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Sunday, March 27, 2011
Isaiah 1:8 declares, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." When God calls people to
serve him, it is difficult for them to run away and hide. Although they may try like Adam and Eve in
Genesis 3:8 (i.e.,"...Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden"),
there is no real hiding place from God. Frequently, there comes a time when people no longer want to justify their
sins. Their former excuses such as "What I'm doing is not really that bad" or "Other
people do things much worse than I do" seem to fall by the wayside. They pass the point of wanting to argue
about whether something is right or wrong. God comes looking for them and they KNOW what they are
doing is wrong. We sometimes hear that feeling referred to as "being under conviction." Perhaps
you are in that place today. God is calling you to serve him, and you are feeling guilty about some of the things
in which you are involved. Isaiah 1:8 lets people know that the Lord wants to take care of the "sin
problem" in their lives. What an awesome promise..."though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as
white as snow." If you feel the call of God upon your life today to start serving him, open your Bible to
actual accounts of how people responded to the same calling in the early days of the Church. A good place
to start is by reading Acts 2:37-41. Also the passages in Acts 8:26-39, Acts 10:44-48, Acts 16:25-34
and Acts 19:1-7 contain examples of how people responded to the call of God in their lives. God wants to deliver people
from the guilt and shame of sin. If you are ready for a better life, then please carefully consider the words recorded
in Acts 22:16..."And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name
of the Lord."
1:35 pm est
Sunday, March 6, 2011
The 2nd Chapter of Acts records the "birth" of the New Testament Church. The 3rd Chapter
of Acts is important because it indicates that Jesus would continue to perform miracles in this new Church he was establishing...even
though he was no longer present on Earth in bodily form. Although he would no longer be "with" his followers in
a bodily form, he would now be "in" them as a result of the infilling of his Spirit that began on the Day of
Pentecost. In the 3rd Chapter of Acts, Peter and John went to the temple to pray. This time, instead of simply
ignoring the man that "laid daily at the gate of the temple" (or maybe even occasionally tossing an extra coin
into his cup if he happened to have one), Simon Peter obviously realized that he now had something
much better than money to offer hurting humanity. Acts 3:6 records him saying; "...Silver and gold have
I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk." The response
was miraculous! According to verse 8, the lame man"...stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple,
walking and leaping and praising God." The message was clear! The miraculous ministry of Jesus was not over. It
was to be continued in the lives of his followers. Do you find yourself in a situation today that seems
hopeless? If so, read the 3rd Chapter of Acts (as well as other chapters in Acts that record the miraculous power
of God at work in the early Church) to increase your faith to believe God for a miracle. God still specializes
in doing the impossible! He never intended for his miraculous intervention in the lives of people to cease because
he ascended into heaven. The same God that healed a lame man when the Church was just being established is still
able to work a miracle on your behalf centuries later. Remember..."Jesus Christ the same, and today, and forever"
(Hebrews 13:8).
Friday, February 11, 2011
"And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book,
he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel
to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to
the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book,
and gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on
him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears" (Luke 4:17-21). This
scriptual passage is significant because it summarizes much of the work that Jesus intended to do for humanity (i.e., his
"ministry"). Notice the categories of people that he emphasized; (1) poor, (2) brokenhearted, (3) captives,
(4) blind and (5) bruised. When the Pharisees complained about the people with whom Jesus associated, Jesus responded
by saying, "...They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick" (Matthew 9:12). Perhaps
you see yourself falling into one of those categories to which Jesus referred. Maybe life no longer holds any real meaning
for you. Perhaps you are held captive by an addiction (e.g., alcohol, drugs, anger, lust, etc.). Maybe the
circumstances of your life have bruised you and your heart is broken. Jesus said, "...I am come that they might
have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10). No one would argue that the greatest thing
Jesus provides for us is salvation. However, he also wants us to live an "abundant life" filled with
joy. If you are spiritually poor, brokenhearted, held captive by an addiction, spritually blind or bruised, Jesus
stands ready to deliver and heal you. For all those asking how to make things right with God on the Day
of Pentecost (Acts 2:37), the Apostle Peter told them to repent as a first step (Acts 2:38). I John
1:9 tells us that "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness." Next, he told them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38).
I Peter 3:21 tells us that "...whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the
flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,)..." Lastly, the Apostle Peter told them "ye shall
recieve the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:38). Having God's Spirit within us gives us power to live a victorious
life. Jesus stands ready to begin the healing process in your life. Why not call out to him today?
12:19 pm est
Sunday, January 9, 2011
After his resurrection, Jesus told his disciples, "And these signs shall follow them that believe;
In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any
deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover" (Luke 16:17-18)
The disciples' response to that was as follows; "And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working
with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen." "The Acts Of The Apostles" is
a "history book" of how the early Church operated. In that book, we see God performing many miracles
as the early Church expanded throughout the world. Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and
today, and forever." Therefore, if Jesus performed a miracle in someone's life centuries ago, he is still
able to perform a miracle in your (or a loved one's) life today. If you are in a "hopeless" situation
today, perhaps you would like to ask Jesus for a miracle in your life. Jesus said, "...Ask, and it shall be
given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (Luke 11:9). You might be thinking, "I'm
not good enough, holy enough, perfect enough, etc., etc. etc. for God to want to do anything for me." God understands our
imperfections, failures, shortcomings, etc.; however, he is still willing to do great, miraculous things in our
lives despite our weakness. The miraculous can happen...not because of our own strength, ability or perfection...but
rather because of God's mercy, grace and power. That way, God gets the glory...not us. If you find yourself
in a situation where there appears to be no way out, why not give God a chance? God wants you to come to know him
as your Saviour, deliverer, healer, etc. Ask him for a miracle in your life today!
11:43 am est
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Sometimes we fail to realize that we can develop an "addiction" to anger. Psalm 37:8 says to
"cease from anger, and forsake wrath..." Proverbs 14:17 says that "He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly..."
I once heard a minister say in a message that he refused to allow anyone to make him angry because he did not want to grant
another person the power to control his emotions. There is so much truth to that statement! When we allow others
to excercise so much control over our lives that they have the power to make us angry, we have, no doubt, given
them too much power. According to Proverbs 16:32, "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty;
and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city." The term "ruleth his spirit" means exercising
self control. Ecclesiates 7:9 says "Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools."
If you are battling an addiction to anger today you can rejoice in knowing that God is able to give you power through the
Holy Ghost to be an overcomer. Don't allow your flesh to justify angry outbursts, but rather ask God to help you
walk in victory over an anger addiction. By God's grace and power, we can fulfill James 1:19 that says, "Wherefore,
my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness
of God."
1:08 pm est
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Paul told us to "...be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking
to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord" (Ephesians
5:18-19). Many times the music we listen to and the places we go can stir up old memories and
emotions about the former lifestyle we are trying to overcome. If you are trying to overcome an addiction to alcohol,
there will be certain places you want to avoid. If a song brings up those old feelings/emotions from the past,
you may want to replace that old soundtrack playing in your mind with a new, Christian/Gospel soundtrack.
Although we cannot possibly control every thought that briefly flashes through our minds (Note: Remember, our mind is like
a battleground), we can control what topics we choose to dwell on. Paul seems to be telling us to replace
the music that accompanied our former lifestyle with music from a new lifestyle. When we dwell on old memories
from a past addiction (e.g., visiting those old places, listening to those old songs, etc.) feelings of depression
and sadness can grip us. However, when we drive those thoughts away by going to new and better places and listening
to/singing new and better songs, feelings of joy and victory will result. Therefore, when Satan tempts you to return
to that former lifestyle of alcohol addiction, you can resist those thoughts by singing and worshipping your way
to victory and be "filled (or refilled) with the Spirit." May God bless and strengthen you today if you
are in the process of obtaining victory over alcohol addiction.
2:28 pm est
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
I John 4:4 says that "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that
is in you, than he that is in the world." It is God's will that we live "overcoming" lives.
Therefore, God has made the wonderful gift of the Holy Ghost (i.e., the powerful force that enables us to be overcomers) available
to all those that desire it. If you have tried unsuccessfully for a long time to live an overcoming life on your own
and failed, perhaps it's time that you allowed God's Spirit to enter your life to make you an "overcomer."
Our human nature is incapable of overcoming all of the temptations and challenges of this world on its own. Besides, even
if we felt like we could overcome the world simply on our own power and ability, wouldn't that be "self-righteousness?"
John said, "...greater is HE that is in you..." We need the Spirit of God working INSIDE
of our hearts and lives in order to be overcomers. James said, "Submit yourselves therefore unto God. Resist
the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). We only have power to overcome the darkness of this world as
we submit ourselves unto God. If you are wrestling with an addiction today, you can take comfort in knowing that God
stands ready to deliver you. Jesus is not your enemy...he is your friend. If you desire to start living an "overcoming"
life today, you will find that Jesus is ready to fill (or refill) you with his Spirit whenever you are ready to turn
to him with a repentant heart (Note: Do you remember the story of the "prodigal" son in Luke 15?). Also,
you will want to read the passages in the Book of Acts (e.g., Acts 2, Acts 8, Acts 10, Acts 19, etc.) where people
were baptized in Jesus' Name. I Peter 3:21 says that "...whereunto even baptism doth also now save us
(not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God..." Being baptized
in the Name of Jesus will enable you to have a clean conscience, and you can stand before God without
feeling condemned...ready to start walking in the newness of life as an overcomer (but only by God's power).
Send us an email today if you would like us to pray for you and assist you further in discovering how to live an
"overcoming" life.
10:16 pm est
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