New Rules For A New Kingdom.

Acts 10

What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy. - Vs 15

Have you ever had your world rocked, your paradigm shifted, your status quo shaken to its core? Well, the disciples did. Ever since Jesus had arrived on the scene, He had made it a habit of turning their religious world on its ear. He pursued a crown instead of a cross. He came to serve, not be served. He came to defeat sin and death, not the Roman occupiers. Chapter ten in the book of Acts gives us a perfect picture of how God was going to continue this process of turning the world of His early followers on its ear.

The early converts to Christianity were primarily Jews. For generations they had relied on the centuries-old habits and traditions of their forefathers. They viewed themselves as God's chosen people. They were the seed of Abraham. They were the apple of God's eye. So when these God-fearing Jews came to faith in Jesus Christ, Himself a good Jew, they brought along with them all the baggage of their Jewish belief system. And old habits die hard.

Competing visions

In chapter ten we get a glimpse into God's ongoing re-education plan for the apostles. And it starts with Peter and a Roman centurion. As He did in chapter nine, God continues His habit of using all kinds of people to accomplish His will and reveal His power. This time He uses a God-fearing Roman commander. This guy had two strikes against him: First, he was a Gentile, and therefore looked down on by the Jews. Secondly, he was a Roman soldier, which made him an object of hatred and derision. Now this man helped his cause by being generous to the Jews and a lover of their God, but he would still have been looked down on by the average Jew. Including Peter.

So in a dream, God gives this Roman commander instructions to send for Peter. He responds by sending three of his (Gentile) servants to seek out Peter. Meanwhile Peter has his own dream. And this would have been one disturbing dream for a Jew. It involved visions of all kinds of unclean, unholy creatures and instructions from God to sacrifice them and then eat them! This wasn't a dream. It was a nightmare. And Peter responds like any God-fearing Jew would: "By no means, Lord!"

Get up and go!

Peter was appalled. But God was persistent. He repeated His command for Peter to "Get up, kill, and eat!" and then adds, "What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy" (Vs 15). This whole scenario takes place three times, leaving Peter perplexed and confused. But before he has time to gather his thoughts, the three servants of Cornelius appear at the gate. What timing!

God tells Peter to "get up, go downstairs and accompany them without misgivings" (Vs 20). Why? Because He had sent them. Now it all began fitting together for Peter. He was beginning to understand.

Three times in the span of 10 verses, Luke uses the same word. Two times it comes from the mouth of God. The third time, it involves the response of Peter. That phrase in the Greek is anistemi and it means to "get up" or "stand up." In verse 13, God commands Peter to "get up (anistemi), kill and eat!" Then in verse 20, God commands Peter again, using the same word "get up (anistemi), go downstairs and accompany them without misgivings." Finally, Lue uses the word a third time when he says in verse 23 that Peter "got up " (anistemi) and went away with them."

A paradigm shift

This had to have been hard for Peter. The dream was bad enough. Now he was having to drop all his preconditioned beliefs and long-held views on religion and embrace God's plans for life in His kingdom. You can sense Peter's internal struggle what he says upon arrival at Cornelius' home.

You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean. - Vs 28

Everything in Peter screamed that he should not be here. He was breaking long-established rules. He was violating iron-clad laws determining religious life and conduct. Yet God was commanding him to do so.

So what does Peter do? He shares the good news of Jesus Christ with those he had been trained to despise. He offered the gift of life to those he had grown up wishing God would strike dead. He preached the name of Jesus to Gentiles, just as God had commanded him to do. And the result? "The Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message" (Vs 43). Salvation came to a Gentile's home because Peter was willing to "get up," to rise above the earth-bound rules of religion and embrace the life-transformational principles of the kingdom of God.

Now it's your turn

So what religious rules could God be asking you to let go of? Is He telling you to get up and go? Is He commanding you to walk away from your comfortable embrace of the status quo and wrap your arms around His life-changing rules of engagement in His kingdom? His is a new kingdom with new rules, new standards, new expectations and a new power to deliver true life change. But first we have to let go of the old, get up, and go!

Father, help me let go of my old expectations, my old way of understanding things, of seeing things, of doing things. Show me Your way. Help me embrace life in the kingdom on Your terms, instead of mine. Thank you for sending Your Son and introducing a "new and living way" (Heb. 10:20) through Him. Amen

Not Exactly Good News.

Luke 9

"For I, the Son of Man, must suffer many terrible things," he said. "I will be rejected by the leaders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. I will be killed, but three days later I will be raised from the dead." – Luke 9:22 NLT

When these words came off the lips of Jesus, His disciples were less-than-ecstatic. In fact, they were surprised and confused. This wasn't exactly what they had signed up for. After all, they were fully expecting Jesus, as the long-awaited Messiah, to set up His kingdom on earth and destroy the oppressive rule of the Romans. He was going to be the warrior-king who, like His ancestor David, would wage war against the enemies of Israel and set up His kingdom in Jerusalem. It was going to be great, and the disciples thought they would be ruling right alongside Christ in His earthly kingdom. Now here He comes talking about suffering and death at the hands of the elders, chief priests and scribes of Israel. None of this made sense. Why would the religious leaders of their day want to kill the Messiah? This all had to sound preposterous to the disciples. And as if that wasn't bad enough, Jesus goes on to tell them that they were going to have to deny themselves and take up their own crosses if they were going to continue following Him. Wow! Not exactly good news.

But we know that is exactly what it was – good news. Jesus' death was the key to His coming. He came to offer Himself as a sacrifice for all. Ephesians 5:2 tells us that Jesus "gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." He died so that we might live. His death resulted in a different kind of victory than the disciples were looking for. He came to set them free from the rule of sin and the penalty of death, not the Romans. He came to give them victory over the grave, not some foreign occupying army. The life Jesus was offering was going to require death. His own. And it would require of the disciples a daily dying of themselves. They were going to have to die to their expectations and dreams. They were going to have to die to their addictive habit of trying to save themselves. They were going to have to lose their lives in order to gain the new life that Jesus offered. But it would prove to be an exchange that was well worth it. Our sin for His righteousness. Our forgiveness for His condemnation. Our new life for His death. His power for our weakness. Our salvation for His sacrifice.

So the bad news would prove to be very good news after all. And it still is.

Father, thank You for the good news regarding Your Son Jesus Christ. Thank You for coming up with a plan that was far better than anything the disciples could have dreamed up or dreamed of. Your way is the best. And I am grateful that the bad news regarding Your son's death would prove to be the best news of all time. Amen.

Vessels For Honor.

Acts 9

He is a chosen vessel of Mine... - Vs 15 (NKJV)

At first blush, this looks like the story of Saul's conversion, and rightfully so. But there seems to be a lot more to this passage than a recap of Saul's Damascus road experience. In fact, he is just one of a number of actors in this play. There's Ananias the disciple, there's Peter the apostle, Aeneas the paralytic, and Dorcas the deceased. And while Saul takes up a large part of the narrative, this story is really not about him. It is about God. It is about how God has chosen to use men and women to accomplish His divine plan through the ages. It is about how God uses fallen creatures to proclaim His glory.

In verse 15, when Ananias shares with God his reluctance to go and minister to Saul because of his reputation as a persecutor of the church, God tells him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine" (NASB). That word translated "instrument" is skeuos in the Greek. It can refer to "a vessel, implement, or household utensil." It is the same word used by Paul when he later wrote to the Corinthians:

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves. - 2 Corinthians 4:7

You find Paul using the same word in his letter to Timothy:

Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. - 2 Timothy 2:21

This chapter is all about people being used by God as vessels for his honor and glory. Some are active participants like Ananias and Peter. Others are passive, like Dorcas and the paralytic, yet God uses them nonetheless. Just take a look at all that takes place by the hand of God through the lives of His chosen vessels in this one chapter alone:

A disciple obeys - Vs 17

A persecutor is converted - Vs 18

The body of Christ ministers - Vs 25

A brother in Christ supports - Vs 27

The church grows - Vs 31

A paralytic is healed - Vs 34

A woman is raised from the dead - Vs 40

The lost are saved - Vs 42

Every one of these are a picture of the mighty hand of God reaching down and using "earthen vessels" - clay pots - to accomplish His will. Each of them ended up bringing honor and glory to God. God used each of these individuals in such a way "so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves" (2 Corinthians 2:7).

God chose Saul, a religious zealot who was out to destroy the church, as a vessel to grow His church

He chose Ananias,an obscure disciple with a fear of persecution, as a vessel to anoint Saul with the Holy Spirit

He chose a group of unknown disciples to spare the life of the very man who had been out to imprison them

He chose Aeneas, a man debilitated by paralysis, as a vessel to witness to the power of Christ

He used Dorcas, a deceased woman, as a vessel to testify to Christ's power over death and the grave

And the result was that "many believed in the Lord" (Vs 42). When God chooses and uses, results happen. Lives are changed. The lost are found. The lame walk. The dead are restored to life. The enemies of God become lovers of God.

God is still in the choosing business. And He still chooses vessels of clay. People who are spiritually paralyzed, spiritually dead, spiritually His enemies, spiritually reluctant, and spiritual nobodies. He chooses people like us to do His will and to reveal His power. Earthen vessels that He transforms into vessels for honor. Have you been chosen?

Father, thank you for choosing me. Thank you for using me. Even though I am little more than a clay pot with nothing to offer, and no value in and of myself. But You have chosen to use me so that my life can be a witness to Your power and glory. Make me a vessel for honor, sanctified, set apart for You, useful and always prepared for every good work you have for me to do. Amen

Where Is Your Faith?

Acts 8

And He said to them,"Where is your faith?" They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, "Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?" – Luke 8:25

Where is your faith? This isn't so much as a question of its existence as to its focus? In other words, we all have faith. We all trust in something or someone. The issue has to do with the who or what our faith is in. For the disciples, they were having to learn to have faith in Christ. And every time they turned around they were having their misguided, misdirected faith exposed. In the case of verses 22-25, they had their misguided faith in themselves exposed. Think about it, a good portion of these guys were professional, seasoned fishermen. They had been around and on the water for most of their lives. They had seen their fair share of storms. So they knew what to do when one blew in while they were out on the water in a ship. They could probably predict the weather without fail. The could read the signs. They could ride out the worst of storms like the best of sailors. In other words, they had faith in themselves and their own abilities.

In this story they found themselves in a storm on the sea of Galilee and they began to panic. They woke up Jesus who was calmly sleeping in the bow of the boat. They fearfully explain the gravity of their situation to Jesus. "Master, Master, we are perishing!" (Luke 8:24 NASB). What happened to all their boating acumen and experience on the waves of the Sea of Galilee. It was all gone. They suddenly discovered that they were no match for this storm. They weren't going to be able to get themselves out of this one. No, from their perspective, they were about to drown. Which is right where Jesus seems to want them. Jesus heard their cries and calmly rebuked the wind and waves. The sea suddenly calmed and so did the disciples. To a degree. They were now fearful because of what they had just witnessed. They realized that they had just been part of something truly amazing. They had just seen a power displayed that that they had never seen before. A power greater than the waves and winds of nature. A power greater than anything they could bring to bear on the situation. Jesus asked them, "Where is your faith?" It seems to be a rhetorical question. He knew the answer. Their faith was non-existent. At one time it would have been in themselves and their own abilities. Now it was nowhere. Nothing they had ever relied on before was going to help them out of this predicament. Only Jesus!

That's where we need to be each and every day. We need to stop putting our faith in anything or anyone other than Christ. And every day they spent with Him was going to be a lesson in faith. They would watch Him heal. They would hear Him teach. They would see His power on display. They would take in all His parables and witness Him casting out demons and healing the sick. They would even see Him raise the dead. They were eyewitnesses to the power of Christ. And it was rocking their faith system. Over time they would learn to put their faith in Him and not in themselves. That is the journey of the disciple. Before we can place our faith in Christ, we must openly admit where our faith has been. In whom or what have I been trusting? Where have I been turning for comfort and consolation? Tearing down the idols we have erected and the sorry substitutes we have turned to for years is the first step in putting our faith in the One who is always faithful.

Father, I feel as though you are asking me each and every day, "Where is your faith?" And the truth is, I still struggle with putting my faith in the wrong things. I still want to trust myself and others more than I trust You. Forgive me for that and show me how to trust You more. Your power is limitless. You alone are worthy of my faith. Everything and everyone else will fail me. They don't deserve my faith. But You do. Amen.

Persecution and Proclaimation.

Acts 8

... and beginning from this Scripture, he preached Jesus to him. - Vs 35

Two words jump out of this chapter at me: Persecution and proclaiming.

At the stoning of Stephen in chapter seven, a young man stood by watching this godly man's death, holding the coats of those who threw the stones that killed him. That young man was Saul. He was already in the employ of the high priest with the responsibility of rounding up Christians and throwing them in jail. The joy of Pentecost had quickly turned into the hatred of persecution for the early Christians. Stephen had been their first martyr.

But God has a way of turning tragedy into triumph and oppression into opportunity. The persecution of Saul ended up scattering the thousands of believers who had been gathered in Jerusalem since the days immediately following Pentecost. These Jewish converts had become Christ-followers and now, out of the fear of possible imprisonment,  were "scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria." God had never intended for them to remain in the city of Jerusalem. He wanted them to take what they had heard and received, and share it. Little did Saul know that his plan for destroying the church would actually end up causing its growth.

Verse four tells us they "went abroad preaching the word." This included Philip, one of the seven men "of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom" who had been chosen to oversee the distribution of food to the widows (6:3). Philip ends up in the city of Samaria and he begins "proclaiming Christ to them" (vs 5). Like Stephen, Philip ends up being a lot more than just some administrative type with the gift of service. Along with his preaching, he casts out demons, heals the lame and the sick, and leads one of the town's leading celebrities to the Lord. But God isn't done with Philip. An angel of the Lord gives him a new assignment. He is to get up and go to the desert road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza. That's all the information he received. But he obediently went. Once he arrives on the scene, he meets a visiting dignitary, the treasurer for the Queen of Ethiopia.

A "Chance" Encounter

When Philip gets to his destination on the desert road, he meets this Ethiopian official from Candace's court. He has his chariot parked and he just happens to be reading from the writings of the prophet Isaiah. Philip, sensing that this is his divine appointment, asks the gentleman if he understands what he's reading. The visitor pleads ignorance and invites Philip, a perfect stranger, up into his chariot to explain to him the meaning of this obscure passage from the Hebrew scriptures.

It just so happens that this Ethiopian has been reading from what we now know as chapter 53 of the book of Isaiah. For whatever reason, he had chosen to read from a section of Isaiah's writings that are Messianic in nature. They prophesy of the coming of the Messiah. The Ethiopian is intrigued and wants to know who Isaiah is referring to in these verses. What a set up? Philip has got to be thinking to himself, "Lord, can you make this any easier?" Luke tells us that Philip "opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him" (vs 35).

He Preached Jesus

When I go back and read Isaiah 53, it makes me think that Philip probably didn't have to go very much further than this single passage to preach Jesus to this spiritually starving man. In this prophetic passage, Isaiah tells of the One to come:

... our griefs He Himself bore ...

... our sorrows He carried ...

... He was pierced through for our transgressions ...

... the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him ...

... the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him ...

... the Lord was pleased to crush Him ...

... putting Him to grief ...

... He would render Himself as a guilt offering ...

... [He] will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities ...

... He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors ...

Wow! There it is right there. I think Philip had a field day with this passage. He was able to preach Jesus right from the writings of Isaiah. And the result is that this Ethiopian dignitary recognizes that he is a sheep who has gone astray. He sees that he has turned to his own way. He understands that the Lord had caused his iniquity to fall on Jesus. That Jesus had died in His place as his sin substitute. His eyes are opened and he steps from unbelief to belief, from lostness to salvation, as he confesses, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God" (vs 37).

Are You Going and Telling?

Philip was obedient. When the angel of the Lord said, "Go!", Philip went. Not knowing what was going to happen when he got there. But God had prepared the way. He had been working on the heart of a stranger, drawing him to Himself, fertilizing the soil so that Philip could plant the seed of Truth. All Philip had to do was preach Jesus. He had to be ready to proclaim Jesus as Lord and Savior. He simply had to tell the Ethiopian that Jesus was the one he had been reading about. Jesus was the one who had accomplished all those things. And all for him.

So what about you? Are you willing to go? Are you ready to tell someone else about Jesus? God still arranges divine appointments. He still brings people into our path who want to hear, who are dying to know. But are we ready to preach Jesus to them? Philip was. And it changed one man's life forever.

Father, I want to be ready to go when you call. I want to be ready to tell when the opportunity presents itself. Give me a heart like Philip and a sensitivity to all those around me, so that I can see the ones You place in my path who are fertile soil for the good news of Jesus Christ. Amen.

God's perfect plan.

Acts 7

At first glance, this chapter seems to be nothing more than a history lesson chronicling the key events in the lives of the people of Israel. It appears to be less a sermon than a chronology of the Hebrew nation. But if you look closer, you see that Stephen is weaving together the story of God's redemptive plan. He is sharing with his Jewish audience the divine outline of God's intricate plan to send His Son. Stephen is attempting to show the Jews that their history is a vivid reminder of God's hand at work in their midst - paving the way for the coming of His Son, Jesus Christ. For Stephen, this is all a "God thing."

Vs 2 - The God of glory appeared...

Vs 4 - God had him [Abraham] move to this country...

Vs 5 - He [God] gave him no inheritance in it...

Vs 5 - He [God] promised that He would give it to him as a possession...

Vs 6 - But God spoke...

Vs 8 - He [God] gave him the covenant of circumcision...

Vs 9 - God was with him [Joseph]...

Vs 10 - God rescued him from all his afflictions...

Vs 10 - God granted him favor and wisdom...

Vs 20 - He [Moses] was lovely in the sight of God...

Vs 30 - An angel appeared to Him in the wilderness...

Vs 33 - The Lord said to him...

Vs 35 - This Moses whom they disowned...God sent...

Vs 42 - God turned away and delivered them up...

Vs 45 - God drove out [the nations] before our fathers...

Stephen weaves throughout his lecture a picture of God's intimate involvement in the history of the people of Israel. He was there every step of the way, directing, guiding, moving, calling, orchestrating every event with a future purpose in mind: The arrival of His Son as the Savior of mankind.

That is exactly where Stephen takes his historical account. He accuses the Jews of doing just what their fathers had done, rejecting the underlying message of God's redemptive plan. They had not only rejected the messengers, they had rejected the Messiah. Their fathers had killed the prophets who were only announcing the coming of the Righteous One. Stephen's listeners had killed the Righteous One Himself.

But while these words caused the Jews to be "cut to the quick," it was Stephen's announcement that he saw the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God that caused the people to cover their ears and rush him. They drove him out of the city and stoned him. Why? Because Stephen simply testified that Jesus was alive, and not only that, He was at the right hand of God the Father, a place of power and authority. That was too much for the Jews to handle. They had no problem believing that Jesus had lived, because they had seen Him. They had even killed Him. But they could not deal with the idea that He truly was the Messiah, the anointed One of God. To accept that would mean that Jesus was the One the prophets had predicted. It would mean that God's divine plan had culminated with the arrival of this obscure Rabbi from the city of Nazareth. It would mean that God's plan did not match their own.

But isn't that what most people struggle with today? They have no problem believing that Jesus lived. They have no problem believing that He was a good man, a great teacher, and an example worthy of following. But to believe that Jesus was somehow the final step in God's divine plan to redeem mankind from sin and death, that's a bit hard to swallow. Because it doesn't fit our plan. And our plan is all about us. We can redeem ourselves. We can earn our own way into heaven. We can live righteous lives on our own.

But until men and women recognize that Jesus really does sit at the right hand of God, they will never understand all of human history points to Him. He is the focal point. He is the solution to all our problems. He is God's answer to the question of mankind's future.

But even as Christians we can struggle with that. We say we believe in Him. We say we trust in Him. But then we live our lives as though we don't need Him. We refuse to look up and see Him for Who He really is. The Son of God, who is the answer to all our problems. He is the solution to all our needs. So He is worth living for, and as Stephen illustrated, worth dying for.

Father, help me to have eyes that see Jesus for who He really is. Give me a vision of His power, authority, divinity, and help me recognize that He is the answer to all of my needs. Give me the boldness to speak about Him to others - even in the face of rejection or possible persecution. Show me how to point all men to Him and to nothing else. May I be willing to live for Him and, if necessary, die for Him. Amen.

Qualified To Serve Tables.

Acts 6

Choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. - Vs 3

Leadership in the local church is critical. It has been since the beginning. And chapter six gives us a glimpse into the selection process practiced by the apostles when it came time for them to choose qualified leaders to help with the needs of a growing congregation.

Since that first exciting day when the church was birthed at Pentecost, a growing number of people had placed their faith in Christ. In fact, their numbers had skyrocketed, with as many as 3,00o being added in one day! Many of these, if not most, were Jews who had come to Christ. These people had been in Jerusalem in order to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. According to chapter two, verses 9-11, there were "Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs." Talk about a melting pot.

As is often the case in a church, a conflict arose. It seems that the rapid expansion of the local fellowship there in Jerusalem had resulted in the need for food to be distributed among the thousands of new converts. Many of these were not permanent residents of Jerusalem, but had chosen to remain in town since their witness of the apostles' speaking in tongues, and their own conversions. According to chapter two, people were sharing what they had and generously meeting one another's needs. But there seemed to be a problem with the distribution of the food. It could have been due to the language barrier, because the Greek-speaking Jews are the ones who raised the complaint. But regardless of the cause, the apostles determined that a plan was needed. Their solution: Additional leadership.

This is where it gets interesting. Because the qualifications the apostles looked for in these men seem to make them overqualified for the job. I mean, even the apostles admit that these guys were going "to serve tables." They weren't asking them to teach or lead a small group. They were going to distribute food. But notice what they look for when they start their search for possible candidates:

Select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task.

Luke gives us even more insight into the character of these men when he introduces us in greater detail to one of them in particular -- Stephen.

They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. - Vs 5

Stephen, full of grace and power... - Vs 8

But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. - Vs 10

This guy seems WAY over-qualified for the job. But was he? Obviously not. In fact, I suspect that the six others chosen that day were men of similar character. Stephen just happened to be singled out by Luke because of the part he was going to play as this story unfolds. But according to verse 3, all of them were men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom. And yet their job was to distribute food and wait on tables.

So why was it important to choose men of this caliber? What was it about their role that would require them to be men of good reputation, Spirit-filled, and wise? I think the answer is a simple one. In the body of Christ there is no small task, no unimportant role. Every servant of the Savior is to be a person of spiritual integrity, able to perform their role in the power of the Spirit, whether they are an elder, deacon, Sunday School teacher, greeter, small group host, usher, or senior pastor.

These men were going to be working with people and for God. So it was important that they be men of God. But isn't the same thing true today? Don't we each need to have the character of Christ if we are going to act as representatives for Christ? Stephen and his co-committee members were:

1. Spirit-filled
2. Of good reputation
3. Wise
4. Full of faith
5. Full of grace
6. Full of power
7. And finally, servants

Stephen was selected to "wait on tables," but because he was a man who was full of grace and power, he would have greater impact than even the apostles ever imagined. I am sure he faithfully performed the responsibilities associated with his new role, but he didn't stop there. Why? Because he was Spirit-filled and God-directed. He was a man of God doing the work of God. Faith-fully.

So what kind of men and women are we? Are we of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom? Are we full of faith. grace, and power? As Christ-followers, that is exactly what we are supposed to be. Men and women under the influence of the Spirit, serving in the power of the Spirit, all for the glory of God. Whether we're distributing food, handing out worship folders, greeting visitors, hosting a small group in our home, rocking babies in the nursery, teaching a group of 3rd-grade boys, or visiting someone in the hospital. As the church continues to grow, so do the needs. And among the greatest needs of the church is leadership. Men and women like Stephen who are people of God, willing to do anything and everything in the service of God. Are you ready? Do you qualify?

Father, make me a man like Stephen - full of the Spirit and of wisdom. Increase my faith. Fill me with your grace and power, that I might continue to serve you and your church in whatever way you may need me to. Raise up an army of men and women who will step in the gap and serve sacrificially and selflessly. Men and women like Stephen. Amen.

The Whole Message.

Acts 5

Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life. - Vs 20

It's the middle of night and the apostles find themselves imprisoned, "guests" of the high priest. Their crime? Preaching in the name of Christ. performing signs and wonders, and making disciples. But in spite of the high priest's paranoia, the disciples are miraculously set free by an angel of the Lord, who gives them the instructions found in verse 20.

He tells them to speak "the whole message of this Life." The life of Jesus Christ to be exact. You see, the angel wasn't instructing them to tell about their own lives or the Christian life in general, but about the life of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Which is exactly what they did upon their release. They made a beeline to the temple and began to teach. What did they teach? Well, we get an idea of the content of their message a little bit later in the passage.

It seems that when the high priest sent for the apostles the next morning, the guards found locked doors, but no prisoners. Instead, he gets the news that they are in the temple teaching the people! So he has them picked up again, and confronts them about their behavior: "We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intent to bring this man's blood upon us." The apostles were teaching in Jesus' name. But what were they teaching? They were teaching the "whole message of this Life." Take a look at verses 30-32 and you can see an outline of what this "whole message" contained.

1. Jesus was crucified and put to death
2. But God raised Him to life again
3. Jesus now sits at the right hand of the Father - a place of authority
4. He has been confirmed as a Prince (literally "one that takes the lead in any thing and thus affords an example, a predecessor in a matter, pioneer")
5. He has been exalted as Savior (literally "deliverer")
6. His position gives Him theauthority to grant repentance and forgiveness of sins
7. God has sent the Holy Spirit as a witness that all these things are true

This is the message, the whole message, and nothing but the message! It is what is meant to proclaim the name of Jesus. It is to tell of His life. Which is the reason the religious leaders wanted to stifle their preaching. Look at Vs 40: "They flogged them and ordered them to speak no more in the name of Jesus." They didn't want to hear His life story any more, especially the part about His resurrection. Because it put a huge crimp in their religious style. If what they said about His life was true, then His claims about who He claimed to be would have to be true. And they didn't want to go there.

So how did the apostles respond to the warning?

So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. - Vs 41-42

How could they do that? What was their motivation? Peter makes it clear in verse 29. "We must obey God rather than men." Peter and the apostles couldn't help but tell the whole message. They couldn't help but speak the name of Jesus. They couldn't help but teach and preach Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. Even if it meant imprisonment. In fact, they rejoiced that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.

To speak His name is to proclaim Him as Jesus the Christ. It is to announce Him as Savior. It is to declare Him to be God and the Lord of this earth. It is to freely admit that He is exactly who He claimed to be. And...

...there is salvation in no one else; for these is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. - Acts 4:12

Father, forgive me for failing to proclaim Your Son's name, for refusing to speak the whole message of His life. His name represents who He is and what He has done. Give me increasing boldness to tell His story to all those I meet. Let my life be a increasingly clearer picture of the life-transforming power of His name. I want others to see Him in me. Amen.

What's in a name?

Acts 4

Yesterday we talked about what it is that we have that we might give to someone else. As believers, we possess the same thing that Peter did -- the name of Jesus -- and all the power associated with it.

As a result of the healing of the lame man in chapter three, 5,000 men come to faith in Jesus Christ. They are set free from their sins. But Peter and John end up in jail, confined by the religious leaders for their role in this "disturbance." In this we see Luke continue his emphasis on the theme of the name of Jesus.

When they had placed them in the center, they began to inquire,“By what power, or in what name, have you done this?" - Vs 7

Peter responds: "By the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene -- by this name this man stands before you in good health." - Vs 10

Then he adds: "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." - Vs 12

The religious leaders are speechless. They don't know how to respond, so they decided "let us warn them to speak no longer to any man in this name" - Vs 17. And "they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus" - Vs 18.

After being warned and released, Peter and John return to the other disciples and share what has happened. They end up praising God and praying, "And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus" - Vs 29-30.

The name of Jesus. To speak the name of Jesus in that day was risky business. Especially in the days and weeks immediately after His crucifixion. Because the religious leaders wanted Him dead and gone. But the disciples were proclaiming to be alive and well. To talk about His name was to talk about His resurrection and His power. To talk about His name was to proclaim that He was Who He said He was: The Messiah, the anointed One, the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

To proclaim the name of Jesus took guts back then. But has anything really changed? It takes real guts to speak His name today. No, it's not difficult to talk about Jesus. A lot of people do that. They talk about Jesus the teacher, Jesus the prophet, Jesus the doer of good deeds. But that's not the Jesus Peter and John were proclaming. No, if we proclaim Jesus as the Messiah, the Savior, and the one and only way to receive forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation, we will catch some heat. If we proclaim that Jesus' name is synonomous with life-transforming power, then we will face rejecting and ridicule, just as Peter and John did.

So if we speak the name of Jesus like Peter and John did, we will face persecution. We will encounter problems. So what should we do? We should pray for confidence and boldness just like they did. They didn't attempt to pray their problem away. They didn't ask God to remove the persecution, to get rid of their enemies. They prayed, "take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence" - Vs 29.

They knew that power was associated with the name of Jesus. They knew that lives would be changed through the name of Jesus. They knew that trouble would come as a result of speaking the name of Jesus. But they also knew it was worth it. So they asked for boldness to speak His name in the midst of the threats. And God answered their prayer. He still wants to answer that prayer today. Are you and I ready to pray it?

Father, give me the boldness and confidence to speak the name of Jesus Christ. To tell of His resurrection and the power it brings to deliver men and women from slavery to sin and the penalty of death. There is no other name worth talking about. There is no other name under heaven that is worthy of mentioning. So give me the guts to talk about it to everyone I meet. Amen.

What Do You Have To Give?

Acts 3

But Peter said, "I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene – walk! - Vs 6

"But what I do have I give to you."

What do you have to give today? What is in your possession that the world around you desperately needs? Do you have anything worth having, anything that could truly transform another person's life?

Peter did. When he and John arrived at the entrance to the Temple courtyard that day to pray, they encountered a familiar sight: A lame man begging for alms. This guy was a regular fixture at the Gate Beautiful. He had picked out this spot a long time ago and made it a habit to be there every day at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer, to take advantage of all the pious people making their way into the Temple courtyard to pray. It was a good spot for someone looking for a handout, or this man wouldn't have been there. Religious people are always giving people. It's what we do. We may not give a lot, but we do give. And this man knew that to be the case.

So when he saw Peter and John, he simply saw two more potential "givers." But he was about to get more than he ever expected. According to verse 5, he was "expecting to receive something from them." But the first words out of Peter's mouth probably disappointed him: "I do not possess silver and gold" Peter knew what he wanted. He knew that this guy had money on his mind. That was all he had come to expect. Even though money could do nothing to change his circumstances. At the end of the day, he would go home just the way he came: "Lame from his mother's womb."

But Peter's response to the man had a second part: "But what I have I give to you." This is the part that hit me between the eyes this morning. In essence, Peter was saying, "I don't have what you want (silver and gold), but I do have what you NEED."

So what did Peter possess? Well, if we're not careful, we'll just jump to the conclusion that Peter had the power to heal, because that's exactly what he did. He grabbed the guy's hand, lifted him up, and told him to walk. But Peter tells us exactly what it was that he had that he given to this man. You find it in verses 12 and 16:

A power greater than himself - Peter tells the astonished onlookers, "Why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power we had made him walk?"

Peter knew he was nothing more than a conduit, a pipeline, of God's power. He was a resource that God was using to touch and transform lives.

The name of Jesus - Peter goes on to reveal that it was Jesus' name "which has strengthened this man." That's where the power and the authority comes from. Look at verse 6 again. Peter said, "In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene -- walk!" We tend to focus on the faith it took for Peter to say the last word, "Walk." But Peter's real act of faith was recognizing that the very name of Jesus had power attached to it. And as Jesus' representative, Peter knew he had the authority to use that name to transform the lives of those around him.

And faith in that name - It was not the lame man's faith that healed him, but Peter's faith in the name of Jesus. Peter is the one who said, "Walk!" Peter is the one who grabbed the man's hand and raised him up. Peter is the one who knew that he possessed something that would change this man's life forever.

So what do you possess today? What do you have today that could change the life of those in need around you? They're out there. Needy people waiting at the gate for someone to give them what they think they need. But as Christ followers, we possess what they really need. The life-changing, transforming power of the name of Jesus Christ. You see, people don't need another handout, they need to hear about Jesus. People don't need our sympathy, they need to hear about Jesus. People don't need to be ignored, they need for us to step out by faith and speak the life-changing name of Jesus Christ into their lives.

So let's give the greatest gift we could ever give another human being. The gift of the name of Jesus. Let's share Him with someone today. His name has the power to change, heal, and transform. But do we believe it?

Father, help me believe in Your Son's name. Not just for salvation, but so that I might speak the name of Jesus into the lives of all those with whom I come into contact. Help me trust in the power of your name to transform lives. Help me remember that this isn't about my power and piety, it's about the name of Jesus. The name above every other name. Amen.

God’s Mighty Deeds.

Acts 2

Speaking of the mighty deeds of God. - Vs 11

I think it's interesting that when most of us read this passage we get hung up on the theatrics: The noise of the rushing wind, tongues of fire, speaking in tongues, wonders and signs.

It's a case of form versus function. And that has always been a problem for us as Christians. We read a passage like this and the temptation is to try and replicate the methodology used to get the results they received. But we risk leaving out some key ingredients. We stress the how and lose sight of the what.

In the midst of all the excitement, what was really going on? The disciples, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, were "speaking of the mighty deeds of God" (vs 11). Sure, they did it in a pretty spectacular manner - in a wide variety of languages that none of them naturally knew how to speak. But it was NOT the tongues that brought about the conversions that day, it was the disciples proclaiming the incredible deeds that God had done. Peter summarized what those deeds were in his address to the people.

1. God delivered Jesus up to die as part of His predetermined plan
2. God raised up Jesus from the dead
3. God exalted Jesus back to His position of authority at His right hand
4. God poured out the Holy Spirit as promised
5. God made Jesus both Lord (master) and Christ (Messiah)

What was the result of Peter telling the people about God's mighty deeds?

Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do? - Vs 37

Peter answers their question by telling them to repent and be baptized, so that they might "be saved from this perverse generation" (vs 40).

The results are pretty amazing:

1. They added 3000 converts to the church that day
2. They were devoting themselves to hearing the Word of God
3. They practiced fellowship and community
4. They experienced an ongoing sense of awe
5. They witnessed signs and wonders from the hand of God
6. They were meeting each others needs
7. They were glad and sincere in heart
8. They were praising God daily
9. They were attractive to the lost community around them
10. They saw their numbers grow daily

Pretty amazing stuff. But we risk missing out on it all if we just focus in on the spectacular nature of the tongues. The truth is we have all the ingredients to see these same kind of results today.

A hand-full of dedicated followers + the Holy Spirit + telling the mighty deeds of God = transformed lives

Are you telling others of the mighty deeds of God? Or to ask it another way, are you sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ? That's what this story is all about. It is the plan of God as lived out through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ. That is what we are to tell. Like the disciples, we are witnesses to the reality of this story, because it has changed our lives. We are witnesses to the transformational, life-changing power of Jesus Christ and the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. So let's start telling and watch what happens.

Father, your deeds are indeed mighty. But sometimes I want to see more. I want to see you do additional mighty deeds and lose sight of the ones you have already done. Help me to never forget that the greatest deed has already been done - You sent Your Son! And because of that, my life has never been the same. Give me the boldness to tell others. Amen.

Our Of Sight. Not Out Of Mind.

Acts 1

This Jesus, who was has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven. - Vs 11

Jesus has just disappeared into the clouds. After a 40-day reunion with His disciples, some last-minute instructions, and an exit any Hollywood producer would love to capture on film, Jesus leaves His disciples and returns to His Father in heaven.

In verse 11, two angels give the disciples some words of comfort. They tell them that Jesus is going to come back just the way He left, but only in reverse. It's a not-so-subtle reminder that this is NOT the end. It is the beginning. The beginning of the church age. You see, verse 11 contains an unseen parenthesis. Jesus' departure and future return bookend the age in which the church, the body of Christ, takes up the Lord's work. His departure marked the arrival of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the church. That is what the rest of the book of Acts will explain.

In a way, verse 11 is a reminder to the disciples that they have work to do. They are not to be staring up into the sky, sadly recounting what has been or anxiously anticipating what is to come. They are to be busy. And Jesus gave them their marching orders just before His feet left the dirt of the Mount of Olives. You find their job description (and ours) in verse 8:

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.

Verse 11 should be exciting news to any follower of Jesus Christ. Because it tells us that there's an end to the story. Jesus left, but He is coming back. He is not done yet. His work is not complete yet. The disciples were hopeful that with Jesus' appearance on the scene just days after His death, it must have been time for Him to set up His earthly kingdom. They even ask Him in verse 6: "Lord, is it at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?"

"This is it!" they thought. We just had the timing off a little bit. Now that He has foiled the plans of the Jewish leaders and the Romans, Jesus will be taking over. There was a new sheriff in Jerusalem! But that was not to be the case and Jesus tells them so. No, it was now their turn to shine. The Lord's ascension was vital to the continuation of His work on earth. His leaving put in motion the Holy Spirit's coming. No ascension - no Comforter. No Comforter - no power. No power - no church. No church - no chance for the good news to be spread all over the world.

I can get real excited about Jesus coming back. Why? Because our side wins! Just take a look at these passages:

Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen. - Revelation 1:7

And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it {is} called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes {are} a flame of fire, and on His head {are} many diadems; and He has a name written {on Him} which no one knows except Himself. {He is} clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white {and} clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." - Revelation 19:11-16

In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south . . . then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him. - Zechariah 14:4, 5

He is going to come back right to the very spot from which He left! That's incredible. But until then, He has given each of us a job to do. Matthew records them in His gospel.

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. - Matthew 28:19-20

He has gone, but He has not left us. He is with us. He is within us. And He has empowered us to be His ambassadors, spreading the news of His kingdom to every corner of the globe. So how are we doing? How are you doing? Are you making disciples? Are you representing your King well in your little corner of the world? In your office, your home, your neighborhood? Let's get busy. Let's make Him famous.

Father, help me to remember that the story is not over. Your Son is coming back some day. And when He does, He is going to set all things right. In the meantime, help me focus on your agenda and not mine. Help me live for your kingdom instead of mine. Help me catch the vision of making disciples. Don't let me be satisfied with anything else. Amen.

Wide-Eyed Wonder.

Luke 24

Then their eyes were opened. – Luke 24:31 NASB

It's just days after the death of Jesus. Two of His followers are slowly making their way from Jerusalem to their home in Emmaus. As they walk along they discuss the events of the last few days. How did this all happen? Where did it all go wrong? Their Messiah, Jesus, had failed to establish His kingdom. Instead, He had suffered the fate of a common criminal by being hung on a Roman cross until dead. And their hopes had died with HIm. No more kingdom of the Jews. No more overthrow of the Roman oppressors. Their precious Messiah was now just a memory. A phantom of what might have been.

Suddenly, their intense conversation is interrupted by the voice of a stranger. They hadn't noticed him walking along beside them. He asks them what they are talking about. They are a little surprised and put out by this strangers seeming lack of awareness of current events. But they politely bring him up to speed on all that had happened in Jerusalem during the Passover celebration. They revisit the painful events of the last week, pointing out that Jesus, the Nazarene prophet, had been crucified by the Romans, thus ending any hope they had of Him redeeming Israel from their slavery to Rome.

They share one more interesting bit of news. It seems that the body of Jesus had disappeared. The tomb was empty. Some were even claiming that He was alive!

But they were headed home.

I love this story. Here are two followers of Jesus walking along the road with Jesus, but they fail to even recognize that He is there. Their eyes are blind to His presence. They talk about the risen Lord, but fail to see Him. Isn' t that just like you and me? We can get so wrapped up in our circumstances, sadly recounting how things have not turned out quite the way we expected since we started following Jesus, that we fail to see Him walking right beside us. We can accurately tell His story, including His death, burial, and purported resurrection, but be blind to His presence in our lives. Why? Because things are not as we expected they would be. Our version of the kingdom didn't come about. Sure, we hear He is alive, but we don't really believe it. Our eyes are blind to the reality of His presence.

But then God does graciously opens our eyes, just like He did theirs in verse 31 of chapter 24. Something happens that makes us suddenly recognize that what they said was really true - He is alive! He has conquered death! He is exactly who He claimed to be! But what was it that opened their eyes? Why was it that they were unable to see the truth of the Savior's presence in their lives that day? I think it was a lack of vision. They had become near-sighted, unable to see beyond the borders of their own limited little worlds. Like me, they suffered from a severe case of spiritual myopia. Anything beyond their own little world was a blur. All they could see was that their hopes had been dashed, their dreams had failed to materialize, their goals had gone unreached, the desires had bone unmet.

Then Jesus opened up the Scriptures and helped them focus on something beyond themselves - namely Him. "He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures" (Vs 27). Later, at a casual meal in their home, Jesus broke the bread and handed it to them. "Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him" (Vs 30). I am sure these two had heard first-hand accounts from the lips of the disciples of that final Passover meal they had shared with Jesus. They knew about the cup and the bread. And when Jesus broke it that day in their home, it all came into focus. Their perspective changed. They were no longer two myopic, disappointed, self-absorbed individuals. They were hopeful, expectant followers of the risen Lord. He really was alive. They had seen Him. They had experienced Him. So they returned to Jerusalem with "hearts burning" and hopes soaring.

Isn't that how we should live? Yet many of us mope around as if Jesus never had risen from the dead. Sure, we claim He has. We sing about it, talk about it, and say we believe it. Yet we fail to see Him in the everyday affairs of life. Why? Because we can't see the big picture. We are self-absorbed, focused on our own little kingdom agendas. Jesus has failed to deliver what we expected. Our lives have not turned out the way we planned. The future looks dark and out of focus. We fail to see beyond our immediate circumstances.

But He is there. Waiting for us to lift our eyes and see Him for who He really is. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords with His own agenda and His own plans – for this world and for our lives. His kingdom is bigger and better than ours. And He wants us to get a glimpse of it. When we do, we will see clearly for the first time why we are here and what it is that He wants us to do in us and through us.

Father, Open my eyes, that I may see glimpses of truth Thou hast for me; place in my hands the wonderful key that shall unclasp and set me free. Silently now I wait for Thee, ready my God, Thy will to see, open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine! Amen.

Guilty, Yet Pardoned.

Luke 23

He was oppressed and He was afflicted,Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? - Isaiah 53:7-8 NASB

This chapter is a case of the guilty versus the innocent. In fact, Luke goes out of his way to make it clear that Jesus was innocent of the crimes for which He was accused. I counted at least seven times in this passage where Jesus was determined to be without guilt. Pilate, a pagan Roman politician declared Him so. Herod, a corrupt Jewish puppet king couldn't find any fault in Him. Even a condemned criminal, hanging on the cross next to Jesus, clearly saw the innocence of Jesus.

But there He hung. The Just for the unjust. The innocent for the guilty. The sinless One in the place of sinful men.

You see this theme of innocence and guilt throughout this chapter. Even in Luke's recounting of the release of Barabbas. Here was a man, a condemned insurrectionist and murderer, who is chosen by the people for release over Jesus. The one who was really guilty was set free. Yet the One who was guiltless was condemned. In doing some research on this passage I discovered something I had never seen this before regarding Barabbas' name. It means "son the the father" in Aramaic. Isn't it interesting that this "son" was set free while the Son of God was sent to die in his place?

Another glimpse into the innocense and guilt theme is found in the two criminals who were crucified on either side of Jesus. Three men received the death sentence that day, yet only two deserved it. Jesus was quiltless, yet He suffered the same humiliating, agonizing fate. Even one of the criminals could see the difference when he exclaimed, "We indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong!" - Vs 41.

Jesus was completely sinnless and guiltless, yet He died in my place and yours. Sinless perfection took on the penalty for our sins. In 2 Corinthians 5:21, Paul reminds us that "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

Jesus suffered a criminal's death in the company of criminals. Jesus died while a murderer was spared. Jesus took the place of a guilty man. Jesus was declared guilty allowing Barabbas to go free.

But isn't that exactly what Jesus has done for you and me? Like Barabbas, I have been allowed to talk away from my death sentence a free man. Someone else paid my penalty. Someone else took my punishment. Someone else suffered the pain meant for me. Jesus "gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father" (Galatians 1:4). And "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed" (1 Peter 2:24).

We don't know what happened to Barabbas. But we do know he walked away that day a free man. Did he return to his life of rebellion and murder? Or was he forever changed by the events of that day? We have no way of knowingBut the real question is whether you and I have been changed by the events of that day? Do we fully recognize and appreciate what Jesus did for us that day? You see, we were just as deserving of death as Barabbas was. We were on death row awaiting the inevitable death sentence. Then Jesus showed up and He took our place. He sacrificed His perfectly sinless life for our sin-saturated one. He took the nails meant for us. He suffered the abuse that was rightfully mine to bear. But has that selfless, sacrificial, substitutionary act changed us forever? Do we really see our guilt up against His innocence? Until we do, we will never fully appreciate what He has done for us.

Because He did, I can truly be called Bar Abba - a son of the Father. Fully forgiven and completely free!

Father, thank you for sending Your Son to die in my place. Jesus, thank you for sacrificing your sinless life for my sinful one. Thank you for enduring death so that I might enjoy life. I can never repay You, but I hope to thank You by living my life in such a way that it brings glory and honor to You. I owe everything to You! Thank You!!!! Amen.

The Down-To-Earth Disciples.

Luke 22

I love the disciples! These guys are great. They are so down-to-earth and real. With the disciples, what you see is what you get. No pretense or posturing. If they think it, they say it. These are salt-of-the-earth kind of guys - fisherman and tax-collectors - regular Joes who were fully human and lived out their faults and failures right out in clear view for everyone to see.

I guess that's why I can relate to them. But if the truth be known, I used to look down on and judge the disciples for their seeming ignorance and inability to trust Jesus for who He was. I say, "I used to" because one day I woke up and realized that I am just like them. I can be just as stubborn, near-sighted, and self-absorbed that I fail to see the truth in who Jesus was and what He was saying.

I can relate to the disciples. I can see myself in their thoughts and actions. Take a look at verse 24:

And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded as the greatest.

Amazing! Look at the context. Jesus has just shared the Passover meal with them. He has been talking to them about His coming suffering. He has talked about giving His body and His blood. He has revealed that one of them is about to betray Him. And their response? They immediately break out into a discussion over which one of them was going to be the betrayer and that naturally led to a debate about who among them was the greatest.

This wasn't the first time this topic had come up. It seems that this was a favorite point of discussion among the disciples (Mark 9:34; Matthew 18:1; Luke 9:6). Even the mother of two of them got into the act by asking Jesus to "command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one of Your right and one on Your left" (Matthew 20:21).

Power, position,and prominence were important to the disciples. Why? Because they were looking for a different kind of kingdom. They had each followed Jesus because they believed Him to be the Messiah, but their understanding of what Jesus had come to do was off? They had each followed Jesus for purely selfish reasons. For what they could get out of it. They saw Jesus as a conquering king who was going to set up His kingdom on earth and each of them would get to play a part in helping rule over and administrate that kingdom. Therefore the debate.

But isn't that what we do? Isn't that how we think to some degree? Didn't many of us come to Jesus for what we thought we would get out of it? A better life, a happier marriage, a ticket to heaven? We can even be guilty of jockeying for spiritual significance in the kingdom of God. We want to be thought of as more spiritual than someone else. We want to be given authority or some degree of honor for who we are and what we contribute to the kingdom cause.

But Jesus had other plans. He had come to bring another reality. His kingdom was about serving, not being served. In His kingdom the first were to be last and the last first. In His kingdom the least would be the greatest. The leader must be like the servant. He even told the disciples, "I am among you as the one who serves" (Vs 27) and "the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve" (Matthew 28:20).

Paul describes it this way in his letter to the Philippians:

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. – Philippians 2:3-4

He goes on to use Jesus as the perfect example of this new mentality we are to possess as His followers. We are to have the attitude that Jesus had. One of service and self-sacrifice for the good of the kingdom. An attitude of self-denial and humility, putting the will of God above our own, and the kingdom of God in place of our own.

So how are we doing? Do we have the attitude of Christ? Or are we spending our time debating where we stand in the spiritual pecking order? Are we more interested in being served or serving? Do we prefer special treatment or treating others as more important than ourselves?

What is amazing is that Jesus chose the disciples - men just like you and me - and He was able to use them. But first He had to transform them. Which is what He is doing in us. He is slowly weaning us off our obsession with power, position, and prominence and transforming us into His own likeness. Selfless, sacrificial, humble, and possessing a heart for the things of God.

Father, forgive me for being too obsessed about me. Help me to see that your kingdom is not about me. It is about You. Continue to open my eyes and give me a heart for others. Give me the attitude of Christ so that I might consider myself as "the least of these" and others as more important than myself. Thank you for your patience with me as I struggle with my humanness. Continue to transform me into Christ's likeness. And may Your kingdom come and Your will be done in my life. Amen.

Wow! This was a heavy one.

Luke 21

As I read through this chapter, I have to admit that I had a strong urge to reach up to the shelf in my office and crack open a trusty commentary on Luke in order to gain some insight into the meaning behind this passage. Because what Jesus had to say here had my head spinning.

But then I thought about the poor disciples. Can you imagine how much their heads were spinning as they listed to these words of Jesus? I don't think they had a clue as to what he was talking about. Sure, they got all the references to earthquakes, famines, conflicts, persecution, and betrayal, but they had no way of knowing when all these things were going to take place. I just picture them standing there, jaws slack, eyes wide open, inwardly panicking about all they are taking in. "Is this what we signed up for?" they ask themselves.

So as I read this passage again, I began to look for words of comfort to go along with the words of conflict, confusion, and chaos. And there they were. Strategically placed throughout Jesus' discourse are some helpful reminders from the lips of the Savior to help His disciples survive and thrive during difficult times. And they still apply today.

Use every opportunity to share - In verse 13, Jesus tells the disciples that even though they are going to be arrested, put on trial, and persecuted for His names sake, they need to see it as an opportunity to tell others about Him. Don't try and protect yourself, make the most of the situation and share about the life-changing love of Jesus Christ.

Rely on the Lord - Verses 14-15 remind us that God will give us everything we need to endure everything that comes our way. We don't have to worry about having enough strength to face the difficult days ahead, because we have God on our side.

Remember that you will endure - Verse 19 reminds us that no matter what we face in the future, we WILL endure. Saving faith doesn't fall apart or fade away - it endures. To cease to trust Jesus is to never have trusted Him. Your ability to endure persecution and pain is proof of the faith within you.

Watch and wait expectantly - Verses 27-28 remind us to have an eternal perspective - to live in anticipation of the Lord's return. Don't wallow in the despair of the day, but lift up your heads and keep your eyes open for the ultimate answer to all of life's problems" The redemption of this world that will come with the return of the Lord.

Trust God's Word - Verse 33 puts it all in perspective. While the entire creation could evaporate tomorrow, the word of God is lasting, permanent, and trustworthy. This world and everything in it is impermanent and untrustworthy, but you can count on God's word.

Guard your heart - Tough times can be tough on our hearts, causing us to worry, weighing us down with doubt and despair. We can take our eyes off the hope of the Lord's return and focus in on the circumstances around us. In verse 34, Jesus tells us not to let that happen.

Stay alert and pray for strength - The opposite of a life filled with worry and despair is a life of complacency and carelessness. Jesus encourages us to be alert, to have our eyes open to all that is going on around us. In other words, be realistic. This stuff is real and it calls for prayer. We need endurance. We need strength. We need wisdom. And these things only come from one place: God.

So, what are you going to do in the difficult days in which you live? There are signs of despair everywhere. People are suffering. The news is not good. But are we supposed to panic? Not according to Jesus. We live in a fallen world in need of a risen Savior. Let's turn to Him - even when we don't understand all that is going on around us.

Father, help me to be a glass-half-full Christian who sees Light in the midst of darkness. Who sees Hope in the midst of despair. Who looks up when the temptation is to be down. Give me an eternal perspective. Help me keep my eyes focused onYou! Help to me to trust that you have the details of my life and this world all worked out and Your plan is perfect.  So I have no reason to worry. Amen.

Rendering Capabilities.

Luke 20

He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” - Luke 20:25 ESV

I know it's only the end of January, but it's hard not to think about tax season. Before we know it, April 15 will be here and all of us will be rushing to "render unto Caesar." In fact, the ads and commercials for tax preparation services have already started. Most try and take a humorous approach, but for some reason I find it very difficult to see paying your taxes as a laughing matter. Especially in the midst of economic hard times.

But I digress. As I look at Jesus' response to a trick question posed to him by the Jewish religious leaders who were obsessed with finding some charge they could level at Him and get Him out of the way, I am convicted. Not about paying my taxes, but about false worship.

You see, Jesus tells them to "render" or literally "discharge what is due" to the government of their day. That just happened to be the Romans. They had a civic duty and responsibility to pay their taxes. Even if those taxes were unjust and exorbitant (which they were). But the thing that hit me is that I tend to give the government more than it deserves or even demands. I render unto government what really belongs to God:

My trust, confidence, hope, dependence, expectation, desire for protection, need for stability. In short, I end up worshiping government instead of God. This morning the news agencies are all talking about the House having passed President Obama's $819 billion stimulus package. Many Americans are placing their hope and confidence in this bill being our way out of the financial crisis this country is in. There are even a lot of believers who are hoping someone, anyone in government will come up with a solution.

But is government where my hope should lie? Are politicians the ones in whom I should place my confidence? Is Washington or Rome where I should turn for solutions to the difficulties of life?

I am to render unto God what is rightfully His and His alone. My confidence, my trust, my hope, my allegiance, my dependence, my obedience, my life. So this April 15 I will render unto Caesar what is rightfully his. But beginning today I will attempt to give God what only He deserves. Care to join me?

Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord! - Psalm 31:24 ESV

Father, these are difficult days, but you are a powerful God. Help me to remember that you alone are worthy of my trust, allegiance, confidence, hope, and love. Give me a confidence to face each day with peace, hope, and joy. Amen.

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Seek And Save Mission.

Luke 19

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. - Luke 19:10 ESV

If the Lord ever needed a purpose statement, this would have been it. In one short sentence we read the real reason behind His birth, His life, and His death. He came to seek and to save the lost. Which included me! And some vertically challenged Hebrew tax collector named Zaccheus.

I love this story. I can't read it without thinking about the little Sunday School song I learned growing up as a child.

Zaccheus was a wee little man,

and a wee little man was he.

He climbed up in a sycamore tree,

for the Lord he wanted to see.

And as the Savior passed him by,

He looked up in the tree,

And he said, "Zaccheus, you come down;

For I'm going to your house today,

for I'm going to your house today"

Zaccheus came down from that tree,

as happy as he could be,

He gave his money to the poor,

and said: "What a better man I'll be."

But while this clever little ditty covers the "chance" encounter Zaccheus had with Jesus and the subsequent life change that resulted, there's something missing, and it's the statement recorded in verse 10. What happened to Zaccheus is a picture of what Jesus came to do for every man, woman and child: To save them from their lostness. You see, Zaccheus was a "wee little man" in more than just height. He was lacking in more than physical stature. He had come up short on the righteousness index and was going to find himself standing at the gate of heaven unable to meet the mandatory holiness height requirement to enter.

He was LOST. A sheep without a shepherd doomed to get as much out of his earthly life as he possibly could because his hopes of heaven were blocked by an insurmountable wall of righteous standards he could never get over. Especially at his size!

But something remarkable happened. Jesus enters the scene. Zaccheus is up in a tree, attempting to overcome his height disadvantage and catch a glimpse of Jesus. But Jesus found him and said, "Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house." Wow! Jesus was offering this sinful man an opportunity to have his home, and subsequently his heart, occupied by the Son of God. You can tell by the reaction of the crowds that Zaccheus was far from deserving. He was a known sinner. By his own admission he had become rich through fraud and corruption. Yet Jesus chose him over over all the others in the crowd that day.

You see, Zaccheus is me. I was once the same spiritually stunted sinner in search of a savior. I couldn't measure up. I consistently came up short on the righteousness requirement. I was lost. But Jesus was seeking for me and He found me. And like Zaccheus, my life has never been the same. Salvation came to my house.

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound T

hat saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found;

Was blind, but now I see.

– Amazing Grace, John Newton

Thank you Father for sending Your Son to seek me. Thank you Jesus for finding me. Let me never forget that like Zaccheus, I was undeserving of your grace and mercy. I didn't measure up. I was a "wee little man" unable to reach You, so you reached out to me. And I am eternally grateful. Amen

Could You Use A Little Justice?

Luke 18

As I read through Luke 18 this morning, one verse jumped out at me, and it happened to be the very first one.

And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. – Luke 18:1 ESV

Have you ever prayed and lost heart? Have you ever prayed and felt like God was wasn't answering or that He didn't even hear your request in the first place? If you're anything like me, you've probably had this feeling more times than you would like to remember. So this passage really struck a chord with me. You see, I thought I knew this passage pretty well. But in doing my devotional this morning I tried to look at it with a fresh set of eyes. In the last I had always seen the first parable as a lesson in persistent prayer. After all, it's a story about a widow who kept "continually coming" to the unjust judge and ultimately wore him down. But is persistence the real point here? If so, then we run the risk of turning this parable into a license for asking for and getting whatever we want from God. Just ask loud enough, long enough, and persistently enough, and God will eventually have to give in to your request.

But the real point seems to be about the content of the woman's request, not her methodology. Yes, she ultimately got what she was asking for, but what was it that she was requesting? According to Jesus, it was justice. She had asked this judge for legal protection from her opponent. In verses 7-8, Jesus says, "...will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and wil He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly." This woman was in need of justice. So she turned to the only source she knew could deliver it, and she asked for it consistently and persistently until she received it. Why? Because she was helpless and hopeless to do anything about it herself. This earthly judge was her only hope -- for justice.

So what's the point? I need to pray for justice to be done. I need to believe that justice will be done. But when will it happen? According to Jesus, it will come "when the Son of Man comes." Ultimate justice on this earth will only come when the Lord returns and makes everything wrong right. But when He returns will He find His people praying faithfully and expectantly for justice to be done or will He find that we have long since given up and given in? The real message in this passage for me is about praying for the return of the Savior. It is about allowing the injustices I see in this world to remind me that the only solution is His return. When I see someone suffering from a potentially life-threatening disease, I am not only to pray for their healing, but to pray that justice be done. That this wrong be made right. When I encounter yet another marriage dissentegrating before my eyes, I am not only to pray for restoration, but to allow it to remind me that the ultimate, long-term solution is His return.  Seeing and experiencing injustice in this world should cause us to pray for His return. I should long for His return more than anything else. To pray for anything less is to expect too little and to settle for far less than true justice.

Do you long for His return? Are you eager to see justice done? I am. And what a joy it is to know that that day is coming. His second coming will bring justice on the earth once and for all.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new." -- Revelation 21:1-5a ESV

Father, may I continue to grow in my understanding of and desire for justice, which is available only through Your Son and will ultimately come when He returns. Help me long for and pray persistently forthat day more than anything else. Amen.

Increase Our Faith.

Luke 17

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." - Luke 17:5 NASB

The thing that struck me the most out of this chapter was the request of the disciples for "more faith." At first blush, this would seem to be a noble request. They appear to be asking the Master to increase their faith. But what they failed to recognize was that it is not a matter of the amount of faith we possess, but its presence. They were apparently wanting MORE faith so they could do MORE with it. Just take a look back at chapter 9. These guys had been sent out by Jesus and were given "power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases."

My take is that the disciples' request for more faith was a not-so-subtle request for more power. They wanted more so they could do more. But Jesus' response was that if they only had a little, they could do much.

It is interesting that Jesus then goes on to tell a parable about the slave owner and his slave in verses 7-10. If we keep the parable within the context, it would seem that Jesus is teaching them that their faith will be increased at the proper time. Right now it was all about Jesus and His ministry. The disciples, like the slave in the parable, were to serve Jesus and His needs. They needed to see themselves as "unworthy slaves" who were to simply do what they ought to do: faithfully serve the one who has called me.

I sometimes ask God for more, of even good things like faith, as a reward for my obedience and service. But instead, I need to do my job as an "unworthy slave" and faithfully serve, leaving any reward up to God.

Father, help me to be recognize my position. Forgive me for always wanting more, when you have already given me so much, including Your Son. I want to serve you faithfully, not for the recognition or reward, but out of gratitude for all you have done for me. Amen.