God's Perfect Timing

Friday, April 15, 2016, 3:44 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “Wait!” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Acts 17:16-34 (ESV).

Summary (Acts 17:1-15)

Sometimes our enemies can be so great that they are not content with merely removing us from their sight, but they will hotly pursue us in order to ensure, they would hope, that we will be hated and persecuted wherever we might go. So was the case with Paul. The Jews in Thessalonica were jealous of Paul so they formed a mob and started a riot in the city, falsely accusing Paul and his fellow workers of being troublemakers and of insurrection. So, the brothers sent Paul and Silas to Berea.

The Bereans received the message of the gospel with great eagerness, and many Jews and Greeks believed in Jesus Christ. Yet, when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the Good News in Berea, they went there, too, in order to stir up the crowds against Paul. So, the brothers sent Paul to Athens. Silas and Timothy were then to join Paul as soon as possible.

Yet, in all of this, God is absolutely sovereign. He is in control over every aspect of our lives. He is always watching over us, and he has a plan and a purpose for it all. So, we should rest in him. What might seem like a bad situation to us, God may turn around as a blessing. What also may seem like a delay to us is actually God exercising his sovereign purposes over our lives. I don’t know if Paul had planned to go to Athens or not, but because of what happened in Thessalonica and then in Berea, Athens is where he ended up. But, it was not by mistake. God had a divine appointment for him there.

Full of Idols (vv. 16-21)

Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.” Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.

What is an idol? It is “an object of extreme devotion; a false god” (M-W). It is an object of worship. It is “any person or thing regarded with blind admiration, adoration, or devotion” (dictionary.com). An idol can be anything that we love, admire and give our heart, mind, and passion to above or in place of the One True God. It can be our careers, hobbies, social networks, computers, smart phones, technology, reputations, houses, possessions, TVs, entertainment, sports, religious practices, church work, recreational vehicles, and/or pride, etc. It can also be our time or the control over our own lives, with an unwillingness to yield to God’s control and to trust our lives and our time with his sovereign will for our lives. An idol can also be our own intellect and reasoning, with a thirst for head knowledge only. Yet, it is not what we know that has any value, but it is what we do with what we know.

God’s Sovereignty (vv. 22-28)

So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for

“‘In him we live and move and have our being’;

as even some of your own poets have said,

“‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

What does it mean to be “religious”? It means “believing in a god or a group of gods and following the rules of a religion” (M-W). We can be religious, thus, and truly not know God, and not have any kind of relationship with him whatsoever. We can even claim to be Christians, i.e. to be followers of Christ, and we can attend Sunday church services, Bible studies, or small group fellowships, sing in the praise team (or choir), serve in the nursery, teach a Bible class, serve as a deacon or deaconess, and/or be involved in community outreach and still not know Jesus Christ, and thus not truly be one of his followers.

Paul used the fact that the people of Athens were both idolatrous and religious to introduce to them the One True God. Sometimes those who claim to know Jesus, and who claim to be his followers, also need to be introduced to the One True God, because their concept of Christianity, salvation and Jesus Christ are false, because they were taught wrongly, or because they created their own Jesus in their own minds to suit their own lifestyles.

How many times have you walked into a building called a “church,” and you were told that you were now entering the house of God, or else you walked into a room within that building called a “sanctuary,” and you were told you were now entering God’s presence? False! God does not live in buildings built by human hands. We who have trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives are the church. The presence of God lives within each and every one of us in the person of the Holy Spirit. We are God’s temple. We are his sanctuary. And, we can meet together any place on any day of the week at any time of day.

God also does not need our religious practices. He does not need our sacrifices, i.e. the things we are willing to give up for him of our own accord. He does not need us to help him out as though he can’t handle the situations of our lives, either. What he desires of us is our obedience and surrender to him and to his will and purposes for our lives.

Yet, that does not mean we are not necessary. We are! God created each and every one of us for a very specific purpose. All the days ordained for us were written in his book before one of them came into being (See: Ps. 139). Before he even created the world he chose us, his followers, to be holy and blameless in his sight (Eph. 1:4). In fact, “the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable” (1 Co. 12:22). That means we are absolutely necessary, not because God can’t do things without our help, but because of his great love for us he purposed that we should be used of him for his glory in the advancement of his kingdom. He has an assigned task and purpose for each one of us to fulfill. Amen!

He Commands Repentance (vv. 29-31)

Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Sometimes people who say they know God, and claim they are followers of Jesus, think God is altogether like them, not that they would say this, but this is what their actions reveal. They bring God down to their level, and they do not walk in the fear of the Lord, i.e. they do not revere, honor and respect God for who he is, but they reduce him to a doting grandfather in the sky there to serve our every whim and to do what we want, our way. They make salvation all about us, as though God is just here to serve us and to please us, but that he makes no demands on our lives whatsoever. Oh, how utterly wrong!

God commands that all people everywhere repent. Now, the word repent literally means to have a change of mind, but in nearly everywhere that this word is used in scripture it is used in the context of forsaking our former way of living to sin and self; of forsaking our idols, and of turning to God/Jesus to follow him now in obedience to his instructions for our lives. When Jesus called Paul to be a minister of the gospel he told him that he was to open blinded eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God so that they could receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ (See: Ac. 26:16-18). This is the essence of the gospel of salvation.

When we tell people the truth of the gospel, that God requires them to repent of their sin, and to forsake their idols, and to turn to him, and to walk in the light of his ways, by the Spirit, we may face resistance as did Paul, but we must speak boldly the truth of the gospel, and trust our Lord with the results. Yet, in all these things God has a plan and a purpose. When we go through trials in one place, it may be that God is planning to send us someplace else where he can use us for his glory, and for us to share his gospel of salvation with even more people. So, in all these things we must trust him. He is faithful in all that he does. And, his purposes will be accomplished through it all. So, rest in him.

Wait! / An Original Work / February 8, 2014

Wait for your Lord. Be of courage.

Be strong, and take heart today.

God is always watching o’er you.

Trust Him with your life always.

Sing of your Lord. Praise His blessings.

Believe in His sovereignty.

He delivered you from your sin;

Gave you life eternally.

Rest in your Lord. Know His promise.

Beneath His wings rest secure.

Your God has a plan and purpose.

Let your faith in Him endure.

Trust in your Lord. He’ll not leave you,

Because He is faithfulness.

He will lead and guide; protect you.

In His love you can find rest.

https://vimeo.com/86342154

About Midnight

Wednesday, April 13, 2016, 12:30 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “Songs in the Night.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Acts 16:16-34 (Select vv. ESV).

Summary (vv. 16-24)

A young girl, who was a fortune teller, followed Paul and his companions for many days. She kept shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” This troubled Paul so greatly that he commanded the spirit in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her, and so she was delivered from the spirit. Yet, the owners of the slave girl did not rejoice over her deliverance, for they had made a great deal of money off of her fortune-telling. So, they apprehended Paul and Silas and lugged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. Before the magistrates, they accused the apostles of promoting customs unlawful for Romans to accept or practice. Then they were stripped and beaten and thrown into prison. The jailer, having been commanded to guard the prisoners carefully, “put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks” (v. 24).

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God. (vv. 25-34)

They Were Listening

People are watching us all the time, observing how we respond to our circumstances, how we speak, act, believe, and how we practice what we say we believe or not. Words are important, but our actions speak louder than our words many times. It is essential, thus, that our lifestyles reflect what we profess to believe, not only because of our love for our Lord and our desire to please him in all that we do, but because people will make judgments about Jesus Christ based on the lives of his servants. So, we should not merely talk the walk, but we should walk the talk. In other words, we need to live what we say we believe.

Now, I will say here that not everyone will see our lifestyles in the same light. For instance, the owners of the slave girl did not perceive that Paul and Silas were living godly lives, and that it was something to rejoice over that the girl had been delivered from a demon. They only saw that their means of making money had been taken away from them. So, even if we do walk the talk, it does not naturally translate that everyone observing us will rejoice with us in our walks of faith and obedience to Jesus Christ. Many will hate and persecute us, just as they hated and persecuted Jesus Christ, and some of those persecutors may be leaders within our church fellowships, too.

No matter the responses we receive from those observing our lifestyles, though, we should always love and serve our Lord, and we should let our lights shine before all human beings in the hope that they will see Jesus in us and that they will desire to know him, too. Yet, we should not follow the practice that says our lives are enough to speak Christ to the world, and that it is not necessary for us to tell people about Jesus, too. We also need to tell people about Jesus, and share his gospel message of salvation from sin, so that people will know the way of salvation, and so they will turn from their sin and will turn to follow Jesus Christ with their lives.

So Was the Jailer

Although the jailer apparently slept through the singing, praising and praying, and perhaps through the earthquake, too, he must have heard enough to know to ask Paul and Silas what he must do to be saved. Although the jailer may have been moved emotionally at the thought that the prisoners had not escaped when they had the opportunity to do so, and thus his life had been spared, this in itself was not enough to bring him to such a question, I don’t believe. He had to have heard something about Jesus and concerning his salvation from these men, and he must have observed how these men reacted to their mistreatment, and that must have made an impression on him. He must have listened, too, at least to something that would tell him that these men knew the way of salvation, and that they could show him the way.

I have heard Christians claim that all they have to do is just be “nice” to people and that will be enough to be their testimony for Jesus Christ. Yet, there are people of all religions who are “nice” to others. I am sure that there are even atheists who do “good deeds” to others. So, it is not enough just to smile and be friendly with people. Anyone can do that. Our lives need to reflect Jesus Christ, i.e. we need to live the kind of life Jesus did when he walked the face of this earth. This includes being passionate about what he was passionate about, and emulating how he addressed sin in sinful human beings, and it includes imitating his words and his teaching and his preaching of the gospel of our salvation. For, how can people “believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And, how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And, how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” (See: Ro. 10:14-15).

What must I do?

When the jailer asked what he must do to be saved, the apostles replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household.” Then the apostles spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. So, the jailer and his whole family came to believe in God, and he was filled with joy.

We don’t know exactly what words of the Lord the apostles spoke to the jailer and to his family, but we can probably surmise that they presented the message of the gospel of our salvation more thoroughly so that the jailer and his family would understand what it meant to “believe” in Jesus. I believe this is needed today, because so many preachers have reduced the word “believe” to a mere emotional decision or to an intellectual assent as to what Jesus did for us in dying on the cross for our sins. Yet, James said that even the demons believe and they shudder, so it is not enough just to have knowledge of Christ, but we must trust in him to be Lord (owner/master) and Savior of our lives, i.e. as one who has freed us not only from the curse of sin, but from the control of sin and Satan over our lives.

So, what does it mean to believe in Jesus? Scripture teaches us that it means we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are resurrected with Christ to newness of life, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24). It means that, by the Spirit, we put to death our old lives of living for sin and self, and we put on our new lives in Christ Jesus, and that we no longer walk according to our sinful flesh, but that we now conduct our lives according to the Spirit, empowered by the Spirit now living within us. It means that we accept into our lives that Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; that he died that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us. Believing in Jesus is not merely acknowledging what he did for us or just accepting his forgiveness for our sins, but it is applying to our lives what we say we believe.

If Noah had merely expressed belief in what God told him regarding the building of the ark and the salvation of all whom he was to take into the ark with him, but he did not build the ark, and he did not take his family and the animals into the ark, when the floods came, where would his faith be? If Moses had not gone to Pharaoh, and if he had not pleaded with him to let God’s people go, and if he had not followed the Lord in obedience regarding what to instruct the people with regard to placing the blood on their doors so that their oldest sons would not die when God passed over, and if he had not led the people of Israel out of Egypt, where would his faith be?

James said that faith without works is dead. If we believe Jesus died to save us from sin, then our lifestyles should reflect this. True faith puts action to the acknowledgement of such professed faith. If we say we believe in Jesus and in what he did for us in dying for our sins, and yet we continue living in sin without regard for what he went through so that we could be free, then where is our faith? Jesus said that his sheep know his voice, they listen to him (they pay attention to what he says), and they follow (obey) him. He said that if we want to come after him, we must deny self and take up our cross daily (die daily to sin and self), and follow (obey) him. He said if we hold on to our old lives (of living for sin and self), we will lose them for eternity, but if we lose our lives (die with him to sin), we will gain eternal life. Paul reiterated this when he said that if we walk according to the flesh, we will die, but if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, we will live.

So, believe in Jesus, but understand that true belief is followed by action which shows that true faith actually exists. Also, when we truly believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit of God puts our old lives of sin to death and he gives us new lives to be lived in Christ’s righteousness. A saved life is a transformed life of the Spirit in death to sin and in resurrection to new life in Christ Jesus, our Lord. We must be born again of the Spirit if we want to have eternal life with God in glory. It is not enough just to say we believe. We must walk the talk, too.

Songs in the Night / An Original Work / December 18, 2013

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God,

And the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

https://vimeo.com/112342407

Saved Through Grace

Tuesday, April 12, 2016, 4:30 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “My Sheep.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Acts 15:1-19 (ESV).

The Old Way and the New Way (vv. 1-5)

But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”

Under the Old Covenant, nearly everything was physical in nature. There was a physical temple (building), where the people went to worship God and to learn about him, and there were physical sacrifices made regularly for the forgiveness of sins. The Holy of Holies was a physical room within the temple in which was housed the Ark of the Covenant, within which was the presence of Almighty God. And, there was a physical sign of the covenant between God and his people, too, which God required, which was circumcision of every male. There were also many physical ceremonial laws which they were required to follow.

Under the New Covenant, nearly everything is spiritual in nature. The temple is the body of Christ, his church, which is not a physical entity, although it is made up of physical people. It is a living organism in which dwells God’s Spirit. The Holy of Holies now dwells within us, God’s people, i.e. within all those who have trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives. Jesus Christ became our sacrificial Lamb in dying for the sins of the entire world. He died once for all, so that physical sacrifices of animals for the forgiveness of sins is no longer required. Now we, his followers, are to be living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is our reasonable service of worship of him (See: Ro. 12:1-2).

Also, when we trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives, we receive his Holy Spirit into our lives, whom God has given us as a deposit guaranteeing our eternal inheritance; with whom God has sealed us for the day of redemption. I believe this sealing with the Holy Spirit as God’s stamp of ownership on our lives is the New Covenant equivalent of the Old Covenant circumcision. When we believe in Jesus, we are born of the Spirit. We are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are resurrected with Christ in newness of life, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24; cf. Ro. 6:1-23; Ro. 8:1-14). It is the Spirit of God who transforms us from death to life in regeneration. Now we are to be circumcised in heart, of the Spirit, not in body/flesh (Ro. 2:29; Phil. 3:3; Col. 2:10-12).

A Yoke on the Neck (vv. 6-11)

The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”

The Judaizers insisted that the Gentile Christians had to be circumcised in the flesh (body) and that they had to obey some or all of the Old Covenant ceremonial laws in order to be saved. They were changing God’s grace into something that not even the Jews could do, which was to affect their own salvation through following a set of religious requirements. If that could have been done, then Jesus would have not had to die for our sins. But no human is able to keep any of the law with absolute perfection, which is why Jesus had to die for the sins of the entire world. Only by faith in him can we be made righteous in God’s sight, because through faith in Jesus, and in what he did for us in dying for our sins, his righteousness is now credited to our account. By his grace, through faith, we are saved.

Some people, nonetheless, in order to counteract what they consider to be works-based salvation, have gone the other extreme, and now they have turned God’s grace into a license for lasciviousness. Although it is true that we can do nothing to earn or to deserve our own salvation, and that we are not saved by following a set of religious requirements, it is not true that freedom in Christ is freedom to live however we want, and then expect that we will go to heaven when we die. Those who teach this have completely missed the point of why Jesus died for us, and the purpose of our salvation from sin. We are not saved merely so we can escape hell and go to heaven when we leave this earth. Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; he died that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave himself up for us (1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Co. 5:15).

The Judaizers wanted to add on to salvation a yoke that Jesus died to set them free of. Now we have those who also want to place a yoke on people’s necks, but this yoke is not one of legalism but of libertinism. They teach that God’s grace requires nothing of us at all in the way of holy living – no repentance, no obedience. If anyone teaches repentance as necessary for forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God, they accuse them of teaching works-based salvation. Again, they are missing the point of why Jesus died for our sins. He died to liberate us from slavery (a yoke) to sin, and to free us to now walk in his righteousness and holiness. When we believe in Jesus, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are resurrected with Christ to new lives to be lived in Christ’s holiness.

If we say we have fellowship with God, but we continue living sinful lifestyles, then we are liars, and the truth is not in us (1 Jn. 1:6). No one who knows God continues living sinful lifestyles (I Jn. 3:6; 1 Jn. 3:9). If we hold on to our old lives (of living for sin and self), we will lose them for eternity, but if we lose our lives (die with Christ to sin), we will gain eternal life (Lu. 9:23-25). Jesus died that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but who conduct our lives according to the Spirit. If we live our lives according to our sinful flesh, we will die, but if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, we will live (Ro. 8:1-14). A saved life is a transformed life of the Spirit of God in new birth into a living hope. It is not adding Jesus on top of our old lives of living in sin, thinking we now have eternal life with God in heaven.

Rebuilding the Ruins (vv. 12-19)

And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,

“‘After this I will return,

and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen;

I will rebuild its ruins,

     and I will restore it,

that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord,

    and all the Gentiles who are called by my name,

     says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.’

Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God…”

The Jews had been accustomed to being God’s only chosen people, but now God’s grace had been extended to include the Gentiles (non-Jews), and thus this brought about confusion for some of the Jews. Yet, not only were the Gentiles included now in God’s eternal kingdom, but all unbelieving Jews were cut off from the vine. Through Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins, he destroyed the barrier that stood between Jew and Gentile, and he made us one “man,” united only by faith in Jesus Christ as our Messiah (See: Eph. 2:14-18).

In reading this passage of scripture from Amos 9:11, quoted here by James, it brought to recall the words of Jesus, as recorded in John 2. Jesus had just finished cleansing the temple. The Jews’ response to Jesus’ actions was to ask him this question, "What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?" Jesus then answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." They thought he was speaking of the temple building, but he was referring to his body. “After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken” (Jn. 2:22).

Though the passage quoted from Amos 9:11 speaks of God’s judgment on his people for their sins of idolatry and spiritual adultery against him, and thus this is speaking of a time of restoration, revival and healing following the time of judgment, I see the context here in Acts 15 as related to the time following Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension into heaven. For, it was following all this that the gospel went forth to the Gentiles (non-Jews). God did judge our sins on the cross, and he put them to death, and following that time he has given us the hope of restoration with him through the death and resurrection of Christ, and via our subsequent faith in Christ by which we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are resurrected with Christ in newness of life.

My Sheep / An Original Work / June 24, 2012

Based off John 10:1-18 NIV

My sheep hear me. They know me.

They listen to my voice and obey.

I call them and lead them.

They know my voice, so they follow me.

They will never follow strangers.

They will run away from them.

The voice of a stranger they know not;

They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that

I am the gate, so you enter in.

Whoever does enter

Will find forgiveness and will be saved.

Nonetheless whoever enters

Not by the gate; other way,

He is the thief and a robber.

Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,

Who laid his own life down for the sheep.

I know them. They know me.

They will live with me eternally.

The thief only comes to steal and

Kill and to destroy the church.

I have come to give you life that

You may have it to the full…

They know my voice, so they follow me.

https://vimeo.com/114938263

Through Many Tribulations

Monday, April 11, 2016, 4:00 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “All Through the Night.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Acts 14 (Select vv. ESV).

Poisoned Minds (vv. 1-7)

Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. But the people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles. When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country, and there they continued to preach the gospel.

The Holy Spirit had set apart Paul and Barnabas for the work to which the Lord had called them. So, the two of them were sent on their way by the Holy Spirit. Wherever they went, they proclaimed the word of God. Nearly everywhere they went there were people who listened to the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and there were those who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ to be Lord (owner/master) and Savior of their lives. Yet, nearly everywhere they went they also faced much opposition, and persecution, too.

When we follow Jesus Christ with our lives, and we come out from the world and are separate, and we give testimony to God’s saving grace, and we teach the whole counsel of God, there will be those who will be encouraged to believe on Jesus as Lord and Savior of their lives, and/or who will be encouraged to return to their Lord in full assurance of faith, if they have wandered off to follow after the gods of men. As well, others will be strengthened and encouraged, in their walks of faith, to persevere and to not give up. Yet, because we are opposing the work of Satan, and we are working against him, and we are exposing his lies, and we are telling the truth, he and his followers will come against us, and they will oppose what we are doing. Satan will do everything within his power to poison the minds of those who might listen to the gospel so that they will turn a deaf ear, and so they will refuse Christ or will adopt a false grace gospel, absent of the cross of Christ in their lives, instead.

Yet, we are to be encouraged, and we are to persevere and to not give up. Even in the face of much opposition and severe persecution, we are to keep on sharing the whole counsel of God and to keep on telling people about God’s saving grace. We are not to shrink back out of fear of what humans might do to us, but we are to continue speaking boldly for the Lord. Sometimes the Lord will encourage us to remain right where we are, and to continue sharing the gospel, even in the face of a vast array of threats against us. Other times he will tell us to leave where we are and to go someplace else. Either way, we are to obey him and to do what he says, and we are to never cave in to the pressures put on us by other humans to soften the message or to change the message to “gospel lite.”

The Good News (v. 15)

“Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.”

In Lystra, Paul was instrumental of God in the healing of a man who had been lame from birth. When the people saw the miracle of healing in this man’s life, they declared Paul and Barnabas to be gods in human form, and they wanted to offer sacrifices to the apostles. Yet, the apostles were greatly troubled by this, and so they explained to the people that they were just humans like them.

They also explained to the people that they were there to share the good news with them. What was this “good news” they were telling them? It was that they were to turn from worthless things, like false gods, to the living God, to love and to serve him with their lives. This was the same gospel Paul had been called to by Jesus Christ when he told him that he was sending him to open blinded eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God so that they could receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ (See: Ac. 26:16-18).

This, which Paul told the people, is the essence of the gospel message, for Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24). He died that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us (2 Co. 5:15). The “good news” is that Jesus came to set us free from lifestyles of sin and to free us to walk in Christ’s righteousness and holiness, all in the power and working of the Spirit within us. When we trust in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are resurrected with Christ in newness of life, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24).

Strengthened Disciples (vv. 19-23)

But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

One moment the people were calling the apostles gods, and they were wanting to sacrifice to them. The next moment they were swayed in their opinions by Jews from Antioch and Iconium to oppose the apostles and to persecute them severely. And, we may face similar situations, too. People are human, and they sometimes can easily be swayed by the opinions of others and may even change sides several times, depending on the argument presently set before them, and their desire to be accepted by those with whom they are presently in their company or under their persuasion. In other words, even those we think are on our side and those we think are supporting what we do may one day turn against us if they are the types of people who fall easily enough to manipulative tactics and persuasive voices. So, don’t be surprised if even your closest companions end up betraying you.

When we are beaten down by the opposition of sinful human beings, and even when those who are closest to us end up betraying, rejecting, hating, abandoning and/or otherwise mistreating us, we must never give up! We need to get back up on our feet, and we must continue in the work to which God has called us, because many people need to hear the gospel message so that they can be saved, or so that they can be revived in their walks of faith. And, we need to do this whether or not we have anyone standing with us and encouraging us, because God is always with us, he is on our side, and he will never leave us or forsake us. We must find our strength in God alone! He must be our all sufficiency, for humans may fail us, but God will never fail us. He is completely faithful in all that he does.

Jesus said that if we follow him we will be hated and persecuted as he was. He does not promise us that faith in him means that everything in our lives will go smoothly. Sometimes it does. Sometimes God has everything go like clockwork for us because he has a timetable he wants to meet, and so he orchestrates everything to go according to a particular schedule which just so happens to coincide with our schedule. But, life is not always like that. Many times we face obstacles and hurdles along the way. There are times when we will experience delays. Some doors will be opened for us, but others will be closed. Some people will like us, while others will hate us. But, even all of that is in God’s perfect plan and purposes for our lives, and according to his timetable, although it may not jive with the timetable or the situations we had envisioned for ourselves all the time. Yet, in whatever God brings our way, we must praise him, thank him, and continue in him until the end.

All Through the Night / An Original Work / December 7, 2013

Based off Various Scriptures

Blessed are you when you’re persecuted

Because of your faith in Jesus Christ.

Blessed are you when people insult you,

And falsely say what leads folks to doubt.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is

Great in the heavens. You’re not alone.

When you are persecuted in one place,

Flee to another. God will be there.

You will be hated by all the nations

Because you testify of God’s grace.

Many will seize you and persecute you,

And put to death the foll’wers of Christ.

Yet, do not fear what humans may do to you,

For I’m with you all through the night.

I tell you, love your enemies with my love,

And forgive as I forgave you.

Pray for those who do evil against you.

Rest in my love and grace from above.

https://vimeo.com/112899981

Freedom from Sin

Sunday, April 10, 2016, 5:56 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “Near the Cross.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Acts 13 (Select vv. ESV).

The Message of Salvation (vv. 26-33a)

“Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus…

We have also been given this message of salvation from sin. Jesus Christ, God the Son, left his throne in heaven, came to earth, was born of a woman, and lived as a man. When he walked this earth, he was fully God, yet fully man. He suffered as we suffer, and he was tempted in like manner as we are also tempted, yet without sin. During his years of ministry on the earth he healed the sick and afflicted, raised the dead, comforted the sorrowful, and taught repentance for forgiveness of sins and for eternal life with God in heaven. He said that if we want to come after him we must deny self and take up our cross daily (die daily to sin and self) and follow (obey) him. He said if we hold on to our old lives (of living for sin and self) we will lose them, but if we lose our lives (die with him to sin), we will gain eternal life (See: Lu. 9:23-25). Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

When Jesus died, our sins died with him and were buried with him. Yet, God the Father raised him from the dead. When he was raised, he rose victorious over sin, hell, Satan and death. Through faith in Jesus Christ and in what he did for us in dying for our sins, we can be delivered from the curse of sin, and slavery to sin, and we can be given new lives in Christ Jesus to be lived in his righteousness, by the power and working of his Spirit who now lives within us. When we believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord (owner) and Savior of our lives, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, of the Spirit, and we are resurrected with Christ in newness of life, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24; cf. Ro. 6:1-23). If we say we have fellowship with God, but we continue living in sin, we are liars, and the truth is not in us (1 Jn. 1:6).

Forgiveness of Sins (vv. 38-41)

Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:

“‘Look, you scoffers,

    be astounded and perish;

for I am doing a work in your days,

    a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’”

Jesus Christ forgives the sins of all who put their faith and trust in him. It is not enough, though, just to mouth the words, “I believe,” or to go through an emotional experience at a church altar, or to just repeat some words after another person which, at the end, you are congratulated and told that you now have eternal life with God and the hope of heaven when you die. Believing in Jesus Christ means that we participate with him in his death to sin (Ro. 6:1-23), for that is why he died, to free us not only from the penalty of sin, but from its control over our lives. It is not true freedom if we are still under the control and weight of sin, is it? Paul said that the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us who walk, not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. If we still live our lives according to our sinful flesh, we will die. But, if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, we will live (Ro. 8:1-14), which is basically the same thing Jesus said.

There is a warning here for all who scoff at the message of the cross of Christ, and I believe the warning is extended to all who deride the full gospel message, and who only accept a diluted version absent of the necessity of the cross in our individual lives. If we do not believe that Jesus died for our sins, and that he offers us the hope of salvation from sin to all who believe, we will perish in our sins. Yet, if we do not accept what the Bible teaches regarding what takes place in the life of someone who truly believes in Jesus Christ, and we think we can just get by with some intellectual assent to what Jesus did for us, and we believe that nothing has to change in our lives, then not only are we missing the whole point of why Jesus died in the first place, but we will also perish in our sins. It is what Jesus said, and it is what the apostles reiterated time and time again (See: Lu. 9:23-25; Ro. 8:1-14). If we continue living in sin, we don’t really know God (See: 1 Jn. 3:6-9).

Continue in God’s Grace (vv. 42-43)

As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.

We are not saved from sin just so that we can escape hell and go to heaven when we die. Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; and that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave himself up for us (See: 1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Co. 5:15). We hear a lot about God’s grace these days, but much of it preaches a grace which does not put sin to death in the life of the believer, but which still leaves him bound in slavery to sin’s deceitful ways. Yet, God’s grace, which brings salvation, teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s return (Tit. 2:11-14). God has called his followers to be holy, set apart from (different, unlike) this sinful world, because we are becoming like Christ. Our salvation gives us the empowerment to live free from the control of sin because we are now under the control of Christ’s righteousness. This is true freedom!

We are also not saved from sin, and that is the end of it until we die. We are saved (past). We are being saved (present-continuous). And, we will be saved (future) when Jesus Christ returns for us and our salvation is complete. God is making us holy. He is transforming us into the image of Christ. He is maturing us and he is helping us to grow in our walks of faith and obedience to him. Our salvation is not just about forgiveness of sins, but it is a lifestyle change, and we keep on changing and growing until we die or until Jesus returns. We grow in our faith through daily time with our Lord in prayer and in his word, in listening to him speak his truths to our hearts, and then in obeying whatever it is that he teaches us. The more we obey, the more he teaches us. And, all this is done in the power and strength of the Spirit living within us as we cooperate fully with God’s work of grace in our lives.

Opposition to Belief (vv. 44-48)

The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,

“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,

    that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

When we truly believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, and we are crucified with him in death to sin, and we are resurrected with him in newness of life, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness,” the devil is not going to like it. So, he will do everything within his power to try to stop this work of grace in our lives, from trying to draw us back into sin, to persecuting us for holding to the truths of scripture and for living the life God intends for us to live for his glory. And, if we are sharing the full gospel message with others, so that their lives can also be transformed of the Spirit of God in death to sin, and in living to God and to his righteousness, then we will be persecuted, rejected, hated, mistreated, falsely accused, ostracized, and even put out of some church gatherings because of our “strong convictions.”

Yet, we are not on this earth to live to ourselves and to do what pleases us, or in order for us to be liked by others. We, as followers of Christ, are the light of the world and the salt of the earth, and we are to let our lights shine before humankind. We are to be Christ’s witnesses to his salvation throughout the world. And, we are to make disciples (followers) of Christ of people of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey all of Christ’s commandments (his instructions to us) (Ac. 1:8; Matt. 28:18-20). Even if we don’t presently see the results of our labors, we can be confident that our Lord will “supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness” (2 Co. 9:10). Amen! We just have to obey our Lord, do what he says, and leave the results with him.

Near the Cross

Fanny J. Crosby / William H. Doane

Jesus, keep me near the cross;

There a precious fountain,

Free to all, a healing stream,

Flows from Calvary's mountain.

Near the cross, a trembling soul,

Love and mercy found me;

There the bright and morning star

Sheds its beams around me.

           

Near the cross! O Lamb of God,

Bring its scenes before me;

Help me walk from day to day

With its shadow o'er me.

Near the cross I'll watch and wait,

Hoping, trusting ever,

Till I reach the golden strand

Just beyond the river.

         

In the cross, in the cross,

Be my glory ever,

Till my raptured soul shall find

Rest beyond the river.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BasJqHsCIo4  

Peace Through Jesus Christ

Saturday, April 9, 2016, 5:32 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “His Name is Wonderful.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Acts 10 (Select vv. ESV). https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+10&version=ESV

Summary (vv. 1-33)

A non-Jew, named Cornelius, and his family were devout and God-fearing people. One day God, via one of his angels, appeared to Cornelius in a vision. God had noticed Cornelius’ prayers and his gifts to the poor. They came up as a memorial offering before God, i.e. they were like acceptable sacrifices on an altar before God, and God remembered them. So, God had Cornelius send for the Apostle Peter so that Peter could share with him and his family the gospel of Jesus Christ. So, Cornelius sent two of his servants and a devout soldier to Joppa to get Peter and to bring him back to Caesarea and to the home of Cornelius.

The next day, while these men were still on their way to see Peter, God/Jesus visited Peter in a vision. Peter saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet containing all kinds of animals, reptiles and birds being let down to earth. He heard a voice from heaven telling him to kill the animals and to eat them, but Peter replied, “Surely not, Lord! I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” The voice from heaven responded, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” This happened to him three times. Then, the men Cornelius had sent to get Peter showed up at the house where Peter was staying. The Holy Spirit told Peter not to hesitate to go with the men, for God had sent them to him.

Cornelius invited his friends and relatives to come to his house to hear what Peter had to say, i.e. to hear what message God had to give to them through Peter. When Peter went inside the house, he thus saw a large crowd of people gathered together. He was completely transparent and honest with them regarding his previous beliefs concerning the Jewish law calling for non-association of Jews with Gentiles, yet how God had changed his heart and mind and had showed him that he should not call any people impure or unclean just because of their heritage, race or culture. He then asked the reason for why they had sent for him. Cornelius then relayed the story of his visitation by an angel of God, and then he invited Peter to speak to them whatever God commanded him to tell them.

Anyone Who Fears Him (vv. 34-35)

So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

Peter declared that he now knew that, in every nation, anyone who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to God. So, what does it mean to fear God? Fear, in this sense, has to do with honor, value, respect and reverential awe of God. When we have this kind of reverential fear of God, we follow him in obedience, and we accept into our lives his plan and purposes for our lives. We trust in Jesus Christ, God’s Son, to be Lord and Savior of our lives. We turn away from living in sin, and we submit to God’s will. We choose to walk in his ways, according to the Holy Spirit, and empowered by the Spirit. We value what God values. What is important to him is important to us. We believe what he says, and we take him and his word seriously. We abide by his Word, and we comply with his instructions to us.

So, what does it mean to do what is right? Right is the opposite of wrong. It is what is righteous and upright by God’s standards. So, how can we do what is right? We can’t do it in our own human flesh. We can only do what is right through submission to God, and only through his calling, leading and empowering. Not one of us is righteous in our own merit. All of us have sinned. We all come up short of attaining God’s divine approval. This is why Jesus had to die on the cross for our sins so that, through faith in him, we might become the righteousness of God (2 Co. 5:21). As well, not one of us can even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless the Father first draws us (Jn. 6:44). Even the faith to believe and the ability to repent come from God (Eph. 2:8-10; 2 Tim. 2:25). Yet, we must submit to God, yield to his purposes, trust in His Son, and walk in the Spirit so we don’t gratify the flesh.

Everyone Who Believes in Him (vv. 36-43)

As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

So, what is this good news of peace through Jesus Christ? Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He left his throne in heaven, came to earth, was born as a baby, and grew to become a man. When he walked this earth, he was fully God, yet fully man. He suffered like we suffer, and he was tempted in like manner as we are also tempted, yet without sin. He healed the sick, raised the dead, comforted the sorrowful, and delivered people from demons. He preached repentance for forgiveness of sins, and he taught that if we want to be his disciples that we must deny self and daily die to sin and self, i.e. we must take up our cross daily and follow (obey) him.

He was put to death on a cross, although he had done no wrong, but this was all in God’s plan and purposes for human kind. When he died, our sins died with him, and were buried with him. Yet he rose victorious over sin, Satan, hell and death. Because Jesus shed his blood for our sins, and because he came back to life, through faith in him we can be forgiven our sins, be delivered from slavery to sin, have the debt that stood against us cancelled, and have the hope of eternal life with God both now and forevermore.

When we truly believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and as Savior of our lives, we are crucified with him in death to sin, and we are resurrected with him in newness of life, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24). Now that we are in Christ, by faith, we have peace with God, i.e. our sins are forgiven and we can now walk in Christ’s righteousness and holiness, and no longer after the flesh. We are no longer destined to spend eternity in hell, but we now have the hope of eternity in heaven with God when we leave this earth.

Yet, this peace is not just about escaping hell and going to heaven when we die. It is about a relationship with Almighty God, in daily communion with him, in the reading of his Word, in listening to him speak his words to our hearts, and in walking in obedience and in surrender to his will for our lives. It is about God’s love for us, and us loving him in return, and our desire to please him now in all that we are, and do and say. Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. He died that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us. Having peace with God means we no longer walk according to our sinful flesh, but we now conduct our lives according to the Spirit who now dwells within us. We love God, because he first loved us. Amen!

His Name is Wonderful / Audrey Mieir

…His name is Wonderful, Jesus my Lord;

He is the mighty King, master of everything…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSNef0F_9PI

Transformed Lives

Friday, April 8, 2016, 4:45 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “He Reached Down.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Acts 9:1-19a (ESV).

Getting Our Attention (vv. 1-9)

But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Saul (Paul) was a religious man. He was a Pharisee. Pharisees were a Jewish sect. They were religious leaders in the temple, and they were extremely legalistic. As a Pharisee, Paul knew the scriptures, for he had studied them. Yet, he was convinced that Jesus and his followers were a threat to the Jewish faith and that what they were teaching was against God, so he, with great zeal, persecuted all those who professed faith in Jesus Christ.

For those of us who have grown up in the church or in any particular religion, we have most certainly been indoctrinated with a particular way of thinking and believing. Yet, not every way is the right way, and even within the right way there are many different ways of interpreting scripture and practicing what it teaches. Thus, even though we may be devout about what we believe, and we may follow it with great zeal, it is possible that we have been taught wrongly. And we may even be found guilty of acting in opposition to God and to his Word, because we follow what we were taught by humans, instead of by God himself.

Yet, if God wants to correct our faulty thinking, and if he chooses us to be his servants, he may do something to get our attention, too, like he did with Saul, so that we can hear him speak clearly to us, and so that we will listen to what he says. Nonetheless, Satan also wants to correct our thinking and believing because, if we are truly following Jesus Christ, we serve as a threat to him and to his kingdom, because we are working in direct opposition to him. So, he will try to get us to listen to what he says, and to follow him. He will do so through attempting to deceive us, or through persecuting us, as Paul did to the believers in Jesus in order to get them to renounce their faith in Jesus Christ.

So, how do we know if what we are following and believing is false? How do we know if our zeal for God is misdirected, as was Paul’s? For one, we need to stop listening just to humans, and we need to not let humans be our soul source for biblical interpretation. We must not let a religious sect or a church denomination determine our beliefs for us, either, because they could be wrong, and they could be leading us astray. So, how do we know? We know by praying to God, by asking for his guidance, direction and wisdom, and by asking him to lead us into all truth. We also know by studying the scriptures intently to learn what they teach, but by being careful to interpret scripture in context, and to compare scripture with scripture, because many false doctrines stem from taking scriptures out of context and developing entire belief systems around one or two disjointed scriptures.

A Chosen Instrument (vv. 10-19a)

Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened.

God’s grace is amazing! Not one of us deserves his grace. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have all sinned, and we all come up short of attaining God’s approval. No matter how religious we are, or we think we are, or how righteous we think we might be, because we think we don’t do really bad things like murdering others, we all begin the same. Every human being on this earth is born with a sin nature, without God, without hope, and destined to spend eternity in hell. Our own righteousness is like filthy rags in God’s sight. We can never be good enough. Only by God’s grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, can we be saved from our sins and have the hope of eternal life with God in heaven.

No one is too bad to be saved, because we are all bad from birth. I think we often look at Paul’s life and think, “Isn’t God’s grace amazing?” because even Paul, who was persecuting and murdering Christians, was saved. But, in reality, it is a miracle of God’s grace that any of us can be saved, because it has nothing to do with our own goodness or merit that we are saved. Jesus Christ, God the Son, came to earth to die on a cross for our sins, because not one of us could ever obey God’s commandments with absolute sinless perfection. We cannot even come to Christ unless the Father first draws us to him. And, even the faith to believe and the ability to repent of our sins come from God (See: Eph. 2:8-10; 2 Tim 2:25). Yet, we do have to cooperate with and participate in that work of grace in our lives. We do have to willingly turn from our lifestyles of slavery to sin to follow our Lord in obedience (See: Ac. 26:16-18; Ro. 6:1-23; Ro. 8:1-14; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Pet. 2:24 & 2 Co. 5:15).

God’s grace is amazing, too, that he would take sinners like us, and not only choose to save us by his grace, and to transform our lives away from sin to faith in Jesus Christ, but that he would choose us as his servants and messengers. Other humans might not choose us, and they may reject and persecute us. Even others who profess to believe in Jesus Christ may reject us because we are not like them. They may not choose us because they don’t like our personalities, or because we are too serious about our faith, or because of past sin in our lives, or for whatever reason. And, so we may feel dejected or even as though we are useless and non-essential in God’s plan and purposes for humankind. Yet, God doesn’t see us that way. If we are in Christ, by faith in him, He sees the “parts of the body that seem to be weaker” as “indispensable,” for it is his grace working in us that makes us fit for his service, and not our own righteousness. Nonetheless, we do need to be walking according to the Spirit, and no longer according to the flesh, for if we live by the flesh, we will die, but if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, we will live. Amen!

He Reached Down / An Original Work / February 3, 2014

Based off Psalm 18

How I love You, Lord,

My Rock and my strength.

My God is my fortress;

I hide in Him.

He is my shield and the horn of

My salvation, whom I praise.

I have found my refuge in Him.

He reached down from heaven

And rescued me;

Drew me out of waters

So deep, I’d sink.

He delivered me from Satan

And my slavery to sin;

Gave me hope of heaven with Him.

My God turned my darkness

Into His light;

Opened up my blinded eyes;

Gave me sight.

As for God, his way is perfect.

He gives strength to stand secure.

I have found my vict’ry in Him.

My Lord lives!

Praise be to my Savior God,

Jesus Christ, who died

On a cruel cross.

He is my Rock and the source

Of my salvation, whom I trust.

I will give praise always to Him.

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