3 JUL 23 Monday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 3 JUL 23 Monday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem: and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria.” Acts 8:1

At the beginning of Acts chapter one verse eight the Lord charged his followers to the task of world mission by being empowered witnesses of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The scope was the world which includes the nations of the world.  It was and is a big mission to accomplish through ordinary people.  The Lord has given us a powerful, unchanging message, and the Holy Spirit in order to change the lives of all that receive Him.

In order to reach the nations, you actually have to go to them.  We cannot just wait around and expect them to show up on our doorstep unless our focus is on Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Solar Power salesmen, and political activists.  They need the true life-saving Gospel for sure! There are more people who have never heard the good news once that are not in your city but are in a town in another country.

When we don’t move, God may create an issue that moves to where he expects us to be.  The believers in Acts didn’t yet obey Acts 1:8, so they got Acts 8:1.  They were ultimately scattered by persecution into the very places that Jesus “commanded” them to go.  Think about that.  We are often busy on our own mission pursuing the American Dream, materialism, and pleasure, and ignoring Jesus’ Mission.

How long will the church remain rebellious and disobedient to the commands of Jesus?! Will the church wait until persecution comes to start living for Him and not themselves? What are you waiting for?

Reading Plan: Psalm 106:1-18; 1 Sam. 10:17-27; Acts 7:44-8:1;  Luke. 22:52-62

Discipleship at the pool of Bethseda

23 JUN 23 Friday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 23 JUN 23 Friday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and fellowship, and to sharing meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.” Acts 2: 42

The section of Acts 2 of our reading plan is a great place to learn about the marks of a healthy church and healthy disciples.  This is the most basic recipe of a church.  There were no buildings, professional clergy, budgets, or programs.  When most of us look for a church or those that are not believers look at a church they see these things.  

If they have up-to-date facilities with nice bathrooms, children and youth programs, professional staff to our liking, and money to pull all of that off, sign me up.  You might think I was describing the YMCA or some club if you didn’t know I was talking about a church.  That is the sad part about this today.  We have come to expect the church to serve our needs versus us submitting to God’s rule and obeying his ways.

Form follows function as some great businessmen would say.  What you produce depends on how you are designed to function.  A pastor friend scratches his head and wonders why people are not making disciples and living for Jesus even though they talk about it every Sunday.  He asks, what is wrong with them? It’s actually “how” they do church that produces observers and consumers, rather than producers and doers of the word.  Doing church and being the church are vastly different things and are not a game of semantics.

If you want someone who is a faith practitioner versus an attendee, you must change the process.  The early church didn’t have to keep people entertained and satisfied, they were a training center that prepared people to live for Jesus, be on a mission, and enjoy one another.  The end product was a people who were disciple-making practitioners that multiplied wherever they went.

Is the church producing what it was designed for?

Reading Plan: Psalm 88; 1 Sam. 3:1-21; Acts 2:37-47;  Luke. 21:5-19

22 JUN 23 Thursday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 22 JUN 23 Thursday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“Utterly disgrace them until they submit to your name, O Lord.  Let them be ashamed and terrified forever.  Let them die in disgrace.   Then they will learn that you alone are called the Lord, that you alone are the Most High, supreme over all the earth.” Psalm 83: 16-18

The writer of the Psalms often uses imprecatory prayers in his conversation with God.  He identifies an enemy not just of his own, but God’s enemy.  These anti-God neighbors are truly breathing threats to end the life of the writer and the people of God.  This is a plea for defense and an ultimate end to those that come against God specifically and by extension the chosen people.

From the spiritual side, God’s sovereign election places people into two camps, the saved and the condemned.  John 3:18 says that those that do not believe are condemned already and are just awaiting sentencing.  This is no different than when the Jews were the only chosen of God.  If believers were to do nothing, their enemies and God’s enemies would remain on the road to hell.

Interestingly, the psalmist hopes that the enemy would be humbled or disgraced until they submit to the name of the Lord.  Let them be ashamed and terrified of the reality of who God really is.  When a person is born again, they see God for who he is and the fear of the Lord takes effect.  The words of the beatitudes hit that person. (Matt 5)  They become poor in spirit and realize they have been enemies with God and now they really need God.

They mourn over their own sin as shame, guilt, and disgrace set in.  They are humbled before the Lord and are moved to submit their lives to God.  Their distaste for the things of God changes into a hunger and thirst for him.  They have tasted and seen that the Lord is good. (Ps. 34) This is a beautiful thing to experience for yourself, but also for those that rebel against God.  

 

If you want them to suffer the wrath of God, don’t share the gospel with them.  But we cannot do that! We are commanded to love our enemy and to tell them the good news.  The results are up to God.  Now you can pray this psalm “for” your enemy with a bit of a different goal.

Are you praying for your enemies and the ungodly in your world?

Reading Plan: Psalm 83, 34; 1 Sam. 2:27-36; Acts 2:22-36;  Luke. 20:41-21:4

21 JUN 23 Wednesday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 21 JUN 23 Wednesday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in other languages as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.  And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!” Acts 2:4, 11

In the previous chapter Jesus said, the believers would receive power for the purpose of being witnesses for him.  The goal of the great commission given in Matthew 28, is to make disciples of all nations until Jesus returns.  In order to do that, one has to speak the gospel to another so that by hearing it can surrender to Jesus.  How could these guys share with people that spoke a language they did not know?

Well today, missionaries go to language school for a couple of years so they can become proficient and then travel to the country where that language is spoken to begin sharing with others.  When the Holy Spirit was first given to the Apostles and believers, there were millions of Jews and God-fearing people in Jerusalem.  They spoke many different languages and the Lord had the intention to use them at that moment for reaching the lost.

The Holy Spirit gave them at that moment the ability to speak languages that were not known to them.  While the languages were different, the message was the same.  They were glorifying God in what he has accomplished and the gospel was delivered.  Those that didn’t understand Arabic or Farsi thought the people were drunk, but the people who did hear the message loud and clear.

This is a great picture of the reversal of Babel in Genesis 11 where God scattered the people and confused their language.  Now God is bringing them back together through the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection.  Turning from your sin and putting your trust in Jesus for what he has done for you will bring salvation.  The Holy Spirit is still in it from start to finish.  He changes hearts, opens minds to the Word, directs witnesses, empowers an effectual call, and seals believers as Christ’s own forever.

Are you using the power given to you the way God intended?

Reading Plan: Psalm 119:97-120; 1 Sam. 2:12-26; Acts 2:1-21;  Luke. 20:27-40