As I was driving to church yesterday morning, a chipmunk darted across the road ahead of me. He sped in a straight line from one side of the road to the other and, at the end of his run, made a huge leap into the ditch, as if to celebrate the success of his journey.
How different is the behavior of most squirrels that find themselves in the path of an on-coming vehicle! They can’t seem to decide which way to go. They hesitate and change directions multiple times, and often end up as roadkill because of their indecisiveness.
The Bible calls for us to make decisions. 1 Kings 18:21 says, “Elijah went before the people and said, ‘How long will you waver between two opinions?…’” Like the chipmunk, we need to decide which direction we want to go and never waver from that decision. By following the teachings of Christ, we will keep on the straight path and have a successful end to our journey!
Today is National Grief Awareness Day. The Bible acknowledges that grief is a serious part of life that we all must go through eventually. However, Scripture says that those who believe in Jesus grieve differently from the rest of humankind because of the hope we have in the resurrected Jesus. We believe that because he lives, we too can have the assurance of eternal life. We also understand that our loved ones who die in Christ also have this assurance of life everlasting.
Grief is still an extremely difficult process to experience. However, it is not unbearable because of who God is and what he has done through Jesus.
“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”—1 Thess.4:13-14.
“Therefore encourage one another with these words.”—1 Thess.4:18.
Numbers 13 and 14 record a key episode in the story of the Israelite nation. They had just been miraculously freed from captivity in Egypt and were on the verge of entering the land that God had promised them. God told Moses to send twelve men to explore the land that he was giving them.
Upon their return from their exploration of the land, ten of the twelve men gave a discouraging report. They said that the land was indeed fruitful, but the people living there were too powerful for them to overcome.
The whole community then became fearful, even suggesting that they go back to Egypt. Two of the explorers, Caleb and Joshua, tried to convince the people that the other ten were wrong and that they should take the land according to God’s plan. Unfortunately, the community chose to follow the suggestions of the ten, thereby rebelling against God.
God was extremely displeased with Israel and threatened to destroy the whole nation and start over with Moses. However, Moses pleaded with the Lord on behalf of the people, and the Lord relented—he would not destroy them.
The Israelites would, however, pay the price for their sin. The ten men who brought the bad report died of a plague and the rest of the community would wander through the wilderness for forty years before they could finally enter the promised land.
From this Scripture, we learn that the majority is not always right. Only two of the twelve had faith. We can’t always follow the crowd. In this case, there was no safety in numbers.
We also see that obstacles are real, but so is God! The ten weren’t wrong about the difficulty of the mission; they just failed to realize that God was bigger than their problems. Their lack of faith resulted in fear and disobedience, and their sin spread to other people. Let’s remember that sin and negativity are dangerously contagious.
Notice too that the people’s fear warped their view of reality. They would rather go back to live in slavery than to live in the freedom that God was ready, willing and able to provide! Many today choose to live in the slavery of sin rather than to accept the freedom that God offers us through Jesus.
Consider your place in God’s story. Choose your side carefully! Don’t go along with the unfaithful majority. Choose to be a part of the faithful few!
The early church did not consider prayer simply a “good thing”. They thought that it was the main thing! The Christians in the book of Acts realized that they were dependent on God and that prayer was their connection to God. As we examine just a few of the sections of the book of Acts that mention prayer, we will discover just how important prayer was to them. And hopefully we will be encouraged to make prayer a greater emphasis in the church today.
As they obeyed Jesus by waiting in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit (1:4-8), the Bible says, “They all joined together constantly in prayer…” (1:24). They weren’t content to wait passively. They were proactive. They prayed. If you find yourself in a season of waiting for something, remember to pray as you wait.
When the apostles felt the need to replace the departed Judas with someone to fill the position of his apostolic ministry, they prayed. Before any congregation places someone in an important position, they should make sure that they pray for God’s will to be done.
The early believers devoted themselves to several religious activities, such as: the word of God, the fellowship of the church, the Lord’s Supper and yes, you guessed it—prayer (2:42). It was in great part due to this devotion to prayer that the early church had such great success. The success of the church today, or the lack thereof, will be largely dependent on prayer.
When Peter and John were jailed for preaching the gospel, the church prayed for the ability to speak the word of God with great boldness. “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” (4:31). Sadly, this does not describe the typical prayer meeting today! Oh, that we would recapture the fervent, heartfelt, spiritual prayers that enable believers to speak boldly as we proclaim the word of God!
In Acts 6, we see a problem arise concerning the neglect of certain widows in the church. The apostles were not willing to neglect their primary ministry to attend to the situation themselves. They had others assume that responsibility while they gave their attention to prayer and the ministry of the word. This decision led to an increased spread of the word of God and the church grew rapidly (6:1-7). If church leaders of today would make prayer a priority, and teach their members the importance of prayer, the church would prosper greatly.
Now that we have examined just a few of the teachings about prayer in the book of Acts, perhaps we will be inspired to be more devoted to biblical prayer and encourage other believers to do the same.
I just came across this short essay on the Bible. I thought I would share it with you today.
“This book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christians’ charter. Christ is its subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given to you in life, will be open in the judgement, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, rewards the greatest labor, and condemns all who trifle with its holy precepts. –Author Unknown
“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path.” –Psalm 119:105.
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” –Heb.4:12.
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correction and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. –2 Tim.3:16-17.
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” –Acts 2:42.
In the above verse, Luke, the historian of the early church, lists some of the most important activities that were practiced by the first Christians. Among them is “the breaking of bread”, a term that most scholars agree is a reference to communion, also called the Lord’s Supper.
The early believers were devoted to the practice of having communion as Jesus had ordained, so that they would remember in a deep, meaningful way, the sacrificial death that Jesus had died on the cross to pay for the sins of the world. They did not take the Lord’s Supper for granted. Nor did they approach communion casually. No, they took it very seriously!
May we all seek to replicate their devotion as we look forward to our observance of this important act of Christian worship.
I’ve often thought that as we drive down the highway, the signs we see along the way often remind us of some of the instructions God gives us in the Bible. Let’s look at some of them, and we can see if you agree.
STOP –The familiar bright red sign that gives us the command to come to a halt might remind us that God tells us to stop doing certain things. There are quite a lot of “thou shalt nots” in Scripture! To the blind man that Jesus had just healed, the Lord said, “…Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” (John 5:14). Is there some sin that you need to stop committing?
NO PASSING –We need to get rid of that “me first” attitude that is so prevalent among mankind. Phil.2:3-4 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
REST AREA –This sign is often a welcome sight to see, especially if you got a super-sized drink the last time you stopped! The Bible often reminds us to get our rest. Jesus says in Matt.11:28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” The only meaningful and lasting rest we can find is in Jesus Christ our Lord.
PAY TOLL AHEAD –You might have expected there would be something about the offering! 1 Cor.16:1-2 says, “Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. One the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.”
CHILDREN AT PLAY –Is there a more important sign than one that reminds us to be careful of the children!? Jesus paid special attention to the children, taking them in his arms and blessing them. We need to make sure that children feel welcome in the church. Yes, they can be loud, and they can be messy. But the church that does not have patience with these little ones is in danger of becoming a church without children. Such a congregation is to be greatly pitied.
CONSTRUCTION AHEAD –Jesus is building his church, and sometimes that might mean that we are inconvenienced. That will be all right if we remember that it’s his church and not ours! Are you excited about the construction work at your congregation? In what way are you helping with the work?
DETOUR –In Acts 16:6-10, Paul and his companions had plans about the route they would take on their gospel mission. But God had other plans. We must be flexible and trust God when he decides to take us in a different direction.
ONE WAY –This sign reminds us that Jesus says he is the only way to God (John 14:6), a truth that his apostles continued to preach – “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts :12).
YIELD –The final sign we will look at shows us the need to yield to Jesus, since he is the way and the truth and the life. Rom.14:11, quoting Isa.45:23, says, “It is written: ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” It is time now, in this life, to yield to Jesus and confess him as Lord, before it is to late to do so voluntarily!
These are some of the signs along the way that remind us of the Word of God. Can you think of some others?
Many who desire to lead others to Christ will present what is called the “Roman Road”. This method of evangelism lists several verses from the New Testament book of Romans as the path to receiving Christ as your Savior. Typically, the presentation goes like this.
First, Rom.3:23 points out the universal need for salvation— “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Then, Rom.6:23 states what the penalty of our sins will be, while offering a much better alternative— “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
From there we go to Rom.5:8, which says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The crucifixion of Jesus is of course a crucial element of any presentation of the gospel message.
The road continues to Rom.10:9-10— “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ And believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Here, faith and confession are shown to be key parts of our response to the grace that God offers us through Jesus.
The Roman Road, as it is usually presented, concludes with Rom.10:13, which states, “for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” The presenter of this method will then assure anyone who has followed these steps that they are now saved.
Those who have a thorough knowledge of what the Bible says to do to be saved will quickly notice a glaring omission in the above presentation of the gospel—there is no mention of baptism.
Baptism is a crucial part of our response to the gospel message. This truth is seen over and over in the New Testament. Jesus and his apostles consistently preach that those who want to be saved are to be baptized. Jesus links baptism with salvation (Mark 16:16) and so does the apostle Peter (1 Pet.3:21). According to Luke, the author of Acts and the historian of the early church, baptism is the occasion of our sins being washed away (Acts 2:38; 22:16). Matthew, recording the words of Jesus in the Great Commission (Matt.28:18-20), points out that baptism is the very first thing you do to make someone a disciple of Jesus. These Scriptures, and many others, tell us that baptism is commanded by God to those who want to be saved.
So, the “Roman Road”, as presented by many, is in much need of repair. And it is more than just a pothole that needs to be patched. The road is washed out and therefore impassable. Is the Roman Road damaged beyond repair? Thankfully, no, it isn’t.
Rom.6:3-4 says, “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” There it is! Baptism is clearly a part of the “Roman Road”.
God, in his infinite wisdom, has carefully paved the road to heaven for all who would receive Jesus as their Savior. Let’s make sure that we lead them down the right road!
How we think determines how we act. Therefore, it is extremely important to have a proper mindset if we want to behave in a Christian manner. The Bible often addresses this issue. One such passage is Phil.4:4-9.
This Scripture begins with an exhortation to rejoice in the Lord always. We must remember that the apostle Paul was chained up in a prison when he penned these words. Joy does not depend on our circumstances. Rather, it results from being in the Lord. Those who are in Christ should be able to maintain a joyful mindset no matter what life brings our way.
Then Paul encourages us to practice gentleness. This is a trait not always on display nowadays. From business to politics to interactions on social media, gentleness is hard to find. In fact, gruffness and rudeness seem to rule the day. However, we Christians are supposed to go against the flow and stand out against the norm. When it comes to gentleness, we are to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile. Gentleness, in fact, is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) that every Christian is to display.
Another aspect of the Christian mindset is to not be anxious about anything. Jesus speaks against worry in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 6:25-34). The remedy for anxiety is to pray. It is difficult to stay worried while you are conversing with God. Prayer turns anxiety into peace.
Then we are encouraged to think about things that are: true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. The word “meditation” is not found here, but I believe we see the concept. Meditation is not emptying our minds of everything but filling our minds with the wonderful things of God. Time spent thusly will go a long way toward developing a Christian mindset.
Finally, this passage of Scripture tells us to put into practice the teachings of Christianity. It is not enough just to think the right things; we must do them as well. Our thoughts fuel our actions, and our actions in turn fuel our thoughts, cementing the type of mindset that will enable us to be true followers of Christ.
The big day has finally arrived. The wedding is scheduled to take place at 6:30pm. In order to get ready, the bride arrives at the church at 5:00am. She is accompanied by all of her bridesmaids, who have but one job for the day—make her look beautiful!
However, the task is too much for them, so they call in some extra help. A hairdresser is brought in. She will spend several hours making sure that every hair is perfectly in place and will stay that way for the duration of the ceremony. Another professional comes in to apply the makeup. It will take some time, but she will create a masterpiece with blush and mascara. Someone else comes in to do the bride’s nails. With all this preparation, the collective breath of the guests will be taken away when the beautiful bride finally makes her dramatic appearance.
That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but most brides do spend quite a bit of time making themselves look their very best on their wedding day. And who could blame them? Those wedding pictures will be viewed for decades to come!
Revelation 21:2 gives us a picture of the church, the bride of Christ—“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.”
There are several observations we can make about the church as it is portrayed here in Scripture.
First, the church comes from God, not from humans. The church is not a man-made institution that creates its own definition and designs its own purposes. The church was created by God, and it cost him a big price to do so. Acts 20:28 says, “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.” God became a man and died on the cross to pay the price of our sins so that we could become his children and be a part of his church. Let us never forget the price God had to pay for our salvation! This is part of the reason the bride of Christ is so beautiful.
Second, we should note that the church has been prepared by God. It is not of our own efforts that we are saved. It is by the grace and mercy shown by God through Jesus Christ that we have been saved from our sins.
Third, let us not forget the beauty of the church. Oh, we Christians definitely have our faults. We are by no means perfect. But God sees us as though we have never sinned because Jesus has taken our sins away! Those who criticize the church are in danger of saying that the wife of Jesus is ugly!
Fourth, notice that the church is dressed for her husband. When you enter into eternity, you definitely do not want to be found lacking the proper wedding clothing! (Matt.22:11-14). Thankfully, the necessary clothing has been provided by Jesus. Gal.3:26-27 says, “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”
Finally, let us never forget that the church is the bride of Christ. We have a special connection with Jesus, one that will endure for all of eternity!
Jesustrek 