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.