New Birthday!

A change came about as the result of the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ on the day of Pentecost. A new church was born and it was not a church made of mortar, stone or stain-glass windows! It was a group of people and how they grew into what God made available for the first time, holy spirit.

The book of Acts is a description of people, places and events in the post resurrection/ascension climate of the early church. There are a lot of people mentioned in the book of Acts. Two major influences in the early church were Peter and Paul.

Peter was a fisherman by trade.  He traveled with Jesus Christ. He was one of the twelve. In Acts 4:13, it is recorded:

Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

 Paul did not travel with Christ.  He actually persecuted the men and women who were filled with holy spirit after the day of Pentecost. His background was quite different from Peter’s. He received the spirit from God later as a result of a huge event that happened on the road to Damascus. His background is recorded in:

Philippians 4:4-6Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: 5Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

Yet they had the same spirit of God in them and commitment to stay faithful despite their human shortcomings. Peter wrote of Paul:

2 Peter 3:15-16And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

Paul wrote of Peter:

Galatians 2:7-8, 7But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; 8(For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)

The common denominator for them was the gift of holy spirit.  It was God that worked in them. Some people call the book of Acts the Acts of the Apostles but in reality, spiritually it should more appropriately be titled The Acts of the Holy Spirit.  Holy spirit is available today for all Christians just as it was in later chapters in the book of Acts. Every person has access to the very same power when they declare Jesus Christ Lord and believe in his resurrection. 

As Peter said on the day of Pentecost:

Acts 2:38-39 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call.

Purpose

In the movie 'The Graduate', Benjamin has the following  dialogue with his father:
Mr. Braddock: What's the matter? The guests are all downstairs, Ben, waiting to see you.
Benjamin: Look, Dad, could you explain to them that I have to be alone for a while?
Mr. Braddock: These are all our good friends, Ben. Most of them have known you since, well, practically since you were born. What is it, Ben?
Benjamin: I'm just...
Mr. Braddock: Worried?
Benjamin: Well...
Mr. Braddock: About what?
Benjamin: I guess about my future.
Mr. Braddock: What about it?
Benjamin: I don't know... I want it to be...

Mr. Braddock: To be what? 

Benjamin: [looks at his father] ... Different.

Haven't we all gone through this thinking at some time or another? Why are we here? What should we do? Haven't we all desired to have some meaning to our existence?  God, our very own Father, has provided some very satisfying answers to this question. 'Satisfying' is a very good descriptive of the following verse: 

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Effective, productive work stimulates the mind. It is the 'meat and potatoes' of life. Are we supposed to guess about this? My earthly Dad (and Mom too!) wanted the very best for my life. Our Heavenly Dad can go beyond 'best', being the designer and creator of the universe. He has all the resources to go 'exceedingly' beyond anything we could ever ask of think (another Ephesians verse!)

To do what?  We enter into a relationship with the most powerful force in the universe to walk in His good works, in things that are satisfying and whole. God does not control us, He offers it to us. The only thing that limits us is the ceiling that we put on our own lives. Man has been around this world long enough to construct many limitations that end up controlling us in some way or another.  These things always end in over-doing and producing flat, dull outcomes.

There are plenty of wonderful things around to remind us of God's desire for man. Look at the sky on a beautiful fall day for example. It's color, crispness and overall immensity reminds us that it is not the limit!

GOD IS REAL!

Just recently, I was reading a book by Jay Adams, From Forgiven To Forgiving.  It is a tremendous book and many of his points reminded me of the Joseph record in the Old Testament. Several years ago, I did a study on Joseph, one of the sons of Jacob. Many chapters in Genesis are devoted to the events in this man's life. His life was not easy but to his credit he is described as a man on whom the spirit of God resided. Perhaps because of this he had huge challenges, but through them all God guided and strengthened him as he handled them one by one. He is an amazing example of how forgiveness is brought about. He handled things God's way.  He had the humility to not try to outdo God and thus was able to be an instrument of true deliverance.


Forgiveness is a much written about subject. There is no question in my mind that the adversary wants to muddle and twist people's ideas in this particular area.

Ephesians 4:32 (King James Version)And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

'Even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you'.  That sets the standard. Jesus Christ died for our sins once and for all.  This doesn't mean we have to be crucified to serve God but it does mean that we have answers to life's challenges and that we extend those answers to others. When we teach God's word to others and help them to apply God's word to every situation we are 'kind'.


Joseph's goal was restoration.  His brothers were pretty much a mess and had displayed very cruel behavior toward him in the past.  God worked in Joseph's heart to help facilitate the change that was necessary to cause them to see what changes they needed to make. God knew how to handle them and Joseph carried it out. God knew also that Judah would change and he showed Joseph how to bring that out. Several steps were needed. At one point Joseph spoke roughly to them and threw them in prison. It was there that they started to admit their lives had not been sterling and they repented of what they had done to their brother. It is a great record, one to be digested and re-digested.


God is real and he knows the best way to deal with life's issues. In the age that we live in of secular humanism, we need to take heed to a man like Joseph and how he did things. Our relationships with others should be based on truth, not feeling. Our goal is to help others come up and out of the quicksand of this world. It is  a world of competition, strife, ambition, greed and control. We can't just do that by patting someone on the head and saying nice things. We need to help people by giving them the words of God and telling them how Jesus Christ stood in the gap for us and that we have full access to the throne room of God. That is the promotion of true forgiveness!

Bloom where you are planted but don’t let any grass grow under your feet!

Speaking the truth in love involves a mature balanced approach to relationships. Ephesians 4:15 enlists God’s wisdom without which we could not flourish. In the Bible speaking the truth is really ‘truthing it’ in the Greek and it involves integrity, commitment  and oftentimes loving courage to carry out. As we lean on God and his magnificent gift of holy spirit we blossom into strong individuals capable of achieving more than we ever expected.

God’s sufficiency is ours for the asking by simply believing what he has made available. Believing is assertive action and is never static. We can never allow ourselves to become passive followers of God.  That condition is for ‘pew potatoes’. As we act by walking out on whatever limb is set in front of us, God supports us all the way. Think about when Jesus beckoned Peter to walk out on the water. As Peter kept his eyes on him he walked on water. He could have been the star of the Cypress Garden Water ski team!  The minute he looked down he went down! Human beings were designed to go towards the way they are looking. Just look at how the eyes are positioned in the human body. It is God’s sufficiency we look to in absolutely every situation  and our feet carry us toward that sufficiency by putting one foot in front of the other.

In Ephesians we are exhorted to walk in love, walk in light and walk circumspectly.

Ephesians 5:16-17(Amplified)Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil. Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is. 

We have the great reassurance of God, who He is and what he has done for us through the written word. We need not waste our time any longer in cringing insufficiency. In this administration we are not only able to walk on water. We are able to handle the ski jumps!

September 11, 3 BC

Another September 11 has come and gone and the impact of that day 2007 years ago will continue forever to effect our lives. Of course, I’m talking about the birth of Jesus Christ: September 11, 3 BC.  No, I haven’t got my dates screwed up. Actually December 25 in those days was the time of the winter solstice, when the earth’s axis was pointed away from the sun. It was a pagan feast. It was longest night of the year too. Doesn't sound like too cool of a birthday date to me!

September 11, 3 BC was Rosh-sha-shana or the Feast of Trumpets in the Judean religion. It seems like that was a good day for God  to select for the birthday of His only-begotten Son. 

                                         ♫♥♪♫•♥♫♥♪♫•♥♫♥♪♫•♥

He is a proud Father and blowing trumpets would be a great way to celebrate.                                                                
The record shown in the stars is stellar (pun or no pun intended)! Adam named the constellations  back in Genesis. God gave Adam the names and groupings: 

Psalm 147:4 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

On August 12th, 3BC the king planet Jupiter and the 'bright and morning star' Venus were in conjunction in the king constellation Leo (the constellation of rulership in Judea). On September 14, the king planet, Jupiter and the king star, Regulus were in conjunction in the king constellation Leo. Coincidence? Hmmmmm...........

Happy Birthday to the Son of God!

Commitment: The Integrity of the Word

Everybody knows what a bible is and represents. The words 'Holy Bible', however, written on the front cover are misleading. No version or translation of the Bible really can be called the Word of God because there are no original texts in existence today. At best all we have are copies of ancient scripts. The text from which the King James Version was translated is the Stephen's Greek text. The first copy is the translation, anything after that which is tweaked or modified is called a version. In fact if you look at everything, copies, translations, versions etc, you wonder whether any of them can be trusted to present the Word of God without bias, politics, and yes! religion. God knew this problem ahead of time (He's omniscient, all-powerful and all-knowing you know! That means He's pretty smart!) so he incorporated  in the Word certain keys to unlock it's undeniable truth. He has given us a totally ingenious search engine called holy spirit to magnify the truth in our hearts as we read. The Word is not just words on a page, it is a living breathing reality. The Word rightly divided has life!


Man has a tendency towards complication; with God things are simple.  The Word of God is not about man's ideas about God. It is about God and His love to man. God gives freely to those who ask, but many of us have been led to believe the common person cannot access God except through a certain translation or version, denomination, non-denomination or whatever.  People who have truly shown me how to access the Word for myself are people who are genuinely excited about God and it is pretty evident in the way they live! The Word of God is a living reality in everyday living. God is the most powerful force in the universe. Man really needs to believe that!


Real commitment is based on the integrity of God.  We love Him because He first loved us. How can we love Him if we don't know what He is about? The integrity of God can be seen by His creation. Included in His creation are His Word and His Son.

Psalm 138 I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. ³In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.

Having the keys to tapping the Word of God is vital.  God meant us to know all about Him and in knowing all about Him we realize how much he has loved us, is loving us and and will love us. In the knowledge of God is true freedom and sufficiency!

Flattery, politico, ‘you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’ ideology, secular humanism  are all examples of mental corruption that really tear into a person. What appear on the senses level seem nice and advantageous but in absolute reality are flimsy manipulations of the mind. Truth is what genuinely builds individuals up in strength, boldness and success.

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

What is corrupt communication? Like the verse says it is communication that doesn’t edify. So what is edification? It is life as it is built up on the strong, sound foundation of Jesus Christ.  All else is sinking sand. It is as simple as that!

To minister grace is to join someone to the power, rights and privileges of God.  It is the vital true way to walk in sonship and claim all the promises of God. As each member in the body of Christ rises up to his own individual trust, respect and love for God an environment of unfailing power prevails. It is a vital manifestation of the grace administration that we are now privileged to live.

We don’t need a huge cathedral with special lighting, pews, and a formal bell-ringing, liturgical service. God’s word says it take two or three gathered as the body of Christ to change the course of someone’s life. Maybe all you need is a living room, a coffee shop, hospital room, park, grocery store, school, dorm or wherever else people get together. It doesn’t matter. When God is in the middle of a small group of people, they can change the course of history!

Security and Esteem

"Most people with low self-esteem have earned it." is an interesting quote by George Carlin. It certainly has merit because it is about 'merit'. He is saying insecurity may be earned. It certainly doesn't come from grace! Thank God!

For people life may be a constant struggle to find security and meaning even when things are going well as well as when things are 

going bad. Without understanding what God really can impart to us when we believe, it can get pretty heart wrenching. Often well-meaning religious people push the hurt even deeper. 

I have met people who think they know all about God and their lives are wrapped up and focused on judgement and performance.

Because of what God wrought in Christ we don't have to swallow and accept this as 'life just as it is'!

Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. 

We don't have to earn anything, we just have to accept that something bigger than us has given us our value that is far greater than what we could gain from a title, wealth, prestige, education or from religion (Yes religion!). We just have to believe it and use it! It is not earned!
 Remember chapter 1:6 of Ephesians (What a book!) We are to be: 

Ephesians 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 

So why waste all that effort on low self-esteem. Give it up! and read Ephesians!





Glory

In chapter 1 of Ephesians, the phrase 'to the praise of His glory' is used three times. In that chapter, there are some great things listed that God has done for us. A big one is that he has 'blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ'. We have been given the very nature of what He is in the form of a full measure of holy spirit. When we walk in the light and direction of this spirit we can do great things and bring the good pleasure of His will into view. That is why he makes us accepted when we trust the reality of the wholeness only He can provide for us and we become 'sealed with that holy spirit of promise'. It is all to be to the praise of His glory (His magnificent splendor). That is quite a privilege for us.

Ephesians 1:17-19That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

 We are a very blessed people! We have so much to offer people who are trapped or cornered or enveloped in heavy darkness. We are to the praise of His glory!

Isaiah 60:1-2 (Amplified Bible) ARISE [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you--rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and dense darkness [all] peoples, but the Lord shall arise upon you [O Jerusalem], and His glory shall be seen on you.

Ephesians 4:15

Ephesians is a great book! It contains important keys to maturing as a Christian. You don't have to know Greek or Aramaic to understand its breath-taking truths. My favorite verse is Ephesians 4:15:

But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

There is a beautiful 3-part  precept magnificently displayed in this verse. To grow up: 1) we speak, 2) the truth 3) in love. All three components are vital elements to our growth. We can speak the truth certainly. So can legalists, religionists, quoters; anyone can speak truth. We can speak in love, but we might be humanists, people pleasers, and even flatterers. We can love truth but how does that help anyone else or help us mature. We need all three elements if we want to really help people know God  better as we  mature  in the unselfish nature that Jesus Christ so exemplified.

Ephesians is Our Complete Package From God

Seated in the heavenlies

s

1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

12That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

14Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

2:5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Walking worthy

5:2  And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

8For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

15See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

Able to Stand

10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: