Acts 9

The power of God to change a life. How awesome it is to see and witness take a person who is lost and and blinded to spiritual things, have his eyes open and see Jesus for who He is. The conversion of Saul of Tarsus turned the world upside down. The greatest missionary that ever lived was sent forth to suffer for Christ that the Name of Christ may be lifted up and glorified. Seeing Jesus, He fell on the ground and turned His life over to Christ. Being blind for 3 days, Paul then experience the in filling of the Holy Spirit in all of it’s power. He became one of the greatest men to experience God’s grace and lead the world to His saving grace. (acts9)

The power of God to heal the sick and and bring life to the dead is manifested in times past to show the Glory of God and help spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Such demonstration was seen in the days of Peter and Paul for a specific purpose and reason. God is still able to perform such miracles, but the Holy Spirit now uses the Word to speak and deal with the souls of men. We still see on occasion the true healing of God to heal the leper and to make the cripple walk again, but the greatest miracle is to see God open the blinded eyes of those who are lost in sin and need to find their way out. Amazing grace, that saved a wrench like. I once was blind, but now I see. I once was crippled, but now I walk, I once was dead in trespasses and sins, but now I live my life in Christ. (Acts 9b)

Acts 26-28

“Thou almost persuadest me to be a Christian.”- How sad to come to the edge of eternal destiny, only to fall short after being convince of the truth. It is not unusual for one to know what is true, but is unwilling to take action on the truth in a positive way. To be persuaded is to embrace the truth and believe it not only in mind, but in heart. When facing God at the judgment, “almost” will not be good enough. May we be altogether persuaded that Jesus is the Christ, who died for our sins. May we embrace this to our hearts. (Act 26b)

“be of good cheer, for I believe God”- Knowing the will of God is to know peace and contentment. The storms of life will cause our little boat of life to rock and life’s future becomes unpredictable. There are times in our humanity that we make bad choices, against better judgement we launch out into the deep without any consideration to the warning of danger. But, God is a merciful God who will give us cheer if we but believe that He will see us through. With resolution, we can say, “I believe God” no matter how things turn out. (Acts 27) 

“Unless these remain in the ship, ye cannot be saved.”- It not always easy to stay on board when thing don’t look good. Survival is our human instinct. We are prone to jump ship when things get tough and it would appear that our situation is hopeless. Know when to jump and when to stay on board requires that we listen to the voice of God. Be mindful of his Spirit. He knows best when it is time to jump ship or to hold on and wait for God work the situation out. (Act 27b) 

“And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not”- All humanity were predestine to serve and love their Maker. It is the will of God that all would come to Christ and receive atonement. But, man has a free will and is given the option to go against the will of God. Some hear the Word of God and receive it gladly and walk in the light of His will, other turn their backs on God’s will, desiring to live for self will and choose not to believe God. The choice is ours to make. (Acts 28)

Acts 5-8

It is one thing to lie to man and be guilt of baring false witness, but to lie to God is blaspheme. The consequences of trying to deceive the Holy Spirit is a punishment of death and total separation from God. The Holy Spirit is not to be grieved if one is to find favor with God. Honesty is the best policy when dealing with the Holy Spirit. A sincere and contrite spirit God will not reject. May I always be sensitive to His Spirit as He deals with me and leads me on my journey to heaven. (act 5) 

Act 6-7) ?

What does it mean to believe or love with all your heart? From the heart the real issues of life spring forth. It is the heart that represents the passion and love that one shows toward on object. To love Jesus with all your heart means that nothing else in life matters as long as you can please the love of your life. To believe or love with all your heart indicates that there is no sharing of your affections with anyone else. it reveals that there is no reservations, no doubt, no hesitation to trust God. It is full abandonment of faith in a living God who will do what He says he will do. To believe with all your heart is to be willing to die for that belief and suffer any consequences because God has sealed His promise to your heart that He will do what He says He will do. (Acts8)

Acts 3-4

The works of the Holy Spirit once again is manifested through Peter and John. The power to heal was not derived from any righteousness of Peter or John. They gave their lives to be used as instruments in the hands of God. Their lives were yielded to the Holy Spirit who used them to heal the lame man who sat by the gate of Beautiful. It is dangerous to start to think that we in our own power can do anything of worth when it comes to the Salvation of men. It is through the fruit of the Spirit in ours lives that God is able to touch others for Jesus. May we always submit ourselves to God, so that He can use us to touch souls that need God. (Act 3)

If one is to be a true follower of Jesus and His teachings, then one can only conclude that there is no other way to obtained salvation from sin unless one comes to Christ and confesses their sins and believes that Jesus is Savior of mankind who died to redeem man back to God. There is no other religion that will satisfied this requirement. A true believer does not believe that there are many ways to get to heaven. The Apostle Peter made it clear to the the ruler of the Jews, that unless they confess Christ, there is no other way to know the Father. Such is the position of Christianity. Not arrogant, but faithful to the Word of God who spoke of this while He walked the dusty roads of earth. (Act 4)

Acts 1-2

Jesus made a promise that He would send the Holy Spirit to baptized His follows with the fire of God. Jesus keeps His promises, but promises are often followed by conditions. Wait in Jerusalem, tarry and pray. The Holy Ghost did come and power was given to them to go forth to spread the gospel of Christ. (acts 1)

The experience that the disciples had on the day of Pentecost is claimed by some churches that the evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit is to speak in tongues. This experiences also is used by the holiness church that there is an experience after being saved of the filling of the Holy Spirit. The purpose of the Holy Spirit filling the believer is symbolized in the way the Spirit came on the day of Pentecost. The cloven tongues of fire representing the baptism by fire of the purging of self desires and ambition. This is clearly seen in the change life of Peter as all self inhibitions are cast aside to declare the gospel of Jesus. Power of the Spirit was given to believers to speak boldly the things of God. The claiming of speaking in tongues as evidence is debunked by the fact that the gift was given for a specific purpose, since there were many there who spoke different languages. The experience of the filling of the Holy Spirit is real today. He still desires that those that follow Him be filled with the Holy Spirit that they may be led into all truth and to be controlled by His Power through the Spirit. (acts 2)

The assertive personality of Peter is now controlled by the Holy Spirit. He now is able to speak boldly the things that have happen and to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ without fear or favor of men. This is not the same Peter that hid behind the campfire outside of Pilot’s halls. The Holy Spirit gave Peter the power to speak the truth in the face of danger. The message was clear. Repent from ours sins, be baptized, and God will remove the penalty of sin and pay the debt that was charged to us because of sin that reigned in our hearts. After we do this, God will give us the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth, so we may live free from sin and be able to follow Jesus with all ours heart. (Act 2b)

John 20-21

Some people are really hard headed, such was Thomas. Thomas is not alone when it comes to believing God. By nature, many of “us” are skeptical of things that we have not witness ourselves. Too many in our day have “visions” and hear voices that are not substantiality with valid evidence. The claims of Christ have been validated by the witness of the Father and sealed by the Spirit. What He says is true and what He does is to be believed. It is amazing how quickly Thomas believe when He heard the words spoken by Jesus. How quickly he was convinces that what he heard was true. Thomas was chastised for not believing, but thank God he was not cast aside. Failure to believe does not have to cause us to quit. Look to Jesus and start believing. (john20

Peter was once again put to the test. He did not forget his failure to stand for Jesus when it counted. Now, face to face with Jesus, he is being drilled concerning his love for his master. Knowing his past, he is grieved that Jesus would once again test his love and commitment. It was the third time that the question was posed to him. Peter remembered how Jesus had known that he would deny him, so he speaks with the knowledge that Jesus is able to read the motives of the heart. Jesus knows if we speak the truth, or if we speak only to appease our conscious. To love Jesus. will require more than just words, it will require a life time of service to feed the sheep of Christ (john21)

John 18-19

It bobbles my mind to realize that God knows our every thought and knows the choices we will make before we even choose. This is known as the Omniscience power of the Holy God. Judas was not made to denied Christ just so that the scripture might be fulfilled, God knew that Judas would sell out cheap. Peter was not made to deny the Savior, but He knew that Peter would choose to deny that he was a follower of Jesus. What does God know about my choices. My heart’s desire is to always choose that which is right. In the foreknowledge of God, I trust that He will find me making the right choices to love and serve Him all the days of my life. (john18)

What is Truth? The question rings in the ears of men and women through out history. We all seek to know what is right and true. Like Pilot, we come face to face with Jesus, who reveals to each of our hearts what truth is. To live and follow the steps of Jesus is to live in truth, to do His will is to live a life of truth. (john18b)

The battle waged in the heart of Pilot. He was convince that this was more than a mere man. He too was almost persuaded to use his power to release Jesus from death roll, but self ruled in the heart of Pilot, his reputation was at stake and his allegiance to Caesar was challenged. To the very end, Pilot knew that Jesus was King. He was the king of Truth from another world. The shout of the Jews to Crucify Jesus will ring in the ears of Pilot for eternity. (john19)

the plan of salvation was completed as Jesus spoke His last words. “It is Finished”. The completion of the work of redemption came to an end. Jesus paid the ultimate price. He died to set men free from the death of sin. It is finished! We now can come boldly to the throne of God through Jesus Christ. 

John 16-17

The promise of the Father given to us by Jesus Christ is that the Holy Spirit would be sent to the world and the believers. The work of the Spirit to the world is to convince people that they are sinners and need a Savior, to show the power of God to reveal truth to those who are blinded by sin, and to bring an end to the work of Satan. The work to the believers is to guide them into all truth, to demonstrate the power of God to live a life of holiness by allowing the Spirit of God to dwell in the hearts of the believer. Such filling will empower the follower of Christ to live a life of full joy. The desire of the believer is to do the will of God. Asking Him for the things that please Him will bring fulfillment and everlasting joy. Fear not, by his Spirit there is nothing that a believer will not be able to overcome. (john 16)

In order to be set apart for the service of God, one must be fully consecrated to God. Sanctification is a work that is accomplished through the Word and the Word is Truth. It is the Spirit of God the leads believers in Truth. The prayer of Jesus was that those that choose to follow Him be sanctified, set apart to glorify Him. One cannot truly glorify God if they are living a self-center, self-serving life. Surrendering your life of all your desire and ambitions to God is to live the life of holiness. It all starts when the Holy Spirit leads us into the Truth of complete consecration to the whole will of God in sanctification. (john17)

John 14-15

To have access to God the Father, there is only one way to enter into His presence . Jesus is the Door, the final Word, and the Resurrection. He and the Father are one and to see God the Father, one must see Jesus. He is the Way that leads us to Father, He is the truth that bare the witness to God, and He is the only one that can give eternal life, life everlasting. How marvelous, how miraculous is our Savior who provided a way of escape into a relationship with our creator. John 14

Abiding in Christ is the fulfillment of life’s ambition. To be connected to the real source of life is to know the meaning of Life. A disciple of Christ will bear the fruit from which it derives it’s life. The evidence of abiding in Him is demonstrated in the way we live our lives day by day. Showing forth the fruit of the Spirit, reflecting the image of Jesus, desiring to obey His commandments will be the standard by which one is judged. Such fruit is not possible unless one is abiding in Him and His word is abiding in their own hearts. If He is truly your friend, you will follow Him and do as He ask you to do. (John15)

John 12-13

(John 12a) ?

Walking in the light. Jesus is the light of the world that shines so that others may see through the darkness of the night. Darkness covers the whole earth, but Christ has put His light in our hearts that we also may shine for Him. Because we belong to Him, we are the children of the Light. As His child, we desire light rather than darkness. It is important that we continue to walk in the light of His presence, less we fall to the shadow of darkness that will try and distinguish the light in our hearts. (john12b)

Being a servant of Christ is more than sitting at His feet and worshiping Him. As wonderful as that is, a servant must be willing to follow the example of Christ. He showed the way and gave us the secret to servanthood. We can never be too big and too powerful that we should not be willing to serve anyone who appears to be of a different strip. When it comes to serving others, the social rank of society disappear, the playing field of God’s mercy and grace is leveled out. We pick up the wash basin and begin to wash the feet of anyone who is weary as they journey and travel this life. (john 13)

Christ gave a new commandment. A directive, a charge, an order. Some would even say that He shed new light to those who were called the children of light. To love someone, in spite of who they are or what they have done to you, goes against human nature. The evidence of one who is a follower of Christ is to be able to show love to all who are part of the body of Christ. Not always easy to show love when conflict of interest arises and differences of opinion are evident. But, one of the test of a true believer is to love in spite of it all. A commandment I cannot do on my own. I need his grace to give me the strength to love when it is most important to love. John13b