Posts
Group Lesson Four
"Bow~Lay~Ask~Shake"
Acts 4:23-31 (NLT) As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said. When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying,
‘Why were the nations so angry?
Why did they waste their time with futile plans?
The kings of the earth prepared for battle;
the rulers gathered together against the Lord
and against his Messiah.'
“In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed. But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will. And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
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.
Peter and John were finally freed after spending a grueling night in prison and relentless questioning and demands from the priests and other temple officials. They had boldly refused to stop speaking in the Name of Jesus and were eventually released. Now they were back with other believers and the first thing they did was to pray.
Remember the lesson "The First Next Step" (see Acts 1:14)? After Jesus had been taken up to heaven they met together with many other followers of Jesus, including His mother Mary, and prayed. Now, after being released from the harassment of the temple officials, they met with fellow believers and prayed again.
The first step is always prayer.
What was the specific request they made of the Lord? Why do you suppose they felt they needed to pray for this? They didn't seem afraid as they were being held and questioned, but I'm sure they were. Their fear wasn't doubt that God would take care of them, rather, they would boldly speak the Name of their Messiah ~ Jesus.
What are you afraid of? What do you need from the Lord? What weighs on your heart daily? Where do you go for help? Do you have other believers that will pray with you?
It is so important that, we as believers, have a few close friends who also love and serve Jesus that are willing to spend time in prayer with us. Who are those people to you? Are you that kind of friend to others?
It’s important to have Christian friends who you can go to at anytime with anything that will pray for you and with you.
The believers in the passage today, went boldly before the Lord and asked for specific things. First, they acknowledged God and His sovereignty. They prayed, "O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them..." When they prayed they knew what God was to them. They knew the relationship of God as their true Ruler. When we come to God first then we are on the right track. He is the ultimate authority. His ways are best and should want His best for us.
God is the ultimate authority and His ways are always best.
Isaiah 45:9 (NLT) “What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’ Does the pot exclaim, ‘How clumsy can you be?’"
Arguing with God is like the pot arguing with the potter.
It would unimaginable to hear a clay pot speaking much less arguing with the potter. Yet, that is what we do when we don't acknowledge the superiority of our Creator God. It's ok to ask God why, but ultimately we must bow to our Maker first in order to get in line with what He wants. He wants the best for us.
It’s ok to ask God why but we must bow in submission to His authority.
The next thing the believers did was to tell God all about what was going on. Of course He already knew but it was important for them to let all their anxiety out. God wants to hear our problems and sooth our hurt.
God wants us to tell Him what’s going on in our lives even though He already knows.
2 Corinthians 1:1-5 (NLT) "All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ."
Go to God and let Him know what's on your heart. Let it all out even though He already knows. What are some things that you are holding on to? Are you ready to let it out so God can heal and comfort you?
The third thing these prayer warriors did was to lay their requests before God. They prayed, "And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
We need to present our requests to the One who can fulfill them for us according to His will.
Ephesians 6:18 (NIV) And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Pray for everything, nothing is too small or too big for God.
When we've acknowledged God's authority over us and let Him know what's on our hearts we can then ask Him anything. We can do this because we want His good and perfect plan for our lives. Oftentimes we skip over the first two steps. We want what we want and we want it now. We aren't ready to receive God's best and are only ready to receive what we desire. As we bow before God, acknowledging His sovereignty over us, lay out our feelings and then present our requests to Him, we are walking in His will. Christ Himself prayed this way.
Matthew 26:39 (NLT) He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
Our hearts must be like Christ's...we should want His plans and purposes for our lives because His are perfect. Ours, thought they may seem to be right at the time, are not. They fall short and may even be damaging to us.
God responds to our requests when our hearts want His will. The believers that day most definitely wanted God's will because look what happened: "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." God will shake our world with His goodness and in His perfect timing. The problem with our demands of God at times is that we aren't in agreement with Him.
How do your prayers usually go? Do you bow? Do you tell? Do you ask? Do you expect? God so wants us to talk with Him. Jesus paid the ultimate price for this ability to approach God. What do you say? Do you want to join me and meet God through Jesus in prayer? Let's pray!
Dear Lord,
We acknowledge you supremacy over us and believe that You know best. Our hearts aches and worries are laid before you. Hear us Lord and answer us according to Your perfect plan. Shake our hearts and may we praise you for the answer.
In Jesus Name we pray. AMEN.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lesson One
"Straight to the Best"
Acts 4:32-37 (NLT) All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.
For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus. He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles.
"All the believers were united in heart and mind." We've learned that heart and mind mean two different things. Let me refresh your memory. "Heart" is "kardia" in Greek and means, "the seat of desires, feelings, affections and passions." The Greek word used in this verse for "mind" is "psyche" and means, "Soul, life, person, the very breath of life." Putting heart and mind all together means this: The very seat of all we desire and feel, what we are affectionate for and passionate about steers the decision making portion of our lives.
Does your heart and mind work in accordance with God's will for your life?
Explain.
Do you respond to others with the love of Jesus?
Both the heart and mind of a person must be sold out for Jesus in order to live like the early church did. Every aspect of their lives revolved around meeting together and living life together. That's what church is. We see that God approved because He gave them "great blessing."
Read 1 Peter 3:8-10 . What things did Peter instruct his readers to do?
What did he tell them not to do?
What should we pay back evil with? Why?
What do we receive from God when we are kind and loving?
If people who attend church regularly would give of themselves and their possessions then there would be no need unmet. Giving is an act of faith and obedience. In giving God returns with blessing. So many churches struggle with finances and are in debt. This shouldn't be happening among God's people.
Proverbs 11:23-25 (MSG) The desires of good people lead straight to the best, but wicked ambition ends in angry frustration. The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped.
What leads straight to the best according to this verse from Proverbs?
I love the way the Message Bible words it; "The desires of good people lead straight to the best." Why don't we remember this when we are called to give and don't want to or are afraid to? Again, giving is an act of faith. "The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller." I don't know how the math works on this but as you give, God replenishes. Let's look at an incident of giving that Jesus Himself was a witness to.
Read Mark 12:41-44. Where was Jesus sitting?
What did the rich people give?
What did the widow give?
Who gave the most according to Jesus and why?
Jesus saw the rich giving "part" of their wealth and the poor widow giving "all" she had. Little did either party know that the Lord was watching. The motives for giving are important to Jesus. He's watching us and knows the intentions of our giving.
Do you give out of obligation or do you give out of love for Jesus? What are your intentions?
Make it personal. Write out a prayer asking you to show you what you should be giving back to Him:
Make it relevant. Why is it important to give back to God? _
Some preachers teach that we should give in order to receive from God. That kind of talk is selfish and does no good for the believer or the church. I am talking about giving selflessly to honor God and His Kingdom. We should give our tithes and offerings because God wants us to.
Read Philippians 2:3-4. What should we be like according to these verses?
If the followers of Jesus would give selflessly as the poor widow gave then needs would be met and blessings flow. When believers give faithfully of their income, time and talents the church receives blessing and in turn can give blessing to those in need.
Are you ready to step out in faith and give as God directs you? God's supplies all our needs and provides the gifts for us to give. Its time we as a body of believers in Jesus gave as God wants us to give. Let's do it!
Philippians 4:19 (KJV) But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lesson Two
"Sold Out One Way or Another"
* Read Acts 5:1-11 . Who sold some property?
What did they do with the money that got from the sale of the property?
What did Peter ask Ananias?
What happened to Ananias?
How much later did Ananias’ wife Sapphira come in?
Had her husband been buried yet?
Did she know he was dead?
What did Peter ask her?
What was her response?
What happened next?
What was the church’s response to this situation?
Make it relevant. Why is it important to be honest before God?
This is a pretty frightening portion of scripture isn't it? When I read it I wondered how I was going to address this issue of lying to God's Holy Spirit. Annanias and Sapphira made a decision to lie about the money they made from the sale of some land they had. The sin wasn't about the amount they gave or whether they gave at all. The sin was the lie and the lie was to God's Holy Spirit.
Peter asked Ananias how Satan had filled his heart. The Greek word for "fill" is "pleroo" and it means "to fill, as a net with fish, or a room with an aroma." The Greek word for "heart" as we learned earlier is "kardia" and means "the seat of the desires, feelings, affections and passions."
Why do we need to break down the words like this? It helps to understand the context that Peter was speaking about. The questions Peter asked of Annanias was essentially asking whether Christ's Holy Spirit was filling his heart or whether Satan was. We get the answer when Annanias falls dead at Peter's feet. His heart wasn't committed to Jesus it was committed to Satan. If it had been committed to Jesus, Annanias would have fallen at his feet repenting of this sin. The same held true for his wife Sapphira.
* When you have sinned against God and you know it, how do you feel?
Just like Judas, Annanias and Sapphira were attracted to the teachings of Jesus and not to His Lordship. It begs to ask the question that we as Christians don't want to ask, "Is that person really a Christian?" There are folks who come to church, are very active and yet are not completely sold out for Jesus. Of course, this isn't our judgment to make. It is the Lord Jesus' place to judge. We can see from this passage of scripture that the people who pretend will one day be found out.
Read Romans 16:17-18. What kind of person should we avoid? Why?
We do, however, need to be diligent in knowing what the Bible really says and not listen to those who add to it or blur the edges of it. This discernment comes from the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Through regular prayer and study of the Bible we will know the difference between false teaching and God's teaching through godly people who truly serve Him.
In our passage from Acts today, God revealed evil among this early church. Annanias and Sapphira were made examples to show, the early church and those of us who followed later, what God thinks about the lies we make about commitment to His Holy Spirit. What does God ask of those who say that are His holy people? Here are some things He tells us in His Word about committing ourselves to Him wholeheartedly. Read the following and write out what God commands us to do in each passage and why He wants us to obey Him.
Deuteronomy 23:21-23
1 Timothy 4:16
Annanias and Sapphira didn't lie to themselves, they lied to God. Their actions were totally voluntary both in the amount they promised to God and in the amount they actually gave.
In your opinion, would they have died if they had said that they were only going to give a portion of the profits to God and keep some for themselves? Why?
Psalm 5:4-6 (MSG) You don't socialize with Wicked, or invite Evil over as your houseguest. Hot-Air-Boaster collapses in front of you; you shake your head over Mischief-Maker. God destroys Lie-Speaker; Blood-Thirsty and Truth-Bender disgust you.
WOW!! I used this version from the Message Bible because it really puts it succinctly and bluntly. The death of the "Hot-Air-Boasters" took place at Peter's feet. God removed the evil influence of this man Annanias and his wife Sapphira from His Church. God knew their hearts and knew these two were not committed to Him but to Satan. He purged the evil from among the believers to protect them from their evil influence.
* Make it relevant. How are we suppose to behave before God?
At anytime Annanias could have asked for forgiveness and been forgiven. Pride got in their way. They were convinced that they could lie to God and His people and never be found out. If they were true believers then there would have been no room for Satan to enter into their hearts because God's Holy Spirit would be there. By their death, those in the church who had not fully committed themselves to Jesus, could see the results of lying and living a life not fully sold out to the Lord.
I have never heard of another incident like this one. Have you? I believe that God used this incident as an example so we would remember that you can't fake your way into God's Kingdom. The wolf in sheep's clothing will be found out eventually. Know this for certain ~ God is NEVER deceived.
* Read Galatians 6:7-8. Why can’t a person mock the justice of God?
What will happen to those who live only to satisfy their own needs?
What will happen to those who live to please the Holy Spirit of God?
It's the choice God gives to every person ~ "to satisfy their own sinful nature" or "to please the Spirit". What will your choice be? Even though we all lie sometimes we know that God's grace allows us to admit our sins and turn away from them. God is forgiving.
Psalm 86:4-5 (NLT) Give me happiness, O Lord, for I give myself to you. O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help. Listen closely to my prayer, O Lord; hear my urgent cry.
Make it personal. Take Psalm 86:4-6 and make it your prayer now. Tell Him what is on your heart that you've been hiding from Him. He is loving and will restore you. Find a godly friend, mentor or pastor and tell them what is going on and the prayer you have prayed. Ask them to pray for you and hold you accountable. Dear one, God is willing, able and very ready for you to come to Him and be forgiven.
Micah 7:18-19 (NLT) Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love. Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!
Are you completely sold-out for Jesus? Are you a "hot-air-boaster"? We are all sold out one way or another. Which is it for you?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lesson Three
"Little Do We Know"
- Read Acts 5:12-16. Where did the believers meet?
Why do you think that no one else join them there?
Did more people believe in Jesus? Why did they come?
Make it relevant. What does the church offer to those who come to Christ or want to know more about Him?
Can you imagine yourself walking among the giant columns in the portion of the Temple Mount called Solomon's Colonnade or Solomon's porch? It was put into the plans for the temple by King Herod because he wanted place to walk among the people. It was a grand design but I would bet that Herod never thought that a mighty wind would blow like the one that ushered in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God Himself. Neither would he have imagined that miracles would happen daily and the Good News of Jesus would be preached. Even farther from his thoughts as he planned this majestic temple and grounds would be the thousands of people who entered into the promise of eternal life.
I want to discuss the topic that I am titling, "Little Do We Know". There are so many things that we do in life that, while we are planning or in the midst of doing, we know the results of our actions. King Herod was no exception. Walking, meeting, preaching and healing among his architectural accomplishments, that were meant to glorify himself, was a band of ragtag men who had followed the Messiah. Now this place, intended for the glorification of one man, was now a place that God was using to glorify Himself.
Many people were being healed because the Good News of Christ was being preached. But the best thing of all is that many people were taking their first steps into eternity and the infant Church was maturing everyday.
Little did Peter know that he would be healing people by the power of the Name of which He preached ~ "Jesus". Hurting, sick, lame and dying folks were being placed in the shadow of where he walked. When he was throwing out the fishing nets with his brother and was called by a Rabbi one day, "little did he know" that he would be a major player in cause of Christ.
* Read John 14:12-13. What did Jesus promise in this verse?
Why?
Jesus told Peter and the rest that He would enable them to do the things that He did, in accordance with God's will, because He would die, be resurrected and return to the Father.
Do you know the same holds true for you and me? "Little do we know" that God wants to be glorified in each believer's life. What do you think holds us back from accomplishing great things in the Name of Jesus?
Make it personal. Think about your life since Jesus stepped in. Looking back can you see "little did I know" things that would play out as you walked in faith?
Read Jeremiah 33:2-3. What did the Lord say to us in this verse?
The prophet Jeremiah shared what God had told him about the chosen ones of God, the nation of Israel. Now we are included into this holy people because of what God has done for us through Christ. The promise we read in Jeremiah now filters down to those of us grafted into the vine.
John 15:4-6 (NLT) Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.
By being a believer of Jesus, we are grafted into the vine of Christ, and we are unified with other believers in Jesus. Because of this grafting we are able to get past the "little did I know" things in life and move on to greater things that He has planned for us to do.
How about you? Are you willing to get past the fears and and doubts that our lives can ever do great things for Him? Oh friend, I stand with you as I wonder what the "little things" about my life will lead to greater things for Him who loves me so much. Let's by faith step out and see what He has in store. Just like Peter, let us be known as a place to find healing and love from Jesus. May those who pass in our shadow be blessed because we are living for Him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lesson Four
"Provoked Mightily"
Acts 5:17-26 (MSG) Provoked mightily by all this, the Chief Priest and those on his side, mainly the sect of Sadducees, went into action, arrested the apostles and put them in the town jail. But during the night an angel of God opened the jailhouse door and led them out. He said, "Go to the Temple and take your stand. Tell the people everything there is to say about this Life."
Promptly obedient, they entered the Temple at daybreak and went on with their teaching.
Meanwhile, the Chief Priest and his cronies convened the High Council, Israel's senate, and sent to the jail to have the prisoners brought in. When the police got there, they couldn't find them anywhere in the jail. They went back and reported, "We found the jail locked tight as a drum and the guards posted at the doors, but when we went inside we didn't find a soul."
The chief of the Temple police and the high priests were puzzled. "What's going on here anyway?"
Just then someone showed up and said, "Did you know that the men you put in jail are back in the Temple teaching the people?" The chief and his police went and got them, but they handled them gently, fearful that the people would riot and turn on them.
I love this version of the story from the Message Bible. "Provoked mightily..." may be the best description of the Chief Priest and his "cronies" I've read. To say the least they were "provoked mightily" by the Savior of the Universe and His band of believers. When God wants something done He does it. And boy, He really did it this time!! Great is our God!!
To lay it all out, first the lame man was healed in Jesus' Name ~ Thousands were hearing and believing the Good News about the Messiah ~ The Chief Priest and his cronies arrest Peter and John ~ Release them with a stern warning not to use the Name of Jesus ~ The Apostles are back at it again the next day ~ Many more people come to know the Messiah ~ Many more people are healed ~ The CP and his cronies arrest them again ~ The Temple guards find the jail empty and locked ~ They report it to the CP ~ They find the apostles preaching and healing in the Name of Jesus on the Temple Mount ~The Captain and his officers politely (because they were scared of a riot) usher the Apostles back before the CP and his cronies...(more to come)
Whew!! This portion of scripture teaches us that God doesn't give up and neither should we. He provided power to the apostles and rescued them from jail. Jesus had warned them they would face opposition and even possible death, these faithful men were willing to share the Good News with others.
* Look at the words of Jesus and write out a brief description of what Jesus says in each one.
Luke 6:22-23.
Luke 8:16.
Luke 12:4-5.
Make it relevant. How does this apply to believers today?
The Apostles knew and believed what Jesus had taught them. They knew persecution would happen. They knew they had to be a light to the world for Christ. They knew there were people who wanted to (and eventually would) kill them because of their beliefs. They knew that God was the true one to be feared and wanted to be on His side. They knew that Jesus had suffered, died and rose again just as He promised. They knew what their responsibility was to spread the life-changing truth about Jesus. And finally, they knew they were equipped to carry out the task that Jesus commanded them to do.
Make it personal. Let the Lord know that you know your responsibility to Him.
You know what? I haven't really viewed myself as one who would suffer for Jesus. I never really thought that telling others about Jesus was my ultimate goal. Truthfully, I am always moaning and groaning about "my purpose" in this world. I am only now really understanding that the charge Jesus gave to His disciples is the same charge He has given me. What about you? How have you seen yourself as a follower of Jesus? What are your fears about opening yourself up to the danger of this world and those who don't love Jesus? What is your purpose?
There have been many books about finding your purpose. News flash!!!! Our purpose is the same as the apostles. That is, to love God with all our hearts, souls and minds ~ to love others ~ to tell the world we live in about a God who loves them and wants them with Him. There is no other purpose than using the gifts He has given us to shine the light on Him. We are to bring Jesus into focus for those who can't really discern who He is. That's all!! That's it!!
Are you with me? Are you ready to go out to the "temple mount" of your life and tell others this magnificent news of a Savior who suffered, died, rose again and loves them beyond all reason? Nows the time, not later, not just when we feel we have a platform to speak from, not just when a disaster happens, but now, everyday and at every opportunity He gives us.
You will face the persecution of those who resemble the "chief priests and his cronies" (different people same goal) and that is to stop the Name of Jesus being proclaimed. Don't be afraid because He has given you the power to do the things He's called you to do. We are warriors for the King of Kings and we have work to do. Let's do it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Lesson Five
"The Opposite Game"
* Read Acts 5:27-42. What did the High Priest confront the Apostles with?
What was the Apostles’ response?
How did the High Council respond?
Who is Gamaliel? And what was his advice?
Did the High Council accept his advice? What did they do to the Apostles?
What did the Apostles do?
Make it relevant. What opposition does the Church and it’s members face today?
Nothing was going to stop the spread of the gospel message of Christ. The Chief Priest and his cronies were furious now. They were so worked up that they wanted to kill these men who fearlessly proclaimed the Name of Jesus. The apostles were arrested again and this time they were beaten just like Jesus was. Out of all this hatred and violence came the voice of reason from a member of this High Council. Little did he know how God was going to use him for the advancement of the infant church.
You see God uses all kinds of ways to reach His goal. His goal is to bring glory and honor to the Name of Jesus and through that Name bring people to a lasting relationship with Him.
- What ways have you seen God work in your life that brought people to Him and shown His glory?
The voice of reason came from a man named Gamaliel. He was a Pharisee and a Doctor of the Law. Not only was he a Pharisee he was also had the rare title of "Rabban" which means "master; teacher" (used as a term of address and title of respect for a person ranking higher than a rabbi). (See NIV Pocket Bible Dictionary) He was the Rabbis' Rabbi. (FYI It is believed that the Apostle Paul was a student of his.)
Rabban Gamaliel knew that if this band of followers of Jesus were from God then there was nothing that could stop them. He also believed that if they weren't from God then they would disband and the buzz would die out eventually. More than likely he believed the latter would happen. I wonder why he didn't speak up when Jesus was being tried and eventually killed. Could it be that he expected that if Jesus was killed His followers would disband? It’s just a thought. He knew that didn't work but maybe he hoped that it would eventually. The Apostles lives were saved by what he said.
Read 1 Corinthians 1:26-28. Make it personal. What were you like when God called you? Ask God how He can use your life for His Kingdom.
Rabban Gamaliel was considered the wisest person Israel knew at the time. He looked down on these followers of a mere Rabbi. He considered himself over Rabbi Jesus and saw to His death along with the other "wise" men of Israel. But look, God has proven that Rabban Gamaliel, though educated and high up politically, was used by Him for His perfect plan.
- Read James 2:5. What has God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in?We may not be poor financially, but the world considers Christian poor in power and mental reasoning. How has God made us rich?
According to the world view those who have given up everything to follow Jesus are considered weak. The goal preached to many, by commercials, speeches of politicians, movie stars and talk-show hosts, is that we can have it all if we only set our minds on the things we really want. Even some "Christian" preachers promote this kind of thinking. God's Word teaches differently. It teaches that our treasures aren't from any store or "think big" guru.
Luke 12:32-34 (NLT) "So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.
Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be."
That's crazy talk from the world's perspective. From an eternal perspective it’s golden. It's like playing "The Opposite Game". Remember that one? If someone said one thing you did the opposite. Well, the things Jesus has taught us is opposite of what the world tells.
The world says hate your enemies. Jesus says love your enemies. The world says live so that you won't die. Jesus says die so that you will live. The world says give when it feels good. Jesus says to give everything. We are to live opposite lives.
How about you? Are you living an opposite life or is your life indistinguishable from the world's view? Explain.
Does any of this make sense? What is your view? Are you willing to lay down your expectations for Jesus'? Are you willing to take up His plan and crumple up your own?
Rabban Gamaliel understood that God was God but Gamaliel limited himself to what the books he studied from said. He thought he knew better. God used Gamaliel's knowledge but not in the way Gamaliel intended.
We, who follow Jesus, must lay down the world's wisdom and take up an eternal heavenly wisdom. Our expectations in this life must be released and replaced with God's expectations. All we think that is important isn't what this world offers, it's the treasure of eternal life and love stored up for us to enjoy in heaven.
Are you ready to lay it all down and play "The Opposite Game" with the world? Hey, I know who wins in the end.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for commenting on my blog "Underneath the Threads." God Bless! :)