence, so this would fit with the discussion about the book which was supposed to be a Bible study book. I said the book read like a novel. I believe the people at this meeting to be rulers, kings, government officials, CIA, special ops, etc., and we are all following the same rule (bible) book, i.e. our government and the NATO alliance and our spies are all following the same book and are repeating the same lies, which are also being reported in the news as fact.

The civilians in Libya and in other nations under threat are really believers in Jesus Christ under threat of extinction by the New World Order/NATO alliance. I believe Libya’s capital is now under the control of the N.W.O. The rebels in Libya and other nations who have recently had uprisings are the N.W.O./NATO alliance. The new governments in these nations that have supposedly overthrown their own leaders is the N.W.O.

The weight I was concerned about having a limit on the swings is military power and strength. There is no weight limit, i.e. there is no limit to the N.W.O. power and military might on the “swings.” Swings are seats and seats are positions or centers of power and rule and authority, “from which administrative power is exercised” (Encarta). These seats of power are layered, i.e. the N.W.O./NATO/US, for instance, or they are layered by position of power and influence since I chose the one best suited to my weight (military power). They also swing, i.e. they move freely from side to side or backward and forward, yet hanging from a fixed point (the New World Order). In other words, this definitely fits with the N.W.O. playing both sides of the battle in these nations and it also represents our government playing both sides, too, i.e. they are for us in appearance what we expect them to be, but in reality they are not working for us, they are working for the NATO alliance and the N.W.O.

In an article about our US economy, it was clear, as well, that Obama was swinging on that same swing with the fixed point being “the alliance” (N.W.O./NATO) and with him swinging back and forth on the issues and enjoying the swing, even from the onset of his presidency, which is just an assignment of the N.W.O. to “babysit” our nation, I believe. Yet, God’s power and will decided beforehand that these things must take place, and we will see more and more of this in the days to come as the events of Revelation begin to unfold before our very eyes. Our nation needs revival, and it may take such events to bring our nation to its knees in humility and repentance before Almighty God.

Refresh My Spirit, Lord / An Original Work / August 8, 2011

Refresh my spirit, Lord. Revive my heart today.
Move me to serve You, Lord in all I do and say.
Be my heart’s one desire; my spirit set on fire
In pure devotion, Lord, to love you and obey.

Create within me, Lord, a pure heart, this I pray,
So I can worship You and yield to You always.
May all Your love and pow’r be lived in me, I pray,
So I might love as You; be Your witness today.

Jesus says, “Come to me all you with heavy hearts,
And find in me your peace, and give to me your all.
My yoke is light to bear, ‘cause I paid for your sin,
So you might be set free, and purified within.”

Song Lyrics @ Public Domain

Audio, song lyrics and sheet music:
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs/home/songs/refresh-my-spirit-lord

Song on video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlPBpizIc04

Resources:

NATO says Libya's sides are talking in Sirte
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_LIBYA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-08-30-08-38-37

Hunt for Gadhafi: Saddam all over again?
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GADHAFI_SADDAM?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-08-30-07-16-52

Obama faces tight restraints in crafting jobs plan
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_JOBS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-08-30-08-09-22

Rights group says Libyan troops used human shields
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_LIBYA_HUMAN_RIGHTS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-08-30-07-10-40

Talks on new US-Afghan pact strains relations
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_US_AFGHAN_FUTURE_PACT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-08-30-07-16-34

The Butterfly

The Butterfly

Thursday, September 01, 2011, 12:00 p.m. -

My friend, Megan, sent me a computer generated butterfly today that she had created with various key strokes from a computer keyboard. Nonetheless, the butterfly did not translate well to my phone or to my computer, and all I could see were the individual keyboard strokes, i.e. the individual pieces making up the butterfly. Yet, I could not see the whole picture in its completed form.

Sometimes we are like that about God and about his working in our lives. Occasionally all we see are the individual strokes of a pen or characters on a keyboard or whatever pieces God may have us fill within his great picture of life, and yet we may not see the whole picture yet. Thus, we might feel insignificant or sense that we are not making a difference. Yet, even though we may feel like we are irrelevant pieces in the butterfly, just like one character in Megan’s drawing, we are not insignificant to God nor is our service to him unimportant, even though we may not yet see the completed picture and how it all comes together.

Someone sent me this devotional today, which encouraged me greatly. As well, I was amazed, again, at how God put everything together, by having Megan send me her drawing of a butterfly on exactly the same day that my friend, Gela, sent me this devotional, and then how he showed me the way in which the drawing and the devotional fit together.

Good morning and have a great day…

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” Zec 4:10 NLT

THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT

The Full Message

Thursday, September 01, 2011, 7:27 a.m. – The song, “Have Thine Own Way, Lord,” was playing in my mind when I awoke this morning. I love the old hymns! Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Acts 5:12-42 (quoting 17-32):

The Apostles Persecuted

17 Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. 20 “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people the full message of this new life.”

21 At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.

When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. 22 But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, 23 “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” 24 On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were puzzled, wondering what would come of this.

25 Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.” 26 At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.

27 Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”

29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men! 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

My Understanding: The apostles performed many miracles. All the believers met together in Solomon’s Colonnade (porch or portico). Non-believers did not dare join them, yet it doesn’t say why they were afraid. It could be they feared God because of what happened to Ananias and Sapphira and were afraid that what happened to them might happen to others, as well. Or, it could be they feared being associated with believers lest they come under severe persecution, too. Nonetheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord Jesus and were added to their number. As a result, people brought their sick and those tormented by evil spirits to the apostles, and they were healed in the name of Jesus.

Then the high priest and his associates (Sadducees) were filled with jealousy. And, it was this same jealousy that ended up getting Jesus hung on a cross. They didn’t like the competition because it threatened their own positions of power, rule and authority, as well as it threatened their positions of respect and honor among the people. So, for the same reasons they hung Jesus on a cross they persecuted and killed his followers, and that still goes on to this day, even among people supposedly of the faith and of the clergy.

So, they had the apostles arrested and put in jail, but an angel appeared in the night, opened the doors of the jail, released them, and told them to go back to the temple courts and tell the people the full message of this new life. So, at daybreak, they went back to the temple courts, as they had been told, and they began to teach the people. Wow!

The Lord has been impressing upon my heart for some time now how this kind of persecution of believers in Jesus Christ, i.e. of those who put their lives on the line for their faith in Jesus, is going on today in many nations around the world, and even at the hands of our own national leaders and their NATO alliance. And, many believers throughout the world are being killed because they have refused to stop speaking in the name of Jesus Christ. This kind of persecution will not face those who are Christian in name only and who blend right in with the world, but those who are obeying the Lord and are being his witnesses in sharing the “full message” of the gospel, i.e. the gospel that teaches that obedience to God and repentance (turning from sin) are inseparable from faith (genuine believing faith).

The high priest and his associates called together the Sanhedrin (high ruling council) and sent for the apostles in jail, but they were not there. They learned that they were back in the temple courts teaching the people, so the captain of the temple guard and his officers brought the apostles before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. They reminded them of the strict orders they gave them to stop speaking in Jesus’ name, and yet the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men!” Amen!! Oh, if only we would all have such determination and confidence in our faith and commitment to obey our Lord Jesus Christ over and above following men!

They didn’t let these men of power intimidate them one iota. They were empowered of the Holy Spirit of God and seized the opportunity to tell the gospel of Jesus Christ to these rulers and religious leaders. Wow! They told them exactly what they didn’t want to hear. They were already upset with the apostles and felt as though the apostles were determined to make them guilty of the blood of Jesus shed on the cross, yet that did not deter the apostles. They told them of Jesus’ resurrection by God the Father – the same Jesus they had killed by hanging him on a tree. Ouch! They told them how God Almighty, whom they claimed to serve, exalted Jesus to his own right hand (place of honor) as “Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.” Even the ability to repent of our sins is a gift of God! Then, they went on to say how they were witnesses of these things, and so was the Holy Spirit of God, “whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Oh, that we would be encouraged to have such fortitude and commitment to Jesus Christ in our own daily lives and witness to where we will not back down from the full message of the gospel just to please men and to tickle their ears, but that we will be strong in our faith and message in sharing the full gospel message of repentance and obedience to Jesus Christ, because that is the consistent message throughout the New Testament, even from Jesus’ own lips. The Holy Spirit is given to those who obey the Lord, i.e. it takes obedience to God to respond to the requirements of the gospel to die to ourselves and to die to our sin and to take up our cross daily and follow Christ, crucifying our sin nature and being reborn and resurrected to new life in Christ Jesus, forsaking the world and its passions and desires, and choosing to now follow Jesus Christ and his truth and his ways for our lives. Faith is obedience and faith also produces obedience. Faith is also repentance. We cannot separate repentance and obedience to God from genuine believing faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

The Sanhedrin wanted to put the apostles to death, but a Pharisee named Gamaliel convinced them that if what they were doing was of men, it would die out, but if what they were doing was truly of God, they could not stop them. They would only find themselves fighting against God, which is what a lot of clergy in our churches today are doing when they reject the Lord’s servants, because the Lord’s servants are preaching the “full message” of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and instead these clergy and congregants are following a gospel of men which waters down the real gospel message. And, in doing so, they are fighting against the One true God they claim to follow and serve. Oh, if only they would realize this!

Yet, the Sanhedrin did want to make a show of power, so they had the apostles flogged. And, what was the apostles’ response to this mistreatment? They rejoiced because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name of Jesus Christ. Wow! And, “day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they NEVER stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.” Amen! Oh, that we would have such a heart response to religious persecution and to mistreatment of others, and oh that we would have such determination to keep following our Lord Jesus in obedience to him despite the rejection and mistreatment of others, even from those within the institutional church, and from those among the clergy who would treat the Lord’s servants today in the same or a similar manner in which the apostles were treated by the high priest and his associates. The Lord is speaking to me much about this whole idea of rejoicing and even “leaping for joy” when I would face such persecution and rejection because of the “full message” of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

So, this is my heart prayer today:

Have Thine Own Way, Lord / Adelaide A. Pollard, 1862-1934
George C. Stebbins, 1846-1945 / Tune: ADELAIDE, Meter: 54.54 D

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Thou art the potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Search me and try me, Master, today!
Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,
As in Thy presence humbly I bow.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Wounded and weary, help me I pray!
Power, all power, surely is Thine!
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine!

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Hold o'er my being absolute sway.
Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me!