Author Archives: Steve

The Great Cover-Up – Exodus 25:8-22

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“Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them…Have the people make an Ark of acacia wood…place inside it the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, which I will give to you. Then make the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—from pure gold…Then make two cherubim from hammered gold, and place them on the two ends of the atonement cover…Place inside the Ark the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, which I will give to you…I will meet with you there and talk to you from above the atonement cover between the gold cherubim that hover over the Ark of the Covenant. From there I will give you my commands for the people of Israel” (Exodus 25:8-22, NLT).

After God gave Moses the law, He proceeded to describe the plans for the Tabernacle and its furnishings so the Israelites could construct a place where God could abide among His people.

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Youth Ministry for the Mature – Psalm 71:17-18

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“God, You have taught me from my youth, and I still proclaim Your wonderful works. Even when I am old and gray, God, do not abandon me. Then I will proclaim Your power to another generation, Your strength to all who are to come” (Psalm 71:17-18, HCSB)

WANTED: MATURE PEOPLE FOR YOUTH MINISTRY!

That’s the message contained in these verses. The Psalmist exclaims that God needs him for youth ministry even though he is an old man.

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Trouble Along the Way – Acts 14:6

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“And there they kept evangelizing” (Acts 14:6, HCSB).

This is one of those days when I get to the end of the day and find myself really weary. Some would say “weary from well-doing,” though I question how much “well” I’m really “doing.”

I’ll spare you the details of all my troubles because as hard as I think I have it, my troubles pale in comparison to the troubles encountered by Paul and Barnabas in Acts 13 and 14, who were undertaking the task God had assigned them.

In Acts 13:2 God sent Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey: “The Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work I have called them to.'”

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Fortunate Misfortunes – Psalm 66:10-12

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“For You, God, tested us; You refined us as silver is refined. You lured us into a trap; you placed burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but You brought us out to abundance” (Psalm 66:10-12, HCSB).

The Psalmist indicates that refining is a process meant to purify God’s people.

And if these verses allude to God’s deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage, the Psalmist seems to apply Israel’s experience personally to us.

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How to Grow a Church – Acts 9:31

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“The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers” (Acts 9:31, NLT).

With the conversion of Saul (vs. 9:1-19), the Jewish persecution of the Church declined and during this hiatus the Church grew in strength and numbers.

There are three principles of church growth we can glean from this verse:

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They Will Want What You Have – Acts 13:4,9-12

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“So Barnabas and Saul were sent out by the Holy Spirit…Saul, also known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he looked the sorcerer in the eye…Then he said….the Lord has laid his hand of punishment upon you, and you will be struck blind…When the governor saw what had happened, he became a believer, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.” (Acts 13:4,9-12, NLT)

Barnabas and Paul’s first missionary journey was undertaken by the leading and in the power the Holy Spirit.

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Believing or Belonging? – Acts 11:26

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“The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.” (Acts 11:26, HCSB)The term “Christian” occurs only three times in the New Testament.

Besides this verse, in Acts 26:28 King Herod Agrippa asked if the Apostle Paul was trying to persuade him to become a Christian and in 1 Peter 4:16 the Apostle Peter referred to suffering for being a Christian.

The word for Christian in the Greek is Christianos and comes from christos, meaning “anointed one” with a modifier borrowed from Latin to denote adhering to, or even belonging to, as in slave ownership.

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Getting Out of God’s Way – Acts 11:17

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“And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God’s way?” (Acts 11:17, NLT)

After Peter proclaimed the gospel of Jesus in Caesarea to the Gentiles in the house of Cornelius, a Roman officer, Peter had to explain his actions to the apostolic leadership and believers back in Jerusalem.

As Peter recounted the sequence of events, he explained it was only by God’s initiative that he took the gospel to the Gentiles.

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Daily Deliverance – Acts 10:34

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“Then Peter began to speak: “Now I really understand that God doesn’t show favoritism, but in every nation the person who fears Him and does righteousness is acceptable to Him.” (Acts 10:34, HCSB)

A Roman military commander by the name of Cornelius lived in the city of Caesarea in the region of Samaria north of Judea. Although Cornelius was not a Jew, he worshiped God in the custom of the Jews.Cornelius had a vision to request the Apostle Peter, who was staying in the city of Joppa about 50 miles away, to come to his home.

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Tears in a Bottle – Psalm 56:8-9

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“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help. This I know: God is on my side!” (Psalm 56:8-9, NLT)

Did you ever play games as a child that required the choosing of “sides?”

A “side” was one of two or more contesting groups or teams. A captain would be selected or appointed for each “side” and each captain then would choose others to be on his or her side.

Of course, sides were chosen strategically so that a winning team would be assembled, or so all of one’s best friends were on the same side!

The psalmist declares that he has assembled a winning team that can defeat his enemies because God is on his side.

Take a moment to savor the word picture the psalmist portrays in these verses.

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