Yes I know it's been a VERY long time since I have posted anything. I have a few choices here, I can give you a rundown of all the other great things I have been doing with my time, or I can be honest.
hmmmmm....think think think.
I haven't lied to you yet, so I really don't think I am going to start now.
I have been floundering. Big time. It's been a horrible terrible no good very bad year. This year my family has been attacked with such vigor that most days it's difficult for me to catch my breath. I have had a choice to make this year in the midst of all of the pain, I could cling to God or I could go numb.
I chose to go Numb. It wasn't a sit down and weigh out the pros and cons kinda choice, but a choice with action; actually, inaction might be a better descriptor.
My pain has been deep, all consuming, lonely, persistent, real, and a host of other adjectives. In my pain God was there, but He did not chase me down and swoop in to ease my pain and hold me tight. He did not send armies of angels to surround my family and protect us from all attacks.
But He was there. all along.
I know God's love is never ending. I know nothing comes my way unless He decides it will. I trust Him. Completely. But I am so angry. SO angry.
My anger will not stop Him from loving me, and it will not define my relationship with Him. But honestly, this is where I am right now.
Looking forward to moving past this, hoping to have the strength to do so....tomorrow.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
A stone in the pond
Acts 6 and 7 talks about the ministry and death of Stephen.
I find it surprising that I've never heard a sermon about this man before. (ok, so I will admit it was possible I did and I didn't take the time to do further study, but for simplicity sake we will say I've never heard a sermon about him).
Stephen stood up for what he believed in, allowed the Holy Spirit to speak through him, obeyed Gods will for his life, and for all this he died.
Through his persecution came the catalyst the church needed to break through it's walls and expand out of Jerusalem.
Was this God's plan for Stephen all along?? Or was God taking a situation intended for evil and turning it into good??
I think Stephen's attitude about the situation is what stands out the most to me. While he is speaking to the Sanhedrin he does not focus on them or their anger, he looks up to God.
I would pray that God would work this kind of discipline and patience into my life, but then I'm too afraid He just might do it! So instead I will stand in awe of Stephen's character, and think of how amazing God's ways are. Through this horrible ordeal came a great time of evangelism and growth for the church.
I find it surprising that I've never heard a sermon about this man before. (ok, so I will admit it was possible I did and I didn't take the time to do further study, but for simplicity sake we will say I've never heard a sermon about him).
Stephen stood up for what he believed in, allowed the Holy Spirit to speak through him, obeyed Gods will for his life, and for all this he died.
Through his persecution came the catalyst the church needed to break through it's walls and expand out of Jerusalem.
Was this God's plan for Stephen all along?? Or was God taking a situation intended for evil and turning it into good??
I think Stephen's attitude about the situation is what stands out the most to me. While he is speaking to the Sanhedrin he does not focus on them or their anger, he looks up to God.
I would pray that God would work this kind of discipline and patience into my life, but then I'm too afraid He just might do it! So instead I will stand in awe of Stephen's character, and think of how amazing God's ways are. Through this horrible ordeal came a great time of evangelism and growth for the church.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
More than just a slap on the wrist
Acts 5
Ananias and Sapphira
1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet. 3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”
“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”
9 Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of those who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”
10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.
I think this needs to be addressed a bit, don't you??
So upon first reading this it might seem a bit harsh and severe. After all they were generous enough to sell their land for the church, and they did give most of the money to the church, so was instant death really necessary?
Well, God seemed to think so.
Tidbit #1 - People who sold land for the church were held in high esteem. Barnabas is given as a example in 4:36-37. 36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.
Son of Encouragement - not the name given to a "oh look at how much I gave" kinda guy, but a "How can I best serve and meet the needs of the church" kinda guy. Ananias and Sapphira were not as concerned with being encouraging and generous as they were with recognition.
Tidbit #2 - They didn't need to give any of the money to the church. They were under no obligation to sell their land and give the money, if they needed it for themselves that would have been fine. But they made the decision to do this (obviously for the wrong reasons). Then they thought they could lie about it...tsk tsk tsk. Peter calls them out on their lie (3-4). It was not a lie to men, but to God.
Ok, but really....DEATH??? All right, I will concede that it still seems a bit harsh. After all if this was God's method of dealing with liars we would all be dead.
That brings us to Tidbit #3 - Timing. God's smarter than us, so we should look to understand his actions rather than question them don't you think?? My text offers this attempt to make sense of this strange little situation:
This was the early Church and some standards needed to be set. Ananias and Sapphira had put the credibility of Christians on the chopping block. If this offense (although seemingly minor compared to some) wasn't dealt with the credibility of the whole church would have suffered.
God's swift judgment not only protected the credibility of the church, but it might have in fact solidified it. If God would act so swiftly in judgment of people for holding back some money, how much more would he not tolerate people lying about the Resurrection?
I'll let you form your own thoughts about this, I just thought I would share this perspective.
I find this passage so intriguing, I would love to hear if you have any thoughts or different perspectives to share!
A Not-So-Lame Response
Acts 3:1-10
Peter Heals a Lame Beggar
1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
Verses 8-10 raise a few questions for me...
What if he hadn't responded??
What if upon his healing the beggar simply said "thanks guys" and went on his way?
What if he chalked it all up to coincidence?
The beggar had received an amazing gift of healing at the hand of Peter, and with that he had a choice of how he could respond. Had he chosen to respond by simply getting up and walking there would undoubtedly be many who would have noticed. And with that there could have been several if not many who came to believe in the power of Christ.
But that's not what he did.
He entered the Temple Courts not only walking, but "jumping and praising God."
In other words he created a spectacle of himself.
And because he wasn't afraid of looking like a fool or offending anyone, it says that "all were filled with wonder and amazement."
I am in no way saying that you should go out and make a spectacle of yourself...in fact, please don't do that.
However, I would invite you to wonder with me what would happen if were a little less afraid of mockery and judgement of our peers, and little more abandoned with our Joy? Christ has blessed ALL of us abundantly (if you have the resources to access, and the education to understand this blog, you are blessed my friend!).
Just a little food for thought :)
Peter Heals a Lame Beggar
1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
Verses 8-10 raise a few questions for me...
What if he hadn't responded??
What if upon his healing the beggar simply said "thanks guys" and went on his way?
What if he chalked it all up to coincidence?
The beggar had received an amazing gift of healing at the hand of Peter, and with that he had a choice of how he could respond. Had he chosen to respond by simply getting up and walking there would undoubtedly be many who would have noticed. And with that there could have been several if not many who came to believe in the power of Christ.
But that's not what he did.
He entered the Temple Courts not only walking, but "jumping and praising God."
In other words he created a spectacle of himself.
And because he wasn't afraid of looking like a fool or offending anyone, it says that "all were filled with wonder and amazement."
I am in no way saying that you should go out and make a spectacle of yourself...in fact, please don't do that.
However, I would invite you to wonder with me what would happen if were a little less afraid of mockery and judgement of our peers, and little more abandoned with our Joy? Christ has blessed ALL of us abundantly (if you have the resources to access, and the education to understand this blog, you are blessed my friend!).
Just a little food for thought :)
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
The Early Church
Acts documents what is considered to be the "birth of the church". I think it's interesting to see how some things have changed, and some things have stayed the same. I'm going to outline 13 areas that my text covers as characteristics of the early church.
Acts 2:38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
Repentance - We need to admit we are sinners and commit to turning our life over to Him. It's not just believing; believing is passive, repenting is active. I can believe in the power of sunscreen, but if I don't respond to that belief with action and apply the sunscreen, I will end up lobster like.
Baptism - "Repent and be baptized..." (Acts 2:38). If Jesus did it then why shouldn't we?? (Matthew 3:15-16)
Receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit - Just like salvation is a gift we must accept, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is such, we must receive it.
The next 10 cover the essentials for helping new believers become a part of the church family:
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Devoted to Doctrine (42)- We can't let people get stuck in the "experience" of church, we need to make sure to be constantly pursuing education and growth in the Word.
Fellowship (42)- we need to move past the Sunday morning hellos and into a real connection with other believers.
Breaking Bread (42)- This refers to communion. When early Christians ate together they always included the sacrament as a sign of Christ's presence.
Prayer (42)- Not just before meals and before bed. Prayer was a constant activity.
Wonders and Miraculous Signs (43)- I can't find anywhere in the bible where it says this was only for the early church...can you???
Generosity - (44-45) "Why does God let children starve to death?" (ever been asked that??)
HE doesn't...WE DO!! If everyone gave as they are commanded to this wouldn't be a problem. (Malachi 3:9-12)
Public Gathering for Worship (46)- This is a witness to the world to the church's solidarity. A basketball player without a team to play on is just a kid with a ball.
Glad Meal Times (46)- I love how it's specified that it was glad meal times. We are meant to be glad, not grumbly. You will always have an abundance of things to complain about. Jesus was tempted, tortured, humiliated, and basically just treated like crup. Yet he didn't complain. Really, this is an area we really need to get a hold of.
Favor with People (47)- We can't always control this aspect, Church persecution is a sad reality. However there are things that are in our power. Ever had that family member that you wish you could hide in the corner and pretend they don't belong with you becuz of their behavior...don't be that person for your church family.
Growth (47)- If we meet our responsibilities in the other areas, God will take care of this part :)
No church or person is perfect. The purpose of this post is not to shine a light on the faults of today's church, but rather to help us refocus on God's plan for the church.
The first 3 cover the individual:
Acts 2:38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
Repentance - We need to admit we are sinners and commit to turning our life over to Him. It's not just believing; believing is passive, repenting is active. I can believe in the power of sunscreen, but if I don't respond to that belief with action and apply the sunscreen, I will end up lobster like.
Baptism - "Repent and be baptized..." (Acts 2:38). If Jesus did it then why shouldn't we?? (Matthew 3:15-16)
Receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit - Just like salvation is a gift we must accept, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is such, we must receive it.
The next 10 cover the essentials for helping new believers become a part of the church family:
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Devoted to Doctrine (42)- We can't let people get stuck in the "experience" of church, we need to make sure to be constantly pursuing education and growth in the Word.
Fellowship (42)- we need to move past the Sunday morning hellos and into a real connection with other believers.
Breaking Bread (42)- This refers to communion. When early Christians ate together they always included the sacrament as a sign of Christ's presence.
Prayer (42)- Not just before meals and before bed. Prayer was a constant activity.
Wonders and Miraculous Signs (43)- I can't find anywhere in the bible where it says this was only for the early church...can you???
Generosity - (44-45) "Why does God let children starve to death?" (ever been asked that??)
HE doesn't...WE DO!! If everyone gave as they are commanded to this wouldn't be a problem. (Malachi 3:9-12)
Public Gathering for Worship (46)- This is a witness to the world to the church's solidarity. A basketball player without a team to play on is just a kid with a ball.
Glad Meal Times (46)- I love how it's specified that it was glad meal times. We are meant to be glad, not grumbly. You will always have an abundance of things to complain about. Jesus was tempted, tortured, humiliated, and basically just treated like crup. Yet he didn't complain. Really, this is an area we really need to get a hold of.
Favor with People (47)- We can't always control this aspect, Church persecution is a sad reality. However there are things that are in our power. Ever had that family member that you wish you could hide in the corner and pretend they don't belong with you becuz of their behavior...don't be that person for your church family.
Growth (47)- If we meet our responsibilities in the other areas, God will take care of this part :)
No church or person is perfect. The purpose of this post is not to shine a light on the faults of today's church, but rather to help us refocus on God's plan for the church.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Shopping with only 3 wheels
"The purpose of being baptized in the Holy Spirit is to give the believer power to witness".
Let's look at Peter for a minute...
Peter was a disciple of Jesus, yet when Jesus was arrested and the time came for Peter to stand up for his beliefs, he denied Jesus. (3 time to be exact Luke 22:54-62). This shows that Peter lacked boldness and courage.
But then, after receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, Peter stands before a crowd of thousands and boldly proclaims the message of Jesus as our savior. Not only that but he tells the crowd that it was they, along with wicked men, who were responsible for Jesus' death, and they needed to repent. (Acts 2:14)
Imagine if we were all a little more open to letting the Holy Spirit work through us...
God did not send the Holy Spirit to make us feel good.
He sent Him because we lack the power to do God's work without Him.
If you want to truly fulfill God's purpose for you, you must be willing to surrender all of yourself.
Have you ever tried to go shopping with a cart with a bad wheel?? The entire shopping cart is opening itself up to you to use at your discretion, it knows it's purpose and it's happy to oblige. But that one tiny little wheel....that the shopping cart doesn't see as necessary for you to control. It's given you everything else, so why is it so important to give you this?? Sure he's seen other carts give all four wheels, but it seems a little strange to him. He's a good cart after all, he has the safety strap for the kiddos, the extra space on the bottom, heck, he even has a cup holder!!
Give God all your wheels, after all, He's the one who gave them to you!!
Let's look at Peter for a minute...
Peter was a disciple of Jesus, yet when Jesus was arrested and the time came for Peter to stand up for his beliefs, he denied Jesus. (3 time to be exact Luke 22:54-62). This shows that Peter lacked boldness and courage.
But then, after receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, Peter stands before a crowd of thousands and boldly proclaims the message of Jesus as our savior. Not only that but he tells the crowd that it was they, along with wicked men, who were responsible for Jesus' death, and they needed to repent. (Acts 2:14)
Imagine if we were all a little more open to letting the Holy Spirit work through us...
God did not send the Holy Spirit to make us feel good.
He sent Him because we lack the power to do God's work without Him.
If you want to truly fulfill God's purpose for you, you must be willing to surrender all of yourself.
Have you ever tried to go shopping with a cart with a bad wheel?? The entire shopping cart is opening itself up to you to use at your discretion, it knows it's purpose and it's happy to oblige. But that one tiny little wheel....that the shopping cart doesn't see as necessary for you to control. It's given you everything else, so why is it so important to give you this?? Sure he's seen other carts give all four wheels, but it seems a little strange to him. He's a good cart after all, he has the safety strap for the kiddos, the extra space on the bottom, heck, he even has a cup holder!!
Give God all your wheels, after all, He's the one who gave them to you!!
More than just a time to eat!
So Why Then???
Why was that the moment that Jesus chose to pour out the baptism of the Holy Spirit?
I'm going to briefly go over some of the feasts of the Old Testament, and look at how they were setting the mold for Jesus to fulfill. My text explains it like this:
The Old Testament feasts were like an empty container until New Testament truth was poured into them. Like a builder lays out wooden forms before pouring in the concrete. When the concrete is set, the forms can be removed. This is how the old feasts function within our Christian faith.
OK, so I just worked on trying to explain the feasts that were going on around the time of Jesus' crucifixion, and it was just too daunting (been trying for over an hour, just deleted everything I had)...so for this I am going to cop out a bit and direct you to this website which I think sums it up pretty good!! It's about a 5 min read, so don't worry, not too long!
http://gracethrufaith.com/selah/holidays-and-holy-days/the-feast-of-first-fruits/
Ok...moving on
The "Feast of Weeks" occurred 50 days after Passover. Pentecost means 50, so it's also called the Pentecost. It was a celebration of the end of the harvest and was a pilgrimage holiday, which meant that Jews from all over would gather in Jerusalem for the celebration.
Let's just take a few moments to look at a few things here:
Why was that the moment that Jesus chose to pour out the baptism of the Holy Spirit?
I'm going to briefly go over some of the feasts of the Old Testament, and look at how they were setting the mold for Jesus to fulfill. My text explains it like this:
The Old Testament feasts were like an empty container until New Testament truth was poured into them. Like a builder lays out wooden forms before pouring in the concrete. When the concrete is set, the forms can be removed. This is how the old feasts function within our Christian faith.
OK, so I just worked on trying to explain the feasts that were going on around the time of Jesus' crucifixion, and it was just too daunting (been trying for over an hour, just deleted everything I had)...so for this I am going to cop out a bit and direct you to this website which I think sums it up pretty good!! It's about a 5 min read, so don't worry, not too long!
http://gracethrufaith.com/selah/holidays-and-holy-days/the-feast-of-first-fruits/
Ok...moving on
The "Feast of Weeks" occurred 50 days after Passover. Pentecost means 50, so it's also called the Pentecost. It was a celebration of the end of the harvest and was a pilgrimage holiday, which meant that Jews from all over would gather in Jerusalem for the celebration.
Let's just take a few moments to look at a few things here:
- The end of the harvest...Luke 10:2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
- Pilgrimage Holiday...Jerusalem was crawling with Jews...Jesus knew the right time to send the Holy Spirit :)
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