Acts: Tell Them About Jesus

The book of Acts highlights the moving of the Holy Spirit to bring the Church to life and growth. She is still a living, growing, entity, saved by the Son, infused by the Spirit, and called out to do the good work of the Father. Barnabas, the encourager, and Saul, the persecutor-turned-proclaimer were the first to be called and set apart to ministry. The church blessed them and sent them into the mission field. Please take a few minutes to read Acts 13.

The Spirit led them into Asia to a city called Pisidian Antioch. Paul (the name switch from Saul to Paul happens in verse 9) and Barnabas went to the Jewish synagogue where they were invited to share a “message of encouragement for the people” (v. 15). Paul began by touching on the history of Israel, particularly their disobedience to the Lord. He traced the descendants of Israel’s favorite King, David directly to Jesus and then shared the gospel, declaring that this Jesus was the fulfillment of Messianic prophecies of long ago. He told of His death, burial, and resurrection. He said that Jesus accomplished what the Law of Moses could not do – justify sinful people before a holy God.

The reaction of the people is typical of even our modern world. Some received the message and were hungry for God. Some hated the message and the messengers. Some believed and were saved. Some refused to believe and remained dead in their sins. What did our intrepid missionaries do? Paul and Barnabas went where God was working – to the Gentiles who “were glad and honored the word of the Lord” (v. 48). The ground was fertile in the Gentile community and they took the seeds of the gospel and sowed generously. If you’ve read this far you realize this isn’t my typical encouraging devotional. It’s a Bible lesson because “Everything that was written . . . was written to teach us.” This passage teaches us that the church’s priority is the gospel. Not social justice or programs or making people feel good in their sin. It is telling people about Jesus the Son of God and Savior of the world. It also tells us that not everyone is going to receive and believe our message. But someone will and we must be faithful to the call – even for one soul. Because the gospel is the word of encouragement the lost word needs. Weary, beloved servant of God – do not give up on your ministry. Sow the gospel wherever the Spirit takes you. God is faithful and much Joy awaits

J is for Joy

“The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with Joy” (Psalm 126:3).

What great things has God done for you?  Have you thought about His “showers of blessings” lately?  When my heart becomes a little bit sour or I am sad and weary, I sit down with paper and pencil and go through my ABCs. No, not the alphabet, but the ABCs of gratitude. It’s a great exercise for the mind and heart, although it does get challenging around Q and X and Z. Here’s a sample:

A – Air conditioning (I do live in the deep South and it is the dog days of summer). And Advent – that Jesus came and will come again.

B – The Bible – God’s Holy Word – my passion and calling. And The Baptist College of Florida where I’m blessed to work.

C – Coffee (do I hear an Amen?).  And Christ my Savior. The church – both the Universal Church and my Christian family at Rehobeth Baptist Church. And fresh clean sheets on the bed.

D – Donald, my sweet husband of 34 years. And deliverance from sin and death.

E – Eternal life. Endurance – especially now that I’m in grad school. And education. And elephants (Roll Tide!)

F – Family and Friends – the greatest treasures this side of heaven! And fried chicken. And the faithfulness of God. And Forgiveness.

G – God’s amazing grace. And my granddaughter, Joy. And the Gospel.

I won’t go through the whole alphabet, but I think you get my point.  One sure way to find Joy when you’re running low is to “count your many blessings,” because Joy and gratitude are two sides of the same coin. I don’t have to get all the way to the last letter to see God’s good hand in and over my life.

Maybe this year has been filled with heartache, grief, disappointment, or struggle. Mine has too.  These certainly make it difficult to be thankful and Joyful.  Still, I have no doubt that somewhere between A and Z there are blessings you can grab onto to restore Joy to your heart. If you woke up this morning, you already have at least one: L is for the gift of life.

The Bible continually calls us to remember and rejoice in God our Savior. Do you need to reflect on the great things that God has done for you? Beloved, maybe it’s time to go back to school and practice your ABCs.  J is for Joy.

Redeemer

“Lord, I do not understand. Why this battle? Why this hard thing? Why this discouraging place? Why Lord, is this happening?”

I wonder if you’ve said those words or something similar lately. Why does God allow these painful things in our lives? I believe it is to show us Who He is. God wants you and me to know Him. Over and over and over in Scripture the Lord said He allowed certain things to happen “That You will know me” and “That you will know that I am the Lord.” Think about it, I would never know God as my Provider unless I had a need I couldn’t meet. You would never know God as your Healer if you were never sick. We would never know He is our Protector unless we needed protection. If you never find yourself in the darkness, you don’t appreciate the Light.

There is a name that I believe God wants you and me to know above all the others.

I ran across a verse this morning in Micah, one of the small books in the back of the Old Testament. The people have rebelled against and disobeyed the Lord. God told them: “You will go to Babylon” (Micah 4:10). And they did. They were torn from their beloved home and exiled to a foreign land. It would be a very hard time. God could rightly leave them there. They deserved punishment for their sins. But He doesn’t.

He said, “There you will be rescued. There the Lord will redeem you.” God is our Redeemer – the one who saves us from danger, hostility, and slavery. That is the name I believe He most wants us to know. Because until you know Him as Redeemer, you cannot know Him as Provider, Healer, Protector, or Light. God revealed Himself as Redeemer when His people were in places of danger and distress and hardship. He redeemed them first out of Egyptian slavery. He redeemed them out of Babylonian exile. And He is still redeeming. He gave His one and only Son to redeem you out of bondage to sin and death (John 3:16). God redeemed you because He loves you. When you grasp that you cannot help but love Him too.

I know you may be in a very tough spot right now. But consider this Beloved, that hard place you’re in is the perfect place for you to get to know your Redeemer. Call out to the One who loves you with perfect, holy, redeeming love.

You Cannot Out-sin God’s Love

“You don’t know the things I’ve done. God could never forgive me. I’m too far gone.” I had never seen such a forlorn look on anyone’s face. The young woman was convinced she had committed the gravest, most unforgivable sins and was destined to eternal misery. “God could never love a sinner like me.”  I wanted to tell her that she was wrong – that no sin was too big or too ugly or too heavy for God. I wanted to say that God could – and did – love a sinner like her because he loved a sinner like me. My own list of sins was long and shocking. But she turned away quickly and was gone before I could collect my thoughts.

I thought about her as I was reading in Leviticus tonight and I hoped that someone was able to catch her and tell her she wasn’t God’s lost cause. When The Lord gave the regulations for the Day of Atonement, He commanded the priest to make a blood sacrifice for “himself, his household, and the whole community of Israel” (Lev 16:17). He left no one out, and He left no sin uncovered. He told Moses that the sacrifice was for “the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been” (v. 16). Read that again – “Whatever their sins have been.” Every sin. All sin. “Big” sins and “little” sins. It was all atoned for by the goat’s blood.

Consider then, that the writer of Hebrews declared that Jesus’ blood was superior to “the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Heb 10:4). And consider that Jesus’s sacrifice was “once for all” (Heb 7:27; 9: 12, 26; 10:2, 10) – whoever you are and whatever your sins have been. And consider John’s words: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins . . .” (1 John 1:9). Whatever they may be.

The blood of Jesus covers it all. Abortions. Affairs. Addictions. Theft. Violence. Sexual immorality. Selfishness. Pride. Anger. Murder. Abuse. Lies. Idolatry. Hatred. How do I know? Because mine are on that list and He’s forgiven me. And because Scripture says “Love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Pet 4:8).

Jesus left heaven out of love. He went to the cross out of love. He shed His blood out of love. For you and me. I have given Him a thousand reasons not to love me and He’s never taken a single one. Beloved, God stands ready to forgive your sins. All your sins. Whatever they may be.

Don’t Be a Spiritual Couch Potato

I had a conversation once with my chiropractor about trying to get off the couch and get moving.  I said, “But I have no energy!”  He told me that when we only use a small amount of energy every day, our body gets accustomed to that and eventually doesn’t demand any more of us.  That is how a “couch potato” is born.  But if we push past that low bar we have set, our body will begin to respond to the demand for additional energy and will build a greater energy reserve. 

Likewise, if we allow ourselves to become satisfied with just a little bit of God, we will never want more of Him.  But if we push past that low bar, our hearts will begin to respond to Him more and more, and we will find that we can never get enough of Him.  We will be filled with His love, and His Spirit will give us new life.

Jeremiah 29:13 says “You will seek me and find me when You seek me with all your heart.”  This speaks of an intense desire to know Him, and a passionate and determined pursuit of Him.  The wonderful truth is that God promises to reveal Himself to us when we do.  In fact, the original Hebrew says that He will cause us to encounter Him – if we seek Him with all our hearts.  As He reveals more of Himself to us, our love for Him deepens, and our search for the heart of God intensifies more and more.

Are you “satisfied” with your relationship with God, or do you long for more?  Turn off the T.V., push yourself up from the couch, and begin to pursue Him.  Get involved in a local church, with faithful attendance.  Join a Sunday school class or Bible study group.  Find a Christian mentor you can learn from.  Establish a daily habit of reading your Bible, memorizing Scripture, and praying.  When you make knowing God a priority in your life, He will show you truths you never dreamed of.  Jeremiah 33:3 says “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”  God wants you to know Him, and He has promised to reveal things you never even thought to ask about.  David wrote, “You have said to my heart, ‘Seek my face!’ Your face Lord, I will seek” (Ps 27:8). Beloved, this is your invitation to go deeper with God.  Will you seek Him?

Holy

Prepare yourselves, folks, I am about to get on my soapbox.

Reading in Isaiah this morning. Isaiah had an incredible vision of heaven, He stood in the throne room of God and “saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of His robe filled the temple”. He saw the seraphs and heard them calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty” (Is 6:1, 3). Holy is how all of heaven identifies the Lord. And not just holy, but thrice holy.

Likewise, when we describe God, the first word that comes to mind (or should come to mind) is “Holy,” because that is how He defines Himself.  He told the Israelites, “Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy” (Lev 19:2). But what does that mean? The original Hebrew means to be sacred or set apart and declares that the person or object is free from blemish, sin, or stain, both physically and in their character. In short, “holy” means they are perfect. The designation “holy” is also a divine name; Scripture often speaks of God as “the Holy One of Israel” (Ps 71:22) and even the demons identified Jesus as “The Holy One of God” (Mk 1:24).

Why, then, do we use that word to describe everything that is not holy? Why do we use it to describe farm animals or worse, bodily functions? Why do we pair it with euphemisms for sex? Perhaps it is just a bad habit and we intend no disrespect, but that is exactly what we are doing – disrespecting the designation of the Lord God.

Friends, we must stop and think about the things we say (and post on social media). Calling unholy things holy desecrates the word reserved for the name and character of God. Every time you and I speak (or type) the word “holy” our thoughts should instinctively turn to God.  And every time we utilize the word in any form, others should be able to see our reverence.  Jesus said we will have to account for our words (Matthew 12:36). Beloved, how will you explain your use of the word “holy” when you stand before Holy God?

The Treasure of Your Heart

I’ve been looking into the idea of “the heart” lately. No, not the organ that is beating in my chest, but the heart as God speaks of it. We tend to think of the heart as the source of our feelings. We point to the heart to express love, passion, delight, worry, fear, and brokenness.  But in the Scriptures, the heart is driven by reason and conscious thought. That alone makes so many verses take on a whole new context. Which is Matthew 6:21 jumped out at me today. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” When Jesus said “Where your treasure is . . .” the Greek word He used meant the place in which good and precious things are collected and laid up. Now Jesus wasn’t talking about a stored-up treasure of jewels or money. The treasure in your heart is what you think about, what takes up the greatest space in your conscious thoughts. Your treasure may be money, or it may be status, or your job or your children or grandchildren (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing). In the context of Matthew 6:21, it’s what you assign the highest value to with respect to the amount of thought you invest.

Here’s the point: you control the treasure of your heart. Because you choose your conscious thoughts – you choose what you will focus on and what you will talk to yourself about. You may choose to think about the project awaiting you at work or a test in school. You might choose to think about a memory filled with Joy or mentally grab onto an offense that you can’t release. All of these things become treasures in your heart.

Or you can choose something of immeasurable wealth. Every morning after a shower I grab a cup of coffee and head here to my desk and open my Bible. As my mind is being nurtured by the Scriptures, my thoughts are turned to the things of God. My treasure is being shaped by the amount of time I spend in the Word. By investing in the words of my Lord, my treasure has eternal value.

Beloved, what treasures are you storing up in your heart? Where are you investing your thoughts? It’s your choice you know. Choose something that lasts – choose eternal treasures.

When God’s People Pray

I’ve been praying for someone for a very long time. I’ll be honest and tell you that I gave up on those prayers for a time. I saw no way that God could work in this hard-headed, hard-hearted person’s life. But in reality, I had not given up on them, I had given up on God. James said that “the fervent prayer of a righteous man (or woman) is powerful and effective” (James 5:16). Do you believe God will answer your prayers? Acts 12:5-17 illustrates how often we pray without faith in God to answer.

The apostle Peter was in prison. The situation was very grim. His fellow apostle James had been beheaded by the evil King Herod. Now Peter, under the careful guard of sixteen soldiers (v. 4), was set for trial the next morning, with the same fate. Peter was considered the chief of the apostles. He held great respect and authority in the Christian church in Jerusalem. Verse 5 says, “Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.” Oh, the power of praying friends! And the power of the God who hears those earnest prayers!

An angel of the Lord appeared in Peter’s prison cell amid a bright flash of light and awakened the sleeping apostle. He hustled Peter into his clothes and shoes and out of the prison, miraculously passing all the guards and the iron gate, which opened by itself (v. 10). Peter quickly made his way to the house where his friends were gathered, praying for him.

His knock was answered by a servant girl named Rhoda, who ran to tell the group of prayer warriors – leaving Peter still outside the gate. What was their response? “’You’re out of your mind,’ they told her, ‘It must be his angel’” (v. 15). But wait. What had they been praying for so fervently? God had answered their prayer and they didn’t believe it. They finally opened the door and were astonished.

Too often we pray and doubt at the same time. It’s as if we’re saying “God, I’m going to pray for this person or this situation, but I really don’t think you can do anything about it.” No wonder it seems like our prayers are bouncing off the ceiling. Friends, we need prayers of faith. We need to pray believing that God hears and will answer. The next time you pray for rain, Beloved, don’t forget to grab your umbrella on the way out the door.

What Did God Say?

When God’s people were in bondage in Egypt, the Lord called Moses to launch a rescue effort. His first approach to the king was met with disdain and rejection from both Pharaoh and the Israelites. Moses was deeply dismayed and the Lord encouraged him with promises of His faithfulness. Then He told his reluctant servant “Because of my mighty hand, [Pharoah] will let them go” (Ex 6:1). And the Spirit said to me, “Hang on to that.”

I was reading ahead, skimming over the ten plagues that would come on the Egyptians as God worked to force Pharaoh’s hand. A plague of blood. A plague of frogs. A plague of gnats. A plague of flies. A plague on the livestock. A plague of boils. A plague of hail, thunder, and lightning. A plague of locusts. A plague of thick darkness. And finally, a plague of the death of every firstborn son.

Now, I’ve read these verses probably fifty times—I even wrote them out a few months ago, but they hit me differently tonight. After every plague the Scripture said, “Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not let the people go.” In my spirit, I heard a whisper: “6:1.” And then I understood. Nine times Pharaoh dug in his heels and said “NO!” But what had the Lord said?  “Pharaoh will let them go.” After the tenth plague, Pharaoh said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites.  Take your flocks and herds . . . and go” (12:31-32). Just like God said he would.

I don’t know who else needs to hear this right now but I sense strongly that God is asking: “What did I say?” What promise did He make? What calling did He place on your life? What vision did He cast in your heart? And what roadblocks have you hit? How many people are telling you this will never happen? Who or what is standing between you and the fulfillment of the promise? Beloved, this is when you and I must take God at His Word. If He said it – no matter how impossible it feels, no matter who is speaking discouragement to you, no matter how many obstacles get in your way – remind yourself “What did God say?” And get ready to go up into your Promised Land.

Be an Outstanding Christian

“Look at this pretty dress,” my Mom said, “this style would look so nice on you.”

“It’s okay, but it’s not exactly the style today, nobody’s wearing stuff like that now.”

My mom was a master seamstress and made a lot of my clothes; we were in the fabric department, looking at patterns. Or she was. I was impatiently trying to drag her to the young women’s section to buy the things my peers were wearing. I wanted to be like them. My mom wanted me to be different – or as she said, “to be yourself.” I didn’t want to be myself – I wanted to be like everyone else. The thing is, on those rare days when I did wear something my mom wanted me to wear, I got the most compliments. Other days, I was just one more face in a look-alike crowd.

When God called the nation of Israel to be His people he said He had “set you apart from the nations, to be My own” (Leviticus 20:26). He wanted them to be distinct, set apart – holy – like Him. His people were meant to reflect Him to the nations. They resisted this throughout their history, and when they had settled in their own Promised Land, they demanded a king “Then we will be like all the other nations” (1 Samuel 8:19). They did not want to be like God, they wanted to be like everyone around them.

Not much has changed. God’s people, now under Jesus’ sacrifice, are called to be different, to be like Christ – distinct, set apart – holy. But instead, we try our best to fit in – to be like everyone around us. We don’t want to “stand out from the crowd.” But the crowd needs to see you and I looking like Jesus, talking like Jesus, loving like Jesus – not a mirror image of themselves. You may not get compliments, but you will be noticed, and that gives you the opportunity to “give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15). Do you blend in with the world, or do you stand out in the crowd? Do people see their own weary reflection when they look at you – or do they see the hope of Christ? The truth is, you cannot be a follower of Christ and look like the world. You are either one or the other. Which will it be Beloved?