You are a Blessing to Others!

Good morning to all on this glorious Sunday morning and Happy Mother's Day to all the mother's in the house. I have thoroughly enjoyed being a mother and I have been blessed to share my joy with four wonderful children. Aleron is at the house with us this weekend and there is something about having you children around you that gives you a sense of wholeness. Waine and I are both motherless children but remember our mother's often. We were blessed to have Hisako and Violet in our lives.

I am continuing my journey in Acts 19 verses 1-41 " While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?" "John's baptism," they replied. Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus." On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all. Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the Word of the Lord. God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out." Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds.  A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.  In this way the Word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. After I have been there, he said, I must visit Rome also.  He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer.
     

About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no little business for the craftsmen. He called them together, along with the workmen in related trades, and said: "Men, you know we receive a good income from this business. And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all. There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty." When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions from Macedonia, and rushed as one man into the theater. Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater. The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. The Jews pushed Alexander to the front, and some of the crowd shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: "Men of Ephesus, doesn't all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to be quiet and not do anything rash. You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges.  If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of today's events. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it."  After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly." Amen and may God bless the reading and hearing of His Word.

As I go through the Acts of the Apostles and read of their accounts through Asia it strikes me that before he, Paul, brought the Gospel to the world of Asia, the people of these nations had a lot of Displaced Spirituality--they had beliefs and customs and were faithful to them. They worshiped idols that had their own histories; they were possessed with evil spirits who recognized the name of Jesus even when the people themselves did not. These folk were looking to believe in something greater than themselves. This is the nature of man. We have to and do believe in something greater than ourselves. I have not met anyone in my 60 years of traveling on this earth that was devoid of beliefs. They may not believe in God but believe in something. We are all hard wired in that regard. We may believe in our own power to be moral and upright, To be fair and kind. More and more of us get caught up in the dark spirits and believe in the power of hate and self indulgence. We all believe in something. As Christians our belief is in the Power and Majesty of God through Christ. We then are filled with the Holy Spirit whose main job is to allow us to live in faith so that others can come to know the love and power of God through Christ. The world, just like the people of Ephesus, is looking for something to believe in. The world is almost willing to believe in anything -- you hear it in the news daily. The world is thirsty to quench the void that fills lives without Christ. Just like Paul and his disciples it is our job to present the Gospel to this sin sick world. Like them we will not always be accepted because dark spirits want to retain their hold on the lives of the confused and lost. It at times may be dangerous and physically harmful to us but the rewards are so worth it. To know Christ and His Power through our own sacrifice is a SWEET TIME for all that know Him. To watch Him work through circumstances that you thought were impossible and to change lives right before your eyes makes it all worth while. I am a believer in the Power of Christ and the Holy Spirit. I am a Believer in the majesty and glory of God. I am at peace with the knowledge that God works through me and  my faith so that others can come to know and love Him. As long as we stay humble to His calling more will come to know Him.

Don't get wrapped up in the circumstances you may find yourself in. God doesn't care about your circumstance. He just wants you to proclaim in faith what you know to be true--that God loves you and cares for you and that Christ died to set us free. Such a simple story--so much Power exists because Christ went to the Cross for you and me. To know God is to love Him. To love God is to serve Him. To serve God is to love you.

Now may the LORD bless you and keep you. May the LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

Stephanie

Don't Waste Your Time! Just Sow.

Good morning to all on this 1st Sunday of May. Waine and I are in Thomaston and are preparing to leave for Vancouver tomorrow so please pray for our traveling mercies. Spring has finally SPRUNG in Georgia. It is consistently in the 70's during the day and it doesn't get dark until 7:30 PM which means I can come from the office and still enjoy some day light. Ms. Bertha is chomping at the bit to get her garden planted but some of the renovations we are doing to the house is interfering.

I am continuing my journey in Acts 18: 1 -28 :After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.  When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized. One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.  For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God. While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment.  “This man,” they charged, “is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.” Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to them, “If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law—settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things.” So he drove them off. Then the crowd there turned on Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the proconsul; and Gallio showed no concern whatever. Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken. They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. When he landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch. After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah." Amen and may God add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.

As you can see, Paul had enough of these Jews you continued to deny the existence of Christ and he made a conscious decision to begin to preach the Word to the Gentiles. This was God's plan all along and God works through people like Paul and like you and me. All of the disciples were Jews looking for their Messiah. They understood the Mosaic laws and understood that they were the "seed" through lineage that was promised and fulfilled through Abraham. God had a MUCH GRANDER plan however. God's plan was that all would come to benefit from the salvation made possible by the sacrifice of Christ and He had to use the believers who were at hand --which is this case were Jews for Jesus. God's plan was to use the belief of the Jewish Christians to lead the Gentiles to the same salvation through Christ. God's timing is always impeccable and His plans are far in away more advanced than our tiny  minds can even comprehend. What He is also telling us is that we should not waste our time with folk who continue to deny the power and majesty of God. It is our job to preach the Gospel and its the job of the Holy Spirit to convict and convince which He cannot do until the Word of God has been provided to the blind and unknowing. So we are the SOWERS and once we sow the seed we are not to quarrel  and once we sense that we are preaching to the closed hearted, we are to move on. It is a privilege to be part of the Body of Christ and we don't have to beg or plead for others to come to know the God we love and serve. Everyone of us will have a day of atonement and reckoning. It hurts my heart that some of my loved ones have rationalized that there is no God when the evidence is all around them. That is just what Satan wants. When all else has failed continue to pray for the lost and then move on which is what I do daily. God is able to soften hearts and change minds; He is able to humble even the most proud and arrogant if the seed of His Word as been planted. Be Sowers today for this lost world we live in.

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

Stephanie

We Are His Offspring!

Good morning to all. Waine and I are in Thomaston this weekend listening to the birds singing. It has ben a wonderful weekend; the air is dry and warm and plenty of sunshine. Aleron is in the Dominican Republic so please pray for his safe return today.  My sister and her family, Freddie and his family , Waine and I were in Houston last weekend for a mini family reunion. We all had a GREAT time. It is always good to be wit my kin-folk and the little ones. We had good Hailie and Kai time and look forward to many more moments with them. Our Columbus office saw 88 patients in the 1st week of operations and we are off and running on this venture. God is very good and I for one cannot stop talking about it.

I am continuing my journey in Acts 17 1-34 "When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women. But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.  But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil.  Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go. 

As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.  As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men. But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible. 

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.  A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?  You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)  Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.  And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything. Rather, He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.  From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.  God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us. ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’ Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent. For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.  When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” At that, Paul left the Council.  Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others." Amen! May God add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.

One of the things that struck me in this passage is the boldness and conviction with which Paul, Silas and the other Apostles preached the Word of God. They were not ashamed and often had to argue their case in front of learned men and women who had other beliefs. They were not there to CONVINCE or CONVICT because that is the job of the Holy Spirit, they were there to preach and provide their testimony concerning Christ and the life everyone could live with Christ. We all have such opportunities. Most of us live in the "Thessalonicas, Breas, and Athens of this age. We walk and live among folk who worship an "UNKNOWN GOD" because they do not want to submit their lives to the One and True God. We live among people who think it is okay JUST to be moral --but it is not because morality has no place in Heaven. We live among people who worship satan and demons. We live among people who worship power and money. We live among people who worship themselves. Christians, however are the OFFSPRING of GOD and we are to live and move and have our very existence through the relationship we have with God through Christ. Our lives are to reflect the love and power of God. If we mirror the world then the world will not see Christ through us.

That simple phrase, "What would Jesus Do?" is a phrase I remind myself of often; especially when Stephanie gets in the way. Instead of reacting to people and situations, I pause more and think "This is an opportunity to witness through my life!" When you allow the Holy Spirit to work through you, it removes SELF and all the messed up "tapes" we have running through our heads. We, as Christians, are to allow JESUS to live, move and have His being in us, so that this sick world will receive the gift of salvation. We are His offspring and have His Spirit and therefore others should recognize us as His own. Would they? Would You?

To know Him to is love Him. To love Him is to Serve Him. To serve Him is to love You. Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

Stephanie

Cross references:

1. Numbers 6:24 : S Ge 28:3; Dt 28:3-6; Ps 28:9; 128:5
2. Numbers 6:24 : 1Sa 2:9; Ps 17:8
3. Numbers 6:25 : Job 29:24; Ps 4:6; 31:16; 80:3; 119:135
4. Numbers 6:25 : Ge 43:29; Ps 25:16; 86:16; 119:29
5. Numbers 6:26 : Ps 4:6; 44:3
6. Numbers 6:26 : Ps 4:8; 29:11; 37:11, 37; 127:2; Isa 14:7; Jer 33:6; Jn 14:27

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Your Life is a Witness--You Never Know Who is Watching!

Good morning to all on this Palm Sunday morning. Waine and I are in Thomaston this weekend. We (ZOe) hosted a Easter Egg hunt at The Rock Ranch yesterday and over 2,000 kids attended. The kids were able to hunt for eggs , zip line and climb the rock wall. The event lasted from 11 AM - 2 PM; I was working the Saturday clinic so was unable to attend. Jill, Brooks and Mackenzie came for a short visit. Brooks was competing in an international Taekwondo tournament in Atlanta and daughter Jill used the occasion to see the new house in Thomaston. It was a short and lovely visit. Our Columbus office opens tomorrow. God has parted the "Red Sea" for us and we are walking through. I witnessed about this vision that God had for ZOe  in Columbus so many have seen the Power and Glory of God work to bring this about. When God is for something, nothing can prevail against it, hallelujah! Pray for us that we would be a continued blessing to the patients we serve.

I am continuing my journey in Acts, chapter 16 verses 1- 39, "Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers. Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”  After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. 

From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us. 

Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her. When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.  He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the Word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household. When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.” 

But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.” The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left." Amen. May God add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.

There were several puzzling portions of this passage or me. The first of which is why would Paul be annoyed that the slave woman was proclaiming that they were servants of Christ. I had to think on this for a minute because I couldn't understand what about that was annoying. Then I got it. The unclean spirit in the woman was more mocking than prophetic. The spirit meant to belittle the Power and Majesty of Christ. Christ is more than a fortune teller, He is the future and does not need Satan or his demons to qualify it or substantiate it. Remember always that Satan knows the scriptures more than we do. Satan is quite aware of the Power of Faith and the Power of the sacrifice of Jesus. Satan is one being who understand fully what eternity without God is like, he (Satan) experiences this reality daily. Satan also knows what eternity will be like for people who do not accept the atonement made possible through a faith in Christ. Satan is intent on getting as many souls as he can to be with him in hell for eternity.

The example of the fortune teller is contrasted to that of the jailer who was an unbeliever until he saw the power of God especially as it relates to His chosen ones. God sent an earthquake to destroy the jail. He was demonstrating at that point that there is no power on earth or in heaven that can hold the servants of God. There is no power that can stand against His children. Paul and Silas understood this which is why they did not need to flee. They understood that their incarceration was part of God's plan of salvation for the jailer and all other who witnessed His true power. By not fleeing, Paul and Silas demonstrated their faith. As children of God we do not have to flee any situation. We are to stand firm so that others can come to the realization that what God says is true; He will be our Shield, our Rock and our Sword. No power or principality of this world can stand against us. We need only stay true to our faith!

Are there chains holding you today? Are you burdened by any particular thing? You need only pray and believe and you jail cell will be opened and your chains and shackles will fall off. Just look at Waine and I. So many of our "shackles" have been removed. Jill remarked that she was in awe of our current situation. She called it our "victory lap" and it is. Our time and circumstances now is our victory lap. It is God telling us and the world through us that you are never too old to experience success --the only ingredients are faith and obedience.

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

Stephanie

Preaching Religion and Not the Word of God!

Good morning to all on this Tuesday morning. I know I usually post on Sunday's but this Sunday was taken up with going to church in Columbus, GA. It has been a challenging but filling last couple of weeks in which I continue to learn about the sovereignty of God and His love for me and all of us. Zoë will be opening its 3rd site on 4/14/14 in Columbus, GA. God has "opened the red sea for us" and we are walking through to this new venture. Staff are hired; office is equipped, and God will send the patients. Oh what a difference it has been establishing this location than when Waine and I opened the Thomaston location. God has blessed up mightily wit Thomaston and rewarded our faith with Barnesville and Columbus. Continue to pray God's mercy, grace and wisdom for us as we move forward.

I am continuing my journey in Acts 15, verses 1-41, "Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them. Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.” The apostles and elders met to consider this question. After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.  Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear?  No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.” The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.  When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me.  Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: “‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things’ things known from long ago. “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.” 

Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers. With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁷ Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell. So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them. But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord. 

Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.”  Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord.  He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. Amen and may the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.

This was an interesting chapter to me. There is a tendency in the church to make up rules of worship which is why the Baptist have their rituals, the Methodist have their rituals, the Catholics have their rituals, the Presbyterians have their rituals and so on. This chapter is significant in that is should remind believers that the birth, death and resurrection of Christ fulfilled all the laws of Moses--or said another way all the rituals that provided evidence of purification of our hearts towards God was fulfilled by the sacrifice of Christ. He, Christ, is the fulfillment of all the laws and commandment. As Christians we are only commanded to 1) love God with all of our hearts, mind and soul and then 2) to love one another just as Christ loved us, sacrificially. On these two (2) commandments hang all the laws of the universe. We now need no rituals to receive the love of God so as Christians we are not authorized to judge--we are only to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel.

Likewise, when we have disputes among each other, we are not to separate but to find common ground through Christ. When all else fails, we are not to stop loving each other but to love each other even through disagreements as God commanded. As Christians, the love of God through Christ should so shine in and through our lives that others, who are lost may come to know Christ and accept His gift of forgiveness and eternal life. If the world sees us bickering with one another, why should they believe in this great LOVE  called Jesus. Remember, Christ warns us in the last days of many false prophets; many who are wolves in sheep's clothing. If you have any doubt then speak the Good News of salvation and if it is the devil he will flee from you. Be alert as Christians that you are not led astray by our own thinking. We are only to preach the salvation of the Cross.

To know Him is to love Him. To love Him is to serve Him. To serve Him is to love you. Have a great week. Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

Cross references:

1. Numbers 6:24 : S Ge 28:3; Dt 28:3-6; Ps 28:9; 128:5
2. Numbers 6:24 : 1Sa 2:9; Ps 17:8
3. Numbers 6:25 : Job 29:24; Ps 4:6; 31:16; 80:3; 119:135
4. Numbers 6:25 : Ge 43:29; Ps 25:16; 86:16; 119:29
5. Numbers 6:26 : Ps 4:6; 44:3
6. Numbers 6:26 : Ps 4:8; 29:11; 37:11, 37; 127:2; Isa 14:7; Jer 33:6; Jn 14:27

Stephanie