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Are You Spiritually Hungry?
‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.’ (Matthew 5:6)
I’m amazed at how I can go from being not hungry at all to starving four minutes later. On Thanksgiving Day, for example, I can hardly wait for the big meal. And when the time for it finally comes, I eat too fast and too much.
The Bible talks about a different kind of hunger—a spiritual hunger. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6 NKJV). A blessed or happy person will passionately desire a righteous life.
God wants us to have a desperate hunger for righteousness, a real passion for spiritual things. The writer of Psalm 42 described it this way: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (verses 1–2).
When the prodigal son was hungry, the Bible tells us that he turned to his father: “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father’” (Luke 15:17-18).
In the same way, only God can satisfy the spiritual thirst deep within our souls. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).
Only God can satisfy our spiritual hunger and thirst. Do you starve for a holy life? Do you hunger for the best that God has in store for you?
Here’s a little secret you need to know: If you live for happiness, you’ll never find it. But if you instead channel your energy into being holy, you’ll be happy. Holy people are happy people because happiness is a fringe benefit of holiness.
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A Rare Virtue
“Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29)
Meekness is a quality that is lacking in many people today. It’s the opposite of being proud and arrogant.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).
But what does it mean to be meek? A literal translation of the word is “power under control.” In the original language, it means riding a stallion but having control over it. It isn’t that the stallion no longer has the ability to do what it wants to do, but it has surrendered its will to the rider. That is strength under control.
We once had a German shepherd we adopted from a program that trained guide dogs for the blind. He had some slight hip dysplasia, which prevented him from staying in the program, but he was a very loving, intelligent animal.
One day, I took him to an outdoor mall where a lot of people walked their dogs. My dog was friendly and always approached people, but they moved out of the way. They thought he wanted to attack them, but he probably wanted to lick them. He had been trained since he was a puppy to be a companion.
He still had power. He still had teeth and could inflict harm. But he wasn’t trained to attack. He was in love with the world. That is power under control. That is meekness.
And who is a better example of meekness than Jesus, God in human form, who took the abuse and suffering of the Crucifixion? With one word, He could have wiped everyone out. But He embraced the abuse and suffering for us.
Meekness results from having a correct assessment of one’s self before God. It leads one to approach others in a new way. A blessed, or happy, person will be a meek person.
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Spiritual Poverty
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3)
The Bible doesn’t commend poverty, but neither does it condemn wealth. Rather, the Bible says, “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10).
When Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” He wasn’t saying, “Happy are the poor.” He wasn’t suggesting that we live in complete poverty so we’ll be happy.
Rather, the word Jesus used for “poor” means “to shrink, cower, or cringe,” as first-century beggars did. However, Jesus wasn’t speaking about physical poverty. He said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3). In other words, blessed are those who see their spiritual state before God. Before we can come into a relationship with God, we must realize that we are spiritually destitute. We must realize that we are not good.
We do not go to Christ to improve our lives a little; instead, we go to Christ to be saved from Hell and the results of our sins. We cannot save ourselves. We go to God as hopeless, helpless sinners.
The great British preacher Charles Spurgeon said, “The way to rise is to sink self; the lower we fall in our own esteem, the higher shall we rise in our Master’s estimation.”
Regardless of our education, wealth, social standing, accomplishments, or religious knowledge, we must admit that we’re sinners.
C. S. Lewis wrote, “Whenever we find that our religious life is making us feel that we are good—above all, that we are better than someone else—I think we may be sure that we are being acted on, not by God, but by the devil.”
Blessed are the ones who see their real condition before God and acknowledge it.
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Is True Happiness Possible?
Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the Lord will be joyful. (Proverbs 16:20)
I’ve never met someone who said, “I really don’t want to be happy. I want to be miserable.” A few people might feel that way, but most of us want to be happy.
Jesus understood our basic human desire for happiness. Thus, He made happiness the subject of some of the first promises He ever offered. We find those promises in what we call the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. Here, Jesus describes how we can be blessed or happy.
Certainly, this world isn’t going to make us happy. There are people who have everything supposedly necessary for contentment and fulfillment but still feel empty.
In the Beatitudes, Jesus tells us how to experience personal happiness—real and lasting happiness. Yet, the happiness the Bible speaks of is different from our culture’s definition of happiness.
Happiness in our culture depends largely on good things taking place in our lives. In other words, if the bills are paid and the skies are blue, then we’re happy. But if we’re facing some kind of challenge, then we’re unhappy. Happiness depends on what is happening in our lives. But the happiness the Bible offers us is something different.
We can translate the word “blessed,” which Jesus used in Matthew 5, as “happy.” It comes from the Greek word makários, which was a description of the Mediterranean island of Cypress. Because of its geographical location, balmy climate, and fertile soil, the Greeks believed they could find everything they needed for happiness and fulfillment there. It was a self-contained happiness.
In the same way, the happiness that God has in store for us doesn’t depend on what is happening to us externally. This means that we can be happy regardless of our circumstances.
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Evidence of His Love
For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child. (Hebrews 12:6)
More than once, the Bible compares us to sheep. Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). And in Isaiah 53:6, we read, “All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all”.
In Psalm 23, David mentions two primary tools that shepherds use to keep their flocks close to them and out of danger: a rod and a staff.
A staff was a long, crooked pole that had a number of uses. For example, a shepherd would use it to return a newborn lamb to its mother. Or he would extend it so that the sheep would know he was nearby. It gave sheep a sense of comfort and security.
Of course, the shepherd also used his staff to bring back wayward sheep. But when sheep persisted in their wayward ways, the shepherd pulled out his rod. The rod was like a club, and the shepherd reluctantly used it for the sheep’s own good.
A sheep that continued to stray not only risked being killed but could also lead other sheep in the same direction. Thus, sometimes the shepherd would break the sheep’s leg because it’s better to have a broken leg than to become a leg of lamb.
God, too, uses His rod and staff in our lives. If we start to go astray and do something we shouldn’t do, the Lord uses His staff. But if we persist, He may use His rod to get our attention.
If that has happened in your life recently, it is a great reminder that God loves you. If He has brought some correction, even discipline, into your life, it’s because He loves you. He’s trying to save you from something far worse.
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Now Leaving Yesterday
So he left all, rose up, and followed Him. (Luke 5:28)
As an agent of Rome, Matthew knew that once he abandoned his post as a tax collector, he could never return to it. He knew the cost of his action and willingly paid it.
Of all the disciples of Jesus, Matthew made the greatest sacrifice as far as material possessions were concerned. He left his career, his livelihood. In a moment’s notice, he left everything he had to follow Christ.
I think he would have agreed with this statement from the apostle Paul: “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:7-8).
Matthew 9:9 tells us, “As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ So he arose and followed Him”.
However, Matthew modestly left out a little detail that Luke’s gospel fills in: “So he left all, rose up, and followed Him” (5:28, emphasis added).
Matthew left a lot to follow Jesus Christ. When we really encounter Jesus, we will leave our old lives fast enough. Our old habits, standards, and practices will no longer appeal to us. We will gladly leave these behind.
Sure, Matthew lost a few things, but what he gained was far better. He lost a career and gained a destiny. He lost his material possessions and gained a spiritual fortune. And he lost his temporary security but gained eternal life. Matthew lost his emptiness and loneliness, and he found fulfillment and companionship.
Matthew gave up everything that the world had to offer and found Jesus.
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Walk the Same Road
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him. (Matthew 9:9)
Can you think of someone you could never imagine converting to Christianity, being at the church, singing a worship song, reading the Bible, and following the Lord? The Bible tells the story of a man no one ever expected to later become a Christian. His name was Matthew, and he had an unexpected and instantaneous conversion. In a moment, he left his world as he knew it.
Why was there such an immediate change in Matthew? As we look at his life, we don’t find any record of Jesus having any conversations with him before calling him. We don’t know of any time when Matthew would have seen a miracle performed by the Lord Himself.
Yet Matthew responded to two words that forever changed his life: “Follow me.” And Matthew did just that.
Matthew was in a profession that very few liked. He was a tax collector, a man who was working for Rome and had betrayed his own people. But Matthew understood the significance of Jesus’ words. And when Jesus told Matthew to follow Him, Matthew was prepared to do just that.
In the original Bible language, “Follow me” means “Walk the same road with me.” It’s also in the present tense, commanding the beginning of an action and its habitual continuation. Putting it all together, Jesus was saying, “I am asking you, even commanding you, to follow me each and every day.”
Jesus is saying the same to us right now. Let’s walk the same road together. Let’s take this journey through life together. Let’s finish what we’ve started. So many begin following Christ with great excitement, only to give up later. Yet, the apostle Paul talked about finishing his race with joy (see Acts 20:24). That should be the objective of every follower of Jesus.
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Compromise Reaches No One
Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day. (2 Peter 2:8)
After Lot became a prisoner in a war that wasn’t his own, Abraham intervened. He put together an army of more than three hundred trained men, launched an attack, and rescued Lot.
We could have expected Lot to say, “Uncle Abraham, thank you. I’m going to turn to God and have faith like I’ve never had before.”
Instead, Lot moved to Sodom. And in Genesis 19, we find him sitting at the gates of the city. This meant that Lot was one of Sodom’s leaders. We have to wonder what kind of compromises he made to get there.
W. Graham Scroggie wrote that compromise “prompts us to be silent when we ought to speak up for fear of offending; it prompts us to praise when it is not deserved to keep people our friends.”
Lot hadn’t pulled the people of Sodom up; they dragged him down. He hadn’t affected them; they were affecting him. And he was worn down.
The Bible tells us, “But God also rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a righteous man who was sick of the shameful immorality of the wicked people around him. Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day” (2 Peter 2:7-8).
In other words, Lot was living there and hating it. He had reached no one, and he was staying there when he should have left.
Are you in a situation like that? You are not pulling anyone up, but they are pulling you down. And it’s getting worse as the days, months, and perhaps even years go by.
How important it is for us to realize that compromise reaches no one. If we’re lowering our standards to extend our reach, then we’re defeating our purpose.
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A Sure Sign of Spiritual Decline
So Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom and settled among the cities of the plain. (Genesis 13:12)
When Lot separated himself from Abraham, it was a good thing for Abraham but a bad thing for Lot. A sure sign of spiritual decline is when we find ourselves wanting to get away from godly people.
If you are really walking with the Lord, you will want to be around godly people. And if you don’t want to be around godly people, it indicates that something is wrong in your life.
Genesis 13 tells us, “So Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom and settled among the cities of the plain” (verse 12).
Let’s just say that we stopped Lot at the time and said, “What are you doing? Why are you getting closer to Sodom?”
He might have answered, “First, let me say that I’m a believer in God. I’d never do the things that people in Sodom do. I’m researching this culture. Maybe I can influence them. I’m not going to preach to them, but maybe by my lifestyle, I will affect them and help them become better people.”
Lot was getting closer to Sodom while Abraham was getting closer to God. And then the Lord intervened. In an interesting chain of events, hostile forces attacked Sodom, and Lot was captured. He was in a war that had nothing to do with him.
That was a wake-up call. The Lord allowed this to happen to get his attention.
God brings wake-up calls into our lives or puts obstacles in our paths when we’re going the wrong direction. It starts with our conscience, that little warning buzzer that goes off when we’re doing things we shouldn’t do.
If we’re persistent, our free will ultimately will prevail, and God will allow us to do what we want to do. He will not force His will in our lives, but He will remind us of what His will is.
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A Dead-End Street
Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. (2 Timothy 2:22)
I didn’t grow up in the church. I grew up in a world of alcoholism, abuse, and godlessness. We never went to church, prayed together, or read the Bible. These things weren’t a part of our lives.
I knew this world didn’t have what I was looking for in life, and that sent me on an aggressive search at an early age. However, I went in a lot of wrong directions on that search. But one day I heard the gospel on my high school campus, and I gave my life to Christ. And I didn’t want to go back to a worldly way of living anymore.
That’s why, after my conversion, I was surprised when I met people who grew up in the church and in the things of the Lord, yet the things of the world drew them. I had been there, done that, and bought the T-shirt. And I knew it was a dead-end street.
It can be hard to understand how we can raise children in Christian homes, yet the world still attracts them. That was the case with Abraham’s nephew Lot, who was drawn to worldly things. This caused friction with Abraham that resulted in a conflict between his herdsmen and Abraham’s herdsmen.
Lot was at war with Abraham because he was at war within himself. And he was at war within himself because he was at war with God. So, when Abraham and Lot decided it was time to part company, Lot chose what looked like the better land. But that choice turned into a series of missteps that led to his backsliding.
Whenever we end up in sin, it’s always the cumulative product of small indulgences and miniscule compromises without discernible, immediate consequences at the time. But little things ultimately turn into big things.
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Drifting in the Wrong Direction
You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4)
Abram, or Abraham, lived in a pagan culture. He wasn’t raised with faith in the one true God, Jehovah, who created the heavens and the earth. But one day the Lord told Abraham to leave his pagan culture and unbelieving family and go to a land that He would show him.
Abraham partially obeyed. He left his father’s house, but he brought along his nephew Lot. When a famine came, Abraham decided they needed to go down to Egypt for a while. And while they were there, both Abraham and Lot became a wealthy.
The problem was that possessions became Lot’s primary focus in life. Lot’s heart was into wealth and worldly achievements, while Abraham wanted only to please the Lord.
Friction developed between Abraham and Lot, as it always will when people have different priorities in life. This is why the Bible warns us, “Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14).
Abraham wanted to walk closely with God and enjoy fellowship with Him. In contrast, Lot wanted friendship with God, but he also wanted friendship with this world. Sometimes people who want to know God have a weakness in their faith and character. Therefore, they need other Christians to prop them up.
When Lot was around Abraham, I’m sure that he was doing fine spiritually. But when he was away from Abraham, he drifted in the wrong direction. The problem was that Lot was dragging Abraham down.
There are certain people we can spend time with who will cause our spiritual appetite to diminish. Then there are other people who will cause us to want to become more like Jesus. What about you? What kind of influence are you having on others?
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The Ripple Effect of Our Choices
For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the Lord. (Proverbs 1:29)
Every day we make choices ranging from what to wear to what to eat. But what we wear or what we eat are not the most important choices in life, though some of our choices will have implications on our waistlines.
On the other hand, some choices we make are very important, even life-changing, such as what career to pursue or what person to marry. But the most important choice of all is whether you will follow Jesus Christ. That will impact not only your life on earth but your life in eternity as well.
In the Bible we find the stories of people who made good choices and bad ones. Moses chose to help his fellow Hebrews rather than enjoy the riches and power of Egypt. Joseph chose to resist the advances of Potiphar’s wife. Daniel chose not to eat the food from the king’s table. All of these choices were good ones that resulted in wonderful results.
But we also read the stories of some who made bad choices in life. Adam’s wrong choice cost him the Garden of Eden, Esau’s choice cost him his birthright, and King Saul’s choice cost him his kingdom.
God will show us what we ought to do and what path to follow, but He ultimately leaves the choice up to us. He has given us free will. And even when we don’t make a choice, that, in and of itself, is a choice.
The choices we make today not only will affect us, but they can affect our children, grandchildren, and so on. If you make the right choices and leave a godly legacy, that will impact those around you. If you make the wrong choices and leave an ungodly legacy, that, too, will have an impact. The effects go on and on, for better or for worse.
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Paul’s Heavenly Experience
Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowds to their side. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of town, thinking he was dead. (Acts 14:19)
When Paul and Barnabas were in Lystra, an interesting series of events unfolded. They encountered a man who was unable to walk, and God revealed to them that He wanted to heal him.
Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul told the man to stand up, and the man immediately got up and started walking around. This demonstration of faith and power deeply moved the people in Lystra, who were largely pagan. In fact, they thought Paul and Silas were the Greek gods Zeus and Hermes, and they prepared to offer sacrifices to them.
Paul, however, stopped the people and said, “Friends, why are you doing this? We are merely human beings—just like you! We have come to bring you the Good News that you should turn from these worthless things and turn to the living God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them” (Acts 14:15).
The religious leaders, who were outraged over Paul’s effectiveness, wanted to kill him and managed to turn the multitude against him. Before long, the people who had wanted to offer sacrifices to Paul stoned him and left him for dead. It was at this point that Paul probably had his Third Heaven experience that we read about in 2 Corinthians 12.
Meanwhile, the Bible tells us that “as the believers gathered around [Paul], he got up and went back into the town. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe” (Acts 14:20).
What happened to Paul serves as a reminder for us when we’re grieving a loved one who has died in the Lord. Of course, we feel sorrow that they were taken from us. But now that they are in God’s presence, don’t feel sorry for them because where they are is far better than where we are.
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When the Hunter Became the Hunted
But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ. (Philippians 3:7-8)
There’s a town in North Carolina called Mocksville, and I should have been born there. That’s because before I became a Christian, I loved to mock other people. But after I gave my life to Christ, I was shocked when people started mocking me. They were laughing at me because of my faith in Jesus Christ.
Before he was a follower of Christ, the apostle Paul was probably the most prideful man around, filled with himself and his accomplishments, knowledge, and skills. But in time, he came to be filled with humility.
Immediately after Paul’s conversion, he began preaching the gospel in Damascus. He was so powerful and persuasive that the religious leaders wanted to kill him. When the Christians heard about this, they hatched a plan to smuggle him out of the city. They put him in a basket and lowered it over the city walls at night.
Think of the irony of the situation. Just a short time earlier, he was Saul of Tarsus, with an entourage and special orders from the high priest to arrest and execute Christians. But, as the newly converted Paul, he found himself being lowered over the city wall in a basket.
Paul’s name before he became a Christian gives us insight into what his life was like then. Saul was the name of Israel’s first king. It was a respected and powerful name. But, as a Christian, he took the name Paul, which means “little.” This was like changing your name from Spike to Squirt. It showed that Paul had become a man of humility. The hunter had become the hunted. The man who persecuted others was being persecuted himself.
Yet God had transformed Paul. God would use him powerfully, but first, He had to prepare him. The Lord thus humbled Paul and made him ready for the task ahead.
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A Man of Prayer
Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. (Colossians 4:2)
Imagine how hard it would be to accept God’s forgiveness if you had hunted down followers of Jesus Christ and had been guilty of bringing about their deaths. That was the case with Saul, who later became the apostle Paul. He had many sins to overcome and forget, but he wrote, “Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us” (Philippians 3:13-14).
Maybe you’ve thought, “I’ve done some horrible things. It’s so hard for me to accept God’s forgiveness.” Imagine how hard it must have been for Paul to have his horrible sins on his conscience, but he discovered that he could find intimacy with the God he had known only in a cold, distant way through dead legalism and orthodoxy.
Writing to the Christians in Rome, Paul said, “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, ‘Abba, Father’” (Romans 8:15).
The English equivalent for the word “Abba” is “Daddy” or “Papa.” Paul was thus developing intimacy with God. That’s because prayer characterized his life. We can’t help but notice as we read his epistles that so many of them begin or end with beautiful prayers.
Paul wrote to the believers in Philippi, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done” (Philippians 4:6). To the Christians in Colosse, he said, “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart” (Colossians 4:2).
Paul was a man of prayer. Does prayer characterize your life? It ought to. If you want to finish well in the spiritual race, then you need to learn how to pray.
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The Legacy of Ananias
Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” (Acts 9:10)
What do you think will you be remembered for? What will your legacy be?
In Acts 9, we read about a man named Ananias, whom God used to minister to Saul, later known as the apostle Paul.
The Lord got a hold of Saul on Damascus and said to him, “Why are you persecuting Me? . . . It is hard for you to kick against the goads” (Acts 9:4-5). Essentially, God was saying, “Saul, you have been under the conviction of the Holy Spirit and have been resisting Him again and again. Now your time has come.”
Then the newly converted Saul said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” (verse 9).
Afterward, God directed Ananias to seek out Saul and pray for him. But Ananias replied, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name” (verses 13–14).
But God said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake” (verses 15–16).
Ananias was understandably reluctant, but in obedience, he did what God had told him to do. He discipled the newly converted Saul, who, in time, became the legendary apostle Paul and probably the greatest preacher in the history of the Church.
I thank God for the Ananiases of the kingdom, those who faithfully work behind the scenes. We rarely hear their names, but they faithfully pray, give, and labor away in obscurity. They are unknown to people, but they are God’s beloved.
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The Only Way to Salvation
There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)
According to a 2021 survey, more than 60% of people aged 18–39 who said they were born-again Christians believe that Jesus, Buddha, and Mohammed can all lead us to the path to salvation. What this says to me is that they don’t understand what the Bible says. Jesus stands apart from every other religious leader and every prophet and guru. Acts 4:12 tells us, “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved”.
We can’t fully appreciate the good news until we know the bad news, and the bad news is that, according to Scripture, “everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23). Every one of us has broken God’s commandments.
We have to tell people that they are sinners. I know some people are uncomfortable with that. In fact, I know that even some preachers aren’t comfortable with that. But that is what the Bible says. And to get right with God, we must repent (see Acts 2:38).
The word “repent’ is a military term that means an about-face. It’s changing our direction. If we’re running from God, we run toward God instead. Don’t be embarrassed to tell people they’re sinners. Don’t be afraid to tell people they need to repent.
Jesus said it so clearly: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). If any other religious leader could get me to Heaven, then why would God send His own Son, Jesus Christ, to come to Earth to suffer and die on a cross?
There was no other way to satisfy the righteous demands of God. Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father. Any message countering that is not the true gospel.
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Start with Compassion
“For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more.” (1 Corinthians 9:19)
Today, many people no longer know the Bible. There was a time, maybe 30 years ago, when you could ask someone if they were a Christian and they would say yes. Today, many people either will say no or will not know what a Christian is.
There was a time when you could reference stories from the Bible, like the stories of Adam and Eve or Noah and the ark, and people would understand what you were referring to. Now, many people are no longer familiar with such stories.
That’s why when we’re sharing our faith, it’s important to adapt to the people we’re speaking with and make things understandable to them. Don’t assume that people know what you’re talking about.
On the Day of Pentecost, Peter knew his audience. Many of the people in the crowd that he addressed had witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus, and there were some in the crowd who literally played a role in actually crucifying Jesus. Peter quoted many verses from the Scriptures because his audience was largely Jewish and knew the Scriptures.
In contrast, the people today are more like those whom Paul spoke to on Mars Hill in Athens. Paul said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to the unknown god. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you” (Acts 17:22-23).
Paul’s message was quite different in structure from Peter’s message. Peter was speaking to a biblically literate audience, while Paul was speaking to a biblically illiterate audience.
That’s why it’s a good idea to get to know the people you’re speaking with. It’s a dialogue, not a monologue. Start with compassion because people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
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The Results Are in God’s Hands
“Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what should we do?’” (Acts 2:37)
Sometimes, I hear people say they are not into “mass” evangelism or into numbers. Well, God is interested in both one-on-one evangelism and mass evangelism.
We find an example of mass evangelism in Acts 2, where Peter spoke to a crowd of thousands. As a result, about 3,000 people wanted to follow Jesus Christ (see verse 41). The Bible says, “Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what should we do?’” (verse 37).
Peter told them, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God” (verses 38–39).
In the book of Acts, we find instances of both mass evangelism and one-on-one evangelism. When Philip spoke with the dignitary from Ethiopia in the desert, he engaged in one-on-one evangelism (see Acts 8:26-39). When Peter addressed the masses on the Day of Pentecost, that was mass evangelism or what I like to call proclamation evangelism. It’s the evangelism we have been doing for more than 30 years now through the Harvest Crusades, and we’ve seen more than 500,000 people make professions of faith in Jesus and commit to following Him.
Do we know for certain that all the people Peter addressed became Christians? No, we don’t. Do we believe that many of them did? Yes, we do.
Our job is to proclaim the gospel and sow the seeds. It’s the Holy Spirit who determines where the seeds end up and what happens in people’s lives.
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The Gospel Is for Everyone
“After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands.” (Revelation 7:9)
When you’re about to drive somewhere, you get into your car, start it, put it in gear, and you’re on your way. You don’t keep turning the ignition again and again once the car has started.
In the same way, the Day of Pentecost was like an explosion that set the Church in motion. It was a one-time event, but there are many things we can learn as followers of Jesus from what happened on this important day.
Acts 2 tells us that “on the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability” (verses 1–4).
We never read of the phenomena that happened on the Day of Pentecost happening again, such as the mighty rushing wind and the flames of fire on the heads of the apostles. These were special, one-off occurrences.
People from around the world were gathered in Jerusalem, representing many languages. And then the outpouring of the Spirit took place on the Day of Pentecost. Everyone heard God glorified in their language.
The people there were just like us. They had no earthly power, no money, no political authority, and no status. But they had Jesus, and Jesus had them. And God was about to change the world with this group of 120 people who had gathered together in His name.
What happened on the Day of Pentecost serves as a reminder that the gospel is for all people, tribes, and languages. The gospel is for everyone.
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How the Holy Spirit Helps Us
“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.” (John 14:26)
I can think of times when I was giving a message or talking with someone one on one and a Scripture passage came to mind. I didn’t remember memorizing that passage, but there it was. That is because the Holy Spirit teaches us.
Jesus said, “But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you” (John 14:26).
The Holy Spirit not only teaches us but also assures us that we are children of God. Once the Holy Spirit has brought us to Jesus and sealed us, He reassures us that we belong to God. Romans 8:16 tells us, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God”.
I know that I’m a child of God not because I deserve to be, but because Jesus Christ has forgiven me, and the Holy Spirit assures me of this. In fact, the Bible says, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).
The Holy Spirit also helps us pray. (And we need help in our prayers, don’t we?) Romans 8:26 says, “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words”. The Holy Spirit knows what we need to pray for, and He will bring it to the Father.
Finally, the Holy Spirit leads us in life (see Romans 8:14), and sometimes, we’re not even aware that He is leading us. That is why every day, we should ask the Holy Spirit to fill us.
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God’s Guarantee
“And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago” (Ephesians 1:13).
According to the Bible, we may insult, lie, or resist the Holy Spirit, but Jesus said that blaspheming the Holy Spirit is the only unforgivable sin. But what does this mean? To blaspheme the Holy Spirit means to reject the primary work that He has come to do: to bring us to Jesus. Thus, the only unforgivable sin is the outright rejection of Jesus Christ.
Referring to the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment” (John 16:8). Notice that Jesus used the word sin, not sins. He was speaking of sin in general. The Holy Spirit has come to show us that we’re sinners in need of a Savior.
Now, once the Holy Spirit does the work of conviction in our lives, it is up to us how we will respond to it. If the Holy Spirit makes you aware of your sinfulness, He does that not to drive you away in despair but to bring you to Jesus and to show you how you can deal with your sinfulness.
There is a way to receive forgiveness for our sins. There is a way to have a fresh start. The Holy Spirit comes to bring us to Jesus, and once we come to Jesus, He seals us.
God places the Holy Spirit in our lives as a deposit, if you will, to let us know that He is serious about His commitment to us.
Ephesians 1:13 tells us, “And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago”. The Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee that He will give us the inheritance He promised us.
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Instruments in His Hands
“We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.” (2 Corinthians 4:7)
In 2013, someone paid nearly one million US dollars for a Fender Stratocaster guitar. That’s a lot of money to spend on a Fender Strat. Why would someone pay so much for a guitar?
Well, Bob Dylan played that guitar at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. Dylan was known earlier for playing an acoustic guitar and the harmonica, but at that festival, he walked out onstage with the Fender Stratocaster, plugged it in, and played “Like a Rolling Stone,” a song that the Rolling Stone magazine later declared the greatest rock song ever written (at least for a while).
All the folk purists became angry because they thought that what Dylan did at the festival was an abomination. So the 1965 Newport Folk Festival became a historic event, and that’s why the guitar that Dylan played there sold for almost one million US dollars.
Then there was the Fender Stratocaster that Jimi Hendrix played—and burned—at the Monterey Pop Festival. It sold in 2008 for roughly 337,000 US dollars. Why would a guitar be burned? Hendrix had just finished playing “Wild Thing” when he took off the guitar, placed it on the stage, poured lighter fluid on it, and set it on fire. Part of that dismembered guitar ended up in someone’s hands, and that person later sold it.
The value of the Fender Stratocasters wasn’t in the guitars themselves; it was in who played them. In the same way, Jesus did not call His disciples because they were great. They were great because Jesus called them. It isn’t the instrument; it’s the One who holds the instrument.
God can take you, despite your flaws and shortcomings, and use you for His glory. And to their eternal credit, the disciples whom Jesus called (later known as the apostles) left everything to follow Jesus. When He was crucified, they were devastated. But when He rose from the dead, their lives were never the same again.
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Empowered for Service
“After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31)
One day, someone from our Church named Steve was leading a Bible study in an assisted living community. As he taught from the Book of Acts and explained how the early Church had made an impact on their world, he told the residents how God wanted to use them.
An 82-year-old woman present in the Bible study had been praying every day for God to fill her with the Holy Spirit and give her the boldness to share the Gospel. As Steve was talking, she raised her hand. “I have a praise report,” she said. “I’ve been praying for God’s power in my life, and I was able to lead an 85-year-old gentleman to Christ the other day.”
The woman’s example serves as a reminder to us that the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20 isn’t only for 18-year-olds. It’s for 82-year-olds as well. The Great Commission is for everyone to go out into his or her world and preach the Gospel.
What is the Gospel? Simply translated, the word “gospel” means good news. The good news is that God loves us. But the bad news is that we’re separated from our loving God by our sins. The Bible says, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23).
We cannot reach God through good works, moral living, or religious rituals. But God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins. Jesus summed up God’s plan when He said, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
The Father sent His Son Jesus, who willingly went and died on the cross for our sins. If we turn from our sins and believe in Jesus, He will forgive us.
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Spiritual Dynamite
“This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” (Acts 2:39)
Looking at Jesus’s disciples, we would likely wonder how a ragtag group of individuals could change the world. This group of 12 included some fishermen and a tax collector. Next to Jesus, their leader was Simon Peter, who denied Christ after the words of a servant girl in the high priest’s courtyard demoralized him.
The disciples’ group consisted of flawed individuals, very ordinary people. So how could any of them go anywhere and preach the Gospel? Jesus answered this question when He said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you” (Acts 1:8). The way they would do it was with power they didn’t naturally possess. It was supernatural power, a power to do something beyond what they had done before and had the natural power to do: the power to change the world.
Later in Acts, we read how God poured out the Holy Spirit on the disciples in what we now know as the Pentecost. Addressing the crowd, Peter said, “This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God” (Acts 2:39). What was the promise that Peter was talking about? It’s the promise of the Holy Spirit. And when Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,” the word He used for “power” was the Greek word dunamis. Our English word “dynamite” comes from this term.
But Jesus was talking about spiritual power—the power to change our lives and the world. Therefore, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit to do what God has called us to do. The same power that set the first-century Church in motion is available to us today—the power to be witnesses, the power to share our faith, and the power to turn the world upside down.
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From Jerusalem to the Ends of the Earth
“And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, ‘A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.’ And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief.” (Matthew 13:57-58)
The hardest people to reach with the Gospel are members of your family because they’ve known you for your entire life. When I became a Christian, it was not well received by my family. It took me years to reach my mother. In fact, 30 years passed before she prayed and committed her life to Christ.
Even Jesus didn’t reach His family before he died and rose from the dead. We read that His family would show up on occasion and say, in effect, “He’s lost his mind. We need to take Him home.”
Matthew’s Gospel, referring to Nazareth, tells us that Jesus “did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief” (Matthew 13:58). They had known Jesus, the carpenter’s son, since He was a little boy.
But when Jesus laid out for the early Church His battle plan for reaching people, it started in Jerusalem, their home, and expanded from there. He said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Jesus’s battle plan is the same one that we should follow today. That means starting with your spouse if you’re married, and with your parents, grandparents, children, and extended family. That is your Jerusalem.
Next is your Judea, which is your sphere of influence, your larger circle. That might be your workplace or the people who follow you on social media.
Finally, go to people everywhere.
During His earthly ministry, Jesus went out of His way to reach people who were “outside His comfort zone.” Are you willing to do that? God wants us to reach people everywhere with the Gospel.
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Patient for Our Sake
“The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” (2 Peter 3:9)
When it comes to the subject of studying Bible prophecy, sometimes we miss the point. We can become obsessed with things that we think are fulfillments of Bible prophecy but actually are not. We forget that Bible prophecy is not given to inflate our brains but to enlarge our hearts.
If we really understand what Bible prophecy is about, then it should cause us to want to live godly lives. The Lord is not late in returning to Planet Earth. He has just been patient with us.
Here’s what the Bible says: “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent” (2 Peter 3:9).
God is waiting. I remember, back in the early 1970s, everyone was talking about Jesus’s return. We were praying, “Lord, come back!” Aren’t you glad that He didn’t answer our prayers? After all, there are a lot more people who have come to Christ since 1970.
I believe that someone somewhere walking Earth today will be the last person to believe before the Lord calls His Church home to Heaven. This is what we often call the Rapture of the Church. Writing about this event, the apostle Paul said, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
If you knew who the last person was who needed to come to faith in Christ before His return, it would be tempting to apply a little pressure on that person, wouldn’t it? Imagine sharing the Gospel with that person and leading him or her to Christ, and suddenly, we’re all in Heaven!
God is waiting for more people to believe.
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Where Change Begins
“During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:3)
Have you ever seen something so incredible that you couldn’t believe your eyes? That’s how the disciples felt when they saw Jesus after His resurrection. They thought they would never see or talk to Him again. But He was alive, and He appeared to them, still carrying on His body the marks of His crucifixion. He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, outside the tomb. After that, He appeared to Simon Peter. Then He appeared to Thomas, who, up to that point, had been doubtful that Jesus was alive.
Jesus also appeared to two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus. Then He appeared again to Simon Peter by the Sea of Galilee. On another occasion, He appeared to 500 people at one time. For 40 days, Jesus was showing up here and there. He would turn up with words of encouragement for the disciples.
John wrote, “We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life” (1 John 1:1).
Before the disciples could change the world, Jesus needed to change them. The same is true for us. Before we can change the world, Jesus must change us.
If you want someone to follow Jesus, you must be a follower of Jesus yourself so you can show him or her what a living, breathing Christian looks like. Would you take voice lessons from someone who sings off key, or would you hire a fitness trainer who’s out of shape?
A Christian is a walking epistle written by God and read by people. The apostle Paul wrote, “Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example” (Philippians 3:17).
As I’ve often said, you’re the only Bible that some people will ever read. Be a good example.
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The Source of Their Greatness
“God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.” (1 Corinthians 1:28)
When we think of the apostles, we tend to put them on pedestals. They seemed like superhuman individuals, but they were actually ordinary people like you and me. They made mistakes, and the Bible is honest about the mistakes they made. But in spite of their mistakes, they became saints.
I heard about a Sunday school teacher who asked her class, “Can any of you tell me what a saint is?” One of the girls in the class thought about how she had seen stained glass windows depicting the apostles and remembered how beautiful the light that came through the windows was. So she raised her hand and said, “Saints are people the light shines through.”
What the girl said was true. If you’re a Christian, then you’re a saint, not because you performed a miracle or have been canonized. A saint is simply a follower of Jesus Christ.
Here’s what we need to understand. The apostles weren’t perfect people. They made mistakes. They had disagreements, problems, and challenges. Despite that, they made an impact on the world.
The apostles were ordinary people, but God did extraordinary things through them. Their greatness was not because of who they were but because God had His hand on them.
Paul wrote, “God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful” (1 Corinthians 1:27).
The Message puts it this way: “Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these ‘nobodies’ to expose the hollow pretensions of the ‘somebodies.’”
How true. God seems to go out of His way to choose unexpected people to go to unexpected places to do unexpected things.
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Permeating the Culture
“Not finding them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the other believers instead and took them before the city council. ‘Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world,’ they shouted, ‘and now they are here disturbing our city, too.’” (Acts 17:6)
Pastor and Bible commentator G. Campbell Morgan wrote, “Organized Christianity which fails to make a disturbance is dead.”
Wherever the apostle Paul went, there was either conversion or a riot. In Thessalonica, religious leaders complained to the city council, “Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world, and now they are here disturbing our city, too” (Acts 17:6).
It seems that there was never a dull moment with the first-century followers of Jesus. They didn’t have modern technology at their disposal. Thomas didn’t tweet. Paul didn’t have a television show. Peter didn’t use social media. Yet, in a relatively brief period of time, these disciples changed their world. They permeated their culture.
Tertullian, a Christian leader who was a contemporary of these early followers of Christ, made this statement about the first-century Church: “We have filled every place among you—cities, islands, fortresses, towns, marketplaces, camps, tribes, town councils, the palace, the senate, the forum; we have left nothing to you but the temples of your gods.” Tertullian was pointing out that the Church had permeated everything, even Caesar’s palace.
Today, we need Christians who will go out and make a difference. We need more Christians involved in the arts, making great films, and creating graphic design. We need Christians in politics, godly men and women in places of authority, because the Bible says that when the righteous rule, the people rejoice (see Proverbs 29:2). We also need Christian doctors, Christian lawyers, and Christian businesspeople.
In the first century, all believers understood that they were called to do their part. So they left their comfort zones and took risks. In the same way, the believers today need to go out and let their light shine in our present culture. We need believers who will turn the present world upside down.
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It’s Time for Another Jesus Movement
“But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.” (Galatians 4:4-5)
The Jesus Movement (or the Jesus Revolution, as Time magazine described it) calls to mind long-haired kids in sandals, beads, and bell bottoms. We remember how bad things were in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but God heard the prayers of His people and sent a great spiritual awakening. In fact, many believe it was the greatest spiritual awakening in American history. We need to see that happen again.
We find parallels between the spiritual and cultural climate of today and the days of the first Jesus Movement. But this wasn’t the Jesus Movement of the 20th century. It was the movement that Jesus started after His crucifixion and resurrection.
The mighty ancient Rome had pretty much beaten the world into submission and ruled with an iron fist. Things were very dark morally and spiritually. Immorality ran rampant. If you were to visit a city in the ancient Roman Empire, you’d find thousands of prostitutes roaming the streets, looking for people to prey on.
If that weren’t bad enough, there was open idolatry, spiritism, and demon worship. The religious establishment was also almost completely corrupt. The time was right for divine intervention. So the people at that time saw the first Jesus Movement. Jesus Christ Himself appeared on the scene and began His public ministry, fulfilling hundreds of prophecies in the Old Testament.
The first-century believers turned the world upside down. In Acts 17:6, we find this critical statement made by the religious leaders then about the growth of the Church: “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too”.
Today, the Church marches on. Persecution didn’t weaken it but strengthened it. Ultimately, persecution caused the Church to spread out to other parts of the world, proclaiming the gospel. The mighty Roman Empire was reduced to ruins, but God is still at work on Earth today through the followers of Jesus Christ.
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What Are We to Do?
“So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.” (Luke 21:32)
The breakdown of the American family is the root of so many of our social ills today. You can take almost every social ill, every societal problem in our nation, and trace it directly back to the breakdown of the family. And it is not just the breakdown of the family, but it’s also the redefinition of the family and, in some cases, the redefinition of a man or woman.
Immorality is being promoted and pushed onto us from every direction, not only in the media but also in our classrooms. Pretty much everywhere we look, we see a breakdown in our culture. We live in a time when our culture celebrates wrong as right and mocks right, as though it were wrong. This reminds me of a verse from the Old Testament Book of Isaiah, which says, “What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter” (5:20). It seems like everything is upside down now, doesn’t it?
There is also surging violence on our streets and seemingly no end in sight to a global pandemic, with COVID-19 variants springing up one after another. What are we to do?
What we are to do is watch and pray. I think all the things we see happening around us are signs of the times, reminding us that we are living in the last days. Jesus, speaking of His imminent return and the signs that would come, said, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28).
We need divine intervention. We need the Lord to hear our prayers and help us. What we need is another Jesus Movement, another spiritual awakening.
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Run to Win!
“Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!” (1 Corinthians 9:24)
My son Christopher was a great runner, and we used to race on the beach. For many years, I somehow managed to beat him, probably because I was a sprinter and he was a long-distance runner. But one day, we were walking along the beach, and I said, “Let’s race to that rock. Ready?”
Christopher not only won the race that day, but he won big. Then he went to Heaven before me when his race ended at age 33, so he beat me in that race as well.
In the race of life, we should be running for gold. The apostle Paul wrote, “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!” (1 Corinthians 9:24). We want to run to win. We want to do the best we can with the life that God has given us.
There will come a time in our lives when we’ll have our last meal, give our last statement, and breathe our last breath. Hopefully, we can say, as Paul said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
Maybe you’ve thought, “Well, I have a long way to run in this race. Maybe I’ll get right with God when I’m in my 80s or 90s.” But you don’t know when the end of your race will come. It may be coming to an end more quickly than you planned.
Always be able to say, “I fought the good fight. I kept the faith. I finished the course.” Run your race well—and finish it well.
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Carry It Forward
“You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.” (2 Timothy 2:2)
When I was a brand-new Christian at age 17, I knew a lot of people my own age, but I went out of my way to find older Christians to spend time with. I met people like Pastor Chuck Smith and his wife, Kay, at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. I also met Pastor Romaine, an associate pastor there. I had meals with them, spent time talking with them, and saw what Christians looked like, especially older, more mature believers. A little later, I became friends with the great British preacher Alan Redpath, who wrote a number of amazing commentaries. I also became friends with Billy and Ruth Graham. Spending time with these godly people had an impact on me.
When you’re young, you may want to spend time only with young people. But I encourage you to find some older, godly people you can learn from.
And if you’re an older believer, find a younger believer you can take under your wing. The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, “You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others” (2 Timothy 2:2). Regarding His commands, God said to Moses, “Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up” (Deuteronomy 6:7).
If you’re an older Christian, you need to share God’s truths with younger people. And if you’re younger, you need to spend time with older, godly people.
As Christians, we’re in a race. This race has a beginning, middle, and end, and it’s a relay. Our job in this race is not to hold on to the baton forever. We must hand it over to the next runners, who will carry it forward.
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The Value of Discipleship
“I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:35)
A true mark of spiritual maturity is taking our eyes off ourselves and thinking of others. As believers, we should be looking for ways to tell others about Jesus and “disciple” them.
Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). This is called the Great Commission, and Jesus is saying here that He will be with the person who does this. What does it mean to “disciple” people? It means taking them under your wing and helping them get on their feet spiritually.
Discipling is important not only for new believers but also for older believers. The older believers discipling the younger believers stabilize them and are in turn energized by doing so.
When you’ve been going to church for 10 or 20 years, you might start critiquing things. The music is a little too loud, or the sermons seem a little too long. Maybe you gripe and complain sometimes. But if you have a brand-new believer with you, you won’t be critiquing the sermon or criticizing the church. After the service, that new believer might say, “The pastor said this, and I’ve never heard that before.” Suddenly, you find yourself elaborating on the message. It’s helping you and them.
Yet, many of us aren’t sharing the truth; we’re hoarding it. But there’s joy in sharing. Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
Look for opportunities to initiate conversations about Christ. To the best of your ability, seek to lead people to the Lord and then “disciple” them.
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Be a Nice Person
“Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” (Ephesians 4:29)
Every now and then, cell phone videos showing someone on a rant pop up on social media or the news. The people in those videos are really upset about something, and they’re screaming and yelling. Don’t be like those people. Ever.
You are a child of God, so be known for your generosity. Be known for your love and compassion, not for your anger. The Bible tells us, “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them” (Ephesians 4:29).
If you disagree with someone, that’s fine. But don’t be obnoxious; be nice. I’ve found that the greatest joys in life come from a relationship with God and from relationships with others. Also, some of the simplest joys in life are before us every day. Savor the sunset. Enjoy the meal. Linger with your family and friends. Have fun.
All too often, we’re thinking about what’s coming next: “When this comes, I will be so happy. When that happens, it will be so great.” But what about the present moment? Don’t be in such a rush to get to the next thing.
I sometimes find myself in a group where everyone is on their cell phone. In such situations, I send everyone a text that says something like this: “Be here now. Let’s put these phones away. Let’s have a conversation with each other.”
When you sit down for a meal, don’t take your cell phone to the table. If you’re wearing a watch that sends you alerts, take it off. Have a conversation with the people around you.
As followers of Jesus Christ, let’s be known as encouragers, not discouragers. Let’s be known as people who build others up, not as people who tear others down.
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The High Cost of Unforgiveness
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32)
There will come a moment in your life when you’ll have your last conversation with someone you love. You may not realize it’s your last one, which is why it’s always a good thing to end your conversation with the words “I love you.”
When the Lord called our son Christopher home, he knew that we loved him because we always told him that we did. It’s a very important thing to do.
Our loved ones can’t read our minds. Think about those you love, those who mean a lot to you. Tell them that you love them, even if you think they already know. Don’t wait until it’s too late.
Also, keep short accounts and forgive. Realize that people will disappoint you, even people you love. We all will face hurt and pain in life, but what we don’t want to do is harbor grudges.
Studies suggest that those who don’t forgive are more likely to experience high blood pressure, bouts of depression, and problems with anger, stress, and anxiety. When we forgive others, we’re not letting them off the hook. Rather, we’re avoiding misery in our own lives.
I’ve said before that when you forgive someone, you set a prisoner free: yourself. The apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Ephesus, “Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).
I think of the story of Joseph in the Book of Genesis and the horrible things that Joseph suffered because his brothers betrayed him. At the time that he could have had them all executed, he instead forgave them and said, “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive” (Genesis 50:20).
Forgive. Don’t live in a self-imposed prison of anger, bitterness, and resentment, which can ruin your life.
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Character over Charisma
“Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord.” (Psalm 119:1)
There are people who cheat, lie, steal, and cut corners, yet they seem to get away with it. Maybe you’ve thought, “Why shouldn’t I do that? Why should I play by the rules?” Here’s why: In the end, those people will reap what they sow. The Bible tells us, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7).
The longer I live, the more impressed I am with character over charisma. I’ve seen a lot of preachers with dynamic personalities flame out because they didn’t seek to maintain honesty and integrity. The psalmist David wrote, “I will be careful to live a blameless life—when will you come to help me? I will lead a life of integrity in my own home” (Psalm 101:2). And in Psalm 119:1 we read, “Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord”. The great evangelist D. L. Moody said, “If I take care of my character, my reputation will take care of itself.”
In the Old Testament, we read about Daniel, a man of integrity, someone who always sought to do the right thing. On one occasion, it caused his arrest. After the king signed a decree that no one could pray to any god, only to him, Daniel prayed to God anyway. His enemies had him arrested and thrown into a lion’s den. What a bleak scenario that was. But how did the story end? His enemies ended up being eaten by lions, and Daniel lived to pray another day.
The same thing happened to Joseph, whose story we find in the Book of Genesis. Joseph lived with honesty and integrity, and although Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him of rape, he received vindication in the end. If you live with honesty and integrity, you will, too.
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Stop Worrying and Start Praying
“So, don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (Matthew 6:34)
Worry can ruin your day. It can ruin your week. It can ruin your month. Actually, worry can ruin your life.
The root word of “worry” means “to choke” or “to strangle.” When my grandkids were much younger, they liked to come up and choke me from behind. They thought it was cute and fun, and it was okay because they were small. They weren’t hurting me. Worry, however, does hurt us. It chokes us out. That’s why we need to stop worrying and start praying.
I realize that we all have things in life to worry about, but I’m reminded of the words of the apostle Paul: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
When you worry about the future, you cripple yourself in the present. Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength. Even when things are going well, we start worrying that something is going to go wrong, don’t we? Jesus said, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today” (Matthew 6:34).
Turning worry into prayer is a conditioned reflex. It’s something that we learn how to do. In contrast, a natural reflex is something that we automatically do. For example, if you accidentally touch something hot, you immediately pull your hand back. That’s a natural reflex. No one has to teach you to do that.
We need to develop the conditioned reflex of turning worry into prayer. When worry creeps in, when panic hits, stop and pray right away. Remember, God is in control of your life. As Christians, we don’t believe in fate; we believe in faith.
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Read It. Memorize It. Treasure It.
“They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.” (Psalm 1:3)
Sometimes, as Christians grow in their faith, they think they no longer need to read the Bible as much as they used to. But that isn’t true. We need to read the Bible every day. We should start the day with it. We should end the day with it. Psalm 1 tells us, “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night” (verses 1–2). The psalmist goes on to say, “They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do” (verse 3).
If you want to be a happy person, read the Word of God. Meditate on it. In Eastern meditation, people seek to empty their minds. But in biblical meditation, we fill our minds with the Word of God. This is how we will grow spiritually. This is how we will be able to resist temptation. Psalm 119:9 says, “How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word”. We stay pure by listening to what the Word of God says.
The apostle Paul wrote to young Timothy, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
We need to read the Bible every day because success or failure in the Christian life depends on how much of the Bible we get into our lives on a regular basis and how obedient we are to it. So, read the Word. Memorize the Word. Treasure the Word. I’ve never met a strong Christian who isn’t full of Scripture.
www.harvest.org