Acts 19 - Who do we follow?

In this chapter of Acts it talks of some of the Jews who went around copying Paul. They would try and heal people and cast out demons in the name of 'Jesus who Paul preaches about'  This backfires on them, as the demons don't know Paul they only know Jesus. We can do this sometimes, we can honour others above God. We can copy other Christians and not do what we are called to do personally. We can so easily rely on the faith of others without realising it.  
There are many Christian channels on television, and it is so easy to get drawn into what others are doing. They seem to have the perfect life, the perfect relationship with God, the perfect ministry etc...and this draws people. I haven't anything against Christian television, however I do believe that we need to be really careful. We need to make sure that we put Jesus at the top and not the celebrity Christians on the box.   
In the secular world people look up to personalities, they have their heroes. We too as Christians can do the same. We need to be careful and make sure that the only hero in our lives is called Jesus. We need to make sure that when we do anything we do it in the name of Jesus and not in the name of ............ Let's make sure the only one we follow is Jesus! 

Acts 18 - You can lead a horse to water...

On reading this passage of Acts, I was reminded of the saying 'You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink'  This is so true in so many situations, but none more than when you are telling others about Jesus.
Paul, in this chapter is once again preaching the good news to those around and about. In verse 6 & 7 it says, 'when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility." 
As Christians we are called to tell the lost about Jesus. We are commanded by Jesus in the great commission to "go and make disciples of all nations" This doesn't mean however that we go around nagging people into the kingdom. We are called to tell the truth. We are called to preach the good news. If the person or people that we are telling choose to ignore what we say then our job is done. We are not responsible for how they react to the gospel, we are only responsible to tell of the gospel so that they have the facts and can make the decision for themselves. It is only the Holy Spirit that can convict and set free, not us. So when telling others about Jesus, remember that it is our responsibility to share the good news - the Holy Spirit will do the rest.

Acts 17 - He reasoned...

On reading this chapter of Acts, my attention was brought to verse 17 - So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the market-place day by day with those who happened to be there.
Paul was discussing with the people he met. He wasn't arguing, or shouting or getting agitated. He was just discussing with the people in the Synagogue and market place about Jesus. He spoke in a language that the people understood, he didn't use jargon that they wouldn't understand, he spoke to them about things that they would've already known. 
We need to do the same. We need to show people the way to Jesus, but not through arguing with them or using words they don't understand. We need to just be the people that Jesus has called us to be and show others Him in a natural way. Let's be bold in telling others about the Saviour of the world, but lets do it in a way that they see him in us. 

Acts 16 - Are you in a pickle?

In today's reading Paul and Silas find themselves in a bit of a pickle. They were arrested and thrown into jail! They were beaten and chained up in a cell for helping someone, but they still praised God even though they were in a sticky situation!
It's hard to think that if I were in the same situation that I would praise God. 
I'd like to think that I would praise God in any situation, but I'm pretty positive that I wouldn't. The reason being is I've only got to have someone say something nasty about me and I start to moan! 
I want to get the stage in my Christian walk where I Praise God for everything whether good or bad, whether hard times or easy times. Let's face it no matter what situation I find myself in, God is still on the throne! I still have so much to praise God for even if I am not in a good place. Jesus died for me, he took my punishment. Why wouldn't I want to praise him through the good and the bad. Let's try and not worry about the pickle we're in, but Praise God that he saved us from the biggest pickle we could ever have - separation from him. 

Acts 16 - Which way?

In this chapter of Acts Paul and his companions are going around preaching the gospel. While they were travelling about, Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia asking for help. This was the Holy Spirit guiding Paul where to go next.
This got me thinking. How often do I allow God to guide me like this. I make appointments on a daily basis and I'd like to think that God enables me to book them. 

It is so amazing when we do listen to the Holy Spirit and allow him to guide us to speak to someone or do something impulsively with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. There have been many occasions where I believe God has put me into situations for a purpose, or even guided me to go and talk or pray with someone. I want to be so in tune with the Spirit of God that I just go, just do, just speak exactly what He wants.
 

Acts 15 contd - Agree to disagree

I guess we always think of the early church as being perfect. Everyone loving one another, everyone getting along, everyone encouraging one another etc... However in this chapter we find two different things happening. 
On the one hand we have Judas, Silas, Paul and Barnabas going to encourage new Christians in their faith, while on the other hand after encouraging one another we find Paul and Barnabas going their separate ways due to a disagreement! 
If there is one thing we can all agree on, we can never please everyone all at the same time. We are human beings with different opinions and so we need to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us and to help us to 'be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love' -Ephesians 4:2
I know that I can't do this without God. There have been many occasions where other Christians have upset me or even let me down, and I'm sure that there have been occasions where I have done something to other Christians that has upset them or let them down too. We need to totally rely on God so that we can be Ephesians 4:2 to others. So that we can encourage one another in love and not tare one another down. Let's get to a stage where we love one another and just want to serve one another. Let's get to a stage where we love one another so much that even when we disagree we can still agree. 

Acts 15 - Let's talk!

It doesn't matter where you work or where you worship there will always be a difference of opinion. Whether Christian or non Christian alike we all have opinions. The difference is that we need to be able to discuss our opinions and resolve problems in a manner that is not of the world. 
In the world people thrash out problems and quiet often quarrel. This causes not only tension but also people to fall out. As Christians we should be able to challenge one another without being abusive and without offence. 
One of the biggest causes of people leaving the church is offence. People talking harshly to someone causing that person to be offended. We need to love one another and encourage one another.We need to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us and to be loving towards one another.
Paul, Barnabas and the disciples were unsure of the gentiles and of what to ask of them, so they discussed it amicably and so didn't offend or quarrel.
We need to do the same. We need to talk things over and not gripe about things. We need to be honest and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in everything as well as our disagreements. 

Acts 14 - Be a Berean!

Today we read about Paul and Barnabas once again. They are in a place called Lystra and there they heal a man that has been crippled from birth. The people find out about the miracle and believe that Paul and Barnabas are gods and so they want to sacrifice to them.

This can happen even today. Not necessarily in the same way but never the less it still happens. Many people worship idols without even realising it. We worship television, books, shopping, friends, family, famous people, sport, gadgets, the list is endless. Whatever we put before God, we worship. If we watch telly so much that we squeeze out our time with the Lord, then we are worshipping telly, and so it is with anything that we put before God.   

This also can be the case with preachers. We can follow certain preachers and take on board everything they say without testing it. Many people follow famous preachers like celebrities and hang on their every word. I'm not saying that we shouldn't listen to them, but I am saying that we need to get into the word of God and find out for ourselves. 
A few years ago I needed advice about something. I can't remember what it was for, but I spoke to my dad and asked his advice. He told me something that I still take into consideration today. He told me to be as the Bereans were in the Bible. The Bereans were a people that listened intently to what the disciples said, but they didn't accept it unless it was scriptural. They tested EVERYTHING! We too need to be the same. Let's not worship others, lets not worship things, lets just worship the creator of the world!

Acts13 - Tell and go......

In this passage of Scripture Paul and Barnabas are preaching the gospel to both the Jews and the Gentiles. Many people begin to believe in Jesus, however some of the Jews decide to make some trouble and stir up persecution against them. It says in verse 51 that they, 'Shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium'
This reminds me of the passage of scripture in Matthew 10:14 " If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet." 
We can't make people believe in Jesus. We can't drag people into the Kingdom. All we can do is tell them the truth and allow the Holy Spirit to do the rest. Let's face it, Jesus told people the truth and if they didn't listen to him he just walked away. He didn't make them, he didn't even make a fuss. We need to remember that our job is to tell people about Jesus and let God do the rest. 

Acts 12 & 13 - Who guides you?

I haven't had much opportunity lately to write my blog and so I'm a little behind. The passage of scriptures that I've read lately made me think - who guides me?
In chapter 12 Peter is miraculously released from prison all because of the power of prayer. In chapter 13 Barnabas and Paul are sent off to preach the gospel, however it says in verse 4 - The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit. 
These two occasions were Spirit led. Peter escaping from the prison was Spirit led and the commissioning of Paul and Barnabas was also Spirit led.
I've spent the last week running prayer workshops in some primary schools. There have been times when I have felt the power of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit during this week, but I also know that there have been some times where I have depended on myself and not been guided by God at all. 
This is really sad. I want to be guided by God all of the time, however, if I don't look to him and allow him free reign over my life then I know that that is not going to be the case. I know that if I don't trust in God completely then I will fall into the trap of relying on myself. 
Who guides you? Are you guided by the Holy Spirit or do you only rely on God when the chips are down and you've run out of options? I know how I want to be guided - do you? 

Acts 10 - No Favourites!

In Acts 10, Peter arrives at Cornelius' house. He speaks to him about Jesus and the gospel of Salvation through the cross and Cornelius and his family receive Jesus as Lord of their lives and get baptised with the Holy Spirit.
What a brilliant story. What an amazing vision of the gospel of Christ in action! 
However, my favourite verse from this passage of scripture is, "I now realise how true it is that God does not show favouritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right." 
What a brilliant verse! What an awesome truth. God has no favourites, he loves us all, he died for us all, he wants to have a relationship with us all, he is Lord of all! 
We need to remember that when we choose who to tell about Jesus. We need to remember that when we see new people coming into our churches with problems and issues. We need to remember that Jesus died not only for the middle classes, but also for the drunk, the homeless, the dirty, the sick, the elderly, the young person, the prisoner, the single mum, the divorcee, the adopted - Jesus died for the WHOLE of humanity - GOD HAS NO FAVOURITES! 

Acts 10 - Peter goes...

In today's passage of Acts, Peter is told by God to go and speak to a man in Caesarea. This isn't something that Peter would want to do. However, he did it. He went and spoke to Cornelius because God wanted him too.
When was the last time I did something just because God asked me too? When was the last time you did something because God asked you even though you didn't want to do it?
We need to be obedient just like Peter. He made a difference in the life of Cornelius just because of his obedience. We too can make a difference in the life of someone for Jesus. So lets be open to the heart of God and listen, and do what he asks. 

Acts 9 - Use me Lord!

The conversion of Saul is of major importance to the majority of Christians today. This is because it was in fact Saul or Paul as he became known, that took the good news to the Gentile race.
This was a real miracle though, as it was Paul that was persecuting the church at the time, and it was Paul who stood by and watched as the people threw stones at Stephen and made him the first Christian martyr. 
This story gives me so much hope. The gospel is an amazing thing. We serve a God that loves everyone and has no favourites. He chose to use Paul, his enemy, and through Paul many people became Christians and are still becoming Christians. If God can use Paul, then he can use anyone to bring comfort to the needy, help to the lost, and the truth to a world that needs to know that Jesus died for them. I know that when there are times when I feel that I am not worthy to take the good news of Jesus to the lost, all I have to do is remember Paul. He probably felt like that sometimes, but even so Jesus used him to make a difference for the kingdom. He did what he was called to do!
 

Acts 8 - The Power!

Today I've been reading about a man that wanted to pay money for the power of the Holy Spirit. Simon saw what God was doing through other people and he wanted it too, so he tried to pay Peter and John to give him 'The Power' 
This made me think about the Holy Spirit in my life. I don't need to pay anything, I don't need to do anything. I just need to ask and I will receive. This is the great thing about Salvation is its free. Jesus paid the FULL price. It's the same with the Holy Spirit. All we need to do is ask, all we need to do is receive.
The Holy Spirit will never force himself on you, he will never make you do anything you don't want to do. However, he does want to be part of our lives. Jesus sent his Holy Spirit to be with us and guide us as well as give us the power and courage to do things. If we ignore the Holy Spirit or choose not to have him in our lives, then we are ignoring part of Jesus commission. He told us that he would send a comforter. He promised not to leave us alone. So why would we choose to be alone and ignore the Holy Spirit.
If you don't know the Holy Spirit, get to know him. He is there to help and guide you. Just ask and he will come. Trust in him and he will guide you. 
 

What kind of temple are we?

Acts 7 concludes with the stoning of Stephen. Before Stephen was killed though he said some amazing words quoting from Isaiah 66, "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool, What kind of house will you build for me?" says the Lord
This really struck me this morning. We are meant to be the temple of the Holy Spirit. We therefore have God dwelling within us. If this is the case, what kind of dwelling are you? What kind of dwelling am I?
Are we the kind of dwelling that just opens its doors on a Sunday?
Do we only open our doors enough for God to peep in through the gap?
Have we allowed God to come inside at all?
Have we allowed God to do any kind of decorating?

OK so these questions might seem silly BUT
If we are the kind of person that only goes to church on a Sunday and forgets about God the rest of the week, then we are not very inviting towards him are we?
If we don't give God the reigns of our lives then we don't show that we trust him.
If we haven't accepted Jesus as our Saviour then we are only going through the motions and have no relationship with God at all
If we accept Jesus as Saviour and then don't allow God to change our lives then we are living a lie.
We need to allow God to do his will in our lives. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to come and change us and chip away at the old person we were. We need to accept God and ask him to come and do some decorating - inside and out. We need to change so that God can do amazing things through us. We need to be different - its the difference in us that draws others to Christ. 
 

Let's Stand!

I'm in Acts again and continuing with the story of Stephen. He's been arrested and is now speaking for his life. You'd expect in human terms for him to defend himself, but instead he defends the gospel. He speaks of Moses and of the prophecy of Jesus.
I'd like to think that if I was in a situation that I needed to defend Jesus that I would. We are told in the bible that there will be a time of persecution. Are we up for that? Are we sure that we can and will stand when it comes? 
There are many Christians in the world that don't have it as easy as we do in the West. We don't really know what persecution is. We think someone saying a snide remark or laughing at us is persecution, however there are people in our world even today losing their lives because they believe in Jesus.

Let's remember our brothers and sisters that are being persecuted. Let's uphold them in our prayers, as I know they uphold us. 

Moaner or doer?

Today's passage once again is in Acts and we find some of the people complaining about the unfair distribution of food. The disciples sort this out by handing this task over to some Spirit filled people to take over the job.
The people they chose could have been really disappointed, they could have felt that their jobs weren't very important. However that is not the case. These men we godly men and they did their job to the best of their ability. They didn't complain, or feel like they weren't being used to their full potential. They humbled themselves and got the job done.
We need to more like this, we need to make sure that whatever we do, we do to the glory of the Lord. He humbled himself for us, so why would we not do the same? We need to be Jesus in every situation. We need to be humble enough for the lowest of jobs, as well as being ready for the biggest of challenges.We need to be up for anything that God asks of us - are we ready? If Jesus told us to do something would we do it or would we moan about it? Think about it are you a moaner or a doer? 

No compromise!

In today's passage of scripture in Acts chapter 5, we once again find the disciples in trouble with the Jewish authorities. People are bringing their sick to be healed and God is adding to the number of believers on a daily basis. The disciples are arrested and once again told that they must stop preaching the name of Jesus.
The disciples are not swayed though. In fact after being flogged they are set free and go straight back to the temple proclaiming the gospel more than ever.
The early church was not influenced by man, they were not bullied into compromise, and they were not bothered about what people thought of them.
We need to stop being influenced by the world and only be influenced by the Holy Spirit. We need to stop compromising what we believe just to please those who don't believe the whole bible. We need to stop worrying what others think of us and start worrying what God thinks of us. We need to stop being politically correct just so that we don't offend someone. I'm not saying that we need to be nasty to people, but I do believe that we have to speak out the gospel of Jesus Christ, and if that is offensive to people then so be it.  
 

Committed?

Acts chapters 4 and 5 show us how the early Christians were committed not only to sharing the gospel, but also to one another. I think this is an amazing picture of how God really wants us to be. Everyone was equal, everyone shared what they had and they supported one another in love as well as fellowship. They were committed to God, one another and the sharing of the gospel.
This is how I believe we should be today. I believe that God wants His church to be united, to be committed, to be living in equality, to be loving one another and looking out for one another. 
I don't suppose God is very happy with the way we really are.
I think we need to ask some questions:

1. How committed are we to God?
2. How committed are we to one another?
3. How committed are we to loving the unloved?
4. How committed are we to showing the lost the way to Jesus?   

These maybe hard questions to face up to and answer. However I believe that we all need to answer them and see how we can change our own lives so that we can help others to change their lives.  
 

The Truth

In today's scripture Peter and John are in trouble! They have been called before the Sanhedrin for healing a man in the name of Jesus. The Sadducees are not happy to say the least. They think that they have got rid of the trouble maker, Jesus, but here are men still talking about him, healing in his name and going around preaching what he preached! 
Peter and John stand before them and are told that they are free to go, but that they must not mention Jesus again. Peter and John then reply, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." In other words, NOT A CHANCE!
I think this is brilliant. Peter and John are in real trouble. However, no matter what, they have to speak the truth; they have to speak of Jesus; they have to do God's will and not man's will.
That's the kind of Christian I want to be. I want to be able to say no matter what predicament I'm in that I will only speak of Jesus, and I will only do the Lords will.
I want to be able to say as Joshua said,  
"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” 

Get up and Walk!

Today continuing with Acts, I read the story of Peter and John healing the cripple at the Gate Beautiful. This is a great story. This man was begging for money, but Peter and John gave him the greatest gift - the gift of healing - both Physically and Spiritually. 
We meet people every day that have needs. Maybe not as great or obvious as this man, but still just as important. How do we react? How do I react? Do I give them the greatest gift, or do I just say hello and walk by? Do I share the love of Jesus, or do I completely ignore them and carry on with what I'm involved with?
This is really difficult for me. I don't find this kind of thing easy, I don't find it natural to talk about peoples needs and problems. This is a bad excuse though. As Jesus came for the lost, the lonely, the sick, the needy, the people with problems! I need to get with the programme! We all need to get with the programme!
There's a great quote from a children's film that comes to mind when I read this story. It comes from the film 'Robots' The quote is "See a need, fill a need!" This is how we should be as Christians. Peter and John saw the man's need and not only filled it, but gave him more than he'd bargained for. I want to have that kind of Christianity! I want to have the courage to see the need and fill it! Do you? 

It's sorted!

Acts 2 continued today. Peter is in full swing of his sermon! He gives it all he's got! The quote of the day comes from verse 24:

But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

Praise God for this verse! Jesus conquered death so that we can be saved! The grave couldn't hold Him, death couldn't stop Him, Satan was and is defeated by Him! We can all hold onto this verse. What an amazing passage of scripture. Peter encourages us that Jesus has overcome sin and death and we are saved through the cross. What else can I say? 
                                        Jesus did it all! It truly is SORTED!

Just call!

Today's reading is the beginning of Acts 2 - the Day of Pentecost. This is the start of the church, the first sermon is preached by Peter and all those around are amazed at being able to understand what is being said.
I have read this passage of scripture many times, and each year I teach the children about it. However, today I noticed something that I hadn't really focussed on before.  

"And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." 

This passage comes from Peters sermon. He is quoting Joel chapter 2. Peter quotes scripture that the crowd know which he did to help them understand what was happening.

The thing I like about this passage though is the fact that is it current today. Even 2000 years later people are accepting Jesus as Lord of their lives. This is so amazing. It is so easy, all we need to do is accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour and that's it - we're saved! Job done!
So many people think that becoming a Christian is restrictive and difficult. Actually it is the easiest and most liberating thing I have ever done. Accept Jesus as your Saviour. Its easy. Just call on Him and he will answer you. 
 

Pray without ceasing!

Today I began reading Acts. In the first chapter Jesus promises the disciples the Holy Spirit and then leaves them and returns to heaven.
The disciples return to Jerusalem, and it says in verse 14, 'They all joined together constantly in prayer' . This is something that I believe that we need to do. As Christians we need to pray; we need to join together and pray; we need to be at one with the Father.
How can we know where God is leading us if we don't communicate with him? How can we have a relationship with God if we don't talk to him? 
I know personally that I don't pray enough. However, this has got to change. I know that the only way I can make sure that I am following in Jesus footsteps is if I go to him in prayer. I want to be guided by him; I want to hear his voice; I want to know his will for my life. To have this kind of close relationship with Jesus I need to spend time with him.  
Let's all come before the throne-room of grace and be expectant at what the Lord will do. Let's make sure that we communicate with God and not just offer prayers that are like shopping lists. Let's listen to what the Spirit has to say and be expectant at what God will do through us. 

Back to the blog..........

The last few days I've spent reading about Saul pursuing David in order to kill him. Even though David knew that his life was in danger he didn't stop trusting in God. In fact before David contemplated anything he 'Enquired of the Lord'
This got me thinking about how much I trust God. When I am in a bad place or tough situation do I enquire of the Lord to find out what to do or do I just ask God to take the problem away? David didn't ask God to take the problem away, he just trusted that God was with him and he asked God what to do next. Even when he had opportunities to rid himself of Saul, he chose to do God's will instead. Even when his wives, children and the families of his men are kidnapped by his enemies, he still asks God what to do.
I think I need to take a leaf out of David's book and make sure that I ask God first. God knows what is best for us, so we need to make sure that we ask God so that we know that we too are doing what is best.