GOD REACHES OUT TO THOSE WHO WANT TO KNOW HIM
I send greetings in the name of Jesus:
There are many times when I start to write a blog when I don't have a clue as to what it is God once me to say until the first words of the first sentence appear. One of the things that concerns me a great deal in our churches today is a feeling of the lack of God's Spirit moving through the people, and in particular through people's lives during the week or whatever. Of time they are not in the church service. For a great many people today there doesn't seem to be any real change occur in their lives from the time they come to Christ and set through 20 years of what we call worship services.
As I read the book of acts as an example I find the circumstances in people's lives tended to change rather dramatically when they gave their lives over to Jesus and received God's Holy Spirit. I was reading the example given of Saul's life as he went about persecuting Christians until he met Christ on the road to Damascus. I consider how Peter's life was changed dramatically from the time that he learned the truth about the difference between making a claim to know and follow Christ and then what it was like to actually receive the gift of the Holy Spirit in his life. These are all things then we cannot and should not control within our lives. Even for someone like Cornelius who was an Army officer for the Roman army, and yet also a follower of Christ it became difficult to really open up to the power of God's Spirit until Peter became willing to break some of the Jewish custom and rules about entering into a Gentiles house.
The early days of Christianity work citing because God's Spirit move in people's lives were changed. Converts were pouring in from surprising backgrounds. As I read these testimonies of different facets and directions of people's lives being unified under God's Holy Spirit there were significant aspects that came to my mind in particular about Cornelius's character. The account is found in ACTS 10: as Cornelius actively sought God. Cornelius revered God, he was generous in meeting other people's needs, and he prayed. It was God who told Cornelius to send for Peter, because Peter would give him more knowledge about the God that he was already seeking to please.
When Peter entered Cornelius's home, he broke a whole list of Jewish rules about who he should be talking to or relating to religiously. Even though Peter confessed that he was not comfortable being there he found that he had a very eager audience, and because of that he couldn't hold back his message. Peter had no sooner started sharing the gospel when God's spirit gave him overwhelming approval by filling that whole Roman family with his Holy Spirit. Peter saw that he had no choice but to baptize them and welcome them as equals into the growing Christian church. It seems like another step had been taken in carrying out the gospel to the whole world. Today I believe that we are beginning to face a different kind of religious plague in our churches. It is one which separates us as children of God from one another every bit as much as those Jewish rules and customs were separating Peter from witnessing and preaching to the Roman officer Cornelius. I believe that God is still trying to reach out to all of those who want to know him, and I believe that there are still quite a few people who are seeking him in different ways. The mission of the church, and our witness in Christ has never changed the gospel is open to all people. I believe there are people everywhere who are still eager to believe in Christ, but they have to have a believable witness in us first before they can continue on their journey to seek out the power of God's Holy Spirit. God does not want us to be only willing to speak truth to others who are seeking the truth, but he wants us to be willing to be obedient to the light that God shines within us to simply give witness to that truth every day of our lives. Most all of that witness will be seen outside of the church services, and in our every day lives as we journey from place to place. It is time for us as children of God to open up to the power of God's spirit within us, and be like Peter who was willing to break some of the religious rules in order to share the kingdom of heaven was someone who was seeking after him. We cannot enter into heaven without becoming transformed through the renewing of our minds and our hearts. May you richly bless God through your life in him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
There are many times when I start to write a blog when I don't have a clue as to what it is God once me to say until the first words of the first sentence appear. One of the things that concerns me a great deal in our churches today is a feeling of the lack of God's Spirit moving through the people, and in particular through people's lives during the week or whatever. Of time they are not in the church service. For a great many people today there doesn't seem to be any real change occur in their lives from the time they come to Christ and set through 20 years of what we call worship services.
As I read the book of acts as an example I find the circumstances in people's lives tended to change rather dramatically when they gave their lives over to Jesus and received God's Holy Spirit. I was reading the example given of Saul's life as he went about persecuting Christians until he met Christ on the road to Damascus. I consider how Peter's life was changed dramatically from the time that he learned the truth about the difference between making a claim to know and follow Christ and then what it was like to actually receive the gift of the Holy Spirit in his life. These are all things then we cannot and should not control within our lives. Even for someone like Cornelius who was an Army officer for the Roman army, and yet also a follower of Christ it became difficult to really open up to the power of God's Spirit until Peter became willing to break some of the Jewish custom and rules about entering into a Gentiles house.
The early days of Christianity work citing because God's Spirit move in people's lives were changed. Converts were pouring in from surprising backgrounds. As I read these testimonies of different facets and directions of people's lives being unified under God's Holy Spirit there were significant aspects that came to my mind in particular about Cornelius's character. The account is found in ACTS 10: as Cornelius actively sought God. Cornelius revered God, he was generous in meeting other people's needs, and he prayed. It was God who told Cornelius to send for Peter, because Peter would give him more knowledge about the God that he was already seeking to please.
When Peter entered Cornelius's home, he broke a whole list of Jewish rules about who he should be talking to or relating to religiously. Even though Peter confessed that he was not comfortable being there he found that he had a very eager audience, and because of that he couldn't hold back his message. Peter had no sooner started sharing the gospel when God's spirit gave him overwhelming approval by filling that whole Roman family with his Holy Spirit. Peter saw that he had no choice but to baptize them and welcome them as equals into the growing Christian church. It seems like another step had been taken in carrying out the gospel to the whole world. Today I believe that we are beginning to face a different kind of religious plague in our churches. It is one which separates us as children of God from one another every bit as much as those Jewish rules and customs were separating Peter from witnessing and preaching to the Roman officer Cornelius. I believe that God is still trying to reach out to all of those who want to know him, and I believe that there are still quite a few people who are seeking him in different ways. The mission of the church, and our witness in Christ has never changed the gospel is open to all people. I believe there are people everywhere who are still eager to believe in Christ, but they have to have a believable witness in us first before they can continue on their journey to seek out the power of God's Holy Spirit. God does not want us to be only willing to speak truth to others who are seeking the truth, but he wants us to be willing to be obedient to the light that God shines within us to simply give witness to that truth every day of our lives. Most all of that witness will be seen outside of the church services, and in our every day lives as we journey from place to place. It is time for us as children of God to open up to the power of God's spirit within us, and be like Peter who was willing to break some of the religious rules in order to share the kingdom of heaven was someone who was seeking after him. We cannot enter into heaven without becoming transformed through the renewing of our minds and our hearts. May you richly bless God through your life in him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
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