Category: salvation

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From Old to New

Titus 3 Paul, in writing to his protege, Titus,  began by telling him the kind of people to whom he is being sent.They are the “dregs” of society. They are liars and they live their lives undermining all good things. But, something has happened to these people. They have been changed through the power of the Holy Spirit and are now righteous before God. Because of that,they are to exhibit holy and righteous behavior, but they need to be reminded over and over not to slip back into their old ways. As believers now, we too need reminding because our arch enemy is there to tell us lies for he comes to seek,kill and destroy. It was because of God’s mercy that He saved us and now we are to walk in newness of life. It will be a constant battle, not of swords, but of thoughts, ideas and values of our old life. Just as Paul reminded Titus that these Cretans needed reminding, so we need to be reminded as well. Our new lives should be peaceable, gentle, showing complete courtesy to all people. 

So how are we doing today as we live and move through our day? 

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Blindness

Acts 22 As Paul stood before the Jewish rioters, he expertly took them through his testimony. Later, he would write these famous words: “the god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God.” [2 Cor 4:4] He is saying, that was me. 

There are two kinds of blindness; one is physical and one is spiritual. We read about the blind man in John 9 who was blind from birth. Graciously Jesus healed that blindness so he could see. Paul is not speaking of that, but he is speaking about spiritual blindness to the rioting Jews. Paul tells them that this is what he experienced,  and they are just as spiritually blind as he was. To be spiritually blind is one’s inability to see spiritually the truth of the gospel.  

If we return to John 9 we see what spiritually blind is. After seeing the miracle of the formerly blind man,the religious leaders asked Jesus if they were blind too. Here is His response: If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin, but now because you claim that you can see, your guilt remains. [John 9:41]

Ironically, the Jewish rioters are just like the religious leaders, for former Paul,  and those we meet today. They cannot see, cannot understand, but worse they are unwilling to open their hearts, minds and eyes to the truth of the gospel.  

Where are you today? 

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Truth Demands a Response

Acts 17 The Truth Penetrates

God will move His people to where they can hear the truth that Jesus is who He said He was and thus must decide if they will believe or not. God used Paul to speak truth to the Thessalonians of whom were both Gentiles and Jews. Interestingly it was the Jews who became jealous and sought to remove Paul from speaking. Why are the Jews jealous has always intrigued me. As Paul wrote to the Romans, it was they who had received the oracles of God. If that is true, why then did they not accept the words of Paul about God and Jesus? 

Today, when the gospel is shared there are these same two responses. Some believe and others become jealous and seek to destroy the speaker and the words spoken about Jesus. This is then a conundrum (a difficult problem with no easy answers) to me. It reminds me that God opens and closes hearts to hear the words of truth. Each person who is presented the words of truth must decide for themselves. 

 I often take on their responses to myself and pour out guilt upon myself when this is a problem only solved by the intervention of the power of the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit speak to the hearts of those who do not believe and open their heart to hear and be saved as you did for those in Thessalonica and Berea. 

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God Opens and Closes Doors

Acts 16 As a believer in Christ, we want to be open to what God has planned for our lives and that means minute by minute, day by day etc. Paul does not tell us how the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of Jesus as he notes, spoke to the spirit of Paul to say no to his plans. But, Paul knew in his heart and in his spirit that the Holy Spirit was guiding step by step. How often do you experience that calling or that denying what we have planned? Can you look back over your life and see where that has happened? When that happens, it behooves us to share that with other believers who may be in need of a word to encourage them in their walk. 

So, Paul and his entourage heard the man of Macedonia saying come help us. However, it wasn’t a man that they met from their obedience, but a woman named Lydia. She was not just any woman but a woman of means. She, along with her women’s crew were by the riverside and that is where Paul and his entourage found them. What an opening for Paul and his team! Now Paul could see why the Spirit had said no for the first plans and yes for the second. It was because Paul was listening and obeying that God opened her heart to the gospel message. 

Lydia and her household became believers and God would use that event to begin the church in Philippi. We can learn much from this exchange how to be alert to the voice of the “Spirit of Jesus” so we know what to do and when. 

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Upside Down Theology

Acts 11 God directs our steps, so says the Psalmist. God directed Peter to go and tell the good news to Cornelius who was a Gentile. Six brethren accompanied him, thus giving us the perfect number of seven to be witnesses of this event. The Gentile Cornelius had had an audience with an angel about how to know the way to God and he obeyed. Peter, as the disciple who often challenged Jesus was the chosen recipient to take the good news but first he had to overcome prejudice. 

Do I need to overcome prejudices that will keep me from presenting the good news to unbelievers? Do I need a vision of that which is “unclean” to change my focus, or do I need to have a personal encounter and witness the power of the Holy Spirit to open my eyes? There are many who are waiting to hear the good news and we are to be ready to go and not question the ways of God. 

Again, we see that the Jerusalem church was aghast at the news of the believers in Antioch and the news of Cornelius’ conversion. Just like us, we often fail to recognize that God has done a mighty work. But, graciously God gave them evidence to show them that this good news is not just for the Jew but also for the Gentile. 

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Will you go and tell?

Acts 10 Salvation is for All

In the previous chapter we saw how God called a “righteous” Jew to salvation and he will be used to bring the gospel to many. Today in chapter 10 we find that God calls a “righteous” Gentile to be saved and all of his household. God is showing us that He is the Savior of all, not just the Jews but also for the Gentiles.  

Today look about your neighborhood,and your church and see that God has called many to salvation. Are we like Paul who resisted, but then the Holy Spirit grabbed his heart and he went on to bring the message to many? Or are we like Peter who resisted because of the many rules of the Pharisees of whom he was?  

Look about you and see that what Jesus saw, the fields are ripe for harvest. Will we go into the fields and bring the message of salvation to them? 

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Wisdom Speaks

Acts 7 Are you able to share the gospel clearly to unbelievers? There are many programs that offer this as a stepping stone for believers to share their faith. But, Stephen did not have this and as we read his testimony we find that not only does he know the history of his people but he also knows that truth: without faith one cannot please God. (Heb 11:6) Jesus had told the religious leaders that they were searching the scriptures for in those alone would they find salvation. He also told them that He was the Messiah whom Moses had written about and he would be their judge. As we read this entire chapter, the longest in the book of Acts, we find that the tension rises until no longer do the religious leaders want to hear the truth. 

We meet people that want the short answer to salvation but Stephen shows us that God has given His Word and His Messiah so that we can know for certain the truth that Jesus alone is the savior. And how did the religious leaders react? Dr. Luke reveals to us that they ran on Stephen and stoned him to death, which then reminds of the words of Joseph: “you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” [Gen 50:20] 

What good did the stoning of Stephen bring about? Stay tuned for tomorrow’s episode.

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Preparing for Eternity

Are you ready?

Luke 13: “Repent…”
Jesus is asking if we are prepared for eternity. Without the work of the Holy Spirit to bring us to repentance of the heart, we are the most desperate people.

In Jesus’ journey around Israel, people asked him about repentance and his message of grace and mercy. The recent calamities of that time revealed how quickly life can be terminated. Even today, when faced with such circumstances, we often wonder, as they did, if it was caused by sin.

Jesus took that opportunity to say that time is short and one must repent and accept God’s gracious gift of salvation. He wanted them to prepare now for the future. because, as Jeremiah reminds us: “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked.” [Jer 17:9] Only by repenting what we know as sin are we ready to enter heaven and be with Jesus. Please don’t get caught like the synagogue leader who thought another day would be better. Today is the day of salvation. To delay is to test God and His patience. Many woke today thinking of what they had to do and where they had to go but did not consider eternity. They kept saying tomorrow, tomorrow, but God said today.
We are all sinners in need of repentance. Today is the day of salvation; do not delay.

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Christmas Gifts!

1 Peter 1-5 Salvation is our greatest gift
Christmas is almost upon us, and with it, the spending spree! Americans are no longer satisfied with just an orange and a new pair of socks. No! We want the biggest and the best gift we can find, whether within our budget or not. How different our Christmas is today from yesteryear. Peter probably never celebrated Christmas as we know it, but he certainly knew about gifts. In his letter to the dispersion, he writes about the most incredible gift any believer can receive, being chosen by the foreknowledge of God. “By his great mercy he gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” [1 Peter 1:2]

As you wander through the maze of shoppers, stop and gaze at their countenances. Are they happy? Are they satisfied? Most are not because they do not have this assurance that it will only be opened on Christmas morning but every morning from now until eternity.

Stop and ponder that gift and spend time thanking God for His wonderful gift that will outlast any Christmas!

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Footprints

Acts 20 The Ephesians were incredibly saddened when Paul said they would not see him again. Yet, even in their sorrow, they were encouraged that although they would remain in Ephesus and Paul would be “on the go” once again, the ministry would go forward, and the book of Revelation reveals to us how that took place as the Apostle John recalls their footprints. Twice, John noted that they labored steadfastly, endured, and did tolerate evil. They even put to the test those who referred to themselves as apostles (but were not) when they discovered that they were false. This was their footprint for us…even though later Jesus notes that they had left their first love.

Beloved, whether you live in one place from birth to death or are like Paul, living out of a suitcase, always on the go from place to place, you are leaving your footprint in the sands of time. Be encouraged to remain steadfast, enduring to the end that one day you may hear from the Savior: You have been faithful to the end; enter into my joy and my kingdom!

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