The Power of Integrity – Acts 5:32

Posted on by

“We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey him.” (Acts 5:32, NLT)

After a first wave of persecution by the Jewish religious leaders, the early Church flourished because it had been empowered by God: “Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men and women.” (Acts 5:14, NLT).

Acts 5:1-11 records the events that precipitated this great demonstration of the power of God in the Church.

A man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold some property and brought a portion of the proceeds to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount.

The Apostle Peter, by the power of the Holy Spirit, recognized their deception and told them they had embezzled the money from God: “You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!” (vs. 3-4).

Both Ananias and Sapphira fell dead when Peter confronted them with their sin!

Their lack of integrity had the potential to compromise the Church  and so they fell under the direct judgment of God.

The sudden judgment on Ananias and Sapphira had a sobering effect on both the believers and others who heard about the incident.  

A believer’s integrity is critical to the effectiveness of his or her witness to others.

The power of the Holy Spirit is not hindered when believers live and act with integrity.

To engage in deception and somehow think that God doesn’t know is a fundamental misconception of one’s faith (or lack of faith). That sort of behavior would certainly call into question whether the deceiver really knows Christ and has the indwelling Holy Spirit.

For the Church to thrive and effectively (and powerfully) declare the gospel, Christ’s followers must be people of the highest integrity.

“The way of the Lord is a stronghold to those with integrity.” (Provers 10:29, NLT).

Lighting the Way – Psalm 43:3-4

Posted on by

“Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live. There I will go to the altar of God, to God—the source of all my joy” (Psalm 43:3-4, NLT).

In this prayer for God’s redemption, light and truth are viewed as guides and the Temple on the mountain in Jerusalem symbolized God’s holy presence among his people.

So the psalmist prayed for God’s light and truth to lead him into God’s presence where he could find happiness.

This verse is a Messianic promise because it ultimately finds fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the light that leads us to the truth of God, where we can live in His presence and the joy He gives us through the indwelling Holy Spirit.

On several occasions during His earthly ministry Jesus explained that He was the fulfillment of this Messianic promise.

Jesus said that He was the light of God and, as such, He would drive out darkness and bring truth to people’s lives so they would do what is right and be a light to others: “But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants” (John 3:21, NLT).

Jesus told His disciples that He was the light of the world and if you follow Him you will find God’s truth: “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life” (John 8:12, NLT).

When Jesus told His disciples that He was going to die, they were anxious and He reassured them by telling them that He Himself was the way to God: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, NLT).

Remember, God sends His light to you to illuminate the way to Him so that you can guide others to Jesus, God’s Light, so they also can find their way to God!

Living Life from the Bottom – Psalm 42

Posted on by

“Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God” (vs. 5).

Do you ever think you’ve got it all figured out?

Life is treating you well so you must be in God’s will because you are so blessed.

Then the bottom falls out of your life and all that “blessedness” seems to go away.

Then you get all conflicted and begin to question everything you think you knew about what is God’s will.

In fact, it may even seem as though God is hardly speaking to you any more.

These are some of the emotions the psalmist is expressing in this Psalm. He asks himself why he is so depressed when God is his hope and his Savior? He knows God is there and yet he yearns for fellowship with God: “As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, God. I thirst for God, the living God” (vs. 1-2).

But life has him at a disadvantage; he is down and out and looking for a way up to God.

It’s as if he is living life from the bottom!

So, my fellow bottom-dwellers, when you live life from the bottom, what’s important to you is not so much that you get to the top, but simply that your cry for help is heard and heeded by God…to know that God hears you from the bottom!

There’s a passion (or desperation) for God that comes from being at the bottom that’s really not there when you’re at the top of your game.

You see, God’s Kingdom is the abode of desperate people: “The poor in spirit are blessed, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs” (Matthew 5:3).

We trust and hope in God the most when we have to, not when we want to.

It’s hope sustained by desperation!

God knows how we work and so this is the way He works on us, from the bottom up!

“We also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope” (Romans 5:3-4, NLT).

Bold! – Acts 4:31

Posted on by

“When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak God’s message with boldness” (Acts 4:31, HCSB).

Because Peter and John had healed a man who was lame from birth by the power of God and “were teaching the people and proclaiming the resurrection from the dead, using Jesus as the example” (vs. 2), the Sadducees became provoked.

These religious authorities did not believe in resurrection because they did not think it was taught in the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament, which was the only portion of Scripture they believed authoritative.

So they had Peter and John arrested!

When Peter and John appeared before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish religious tribunal, Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and boldly, passionately and persuasively proclaimed the gospel of Jesus to save and heal to these religious leaders.

The members of the Sanhedrin were amazed by the boldness of Peter and John, knowing they were not formally educated in the Jewish law. So, the Sanhedrin turned them loose but forbid them to preach and teach in the name of Jesus.

Peter and John answered that they could not stop telling the story of Jesus.

The boldness of Peter in this situation stands in contrast to his denial of Christ on the night of His arrest before He was crucified.

Boldness is referenced three times in Acts 4:1-31 (vs. 13, 29, 31):

  1. The boldness of Peter and John was observed by the Jewish religious leaders (vs. 13);
  2. the Church in Jerusalem prayed for boldness to proclaim the gospel (vs. 29); and
  3. the Church was filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak God’s message with boldness (vs. 31).

Being bold is both a desired and essential behavior for Christians. Boldness was needed by the disciples in the early Church. Boldness is needed in the Church today!

Besides helping us speak the right words at the right time, boldness helps us persuade people about the truth of the gospel because they can see that we actually believe what we say they should believe.

We should pray and ask God for boldness and then expect God to empower us with boldness to speak and live righteously as a convincing witness and testimony to the gospel of Jesus in our lives.

“Therefore, having such a hope, we use great boldness.” (2 Corinthians 3:12, HCSB)

When Futility Gives Way To Hope – Psalm 39:6-7

Posted on by

“Certainly, man walks about like a mere shadow. Indeed, they frantically rush around in vain, gathering possessions without knowing who will get them. Now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You” (Psalm 39:6-7, HCSB).

The psalmist realized that in the grand scheme of things his life was fleeting and short-lived, like a vapor or shadow.

People try to find meaning for their lives by gathering possessions as if more stuff will give more significance to their lives.

But, all our accomplishments, all our wealth, all our possessions fade away and are forgotten over time.

If our life in this world is to have any meaning, it must be that it is a preparation for eternal life.

For when we trust in God, we are trusting in God for eternal life.

And, if there’s nothing more than the span of our life on Earth, then our lives are lived in futility and our whole existence is meaningless.

But, when we trust in God, futility gives way to hope. And hope gives our lives meaning.

For those whose hope and trust is in God, life is meaningful and significant because it is not tied to earthly achievements but rather to a heavenly existence!

“Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21, HCSB).

Enemy Occupied Territory – Exodus 6:5-6

Posted on by

“You can be sure that I have heard the groans of the people of Israel, who are now slaves to the Egyptians. And I am well aware of my covenant with them. Therefore, say to the people of Israel: I am the Lord. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment” (Exodus 6:5-6, NLT).

Moses was commissioned by God to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. Before confronting Pharaoh, Moses and his brother Aaron met with the Israelite leaders and rallied them with the hope that God would rescue them from Egyptian slavery, as stated in these verses.

When Moses and Aaron demanded in God’s name that Pharaoh release the Israelites, Pharaoh considered their demands an affront to his own sovereignty and reacted by increasing the Israelites’ workloads to an overwhelming level.

The more Moses demanded the release of the Israelites, the tougher Pharaoh made their lives.

This defining moment in the history of Israel is a classic case of the adversity one may encounter individually and collectively when trying to live faithfully for God.

When we are trying to live for God and obey Him, we should not be surprised or dismayed when we are confronted by hardships and adversities.

Because we live in enemy-occupied territory!

There is a dark power in the universe, Satan the devil, who was created by God but rebelled against Him.

And, Satan enticed humanity to commit the same sin (rebellion) he did. When humanity joined Satan in his rebellion against God, we became natural born citizens of Satan’s domain.

Since this dark power was originally created by God, his insurrection does not even constitute a war between equal or independent powers. It is more like a civil war—an uprising of a subversive political faction trying to overthrow a legitimate government.

And the main issue in this conflict is not an individual’s personal sins, though one’s sins may be many or few.

The real issue in this cosmic conflict is where your allegiance is—you are either a part of the rebellion or a citizen of God’s Kingdom (Colossians 1:12-13).

Satan and his cohorts continuously attempt to thwart the plans and purposes of God’s Kingdom that are being carried out by God’s people. And, Satan does not give up any ground without a fight!

But remember that God works best when all seems lost, when there’s no hope, when failure is inevitable, when it seems impossible to succeed!

So, we must stand firm in our faith when Satan causes adversity to attempt to deter us from obeying God.

We know that God will eventually rescue us and secure the final victory in our behalf.

“Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11, NLT) 

God Speaking to Us – Acts 1:15-16, 20

Posted on by

“During this time, when about 120 believers were together in one place, Peter stood up and addressed them. Brothers, he said, the Scriptures had to be fulfilled concerning Judas, who guided those who arrested Jesus. This was predicted long ago by the Holy Spirit, speaking through King David…Peter continued, This was written in the book of Psalms, where it says, Let his home become desolate, with no one living in it. It also says, Let someone else take his position”  (Acts 1:15-16,20, NLT). 

After the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, the death of Judas created a vacancy among the twelve Apostles.

The remaining eleven Apostles determined that a replacement should be found for Judas so that his position as the twelfth Apostle would not remain empty.

The Apostles considered that the new people of God, like Israel, were to have twelve designated and appointed leaders. (They certainly recalled the promise of Jesus in Matthew 19:28 and Luke 22:29-30 that they would sit on twelve thrones in His Kingdom and judge the twelve tribes of Israel).

What’s significant here is that Peter looked to the Old Testament scriptures to find a solution for their predicament. Peter quoted Psalm 69:25 to explain the consequences of Judas’ disloyalty and Psalm 109:8 to explain the need for his replacement.

Peter used a broad interpretation of these Scriptures that inferred the coming of the Messiah and His Kingdom was described and predicted throughout the writings of the Old Testament by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

The Apostle Paul recognized that the Old Testament writers were inspired by God to foretell the coming of the Messiah and, consequently, he quoted from it extensively to reinforce his writings and teachings: “God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. The Good News is about his Son… He is Jesus Christ our Lord. Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name” (Romans 1:2-5, NLT).

Now if Peter and the Apostles were well-acquainted with the Old Testament Scriptures, the Bible of their day, and recognized its divine inspiration and authority in guiding their decision-making, how much more should we rely on that same authority today!

The Apostles are the founding fathers of our faith. They are our leaders. They are our example, our teachers!

So, if the Apostles used the Scriptures to guide them in their decision-making, then it is incumbent on us to study and learn the Bible, the Old and New Testaments, and apply its teachings to our daily lives.

Because the Bible is God speaking to us…yesterday, today, forever!

Certainly, we ought to know what He is saying!

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” (2 Timothy 3:16, NLT)

God’s Moral Otherness – Exodus 3:5-6

Posted on by

“Do not come any closer, the Lord warned. Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.” (Exodus 3:5-6, NLT)

Moses was born a Hebrew but was raised by Pharoah’s daughter as her own child. As an adult Moses was aware of his heritage and he killed an Egyptian to rescue a Hebrew slave and had to flee from Egypt. Moses escaped to the southern Sinai peninsula in an area occupied by nomadic shepherds and he became a shepherd also.

About forty years later God revealed Himself to Moses in a burning bush and commissioned Moses to return to Egypt to lead the Israelites out of slavery. When Moses saw the burning bush, he was amazed not that the bush was burning, but that it wasn’t consumed by the fire. So he came closer to inspect the bush and when he did, God spoke the words in these verses to Moses.

God informed Moses that the soil around the bush through which He was speaking was holy ground because it contained His presence while the soil on the bottom of Moses’ sandals was common or unclean.

The common or unclean cannot touch the holy without being transformed into being holy or else being destroyed. From this point on, holiness becomes the primary descriptor of God in the Old Testament.

Holy means “set apart” and God made it clear that He was absolutely “other” than his creation.

Moral perfection is also a central idea of the term “holy.”

The one true God is the only One Who truly stands apart from this world and is worthy of being called “holy” in this general sense.

God stands apart from His creation and He is perfectly consistent and moral in his character.

So, here, at the burning bush, God revealed to Moses his otherness. Later at Mt. Sinai when God gave the law to Moses He revealed his moral character.

God’s holiness means God’s moral otherness.

What’s significant about God’s holiness is that God calls us to be like Him. God calls us to holiness. God calls us to moral otherness. God calls us to live distinct from the world, but live righteously in the world.

And there’s a good reason why!

God wants us to be holy so He can enter into a relationship with us…because the common or unclean cannot touch what is holy.

Only what is holy can enter into God’s presence

The Holy One can only be approached by one who is holy!

To receive and live out God’s moral otherness, His holiness, in our lives, we must let our Holy God transform us by the power of the cleansing blood of Christ and the purifying indwelling of the Holy Spirit from unclean and common into people who are holy!

“So also Jesus suffered and died…to make his people holy by means of his own blood.” (Hebrews 13:12, NLT)

Rock My World! – Matthew 27:50-53

Posted on by

“Jesus shouted again with a loud voice and gave up His spirit. Suddenly, the curtain of the sanctuary was split in two from top to bottom; the earth quaked and the rocks were split. The tombs were also opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And they came out of the tombs after His resurrection, entered the holy city, and appeared to many” (Matthew 27:50-53, HCSB)

The death and resurrection of Jesus literally rocked the world in and around Jerusalem at the time these historical events occurred.

Jesus’s death and resurrection were of such cosmic proportions that nature didn’t know how to react.

God became human and was put to death by the humanity He created. When Jesus died, the earth quaked and rocks were split so that even tombs that held the bodies of dead people were opened.

But the full magnitude of the events occurred after Jesus was resurrected–like a tsunami caused by an earthquake at the bottom of the ocean.

When Jesus was resurrected, many of the saints in the vicinity of Jerusalem were raised from the dead and came out of the tombs that had been opened and actually entered the city.

When the One who was the resurrection and life was resurrected, it seemed that death and the grave could no longer contain the dead bodies of those who would one day also be resurrected!

Jesus’s victory over death guaranteed that God would also resurrect His people.

And Jesus can still rock your world today!

Catastrophic changes will occur in your life when by Christ’s death on the cross, God forgives your sinfulness, and then by the power of Christ’s resurrection, He transforms your old sinful life into a new life of righteousness and obedience to Him.

“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die —ever” (John 11:25-26, HCSB).

God Don’t Carry No Grudges – Psalm 30:4-5

Posted on by

“Sing to Yahweh, you His faithful ones, and praise His holy name. For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor, a lifetime. Weeping may spend the night, but there is joy in the morning” (Psalm 30:4-5,HCSB).

If you have children, I would dare say that you have been mad at them on more than one occasion because of their misbehavior.

The anger occurs because you don’t want them to grow up acting badly and you probably expressed that concern to them in some form or manner.

But you punish the child if the misbehavior warrants punishment, and then you move on and don’t hold it against the child for the rest of his or her lifetime.

For God’s people, His faithful ones, He acts toward us in much the same way.

God acts like a loving and benevolent father who disciplines us when needed, but continually loves and blesses us.

That concept is easy for us to grasp because that’s generally the way we relate to our children.

What we don’t seem to understand, sometimes, is that God shows His favor to reconcile us to Him for our misbehavior. God gets over our misbehavior but sometimes we don’t think He does.

We somehow believe that God is always mad at us because we don’t live up to His expectations and then we don’t ever become all He wants us to be.

God’s anger, His discipline, only lasts for a short while, but His favor and blessing, His lovingkindness, last for a lifetime–no, for an eternity!

So, I think the psalmist is saying that God is not mad at you all the time like you think He is!

Where I come from, we might even say it like this: God don’t carry no grudges!

God’s not mad at you about something you did and shouldn’t have done or didn’t do and should have done a long time ago or last week or maybe even yesterday.

So there’s no need to feel sorry for yourself because you think God is mad at you.

Let the joy of the Lord infiltrate your day, your life; today start becoming everything God wants you to be in Him!  

“Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14,HCSB).