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Acts 17

10/30/2012

Acts 17:27-28 “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him – though He is not far from any one of us. For in Him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘we are His offspring.”

It is important for us to seek after Him with all our heart, and “perhaps feel our way toward Him.” We can’t just sit back and expect our hearts to change and for us to just miraculously mature and live like Christ. We are called to cultivate and develop our relationship with Him. We are asked to repent and turn from our old ways and learn. In verse 30 it says, “God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now He commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to Him.”

I like that it is our responsibility to seek and our responsibility to ask and our responsibility to knock. We are given so much because God loves us so much, He wants us to be thankful and desire to love Him back (unconditionally). That means when we are sick, we thank Him for life. When we are in need we turn to Him. When times get tuff we seek Him and praise Him. There is more to our walk with Jesus than salvation. Don’t get me wrong, that is the most amazing part, but we are told we can have true peace of heart and mind. In John chapter 14 verse 27 Jesus says, “I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

Salvation is for eternal life, peace is for now as we live and move and exist in Christ. I am reading the book “Game Plan for Life,” by Joe Gibbs and he shares a part about his maturity in Christ and how his relationship went from just something to do, to something he loved. “Sure, I went to church and kind of knew the drill. I could talk the talk with others and sound religious enough if I needed to. But that’s about all I did. Most of my focus was on me and what I wanted to do. That’s why I did not have what these other people had: that supernatural peace.”

That’s what I want, that supernatural peace that Jesus offers and what we see in Acts chapter 17 verse 28, “For in Him we live and move and exist…” Are we seeking Him and feeling our way to Him or are we waiting for Him to move us? He will always put things in our path for us to choose Him; He just won’t choose it for us. Joe goes on to say, “I wanted more than just assurance I was going to heaven. I wanted to please God. I wanted to know Him. I wanted to be a loving person who was at peace with his family. I wanted to be a man who had something to offer his children. It was time to live by God’s standard rather than the worlds.” What a great reminder, we need to live by God’s standard and make sure our eyes and ears are open to grow and stay focused on Christ as we live for Him. Amen

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Acts 10

10/26/2012

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Acts 10:34-36 “Then Peter replied, ‘I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation He accepts those who fear Him and do what is right. This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel – that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.”

The important thing that we need to remember is that we all can be children of God through Jesus Christ and that through Jesus Christ we have true peace. God is the creator of everything and everyone but not everyone will accept the free gift He has sent to us. Our job is not to question it, it is to embrace it and share it with the world. Warren Wiersbe made a statement that should be in our thoughts as we live our lives. “Finally, we must never underestimate the value of one person brought to Christ.” Our job isn’t to worry about who hears the Good News, it is sharing that Good News and living as Jesus did.

I like what it says in 1 Peter chapter 3 verses 13-15, “Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.” When we are devoted to God’s word and we put the time in to understand what God wants from us we are excited to share our faith.

When we go about our walk by checking off to do’s we mumble through and don’t really make an impact. We are called to be bold and when we are strong in the Lord we can do all things through Christ. Philippians chapter 4 verse 13 says, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Embrace what God has given us and let the Spirit lead us to fear God with reverence and aw, then we will open our hearts to change. Amen

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Acts 8

10/23/2012

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Acts 8:20-23 “But Peter replied, ‘May your money be destroyed with you for thinking God’s gift can be bought! You can have no part in this, for your heart is not right with God. Repent of your wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps He will forgive your evil thoughts, for I can see that you are full of bitter jealousy and are held captive by sin.”

Two things stood out to me here; first Simon is excited for the wrong reasons. Just before these verses Simon asks if he could buy the power to lay hands on people and give the Holy Spirit. And second our heart is so important in our acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Simon wanted to follow Jesus but his heart was thinking of what he could do if he had that power. I have said it before; our walk is not for us it’s for others. The Holy Spirit that lives in us is for us to glorify God and shine like Christ so people want to know Jesus.

The amazing part is as we give glory to God we are full of peace and joy because we have surrendered our will. Look at what it says in verses 12-13, “But now the people believed Philip’s message of Good News concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. As a result, many men and women were baptized. Then Simon himself believed and was baptized. He began following Philip wherever he went, and he was amazed by the signs and great miracles Philip performed.” His heart never opened to the glory of God it just opened to the gifts Philip had.

We need to open our hearts and know the life that Christ has given us because of His willingness to do what God (the Father wanted) not His own agenda. Transformation of the heart is vital to understand how amazing Jesus’ life, death and resurrection was and how when we open God’s word, pray and then live it out we can make a difference. Think of this thought by Warren Wiersbe on these verses we just read. “This episode shows how close a person can come to salvation and still not be converted. Simon heard the gospel, saw the miracles gave a profession of faith in Christ and was baptized, yet he was never born again.” We are new creations and need to live that way as we grow and learn to be like Christ. Amen

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Acts 2

10/19/2012

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Acts 2:42 “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teachings, and to fellowship and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.”

We can see a change in everyone’s hearts as they listen and wanted to learn. When we devote to something we get a lot done and we can make a huge difference but in this verse they understood what was important to devote to. As we accept the Lord and grow our devotion to what God is teaching us in church and in life is so vital to how we look at Jesus as our Lord and savior.

Verse 44 says, “And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.” It was about community and helping each other see the peace God promised through Jesus. As we all devote ourselves and learn we should all be helping people see and understand what the church body can do by letting go and working together to shine. Warren Wiersbe said in a commentary, “Evangelism will not be the work of a chosen few but the daily delight and ministry of the whole congregation.”

That fits in so well with what it says in verses 46-47, “They worshiped together at the temple each day, and met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity – all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.” I love this because we see it’s not about our strategy and effort to get numbers, it’s our devotion to God and our openness to love people and share what we learn. “They were enjoying the goodwill of the people and praising God for everything.” The church gathering is so important because it brings us together to learn and see the masses and then meeting in our homes helps us develop relationships that keep us like family.

I like what Warren Wiersbe says in his commentary, “The three thousand new converts needed instruction in the Word and fellowship with God’s people if they were to grow and become effective witnesses. The early church did more than make converts; they also made disciples.” They made learners and people were seeking to learn more, this is important as we let the Spirit fill and lead us. Amen

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Psalm 16

10/15/2012

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Psalm 16:7-9 “I will bless the Lord who guides me, I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rest in safety.”

This is what Peter references in Acts chapter 2 verse 25 and it is great for us to remember. We are not left alone to find our own way; we have been given everything we need to be fully devoted followers of Christ. Are we willing to seek all that we can so we can go into the world and make disciples? Jesus says in Acts chapter 1 verse 8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” We have heard the Good News and we must share that news with people all over.

Our purpose as believers is to learn and teach and live out our life like Christ did; glorifying the Father. This takes us choosing to make a difference and learning all we can. In chapter 1 verse 14 it says, “They all met together and were constantly united in prayer…” Constantly is such an important word to remember as we learn and transform into new creations.

Being in God’s word and praying constantly helps us create habits and develop disciplines that help us die to self and focus on the Spirit leading us not us doing what we desire. Not only should our lives change but we should also be sharing and living a way that people want to change also. Our walk is never just for us, it is for others so when we are constantly in prayer and we are learning we can realize the Lord is always with us and we can truly feel peace in our hearts.

I have been reading the book “Game Plan for Life” by Joe Gibbs and there is a quote by Josh McDowell which says, “If you ask Him to take control of your life, just watch how your attitudes and actions will change because Jesus – the one who is at the center of everything in the Bible – is in the business of forgiving sin, removing guilt, changing people from the inside out, and healing relationships.” We need to surrender and let ourselves follow the one who has given so much by sending His Son. Amen

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John 16

10/10/2012

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John 16:5-10 “But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send Him to you. And when He comes, He will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more.”

The Holy Spirit is so vital in our walk with the Lord. He makes us aware of all right and wrong and only leads us to do right. When we continue to study and grow we hear the Spirit because we are dialed in to it, but when we are in the world the Spirit is still showing us right but we ignore it. In verse 13 Jesus says, “When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own but will tell you what He has heard. He will tell you about the future.”

We need to feed our hearts and minds so we hear the Spirit and know the truth of what we hear. Our manual (The word of God) is what helps us understand the promptings of the Spirit so we can grow and follow. We must be opened to listen and do what the Spirit shows us because He will never lead us to do wrong. Amen

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John 14

10/8/2012

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John 14:30-31 “I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the ruler of this world approaches. He has no power over me, but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father. Come, let’s be going.”

We see here the incredible heart and love from Jesus to the Father. It’s not about doing it on His own; it’s about doing something because it is right and glorifying to the Father. Sometimes physically or mentally we can do something that seems right and may get us through a situation but we are called to obey and show our love. Jesus is showing us when we surrender and open our heart and let the Spirit lead us He will guide us to what the Father wants and then we can show our love for Him.

This world is flooded with desires that we think we need, but when we listen to God we are focused on that alone. Look at verse 21 which says, “Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” We must desire to show our love and be willing to learn and grow so we can know God’s will for us and obey.

Jesus says it again in verse 23, “…All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.” The more we focus on changing our lives to be like Christ the more we surrender and follow the Spirit and the more we obey. Let’s make a practice of surrendering and devoting ourselves to obedience. Amen

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John 12

10/4/2012

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John 12:25-26 “Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.”

It is so hard to not think of ourselves as we try and do the things we need to for our family, but when our focus is on how we can do it we struggle to find peace in life. We are called to be like Christ and realize we are here to be an example and to glorify God not ourselves. He says, “…anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me…” It’s not about what we can do it’s about what He has done.

This world is so inviting because there is a liar that is at work trying to keep us feeling what is important to us. In verse 31 Jesus says, “The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out.” Satan wants us to keep ourselves number one and have us think that we have to do more and be more successful or fulfill our own desires because that will keep us satisfied. But nothing we can do or obtain in this world will ever satisfy our desires; only knowing that Jesus is Lord and Savior will do that.

In chapter 11 verse 25-26 Jesus says something that we should plant in our head and remember. “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die…” In the bible Martha said, “Yes Lord”, do we say yes or is the world too exciting for us? We can’t believe only when it isn’t hard, we must show our love always and let people see our life as a servant following Christ no matter what.

Our steadiness and focus is what helps people see there is a Lord that loves us. Our hypocrisy is what keeps people from believing Jesus really matters to us. Pastor Don Wilson from Christ Church of the Valley said this in a sermon, “almost or partial obedience is disobedience.” We must die to ourselves and learn as Jesus showed us to by surrendering to the Father. With this surrender comes peace and with that peace comes joy and with that joy comes celebration in Christ. We must desire to know Him more and fill the Spirit in us so we keep our eyes focused on God and not on the world.

Chapter 12 verses 42-43 says, “Many people did believe in Him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. For they loved human praise more than the praise of God.” We can’t be concerned with human praise because Satan will allow that to happen and it will consume us and we will seek more of that instead of more of Christ. Look at Psalm 119 verse 1-3 which says, Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. Joyful are those who obey His laws and search for Him with all their hearts. They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in His path.” We need to keep our eyes on the prize and walk only in His path. Amen

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John 8

10/1/2012

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John 8:31-32 “Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, ‘You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

It is so important to open God’s word and learn. We can talk about what we want to do but we need to open our hearts and learn to “remain faithful” to His teachings. If we don’t know His teaching we can’t remain faithful to them and if we are not willing to repent and change we will not truly be set free.

Verse 36 says, “So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.” Whatever we are struggling with we need to bring it to Jesus and know that He is the truth. Our bondage to our sin is what Satan wants us to believe and he will continue to lie to us so we struggle with confidence and with our believing the truth.

Jesus says in verse 51, “I tell you the truth, anyone who obeys my teachings will never die!” That is worth all the reading and faithfulness to Him that we can give. The fact that Jesus, fully God, came down to lead us by example is incredible and what He did is fully surrender and obeyed the Father who sent Him. That is exactly what He is asking of us, that we believe in Him and live in Him. We need to quit making the excuse of well I’m just a sinner, I’m going to mess up and believe we are new creations that can obey all that God has shown us with His Son.

I like what the end of verse 55 says, “…But I do know Him and obey Him.” We need to spend our time knowing Him so much that we obey Him and live our lives for Him not ourselves. The lies from Satan will keep you thinking and deceived, but God gave His Son, His Spirit and His word so we can learn. We can’t let anything come in the way of that learning and we must remember that we are victorious against all attacks when we are in Christ.

I want to finish with what Jesus says in verses 34-35, “Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, anyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever.” Repent and turn to Him and work on being a son or daughter and part of the family not just a visitor in the house. Amen

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Acts 17

Acts 10

Acts 8

Acts 2

Psalm 16

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