Acts 2:14-21 – Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
“I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.” Here Peter is still quoting from Joel 2:28-32 concerning the Last Days. Daniel 6:27 notes that God performs signs and wonders in the heavens. Why does God do that? He performs these signs and wonders to speak to the inhabitants of the earth. To the currently loss, it is a warning sign to cause them to wonder and to consider what is the meaning of what they are seeing. If they are not so blind that they will not see, but will consider what the signs mean, they will seek out what the meaning is. All who have come to know Jesus as their Savior and Lord should consider this time in the Last Days a time to witness. When the hearts of men become fearful and, or, curious, it is a time to point to scripture and speak to them about Jesus Christ, and God Almighty. We can point them to verses such as Revelation 6:12-17 and reveal to them that God had warned of these events over two thousand years ago. That these signs are signs to get the attention of mankind. Those who don’t know the Lord will be in fear. Those who do will rejoice because they will know that their redemption is close (Luke 21:28). Two very different reactions for very good reason.
“The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.” Remembering that the Last Days are being spoken of, the sun turning dark is prophesied not only here in Acts and Joel, but also other places, such as Isaiah 13:10. Here it speaks not only of the sun being darkened, but also that the stars will not shine and also the moon will not give its light. (The moon will not have light to give because the moon has no light unless the sun shines on it and the moon reflects the sun’s light. Another science fact that was written over twenty five hundred years ago, long before the world understood.) Also see Joel 2:20, Joel 3:15, Revelation 6:12, Luke 21:25). God gives powerful signs on earth and in the sky when He wants to communicate something strongly to us, as at the crucifixion of Jesus (Luke 23:44-45).
“And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” The message of the Word of God is that God saves through Jesus His Son. God will do whatever He needs to communicate that He loves and saves men and women. God has been consistent with His message to the world. Acts 2:21 also states “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Likewise, Romans 10:13 “for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”” This message of the forgiveness of sin through Messiah God has not only been expressed in the New Testament, but also in the Old Testament: Jeremiah 31:31-34, Psalm 22:1-31 (V5), Isaiah 61:1-2, Isaiah 7:14 (Immanuel – God with us), Zechariah 12:10, Zechariah 9:9, Psalm 2:12, Psalm 118:25-29, Ruth 4:4-9. There are so many more scriptures that speak of the Messiah, pinpointing Him to be Jesus, saying where He would be born, where He would live, what He would do, what He would endure, that He would be betrayed, how He would die, and even that people would gamble over the clothes that He wore at His death. God gave all we needed to know in His Word. It’s only a matter of honestly wanting to know. God desires to save everyone (2 Peter 3:9). God does not condemn any man to hell. Every person has a choice whether to be saved by God or to spend eternity in “hell.” Family, let us pray that all may love and serve the Lord. It is the heart of God that lives within us that the world be saved through the only Messiah Jesus (John 3:16) and so it burns in our heart that all would know and receive God’s grace and love that He freely offers. Our God is good all the time and He loves us. Praise God! With all that we are, praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.
by Bob withMicah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.
Matthew 11:28-30 – “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Mark 12:29-31 – “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Family and Friends, God has called us with to an uncomplicated life. Not an easy life, but an uncomplicated one. We are to love being honest, being fair, and being just with one another, and to ourselves. We do that because we have the love of God within. If we have the love of God within then we are kind and just. If we do not have the love of God within, we are not His.
Family and Friends, God has called us with to an uncomplicated life. Not an easy life, but an uncomplicated one. We are to love being merciful to one another, and to ourselves. We do that because we have the love of God within. If we have the love of God within then we are merciful. If we do not have the love of God within, we are not His.
Family and Friends, God has called us with to an uncomplicated life. Not an easy life, but an uncomplicated one. We are to walk humbly with God. If we always remember that we are no different than anyone else, that we also are only right with God because of Jesus and not because of anything that we are or because of anything that we do (Ephesians 2:8-9), that will keep us humble. We remember what John Bradford (1510-1555) said “There but for the grace of God goes John Bradford.” We insert our name in place of our Brother Bradford’s. Knowing that we are saved by grace and nothing else we will walk humbly before God and with each other. We do that because we have the love for God and of God within. If we have the love of God within then we are humble. If we do not have the love of God within, we are not His.
We come to Jesus because we know the perpetual and eternal truth, we cannot save ourselves. Ultimately and always we live and thrive only because of Jesus, who He is and what He has done. We come to Him, and the grace of God through Him soothes our hearts and our minds. Because of Him, because of who God is, and not because of anything within us, we love God with all that we are, and before anyone or anything else. Only because of God can we love Him and also love others in a manner approaching how God loves us all. Knowing that we are saved by grace and by nothing else we walk in love before God and with each other. Since God has loved us we have the love of God within are able to love each other. If we do not have the love of God within, we are not His.
Family and Friends, let us love one another (1 John 4:7), then we will be just, merciful and humble with each other. If we really have the love of God within, that will take care of everything else. Love God and ipso facto we will love each other. It really is that simple. Really! Love is the answer. Not any love, but the love of God. Blessings and love to everyone. Praise God always that He has loves us! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.
by Bob withActs 2:14-21 – Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
“Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.” Again, Peter is here quoting from Joel 2:28-32 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. 29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.” Previously we reviewed that the Holy Spirit dwells within all Christians and transforms them to be increasingly like Christ. With the Holy Spirit within, the nature of Jesus is within. Our natures are changed from what they were to what God designed them to be. The change comes over time. As we age and move closer to Heaven, so our natures are changed to be more like the residents of it. All Believers have the Holy Spirit living within. That happens at the time of being born from above (John 3:16). Also, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the power of the Holy Spirit, is available to all Believers and as we have seen, certainly to all Believers today. Praise God!
Peter, quoting Joel, states that sons and daughters will prophesy, young men will see visions and old men will dream dreams. As we have previously noted that this will happen in the Last Days, which certainly we are in. We should not misinterpret the scripture to mean that only these, the young and the old, will be prophesy. Rather we should understand that what is being expressed is not the young or the old, but the young and the old. Not that only males or females, but by both females and males. The gifts of the Spirit, the empowering of the Spirit, is for all of God’s people, young or old, female or male, and all races and all ethnicities. The only prerequisite to be eligible to have the gifts of the Spirit flow through oneself is that we love the Lord Jesus Christ and that our hearts and minds are actively seeking His person and His will.
“Your sons and daughters will prophesy…” We know in the Old Testament that there were prophets, such as Ezekiel, Isaiah, Daniel and others. We also know that prophecy is also a gift that the New Testament Saints (which we are) would do (Acts 19:6, 1 Corinthians 14:5). A prophecy can be something that applies to all (Genesis 9:9-17), or can be something that is specific for one person (1 Samuel 10, John 13:18-30, Matthew 26:33-34, Acts 13:9-12).
Visions and dreams are not just something seen or dreamt as men see things and dream dreams. They are supernatural visions and dreams from God. He gives them for purpose and to accomplish His will. An example would be when the Lord spoke to Ananias in a vision to pray for Saul, whom the Lord had given a vision that Ananias would come to pray for him (Acts 9:10-12). The Lord gave Nebuchadnezzar a prophetic dream that Daniel then translated (Daniel 2).
These gifts of God are meant not only for pastors, teachers or elders, or those whom we might think are specially gifted, but the Word clearly states they are for His servants. Family, the gifts of God are meant for all His Saints. They are meant for you and for me, male and female, for all who love and serve Jesus. All means all. Seek God, seek to do His will, and be open to the Holy Spirit moving through you for God’s purposes and you too may experience God blessing you in such a way. Family, we need to turn off the television, get off the couch, push away from the computer and plead to God that we will be used by Him to lead people to Him and to glorify Him. Ask Him to use you however He would like to.
One other thing, you may have already have experienced God using one of the gifts through you, though you may not have understood. Certainly that is possible with gifts such as the supernatural gifts of knowledge and discernment. The point is for us to get off the couch and seek to do the will of God that He intends to do through our lives. Whether we are talking about the gifts of God, or just walking with Him, isn’t that the truth for all of us (Ephesians 2:10)? Let us always praise God and give glory to His name. Praise God! In all ways praise God! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.
by Bob withMark 8:35-37 – For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
Smile
Josh Groban
Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though it’s breaking
When there are clouds in the sky you’ll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You’ll see the sun come shining through for you
Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be ever so near
That’s the time you must keep on trying
Smile what’s the use of crying
You’ll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile
When there are clouds in the sky
You’ll get by if you smile
And maybe tomorrow
You’ll see the sun come shining through for you
Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be ever so near
That’s the time you must keep on trying
Smile what’s the use of crying
You’ll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile
This song meant a lot to me during my elementary and teen years. They were very hard for me. I was so conflicted and so confused in so many ways. It’s not that I wondered what life was about. I was so clueless I didn’t even know to ask a questions like “What is the purpose of my life.” I knew I hurt and I didn’t know why. I felt a lot of guilt after I got into my teens. I had already done so much wrong and because of that I hurt. I didn’t want to hurt, but still I did. It is not what I wanted for me. My youngest desires were to be a hero. Since as a child I was raised as Roman Catholic I thought the highest thing I could do with my life was to be a priest. I thought I could serve God and be a blessing to people, but too much was not understood. That didn’t work out.
I was sad. Morose to the point of suicidal. Yet, I sincerely doubt that anyone knew it. I didn’t want pity. What I wanted was a love and a hope that seemed humanly impossible. Since my sadness was pervasive and seemed endless I would try to practice what songs like Smile preached. Oh, I was good at fooling other people, and sometimes I seemed, and was, happy. But the sadness within never left. This life seemed so hopeless and incapable of being what I really needed. Also, it seemed, that I began to wonder about what the next life might be like. Perhaps there would be happiness there. But then I had thought that I would not go to Heaven so all seemed so hopeless. So very hopeless. I just wanted existing to stop.
When I was twenty-one I heeded the call from God and accepted Jesus as my Savior and Lord. The perpetual sorrow of my soul was vanquished by the eternal joy of God residing there. Darkness is always chased away when Light appears. Now superficial happiness and sadness happen according to circumstances of our life. The joy of the Lord is soul deep, it is spirit deep. So instead of sadness, joy never leaves. Happiness comes and goes with the circumstances that brings them, but I have learned, and grow in, a joy that can never be taken from me, not ever, because my joy is anchored solely in Christ. I will never lose Him, He is my treasure so since I can never lose Him, I will never lose my joy.
Another strange thing happened when I came to the Lord. Song’s like Smile lost their meaning. They lost their meaning because at the end of the meaning of them, they are empty of true and lasting solace, comfort and joy. Like this world, they can only bring temporary relief and the relief it brings has diminishing results.
Family, praise, honor and glory to our Savior Jesus. There is no substitute, there is no other. So Smile make me sad, not happy. I know that too many people settle for mud holes rather than lakes or oceans. I find it hard to “like” on Facebook a post that points to anything but Christ for joy. Only in Christ does joy reign. Singing songs of the world that instruct us to find comfort in self alone, or nature, or another philosophy are all a lie. It leads us from Jesus to something else. True songs of joy are songs that lead us remember the love and hope that only Jesus can provide. True songs of joy lead us to praise God and remember how wonderful and mighty He is. So I don’t “like” humanistic encouragement. It saddens me that people are being misled. Let us know, beyond all doubt, that God, and only God, is the source of true and everlasting joy. Then, for eternity, we can smile. Thank you Jesus!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.
P.S. – I do not intend to demean Josh Groban, whose talents I admire. Also, I greatly admire that as far as I know, he has never compromised his Christian faith. It’s more than I can claim.
by Bob withProverbs 9:10 – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
The fear of the Lord is, yes, genuine fear. It is a tremendous fear that recognizes that there is one Almighty God and we ourselves are not Him. We know that by His judgement we all will either go to an eternal Heaven or to an eternal Hell (Lake of Fire). The one who states he does not fear that, or has never feared that, is not being honest or is delusional. Of course, once we have become disciples of Jesus, there no longer is fear. But before we do, there is an honest fear. Something is wrong if there is not. Perhaps those who accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord at a very early age cannot remember fear. But they do learn Godly fear and respect.
I remember talking to my children about Jesus. They were young, very young. When they heard that we could spend our eternal lives with Jesus, or we would spend our eternal lives without Him, it was an easy choice for them and they, even now, do not regret it. They understood, even then, that actions have consequences. They understood their choice. Parents we should all teach our children that actions have consequences.
The fear of the Lord is a genuine fear (Jeremiah 5:22). We must have it before we will come to confess our sins and to ask for forgiveness. The fear of the Lord means that we know He exists and that he will reward those who earnestly seek Him Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” As has been previously discussed there is a flip side of verses. The flip side of Hebrews 11:6 is that with faith we please God but that anyone who does not have faith that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him, will not seek Him out. Such a person does not give his faith to God and the goodness of God and so does not seek Him out. If begins with a reverential fear of the mightiness and justice of God.
The word used here for fear also indicates reverence. Once we understand who God is, once we get to know Him personally, our respect of Him and our reverence for Him will know no bounds.
Proverbs 8:13 “To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” When we fear the Lord, when we respect and revere Him, when we love Him, then we will be opposed to everything that opposes God. All that opposes God is evil. All that opposes or challenges His Word is evil. All that teaches another way to live in the eternal peace and love of God than through Jesus is evil. Every other philosophy, religion, or reasoning that leads away from the Gospel leads to eternal death. Therefore, though they may seem innocuous, or even good for mankind on earth, they are evil. Anything that is not with God is against God (Matthew 12:30, Luke 11:23). Family, the evil that is done has a spirit behind it and that is what we oppose (Ephesians 6:12). We should not battle against people, but for them. If they are saved, they are of the Family, and we love and battle for and with them. If they are not saved, we battle on their behalf that they would become saved, and this is the love of Christ that lives within us. All philosophy, religion or thought that opposes any part of the Gospel is evil. All that leads anyone from Jesus is evil. We hate evil, it kills people, more than the death of bodies, but the death of souls. Yes, we hate evil, it kills our families and friends. We hate evil.
To have fear and reverence of God is the “beginning” of wisdom. When one begins to fear and respect God then one begins to have wisdom. It is not a solitary wise thought, but the beginning of a life of growing ever wiser as God gives wisdom continuously to all who seeks it (James 1:5). The word here translated as wisdom also brings a sense of opening up something that was closed. So though one was previously closed to know God and to receive His wisdom, the fear of God opens a closed mind to begin to receive. The proud will not unlock their hearts and mind to receive from God. But the humble, who fear and revere God, open their hearts and minds to receive from God, and they do.
Pastor Byron MacDonald has offered a definition of wisdom. He says it is “The skill in making good choices in life. Wisdom is to know what to do and how to do it.” Within wisdom is knowledge. Wisdom is the ability to make the right choices using the knowledge we have. The knowledge that releases Godly wisdom is knowing that He God is, that He is great and to be reverenced. Wisdom brings us to submit to Him. From there, when one “opens up” to God, or perhaps better said, when God opens one up, He then pours in His wisdom.
When I first came to the Lord I remember telling my wife that I think coming to the Lord “made me smarter.” My memory and understanding about all things was increased. I didn’t just know random facts, but the puzzle started to come together. Especially regarding scripture. After coming to the Lord I may read a verse and ponder it. Then, after a time, I may read another verse that would give greater meaning to both verses. I understand that it was, and is, the Holy Spirit who teaches us. I became attuned to what the Holy Spirit was teaching me. Yes, I believe he enabled me to learn more, but I also began to understand and experience the promise that Jesus has given to all who love and serve Him, John 14:26 “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” The Lord gave me knowledge and taught me how knowledge unites to give wisdom as God enables. It all starts by fearing the Lord and grows as He begins, and continues, to pour into us the knowledge and wisdom that the world cannot know, 1 Corinthians 2:6-8 “We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
Wisdom of the Holy One, of God Himself, and therefore learning about all that is holy, is what is gained from knowing God personally. Knowing God personally begins with a fear of Him and leads us to pursue Him. God teaches us His wisdom and that is knowing who He is and what He is. Knowing who He intrinsically and wholly is. What has begun in us is the knowledge of God and His ways and what has begun will be an eternal path of the joy of knowing God in ever greater ways.
Family, to know God is to love God. It all begins with the fearful knowledge that He is God and we are not. We have learned and do learn that His ways are above our ways, and that is a fact that we love because the wisdom of it brings peace and security. Wisdom that comes from God is pure, indefatigable and undefeatable. Praise God who has opened the vault of His endless and eternal wisdom unto us. He does so because He loves us, which is in and of itself, a wisdom to eternally explore. Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.
by Bob withActs 2:14-21 – Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
“Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd.” Peter addressed the crowd but they all stood. They were all united in Christ and empowered and emboldened by the Holy Spirit. Before the resurrection that had scattered and run off from the evil that was happening. But that day they stood together, unafraid and itching to proclaim that they are unashamedly the disciples of Christ. They all stood together. They stood, fresh in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, with Him flowing through them and they did not fear mankind. Not this time! Not ever again. Brothers standing together to dare to declare to the world the “wonders of God.” Praise God! It is how Jesus means us to stand, in love, together, a witness to the world that the love of Christ changes everything (John 13:34-35). Lord Jesus, may it be so!
“Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! In the crowd were both those who were genuinely intrigued and wondering what was the meaning of this supernatural event, and also there were the scoffers. The first thing that Peter did was address the slander of the scoffers. It is easy to suspect that he addressed the remarks of the scoffers first that he might help the genuine seekers to begin to understand.
Family, some write that this explosion of the Holy Spirit was a very “orderly” event. Does one hundred twenty people talking at the same time in different languages sound orderly as those who stress being orderly would define it? Not likely! It was organized chaos! The crowd could hear their own language, but there was also a roar of disciples loudly speaking out, maybe shouting, likely shouting, the wonders of God in all the languages of those present. Orderly church service? Hardly! Family, think to when you are in the presence of God in the Spirit, when He is filling you with love and healing. When God moves upon us and we, like King David, tend to shout with joy (Psalm 6:14-15)! It is a sure thing that skeptics could have accused them of being drunk! We shout our love and praise to God! We laugh, we dance, we cry, we are overwhelmed when the mighty hand of God touches us. Family, those who teach that when the Holy Spirit explodes on the scene, when He is rushing through our hearts like a mighty roaring river, that we will calmly and politely sit quietly in our seats and in only in our minds or in hushed breaths praise God, well, these teachers have never been overwhelmed by the beautiful, wonderful, loving, joyous and exciting actual touch of God! A smile and a warm heart are awesome, but what happened at Pentecost was at another level. They were baptized by the Holy Spirit, they were immersed, they were soaked by a flood that they could not stop and did not want to stop. They were shouting out the glories of God. King David knew this type of joy. Now some will say that what is being advocated is emotion. That is missing the point. The point is being flooded by the Holy Spirit, overwhelmed by the powerful presence of God. Only those who have never experienced that will object to emotion being clearly on display. Unequivocally let it be stated that no man can experience the presence of God without be overwhelmed (Isaiah 6:5, Job 40:3-5, Revelation 1:17, Leviticus 9:24). Can we be overwhelmed without emotion? Besides, God had ordained this time, this day, this event for men and women to joyously express the wonders of God, the wonders of His love, the wonders of the Gospel to all who would hear. And this was not a one-time event! God has likewise ordained His disciples alive today, us, to experience and do the same. This was the start of the church bringing the Gospel to the world. Family, let us tell the Gospel to all who will listen. Let is do it in joy and exuberance (Nehemiah 8:10, Psalm 20:5, Psalm 27:6, Psalm 95:1, Luke 10:21, 1 Thessalonians 2:19) . Let us have a Pentecost experience every morning to start our day. Family, every morning and throughout every day, let us seek the presence of God and desire that the power and wonder of the Holy Spirit flow through us to reach a lost world. We owe it to God! We owe it to each other! We owe it to the world! Praise God! Oh yes, praise God! Praise God! Praise God! Praise God! Psalm 126:1 “Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “TheLord has done great things for them.” Praise the name of the Lord!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.
by Bob withActs 2:14-21 – Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
“Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd.” Isn’t it grand that the Holy Spirit chose Peter to give the sermon? It warms my heart that He was one who was chosen. Peter, with his big heart and “do-er” attitude was called out front and center. Peter was the one who when in a crowd would speak up and say what the rest of the crowd wanted to say, but were timid about doing. Before the arrest, torture and death of his beloved Jesus, Peter was bold and was filled with at least as much faith as the rest of them. James and John may have been the “Sons of Thunder,” but it was most often Peter who stepped out of the crowd to take the risks. We read in Matthew 14:22-33 the account of Jesus walking on the raucous waters of the lake that were worrying the apostles within the boat. All the apostles in the boat were terrified when they saw an unrecognizable image of a man walking on the top of the disturbed waters. They all were terrified until Jesus called out to them identifying Himself. They were all in the boat when Peter said “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.” Any one of them could have called out to Jesus as Peter did, but they did not, he did. Likely, at least some of his fellow apostles were thinking “Peter, be quiet and sit down before something happens to you!” Others may have just been watching the show. One can just imagine a couple of them looking at each other and thinking the unsaid thought of “That’s it! Peter has finally gone off the deep end! He’s going to drown!” Jesus told Peter to come to Him. And then, crazy Peter got out of the boat and began walking on water. Those in the crowd missed the grand experience of the miracle of walking on water. That experience was for alone for bold Peter. Just as those of us who never step out to be used, in small and in bold ways, won’t experience the supernatural power of God flowing through them to others. Most will stay with the crowd, won’t rock or step from the boat, and as a result most of us will never “walk on water.”
Peter also was the one who responded that when everyone else are scattered in fear, Jesus could count on him to not flee but to stay by his side. Peter’s heart was willing to stand strong with the Lord, but he didn’t understand the power of evil that was ahead. Jesus told Peter that on that very night of His arrest Peter would become afraid and disown Jesus three times. In response Peter contradicted Jesus and said that he would never disown Jesus. Yet we know that he did (Matthew 26:31-35).
Peter remembered that Jesus had told him that he would deny Him three times and Peter’s heart broke and he ran away broken and crying (Matthew 26:75).
After the crucifixion and burial of Jesus, Peter surely punished himself for what he considered a cowardly betrayal of Jesus. All of his hopes he feared were gone. Jesus was dead and Peter had not stood brave with Him. The hopes of Peter were dashed. Then, when Jesus was resurrected and appeared to the disciples He made it a point to restore Peter and let Peter know that Peter was still up front as one whom Jesus would use to continue His ministry on earth (John 21:15-19). Hope again filled Peter and joy again was his.
So Peter was the one to speak out. The one who declared that though all may fail Jesus, he would not. He was the one who fled in fear and who subsequently cried the horrible, bitter tears of regret. But Jesus had come to Peter and let him know that He still had big plans to use him. Oh the love and grace of God! Peter’s spirit rose from the dungeon of regret to the freedom of again “walking on water.” Jesus was alive and He still loved Peter and was going to use him. Praise God! So the first evangelistic sermon delivered by the power of the Holy Spirit was through rambunctious Peter and the result of the Holy Spirit working through him was that three thousand souls were snatched off the road to hell and put on the road to heaven. We all have stumbled and fallen. Aren’t all so glad that Jesus always intends to restore us. He is faithful to us. Praise God! Let us be humble and live in the grace and strength of God. Who knows, perhaps some brisk morning the Holy Spirit will choose us to lead three thousand to Jesus. God is good to us all and He loves us all! Praise God! He is so wonderful! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.
by Bob withJeremiah 31:3b – …I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.
I am so glad that God chooses to love me. His incredible love of me is overwhelming. See, I know what I have done and been during a different time in my life. Though God has forgiven me I remember and recoil at all the hurt I have brought to people. How could God, or anyone else, like me, even greater, how could anyone love me? Even still, in the not distant past, in my weakness, I have hurt one who was deep in my heart. More notably in the past, I have been selfish and insensitive. Still I can be selfish and insensitive. Truly I am unworthy to be allowed to do anything in the name of Christ. This is no great humble confession, it is truth. Saying so is also not a call for “there nows.” I have been horrible and some of that still is within me. Sometimes the sadness is too much to bear.
The love of God is indeed beyond comprehension. He knows me. He knows every detestable thing about me and still chooses to love me. If I were him I would just have given up on me and just moved on. But not Him. No, He chooses to love me! I resisted His love, I resisted Him being a part of my life for the first twenty-one years of my life. He would visit me, call to me, and send people to make me aware of His love. Though He had every answer I wondered about, though He loved me as I though no one else could, I pushed Him away. I couldn’t envision how He could be in my life.
Truth is, I was afraid. I was afraid of being rejected by Him. I had figured it was a court that I did not want to stand inside of. I knew some day that I would stand before Him to be judged in the weakness of how I lived my life, but I hoped to put that off. Though, looking back, I don’t know why since I was unhappy and looking for what I did not know.
God pursed me, He always pursued me. Me! Yes, no reason to pursue me. I had no value to add to His band of Saints. Yet He did. Remarkable eh? So He pursued me. You know, He is an excellent tracker. He was in front of me at every turn. Finally I fell to me knees and surrendered to Him. And then He made me cry. Not because He pronounced the eternal horrific judgement that I deserved, but because He took all of my record upon Himself. His love overtook me and He said that He has loved me and will always love me. He said that the time will come when I will live with Him in Heaven for all eternity. Yes, He made me cry. He made me cry because He loved me in a way that no other could. He loves me. It is the most amazing thing I have ever known, and will ever know. He loves me. Oh some of you are probably scratching your heads too. How could He love Bob? Yet He does. You know the answer to that question is that He loves me because of who He is and not because of who I am. After all, love is at the core of who He is.
What is great about God loving me? Well for me, it is obvious! But what does that mean to you? It means that since God loves me, He surely loves you! Listen, recently I made one of the very best people I have ever known not like me anymore. So I’m far from being rid of who I had been. Still God loves me and continues to change me. Since He has loved a wretch like me, that should bring everyone hope for themselves. Some may be upset that God loves me, but I assure everyone that is the wrong perspective. The fact that God loves me means He can love anyone…and He does love anyone and everyone.
I thank God for all who call Jesus their Savior and Lord. I hope the fact that Jesus loves me will help to encourage others that “Well, if He can love Bob, He can love me!” And Family and Friends, that is the truth. I pray for you to know the love of Jesus. He has died for you and now He lives to bring eternal life to you. May you all be found in His loving embrace as you lovingly embrace Him!
Love and blessings to all!
He chose me – John 15:16, Ephesians 1:4, 1 Peter 2:9
He is love – 1 John 4:8
He bore my sins – 1 Peter 2:24, Isaiah 53:4
God called me – Acts 17:30, 2 Timothy 1:9, 1 Thessalonians 5:24
He will take me to Heaven – John 14:1-4
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.
by Bob withExodus 4:13-31 (21-22) – Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.
2 Kings 2:7-8 – Fifty men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan.8Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
2 Kings 2:13-14 – Fifty men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan.8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
Family let us base our faith on the Person of God and on His Word. Let all doctrine flow from there. We have preachers who are trustworthy and excellent swordsman with the word, and we praise God for them. We have men who are able and wonderful teachers of the Word who accurately relate the Word of God to us. We all are blessed. Let us pray for them daily and thank God for them!
There is, however, only one source of Truth that we can absolutely trust to be faultless and that is the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures. A great pastor and, or, teacher, may deliver the truth without error ninety-nine percent of the time. Yet any humble and honest Pastor will be quick to confess that though they always intend to present the unadulterated truth, there are some times when they think back and think they could have presented a verse, or verses, better. They may look back to a sermon from years ago and think that they now understand better than they formerly had understood. As we all grow in the Spirit, we all grow in the Word. They go hand-in-hand. One thing that can be said for sure is that no Pastor at any church I have ever attended (almost 40 years) has ever gotten the essentials of faith wrong. No once, not ever. And that is what matters most. We can all differ on non-essentials, no matter how dear the subject that we disagree upon. It is the essentials of Christianity that we cannot stray from.
Yet, it is very true that many pastors, teachers, and saints (mature and neophyte) bring along beliefs that cannot be supported by scripture. They are beliefs that grandma, or dad, or a favorite Sunday School teacher taught them. Or maybe something they had thought themselves and never let go of. It is easy to carry these misconceptions for years, even to the grave. When a person, any person, tells us what they relate as truth concerning our precious faith, let us seek it out in scripture. If scripture does not support it, then we must not give it weight as if scripture did support it. Certainly the Spirit can lead us in the Truth, in fact if the scripture is not leading then all is suspect. We must remember that the Spirit will never contradict the Word. Likewise, the Lord may reveal Truth to us through life experiences. And again, if a Truth is taught by God through experience it must never, can never, contradict the Word of God. Let us treat the Word of God, the Truth of God, as something that is sacrosanct and what we hold as precious in our hearts and minds Psalm 119:72, 89-97, 103-104, 105, 160, 175-176).
So all of the above brings us to what will be related to us as the Truth by many people, people who are good Christians, good pastors, teachers and aunties and uncles, who will relate what they were taught, but what is not Bible supported, in fact, even so called truths that oppose what the scriptures have to say.
Reading from the writings of an internationally known and beloved pastor, it is found that he makes a statement that, among others, the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea was a miracle that was once done and will never be done again. Now, to the natural mind, that sounds like a reasonable statement. However, one must ask where that statement is supported in the Bible. The answer is nowhere. Well, is there anything in the Bible that would contradict that statement? Yes there is.
We see in Exodus 4:13-31 where God parted the Red Sea. A mighty miracle indeed (aren’t they all!). Yet God parted another water, twice, that was a miracle of the same type and no less a miracle from God. He parted the Jordan River for Elijah (2 Kings 2:7-8) and for Elisha (2 Kings 2:13-14). Now one may jump up to exclaim that there is a big difference between the Red Sea which at its widest point is about 220.6 miles wide and the Jordan River which is at its widest point is about 400 feet. Well certainly the distance is difference, but was parting the Jordan River any less a miracle. It was the exact same miracle, only less distance. Family, we can be sure that the width of the sea or river matters nothing to God. He who called all of creation into existence can part the Atlantic Ocean with no more difficulty than parting a two foot wide brook. What looks hard, or impossible to man, is very easy and possible for God (Luke 18:27, Luke 1:37).
There are plenty of people, believers and non-believers, who will say what God will do and what He will not do. People will say that never again will a donkey talk as one did to Balaam (Numbers 22:21-34). Also they will say that the Lord will never again have a man swallowed by a big fish as Jonah was (Jonah 1:17, Matthew 12:40). Where is it read that these miracles will not happen again? That is not in the Bible. People, if God says He will not do something again, then we know that He will not do it again, as with the flood (Genesis 9:11). People have no right to say what God will do or not do in the future unless scripture reveals it, or they get a divine revelation (that must be borne out exactly and by the Word). Again, this very well appreciated and respected (and still I do) pastor said the Red Sea miracle would not happen again, and yet, it was, and seen in the scripture. It was the same type of miracle, the size does not matter to God! Size does not matter just as the grace of God is not limited in power to save.
This same minister says that the miracle at Pentecost will never be duplicated again. And though, I agree that it is most likely a unique experience, God is the only one who determines what He will do and man, unless directed by God, has no right to say what God will do, or not do, unless backed by scripture.
Also, though a pastor or teacher may be a scholar, be careful that they are not so biased in their belief that they have learned from another, that they manipulate a verse, or verses, to mean what they want it to mean. Family, check all sermons and teaching that it matches up with the Word of God, as the Bereans did. They heard the sermon and then searched the scriptures to make sure what had been told to them was true, and they were hearing from none other than the Apostle Paul (Acts 17:11). And they were lauded for checking against scripture what Paul had preached to them.
Let us not believe in old wives tales (1 Timothy 4:7), but rather on the Word of God. Let us not assume or disbelief what we ought not, but prove everything by the Word of God. By the Spirit of God and by His Word shall He keep us unto that day (2 Timothy 1:12). Praise our God! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.
by Bob with