Jesus Ascends to Heaven (Acts 1:8)

Today’s Readings: Acts 1:1-11

Here’s the knowledge you need: you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. And you will be My witnesses, first here in Jerusalem, then beyond to Judea and Samaria, and finally to the farthest places on earth.

I once thought I needed lots of education to Christ with others. After all, not long after Constantine declared Christianity the religion of the realm, the church became the center of education for the kingdom. Churches held the knowledge of the ages. They produced the books used to teach children and set the standards, many of which we still use today in education.

I found most people aren’t really impressed with a lot of education when it comes to introducing them to Christ. People what genuine experience, not fancy words when it comes to knowing God. Theological terms that come from dusty tomes on the top shelves in the back corners of libraries don’t mean much to the average person. They want concrete evidence that God can help them out of the fix where they find themselves.

I hear from a lot of people they can’t share Christ with others because they don’t know how. They need training. They need someone to teach them the right formula to win others to Christ before they put themselves out there as soul winners. Of course, the last time I read my Bible (this morning) we can’t save anyone. Only God can do that. We don’t win anyone to Him. He wins us to Himself. And I really haven’t seen any magic formula for reaching out and sharing Christ with others. I think that’s why I like the way The Voice translates this verse as Jesus addresses His disciples at His ascension.

“Here’s the knowledge you need…” Jesus doesn’t follow with many words after that. He didn’t quote the Law or the Prophets. He didn’t give them any special process or procedure to follow. He didn’t share any mystical mantra with them. He just told them essentially two truths. First, you’ll receive power. And you’ll receive it to do one thing. You’ll receive that power to act as witnesses of what I do in your life.

That’s it! That’s the magic formula. That’s what He tells His disciples and followers to do. Wait prayerfully for the Holy Spirit to come on you, then witness what that’s like. Tell people what happened to you. Start at home, in Jerusalem. Then share with your neighbors, in Judea and Samaria. Then witness to the rest of the world.

So, I don’t have to be a scholar to prayer and diligently seek for God’s Holy spirit. I don’t have to earn degrees and line my wall with certificates to know God fully and let Him lead my life from within. Neither do I need degrees or fancy words to describe what God does in my life. I can just tell someone what He’s doing right now. That’s what a witness does. He tells in his own words what he sees, hears, feels, and knows is true.

I can do that. So can you. Let’s start!

Join me next time, won’t you?

Richard

A crazy request from God (Hosea 1:2)

Today’s Readings: Hosea 1-4; Matthew 18

“Eternal One (to Hosea): Go and marry a woman who is a prostitute and have children who come from this unfaithfulness. This will represent how the land of Israel has abandoned Me and become a prostitute to other masters!”

I sure am glad God didn’t ask me to do what He asked Hosea to do. God needed an object lesson for the Israelites and asked Hosea to marry a prostitute and then act as father to children he didn’t know if they were his. God asked Hosea to do this as an object lesson for the Israelites. That’s some object lesson to ask of a prophet!

Can you imagine Hosea’s shock when God asked him to marry a prostitute? Remember who God is talking to and who He is talking about. Put yourself back in time to Hosea’s day. Women held little worth in society. Men bartered cattle for them and not many at that. The price Hosea paid later in today’s reading amounted to six pieces of silver. Those were less than an ounce each. This week’s average price would make her worth  about $120. We can spend that much on a good steak dinner!

God speaks to Hosea

I can imagine Hosea’s shock at God’s directive. “What? Are You sure? Do you really know what Gomer does for a living? Isn’t she going to sort of spoil my reputation in the community? God, do You know what You’re doing here? You realize she’s a prostitute, right? You know everyone will laugh at me, don’t you? You know I won’t be on the invitation list for the temple or the king’s short list any more, right? God, let me ask one more time. Are you really sure Gomer is the one you want me to marry?”

That would have been one tough test of obedience for Hosea. He immediately became an outcast in society to carry out God’s plan to point out the coming wrath of God. But remember who the kings were during his prophecies. Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Uzziah and Hezekiah both followed God during their reigns. Perhaps partly because of the prophecies of this man living in front of them the personification of the nature of Israel’s prostitution with other gods. 

We never know how God might use us to influence other people. We don’t know the seemingly crazy things He might ask us to do that changes the course of human events because others see our obedience and the imagery our actions make in their minds. God may not make His requests to us as blatant as He did with Hosea, but His requests always contain specific ends in mind. We may not see them or understand them, but God does. We can rest in the assurance that He knows what He is doing…always. 

I don’t think God will ask me to marry a prostitute this week (especially since I’m happily married to my wife of 37 years and I don’t think polygamy was God’s idea). But He might ask me to do something that sounds almost as crazy. The question is, will I obey Him and trust Him to bring His purposes to fruition through my obedience.

Join me next time, won’t you?

Richard

Apollos Speaks Boldly (Acts 18:26)

Today’s Readings: Ezekiel 29-31; Acts 18

Luke gives us an important lesson in the words he pens in verse 26. We’re introduced to Apollos and told he speaks boldly in the synagogue telling people about Jesus. What I like about Luke’s narrative is he doesn’t leave it there. He talks of a young convert who then goes to the house of Priscilla and Aquilla to learn the ways of God more adequately.

That’s a really important description. Too often we think we need to go to school and get our Doctor of Divinity before we can begin to talk with others about God. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus calls us to witness. So what is a witness? The dictionary says a witness is an individual who, being present, personally sees or perceives a thing: a beholder, spectator, or eyewitness. A person who gives testimony, as in a court of law.

So if we are commanded to witness, we must first personally see or perceive a thing. We must have the experience. We must be eyewitnesses of the things we tell others. Third-party information doesn’t count on the witness stand. Apollos started as soon as he experienced forgiveness in his repentance. He didn’t know all there was to know. He stopped his instruction to others at the baptism John taught. He didn’t know about the blessings of the Holy Spirit. He hadn’t heard the rest of the story. But he told what he knew.

Apollos acted as a witness for what God had already done in his life and was anxious to share the news with others. When he went home with Priscilla and Aquilla, Apollos heard the rest of the story and began preaching that story. We don’t have to wait to tell what we know. We don’t have to get some grand dispensation from some grand institution to tell those around us what God is doing in our life. We just need to open our mouth and witness – give testimony, as in a court of law. Tell what’s happening. Tell what you’ve seen or perceived because of God in your life. What has changed because of Him? Just tell someone. That’s all He has asked us to do! We talk about our kids. We talk about our job. We talk about our neighbors. We talk about the weather. When will we get around to talking about the One who gives us life?

Join me next time, won’t you?

Richard

Love Your Enemies (Luke 6:27)

Today’s Readings: Isaiah 7-9; Luke 6:27-49

It’s easy for us to say the words “love your enemies,” but it is something else to actually do it. Remember the word Jesus uses here is ‘agape.’ That is God’s kind of love that requires an affirmative step toward doing them good. It may be okay in our way of thinking to avoid or enemies or ignore them, to not do them harm or bite or tongue when we have opportunity to say what we’d really like to say. But that’s not what Jesus told us to do. He told us to love our enemies. Take positive action to show them good. That in anyone’s book is a hard step.

Today the world tells to get even. Get back at the one who hurt us. The popular TV programs are all about revenge and getting back with double payment for the wrong committed. It’s motto is get them before they get you. We stand on the brink of total annihilation all the time. Everyone wants another nuclear weapon to point at their neighbor so we can make sure they are as dead as we are if they push the button first. We can at least shoot back and kill them too.

The truth be told, sometimes it’s hard to love your enemies. When you are hurt because of their actions, it is hard to be kind in return. It is hard to pray for their good and harder to take positive action to make good things happen for them. But that is the command Jesus gives us in this verse. How many of us prayed for Saddam Hussein’ s salvation during the Gulf War or for Osama Bin Laden after 9/11? I’ll have to admit I struggled with it. I tried to remember they were also souls Jesus died for, just like me. It is always their choice whether or not to accept him.

Those enemies are sometimes easier to pray for and think about than the neighbor that keeps putting trash in your yard. Or the kid that keyed your car. Or the co-worker that lied to win the promotion you deserved. Those are the ones that are tough go out of your way to provide affirmative acts of kindness. But that is the “love your enemies” clause. Hard to do? Yep. Impossible? Not with God living inside. And it’s amazing how quickly the hate goes away when you’re doing something good for someone. The too don’t seem to coexist very well together.

Join me next time, won’t you?

Richard