Acts 17 The Unknown God

Act 17:16-20 While Paul was waiting in Athens, he was upset to see all the idols in the city. He went to the Jewish meeting place to speak to the Jews and to anyone who worshiped with them. Day after day he also spoke to everyone he met in the market. Some of them were Epicureans and some were Stoics, and they started arguing with him. People were asking, “What is this know-it-all trying to say?” Some even said, “Paul must be preaching about foreign gods! That’s what he means when he talks about Jesus and about people rising from death.” They brought Paul before a council called the Areopagus, and said, “Tell us what your new teaching is all about. We have heard you say some strange things, and we want to know what you mean.”

If we let our eyes flick just a little bit before this we see Paul, Timothy and Silas have been ministering in Thessalonia and Berea and then Paul continues on to Athens alone and is waiting for his friends to join him before they continue on to Corinth.

We next read that while he was waiting in Athens he became upset at the level of idolatry and lostness of the people in the city. So much so that he begins to go and speak at the synagogue and the marketplace. Did he intend to minister in Athens? Maybe…. Maybe not… but God stirred his heart – he provoked Paul and Paul had to respond by going to the market to talk to people about Jesus.

In our lives we must allow God to stir our hearts and then in response we position ourselves with lost people, ready and willing and sharing the message of Good News.

Athens is an interesting city…. Though past its glory days it was still a center for philosophy and religion, art and architecture. Idols were on every corner, incorporated into every civic building and part of the very fabric of the city. The people there were renown for their “spiritual thinking” and desire to talk about new things. They had double the feast days of any other city in their time. Paul went to the very heart of the city, not just visiting the Jews in the synagogues but going to the marketplace. The marketplace wasn’t just where you went and brought your produce, but it was where you went to hear the latest news and gossip, to meet with friends, discuss new ideas – it was the pub or student café, the facebook of the past….

Paul had a message for the people of Athens. He saw they were interested in spiritual things but that they did not know the truth about God. He saw they were hungry to really know the truth about God, but they hadn’t discovered it yet… They had statues and idols and alters all around their city… even one to The Unknown God… The Unknown god was not so much a specific god, but a placeholder for whatever god or gods actually existed but whose name and nature were not revealed to the Athenians or the world at large yet.

Paul’s message was that he knew this God and that because of Jesus they could too. Our message is the same as Paul’s - it is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of the world. We are given the work of sharing God’s message about this peace with God. We are sent to speak for Christ and God is through us begging the people to hear the truth. We speak for Christ and sincerely ask people to find peace with God. Christ never sinned but God treated him as a sinner so that Christ could make us acceptable to God. (2 Corinthians 5:19-21)

In the Greek it says we are ambassadors for Christ and ministers of reconciliation. You don’t have to be a paid member of a church staff to be a minister. We represent Christ. We speak for Christ. If we read on in 2 Corinthians 6:1 it says we are fellow workers with God, some translations say we are partners with God in the work of salvation. This is what Paul was doing. He was moved and upset by the lostness of the people of Athens. He was provoked to action – provoked to every day go to where the people were, both in the synagogue and also to the marketplace and every day he went there and talked with everyone he met. He went into the marketplace and talked to people about who God is and about salvation, how they can meet peace with God.

We ourselves must allow God to stir our hearts – to provoke us – to open our eyes to the lost condition of the people around us. We are not called to hide away the good news but to proclaim it – to proclaim that God is knowable and near – to be his ambassadors. We are called to make known the unknown God to those around us. Every day we go to our own marketplace – to our schools, or our jobs, or the supermarket – every day we can follow Paul’s example and talk to those around us about Jesus. Paul was just not a minister on Sundays, but he was a minister every day of the week. We must challenge ourselves to live intentionally, to make decisions that position ourselves with people who need to know Jesus and then to use conversation as a means of sharing the Good News.

Judges 6 Gideon The Mighty Man of Valour

There are some people in the bible that you just want to take by the shoulders and shake them or give them a slap… right?

We know the end of the story and if only THEY knew what we knew eh… We have the hindsight, or the foresight… since it hasn’t happened to Gideon yet to know the great things that God is going to do to and in and through and for Gideon…

Judges 6:1-6 Then once again the Israelites started disobeying the LORD, so he let the nation of Midian control Israel for seven years. The Midianites were so cruel that many Israelites ran to the mountains and hid in caves. Every time the Israelites would plant crops, the Midianites invaded Israel together with the Amalekites and other eastern nations. They rode in on their camels, set up their tents, and then let their livestock eat the crops as far as the town of Gaza. The Midianites stole food, sheep, cattle, and donkeys. Like a swarm of locusts, they could not be counted, and they ruined the land wherever they went. The Midianites took almost everything that belonged to the Israelites, and the Israelites begged the LORD for help.

Judges 6:11-16 One day an angel from the LORD went to the town of Ophrah and sat down under the big tree that belonged to Joash, a member of the Abiezer clan. Joash’s son Gideon was nearby, threshing grain in a shallow pit, where he could not be seen by the Midianites. The angel appeared and spoke to Gideon, “The LORD is helping you, and you are a strong warrior.” Gideon answered, “Please don’t take this wrong, but if the LORD is helping us, then why have all of these awful things happened? We’ve heard how the LORD performed miracles and rescued our ancestors from Egypt. But those things happened long ago. Now the LORD has abandoned us to the Midianites.” Then the LORD himself said, “Gideon, you will be strong, because I am giving you the power to rescue Israel from the Midianites.” Gideon replied, “But how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest one in Manasseh, and everyone else in my family is more important than I am.” “Gideon,” the LORD answered, “you can rescue Israel because I am going to help you! Defeating the Midianites will be as easy as beating up one man.”

As much as I want to slap Gideon – I also love him. He is an ordinary man living in difficult times that has an extraordinary encounter with God that changes his life. And it shows each one of us that we can trust the Word of God and that we can trust the promises of God and that with God we can do all things!

In fact I think Gideon would describe himself as even less than ordinary… in his first conversation with God he calls himself the least of his family, which is the least in his tribe, which is the least in all the tribes of Israel. He is threshing wheat hiding in a shallow pit instead of out in the open so the chaff blows away… Israel is oppressed and subdued by the Midianites and life is really really hard. In order to stay alive you didn’t stick your neck out and children were taught to survive, not succeed…

All of us hear the Word of God in the context of our life and the challenge is to not respond out of context but to take the truth of what God says and make that real in our lives….

Gideon heard the word of God – heard God calling him a mighty man of valour and he put it in the context of hiding in a shallow pit and calling himself a useless weakling.

Again God calls him a strong warrior, promising to be with him.

That is the key – God with us. In ourselves we are just us… human. Ordinary. Gifted yes, unique yes. But still human.

1 Corinthians 1:27-29 God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.

2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us;

One God plus one weakling is always a majority in any fight. ‘I will be with you’ God tells Gideon, and that is all that we should ever need to know.

Remember Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Gods word is truth. Truth. Nothing changes that. We cant dumb it down to our context. We need to lift our faith and experience and live it out, trusting God. God sees all and he knows all. He sees the past and the present and the future. He works in us to complete his plan and purpose.

The challenge for each of us is to not look at what God says in context of our lives and even the way we feel about ourselves, but to fix our eyes upon HIM and his truth… the God with us part. It is him that makes us succeed and overcome.

We need to know that God is with us and when God is with us we can do all things! We need not self-confidence but GOD CONFIDENCE – confidence in who God is and that he will act exactly as he says he will! We can have faith in God! Today we need to put our hope and our trust in God and step out and be all that God has called us to be. We need to believe His Word and what He says about us. We may feel small and insignificant but God takes our lives and demonstrates himself through us. Nothing is impossible with God and that means that when he is with us nothing is impossible for us! All things are possible because of the might and glory and power of God. Have confidence in God. Go and change the world!

Throwing The First Stone

The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses brought in a woman who had been caught in bed with a man who wasn’t her husband. They made her stand in the middle of the crowd. Then they said, “Teacher, this woman was caught sleeping with a man who isn’t her husband. The Law of Moses teaches that a woman like this should be stoned to death! What do you say?” They asked Jesus this question, because they wanted to test him and bring some charge against him. But Jesus simply bent over and started writing on the ground with his finger. They kept on asking Jesus about the woman. Finally, he stood up and said, “If any of you have never sinned, then go ahead and throw the first stone at her!” Once again he bent over and began writing on the ground. The people left one by one, beginning with the oldest. Finally, Jesus and the woman were there alone. Jesus stood up and asked her, “Where is everyone? Isn’t there anyone left to accuse you?” “No sir,” the woman answered. Then Jesus told her, “I am not going to accuse you either. You may go now, but don’t sin anymore.” John 3:8-11

Did you notice that Jesus was the only one there who had done no sin and so by right could have cast the first stone and stoned her to death?

Did you notice that he did not?

Did you notice that he forgave her and set her free and changed her life?

Did you notice his love and compassion and grace and mercy?

Did you notice his authority and power and truth and justice?

John 7 Living Water

On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and shouted, “If you are thirsty, come to me and drink! Have faith in me, and you will have life-giving water flowing from deep inside you, just as the Scriptures say.” John 7:37-38

Jesus answered, “You don’t know what God wants to give you, and you don’t know who is asking you for a drink. If you did, you would ask me for the water that gives life.” “Sir,” the woman said, “you don’t even have a bucket, and the well is deep. Where are you going to get this life-giving water? Our ancestor Jacob dug this well for us, and his family and animals got water from it. Are you greater than Jacob?” Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again. But no one who drinks the water I give will ever be thirsty again. The water I give is like a flowing fountain that gives eternal life.” John 4:10-15

God satisfies. He satisfies every need and emptiness we can feel. He gives us peace for our restlessness, hope for our hopelessness, purpose for our present. He walks with us in the storms of life giving us comfort and perspective. We fix our eyes upon him and live our life for him and his glory. He fills us with his Holy Spirit and we never will be alone or empty again. Are you feeling dry? Jesus promises that we will have life giving water flowing from deep within, from within our spirit. The source is Jesus. He is the one who gives the water.

What stops the water flowing in our lives?

But no one who drinks the water I give will ever be thirsty again. The water I give is like a flowing fountain that gives eternal life.” The woman replied, “Sir, please give me a drink of that water! Then I won’t get thirsty and have to come to this well again.” Jesus told her, “Go and bring your husband.” The woman answered, “I don’t have a husband.” “That’s right,” Jesus replied, “you’re telling the truth. You don’t have a husband. You have already been married five times, and the man you are now living with isn’t your husband.” The woman said, “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet. My ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say Jerusalem is the only place to worship.” Jesus said to her: Believe me, the time is coming when you won’t worship the Father either on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans don’t really know the one you worship. But we Jews do know the God we worship, and by using us, God will save the world. But a time is coming, and it is already here! Even now the true worshipers are being led by the Spirit to worship the Father according to the truth. These are the ones the Father is seeking to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship God must be led by the Spirit to worship him according to the truth. The woman said, “I know that the Messiah will come. He is the one we call Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” “I am that one,” Jesus told her, “and I am speaking to you now.”

Jesus told the samaratian woman about the water he offers and then challenges her about her lifestyle and heart condition. She responds by revealing her desire to know the true God…. For more than just religion and rules and restrictions… but to know God in truth and to worship him… to know the Messiah who would write on their hearts and make them God’s children and God their God… What stops the water flowing? When we don’t relate to God, when we are separated from him by sin and restriction, when we have drawn away.

Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. As we develop our relationship with God we are like the trees psalm 1 talks about, planted by the streams, fruitful, growing, established, strong, alive.

John 9 On The Way

John 9:6-7 After Jesus said this, he spit on the ground. He made some mud and smeared it on the man’s eyes. Then he said, “Go and wash off the mud in Siloam Pool.”

The man went and washed in Siloam, which means “One Who Is Sent.” When he had washed off the mud, he could see. Did the blind man know that the name of the pool ment “One That Was Sent”? was there significance – a big picture layer – in the name of the pool? The One That Was Sent – the Messiah, the Sent One, the Annointed One – is the one who heals us and saves us.

How far was it from where Jesus spit on the man to the pool of Siloam?

How long did it take for the blind man to get there?

How did he FEEL on the way to the pool?

Did he wrestle with fears and doubts on the way to the pool?

Was he amazed that Jesus took time to heal a mere begger?

Did you notice: He took clay and made eyes – in the beginning God made man with clay….

Galatians 4

But when the time was right, God sent his Son, and a woman gave birth to him. His Son obeyed the Law, so he could set us free from the Law, and we could become God’s children. Now that we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. And his Spirit tells us that God is our Father. You are no longer slaves. Galatians 4:4-7

Luke 23:37 Saving Us

Luke 23:37 They said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!”

Jesus was saving the world not hmself. In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself so taht we can have peace with God. Jesus wasnt saving himself because he was saving us. He was sacrificing himself so that we can be acceptable to God. Jesus himself said in the garden at his arrest that there were legions of angels ready to rescue him, if he only said the word. but he didnt. he had a greater goal and purpoe and he kept his eyes fixed upon the goal and the salvation of the world. Jesus IS and WAS the king of the Jews. He was exactly who they said he was.

Exodus 17:1-2 Does God Really Know?

In our lives we sometimes wonder if God is aware of where we are on the journey….

Exodus 17:1-2 The Israelites left the desert and moved from one place to another each time the LORD ordered them to. Once they camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for them to drink. The people started complaining to Moses, “Give us some water!” Moses replied, “Why are you complaining to me and trying to put the LORD to the test?”

Did God not realize they had no water there?

Did he not check his map or google earth before stopping the cloud of his presence?

Did he forget to check the list of required “stuff” at this location?

Was God not aware of the needs of the poeple?

God sees all and knows all.

He was fully aware of where HE was and where the people were.

He totally comphended the needs of the poeople.

He knows OUR needs and sees where we are in life. He knows the desire of our heart.

There was a bigger picture at work - a purpose for the poeople to stop at Rephidim.

God was teaching them to have faith in him and to trust him and to follow him and to see the wonders he could work. He is the almighty God who parted the sea and provided manna and quail. He is the God who delivered them from Egypt and slavery.

How did the people respond? With faith and prayer?

No - they complained and dissed God. THey did not trust him.

Where are you at in your journey? Are you in a place with streams of water? Are you in a dry and thirsty place? Do you have a job? Are your relationships going well? Are you healthy? Are you feeling fulfilled?

Are you trusting God?

Are you fixing your eyes upon Him and His might rather than looking at your circumstances?

Trust in the Lord Your God wth all your heart, all your mind, all your strength, all your understanding and dont rely on your own understanding of life.

Living Called

God has been kind enough to trust us with this work. That’s why we never give up. We don’t do shameful things that must be kept secret. And we don’t try to fool anyone or twist God’s message around. God is our witness that we speak only the truth, so others will be sure that we can be trusted. 2 Corinthians 4:1-2

We are called and we should live CALLED. we should act called and think called. we should think and act as ministers of the gosepl - holy and righteous, determined and focused and the goal is spreadingthe good news of God’s wonderful kindness, dmonstrated through our own lives.

Its about credibility. its about keeping the main thing the main thing. its about following God and loving him and loving his opinion more than we love our own selfish desires.

Galatians 5:13-14 My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do anything you want. Use it as an opportunity to serve each other with love. All that the Law says can be summed up in the command to love others as much as you love yourself.

Galatians 5:16-17 If you are guided by the Spirit, you won’t obey your selfish desires. The Spirit and your desires are enemies of each other. They are always fighting each other and keeping you from doing what you feel you should.

We are human and we do make mistakes. we are redeemed forgiven people who are living our lives not for our own but for God and his ways.

2 Corintians 4:5-7 We are not preaching about ourselves. Our message is that Jesus Christ is Lord. He also sent us to be your servants. The Scriptures say, “God commanded light to shine in the dark.” Now God is shining in our hearts to let you know that his glory is seen in Jesus Christ. We are like clay jars in which this treasure is stored. The real power comes from God and not from us.

in this age of grace we can often go overboard on excusing our humanness or we dont even realize we are comprimising. we’ve dumbed sin down and call it a mistake. we dont hold people to the requirements of God and challenge them to surrender to him and to be transformed.

We are called to be holy. We are called to be ambassadors of God. we are called to be children of God.

Mark 5:21-28 Two Healings

Mark 5:21-28 21Once again Jesus got into the boat and crossed Lake Galilee. [d] Then as he stood on the shore, a large crowd gathered around him. 22The person in charge of the Jewish meeting place was also there. His name was Jairus, and when he saw Jesus, he went over to him. He knelt at Jesus' feet 23and started begging him for help. He said, "My daughter is about to die! Please come and touch her, so she will get well and live." 24Jesus went with Jairus. Many people followed along and kept crowding around.
25In the crowd was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. 26She had gone to many doctors, and they had not done anything except cause her a lot of pain. She had paid them all the money she had. But instead of getting better, she only got worse.
27The woman had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him in the crowd and barely touched his clothes. 28She had said to herself, "If I can just touch his clothes, I will get well." 29As soon as she touched them, her bleeding stopped, and she knew she was well.

There was a crowd waiting for Jesus on the shore. A crowd of desperate seeking people. What made these two people in the above passage stand out and be healed:
1. A man bold enough to talk to Jesus and beg
2. A woman bold enough to touch Jesus’ clothes
Jarius had a daughter who was dying. He made his way through the crowd and DESPITE his position (maybe people moved out of his way for him to get through…. But he still humbled himself and begged).
The woman was very ill and dying and was considered unclean. No one made a way for her to get to Jesus, she made a way her self and pressed through the crowd and got her breakthrough.

They both had the same goal. Healing. The power of God. Help. Hope.
They both faced insurmountable odds and had to overcome things to get to Jesus – position and pride and inferiority and fear.

What matters is we connect with Jesus. That we overcome and receive our healing.

Mark 5:18-20 The first missionary

Mark 5:18-20 18When Jesus was getting into the boat, the man begged to go with him. 19But Jesus would not let him. Instead, he said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how good he has been to you."
20The man went away into the region near the ten cities known as Decapolis [c] and began telling everyone how much Jesus had done for him. Everyone who heard what had happened was amazed.

The man begged to go with Jesus, but Jesus told him instead to “go” – as his messenger of good news and the power of God – this man was sent as a missionary and living demonstration of the power and grace of God through Jesus Christ. And he obeyed and he went and preached and proclaimed! Looking again at verse 19 Jesus told the man to go home to his family and tell them – the man did this and did not stop! He told EVERYONE! He told them of the wonderful kindness of God!

Mark 5:2-7, 15 Terrifying!

Mark 5:2-7, 15 2When he was getting out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit quickly ran to him 3from the graveyard where he had been living. No one was able to tie the man up anymore, not even with a chain. 4He had often been put in chains and leg irons, but he broke the chains and smashed the leg irons. No one could control him. 5Night and day he was in the graveyard or on the hills, yelling and cutting himself with stones.
6When the man saw Jesus in the distance, he ran up to him and knelt down. 7He shouted, "Jesus, Son of God in heaven, what do you want with me? Promise me in God's name that you won't torture me!"
15When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had once been full of demons. He was sitting there with his clothes on and in his right mind, and they were terrified.

What terrified the people? NOT the mass suicide of the pigs into the sea but the freed man, clothed, calm and restored, sitting with Jesus. The man who had being terrifying and dangerous and possessed was now terrifying because he was delivered. The power that set him free scared the people. They had witnessed the mans possession and tried to help or at least contain him to no avail, but here he was – whole and healed. This was power they had not encountered before and it terrified them. That power demonstrated the reality of God – that God was real and almighty. It demands a response – right living, relationship, repentance.

Jeremiah 42 Obedience

Jeremiah 42:1-4
1Johanan, Jezaniah, the other army officers, and everyone else in the group, came to me 2and said, "Please pray to the LORD your God for us. Judah used to have many people, but as you can see, only a few of us are left. 3Ask the LORD to tell us where he wants us to go and what he wants us to do." 4"All right," I answered, "I will pray to the LORD your God, and I will tell you everything he says."
Jeremiah 42:10-17
10I am sorry that I had to punish you, and so I now tell you to stay here in Judah, where I will plant you and build you up, instead of tearing you down and uprooting you. 11Don't be afraid of the King of Babylonia. I will protect you from him, 12and I will even force him to have mercy on you and give back your farms.
13But you might keep on saying, "We won't stay here in Judah, and we won't obey the LORD our God. 14We are going to Egypt, where there is plenty of food and no danger of war."
15People of Judah, you survived when the Babylonian army attacked. Now you are planning to move to Egypt, and if you do go, this is what will happen. 16-17You are afraid of war, starvation, and disease here in Judah, but they will follow you to Egypt and kill you there. None of you will survive the disasters I will send.

God where God tells you to go and stay where God tells you to stay. Obedience ALWAYS is rewarded with favour. Disobedience is bad. No matter what the circumstances may look like live in obedience to God. Nothing is impossible for him and he will bless you and make a way for you in response for obedience. Though Judah was ravaged and destroyed God said he would bless and plant those who obeyed and stayed. Circumstances said find greener grass but truth is to obey God. What looked like a better way brought destruction to those who went to Eygpt.

Genesis 32 - The God of Jacob

Genesis 32:9-12 9Then Jacob prayed:
You, LORD, are the God who was worshiped by my grandfather Abraham and by my father Isaac. You told me to return home to my family, and you promised to be with me and make me successful. 10 I don't deserve all the good things you have done for me, your servant. When I first crossed the Jordan, I had only my walking stick, but now I have two large groups of people and animals. 11Please rescue me from my brother. I am afraid he will come and attack not only me, but my wives and children as well. 12But you have promised that I would be a success and that someday it will be as hard to count my descendants as it is to count the stars in the sky.

The first part to connecting with God for Jacob (we’ve established that Jacob did NOT have his own faith or relationship with God… his knowledge and faith was based on his parents faith) was to acknowledge that he could not do it all himself and that he needed God.

Jacob said, "I have seen God face to face” Genesis 32:30

The turning point for Jacob with God and faith was THIS moment – he saw God face to face and God became the God of Jacob.

Romans 3 - Awesome Good News!

Romans 3:21-26 “Now we see how God does make us acceptable to him. He accepts people only because they have faith in Jesus. All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. But God treats us much better than we deserve and because of Jesus he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins. God sent Christ to be our sacrifice. Christ offered his life’s blood so that by faith in him we could come to God.”

Mark 3:10-12 Discerning Evil Spirits

Mark 3:10-12 10After Jesus had healed many people, the other sick people begged him to let them touch him. 11And whenever any evil spirits saw Jesus, they would fall to the ground and shout, "You are the Son of God!" 12But Jesus warned the spirits not to tell who he was.

The evil spirits saw Jesus as he was, plain as day. They saw him not as a carpenter or a good man or a rabbi but as the Son of the Living God. Humbled in human frame he still was the messiah and the son of God. The evil spirits KNEW his power and his authority. They had more discernment than most people around him…. ;o)

Mark 3:5 Stubbornness

Mark 3:5 Jesus was angry as he looked around at the people. Yet he felt sorry for them because they were so stubborn.

Don’t let stubbornness prevent us from seeing the truth and been free. Don’t let stubbornness blind us to opportunity. Don’t let stubbornness make our hearts hard. Be soft and teachable.

Mark 3:1-6 The Crippled Man

Mark 3:1-6 1The next time that Jesus went into the meeting place, a man with a crippled hand was there. 2The Pharisees wanted to accuse Jesus of doing something wrong, and they kept watching to see if Jesus would heal him on the Sabbath.
3Jesus told the man to stand up where everyone could see him. 4Then he asked, "On the Sabbath should we do good deeds or evil deeds? Should we save someone's life or destroy it?" But no one said a word.
5Jesus was angry as he looked around at the people. Yet he felt sorry for them because they were so stubborn. Then he told the man, "Stretch out your hand." He did, and his bad hand was healed.
6The Pharisees left. And right away they started making plans with Herod's followers to kill Jesus.

I read this and immediately get suspicious…
- Was the crippled man paid to be there?
- Was he forced to be there by the Pharisees to trap Jesus?
- Did the Pharisees try to set Jesus up?
- Was the crippled man a plant?
- Did the crippled man usually go to temple?
- Was he there to hear Jesus?
- Was he there as his usual practice of worshipping God?
In any such way what was the crippled man thinking as things unfolded? Did he hear about the miracles of Jesus and hope that Jesus would heal him? Did he imagine what his life would be like with two good hands? Did he have hopes and dreams that could only be lived with two good arms? Did he imagine a life free from pain, worry and uncertainty? Did he put his faith in Jesus? He may have been there as a plant but I bet even if he is that deep in his heart he hoped and prayed for healing…

Genesis 31:5 The God of my Fathers

Genesis 31:5 “the God my ancestors worshipped…”

It’s interesting to note that Jacob keeps on referring to God as the God of my father and ancestors. He told his father in Genesis 27:20 “the Lord YOUR God was kind to me.” Though Jacob goes through the motions of worship and having faith – even having encounters with God and hearing his voice – God is not yet his God – not yet MY God as Jacob would say. God is not yet personal to Jacob – or rather Jacob has not made God personal to him yet. God IS personal and doesn’t want to be the God of our fathers but OUR God. We cannot have faith vicariously through our parents. We ourselves must know God and have a personal salvation transaction.

Proverbs 3:11 Correction

Proverbs 3:11 “my child don’t turn away or become bitter when the Lord corrects you. The Lord corrects everyone he loves, just as parents correct their children.”

Why do I correct my kids: so they…
Grow up safe
Grow up as contributors
Grow up into fulfillment and happiness
Grow up secure
Grow up and “fit in”
Grow up and make friends
Grow up and make a positive impression
Grow up with opportunities
Grow up to succeed

Correcting trains us into the right direction. It isn’t about punishment or things like that it is about training human beings. Correcting kids is about them managing their emotions and desires and wants and how they express themselves.

Likewise God corrects us because he loves us. He loves us even more than I love my kids.

When God corrects us don’t turn away or reject him and his lessons and correction. Learn. Embrace. Experience. Be humble. Pray. Draw near to him. Seek him. Don’t become bitter – but better, as the saying goes. Grow as a human. Grow as a child of God. Be more faithful. Be more like Jesus. Draw near to God. Be soft and not hard. Yield, don’t resist. Be willing, not willful. Have hope. Be teachable.

Romans 1:17 Awesome Verse

Romans 1:17 “The Good News tells how God accepts everyone who has faith.”

Romans 1:14 Passion For Souls

Romans 1:14 “It doesn’t matter if people are educated and civilized or if they are uneducated and uncivilized, I must tell the good news to everyone.”

Can you hear the blaze of fire in Paul’s heart? Can you feel the heat and intensity of his passion for souls? No matter who you are Paul wanted to reach you. He didn’t have a preference – If you had a pulse you were a candidate for hearing and receiving the good news. Paul had an unrelentless passion for souls… can the same be said for us???

Romans 1:5 He Chose Me

Romans 1:5 “Jesus was kind to me and chose me to be an apostle.”

What a beautiful phrase and truth. Jesus is kind to us and manifests his kindness in so many ways but one major way for Paul, and for me too, is that he chooses to work through us. He chooses to use me and calls me. Despite all my past and my present failings and my need for more refinement, he has kindness upon me and uses me as a messenger of the good news – the good news I have received and experienced.

Genesis 29:32-35 Baby Names

Genesis 29:32-35 Leah gave birth to a son and named him Reuben, [a] because she said, "The LORD has taken away my sorrow. Now my husband will love me more than he does Rachel." 33She had a second son and named him Simeon, [b] because she said, "The LORD has heard that my husband doesn't love me." 34When Leah's third son was born, she said, "Now my husband will hold me close." So this son was named Levi. [c] 35She had one more son and named him Judah, [d] because she said, "I'll praise the LORD!"
Footnotes:
a. Genesis 29:32 Reuben: In Hebrew "Reuben" means, "Look, a son!"
b. Genesis 29:33 Simeon: In Hebrew "Simeon" sounds like "someone who hears."
c. Genesis 29:34 hold me close. . . Levi: In Hebrew "Levi" sounds like "hold (someone) close."
d. Genesis 29:35 Judah: In Hebrew "Judah" sounds like "praise."



Leah names her sons with names that reflect what she was feeling and where she was at in life. It’s a sad refection in a way. She has her babies to win her husbands love and approval but it doesn’t work. She bases her self worth in her husband. Reading between the lines it seems she had an emotionally rough life. Unmarried. Unmarried in a culture that values marriage and puts worth in being married. And views not being married as a curse. Her younger sister falls in love and is betrothed before she is. Then her father swaps her into a marriage where she isn’t wanted. Her father probably thought he was doing the right thing but put yourself in Leah’s shoes. I don’t think it would fit the dream i would have of getting married and falling in love. And then her father agrees that the younger sister can marry her one true love too – and she is now the second place wife, with no place in Jacob’s heart. She longs for love and for true marriage. And does not find it. Certainly not with Jacob. Interesting to note her fourth son is called Judah, who grows to head the tribe that Jesus is decendend from – Judah’s name means I will praise the Lord. There is no reference to winning her husband or wanting his love. Has something changed in her life and heart? Has her emotional security changed? Is there new found security – not in her husband or in people’s opinions – but in the true and living God who loves her with an everlasting love? Had something happened for her to change the theme pattern of her baby names?

17 Things From Matthew 28

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2028;&version=46;
Matthew 28

1. V1. As soon as they could the women went to prepare Jesus’ body and care for him. Despite his death they still had love and worship to give.

2. V2. Yay God!

3. V3. As bright as lightening! Cool imagery!

4. V4. The angel caused the guards to shake with fear and then faint/lose consciousness. The women saw the angels too but were differently affected.

5. V5. The angel tells the women – who were standing and conscious – don’t be afraid – which most angels in the bible say to humans they reveal themselves to.

6. V5. Jesus was nailed to the cross. This was a common execution style for criminals. People would have seen other crucifixions before. it was a way to punish and humiliate criminals.

7. V6. Jesus isn’t in the tomb! He isn’t there! He is alive! Risen!

8. V7. The angel invited the women into the tomb to see the evidence of Jesus’ resurrection.

9. V7. Now you’ve seen the proof – go and tell! The women FIRST got to tell of the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection! WOMEN! FIRST witnesses! Now days that doesn’t sound so immense and momentous or significant. But in Jesus’ day that was amazing. Women didn’t even get to testify in court. Their word was not counted as worthy enough. Yet God chose women as the first witnesses and declarers of the greatest miracle!

10. V8. “The women were frightened and yet very happy.” Good way of describing all the emotions they probably felt! Put yourselves in their shoes. Their teacher and friend was dead. But now he is alive! Oh the questions! And the wonder! And the hugs! And the “oh my God!” in the most reverent ways!

11. V9 SUDDENLY Jesus met them.

12. The soldiers woke up. They had fainted or lost consciousness when the angel appeared and rolled the huge tombstone away. They bravely then went and told their commander what had happened and how the body was missing. In turn they had to go and face the chief priests. The penalty for the guards to fall asleep on duty was execution. They would have been executed for failing in their duty. Instead of being executed though these guards are paid to fabricate a story and lie to everyone about Jesus’ disappearance. Part of the cover up story was that the soldiers were sleeping when the disciples snuck up and stole Jesus’ body. Does this sound logical? Yes, but not if you consider the context of roman discipline and soldiery. As I said the penalty was death for falling asleep on the job.

13. V16. All the remaining disciples went to the mountain in Galille to meet with Jesus. The remaining 11. Judas had hung himself. Peter had denied Jesus 3 times but he was still there. All the other disciples except John didn’t go and watch Jesus die. And they still came. Jesus called and they came. There was hope again. Perhaps the cross was not the end?

14. V17. They saw and worshipped but some of them doubted? Some of them on the mountain with resurrected Jesus doubted? What? Why? What were they doubting?

15. V18. Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth. ALL. ALL means ALL. Everything. ALL. He has all authority. There is no authority higher than his. He is the one who commands. All other authorities and powers are subject to his authority. Get this in all the way. Live with this perspective. Live under and in and through the authority of Jesus. Know his authority is in heaven and on earth. Submit to it and be secure in it.

16. V19-20 “Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and teach them to do everything you were told.”
- Make disciples
o Wholehearted
o Commited
o Agree to teaching
o Learning
o Serving
- Don’t restrict the gospel. People of ALL nations. People of all nations were to be made disciples.
- Don’t restrict what you teach – they were told to teach everything that Jesus had taught them. Don’t hold anything back. Don’t create spiritual hierarchies.

17. “I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.” V20

Judges 20:3-7 What Will Move Us?

Judges 20:3-7 The Israelites called a meeting of the nation. And since they were God's people, the meeting was held at the place of worship in Mizpah. Men who could serve as soldiers came from everywhere in Israel--from Dan in the north, Beersheba in the south, and Gilead east of the Jordan River. Four hundred thousand of them came to Mizpah, and they each felt the same about what those men from the tribe of Benjamin had done. News about the meeting at Mizpah reached the tribe of Benjamin. As soon as the leaders of the tribes of Israel took their places, the Israelites said, " How could such a horrible thing happen?" The husband of the murdered woman answered: My wife and I went into the town of Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night. Later that night, the men of Gibeah surrounded the house. They wanted to kill me, but instead they raped and killed my wife. It was a terrible thing for Israelites to do! So I cut up her body and sent pieces everywhere in Israel. You are the people of Israel, and you must decide today what to do about the men of Gibeah.

What will it take to make the people of God to stand up and cry out for change and righteousness for their nation?

What will it take for the people of God to fall to their knees and pray for the nations to be healed and people to be saved?

What will it take for us to pray for the change only God can give?

The murder of a wife – cut up into 12 pieces and sent by courier around the country?
The murder of a 3 year old by her uncles?
P addicts taking hostages and causing a police stand off?
A drive by shooting that kills an innocent 2 year old sleeping in her bed?
The abuse and death of twin babies, allegedly by their father?
The murder of a wife and mother – her body stuffed in the boot of her car?
The rape of tourists staying in their van in a small town?
The hold up of a burger king joint?
The abduction and murder of a 5 year old girl in a red raincoat on her way to school?
Our preteen girls having sex in the school toilets?
Our boys joining gangs to belong?


What?
What?
What?

What will pierce our heart?
What will move us?
What will make us stand and kneel and pray?

Proverbs 3:5-6 God Clears The Road

Proverbs 3:5-6 “With all your heart you must trust the Lord and not your own judgment. Always let him lead you and he will clear the road for you to follow.”

These verses are very familiar to most Christians. Yet today it just struck me, reading in the CEV that v6 is very relevant and fresh and cool. We may look at the road ahead of us and see great obstacles. It may seem impossible to step forward. But God clears the road ahead of us. It doesn’t specify how far down the road away from us God clears the road – and in life it is often only steps away that the way becomes clear. Continue to walk forward and trust. Don’t look at the obstacles and doubt. Don’t use our physical eyes to see the obstacles and be fearful and turn and run. Walk forward trusting God. He is the one who clears the road before us so we can continue to walk. Our job, or our role, is to trust him and have faith in him. God can move mountains. In his presence the hills melt like wax. God clears the road before us. Keep walking and don’t worry if the obstacles are still there and you only have steps to take before you are blocked. Keep walking. God clears the road.

Jeremiah 36:26 “But the Lord kept them from finding us”

Jeremiah 36:26 “But the Lord kept them from finding us”

God supernaturally protected Jeremiah and his scribe Baruch. The king sent his guards to go and arrest them for the prophecies they gave. God kept the guards from finding where they were hidden. God is real and active and involved in our lives. We can pray and he answers. He is our refuge and our deliverer. He is not indifferent or afar but near and personal. We can trust God. Jeremiah and Baruch hid and trusted God to protect them. We live in a supernatural world – the supernatural is real and can affect physical things and people. Jeremiah and Baruch remained concealed by the power and work of of God.

Matthew 26:6 Healed and Restored!

Matthew 26:6 “Jesus was in the town of Bethany eating at the home of Simon, who had leprosy.”

Simon had been healed by Jesus of leprosy. Before this he was an outcast having to call out “unclean” as he walked. He was isolated and lived outside the town boundary. Yet here he is. Home, hosting Jesus and his disciples. What a turn around! What a restoration! Simon is healed and at home. Nothing is impossible with God!

Matthew 26:7-10 Why Such A Waste

Matthew 26:7-10 A woman came in with a bottle of expensive perfume and poured it on Jesus' head. But when his disciples saw this, they became angry and complained, "Why such a waste? We could have sold this perfume for a lot of money and given it to the poor." Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he said: Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing for me.

Why such a waste? A waste??? This expression of worship, of giving, of love, of gratitude, of surrender – was seen EVEN by the disciples, as a WASTE? Jesus accepts her love and worship. He appreciates it. She had in her heart given her all to Jesus. There was nothing to small or too large to give or to do to express how she felt. It was all for his glory and his purpose. Did her spirit “intuitively” know the higher meaning of the oil – preparing Jesus for his burial in a few days time? Did she “get it” when he talked about his death and resurrection? Did she understand the significance of her actions and worship and so even more so consider it not as a waste but as the most precious gift she could give?

Her generosity and worship exposed the complacency in everyone elses heart. They made such a fuss about how much the oil cost and tried to dress up their outrage in righteousness by suggesting it could be used to help the poor. They tried to cover up their inadequacy by making her look bad and themselves look good and pious.

The oil did cost lots. It was expensive oil. It may of represented her life savings. It did represent her future opportunities. This woman gave her past and future and present to her king and savior. She worshipped him with all she had, trusting him to care for her from that moment on. She recognized who he was and worshipped him.