A Study in Acts Week 17

Acts Chapter 17

Verses 1-4 – Remember that Paul only had the Old Testament to teach from. In this passage we read about Paul using the Old Testament to teach about Jesus. He could do that because every word of every verse of the Bible is about God’s character, His love for His creation and His plan for its redemption through Christ.

Paul explained prophecies from those Old Testament scriptures. Those prophecies proved that Jesus was the Messiah. The prophets said that the Messiah would suffer. They also said that he would become alive again. All this had happened to Jesus.

Verses 5-9 – Our good old friends, the Jewish leaders, were jealous of the following of Paul and the other disciples. They wanted to feed Paul and Silas to the crowd they had stirred up, but since they weren't in Jason’s house, they took Jason, instead. The Jewish leaders accused Paul and Silas of disobeying the Emperor’s laws.

Verses 10-15 – Paul and Silas left to go to Berea. As usual, they went to the synagogue to preach Christ. Who should show up, but the Jewish leaders once again. They tried to turn the people against Paul and Silas again. He went to the coast and then sent for Silas and Timothy.

Verses 16-21 – The Greeks fancied themselves to be great philosophers. They also “ worshiped” many gods. In the synagogue, Paul preached his usual message, to both Jews and Greeks. He got into discussions with the Greeks about their idol worship. His focus was not on the idol worship itself, but about Jesus and the resurrection (Verse 18)

Verses 22-34 – The Areopagus was the name for the leaders of the city of Athens. Before the Areopagus, Paul did not quote Scripture, because it would have been meaningless to them. Instead, he spoke of an altar to God. It was referred to as the altar to an unknown god. Paul told them about God, who made the world and everything in it.

Then Paul began to speak of the resurrection. Some people laughed at him. Others wanted to hear more. A member of the Areopagus named Dionysius believed what Paul was teaching. So did Damaris and others.

As it turns out, though, much of what Paul said fell on deaf ears. That’s probably because he swayed from his usual emphasis on Christ and tried to reason with the world in the world’s way. We cannot argue people into the Kingdom of God. They come through faith in Christ or they don’t come at all.

In fact, in I Corinthians 2:1-2, Paul revealed his remorse at having left the message for argument. He wrote these words: “I decided to speak only about Jesus Christ, whom people crucified.”

When he returned to his only real message, Paul began to have success once again.

We only have one message. When we begin to venture into peripherals, it is no wonder we run into troubles. People will gladly argue with us about social issues. When it comes to the gospel, however, few people will argue it. Most will simply turn away in derision. (Those are usually the same people who proclaim, “Christians should be open minded.” Does that strike you as odd?)

We actually are, and should be, “narrow minded” about the claims of Christ, for they are either true, or He is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the world.

For those who believe, He is the power of salvation, to both the Jew and the Greek, for in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed (Romans 1:16-17)

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-Above All-Lenny LeBlanc

A Study in Acts Week 16

Acts Chapter 16

Verses 1-5 – Timothy, son of Eunice, who became a Christian in Lystra, became a helper of Paul’s. Eunice was Jewish, while Timothy’s father was Greek. In this passage we see Paul wanting to help Timothy “fit in” with the social structure of the Jews. The child of a mixed marriage, Jew and Greek, was considered Jewish.

Verses 6-10 – God has had a plan for the spread of His Gospel since before time began. Through His Holy Spirit, God directed Paul away from Ephesus and Asia and sent them to Macedonia, instead. The interesting use of the word “we” in verse 10 indicates that by this time, Luke (the writer of Acts) was traveling with Paul and Silas.

Verses 11-15 – There did not seem to be a synagogue in Philippi. To set up a synagogue, there had to be 10 men or more. This was a Jewish rule. But in Philippi, only women met together. They could not set up a synagogue, so they met by the river. It was probably so that they could wash themselves. This was one of God’s commands in the Jewish Law.

Paul sat down with the women and he taught them. This was very astonishing because the Jewish men were not allowed to teach women. Paul was the first to begin liberating women, he even allowed them into Christian worship services, something that would never have been allowed in the Jewish synagogue.

Lydia traded in purple cloth. Purple was a very expensive color because it was difficult to make. Purple cloth was a luxury. Only rich people could afford it.

The Holy Spirit was working in Lydia and opened her heart to the gospel. When a person believes the gospel, the Holy Spirit makes that happen.

We must tell to people the good news about Jesus. We may be able to do this very well. Or we may think that it is difficult to do. But we must remember this: Paul said that the gospel comes ‘not only with words. But it also comes with power. And it comes with the Holy Spirit’ (1 Thessalonians 1:5).

The church in Philippi began with just one woman, who accepted Christ as her Savior. It grew and it became a large church (Philippians 1:1). And its members were generous (Philippians 4:15-16).

Verses 16-22 – Luke wrote about three people who came to know Christ in Philippi  Lydia (rich); a slave girl (poor) and (in verses 23-24) an officer in the prison (middle class).

Verses 23-34 – Here is the well known account of Paul and Silas in prison for bringing the poor slave girl to Christ and costing her “owners” a lot of money. The proper understanding of the guard’s question has to do with his fear that he would be executed for losing the prisoners. He asked how to avoid being killed, but he was told how to receive life everlasting.

That’s a good exchange!

Paul’s statement about the guard’s family being saved was clearly predicated on each of them, individually, coming to Christ. To be consistent with the rest of Scripture, the idea that one person’s salvation can provide salvation for another is impossible. Verse 32 tells us that Paul preached the gospel to everyone in the house and then they came to the Lord along with the head of household. Verse 34 indicates that they received the Holy Spirit, who made them happy.

As great as the miracles of converting a rich person, throwing the demons out of the slave girl,  and escaping from prison were, the real lesson here is that salvation is for ANYONE who will come to Christ in faith, believing.

Verses 35-40 – Having thrown Paul and Silas in prison without a trial, and learning they were Roman citizens, the officials apologized to them, mostly to avoid their own prosecution.

After encouraging the believers in Philippi, Paul and Silas went on their way.

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-Lift High the Lord Our Banner-MS Baptist All-State Youth Orchestra

A Study in Acts Week 15

Acts Chapter 15

Verses 1-11 – This chapter represents one of the most important decisions the early church had to make: Legalism or Freedom in Christ.

If a Gentile wanted to become a Jew, he had to receive circumcision and obey the Law of Moses (Old Covenant). Here we see the Jewish Christians wanting Gentiles to become Jews before they would be “allowed” to become Christians.

The church has wrestled with the underlying philosophy represented here for ages. It is called “legalism,” and it is present in the church today.

Christians will say, “I’m not a legalist, but…” That is impossible. You either are or you are not. There can be no “but.” This is the very issue Paul wrote about in Galatians about the group called Judaisers.

Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem to help straighten out the matter of “circumcision,” and outward sign of commitment to Judaism.

Paul was a Pharisee, and understood what the Judaisers believed. The Law was very important to them.

Verses 12-21 – In Jerusalem, the Apostles met. Peter was their spokesperson, and recounted his conclusions following his experience with Cornelius, as well as the “bed-sheet” full of  “unclean” food. He asserted that Moses Law is like a heavy load and that placing that load on believers would not be God’s will. “…we receive salvation by means of the Lord Jesus’ grace, whether we are Jews or Gentiles.”

Today’s church often takes the stand: Salvation is a free gift, but we must obey the rules. Salvation is free, but me must do good things to prove it is ours. Salvation is a gift, but we must earn God’s blessings and favor. Salvation is free, but you must understand certain doctrines before you can be saved. This is exactly the opposite of what the New Covenant is about.

Under the New Covenant, if you really believe in it (“it” being Him, the Lord Jesus), you are free to do what you want, only your wants change. You now want to become more and more like Jesus through a heart-change. Your understanding of what God wants from you and for you is written on your heart by the Holy Spirit.

Paul and Barnabas both explained this to the other Apostles. Then James, the brother of Jesus spoke about the promise of the New Covenant. He suggested a letter telling the Gentiles to follow four “rules”: 1) Don’t eat meat offered to idols; 2) Don’t eat animals that had been strangled; 3) Don’t eat meat with blood in it and 4) Don’t do wicked things that have a connection to sex.

James did not suggest these rules because they were necessary for salvation. He suggested them so that Jews could mix more easily with Gentiles. The Gentiles should understand and respect the social customs and history of the Jews.

Verses 22-29 – The Apostles at Jerusalem chose Judas Barsabbas and Silas to go with Paul and Barnabas to spread the good news. The letter they sent along outlined what they had decided to help the Gentile Christians relate to the Jewish Christians effectively.

Verses 30-35 – After a while, Judas and Silas left Antioch, while Paul, Silas and Barnabas stayed to preach the Lord’s message of salvation.

Verses 36-41 – As we recall from Acts 13:13, John Mark had left Paul and Barnabas to finish their work. Paul was reluctant to agree to John Mark’s accompanying them, but Barnabas felt comfortable with him. After some discussion, Barnabas took Mark with to Cyprus, while Paul and Silas preached together. Paul later complimented Barnabas (I Cor. 9:6; Col. 4.10).

THE RELATIONSHIP

A Study in Acts Week 14

Acts Chapter 14

Verses 1-7 – The first thing to notice here is that Paul and Barnabas experienced the same thing in Iconium as they did in Pisidian Antioch, but there was a very different outcome.

They got in trouble. Their trouble was not because they preached sermons about the social evils of the day. It was not because they took a political side. It was not because they contradicted scientific or philosophical issues. It was for preaching the good news (gospel) of Christ, crucified, buried and resurrected for the remission of sin.

The Jewish leaders were as upset with Paul and Barnabas as they had been with Jesus, Himself. It is not our stand on social, political or historical issues that offends people, it is the gospel, itself. The Jews tried to divide the people and wanted to execute Paul and Barnabas by stoning them to death. Paul and Banarbas left for Lystra and all they preached was the good news.

We have no other message. Period. End of discussion.

Verses 8-13 – Lester was a Roman city, and there was no synagogue there. So Paul preached in the street. While preaching the gospel, he saw a man who had been born crippled. (Remember, Acts was written by Luke, who was a doctor…thus his interest in this healing).

I take the phrase, “…he had faith…” to mean that he had heard Paul’s preaching and had responded to the gospel. At any rate, Paul told him to stand and he stood.

Our bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made, and often they heal themselves by “natural” means, as when a wound heals over time. But this was not a natural healing, it was a healing from God, distinguished by the fact that it was immediate!

The crowd misconstrued what was going on, thinking that Paul and Barnabas had the power. They started calling Barnabas Zeus, the chief Greek god. They called Paul Hermes, Zeus’ son. They wanted to make sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas.

Verses 14-20 – Paul and Barnabas were so distraught at the people’s misunderstanding of who they were, that they literally tore their garments, to keep from looking polished and suave as a god would look. They did not want to be worshiped, far from it. They wanted the glory to go to God.

All of this angered the Pharisees again. They had followed Paul and Barnabas from Antioch. They were as determined to kill these two preachers as they had been to kill Jesus. This time, they thought they had succeeded. They stoned Paul and dragged him to the burial mound outside the city. But the disciples gathered around him and he stood up, brushed himself off and went right back to the city to stay the night. Then he and Barnabas went to Derbe.

Verses 21-28 – In Derbe, Paul and Barnabas once again began to preach the gospel. People responded to the message and became disciples. Disciples are not just followers of someone. The word “disciple” is the from the same root word, “discipline,” meaning to learn to put into action what their leader did.

It troubles me that churches lead people to the Lord, baptize them, give them a short course in being a New Church Member, and then just let them go their merry way without training them to do what Jesus has commanded us to do.

People cannot be discipled from the pulpit. They cannot be discipled in a Sunday School class. To be discipled, people must be trained to do themselves what needs to be done in the Kingdom of God. They need to be trained to be teachers, preachers, deacons, musicians, missionaries, Bible students, hospitality coordinators, administrators, ushers, worship leaders, apologists, ministers to the elderly, to hospitals, to the community and hundreds of other tasks.

We need to lead them to be committed to the grace (Gods Riches At Christ’s Expense) of God.

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-Life Is Hard (But God Is Good)-Pam Thum

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-Jesus Messiah-Chris Tomlin

A Study in Acts Week 13

Acts Chapter 13

Verses 1-3 – Some leaders of the church in Antioch, Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, Manaen and Saul, were worshiping when the Holy Spirit told them to separate out Barnabas and Saul to do something special.

Verses 4-12 – The Holy Spirit sent Barnabas and Saul to Salamis, on that island’s east coast. It was an important city for trade. Many Jews lived there. So, Barnabas and Saul usually preached to the Jews first when they came to a new place.

Paphos was the capital of Cyprus. People there worshiped Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and sex. The city was famous because the people there were so wicked. The ruler of Cyprus, had a private magician, a Jew. God had said that people must not do magic (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). But Bar-Jesus (Elymas) did magic. If his master became a Christian, Elymas would lose his job as magician. Therefore, he opposed the Barnabas and Saul. He tried to persuade his master not to believe the Christian faith.

Often, Jews had their Jewish name and a Roman name, too. Luke begins to call Saul, Paul, suitable because Paul had become a missionary to Gentile countries.

Because Bar-Jesus tried to keep the gospel message from his boss and others, God struck him with blindness. Both he and Simon the magician (Acts 8:9-13) had a certain power, but God’s power was, and is, greater.

Verses 13-15 – Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia. Then they went to Pisidian Antioch, one of several towns referred to as “Antioch.”

Here they went to the synagogue to read from the Old Testament, the books of the Law and the books of the prophets. Paul’s first public speech was about the meaning of  these books and how they pointed to God’s New Covenant.

Verses 16-25 – Paul addressed the Jews and the spiritually minded people in the synagogue. He went over their history, good and bad. He reminded them of God’s patience with Israel. He also  reminded them that God had promised to give them a Savior.

Verses 26-41 – The second part of Paul’s speech is all about Jesus. In the end, Jesus is the only message of the Bible. From Genesis to the Book of the Revelation, Jesus is its cornerstone and Jesus’ gospel is its reason for being.

Paul covers Jesus life, His trials, His death, and His resurrection. He showed the Jews how their leaders should have known Jesus when He arrived, but how they did not understand the meaning of the Scriptures they read.

A majority of people, including theologians, Bible “scholars,” pastors and lay people still do not understand what they are reading when they read the Bible. Paul spoke of being freed from the penalty of sin through Christ.

Verses 42-52 – As usual, the Jews did not like the message brought by Paul and Barnabas. Paul declared that he had to tell the good news whether they liked it or not.

Paul told them: “We had to tell God’s message to you (the Jews) before we told everyone else. But you rejected it! Therefore we shall go to the Gentiles. This is what the Lord ordered us to do. He said this: “I have put you here to be a light for the Gentiles.

In the end, we are to tell all people the good news of Jesus, regardless of their national origin, their culture, the color of their skin, their world view and/or their redicule. We tell the story, and we leave the results up to the movement of the Holy Spirit.

WAITING IT OUT

Cleopas here.

Remember I told you that Jesus had appeared to us and said, "...stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven?"

So we waited.

And waited.

Seven weeks we waited.

Can I tell you something?

We were confused.

Several of the other believers had started to doubt that Jesus was going to send this Holy Spirit person. Some thought He had already come and we missed Him.

It was the day of Pentecost and we had planned this big committee meeting, with a feast and all, to figure out what to do next.

I mean, if this was it, we might as well all go back to what we were doing before Jesus got our attention.

So there we were. People from all over.

It was tough. We didn't speak the same language. We couldn't communicate well.

How would we ever be able to decide what to do?

What happened next is beyond description, but I'll try.

There was this noise like a thousand tornados in the sky over us.

No, not a thousand...a hundred thousand.

It was ear piercing! We could not hear ourselves think, let alone talk to one another.

Then what looked like sparks or flame or something...no it wasn't really fire, but that's the closest I know how to describe it to you.

It's not like it was hot or anything, just all flickering and bright and red and orange and yellow. Not fire but like fire.

I guess.

The firey stuff came right down and settled on our heads.

That was tense.

Suddenly there was a presence in each of us that we could not understand. We all knew that everyone else there was having the same experience!

As soon as this presence entered us, we began to be able to communicate with people from far away lands whose language we had never heard before, let alone spoken.

The commotion attracted others from all around, more foreigners.

There were people from Greece, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Turkey, Phrygia, Pamphilia, Egypt, Libia, and even Rome.

We met Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Jews, Cretans and Arabians.

It would have been a real mess, except that by some miracle we could all understand one another.

Here's what was happening. When someone started telling about the mighty miracles of God, we could understand him as though he was speaking in our own language!

Some non-believers in the crowd thought we were drunk.

Then Peter, one of the original men who had walked with Jesus, stepped up and started a speach.

He spoke Aramaic, but everybody understood him.

"People of Jerusalem and visitors, too! Listen up!

"Some of you think we are drunk, but we're not.

"What is happening is what was predicted by the prophet, Joel centuries ago.

"Remember he wrote, 'In the last days,' God said, 'I will pour out my Holy Spirit on all mankind, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men dream dreams. Yes, the Holy Spirit shall come upon all my servants, men and women alike, and they shall prophesy. And I will cause strange demonstrations in the heavens and on the earth - blood and fire and clouds of smoke; the sun shall turn black and the moon bloodpred before that awesome Day of the Lord arrives. But anyone who asks for mercy from the Lord shall have it and shall be saved.'

Peter went on to tell us all about the prophesies of Jesus in the Scriptures, His life, His death and His resurrection.

He closed by saying, "Therefore I clearly tell you all that God had made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be the Lord, the Messiah!"

I was totally impressed.

I shouted out, "What should we do?"

Peter heard me and answered, "Each one of you should demonstrate your willingness to follow Jesus by and act of repentence. Then you should give testimony to your idenification with His death, burial and resurrection by being baptized.

"But take heed!" This came in a tone of warning, "Do not submit to baptism unless you have been called to repentence. When you have done this, you will understand that the Holy Spirit has come to live in you!"

Some people there did not think Peter was in his right mind. They just left, shaking their heads.

But you know what?

Three thousand people believed him and were baptized that very day!

I even helped baptize twenty or so. I actually lost count.

That was a long time ago, but I though you might be interested in my story.

I'm still filled with the Holy Spirit and still love Jesus.

I'm very old, now. I don't think I have much longer in this old body.

But don't you worry about me. I know that when I breathe my last breath here, I'll breathe my first in front of my wonderful Jesus, face-to-face once more.

He'll say to me, "Well done, my friend Cleopas! Enter into the joy of My Kingdom!"

And I will.

EMMAUS

We started telling everybody in Emmaus about our experience.

Then we knew we had to go back to Jerusalem to join the other followers.

And we did.

That very hour!

When we got there, we found the disciples who told us about Jesus having risen.

You should have seen the looks on their faces when we told them we had seen Him, too.

"Are you sure?" They asked the question as though they were not too certain of their own experiences.

"Yes, we are very..." but I did not get to finish the sentence.

Suddenly the room was filled with that same Light that Magmus and I had seen before.

And there before us stood Jesus!

"Why are you frightened? Why do you doubt that it is really I?"

"Look, here are my hands with the nail scars. Here are my feet. Don't be afraid. Touch me. I have a real body."

Out of nowhere, "Let's eat!"

Jesus seemed to really like to eat!

See, that's one reason we had to believe He was real. Ghosts don't eat that much.

"Do you remember how I told you about how what Moses and the prophets wrote and the Psalms must all come true?"

All of those Scriptures we had been told suddenly began to make sense. Our eyes were opened and we began to understand.

"Long ago it was written that I would suffer, be executed and rise again. It was written that this message of salvation should be taken from Jerusalem out to all the world. You have seen these prophecies come true right before your eyes.

"Shortly you will receive The Holy Spirit, just as the Father promised."

I was not sure what this "Holy Spirit" was, but if Jesus wanted me to have it, I certainly did want it.

"When you have received Him, He will give you the power to tell others about me. In fact, everything He does will point directly to my saving grace and nothing He does will fail to magnify me."

He. He called this Holy Spirit "He." That seemed very strange to me.

"Let's all go over to Bethany."

To be honest with you, at this point I would have followed Him anywhere.

He stopped for a moment.

I noticed that the breeze stopped and the place grew quiet.

Jesus lifted up His hands and the most remarkable thing happened.

He started rising into the sky!

This was no magic trick. Jesus was going up and up and up.

We stood awestruck for the longest time, until He had disappeared.

We were so amazed that we began to worship Him with all our souls!

It was with great euphoria that we continued in this spirit of worship all the way back to Jerusalem.

I cannot tell you how much joy just overflowed from us all.

We just kept praising and praising. And we told anybody who would listen about what had happened.

Even in the Temple we were telling and praising, telling and praising.

I am here to tell you, the feeling has never left me.

With every passing day, I love Him more and more. I have committed myself to serving him and telling His story for the rest of my life.

Oh, and by the way, the Holy Spirit did come.

I'll tell you all about that experience when next we meet.

Let me just say this for now.

Although you cannot go back in time and experience what I have told you about, I have it on good authority that if you'll confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, a remarkable chain of events will take place inside of you and will receive an indescribable gift: eternal life!

Do you want that?

It's free!

And if you have it, you will not be able to stop praising and worshipping Him, too.

Every day with Jesus
Is Sweeter than the day before.
Every day with Jesus
I love Him more and more.

Jesus saves and keeps me.
And He's the one I'm living for.
Every day with Jesus,
Is sweeter than the day before.

Every day with Jesus
I'll be walking down the King's highway!
Tell me the old, old story.
I love it better every day, Hallelujah!

I will make you fishers of men
If you'll only follow me.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
I'm from sin set free!

And that's enough to make me sing!
And that's enough to make me sing!
My sins are all forgiven and I'm on my way to Heaven
And that's enough to make me sing!

Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah!
Prasie ye the Lord!
Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah!
Prasie ye the Lord!

Praise ye the Lord, Hallelujah!
Praise ye the Lord, Hallelujah!
Praise ye the Lord, Hallelujah!
Praise ye the Lord!

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Hello. My name is Cleopas.

I was a follower of Jesus of Nazareth. Well, not a follower in the sense that I was close to him or anything. I literally just followed the crowds, watching the miracles and listening to his strange and wonderful teachings, and hanging near his disciples.

I really thought he was going to be the one.

They crucified him Friday. That left me demoralized and shaken.

That had to be the low point of my life.

We don't even really know who to blame.

The priests wanted him dead, I can't imagine why.

So did the Scribes and the Pharisees.

King Herod thought he was nuts, but harmless.

Pilate could find nothing worthy of arrest, let alone death.

In the end, though, Pilate was more spineless and ambitious than anyone imagined.

He gave the crucifixion order to keep down the "Jewish Problem," and to show Rome how well he could handle the local uprisings.

Any way, they killed him and we did not know what to do.

One thing was for certain, we did not want to hang around Jerulalem so Magmus and I headed out of town.

We decided to go to back home to Emmaus.

There were not many people out that day, so Magmus and I pretty much had the road to ourselves.

Out of nowhere this other guy showed up.

He must have been behind the rocks or bushes or something, because he just sort of was all of a sudden walking beside us.

We both jumped like we were dodging a Roman spear. We didn't know whether he was there to rob us or what.

He spoke, "You must be concerned about something very important. Mind if I ask what you're discussing?"

"What is anybody discussing?" I asked, kind of...well, snootily, I guess. You know, like, how could he be so out of touch?

"We're talking about the last few days." That was Magmus' voice.

"What about them?" he asked. "What's up?"

"Are you part ostrich?" It was really not a nice tone I used. "You must be the only one within a two day's journey who does not know what's on everybody's mind."

"Tell me."

"The crucifixion, man. The crucifixion."

"They crucified the man from Nazareth, that prophet, Jesus."

Magmus filled in. "We thought he was the glorious Messiah, come to rescue Israel for Rome. But it was not to be."

I interrupted his trailing words. "Then Sunday, some women went to his tomb and came back with a story about the missing body, angels and I don't know what all."

"They even reported that they had seen him alive! How pitiful is that?"

"Personally, I think the Jews stole the body, or maybe the ones closest to him. Or maybe he didn't really die, just swooned and was awakened by the cool temperatures of the tomb, although how he, in his condition, holes in his hands and feet, a sword wound in his side, managed to move that big rock, I'll never know."

Suddenly he spoke. This time it sounded different somehow.

"You are such foolish, foolish people. You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. Wasn't it clearly predicted by the prophets tht the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his time of glory?"

Well, when we heard that we knew a couple of things for sure.

First, he wasn't a robber.

Secondly, he was pretty smart.

He didn't look like a Rabbi or a student, but he sure did know the scriptures. It was as though he had written them himself.

He started in Genesis and went right on through to Malachi.

And every book and verse he quoted pointed to exactly what had taken place.

I don't know why the religious leaders had never shared that with the people. But it sure was an eye opener.

As we neared Emmaus, Magmus and I had so many questions and were so spellbound by what he was saying that we asked him to stay over with us.

At first he seemed to resist the idea, but finally he agreed and we had the most wonderful supper and conversation.

So many things suddenly became clear, as though our eyes were seeing Life for the first time.

And as we looked at him, it was as though the Light of the Universe was focused in our one room.

Oh, I tell you the truth, we realized that we had been walking, talking and eating with Jesus.

Magmus and I danced and bounced around the room like children of the living God.

TO BE CONTINUED.

ALIVE!

"What a day this will be!"

He was full of energy and rarin' to go.

His voice was like a thousand fingernails on a thousand chalkboards.

"Is everything ready?

"How about the feast? Is the feast prepared?"

"What are we having? Lamb? I will LOVE eating the lamb!"

"What about the decorations? Did we have enough?"

"Do we have ample seating? There will be billions coming!"

The sun had gone down Saturday night, but he couldn't sleep.

As Sunday, the day of the celebration drew nigh, he had the mother of all caffine jitters

"What about the throne? Is the throne in place? "

"And the crown! I'll need the crown!"

"Somebody get the crown!"

"And turn off that incessant rumbling"

"What is that rumbling?"

"Is there something wrong with the sound system?"

"Why is it so loud?"

"It's hurting my ears!"

"Uh, a thousand pardons, Your Highness. But the sound system has not yet been turned on."

"Not on? What do you mean, 'Not on?" I can hear it. Don't you think I know what I hear? See to it at once!"

"Yes, Your Lightship. At once."
"And why is the ground trembling?"

"We can't have the ground shaking during the celebration!"

"I can hardly stand!"

"Somebody see to it that the ground stops trembling before the celebration or there will be heads rolling!"

"And that noise! Stop the noise!"

"It hurts like...like Hell!"

"Uh, master, we need to tell you something."
"Tell me what? What do you need to tell me?"
"It's the tomb, Master. Something's wrong at the tomb."

"What 'Something's wrong at the tomb?'"

"What are you talking about? Speak up, man! What's wrong at the tomb?"

"The stone, Master. The stone has been....well, the stone has been...rolled away!"

"Say what?"
"It took eight Romans to put that stone there and Caesar put his seal on it."

"The stone CAN"T be rolled away!"
"Yes, Master, of course. No one could roll away a stone that large."
"But Master, I'm afraid the stone is rolled away!"
"Are...you...sure?"

"There must be some mistake."

"No mistake, Master. The stone is rolled away."

"Rolled away. Rolled away? ROLLED AWAY?"

"What can this mean, rolled away?"

"Could it be...nonononono. That's not possible."

Lucifer's heart was raging!

"Quickly!"

"To the tomb."

"See for myself."

"Oh no! It's gone!"

"That can only mean..."

"No."

"NO!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

MEANWHILE

The gates and doors were barred
And all the windows fastened down
I spent the night in sleeplessness
And rose at every sound
Half in hopeless sorrow
And half in fear the day
Would find the soldiers breakin' through
To drag us all away

And just before the sunrise
I heard something at the wall
The gate began to rattle
And a voice began to call
I hurried to the window
Looked down into the street
Expecting swords and torches
And the sound of soldiers' feet

But there was no one there but Mary
So I went down to let her in
John stood there beside me
As she told me where she'd been
She said they might have moved Him in the night
And none of us knows where
The stone's been rolled away
And now His body isn't there

We both ran toward the garden
Then John ran on ahead
We found the stone and empty tomb
Just the way that Mary said
But the winding sheet they wrapped Him in
Was just an empty shell
And how or where they'd taken Him
Was more than I could tell

Oh something strange had happened there
Just what I did not know
John believed a miracle
But I just turned to go
Circumstance and speculation
Couldn't lift me very high
'Cause I'd seen them crucify him
Then I saw him die

Back inside the house again
The guilt and anguish came
Everything I'd promised Him
Just added to my shame
When at last it came to choices
I denied I knew His name
And even if He was alive
It wouldn't be the same

But suddenly the air was filled
With a strange and sweet perfume
Light that came from everywhere
Drove the shadows from the room
And Jesus stood before me
With his arms held open wide
And I fell down on my knees
And I just clung to Him and cried

Then He raised me to my feet
And as I looked into His eyes
The love was shining out from Him
Like sunlight from the skies
Guilt in my confusion
Dissappeared in sweet release
And every fear I'd ever had
Just melted into peace

He's alive yes He's alive
Yes He's alive and I'm forgiven
Heaven's gates are open wide

He's alive yes He's alive
Oh He's alive and I'm forgiven
Heaven's gates are open wide

He's alive yes He's alive
Hallelujah He's alive
He's alive and I'm forgiven
Heaven's gates are open wide

He's alive!

HE'S ALIVE

HE'S ALIVE!

From: "He's Alive" by Don Francisco



Have a blessed Resurrection Sunday!

THE INVITATION

I invite you

TO A

CELEBRATION

SUNDAY AT NOON!

With Great Pride,

I, The Angel of Light

Invite you to

the

PARTY OF THE AGES

It will be a gas!

Come enjoy warmth like you've never known before

for all eternity.

It is with joy that I announce to you

Jesus is dead!

God has lost the battle!

I have won!

Just as I knew I would!

I will now be King of the Ages!

I will sit on the throne of the Most High

I will command your respect

as I give you all the things I have been

holding for you as I have awaited this

Inevitible Day!

Don't miss out!

Come bow before me!

Come collect your wages!

BRING YOUR FRIENDS!

EVERYONE IS WELCOME!

Signed: Lucifer

Alias: Satan

CRUCIFIED

The beating had been unimaginable.

The long walk up Via Dolorosa had been long, and hot, and exhausting.

In His mortal body, Jesus had nothing left.

The ugly tree lay on the slope of the hill. Its base stretched toward the road below. Its crossbar reaching out like arms receiving a loved one.

Placing one foot behind Jesus' heel and a shoulder into his chest, the Roman gave a mighty shove.

Jesus collapsed onto the splinter-filled cross.

Seven of the eight guards manipulated Him into position and held him there.

There was no resistance. Jesus had no strength left for that.

As one guard held the wretched man's arm against one crossbar, another placed the spike and raised the heavy mallet.

Michael looked back at the Father and pleaded, "I have a legion with me right now. Over ten thousand in number. We can go at your bidding and put a stop to this maddness. Please."

The Father's response was in that voice that did not invite argument. "No. Stay where you are."

The mallet came down with force enough to drive the spike into the beam behind the hand.

The sound reverberated past Michael, surrounding the entire legion and echoing with deafening intensity in all of Heaven.

Lucifer chuckled in that hideous way he had.

Jesus, unable to muster the energy to do more, exhaled over His vocal chords with the sound of death.

The other arm. The other crossbar. Another swing of the mallet.

Heaven shook.

Michael turned away.

The Father looked on.

Lucifer snorted.

Now the feet were placed on their rest and crossed so that only one spike would be needed.

Once more the mallet.

Heaven's thunder roared.

Where there were no tears, Michael cried.

Still the Father did not move.

Lucifer hissed, "Yessssss!"

The eight men had no trouble lifting the tree and its occupant to the vertical.

They placed it over the prepared hole and dropped it in. It bottomed out with a jolt.

Michael cried out with a loud voice.

The Father watched intently.

Lucifer almost danced with glee.

Jesus' body sagged at the sudden weight now pulling down on His hands and chest.

His breath left Him.

When he could stand it no longer, he pushed against the footrest and raised his chest high enough to take in some air.

It was a gasp.

Then He spoke. It was directly to God.

"Father, forgive them. They know not what they do."

Once again His body failed Him and He drooped.

One of the two being crucified next to Jesus that day, both convicted theives, looked over at the stuggling man and managed between his teeth, "If you are really the Messiah, save yourself, and us, too."

"Hey!" strained the other, "Leave him alone! Can't you see? We are getting what we deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong!"

With all he had left in that breath, he said to Jesus, "Please, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

Jesus had pulled Himself up once again.

"Believe me when I tell you this: today you will be with me in Paradise."

And then He slumped back down.

As he looked down He saw His mother in the crowd with the ever faithful John.

Struggling up to speak, "Blessed woman, look. He is now your son."Collapse.

Pushing up, "Son, she will be your mother now."

The sun was bright and hot.

"I'm thirsty." It was all He could do this time.

A guard took a sponge and soaked it in sour wine vinegar. He raised it to Jesus' lips.

Jesus recoiled.

Michael wept openly.

The Father had an expression never seen from eternity to eternity.

Now He looked no more.

He turned His back on Jesus.

The sky darkened with the breath of sin.

This time, as Jesus drew up to breathe, He could smell the eternal stinch of evil in the air.

"My God!"

Another breath of iniquity.

"My...GOD!"

Once more.

"WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?"

Michael withdrew. He could take it no longer.

The Father could not look upon sin, and so, kept His back to Jesus.

Lucifer, vomiting out the words, was beside himself with excitement, "We're winning! Im winning!"

Jesus summoned all the strength left in His ravaged body.

"Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit."

The sound filled the countryside. The corridors of Heaven shook under its pressure.

"IT"

"IS"

"F..I..N..I..S..H..E..D!"

His head dropped.

The Spirit left Him.

Lucifer sat down. His eyes wide. His evil heart pounding.

The smell of awful victory was in the air.

"It is time for a celebration!"

© 2006 Joseph Scoggins

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF FAITH-Wonderful Cross-Michael W. Smith

A Study in Acts Week 11

Acts Chapter 11

Verses 1-18 – Circumcision was a legal requirement of the old Covenant. When the Jewish believers heard that Peter had been spending time with Gentiles, they were angry and argued that the Gentiles had to be circumcised. They were the very ones Paul wrote to about their freedom in Christ in his letter to the Galatians.

One of the most difficult things for Christians to do is to realize that they are no longer bound to the Old Covenant. As Hebrews explains from Chapter 6 through Chapter 10, we belong to a New Covenant that has nothing to do with the Old Covenant, which was fulfilled in Christ.

Peter told them of his experience with the sheet filled with reptiles and such. He used it to demonstrate that nobody pleases God through religious acts, but through devoting themselves to learning more about their Savior, the Living Word of God.

Peter then told them about Cornelius’ soldiers who had come to get him. He told about Cornelius’ salvation and the work of the Holy Spirit in Joppa.

Notice that the subject of Peter’s testimony was not the evils of social ills or the violations of God’s Laws. It was about, and only about, the work of Christ in the hearts of anyone who would trust in and only in the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary.

Peter is saying in no uncertain terms that all men are equally guilty of the curse of sin and all are equally of value to God. We must not make distinctions between Jews and Gentiles, Blacks and Whites, or Rich and Poor.

This was a totally new concept to the Jewish Christians and they struggled with it. Peter said, “God gave to these Gentiles the same gift that he gave to us. We received this same gift when we believed in the Lord Jesus! So, I could not oppose God!’ The Jews heard Peter say that. They did not argue any more.

Verses 19-30 – Antioch was in Syria. It was in the north. It was an important city for trade. People from many different countries did business there together. If they did business together, they probably spoke many different ____________________ (languages - glossa). The language of commerce was Greek. Barnabas was a Jew who spoke Greek., so the Jerusalem Christians sent him to report on what was going on in Antioch.

Because of Barnabas, ‘many people decided to trust the Lord’ (verse 24).

The pagans in Antioch were famous because they used words in clever ways. So, they made up a name for the believers. They called the believers ‘Christians’. (The Greek word is ‘Christianoi’.) The pagans probably meant this to be a point of ridicule.

The disciples decided to send money to Judea. Each sent money according to his ability, not according to some certain amount or formula, a method repeated throughout the New Testament. They sent the money to the “elders” who saw to it that it got where it belonged.

This was God’s plan, showing His character, His love for His creation and His plan for its redemption; redemption by grace through faith in, and only in, the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary.

THE DNA COINCIDENCE

A single unit of DNA is called a nucleotide.
A nucleotide is made up of a pentose sugar called deoxyribose, a nitrogenous base and a phosphate group.

Each molecule of deoxyribose has 5 carbon atoms + 10 hydrogen atoms + 4 oxygen atoms
= 19 atoms

There are four kinds of nitrogenous bases in DNA:
Adenine, thymine, guanine, cytosine
Adenine has 8 atoms in it
Guanine has 16 atoms
Thymine has 6 atoms
Cytosine has 7 atoms

Phosphate group has about 4 atoms.

So, each nucleotide may have
19 + 8 + 4 = 31 atoms
OR
19+16+4 = 39 atoms
OR
19+6+4= 29 atoms
OR
19+7+4 = 30 atoms.

Now, the average DNA strand in humans contains about 440 million of these nucleotides.

Unlinked DNA Molecule

So, the total number of atoms in the DNA strand would be
440 million x number of atoms in each nucleotide.

Evolutionary scientists believe that in some primordial situation 204 billion atoms (the approximate number of atoms in an average DNA molecule) just happened to come together in just the right way to form the first DNA molecule which then "knew" how to replicate itself to begin the evolutionary process.

Evolutionary scientists have a lot more confidence in "coincidence" than I have.

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-It's About the Cross-The Ball Brothers

A Study in Acts Week 10

Acts Chapter 10

Verses 1-8 – Cornelius was the captain of a Roman unit (about 600 men). He was a gentile, but he worshiped God. With all of his good marks to his credit, he is not saved and these works do not make him a Christian. He got a visit from an angel who told him to send some men to get Simon Peter. Cornelius was the first real Gentile that joined the church.

Verses 9-16 – Peter was a Jew. Jews believed that God did not care about Gentiles. They thought that God only cared about Jews. Jews refused even to enter a Gentile’s house, even if the Gentile worshiped God. It would be very difficult for Peter to visit Cornelius.

God sent an angel to Peter to tell him of Cornelius. Peter was reluctant, so God sent a sheet with unclean animals on it and commanded Peter to eat from it.

The lesson of these verses is two-fold: 1) under the New Covenant, the Laws of the Old Covenant have been fulfilled and no longer have a hold on us; 2) In God’s sight, all men are equal. He has endowed them as such. As a nation, we memorialized this thought in the Declaration of Independence.

Verses 17-33 – While Peter thought about all of this, the Holy Spirit spoke to him. The Spirit said, ‘Simon, three men are here and they are looking for you. So, get up and go downstairs. I have sent them. So, do not hesitate and do not worry. Go with them.’

He ate a meal with Gentiles, who had not received circumcision. They slept in the same house. Before the vision, Peter would not have done this. But now, he was beginning to understand that God accepted Gentiles. God did not think that Gentiles were unclean. So, Peter, too, should accept Gentiles.

Cornelius kneeled at Peter’s feet as if Peter was a god. Peter was bringing God’s message. At that time, some people very much respected any person who brought God’s message. They believed that such a person also had the same qualities as a god. But immediately Peter made Cornelius get up. He told Cornelius that he (Peter) was only human.

Verses 34-43 – Jews believed that they were God’s favorite people. They are God’s chosen people, but that just means He chose them to introduce Messiah to the world.

Peter’s vision showed to him that God loves everyone, people from every nation in the world. Where you were born does not matter to God. It does not matter to God what color your skin is. His salvation is a gift. He offers that gift by means of Jesus to all people.

Verses 44-48 – Peter had told the people about salvation by means of Jesus. There can be no doubt that the Gentiles present believed immediately. So, the Holy Spirit came down onto them.

After believing, and after the Holy Spirit came upon them, they were baptized.

Verse 45 deserves special attention. The word translated “tongues” is the plural of our old friend from Acts 2, glossa, meaning languages. These people were from all over, just like the people in the crowd in Acts 2. Notice that Peter and his cadre understood these Gentiles and “heard them…praising God.” They knew what they were saying.

They were enjoying great fellowship, and they did not want to break up the party. They asked Peter and his friends to hang around a while.

True fellowship can only be had between people who have a relationship with God through faith in, and only in, the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary.

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES

The following Email was attributed to Ben Stein, an American, writer, lawyer,  actor and commentator on political and economic issues. It is said that he wrote it and delivered it on an edition of CBS Sunday Morning.

It turns out that it was only partly written by him. The rest was haphazardly cobbled together by person(s) unknown from various authors on the Internet.

Ben Stein is Jewish. Some of the other writers were Christian, others are unknown.

In the end, it does not matter who wrote it. What matters is the concept it conveys.

Our confession:

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat...

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.
In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc.. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school... The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about.. And we said okay..

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing yet?

My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,
Ben Stein, et. al.

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-Jesus Messiah-Chris Tomlin

A Study in Acts Week 9

Acts Chapter 9

Verses 1-9 – Saul was angry (Acts 26:11) with Christians, probably because they contradicted everything he had been taught about “religion.” He also feared his loss of power because of this strange doctrine of salvation by grace through faith. He wanted to destroy the church, not just the Jerusalem church, but the one that had sprung up in Damascus.

(Paul later told this story two times, once to the arresting authorities and once in Acts 26 to King Agrippa.)

Saul had gotten the necessary documents to allow him to bring the Christians in Damascus back to Jerusalem for trial. So he headed to Damascus.

The flash of light must have frightened Saul. After all, it was the glory of God and Saul thought that seeing it meant death.

The light was accompanied by a voice. “Why do you persecute me” was probably troubling to Saul. He did not know to who was speaking to him. “Who are you, Lord?”

He realized that the voice was from God. But the voice asked Saul a question, and that question confused him. He thought that he was working for God. That is why it confused him. So, he asked who was speaking. The answer was a shock to him. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” Now he knew that Jesus really was alive! What the believers said about Jesus was true!

Sometimes what we think is God’s work is not. “God told me to…” could very well be a “vain imagination.” (Romans 1:21; II Corinthians 10:5) We must learn discernment through the Word.

Jesus had chosen him for a special job. Some people say that if they could just have a “Damascus Road” experience, they would believe in Jesus. But God does not reveal Himself to everyone in the way. He had special plans for Saul.

The light had blinded Saul, and he needed help from his companions (probably members of the Sanhedrin) to get to Damascus.


Verses 10-19 – A disciple named Ananias in Damascus heard from the Lord and was ready to meet Saul. Ananias was reluctant at first saying, “He has authority from the chief priests. And he can arrest anyone who calls on your name.” But he trusted the Lord and met Saul. The words ‘anyone who calls on your name’ means anyone who believes in Jesus and also trusts in him.

When Saul met Ananias, Ananias told him of the Lord’s speaking to him and said, “He wants you to see again. He also wants the Holy Spirit to fill you.”

Verses 20-25 – When Jesus enters a life, He really changes it. Saul was changed! He began, of all things, to preach the gospel in the Synagogues…not just in the outer courts, because he was a Pharisee and would have had access to the Temple.

Saul became a strong “apologist,” one who explains who Jesus is and proves it through spiritual logic.

Verses 26-31 – When Saul had left Jerusalem, he was a persecutor of Christians. When he came back three years later, the Christians did not trust him.

Barnabas, the encourager, took Saul to the disciples. Saul met Peter and James, who was Jesus’ brother (Galatians 1:18-20). They were two leaders of the church in Jerusalem.

The believers in Jerusalem accepted Saul. So, he continued to preach about Jesus.

Notice that Saul’s message was not about social ills, it was not about politics, it was not about abortion, it was not about building character, it was not about keeping the Ten Commandments and it was not about following Old Covenant protocols. It was about Jesus. 

Jesus is the only message we should have.

Saul spoke and discussed with some of the same people who had wanted Stephen stoned. 

We find in verse 29 that Saul argued with them. The King James translation uses the word, “disputed,” while others use “argued”. The Greek word here is suzeteo - to seek together or jointly. In other words, Saul was trying to reason with them to lead them to Christ.

With verse 31, the second part of Acts ends. Saul was now a disciple. So, the church was safer. Saul had been the main leader that persecuted believers. Now the church was able to grow and the good news could spread.

Verses 32-35 – Here Luke describes how Jesus cured another paralyzed man called Aeneas. Peter did not say, ‘I am curing you’ to Aeneas. Peter said, ‘Jesus Christ is curing you.’

Just as Jesus did not cure everybody when He walked the earth, He did not cure everybody when Peter ministered. He did cure a lot of people, though. Who He cures, and how, is His business, not ours.

According to verse 35, everybody in Lydda and Sharon trusted the Lord. Why? They had heard the gospel and believed.

Who needs to hear the gospel where we live?

Verses 36-43 – A disciple called Tabitha (Dorcas), who had helped many poor people, died. 

Peter, remembering when Jesus healed Jairus’ daughter, sent the people here outside. He kneeled down and he prayed. Then he said some words in Aramaic. He said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ Jesus had said to Jairus’s daughter, ‘Little girl, get up.’ Dorcas, like Jairus’s daughter, became alive again! 

Peter stayed with Simon, a man whom the Jews rejected because he did a dirty job. He touched skins from dead animals when he worked. The Jews said that he was ‘unclean’. But Peter did not seem to care about this. 

Perhaps God was preparing Peter for what happened next.

AN ALLEGORY ON UNITY

Not Unitarianism

The church called a Choir Director.

For several hours the Choir Director poured over music, looking for the right songs to introduce to the choir to learn and perform.  He prayed for the Holy Spirit’s leadership.

The night of rehearsal he stepped to the platform and explained the first song, where they would start, where they would sing loudly, where they would sing softly, where they would speed up and where they would slow down.

He told them where to breathe, how to phrase the music, which section of the choir should predominate and when the soloist would sing.

Then he gave the downbeat.

One of the sopranos blurted out, “Eyew! I don’t want to sing this part.  I want to sing the second line of some other song. Besides, we’ve never sung this song before.”

A bass singer shouted, “’Kum Ba Ya’…I want to sing ‘Kum Ba Ya!”

A tenor and an alto each started singing something completely different.

The result was a terrible sound, but the choir director thought to himself, “Well, they are all entitled to their opinions.  And after all, we are all Christians and we should let the Spirit lead, not some paid employee.”

On Sunday morning the choir sang, each his own tune.  The congregation looked puzzled, but at the end they applauded politely and the choir sat down, the mavericks happy that they had done their own thing.


Then the church called an Education Director.

The Education Director stepped into the leadership position.

He studied the various options and, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, decided which ones would be useful to the body of Christ.

With the help of the Church Council, he decided which curriculum the church should follow and  which programs to implement and then presented them to the group.

The Sunday School Director had his own idea as to what should be done as did the Church Training Director.  The deacons wanted to go in a completely different direction. A couple of Sunday School teachers decided to go their own way, too.

"Well," said the new Education Director, "Everybody is entitled to his own opinion."

The Education Director “gave the downbeat,” but the result was that nothing happened.

WEDNESDAY WISDOM

Not necessarily the one in this story

THE STORY OF A STUDENT WHO TOOK ON HIS PHILOSOPHY PROFESSOR IN A DISCUSSION ABOUT GOD.

"Let me explain the problem science has with religion."

The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.

"You're a Christian, aren't you, son?"

"Yes sir," the student says.

"So you believe in God?"

"Absolutely."

"Is God good?"

"Sure! God's good."

"Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?"

"Yes"

"Are you good or evil?"

"The Bible says I'm evil."

The professor grins knowingly. "Aha! The Bible!"

He considers for a moment, "Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it." "Would you help him? Would you try?"

"Yes sir, I would."

"So you're good."

"I wouldn't say that."

"But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could."

"Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't."

The student does not answer, so the professor continues, "He doesn't, does he?"

"My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him."

"How is this Jesus good? Can you answer that one?"

The student remains silent. "No, you can't, can you?" the professor says.

He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.

"Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?"

"Er... yes," the student says.

"Is Satan good?"

The student doesn't hesitate on this one, "No."

"Then where does Satan come from?"

The student falters, "From God."

"That's right. God made Satan, didn't he?"

"Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?"

"Yes, sir."

"Evil's everywhere, isn't it?"

"And God did make everything, correct?"

"Yes."

"So who created evil?"

The professor continued, "If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil."

Again, the student has no answer.

"Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness?"

"All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?"

The student squirms on his feet, "Yes."

"So who created them?"

The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question, "Who created them?"

There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized.

"Tell me," he continues onto another student. "Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?"

The student's voice betrays him and cracks, "Yes, professor, I do."

The old man stops pacing, "Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you."

"Have you ever seen Jesus?"

"No sir, I've never seen Him."

"Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?"

"No, sir, I have not."

"Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus?"

"Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?"

"No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't."

"Yet you still believe in him?"

"Yes."

"According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist."

"What do you say to that, son?"

"Nothing," the student replies. "I only have my faith."

"Yes, faith," the professor repeats.

"And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith."

The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of His own. "Professor, is there such thing as heat?"

"Yes."

"And is there such a thing as cold?"

"Yes, son, there's cold too."

"No sir, there isn't."

The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet.

The student begins to explain. "You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold.’"

"We can hit down to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that."

"There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees."

"Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy."

"Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat."

"You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat."

"We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy."

"Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it."

Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.

"What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?"

"Yes," the professor replies without hesitation. "What is night if it isn't darkness?"

"You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something."

"You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word."

"In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?"

The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester.

"So what point are you making, young man?"

"Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed."

The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. "Flawed? Can you explain how?"

"You are working on the premise of duality," the student explains.

"You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure."

"Sir, science can't even explain a thought."

"It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one."

"To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it."

"Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?"

"If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do."

"Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?"

The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.

"Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?"

The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided.

"To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean."

The student looks around the room. "Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?"

The class breaks out into laughter. "Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain?"

"No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir."

"So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?"

Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable. Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. "I Guess you'll have to take them on faith."

"Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life," the student continues.

"Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?"

Now uncertain, the professor responds, "Of course, there is. We see it Everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in The multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil."

To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself."

"Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God."

"God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart."

"It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light."

The professor sat down.

INCONSISTENCY 102

The only way to have a good, Bible based theology is to be consistent in how scripture is interpreted. Too often, pastors, theologians and others are inconsistent in how they interpret scripture, making it a rule book on the one hand and a book of grace on the other.

Another inconsistency made by Bible interpreters is to treat the Bible as a series of proverbs, each passage unrelated to the other.

For example, in I John 2:20, the writer speaks of an anointing from the Holy One. Anointing means what anointing means, and is not subject to wild, divergent interpretations.

“Messiah” is the word in the Old Testament for “the Anointed One.” It is the person expected to come to save Israel from, as it turns out, the burden of sin.

The Holy One, is a reference to Christ.  Christ is the New Testament word that means Messiah.

Then John writes, in verse 21, “…and all of you know the truth.”

In the New Testament, the most common use of the word truth is a reference to Jesus, who said, “I am the way, the truth and the light. No man comes to the father except by me.” (John 14:6)

In I John 2:20, then when the writer (who is writing to Christians) uses the phrase, “…and all of you know the truth,” he is assuming that they all know Christ.

To clarify himself, John continues to write, “I do not write to you because you do NOT know the truth, but because you DO know it and because NO LIE comes from it (“it” being the truth, who is Christ).

Finally, in I John 2:22, he identifies the liar as the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah).

These verses are not disconnected, individual proverbs, they are powerfully related to one another and express a single thought/principle.

The person who does not accept Christ as Lord is pictured as the “antichrist,” one who denies the Father and the Son.

Jesus once said, “He that is not with me is against me.” (Matthew 12:30)

This is the same thought as the one expressed in I John 2:22, “Such a man is the antichrist – he denies the Father and the Son.”

 He concludes this logic with the thought that there are two options: deny the Son and therefore the Father, or accept the Son and therefore the Father. He writes, “No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”

To tie all of this together, John continues in verse 24 with a reference back to what he had written at the beginning of the book with the phrase, “…what you have heard from the beginning (look back to I John 1:1).

In this paragraph, the writer is admonishing those who know Christ allow Him to be a permanent part of their lives. He reminds them of the result of their faith in Christ, eternal life. (Verse 25)

In verses 26-27, John recaps his thoughts with a warning not to allow anyone to “…lead you astray…” but to live in the anointing they had received from God, the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon salvation.

The point of this lesson is that no part of scripture is of individual, out-of-context, proverbial interpretation, but it is all tied together to point to the salvation afforded in Christ Jesus.

According to John, we are to know our salvation, live our salvation and immerse ourselves in our salvation with joy.

BUILDING A BIBLE BASED CHURCH 04

There are certain organizational steps a church should take in order to grow as the Bible prescribes. Keep in mind that organization is not the ministry of the church but is necessary for the ministry of the church.

God is a God of order. Just look at the very universe and nature, itself. You might also consider the highly organized methods outlined in God’s word in the rebuilding of the Jerusalem wall in Nehemiah, or the building of the temple in I Kings. In Numbers 2 you’ll find the laying out of the tents of Israel and in Numbers 22-24 the reason for the layout is given.

Every church needs to know its objectives, its goals and its action plans for growth. Although “objectives” and “goals” seem similar, they are really quite different.

Objectives are philosophical in nature and state a purpose. Goals are quantifiable and lead toward achieving the objectives. Action plans are specific steps taken to meat the goals.

In this study we will look at possible objectives.

CHURCH OBJECTIVES

Any church, using the Bible as the primary source of authority, is a fellowship composed of baptized believers who share a personal commitment to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

A church seeks to be a redemptive body in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. The church describes its purpose and nature of existence in its objectives as stated herein.

We recognize that a mature church is one where the greatest gift, love, is experienced and shared (I Corinthians 13).

The church encourages its members to discover their God-given gifts. The objectives of the members of a growing, Bible based church should be something like:

1. To WORSHIP as a fellowship of believers seeking to provide opportunities for a personal encounter between God and man (Psalm 95:6).

2. To practice EVANGELISM by witnessing in the name of Jesus Christ by loving word and unselfish deed (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; II Corinthians 5:11:20).

3. To promote MISSIONS by sharing Jesus Christ through ministries to all people in the community and with all people throughout the world (Matthew 28:18-20).

4. To grow through CHRISTIAN EDUCATION a fellowship of maturing Christians whose learning results in responsible living (Psalms 119:11).

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-Behold the Lamb-David Phelps

A Study in Acts Week 8

 Acts Chapter 8

Verses 1-4 The high ranking Pharisee, Saul (later to be known as Paul), stood by approving of Stephen’s death. A persecution of the church (ekklesia – that which is called out) began.

The apostles were scattered. Meanwhile, Stephen was buried. The people missed him greatly.

Saul set out to wipe out the Christians. The Greek word translated “began to destroy” in the NIV (“made havoc” in KJV) is elumaineto. It means “to ravage.” The idea is that Saul caused severe and extensive damage to, devastated, destroyed, ruined, laid waste to or made desolate the church.

Verses 5-8 – Philip went to Samaria to proclaim the good news of Christ. In these days, the relationship between the Jews and the Samaritans was greatly strained  (remember the Samaritan woman at the well and the Good Samaritan). That Philip went there indicated that the gospel was for all people, loved by society or not. Many Samaritans were saved, had evil spirits cast out of them and were healed.

Verses 9-13 – Simon was a magician. People thought he was doing God’s work, but Deuteronomy 18:10-12 tells us that God does not allow magic. Simon was seeking fame and fortune. Philip was doing God’s work. Simon became a believer, but he did not immediately understand what salvation was all about.

Verses 14-17 – Wondering about the converts in Samaria, Peter and John were sent there to see what was going on with these formerly despised people.

Acts 8:15 makes it very clear that just baptism does not save a person. He must receive the Holy Spirit to be saved. It is not our testimony that saves others, nor is it our “leading them to the Lord.” It is the conviction of the Holy Spirit that brings us to salvation.

Verses 18-25 – Simon wanted to buy some of God’s power so he could do what the apostles did. He was seeking fame and fortune. Peter explained that money had nothing to do with what they were doing. Simon could not have a part in the ministry until he relinquished his bitterness and sinful thinking.

Verses 26-35 – Philip was lead by the Holy Spirit to Gaza. On the way he met an Ethiopian who was reading the Old Testament book of Isaiah. Upon being asked to explain the Scripture to the Ethiopian, Philip showed him how Isaiah pointed to the Lord, Jesus Christ.

From Genesis to the Revelation, the Bible is about one thing and one thing only: God’s love for His creation and His plan for its redemption in Christ. Although it contains history, philosophy, great stories and a great life-guide, it is not about those things. It is about Jesus.

Verses 36-40 – When the Ethiopian heard the good news, he believed and wanted to be baptized. They found water and Philip baptized the Ethiopian. Philip went on his way and the Ethiopian went his, full of joy.

Irenaeus, a writer in the second century, wrote that the official went back to Ethiopia. He wrote that the official preached to the people there and that many became believers.

Philip went to Azotus and preached the good news in every town, making his way to Caesarea.

THIS IS ONE OF HIS BEST.