Be Filled With The Holy Spirit
As the world thinks of ghost & goblins, remember the ONE who is HOLY. "Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." [1 John 4:4]
"For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection--and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both." Acts 23:8 (NKJV)
"Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Eph 5:18-20 (NLT)
The goal is not to abandon the world, but to keep ourselves IN CHRIST and salvage as much as possible from this evil world. Christians do renounce the falseness of the world, but do not reject Creation itself.
Following repentance (change your heart and life), a surge of Holy Joy springs up! But a kind of joy can spring up from darkness also. The temporary joy of wine will ruin your life. For Christians the Holy Spirit gives true HOLY JOY. This JOY is the New Testament worship of GOD who is Father, Son, Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19). In the Lord's Supper we give thanks to the Father through the Son. Wine will ruin your life. But he who is filled with the Holy Spirit is rooted in Christ and is gloriously sober. Quoting Scripture and singing hymns would not be spiritual if there if not also humility, submission and the fear (reverence) for God.
"And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will." Romans 8:26-27 (NLT)
Helps. "He greatly assists or aids us."
Our weakness. Assists us in our infirmities, or aids us to bear them. The weaknesses to which we are subject, and to our various trials in this life. The Spirit helps us in this,
(1.) by giving us strength to bear them;
(2.) by encouraging us to make efforts to sustain them;
(3.) by showing us power, and truth, and our Christian blessings, which help us to endure our trials.
For we know not. This tells us of the aid which the Holy Spirit gives us. The reasons why Christians do not know what to pray for may be -
(1.) that we do not know what would be really best for us. (2.) we do not know what God might be willing to grant us. (3.) we are to a great extent ignorant of the character of God, the reason of His dealings, the principles of His government, and our own real needs.
(4.) we are often in real, deep perplexity. We are encompassed with trials, exposed to temptations, feeble by disease, and subject to calamities. In these circumstances, if left alone, we would neither be able to bear the trials, nor know what to ask at the hand of God.
Strength in weakness.
Mr. Christmas Evans (in the 1800s) now made a solemn promise to God, made, as he says, "under a deep sense of the evil of his heart, and in dependence upon the infinite grace and merit of the Redeemer." Some of this renewed determination can be seen in the following. [I have revised the language.]
1. "I give my soul and body to You, Jesus, true God and eternal life. Deliver me from sin, and from eternal death, and bring me into life everlasting. Amen."
2. "I call on the day, the sun, the earth, the trees, the stones, the bed, the table, and the books, to witness that I come to You, Redeemer of sinners, that I may obtain rest for my soul from the thunders of guilt and the dread of eternity."
3. "I do, through confidence in Your power, ask You to give me a circumcised heart of love for You, and create in me a right spirit, that I may seek Your glory. Grant me that strength which You will confess in the day of judgment, that I may hear You speak my name. Grant me this, for the sake of Your Most Precious Blood. Amen."
4. "I plead with You, Jesus, Son of God, in Your power, grant me, by Your agonizing death, a covenant-interest in Your blood, which cleanses; in Your righteousness, which justifies; and in Your redemption, which delivers. As You have tasted death for all men, grant me eternal life. Amen."
Friday, October 26, 2012
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
FIRST CHURCH FRANCHISE
FIRST CHURCH FRANCHIZE
”Shouldn’t there be a standard church for your Bible?” “When you visit a church in a distant city,
shouldn’t it be a clone of your home church?”
“What happened to the Church I remember from my childhood?”
This from some Sci-Fi things I borrowed and rewrote. Note this is a parody but also a
parable.
What
might a standard church be like? Would
there be a three-ring manual giving exact details of all the services down to
the smallest detail? Would all the
churches (buildings) be clones of the pattern?
Sci-Fi writers ask what if a brotherhood of churches were set up as a
franchise, much like the Fast Food Industry does.
The
entrance room of First
Church
There's
a little rack along the front of the counter bearing gospel tracts, free for
the taking, donation requested. The lady types some stuff into the computer.
The worshiper snaps her Visa © card down on the fake wood counter top; it
sounds like a rifle shot. The lady pries the card up, then she swipes the card
through its electromagnetic slot with a carefully modulated sweep of the arm,
as though tearing back a veil, hands over the slip, mumbling that she needs a
signature and daytime phone number.
Since cash and checks are no longer used, the collection must be taken
up before the service. (We are in a
cashless society. We are to “lay by in
store.”)
Then it just remains for the “Word
from On High.” But computers and communications are awfully good these days,
and it usually doesn't take longer than a couple of seconds to perform a
charge-card verification. The little machine beeps out its approval code.
"Thank you for your donation," the lady says, slurring the words
together into a single syllable.
The
worshipper hurried toward the double doors. The song leader had already walked
to his place to convene the service. The interior of the church is weirdly
colored. Fluorescent fixtures are wedged
into the ceiling. Large colored light
boxes simulate stained-glass windows. The largest of these, shaped like a
fattened Gothic arch, is bolted to the back wall, above the pulpit, and
features a waterfall pouring into a river basin. The baptistery is placed beneath this. The song leader announces the first number
and the singing begins.
Again,
this is both a parody and a parable. It
is the worshipper who is being served and involved. We NEED fellowship (koinonia), sharing and
intimacy, in whatever form we choose. “Let
us hold on firmly to the hope we profess, because we can trust God to keep his
promise. 24 Let us be concerned for one
another, to help one another to show love and to do good. 25 Let us not give up the habit of
meeting together, as some are doing. Instead, let us encourage one another all
the more, since you see that the Day of the Lord is coming nearer.” Heb 10:23-25 (TEV)
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
SILVER THREADS
Silver Threads Among The Gold
If we knew Armageddon was just around the corner, would it change the way we live now? If we knew we were going to die tomorrow, would this make a difference?
"Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well. For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it." Ecclesiastes 12:6-7 (NLT)
"Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by living a godly life." Proverbs 16:31 (NLT)
1. We all grow older in our world of time.
"The world needs to do more to prepare for the impact of a rapidly aging population, the UN has warned - particularly in developing countries. Within 10 years the number of people aged over 60 will pass one billion, a report by the UN Population Fund said." BBC News
"China's population is aging. By 2050 more than a quarter of the population will be over 65 years old and younger generations face an unprecedented burden of care." BBC News
By 2030 about 1 in 3 West Virginians will be 60 or over. The US will average about 1 in 4 over 60.
The number of centenarians (age 100+) in the world is projected to increase from fewer than 316,600 in 2011 to 3.2 million in 2050.
a) "Population control" adds to the problem.
Many babies are not allowed to be born. And gender selection is being practiced by some.
Lianyungang, a booming port city, has China's most extreme gender ratio for children under four: 163 boys for every 100 girls. Asia now has 163 million females "missing" from its population. Gender imbalance reaches far beyond Asia. The world, therefore, is becoming increasingly male, and this mismatch is likely to create profound social upheaval.
b) Many are living longer.
"This rising proportion of older people is a consequence of success - improved nutrition, sanitation, healthcare, education and economic well-being are contributing factors, the report says." BBC News
"And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people." Matt 4:23
"No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities." 1 Tim 5:23
c) As the flower of the field.
King David breathed pure air, drank unpolluted water, ate unprocessed organically grown food, yet died at age 70.
But Moses: "Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyesight was clear, and he was as strong as ever." Deut 34:7 (NLT)
"The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away." Psalms 90:10
"As the Scriptures say, "People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever." And that word is the Good News [Gospel] that was preached to you."
1 Peter 1:24-25 (NLT) [Isaiah 40:6-8] Gospel is an old word that means Good News.
"I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor--it is the gift of God." Ecclesiastes 3:10-13
If we knew Armageddon was just around the corner, would it change the way we live now? If we knew we were going to die tomorrow, would this make a difference?
"Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well. For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it." Ecclesiastes 12:6-7 (NLT)
"Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by living a godly life." Proverbs 16:31 (NLT)
1. We all grow older in our world of time.
"The world needs to do more to prepare for the impact of a rapidly aging population, the UN has warned - particularly in developing countries. Within 10 years the number of people aged over 60 will pass one billion, a report by the UN Population Fund said." BBC News
"China's population is aging. By 2050 more than a quarter of the population will be over 65 years old and younger generations face an unprecedented burden of care." BBC News
By 2030 about 1 in 3 West Virginians will be 60 or over. The US will average about 1 in 4 over 60.
The number of centenarians (age 100+) in the world is projected to increase from fewer than 316,600 in 2011 to 3.2 million in 2050.
a) "Population control" adds to the problem.
Many babies are not allowed to be born. And gender selection is being practiced by some.
Lianyungang, a booming port city, has China's most extreme gender ratio for children under four: 163 boys for every 100 girls. Asia now has 163 million females "missing" from its population. Gender imbalance reaches far beyond Asia. The world, therefore, is becoming increasingly male, and this mismatch is likely to create profound social upheaval.
b) Many are living longer.
"This rising proportion of older people is a consequence of success - improved nutrition, sanitation, healthcare, education and economic well-being are contributing factors, the report says." BBC News
"And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people." Matt 4:23
"No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities." 1 Tim 5:23
c) As the flower of the field.
King David breathed pure air, drank unpolluted water, ate unprocessed organically grown food, yet died at age 70.
But Moses: "Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyesight was clear, and he was as strong as ever." Deut 34:7 (NLT)
"The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away." Psalms 90:10
"As the Scriptures say, "People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever." And that word is the Good News [Gospel] that was preached to you."
1 Peter 1:24-25 (NLT) [Isaiah 40:6-8] Gospel is an old word that means Good News.
"I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor--it is the gift of God." Ecclesiastes 3:10-13
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Holy Fire in the Fireplace
Holy Fire In The Fireplace
The One Spiritual Church is the FIREPLACE in which the Holy Fire of The Holy Spirit burns. Compare the Burning Bush. Exodus 3:2-6; Mount Horeb, Deuteronomy 4:15.
"We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat." Heb 13:10
"And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?" Luke 24:32
1. God must be in some sense like man if the two are to relate. In biblical language, man is made in the image of God.
"For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels. But one testified in a certain place, saying:
"What is man that You are mindful of him, Or the son of man that You take care of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor,
And set him over the works of Your hands." Hebrews 2:5-7
a) Of course, that image has been distorted by sin, but we should be able to understand something of God from our knowledge of man. The characteristics of man necessary for relationship include abilities to love and hate, moral consciousness, emotion and language, and all of these are seen as reflections of corresponding characteristics of God. The Christian God is a personal God.
2. The essence of God includes relationship. How can this be, if God is one, and yet existed before He had created anyone to relate to? The answer is that from eternity God has related to Himself, loved Himself, communicated with Himself. Remember: He is GOD. This is certainly a mystery, which the Christian describes in terms of the Trinity.
The Bible speaks of Jesus Christ as one with God, as existing from eternity, and as active in creation; and it speaks of the Holy Spirit as existing with and being of one nature with the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. To say that the three are one accurately summarizes the biblical material, but brings problems in itself. Other writers have discussed these: here, we note only the insight it gives to the eternal love, communication and relationship in God. Note 2 Cor. 13:14.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen."
3. God is the One who is revealed in history. Thus we can see what God is like from what He has done. He is more often described as the God of Israel or the Father of Jesus Christ than in terms of His characteristics, so we can expect to understand Him best through accounts of His actions and through personal experience of His actions towards us. Thus it will often be more appropriate to describe God as One who
DOES something rather than One who IS something. Supremely, God is a God who Creates, who Loves, and who Saves. He is also a God who judges and destroys wickedness.
a) The supreme revelation of God in history is in Jesus Christ. ‘No man has ever seen God; the Only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known’ (Jn. 1: 18).
"And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." John 1:16-17
b) The question, ‘What is God like?’ is ultimately to be answered through a study of the person of Jesus Christ in the New Testament records.
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him." Col 1:15-16
"...who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high," Heb 1:3
"Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Cor 3:17-18
Change your heart and life
Repent Means To Change Your Heart And Life
"Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me." Psalms 51:10-11
1. It is OK to fail IF you repent and return to God.
"Here is the deal, sometimes in order to find the right path you have to start down the wrong one. What I mean by that is often our first step is a failure and it is through that failure that we get the perspective we need to find the right direction. Sometimes the first step has to be the "wrong" one because it isn’t until we try it that we get our eyes opened up to what God wants us to see and that would not have happened had our decision making frozen up and we had taken no steps at all. The path to success frequently passes through times of failure. That is a liberating idea because it helps us realize that success is not defined by a series of 100% correct decisions. If we think success requires that it will always elude us." Matt Dabbs
a) Godly sorrow renews our trust in God.
"For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter." 2 Cor 7:10-11
b) Faith is continually tested, purified, and refined.
"And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death." Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me." Luke 22:31-34
Jesus sees Simon Peter's denial as a violent attack by Satan. Jesus prays for Peter to endure. After his repentance and the Resurrection, Peter returned to Christ and was able to strengthen the early church.
2. Peter, A Man Of Faith.
"Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Matt 16:16-19
As first in confessing Christ, Peter got this commission before the rest; and with these "keys," on the day of Pentecost, he first "opened the door of faith" to the Jews, and then, in the person of Cornelius, he was honored to do the same to the Gentiles. —Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
3. Peter Restored And Confirmed.
"So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs." He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep." John 21:15-17
Some see this as an "official reinstatement" of Peter as an apostle; that he denied three times, therefore must confess three
times. But there is no proof Peter ever ceased to be an apostle, and his guilt is not greatly different from the others who also abandoned Jesus (compare John 16:32).
Take care of My lambs. Three times Jesus repeats this [in different forms], showing He places His trust in this man [who certainly had a deep sense of guilt]. Peter was never the same after these things had happened to him.
Tend my sheep. The Christ again commissions him to work, "Tend my sheep." Not only the lambs, but he may look after the sheep of the fold, watch over the disciples of the Lord, young and old. Three times Peter had denied the Master; three times the Master questions his love; three times He gives him charge concerning his work. The questioning was painful, Peter was grieved, but the grief was wholesome, and Peter's whole life that followed bore proof of this discipline. His rashness was forever gone. He was the Voice of God at Pentecost.
"Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me." Psalms 51:10-11
1. It is OK to fail IF you repent and return to God.
"Here is the deal, sometimes in order to find the right path you have to start down the wrong one. What I mean by that is often our first step is a failure and it is through that failure that we get the perspective we need to find the right direction. Sometimes the first step has to be the "wrong" one because it isn’t until we try it that we get our eyes opened up to what God wants us to see and that would not have happened had our decision making frozen up and we had taken no steps at all. The path to success frequently passes through times of failure. That is a liberating idea because it helps us realize that success is not defined by a series of 100% correct decisions. If we think success requires that it will always elude us." Matt Dabbs
a) Godly sorrow renews our trust in God.
"For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter." 2 Cor 7:10-11
b) Faith is continually tested, purified, and refined.
"And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death." Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me." Luke 22:31-34
Jesus sees Simon Peter's denial as a violent attack by Satan. Jesus prays for Peter to endure. After his repentance and the Resurrection, Peter returned to Christ and was able to strengthen the early church.
2. Peter, A Man Of Faith.
"Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Matt 16:16-19
As first in confessing Christ, Peter got this commission before the rest; and with these "keys," on the day of Pentecost, he first "opened the door of faith" to the Jews, and then, in the person of Cornelius, he was honored to do the same to the Gentiles. —Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
3. Peter Restored And Confirmed.
"So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs." He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep." John 21:15-17
Some see this as an "official reinstatement" of Peter as an apostle; that he denied three times, therefore must confess three
times. But there is no proof Peter ever ceased to be an apostle, and his guilt is not greatly different from the others who also abandoned Jesus (compare John 16:32).
Take care of My lambs. Three times Jesus repeats this [in different forms], showing He places His trust in this man [who certainly had a deep sense of guilt]. Peter was never the same after these things had happened to him.
Tend my sheep. The Christ again commissions him to work, "Tend my sheep." Not only the lambs, but he may look after the sheep of the fold, watch over the disciples of the Lord, young and old. Three times Peter had denied the Master; three times the Master questions his love; three times He gives him charge concerning his work. The questioning was painful, Peter was grieved, but the grief was wholesome, and Peter's whole life that followed bore proof of this discipline. His rashness was forever gone. He was the Voice of God at Pentecost.
God's Light Shines
God's Light Shines In The Darkness
"That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world." John 1:9
"Then Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness." John 12:44-46 (NKJV)
Columbus, OH, now has a Sri Sabab Hindu Temple close to the Alum Creek Church of Christ. A Jain Center of Central Ohio is not far away. (W.Va. has a Hare Krishna Temple near Moundsville.) But we should rejoice that HE who lives in us is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).
1. A Gospel of words & power.
"Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus." And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness." Acts 4:29-31 (NKJV)
2. Faith of our fathers, living still.
a) You have heard of the patience of Job. (James 5:11)
"Oh, that my words were written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book! That they were engraved on a rock With an iron pen and lead, forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God, Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!" Job 19:23-27
b) David was delivered by God.
"To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord, who spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said: I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies. The pangs of death surrounded me, And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid. The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry came before Him, even to His ears." Psalms 18:1-6 (NKJV)
3. We shine the Light of Christ into the world.
"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy." 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NKJV)
"This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." 1 John 1:5-7 (NKJV)
But If we. This is the other side of the test of fellowship. "If our lives are filled with the light of purity and holiness, this shows the truthfulness of our claims to fellowship with the Father and the Son." Fellowship with one another. John is not speaking about the fellowship of Christians with each other, but with the Father and His Son. The blood of Jesus. The blood symbolizes God’s act in Christ to set men free. Compare Rev. 7:14; 12:11; Heb. 9:12-14. Cleanses us. John uses the present continuous verb form to emphasize that living in the light keeps us in the fellowship where the blood of Jesus continuously makes us clean from sin. But if we walk in darkness, we lose this fellowship! [BSNT]
"Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?" 1 Cor 10:14-16 (NKJV)
"When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? And when we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ? " 1 Cor 10:16 (NLT)
"That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world." John 1:9
"Then Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness." John 12:44-46 (NKJV)
Columbus, OH, now has a Sri Sabab Hindu Temple close to the Alum Creek Church of Christ. A Jain Center of Central Ohio is not far away. (W.Va. has a Hare Krishna Temple near Moundsville.) But we should rejoice that HE who lives in us is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).
1. A Gospel of words & power.
"Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus." And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness." Acts 4:29-31 (NKJV)
2. Faith of our fathers, living still.
a) You have heard of the patience of Job. (James 5:11)
"Oh, that my words were written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book! That they were engraved on a rock With an iron pen and lead, forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God, Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!" Job 19:23-27
b) David was delivered by God.
"To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord, who spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said: I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies. The pangs of death surrounded me, And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid. The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry came before Him, even to His ears." Psalms 18:1-6 (NKJV)
3. We shine the Light of Christ into the world.
"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy." 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NKJV)
"This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." 1 John 1:5-7 (NKJV)
But If we. This is the other side of the test of fellowship. "If our lives are filled with the light of purity and holiness, this shows the truthfulness of our claims to fellowship with the Father and the Son." Fellowship with one another. John is not speaking about the fellowship of Christians with each other, but with the Father and His Son. The blood of Jesus. The blood symbolizes God’s act in Christ to set men free. Compare Rev. 7:14; 12:11; Heb. 9:12-14. Cleanses us. John uses the present continuous verb form to emphasize that living in the light keeps us in the fellowship where the blood of Jesus continuously makes us clean from sin. But if we walk in darkness, we lose this fellowship! [BSNT]
"Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?" 1 Cor 10:14-16 (NKJV)
"When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? And when we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ? " 1 Cor 10:16 (NLT)
The Jerusalem Church
THE JERUSALEM CHURCH Acts 2 to 8
J. W. McGarvey, respected scholar of the church of Christ, believed the Jerusalem Church to be our model, since the Apostles themselves were the teachers and leaders. Jews from all over the world (2M) had come to Jerusalem for Passover and Pentecost. They had left homes and jobs behind and could devote their entire time to worship and study. With 3000 baptisms that first day (Pentecost) and many baptisms taking place every day, the Jerusalem Church probably grew to at least 100,000 members, before persecution scattered them. Somewhat like a "School of Preaching," both men and women were being prepared to go to all the world with the Gospel - Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior, Crucified, Risen, Coming Again!
1. Who were these people?
Those in Jerusalem that Pentecost Sunday were committed people, men and women, believers in Jehovah. They had come to Jerusalem to worship God in the Passover and Pentecost. They knew the Bible - the Prophets, the Psalms, and the Law of Moses. They were expecting the Lord to do great things, but could not know what God would do.
a) Jesus had promised God would act.
"And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." Acts 1:4-5
b) Joel’s prophecy. Acts 2:16-21. "But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel . And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My [Holy] Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and daughters shall prophesy... And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
c) Sins forgiven and life bestowed.
Hebrews 8:7-13. "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more."
Romans 4:6-8. "Just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works."
Romans 8:1-4. "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the [Holy] Spirit."
2. From Pentecost to persecution.
"And that day about 3000 souls [people] were added to them." Acts 2:41.
"The number of men grew to about 5000." Acts 4:4.
"And the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith." Acts 6:7.
Perhaps to at least 100,000 members before persecution struck. "Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word." Acts 8:4
a) They all met together as a united group.
"So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." Acts 2:46-47
They met in rented facilities: The Jewish Temple. [Church-buildings did not begin until the 3rd century.]
They met every day. Great excitement, holy joy, praise and glory! Acts 2:46.
They ate the Lord’s Supper. From house to house. Acts 2:46.
They prayed and sang the Psalms. Acts 2:42.
They were personally united to Jesus Christ.
"To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Col 1:27
b) In matters of faith and practice, they learned and obeyed the word of God as the Holy Spirit spoke through the Apostles. "And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all." Acts 4:33
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