Mark 3

Healing

As I was reading Mark 3, I got that moment when you just stop and wonder. An AHA! moment. Here it is in Verse 3:

Mark 3:10 (Amplified Bible)

¹⁰For He had healed so many that all who had distressing bodily diseases kept falling upon Him and pressing upon Him in order that they might touch Him.

I stopped reading and tried to imagine what it would be like for Jesus. Here was, going from town to town and performing many miracles of healing and deliverance from demons. As the word spread about Him, the number of people seeking his healing swelled to such a number that he had to have a boat ready so that he wasn't crushed by the crowd (see verse 9).

Can you imagine it? He would be waking down the street with people shouting out his name in order to be heard. They were desperate and they probably didn't care who they pushed out of the way to get to Him. The crowds must have been suffocating, being pressed on every side with hands grabbing at Jesus' garments, touching and grasping at His body. Every imaginable smell in the heat and dust of the day was most likely assailing his nostrils.

And why? Because they were desperate. Desperate for what? His healing touch, His healing words.

It then struck me that they were not seeking that relationship with Him. They just wanted something from Him. It was not what He was, but what He could do for them.

Then I searched in my mind for my relationship with Jesus. And I realized that I was so desperate for the healing in my soul and in my life, that I was like that crowd, pressing and pushing and seeking just a touch from Him. It wasn't the relationship I was looking for, it was the Healing. It was after the healing that the relationship started.

And what a relationship He offers! I look back in time and see that what I thought was the everything, was just the beginning of the unimaginable friendship that I have with my Healer, Redeemer and Deliverer.

How about you? Are you searching for the Healing alone, or are you yearning for the relationship?

Romans 9-10

The overall theme in these two chapters is faith vs works. Do we live a life based on works to earn God's love, salvation and favor? Or do we rely on faith and trust in Him?

Let's establish the facts:

Jesus is God:

Romans 9:5 NIV Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.

God is in control:

Romans 9:15 NIV For He says to Mose, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."

We are not in control:

Romans 9:20-21 NIV But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, "Why did you make me like this?" Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?"

The Israelites and many other religions today boast about works for salvation:

Romans 9:30-33 NIV What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling stone." (Emphasis mine)

We are saved by faith:

Romans 10:9-10 NIV That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

Faith comes from the Word of God:

Romans 10:17 KJV So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

God is in control, we need not fear. You can belong to His family and rest in His protection by simply believing that Jesus died for our sins, was raised unto life. Hear the Word, let your faith grow, receive Him and live forever!

Romans 7-8

I focus on Romans 8 today because it is one of my favorite chapters in the whole Bible. So many nuggets of truth. I highlighted my favorite verses today and plan on memorizing them throughout the next few weeks. Here they are:

Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

We are free from guilt and sin through the blood of Jesus Christ Who paid ALL of our sins at the cross. All my past sins, all my future sins and all my present sins.

Romans 8:9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does does not belong to Christ.

I belong to Him! No enemy can snatch me out of my Father's Hand.

Romans 8:15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption. And by Him we cry, "Abba, Father."

Since I did not have much of a father figure in my life, this scripture right here fills me with warmth, security and belonging. I have the Best Father Figure now, and in Him I find everything that I need as His daughter.

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

Another security blanket. Because I belong to Him, He will only work out good things for me. They may be painful at times, but only good will result. I will be better and better each year that I get closer to seeing My Daddy in Heaven. When I see Him, I hope to hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"

Romans 8:31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

My Abba is on my side. Others may be against us, but I am on the winning team. Hallelujah!

Romans 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

Whatever is needed to further His work, His glory and His kingdom, my God will provide it all. Need Wisdom? He'll give it. Need provision? He'll provide it. Need Comfort? He is there.

Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Through Jesus Christ, we are more than conquerors. MORE. That is an interesting word to place here. More than conquerors. If you've conquered, what else is there?

Romans 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is Christ Jesus our Lord.

There is nothing I can say to this one. It is an absolute truth that we can count on. We are His beloved!

Romans 1-2

I love the book of Romans. It is a book about Power. His Power. And it contains so many helpful tools to live a faith-filled life.

The first eight verses of the first chapter have some great nuggets.

¹Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— ²the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures ³regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, ⁴and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. ⁵Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. ⁶And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

⁷To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁸First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.

This brings some questions to mind:

1. Who am I appointed to be and by Whom? (verses 1-2)

• God appoints me to be a partner in His Work.
• I am appointed as a vessel.
  
• I have been set apart to share the Good News.
  

2. Who is this all about? (verses 3-4)

• It's all about Jesus. Not me, not my works, not my glory, not my walk. It's all about Him!
  

3. What has Jesus done for us? (verses 5-6)

• Though Him we received unmerited grace from God.
  
• We belong to Jesus Christ. Doesn't that give you a great measure of comfort? We "belong" to Jesus.
  

4. What does He want us to do? (verses 4, 7-8)

• We have been called to be saints. The Amplified version says it this way:...called to be saints and designated for a consecrated life... (verse 7)
• We are designated to live a consecrated life. For Him
• Make disciples for His Name's sake among all the nations (Amplified verse 4)
• Let the report of our faith be known to all the world and commended everywhere (Amplified verse 8)

And that was just the first 8 verses! Do you see the value of this letter to the Romans that Paul wrote?

May the Lord bless you with understanding as your read this wonderful book!

Acts 23-24

I heard an excellent sermon by John Bevere entitled Honor's Reward.

Now, everything that I read is peppered with a new view on honor and it's benefits. Jesus was not able to do much healing in his own town because they did not honor Him.

In Acts 19 we read that Paul, a man of God, did not receive honor from the Jews in the synagogue; their hearts were hardened and spoke of evil of him. There are no recorded miracles among them. However, when Paul continued his discussion in a room of Tyrannus, he received honor as he expounded five hours a day on the Scriptures, for two years. The result?

Acts 19:11 AMP And God did unusual and extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul.

So much honor in fact, that just by touching Paul with their handkerchiefs or towels or aprons, and taking them home and laying them on the sick, were miraculous healings and deliverances manifested.

John Bevere talks about honoring our rulers. Why? Because God commanded it.

1 Peter 2:13-17 ¹³Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, ¹⁴or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. ¹⁵For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. ¹⁶Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. ¹⁷Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.

This king that Peter is talking about was King Herod Agrippa, who was persecuting Christians at the time. We are to honor our rulers, whether we like them or not. And this honor should come from the heart.

Paul in Acts 23 spoke against the Ananias, not realizing that he was the High Priest. He showed the proper honor by apologizing in verse 5:

Acts 23:5 NIV Paul replied, "Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: 'Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.'" (Exodus 22:28)

This brings some questions to mind:

1. Do you honor all governmental authority?
2. Do you honor the men of God who have authority over you?
3. Do you honor your peers?
4. Do you honor those you have authority over?

Folks, let us begin to show honor that is due all men as they are created by our God. God will take care of the rest!

Matthew 4

Chapter 4 brought some interesting facts to light in my mind.

When Satan tempted Jesus, he intentionally targeted three of the most basic human desires. The need for food, security and power.

The first temptation was the easiest. Jesus had not eaten for forty days and forty nights. He then felt the extreme pangs of hunger. This was perfect timing for Satan to offer a tantalizing temptation, as he did for Adam and Eve - eat!

Food is a basic necessity for humans; it is the first need identified in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Jesus put it into perspective, though. He said that is not the most important, the Word of God is the most basic need. (Matthew 4:4)

The devil next offered security, safety. That's Maslow's second hierarchical need. We are under God's protection and provision. He has us covered. But we must not step out of His Will and test Him. Here Jesus responds with just that. We are not to test, tempt or try the Lord. Just follow His Will and keep within the safety of His Plan, He'll take care of the rest. You can trust Him!

The last temptation is the most obvious evil - power. It is the desire for power that causes the majority of the ills within our world. As James very succinctly puts it:

James 4:1-2 NIV What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? ² You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.

But Jesus gets it right again - We only need to worship God, make Him number one in our life, desire only what He desires for us, put Him in the center of our lives. We cannot go wrong if we listen to the greatest command of all:

Matthew 22:37 NIV Jesus replied, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind."

Let the Word of God nourish you, trust God for all of your needs, and make Him the center of your life. Then we reach what Maslow considers the top level of our hierarchical needs: Peak Experiences. There is no greater "high" than personally experiencing God!

Matthew 1-2

"Joseph."

"Yes, Lord?"

"Don't divorce her. What she is going through is exactly what is needed to reconcile sinners to their Creator."

"What?? What in the world are You talking about? She is just a human being, I know all of her little foibles and weaknesses. She's special enough to me, but to do something that magnificent? No way! Are you sure?"

"Yes, Joseph, I am sure. Now, do not secretly divorce her."

"Sigh... I don't know. I may look like a fool at the end of all this. People are going to talk. Her name is mud already, just imagine mine! My father always taught me to protect my name, his name. This is not going to look good."

"Joseph, just do what I say. Trust Me."

"What am I going to say to everyone...Sigh. I guess I'll do it. I'm really not happy about this I want you to know!"

------

"Joseph, hurry! Tenderly take your wife and child to Egypt."

"What??"

"Just do it - to Egypt. There are those who are seeking His life."

"Awww come on! Not again! I have a nice little business set up back home, all my belongings are there, my friends, my family. You expect me to just drop everything and leave to that pagan country. I hate Egypt! I've heard about them - they dress funny, talk funny and smell! Ugh! They hate shepherds, too! Not that I'm a shepherd, you know - just a carpenter by trade, but my people are shepherds. I have honor to uphold. Anyone who doesn't like my people, don't deserve to be around me."

"Joseph - trust me. There is no time to waste. Get up and tenderly take your family to Egypt."

"Sigh... here we go again. Do this, do that. Everything out of the ordinary. My task list is shot now, you know that don't you? There are three orders for tables just waiting at home, plus the intricate door for Elias. My name is already sullied and now this? What are people going to say now? I'll never be able to show my face there again."

"Joseph, GO!"

--------------

"Joseph, the time of danger has passed. Tenderly take the Child and His mother back to Israel."

"What??"

"You heard me the first time, Joseph. I don't need to repeat Myself."

"This is driving me nutty! What's my orderly life become? I have no routines left, nothing sure that I can count on. I've had it! I don't want to do this anymore! Why don't you just take my life and get it all over with?!?"

"Joseph, go back to Israel, to the town of Nazareth in the region of Galilee."

"Woa! Now You are going way too far with all of this! You can't seriously expect me to do this. What are people going to say? They'll say that I've lost my mind is what they'll say. I've had to send messengers to pull all the money out of the bank to pay back those people that I didn't complete the work for. Elias is saying that he'll put a judgment out against me. I promised him that when I got back I'd finish that blasted door. And now? You are asking me to go to a strange town and begin all over again! I'm way to old for this. At my age, I should be settled down with a dependable business that will pay the expenses of my growing family. Start over? I'm getting quite frustrated here. In fact, I'm angry! What do you expect of me??"

"Joseph, I said go, and that is exactly what I mean. Now GO!"

I know... a fictional account of what could have happened. But it didn't happen that way did it? Check out Joseph's responses to God:

Matthew 2:24-25 NIV
²⁴When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ²⁵But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Matthew 2:14-15 NIV
¹⁴So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, ¹⁵where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."

Matthew 2:21-23 NIV
²¹So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. ²²But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, ²³and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."

What about you? Do you respond to God with questions, arguments and a list of reasons why you should not move? Or do you cheerfully, without question, obey the Lord Who knows all things?

2 Corinthians 5-6

It is nearly impossible to blog a couple of chapters. There are so many gold nuggets of truth in each chapter that picking one out and commenting on it is a trifle difficult. You should see all of my notes in these two chapters! I don't see much white space in my Bible. I have a lot to say on these two chapters. Therefore, I am going to condense my words here and expound on them on an article that I am currently writing: Transformation by Renewal is Real!

Let's jump back a chapter before I continue:

2 Corinthians 4:16 Amplified Bible ...Though our outer man is [progressively] decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day after day.

Not by our power, but by the Power of the Holy Spirit Who has taken up residence within us. But I honestly believe that there has to be a desire to be renewed day after day. If I am content to remain the way I am for the rest of my life, then renewal is going to be nearly impossible! Our hearts must be opened to God for Him to refine us like silver. If the door to our hearts is closed to that, then God, being the Gentleman that He is, will not come in and rearrange the room.

Notice how Paul operates in order to be renewed:

2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV We live by faith, not by sight.

God has said that without faith it is impossible to please Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Paul continues with:

2 Corinthians 5:9 NIV So we make it our goal to please Him whether we are at home in the body or away from it.

Paul lives his life with pleasing God as his main objective. He knows that when he stands before God, his works will be judged and he will be rewarded. Please note that this is not works for salvation, these are works that we do regardless of salvation, and a reward is awaiting us for what we have done with our time here on earth.

Paul then tells the Corinthians to not be yoked with unbelievers. There is a certain gravity that largely operates in this world: we gravitate towards decay. I have taught my children that it is harder for a person walking with God to maintain that walk if they are constantly surrounded by unbelievers. It is easier to succumb to temptation because our flesh is weak.

Romans 7:19 NIV For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing.

You can just imagine him pulling his hair out in frustration over his flesh. I know I do sometimes!

The Lord has asked us to come out from unbelievers and to not touch any unclean thing.

2 Corinthians 6:17 Amplified Bible So, come out from among [unbelievers], and separate (sever) yourselves from them, says the Lord, and touch not [any] unclean thing; then I will receive you kindly and treat you with favor. [Isaiah 52:11]

Please note well! I am not saying, "do not talk to unbelievers" (those who refuse a relationship with God)! How else can they be reached for God? I'm saying do not have a close and constant relationship with them to the point that your flesh succumbs to temptation. There has to be a separateness that defines that relationship. We are to love unbelievers, minister to them, teach them, help them to see that God is waiting for a reconciliation with them - but we are not to be intimately connected with them.

And:

1 Corinthians 15:33 Amplified Do not be so deceived and misled! Evil companionships (communion, associations) corrupt and deprave good manners and morals and character.

Ahem! Back to the renewal thingy.

1. God wants to continually renew us, day after day.

2 Corinthians 3:18 Amplified Bible And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.

2. He wants us transformed into His likeness , so that others will see His Light shining through this broken vessel we call our flesh.

2 Corinthians 4:7 Amplified However, we possess this precious treasure [the divine Light of the Gospel] in [frail, human] vessels of earth, that the grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves.

3. Let us lead a life pleasing unto God, and not unto men.

Galatians 1:10 KJV For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

4. We must be careful not to become of the world while we are out there shining His Light for others to desire that same Light.

5. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind! (Romans 12:2) How? Read the Word, pray, be purposeful in what you allow into your mind, and enjoy that precious relationship that God has for you.

6. Go out and be that Light! So many broken, sad souls are looking for it - you have it through the power of the Holy Spirit Who has confirmed it in your spirit. Share it!

Blessings of peace and grace to you!

2 Corinthians 1-2

I find it very interesting how God works. I received a call from a friend this morning. We needed to talk about some issues that were causing some anger and resentment. We operate on the policy of "if you have anything that is bothering you, let's talk about it before it becomes a huge issue." So she did.

I sat down to pray and read scriptures before she came. 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 spoke about comfort. A lot of comfort. I highlighted all the comfort in these verses:

2 Corinthians 1:3-7 ³ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. ⁴ He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. ⁵ For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. ⁶ Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. ⁷ We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.

There is a lot of comfort here!

• God is the source of ALL comfort
  
• He comforts us
• Why? So we can comfort others - we will be able to emulate His pattern of comfort
• The more we suffer for Christ, the more God will comfort us
• Our troubles lead us to comfort others because when we are comforted, we can comfort
• This helps us to patiently endure what others suffer
• We share sufferings, and we share the comfort God gives us

The next few verses were key in preparing for my meeting:

1 Corinthians 1:9-11 In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰ And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. ¹¹ And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety.

• I do not need to rely on my flesh for this meeting.
• I can rely on my God who raises the dead. He is all powerful and can do anything.
• He will rescue us
• God answers prayers for deliverance
  

No, I wasn't in mortal danger. Here we are, two daughters of God who need understanding, comfort and guidance. We prayed before our meeting that our hearts would be opened, that we would accept each other's words and find resolution. We asked God for His presence during the meeting.

1 Corinthians 1:21 It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ...

God graced our meeting, He enabled us to stand firm in Christ. After an hour of gentle conversation, apologies, and clearing up faulty assumptions, we tearfully embraced knowing that God had grown our relationship even more.

God showed up and led us through the comforting and encouraging process of clearing up a difficult situation. Isn't He good?

1 Corinthians 15

Besides the amazing basic facts that embody the Gospel, there is another point that impressed me. But first the facts:

1. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. The Perfect One took upon Himself all of our imperfections. We don't deserve this. But because of His Love and desire to re-establish a relationship with us, He unselfishly performed this most loving act.

2. He was buried and rose again on the third day. His Body never experienced decay as was foretold in the scriptures. (Acts 13:35)

3. He showed Himself to over 500 people. Witnesses - a powerful stamp of approval for the truth. Even Paul saw Him.

Jesus died for our sins, we are made righteous by His Blood. He has risen thus abolishing death once and for all. "Oh death, where is thy sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55) We will see Him again and spend eternity with The One Whom I Love!

In this chapter Paul continues to show much humility. Here stands one of the greatest apostles of all time; enduring all types of persecutions and beatings, left to die, thrown out of towns, and yet he never quits. How many conversions can be credited to him? How many churches have received admonitions done in love? And yet he says about himself:

1 Corinthians 15:9 For I am the least of the apostles and not even fit to be called an apostle because I persecuted God's church.

And then Paul explains who he really is:

1Corinthians 15:10 But by God's grace I am what I am, and his grace shown to me was not wasted. Instead, I worked harder than all the others-not I, of course, but God's grace that was with me.

I love how Paul truly gives credit where credit is due. I have noticed this theme throughout his letters. He does nothing, the Holy Spirit does it all. He is nothing, the Holy Spirit defines him. He gives glory where glory is due:

Peter says it perfectly:

1 Peter 4:11 Whoever speaks must speak God's words. Whoever serves must serve with the strength that God supplies, so that in every way God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. Glory and power belong to him forever and ever! Amen.

I love the fact that we can truly say, we are who we are by God's grace!

Apologies

We apologize for the interruption in our blogging. House-hunting took priority this week, and a very successful venture it was!

We will resume regular service next week. Have a blessed weekend!

1 Corinthians 2-3

Paul continually expounds on the "works" of the Holy Spirit. He acknowledges that it is not him (Paul) who converts, or preaches, or saves. Paul even talks about how he "resolved to know nothing.. except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." (2:2) His words were not persuasive or wise, but he credits the Holy Spirit's power that did the conversion, lest men might rest on man's wisdom and not on God's.

All wisdom comes from God; the world's wisdom is nothing. The Holy Spirit reveals God to us, personally. The words that Paul spoke, and the words that we speak, are words taught by the Spirit of God.

We can boldly proclaim the Word because we have the mind of Christ! (2:16) We, his people, do not need to rely on our own Wisdom. We may plant, but God grows. Doesn't that take the pressure off?

We are God's Temple, He has taken up permanent residence in us. Let us walk in that truth. Be confident that God is at work, and He is inviting you to work alongside Him. We are His partners in His labor.

May God bless you with His Truth in all this. Amen!

1 Corinthians 1

Exactly one years ago today, I ran across the following verse. It made such an impact on me that I spent some time in it:

1 Corinthians 1:31 (Amplified Bible) So then, as it is written, Let him who boasts and proudly rejoices and glories, boast and proudly rejoice and glory in the Lord.

Paul is referencing:

Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NIV)

23. This is what the Lord says:
Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength
or the rich man boast of his riches,
24. but let him who boasts boast about this:
that he understands and knows Me,
that I am the Lord, Who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,"
declares the Lord.

I like the way the Amplified Bible explains the first part of verse 24. To know and understand the Lord is to know Him personally and practically, directly discerning and recognizing His character.

Paul references Jeremiah again in 2 Corinthians:

2 Corinthians 10:17-18 NIV But, "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord," For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

Two years ago, these scriptures made a big impression. Why? Because God was working one of His Great Miracles and showing me who I was in Him. This is described in the series The Fighting Man. I had grown up without a sense of self-esteem. One of the telling characteristics of someone with this chink in their armor is a tendency to boast. I was really good at it, too! :)

Well, I have learned that it is best to boast in the Lord. Why? Because He has done all the work!

• He did the work on the cross so I could have a relationship with Him again.
• He created me as His vessel for His use and to further His work.
• He reveals the work that needs to be done in me.
• Hedoes all the healing.
• He changed me from the inside out, removing old habits, readjusting thought processes, refining me like silver
• He reveals Himself to me, personally.

Notice the keyword here? HE. The Great I AM. The Almighty God. So who am I?

I will describe to you, who I am.

I am His. And that is all I can boast about.

How about you? Do you understand and know the Lord? Personally? Do you recognize His character? Is He the center of your being?

May God bless you with a Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation that you may get to know Him better.

2 Thessalonians

A few things struck me as I read these scriptures this morning.

1. Love:

Paul spoke of how well the Thessalonians loved each other in the first book of Thessalonians. In the second, he again commends them for how well they love each other.

Isn't that what life is all about? Love: Love God, love each other, and love yourself. :)

Life is all about relationships. It's not about task lists (reminder to self), the acquisition of things, or the mindless running around. It's all about people.

What are we to do with people? Enjoy them! Help the weak, feed the hungry, comfort the hurting, visit the sick, encourage the lost, heal the broken. Laugh and cry with each other, be real and allow them to be real back.

2. Faith. In the face of so much persecution, their faith was strong. Contrast that with his previous letter to the Galatians, "Oh, why have you been so easily led astray by the detractors to the Gospel??"

1 Thessalonians 1:4 Amplified: And this is a cause of our mentioning you with pride among the churches (assemblies) of God for your steadfastness (your unflinching, endurance and patience) and your firm faith in the midst of all the persecutions and crushing distresses and afflictions under which you are holding up.

He is proud of them! They are steadfast despite the persecutions, crushing distresses and affliction. They irrevocably trust God (for more on trusting God, check out my article: A Trust Issue).

3. Tough Love. In the last chapter of the book, Paul commands the brethren to stay away from every brother who leads an unruly life. (New American Standard). What??

Just previously he commended them for their great love for each other. Is this love? Absolutely. Tough love is an action that hopefully brings repentance unto those who are sinning. As Paul described in another letter, excommunicate the brother and leave him to the devil. Sounds harsh.

As written in Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible:

"This was probably in order to excommunicate him, and deliver him over to Satan for the destruction of the body, that the spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."

I had to display some very tough love once, as explained in the article: What if they Stray?, with excellent results. So, I believe that Paul really knows what he's talking about.

I'd like to end this with the way Paul begins his letter: "Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

1 Thessalonians 4-5

Be a godly person. Live justly, and love one another. Quietly mind your own business, and be sad for the dead, but know that they are going to be seeing Jesus before you are.

Chapters 4 and 5 are books of encouragement. Remember, this book was written for young Christians who didn't have access to a complete New Testament. It was so easy for false teachers to arrive and put their own ideas across, without first hand knowledge of God. Paul was providing some basic rules to follow, and more than anything, giving examples of how they (and we) should encourage others.

Be Joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is Gods will for you in Jesus Christ.

Words that we could all do well to live by! As in most of Paul's writings, simple ideas which are difficult to follow at times.

1 Thessalonians 1-3

Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians to a young church; the Christian church in Thessalonica was only two or three years old at the time of writing, and it is one of Paul's earliest letters.

Chapters 1 - 3 are a statement of the history of the church in Thessalonica, and a restatement of Paul's confidence in them; he refers to Timothy's encouraging report, and the whole wording of the first three chapters is reminiscent of a parents encouragement to their children; acceptance that they'll make mistakes, but confirmation that they'll still be loved through it.

The application of this book to ourselves is very similar. If you're a young Christian, having been in the church for two or three years, it's very possible that you'll be suffering the same doubts and having similar questions to the Thessalonian church members. Be assured that God still loves you, even though he knows you'll make mistakes. You'll come under attack from Satan, as the Thessalonians were, but the battle has already been won.

As a friend of ours says, "If you aren't being attacked by Satan, you mustn't be a very good Christian."

Galatians 5-6

Gal 5:19-21 ..Sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
idolatry and witchcraft;
hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissentions, factions and envy;
drunkenness, orgies, and the like;

So, how many did *you* tick off on the above list? If you're like me, the answer is too many (and even one is too many).

Gal 5:22-23 ..Joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Well, I miss a few ticks on this list as well. I wish I had the full set, and I'm working towards it slowly...

Paul's message throughout Galatians, and stressed especially in chapters 5 and 6, is that we are saved by Grace. As an excellent Pastor once put it, "grace + NOTHING = salvation". God's grace is all we need, and there's nothing we can do to add to it. There are no levels of salvation; it's binary. Yes or No. On or Off. And once we've accepted it, there's nothing else we need to do. Paul's issue - and the reason he wrote to the churches in Galatia - is that there were Jews out there with a different (and incorrect) perspective. They were claiming that new Christians had to follow Jewish dietary laws, and be circumcised; thereby claiming that salvation was the result of grace plus works. Paul was a Jew - he knew all those rules - but he also understood the basis of his salvation, and he wasn't going to let anyone be led astray by wrong teachings.

By accepting the Holy Spirit into ourselves, we no longer want to do any of the list a the the top of this post, because we're hurting God. But if we do slip, we know that we're covered by Gods grace, and we will be forgiven. It truly is like a parents love for children; you love them for who they are, not for what they do, and no matter how much they hurt you, you never stop loving them.

It's such a simple message that it often gets lost in the theology of the Bible; You want salvation? Just ask! But no - people try to read all sorts of strange pet theories into the Bible; who can forget Eric Von Daniken's 1968 best seller 'Chariots of the Gods', claiming biblical proof that Jesus was a spaceman? There's someone who might be missing out on salvation..

We ourselves often forget to ask. It's like a couple driving to an unfamiliar restaurant. The husband wants to stop and ask for directions, whilst the wife insists that she knows where she is, and it's just around the corner*. They'll get there eventually - we hope - but they'll be hungry, and they'd have gotten there faster if only they'd asked for help. It's just like that with God's salvation.

* Identities changed to protect the innocent. But when we're in the car together, Kat rarely drives...

Galatians 3-4

Paul is very upset with the Galatians for have been led astray by the "voices" of their detractors. It reminds me of how I feel as a parent. When I've poured my life into my children, and they decide to go another way, I truly do feel like Paul when he says,

"My little children, for whom I am again suffering birth pangs until Christ is completely and permanently formed (molded) within you." Galatians 4:19 Amplified Version

Isn't that just like a parent? I just want to know that they run with God all of their lives, and until then, I suffer birth pangs until Christ is permanently molded within them. :0

But the Blog today is not about parenting, it's about a faith like Abraham. How did Abraham live? Was he Law driven?

Abraham was a Chaldean from the land of Ur (the area of old Sumeria in Mesopotamia). He was polytheist, just as his father was. But when God called him and set him apart, he became monotheist and believed in God. God credited that to him as righteousness. Wow! That was simple! There were not a whole list of laws and regulations to follow in order to please God. The only thing God wanted was faith in Him.

Heb 11:6 ISV Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who diligently search for him.

And that is exactly what Abraham did, he believed. He had faith. Here's what Paul has to say about it:

Galatians 3:6 Amplified Version Thus Abraham believed in and adhered to and trusted in and relied on God, and it was reckoned and placed to his account and credited as righteousness (as conformity to the divine will in purpose, thought and action).

Breaking it apart:

My works mean nothing to God. He is at work in me because I have accepted Him as my Savior. He is changing me from the inside out. All I have to do is live by faith:

1. Believe in God. Do you believe that God exists? That He sent His only Son to die for your sins so you can have a loving, personal and real relationship with Him? That Jesus rose from the dead forever abolishing death?

2. Adhere to God. Stick to Him like glue (I actually wrote those words in my Bible). Make Him the center of your life. Let everything revolve around Him. You can't go wrong.

3. Trust in Him. We can trust that He really does love us, that He wants what is best for us. He wants to bless us. He has plans to prosper us and not to harm us (Jeremiah 29:11). He works all things out for our good (Romans 8:28).

4. Rely on Him. You can count on God. He wants to work great things in you and around you. He will give you answers, He will lead you and guide you. You can rely on Him.

May God grow your faith! God will credit it to you as righteousness.

Galatians 1-2

The following post will be difficult to write - I'm going to have to lay my soul bare and reveal how imperfect I am. Not an easy thing to do! Nor enjoyable...

Paul is a strong icon of faith; wholly pursuing God and His Will without shame; speaking boldly about God and proclaiming His Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, regarding his life and safety as nothing. His only aim is pleasing God.

In verse 10 of chapter 1 he says, "Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ." Emphasis mine.

In Galatians chapter 2, he boldly upbraids Peter for eating comfortably with the Gentiles when no one was around. But as soon as his past showed up in the form of circumcised Jews, he became afraid, and pulled away from the uncircumcised Greeks.

verses 12 "Before certain men came from James, he (Peter) used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group."

Notice the chain reaction that Peter's first action produces:

verse 13 "The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray."

What??!? Even Barnabas, the son of encouragement, is led astray?

Paul is the only one whose thought is for what God wants him to do rather than pleasing men.

When I first read this, I was surprised. Peter and Barnabas, two very strong Christians, paragons of the early church, are afraid of what others might say so they act differently.

Then God gently nudged me and reminded me that when I signed up for a popular networking site, I too was afraid of what my past friends would think of me, so I was lukewarm about declaring my faith for fear of offending them. I wanted their approval!

What??!? Me, a strong Christian, am led astray by fear of what others might think of me? True...

(Sigh.) I just despise that fleshy side of me.

What should be imprinted on our hearts by the lessons here?

1. Our heart's desire must be for pleasing God, regardless of what man may think of us. Remember, the world may hate us because we are not of the world, and that's okay... Furthermore, if our desire is to please man, we are not servants of Christ.
2. Be bold in declaring God's word, regardless of unpleasant consequences.
3. Admonish our brothers whose actions may hurt the faith of other Christians, even non-Christians. Our actions, or fears, or shame, may begin a chain reaction that hurts others, either in their walk with God or in accepting the Gospel message.
4. Be not ashamed of who we are in Jesus Christ, lest Jesus Christ be ashamed of us when we meet Him.

Prayer:
God, bless us through the power of Your Holy Spirit, to grow in boldness and strength in order that we may fearlessly declare Your Word. Give us a heart that wants to please only You. Remove from us any desire to please men and make us true servants of Jesus Christ. In His Holy Name, Amen!

Afterthought:
After writing this post, I shared it with my youngest son Preston (11yo). He asked why he was not afraid of saying that he wasn't perfect. I told him because he had no pride. He asked if I had pride. I said, "Yes, sadly. But I'm working on it." :)

I went to my email and opened up the Encouraging Word for today from K-Love. Haha. Here is what it said!

"Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." Proverbs 11:12 NLT

God has the best sense of humor! I love His loving guidance.

Acts 13

Here's my Introduction - whenever I read scripture, I invite God to reveal to me His Word. He is the source of ALL truth; therefore, I can count on Him for revelation through the Power of the Holy Spirit. This Power has been described a lot throughout Acts. When the disciples did miracles or preaching, the Holy Spirit gave them the words and the power.


Having said that, I stumbled upon a scripture in Chapter 13 that really gave me pause:


v48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified (praised and gave thanks for) the Word of God; and as many as were destined (appointed and ordained) to eternal life believed (adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Jesus as the Christ and their Savior). - Amplified Version

This is a confusing statement! Destined? Was it already planned? Did I have any choice in the matter? What's the purpose if that is so?


I decided to check out some commentaries on this. Sure enough, the camp of theologists are divided in this verse. Calvinists say that it was a predestination. John Wesley explains it this way:

The sum is, all those and those only, who were now ordained, now believed. Not that God rejected the rest: it was his will that they also should have been saved: but they thrust salvation from them. Nor were they who then believed constrained to believe. But grace was then first copiously offered them. And they did not thrust it away, so that a great multitude even of Gentiles were converted. In a word, the expression properly implies, a present operation of Divine grace working faith in the hearers.

As I continued to read, ponder and pray, the parable of the sowing of the seed (Matthew 13:3-9) kept coming to my mind. This parable was explained by Jesus, the Word, to His disciples in Matthew 13:18-23:

¹⁸ “Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: ¹⁹ The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. ²⁰ The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. ²¹ But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. ²² The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. ²³ The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

The Jews and Gentiles who listened to Paul had different types of soil (hearts).

Those who rejected the message had hard hearts; they were not "appointed" (the Greek translation) to receive that Word. Like Pharaoh their hearts were hardened, not by the Lord, but by who they had become.

The rest of them received the Word. Now whether that Word was retained or not depended on their hearts.

If their hearts did not allow deep roots to grow, then the persecutions that followed, easily pulled the seed out of their hearts. Salvation was not for them.

Those that allowed thorns to choke the seed by allowing the troubles of the world and/or the lure of wealth, would not bear fruit for the Kingdom. Salvation was still theirs.

Then there are those that had hearts made of good soil - their seed grew deep, and that Word produced a great harvest. Not only Salvation was a part of their lives, they were now working with God to produce a harvest for Him!

I believe the ones "appointed" to eternal life are the ones who had seed sown in good soil, and the ones whose seed was choked by thorns. Notice that the ones whose seed fell upon rocky soil receive the seed, but they fall away after troubles of the world follow or after persecution because of Jesus.

Good soil doesn't mean a good life, by the way. I am a walking testimony of that! It's all about the heart. A wise man explained good soil to me this way:

How does "good" soil come to be? First it must have all the weeds pulled out; a painful process to say the least. Then, to make matters worse, this soil must endure long knives of steel being ripped through it by the farmer and his ox. To add insult to injury, manure is placed all over it - a nasty business, indeed! Then come those long knives of steel again, ripping through this soil over and over again. None of this is a pleasant process. But the result is "good" soil!"

Now the "good" soil is ready for the Farmer to sow his Seeds, knowing that a fantastic harvest is on its way.

Acts 11

Acts 11:23

Barnabas (son of encouragement) goes to Antioch and is pleased that the Greeks (Gentiles) are believing in Jesus Christ. These converts came to know the Lord through the Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit worked through the disciples, and many received Salvation.

In verse 23, Barnabas exhorted (warned, urged, and encouraged) the new believers to "cleave unto and remain faithful to and devoted to the Lord with [resolute and steady] purpose of heart." - Amplified Version

Let us break this verse apart:

1. Barnabas encouraged, warned, urged the new believers.

• I remember having received Jesus Christ at the age of 17. There was no follow up done and I quickly fell to the wayside. It would be decades before I came to know the Lord again. Let us be diligent in helping new believers by encouraging them and walking beside them.

2. Cleave unto the Lord, remain faithful to the Lord, be devoted to the Lord.

• Why? Because as explained above, it is so easy to fall by the wayside. It is easy to get caught up in the daily tasks that we forget the Gift that was so generously given. Not only that, we must remember that the devil prowls around like a lion, seeking whom he can devour. (1 Peter 5:8) The closer we are to God, the harder it is for the enemy to get to us and pull us away from all that relationship with God.
• The closer you are to God, the more His voice becomes recognizable. He is at work, and He is inviting us to join Him in that work.

3. With resolute and steady purpose of heart.

• Make the decision - be disciplined in seeking our God who promises that if we seek Him, He will be found by us. (Deuteronomy 4:29) He wants to have a wonderful, vibrant, personal, and real relationship with us.

I noticed another thing about this chapter - a very encouraging thing. Each and every one of the disciples that brought people to the Lord, didn't do it. It was the Holy Spirit working in and through them.

My prayer is that we become encouragers for those who are just beginning their walk with the Lord; we seek the Lord and be devoted to Him with all of our hearts; we allow the Holy Spirit to work through us for God's Glory.

God bless you with the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation that you may come to know Our Lord better!

Kat

Acts 9

Acts 9

Saul now becomes Paul - he, who was the worst in persecuting Christians, becomes the best at converting Gentiles.

That sure gives me hope. God can take the despised, the lowly, the hurt, the hateful, the hated, and make them vessels of noble use. Beautiful in His eyes!

One of the scriptures that really touched me is:

Acts 9:18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again...

That happened to me once. I had been a member of a very organized, works-based religion for 20 years. I remember reading the Bible once in awhile. Once I became a Christian, I read a Bible verse that I was familiar with. I thought to myself, "How could I have read that so many times and not really seen the true meaning of it?"

I truly felt that my eyes had been opened.

That's what happens when Jesus gets involved - the Truth is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit.

John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

What about you? Have your eyes been opened to the Truth?

Acts 8

(note: I wrote about the wrong chapter! Still, I put a bit of work into it, so I'm not going to delete it... Pete)

Acts 8:1 and Saul was there, giving approval to his death.

I've always found it odd that this verse was 8:1, instead of 7:61. It just doesn't seem to fit in this place. Does anyone know why?

Anyway, consider the importance of this verse. On first reading, it's pretty obvious; Saul was there. The first appearance of one of the greatest christian preachers and writers. And he condoned a murder.

Looking in more depth, the book of Acts was written by Luke; Luke spent a lot of time traveling with Paul, and I'm sure that this verse would not have made it in if Paul had objected. Matthew Henry (Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible) believes that Paul insisted on this verse being present to shame himself, and to give glory to God's grace. Even more, the Greek word used for 'giving approval', suneudokōn, actually translates to 'consented with delight'; Paul enjoyed the spectacle (He always regretted it, and never forgot; see Acts 22:10).

The murder of Stephen was Sauls first great act in spreading the word, by being a main instigator of the Christian persecution.

Acts 8:1 ... and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria"

This scattering of early Christians ensured that God's word would not be restricted to Jerusalem and the local area, but would be spread far and wide, fulfilling Jesus' command;

Acts 1:8 ... and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Philip and The Ethiopian
Acts 8:28 - 40 talks about Philip meeting an Ethopian eunuch. The important aspect of the story (for me) is that it shows that the Gospel is for all men. Being an Ethiopian, he was looked down upon by the Israelites as " meanest and most despicable of the nations, blackamoors, as if nature had stigmatized them" (Henry) - this despite the man holding a high position of office. The Ethiopian was looking for God. As a eunuch, he wasn't permitted to become a Jew, but he was obviously a religious man, as can be seen from his visiting Jerusalem from Ethiopia just to worship. Philip was able to explain who Jesus was through the prophecies of Isaiah, and subsequently baptized the man as a Christian; proving that you didn't have to be a Jew to become a Christian.

The scripture ends with Philip miraculously disappearing from the river and reappearing at Azotus, impressing upon us that the need to spread God's word is urgent, and that we should be continually prepared and willing to be witnesses.

Acts 7-8

I am always impressed with how well Stephen performed in front of the Jewish Leaders, especially the High Priest.

1. He was bold! He already knew that the previous apostles who had spoken in the Temple had been thrown in prison. Even flogged! Regardless, he knew it was a dangerous mission and he performed it perfectly.

2. He knew his history. This was an educated man and he was filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:5). He had education but, more importantly, he had Power from the Holy Spirit.

3. He spoke with authority. After a chapter long dissertation on the history of the Jews, he hand over the final verdict to the Jewish Leaders in Acts 7:51-53:

"How stubborn can you be? How can you be so heartless and disobedient? You're just like your ancestors. They always opposed the Holy Spirit, and so do you! Was there ever a prophet your ancestors didn't persecute? They killed those who predicted that a man with God's approval would come. You have now become the people who betrayed and murdered that man. You are the people who received Moses' Teachings, which were put into effect by angels. But you haven't obeyed those teachings."

4. He was still very Christlike at his death. Here he has been thrown out and is being stoned to death. He should be angry that these hard-hearted, unbelieving leaders are not getting it. Instead, he asks God to forgive them.

(Act 7:60) Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, don't hold this sin against them!" When he had said this, he died.

What a great lesson for us! We live during troubled times right now. The moral fabric of our nation is falling apart day by day and with increasing rapidity. What is the answer? Follow Stephen's example.

• Be bold.
• Become educated - know what it is you are fighting for. Discover your country's history.
• Speak with authority and under the Power of the Holy Spirit.
• And forgive. Realize you are trying to change authority that does not know God. Pray for them, but do not back down.
• More importantly, discover who you are! Stephen knew Who he belonged to, and that gave him absolute courage to deal with the ruling authorities. You belong to God, you can count on the fact that He will never leave you nor forsake you, and He asks you to join Him in His work.
  

Chapter 8 deals with another powerful disciple - Philip. What similarities do you see between him and Stephen? Differences?

God bless you with boldness for God!

Acts 5-6

Acts 5 begins with Ananias and Sapphira, who sold a piece of property and didn't give all the money to the apostles.

Their sin wasn't that they kept back part of the money; their sin was that they claimed that they had given the apostles ALL the money. They lied. If they had sold the property, gave a proportion of the money to the apostles, and then been up front about it ("We sold some land, here's 50% of the money we made"), everything would have been fine. But they didn't. They claimed that they were more generous than they actually were, and they paid a heavy price for that claim.

My issue with this passage is that whilst I agree that they did wrong, the punishment seems far in excess of the sin. Other people in the Bible have been known to lie, but they didn't get punished as severely. Rahab, for instance, lied to the king of Jericho about the Israelite spies; and was commended for it. Was Peter dealing too strictly with the issue? On the face of it, yes, but we also need to consider that this was the very early church, and precedents had to be set. If lying was not treated severely, it could become endemic, and destroy the young church.

Acts 6 concentrates on the early organization of the church, and how responsibility should be spread amongst the members so that priorities can be met by different groups; prayer, leadership, looking after the poor. This chapter also introduces Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, who was chosen as one of the seven who would handle distribution of food to the poor.

Acts 3-4

Some random thoughts on Acts 3 and 4...

The book of Acts is the only history of the first 30 years of the church, showing its rapid and early growth and growing pains.

Acts was written by Luke; a gentile Doctor, and who is now accepted as one of the great historians of the period. Sir William Mitchell Ramsay, an archaeologist and biblical scholar, started his career by trying to prove Luke wrong. He failed, eventually admitting

"Luke is a historian of the first rank; not merely are his statements of
fact trustworthy, he is possessed of the true historic sense...in short,
this author should be placed along with the greatest of historians."

Luke's background gives us two things; confidence that the people, places and stories are true, because he is working from personal experience or primary source interviews, and also the knowledge that the miracles depicted actually happened; as a physician, he would have reviewed any stories of miracle healing before putting them in his writings; to do otherwise could have put his reputation at risk.

Acts 3 is the story of just such a miracle healing. Peter and John met the beggar at the Beautiful gate, and the beggar was healed; not by Peter, but by Jesus. Peter acts as the vessel, but everything he does in this passage is in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The authority that Jesus gave his followers at Pentecost (Acts 1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you") was invoked by Peter at the temple, and through that authority, the beggar was healed. Peter didn't take any glory for himself; he keeps the focus on God, and uses the opportunity of healing to speak to the onlookers about Christ.

Acts 4 relates the arrest of Peter and John, and their appearance before the Sanhedrin. We always read this section of Acts from the disciples viewpoint; "Naughty nasty Sanhedrin arrest the good guys". But put it into context; the Sanhedrin saw these people walking around, claiming that Jesus was the Son of God. They'd just seen off a revolutionary person for claiming the same thing (you might have heard of him; His name was Jesus). They didn't believe (or want to believe) Him, and took steps to put him and his rebellion down. Now there were more people spreading the same story.

Consider for a moment what would happen today if someone walked into a church and claimed that they were the second coming of Christ - we'd want some pretty big proofs first. The elders wouldn't want to lose any followers to this person without some pretty stern questioning - but in the end they would be freed with a strong warning not to spread their stories around, and efforts would be made to ensure that the true Christian church was protected.

That's exactly what happened in Acts. The Sanhedrin didn't see two heroes - they saw two potential revolutionaries. And they acted as they believed appropriate....

Acts 1-2

So, I have a question. What's with the number 40?

During the times of Noah, it rained for forty days and forty nights. (Genesis 7)

The Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years. (Exodus)

Moses stayed up on Mt. Sinai with the Lord for forty days and forty nights. (Exodus 24)

The spies checked out the Promised Land for forty days. (Numbers 13)

The Israelites were delivered into the hands of the Philistines for forty years. (Judges 13)

Saul reigned for forty years. (Acts 13)

David reigned for forty years. (2 Samuel 5)

Solomon reigned for forty years. (1 Kings 11)

Strengthened by the food given to him by an angel, Elijah traveled forty days and forty nights. (1 Kings 19)

God makes Egypt desolate for forty years. (Ezekiel 29)

Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights. (Matthew, Mark and Luke)

Which brings us to Acts 1:3 Jesus appears to many over the period of forty days.

What are your thoughts on this?

John 21

Chapter 21 is all about forgiveness and the commission of Peter.

Before Jesus died on the cross, Peter was shown to be weak. At the last supper, he had declared to Jesus 'I will lay down my life for you', yet while Jesus was on trial, Peter denied that he knew him - three times. When he realized that Jesus' prediction was true, he wept bitterly. But he didn't change inside; he isn't mentioned as being present at the crucifixion, perhaps because he was afraid of being recognized again.

Peter had seen Jesus several times subsequent to Jesus' resurrection, but he still hadn't taken steps to lead the disciples. He had gone back to fishing for fish, instead of fishing for men. Peter was probably feeling a bit worthless - in pain because he had lied, denied Jesus, and not even been there when He died. He had declared that he would lay down his life for Jesus, but when it came to it, he laid down tracks instead - fast ones, running away. Jesus was betrayed by Judas, but in Peter's eyes, Peter, also, had betrayed Jesus.

In John 21, Jesus appears again to his disciples, and after a fish breakfast, he asks Peter some questions;
1. Do you truly love me more than these?
2. Do you truly love me?
3. Do you love me?

Peter was getting a bit annoyed by the end of these questions; "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."

Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him, and Peter answered three times, Yes. This is in direct contrast to the three times that Peter denied Jesus on the night before he died. Each confirmation that Peter loved Jesus cancelled out one of the denials of Jesus, and Jesus forgave Peter, and asked him to "Follow me!"

Would Jesus also have forgiven Judas? I believe that he would. Judas was essential to the plans of God, and was acting under the influence of Satan. Judas took his own life in remorse for his actions; if he hadn't, and had eventually met the resurrected Christ, I believe that forgiveness would have been offered, and accepted.

Doubting Thomas

Doubting Thomas makes his appearance in John 20. He's one of the minor disciples, and he wasn't there when Jesus first appeared after his resurrection. The Bible doesn't say why, but if trying to get our family somewhere all at the same time - to church, the cinema, a party... is anything to go by, he could have been looking for his shoes, trying to find one of the cats, in the loo, or sulking in his room because he was asked to do the dishes AGAIN. The disciples were just like us. Normal people with things to do.

Whatever the reason, Thomas wasn't there the first time, and that's great for us. Why? Because when he was told the great story of Jesus' resurrection, he didn't believe them. And that's more like us than we often care to admit. Well, me, anyway. Sometimes we have doubts about God. Is He there for us? Does He like us? Why did that bad (or good) thing happen to me and no-one else?

The story of Thomas shows us that it's OK to doubt; Jesus does not reject doubts that are honest and which can lead to a deeper belief. Thomas voiced his doubts out loud; "Unless I see.... I will not believe it". And because he was openly questioning - and open to answers - Jesus answered his doubts, ending with "stop doubting and believe".

I believe that that is the important issue' stop doubting and believe. Ask your questions of Jesus, and he will answer them "out of the mouths of two or three witnesses". But once you get an answer, believe it and act upon it. Ask different questions if you need to, but each only needs to be asked once.. if you're willing to believe the answer.

John 20,21

Rambling thoughts and digressions from Pete Connolly relating to chapters 20 and 21 from the Gospel of John.

All thoughts and statements in this posting are mine, and I am solely responsible for any errors. If anything incorrect or unbiblical is found in here, please let me know and I'll correct it.

John 19 ends with the phrase "they laid Jesus there.". He had suffered for our sins, and he had died on the cross for us. If the Gospel of John was a summer blockbuster movie, that would have been a three-tissue moment for the ladies (and probably for several gentlemen as well). And if the story of the Jesus ended there, he would have been remembered (if at all) as a rather nice man who liked people. A sort of Mother Teresa with a longer beard. But it wasn't the end.
John 20:2 (KJV) 2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. [1] Jesus had risen! He had defeated death!

Jesus' resurrection is such an important aspect of the Bible that it sometimes seems to become the target of attacks by people who want to discredit God's story. I know, because years ago I was one of those people. I was searching for something, anything, to believe in. I was happy with this person called God, who controlled everything, and I wanted to go to Him wholesale; I didn't want any priests in the way talking to me about purgatory and insisting that I tell them my sins (I was Catholic; I've got all the stories...). This person called Jesus? Nice guy, nice clothes, liked children, and could knock up a good table and chairs. But God? No... two different people. After some gentle enouragement from my best friend, I accepted that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit were one, that Jesus was God, and that He alone could save me. At that point, the Bible became a totally different book to me; it was like layers of complexity were revealed to me that had previously been hidden. It was like peeling an onion (complete with the tears).

Anyway, back to the resurrection. How could people attack the story of the resurrection?

1. Perhaps they got lost. The two Mary's went to the wrong tomb, saw that it was empty, and ran back to tell everyone? Silly women, just panicking...

This is easily refuted. Firstly, they were there at the correct tomb. Although John doesn't say that Mary had been to the tomb before she found it empty, Matthew 27:61 (NIV)[2] says "Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb". It was one of the most catastrophic and memorable days of her life; she had seen her Lord die on the cross. She wasn't going to forget where she was. And anyway, there were two unconscious Roman soldiers lying on the ground next to the tomb (Matt 28:4 - The guards were so afraid of him (the angel of the Lord) that they shook and became like dead men.) - a bit of a clue that the two Marys were in the right place.

2. Perhaps the Chief Priests took the body away before Jesus' followers could get to it?

They may have considered this to stop His followers from venerating His remains; but if they did, then after they saw all the fuss about Jesus being resurrected, all they'd have to do is present the body from whereever they'd put it. They didn't - and couldn't - do that, because they didn't have the body. Indeed, as Matt 27:63-64[1] says, "Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. ⁶⁴ Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. ⁶⁵ Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. ⁶⁶ So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch."

The Pharisees were already scared about a resurrection story, so they asked the Romans to place a guard on the place. They weren't going to be the ones to start such a story!

3. Perhaps the Romans took the body?

They had no reason to. All they wanted to do was keep the peace and get home to Rome after their stint in Jerusalem was done (for Roman soldiers, Jerusalem was the equivalent of the Eastern Front for German soldiers, and a posting there was often used as a punishment). The last thing they (and Pilate) wanted to do was stir up the local Jews into a factional war.

4. Perhaps the disciples took the body?

And Peter said, "Come on, chaps, let's take the body of Jesus, hide it, and tell everyone that he rose from the dead".

Preposterous! and no, it's not in any translation of the bible. Followers of Christ prided themselves on telling the truth (ok, not Judas, or Peter denying Jesus three times... but they're exceptions...). Firstly, if that had happened, one of the disciples would have told someone else before they died - it's human nature to want to pass on a juicy bit of gossip like that. Secondly, most of the disciples died for their faith; who would want to die for a lie?

The resurrection changed the disciples. Peter changed from a weak, fickle person to a strong leader of the church; that change would not have happened had his faith not been galvanised by seeing Jesus after he rose from the dead.

5. Perhaps Jesus rose from the dead?

We know this to be true. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:4-6 (NLT)


4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 5 He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. 6 After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.

So Paul was writing about the truth of the resurrection less than 50 years after it happened. If anybody argued that Jesus wasn't resurrected, Paul could give them a few names of people to talk to. Again, if it was all fake, one of those 500 people would have told the truth. In fact, they all told the truth; Jesus was risen.

And we haven't even got into John 21 yet! We'll look at that in depth over the weekend. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming....


[1] The Holy Bible : King James Version. electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version. Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1995.

[2] The Holy Bible : New International Version NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan.

[3] The Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 2nd ed. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers, 2004

John 18:19

Read these words and ponder them for a minute:

18:37 "...Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice" King James Version

"... Everyone who is of the Truth [who is a friend of the Truth, who belongs to the Truth] hears and listens to My voice." Amplified Version

If you know in your heart that Jesus is the Savior, and confess it with your mouth, and make Jesus Lord of your life, then you belong to the Truth. Therefore, you hear and listen to His voice. You are part of that inner circle, you have special privileges that not every one in this world has! This fact should make you feel special. You have been set apart.

19:10 "Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?"

This particular scripture always makes me want to say to Pilate, "Do you realize that you have no power over your Creator?" It strikes me that many people who think they have position and power of authority over people, don't really know who they are. And sometimes we cower under their authority!

Remember the blind man from birth in John 9? He was given sight and then was questioned by the Pharisees, people of authority who think they know it all, but are blinded by their quest for power. The blind man answered their questions with boldness and did not cower under their supposed authority. His parents feared the Pharisees and did cower because they didn't want to be cast out of the synagogue. He answers boldly, not caring about their position because he is under a Greater Authority. God's Authority - he has seen the Real Power, the Real High Priest. The Pharisees throw him out because they see the truth but cannot stand it. My opinion here...

I digressed... Jesus sets Pilate straight in the next verse.

19:11 Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to your from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."

19:19-20 I love these verses because His title is written in Hebrew, Greek and Latin, the three main languages of that day and place. This must have really grated on the Pharisees because they did not want any references at all to what Jesus claimed to be. But here it was, written not only for the Jews to see, but the Hellenists and the Romans, too!

19:25-27 Here is Our Jesus, having suffered all manner of abuse, in extreme physical pain, his face disfigured, nailed to a cross, and He is still thinking of others! He made sure His mother was looked after.

But that brings a question to mind. Why did not Jesus's brothers take care of their own mother? Why was she given to John? Any ideas?

Chapter 19 is a great chapter; tough because of what Jesus personally went through in order to bring Salvation to the world. But beautiful because Jesus loved us so much that He went through all manner of torture to bring Salvation to the world. Have you received it?

John 16-17

Chapter 16 offers some very beautiful words of encouragement for us here on earth.

• We are not alone: Jesus has sent us the Comforter Who will lead us in all truth (16:7). This Comforter is described in the Amplified Bible as a (1) Counselor - Someone to counsel us when we need wisdom. (2) Helper - Someone to help us in time of need. (3) Advocate - Someone to take our side when accused falsely. (4) Intercessor - Someone who will intercede on our behalf. (5) Strengthener - Someone to give us the strength needed to overcome. (6) Standby - Someone to take our place, we can rely on Him!
  
• This same Comforter is the Spirit of Truth. He is the Truth Giving Spirit. He will guide us in the the whole Truth. These will be announced and declared to you. (16:13)
  
• The Father loves us. The Amplified Version says it this way, "For the Father Himself [tenderly] loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I dame out from the Father. Tenderly loves us... (16:27)
  
• Jesus has overcome the world. Again, the Amplified says it this way, "...For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]" We can take courage! (16:33)
  
• We are different. We are no longer of the world just as Jesus is not of the world. We are set apart (17:16)
  
• God loves us just as much as He loves Jesus! (17:23)

I hope that these two chapters have blessed you as much as they have blessed me!