Then Jesus said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20

The whole world… that’s a pretty big order. I was watching a news show this morning, and the reporter commented that the city of Tehran in Iran has the population of Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York City combined. When the cameras panned the skyline, the city seemed to go on and on in every direction, so many people. And that’s just in that one city. Our objective, given to us by Jesus himself, is the entire world.  That scope is truly beyond my comprehension.  But that clearly is our job, our goal, our command.  With a job so incomprehensible, where do we start?

Oddly enough, I believe the very first place we must visit is our own hearts. If our hearts are not properly directed and motivated, we will never get past our front door. So, what is our proper direction and motivation?

Our direction or power can come only from the Holy Spirit. I am not talking about a dramatic, emotional experience with God’s spirit, although those have their place and merit on our Christian walks. What I am talking about is a moment by moment walk with God, where we are confessing our sins to him as they occur (so that fellowship with him is not broken), and asking God to fill us with his Holy Spirit so that everything we do is in his power and not our own.

Then when we teach school, buy groceries, work in the office, and cut the grass, we do it all in the power of the Holy Spirit.  If we are practicing that kind of dependence on God, it is a natural thing to be used by him in the lives of those around us to share God’s love and forgiveness with them. Whether it is at work, at home, in leisure activities or in an intentional appointment with someone, sharing Christ with those we come in contact with is a natural overflow of being filled with the Holy Spirit.  It just makes sense that God would talk about himself to others through us.
If that’s the direction or power source for evangelism, what is the motivation?  Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:11, 14-15: “Since then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men.  What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is plain to your conscience.  For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.  And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again.”

Our motivation is love. Not our love for the world, for I fear we would have little of that to offer. It’s Christ’s love for that lost and dying world, like sheep without a shepherd. For some reason, Jesus looks at this world that ignores him, rejects him and persecutes him, and he loves it. He loves each individual despite their sin. And that love can flow through us, to motivate us to want to speak to those around us that don’t know God. He beckons the lost to himself through us, if we are willing to obey God and be his representatives in this world.

Yes, the scope is beyond our understanding and our means to reach. The world is huge, and we are small. But God has placed tiny pieces of “the world” all around us. Our families, friends, co-workers, neighbors, acquaintances, and even strangers are around us in need of a personal relationship with him. We can open our mouths and allow God to use us. We can open our schedules and make time to be with those who need to know. We can open our wallets and give to missionaries who go to places we cannot and will not go. We can open our hearts to join in prayer for ourselves and others to be ministers of reconciliation.  And if each of us were obedient to do these things right here that he has for us, and if Christians all over South Carolina and the United States were obedient, and Christians all over this world were obedient to do and say the things he has commanded us to do, “the world” would not seem like such a huge and daunting goal.

Every giant accomplishment on earth began with many small steps that led up to the final product.  The question for us is, “are we willing to take those small steps that will lead to the world being reached for Christ?”

points to ponder

• What is directing and empowering my life?
• What motivation force is controlling my life?
• Am I practicing being filled with the Holy Spirit?
• Am I willing to be obedient to God and be used by him?

prayer

Lord Jesus, I don not know why you love me and choose to use me in your plan here on earth. I acknowledge that I often fail to listen to you, and fail to speak for you in my relationships with others.  I know you have put them in my life for a reason, and I ask for you to fill me with your Holy Spirit so that I can speak for you. Show me what this world looks like to you. Help me understand your love for people, and your role for me.  I love you and desire to be used by you on this earth. Give me the courage to take the first steps of obedience. Amen.

So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days.

Ephesians 5:15-16

There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven. A time to be quiet and a time to speak up.

Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7b

Live wisely among those who are not Christians, and make the most of every opportunity.  Let your conversation be gracious and effective so that you will have the right answer for everyone.

Colossians 4:5-6

When I was a kid, I remember hearing a song in church about the need to value the time we’re given in our lives and not take a single day for granted. The song was entitled, “Plenty of Time” by a lady named Connie Smith. It talked about how we go through life hearing about God and the Truth of His Word, but we so often procrastinate in giving our lives over to Him, thinking, “Oh, I’ll do that sometime later because right now I’ve got ‘plenty of time.’”

None of us are guaranteed tomorrow. James 4:14 asks the question, “How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.” We must not put off until tomorrow the opportunity we have to build a relationship with Christ today.  We don’t know that tomorrow will ever come for us. And, if we already have a relationship with Jesus, we must not put off today’s opportunity to grow in that relationship and to invite others to give their lives to God. Just as we’re not promised tomorrow, neither is anyone else.  We must make the most of every chance we have to share Jesus with those around us who may not have yet given their hearts over to Him.
It is so easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of life; the mundane, routine, “get up and go about the day just trying to pay the bills, clothe the kids, feed the family, please the boss” way of living. But, while those things are important, they are not the primary reason for our time on earth. We are here to worship God, to serve Him, and to help others learn to do the same. When we lose sight of that, we fall into the pit of aimlessness, regret, confusion, and a feeling that our lives have no purpose.

How many people do you know who have said they just want to know what the purpose of their lives is? Have you ever asked yourself that question? Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Life, was consumed by millions of people because that’s exactly the kind of life everyone wants, but few people actually feel they have it.

We must be living our lives on purpose for Christ, everyday, because there is a very definite timeline for when this life will be over and we will have no more opportunities to accept Christ or invite others to do so. The Bible says that though no one but God the Father knows the exact hour when Jesus will return to earth and call His children to live eternally with Him in Heaven, THAT DAY IS DEFINITELY COMING! You can and are staking your life on that truth, one way or another!

We must sense the urgency to seize every opportunity we have to share God’s love and His message with those around us. We must realize that TODAY could be the day when Jesus returns!  Do you really believe it could be today? Do you live in such anticipation of His return that it actually effects your actions today, or are you succumbing to the mind-set that you have “Plenty of Time?”

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God.  First, all the Christians who have died will rise from their graves.  Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

Make no mistake, Jesus is coming back! There is a point in the human timeline where all will be completely said and done and all our work on earth will be over. When that day comes, whether in our lifetime or another’s, will we have done everything we could to share Christ and live our lives for His purpose? Don’t waste the time you’ve been given.  It is precious and it is fleeting. No matter how much time you may think you have, the truth is you really don’t know.  Share Jesus today!

Plenty of Time, Connie Smith
I got up on Sunday morning went to the church at ten
I listened to the words I’d heard time and time again
The preacher spoke of sinful lives, it seems he spoke of mine
But I was young, I had plenty of time.
I walked on down life’s pathway living as I wished to live
Out to beat the other fellow, how to get what life could give
Making money isn’t sinful having fun is not a crime
So I’ll just wait, I’ve got plenty of time
Plenty of time to decide where I’m bound
To eternal darkness or to a Heavenly crown
I’m just a young girl not yet in my prime
So I’ll just wait, I’ve got plenty of time
Before I knew what happened life scenes had passed away
And millions stood before God’s throne
For it was judgment day
Now eternal darkness beckons and the name it calls is mine
But I thought that I had plenty of time
Eternity waits I’ve got plenty of time
To think of all the days that Christ could have been mine
Now my chance is over, earth’s days are left behind
And here am I, I’ve got plenty of time.
Now I’ve got nothing but plenty of time.

When the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, are you going to free Israel now and restore our kingdom?”

“The Father sets those dates,” he replied, “and they are not for you to know.”

Acts 1:6-7

Then Jesus answered, “I am not an earthly king. If I were, my followers would have fought when I was arrested by the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.”

Pilate replied, “You are a king then?”

“You say that I am a king, and you are right,” Jesus said. “I was born for that purpose. And I came to bring truth to the world. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.”

John 18:36-37

“When God?”

“When are you going to show yourself? Look at all these heathens, cursing your name in traffic! How they make my life miserable! Could you just step out from the clouds and let them know how upset you are about what’s going on? Show me some retribution, some payback for all me and my friends go through!”

You might be able to imagine this mental conversation, today, and in the minds of the disciples as they talk to Jesus. Is it finally time? Are you going to finally give them “what they deserve”?

Jesus is our king. All too often that means very little, a trumped up title for a gift-giving Santa Claus. It meant the world to the early followers of Christ. It was enough of a claim to send the religious elite into a murderous tizzy.

The early disciples took their limited knowledge of scripture, and the claims of Christ, and made a simple logical leap that Jesus had to correct. “The Messiah is the king in David’s line and Jesus is the Messiah; therefore he’s a king! Maybe he’ll overthrow the Romans tomorrow and setup his eternal kingdom!”

Jesus wanted to be clear. He had no intention of setting up a worldly kingdom, political or otherwise. There would be a time and a place for that, but he wasn’t about to share those details.

One might ask, “Why?” Why not be clear about the when? And it seems reasonable to want to know. Jesus, however, with all the wisdom of God, keeps his mouth closed.

I have a simple reason, born out by the passage of Acts we have looked at. Jesus knew that the disciples focus was misdirected. They weren’t on the same page, yet.

Here, Jesus was attempting to spread the Kingdom of God, a family relationship with the God of the universe. This relationship had the power to transform the heart of people around the world. To shake the way things were done, the way people interacted. To shape the way God could work to heal the hurting, free the oppressed, offer hope to the down-and-out.

The disciples are thinking about getting even. Not to say that they aren’t in tune with the holiness of God, his great sovereignty, even zealous for God to be seen in all his power and glory. But they had missed the point. They expected God to think the same way power-craving people do. “God’s power was to be an overwhelming force that crushed those who didn’t believe.” Instead, they are told of a power that would indwell them and allow them to communicate God’s love to the nations.

Jesus is our king. He rules an everlasting kingdom made up of those connected by His Spirit. He longs to see that Kingdom advance. More than any hope for growth we could have, Jesus sees the full power and potential of a church empowered. A people empowered. Individual lives lived intentionally through prayer and humility, bleeding into the lives next door.

more scripture

For further study on the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the relationship to our new life and power, and the “kingdom of God”, turn your eyes to John 3. The popular kid’s story goes far deeper for an adult with eyes and ears ready to see and hear.

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me…The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to the one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!

Psalm 50:14-15, 23

Man’s chief end is to glorify God (Henry, Piper). Ultimately the greatest reason one should seek to develop a thankful heart is that this is what brings the Lord glory. This is our ultimate goal and purpose in life. Rather than requiring sacrifice, the Lord longs for us to respond in praise and thanksgiving. This is what brings Him greatest glory as His creation recognizes His goodness, His blessing, Himself, and responds in joyful thanks. A heart that responds with thanksgiving in all circumstances is a heart that trusts, a heart that knows God and rests in this knowledge.

One cannot truly be thankful without seriously considering the situation and the cost (or benefit) incurred. And while it is a natural response to be thankful for blessing, it is a supernatural response for one to praise the Lord in the midst of pain; to be thankful for the pain. And yet, how much more is the Lord glorified when his children thank Him in the midst of difficulty and strife, when they respond in thanksgiving through the power of the Holy Spirit and view their circumstances as light and momentary troubles that soon pass away in light of eternity with Him?

A thankful heart is not one that naturally develops, but one the Lord must grow in each of us through time and experience, blessing and pain, making the repeated choice to receive the cup given to us and to respond obediently, and yes, thankfully, because you trust that all is done for His glory and your good, and in the end you see Him that much more clearly.

What does a thankful heart look like?

Dave, at 18, looked like a cross between Genghis Khan and Buddha. He was magnificently large, over 300 pounds on a 6 ft. frame…But he was gentle and deeply kind. He loved children, and they loved him…The gentleness of the Good Shepherd was in him…He had been with some of the youth on an afternoon trip to a local island. Big-D wanted to see the view from atop the cliff above the shore…Near the top, a large boulder, embedded in the ground, perched at the edge of the cliff. Dave sat on the boulder and everything gave way. He dropped 90 feet to his death…Carol and I met half an hour later in the parking lot of the townhouse complex were Dave’s parents lived. We were the ones to break the news. We looked at each other, too raw to speak. We prayed. But honestly, I hardly believed in God right then. I was angry with Him, if He was there at all…Dave’s mom, Justine, opened the door and she lit up. “Look who’s here to see us” she called to John, and he came over to the door grinning. But they could tell, looking at the two of us, something was wrong, terribly wrong, and they stopped smiling…”there’s been an accident. David’s dead.” And then I saw a miracle. Justine began to worship. The first words out of her mouth were “O God, You chose him, You chose my David. O Lord, thank You that You chose him, and he is with You right now, seeing You face-to-face. He’s dancing in your throne room right now. Lord, I love him. I love you. I miss my son, Lord. I need Your strength. But thank you that You chose him.  (The Holy Wild)

So what does a thankful heart look like? One who is thankful moves from a disposition that is humble and submitted to the Lord. There is a recognition that this life is not your own. There is a willing acceptance of the Lord’s will in your life, both the difficult and the good. There is a quiet belief that the Lord consistently moves ultimately out of goodness and love for those who are His.

Furthermore, one who is thankful lacks a sense of entitlement. In Luke 17:12-18 Christ heals ten lepers, yet only one (a Samaritan) returned to Him praising God. Did Christ owe it to them to bring healing? A thankful heart recognizes blessing and responds. One who is thankful consistently lives with a sense of their own need for the Lord and His consistent grace in their life. A thankful heart lives out of deep understanding that the Lord always moves for His glory and your good.

How do we develop a thankful heart?

Paul writes to the Ephesians a story of immense depravity, a heroic rescue, and a restored life (see Ephesians 2:1-10). We often use these verses to explain salvation to someone who does not know the Lord. However, Paul wrote to believers. Why would he feel a great need to remind us of our own story of salvation? Luke 7:36-50 describes an encounter between Christ, a Pharisee, and a prostitute. The Pharisee has invited Christ into his home, yet fails to treat him as an important guest. The woman, however, comes before Christ broken and humbled, honoring Him with her repentance and recognition of her desperate need of Him.

Christ responds “…her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little” (v. 47). It is not that the Pharisee had little to be forgiven—we are all far worse than we could ever realize. It is that he realized his need for Christ so little. When you see how great your sin is, you then see the depth of forgiveness and mercy shown you. A heart which truly grasps this reality cannot help but respond in love toward the Lord, with great thankfulness.

application

Spend time in Ephesians 2:1-10.

• How does Paul describe your life before Christ? (v.1-3) What is the tone of these verses?
• Where does the tone shift (with what phrase)?
• How is God depicted? Christ?
• What is your natural response to this truth?
• What do you fear most? If the Lord allowed this to occur in your life, if He willed it for your life, could you respond thankfully, trusting that all He does is for His glory and your good?

prayer

Father, thank you for the greatness of your love for us! Thank you for being our hero, for rescuing us from our own depravity, our deep lost-ness, even while we were enemies of You. Your love is great. May we never forget this. Open our eyes to our need for you. Open our eyes to your work in our lives moment by moment. May we never take this for granted. Grow in us thankful hearts that honor and glorify you alone.

So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you.

Ephesians 5:15-18

There are many Christians who are content to simply get excited about God on the weekend, but the rest of the week act as if Christ did not even exist. They live a life of spiritual detachment, believing all the right things but lacking any spiritual will-power to obey. This is not the way God intended it!

God intended us to live in the power of his spirit continually. This passage from Ephesians tells us to be continually filled by the spirit. It is a command. “Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you…” may not make that clear, but in the Greek the word-forms we find are powerful and clear. More literally, we are commanded, “Do not keep on getting drunk with wine…instead, keep on being filled by the spirit.”

The phrases “be drunk” and “be filled” are both present tense commands in the Greek. Now, present tense in Greek means that the action should be described as habitual or progressive (ongoing). What is clear is that this is not intended as a one-time event, or even a limited encounter. We are to be regularly and repeatedly filled with God’s spirit.

In addition, the command is in a voice which tells us that we are to submit to the action. We are to allow the spirit to fill us. That is why the NLT says, “Let the Holy Spirit fill and control you.” We are not supposed to work up some emotional event that is “being filled with the spirit”. No, we are told that the spirit is going to attempt to fill and control us, and we should be ready.

Why would we want or need to be filled continually, on an ongoing basis? Why is it so important to treat our time as if it were God’s; to hand over our priority-setting? There are three reasons that I want to look at: comprehension, opportunity and maturity.

Ephesians 3:16-21 tells us about comprehension and being strengthened by God. Verses 18-20 remind us …may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is… Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. So we know that God has placed his spirit within us to continually help us know Him.

That means when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are able to better understand God’s love. We are able to better grasp his character. We can see how he is merciful, just and still forgiving. We can see how he shows compassion to those we overlook. All these things are made available to our minds when we are filled with the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 5:16 tells us to, make the most of every opportunity. If we refuse to be filled by the spirit, allowing our priorities to dictate our schedule and our involvement, then we will not act on the opportunities God places before us. We might not even see them. Please God, help us to see these opportunities. Help us to submit to your will, being filled by the Holy Spirit so that our eyes might be open and our hearts ready to serve!

Finally, Galatians 5:22-23 tells us about the maturity that comes when we are controlled by the Holy Spirit: But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This is full circle, from us seeing these things in God’s character, growing through the opportunities God gives us, to living in maturity through God’s spirit.

prayer

Jesus, help me to submit my time and schedule to your will. It is so easy to get swept up in the day’s details and end up at the end of the day wondering what happened. Whether it is on the golf course, lounging on the couch, at work at the coffee-counter or on the playground at church, help us to be ready to serve, filled with your spirit.

Help us to see how important it is. We can see lives changed and experience spiritual growth in our own lives more than ever before. We can see you do something in our community that is nothing but miraculous. Lord, help us to believe your word, what you say you are willing to do if we would trust you. Help me to comprehend the great love that moved you to die for me.

Send me – habitually, repeatedly, every day.

God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect.
If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters.

1 John 4:16b-17a, 20-21

If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

1 Corinthians 13:1

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ.

Ephesians 5:1-2a

The Bible is replete with verses that talk about love. In fact, love is the central theme of the entire Bible!! The Bible is the chronicle of God’s ongoing, eternal love affair with mankind. God is in love with you!! God is in love with every human being walking the planet. And, as followers of Christ, we are called to be imitators of Christ, and that means we are also to love everyone. No exceptions.

Of course, some people are easier to love than others, but what depth is there to a love that really requires little to no effort? Real love, divine, Christ-like love is the kind of love that embraces the unlovable. True love is the kind that stares a difficult, stubborn, selfish, manipulative, lying, cheating, unfaithful, backstabbing, ungrateful, hateful person in the eyes and still conjures up compassion for them. That really is the kind of love that Jesus displayed to prostitutes, tax collectors, adulterers, and even Judas, the man who betrayed Him. That is also the kind of love we are to demonstrate.

Most everyone walks around with an inflated opinion of themselves, feeling pretty good about their behavior when compared to “those people.” But the truth is, all of us are sinners. All of us are the scum of the earth and we all deserve to be punished for our disobedience to God. None of us measures up to the standard of God’s holiness. But, despite that truth, God still demonstrated His love for us by sending His Son to the cross to take our punishment instead. We were and are the difficult, stubborn, selfish, manipulative, lying, cheating, unfaithful, back-stabbing, ungrateful, hateful people that God looked in the eyes and had compassion for. It wasn’t just the prostitutes and tax collectors and adulterers and Judas-es of the Bible that God died for. It was for every sinner who ever has or ever will live! And that certainly includes you and me.

God loves us when we are unlovable, and we are to show our gratitude for that kind of love by offering the same to others. This kind of love ALWAYS requires sacrifice. Ultimately it cost Jesus His life, and ultimately it will cost you yours as well. You will have to lay down your will and your agenda, your wants and desires and needs, in deference to those around you, so you can turn your focus from yourself to others. And, as those around you are obedient and do the same thing toward you, your needs will be met also. When we love, we are loved in return. When we’re selfish and egocentric, we find loneliness and isolation are our companions. The way to get love is to give it away!

God is love personified. I love that concept. God literally IS love. That is His nature, His character, His being. He is love walking, breathing, and acting. I want that to be my nature too. I want people to know that Jesus’ love is alive in me, and I want them to be recipients of that love through me! May we truly be known as Jesus’ disciples, His children, by our love for one another!

application

• When you think of yourself, do you feel like God should find it pretty easy to love you?
• Who in your life is not the easiest person to love?
• Who is God calling you to show His love to today?

prayer

Read anew this well-known prayer by St. Francis of Assisi, taking to heart the earnest sentiments expressed by this follower of Christ. Can you make this your prayer today?

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Ephesians 5:1, 2

When I was younger I often heard the question, “What are you going to do with your life?” It sounds like a reasonable question to ask someone just starting out, but if you belong to Christ, the question carries an untrue assumption. Our lives are not out own. We do not have ownership of our present, or our futures. If you are in Christ, you are bought with a price; purchased out of slavery to sin. And you no longer call the shots. As the kosher foods commercial says, you “answer to a higher authority”.

What is not true about this purchased life is that you automatically make the right choices, and act as some kind of spiritual robot. No, Christ has not taken away our free will when he bought our lives. So, even though our ownership is not our own, we do have a choice of how we spend our time each day. And therein lies the problem. We do not always choose to follow his direction, to engage in the activities he wants us to, or to spend our time in ways that honor and reflect him. That is the continual struggle we face as long as we are on this earth. Perhaps if we look more closely at the facts of our lives belonging to God, we will understand the purpose behind and the benefits of living our lives wholly devoted to him.

Who were we before Christ?

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

Ephesians 2:1-3

Maybe you thought you were not that bad. Maybe you thought, like my grandmother, that you hardly ever left the house, so you certainly were not a bad sinner! But clearly the scripture says we were dead in our sins, bound for the hell that we deserved as enemies of Christ. You may not have committed any of the BIG sins, but by nature you are a sinner and separated from God.

What did Christ do for us?

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:4-7

His love was the motivation—love extended to us even when we were his enemies. His plan to save us was to take Jesus’ death in our place. And with that gift of his life, we also received the right to become children of God and share in all the inheritance that Christ has. Just think about that. While we were deserving of death and hell, we instead were given life, and were adopted into God’s family. What a gift! What unspeakable gratitude we should have.

What should our response be?

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

Romans 12:1

Our response should be to give our whole life to him. In that we are willing to go where he asks us to go, and do what he asks us to do. That will involve the job we work, the activities we choose to involve ourselves in and the place we find to serve the body of Christ. It will affect how we do that job, how we play those activities, and how we perform our jobs of service. We should perform, act and live as a living sacrifice, as one who totally belongs to God and does not own his own life. In that way we will demonstrate to all around what it means to be a child of God. This surrendered life is a tiny sacrifice, but it is all we can give to him. It is our spiritual act of worship.

thoughts to ponder

• Who do I believe owns my life?
• Do I live like I am totally surrendered to Him?
• Do my activities and attitudes show all around me that I belong to God?

prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for all that you have done for me. Thank you for giving your life for me when I was your enemy and bound for hell. Thank you for taking me into your family, and blessing me with all spiritual blessings. Help me to remember that I belong to you, and help me give you my entire life. May everything I do reflect my surrendered, sacrificed life. Amen.

If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you will also live.

John 14:15-19

This was the promise: another counselor to be with you forever—the spirit of truth. What would it look like? How would he come? And what would he do? Those questions surely floated through the minds of the disciples. But they were unaware of just how much they would need this counselor. They had not seen Jesus betrayed, crucified, and resurrected. So, this promise at this time probably did not seem as important as it would in just a little while. Thankfully, God always gives us all we need before we know we need it. The disciples had this provision; too, in the promise he made them. What would it look like in reality?

Jesus made reference again to the gift of the Holy Spirit right before he ascended into heaven. At that time he promised that the spirit was to give them the power to “be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Still, the disciples did not know when this gift would be given. Then, on the day of Pentecost, when they were al together, a violent wind came from heaven and filled the house they were in. Tongues of fire rested on each of them, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. They spoke in other languages, as the Spirit enabled them, and Jews from every nation were able to hear the wonders of God in their own tongue. Peter addressed the group, and 3000 men were baptized and added to their number that day. (Acts 2) That is what it looked like for the disciples to learn about, look forward to, and receive God’s Holy Spirit.

What does it look like in our lives? Well, to begin with, we do not have to wait for a special event to receive the Holy Spirit. He enters our hearts when we accept Christ’s payment for our sins, and exchange our sinful life for his righteousness. Ephesians 1:13, 14 says “Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession.” What a promise! We are marked as his, and sealed by the Holy Spirit as a permanent sign that we belong to God. Not only does the Spirit put his mark on us, but he also lives inside of us, giving us power to live the Christian life, power to witness for him, and helping us to understand the things of God. We carry this treasure within us at all times, but too often we just ignore this precious gift.

It reminds me of a story about an older couple who dreamed of taking a cruise to see exotic lands. They were poor, but they saved their money and finally were able to book passage on a cruise ship. They packed their clothes and also brought a large supply of cheese and crackers to eat on their trip. Finally they set sail, and each day at meal time, the couple returned to their room to eat their cheese and crackers, while the rest of the passengers enjoyed lavish meals. After watching the old couple for a while, a steward followed them to their cabin, and asked them why they never attended the meals in the dining room. The old man explained that they had spent all the money they had on buying the tickets, and had none left over for the food. The shocked steward replied, “Don’t you know that when you paid for the ticket, all your meals were included in the price?!” How often we walk through life, with our “tickets” paid for by the blood of Christ, yet we are surviving on crackers and cheese rather than feasting on all he has provided for us through the Holy Spirit.

At Pentecost, God gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit to accomplish many things in our lives. Take time to read the following list, and look up the verses this week. Ask God to help you learn who his Holy Spirit is, and what he wants to do in your life.

The Holy Spirit came:

1. To glorify Christ (John 16:14)
2. To lead you into all truth (John 16:13)
3. To dwell in you (Romans 8:9)
4. To convict the world of sin and justice (John 16:8)
5. To equip you to be a witness (Acts 1:8)
6. To produce fruit in your life (Galatians 5:22,23)

Ask God to make his spirit real in your life, and to make you aware of his presence everyday. He can give you the power to live a victorious Christian life as you rest in him and allow him to live in and through you.

prayer

Dear Father, I thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit and all he wants to accomplish in my life. I know that at times I do not acknowledge his existence in my life, or ask him for help. Help me to be aware of the presence of your spirit in my life, and to allow that spirit to direct and empower my life. Fill me with your Holy Spirit as you commanded in your word for me to do. Allow me to walk by faith and be pleasing to you in all that I do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

During the forty days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time and proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. On these occasions he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.

In one of these meetings as he was eating a meal with them, he told them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you what he promised. Remember, I have told you about this before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

When the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, are you going to free Israel now and restore our kingdom?”

“The Father sets those dates,” he replied, “and they are not for you to know. But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere-in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

It was not long after he said this that he was taken up into the sky while they were watching, and he disappeared into a cloud. As they were straining their eyes to see him, two white-robed men suddenly stood there among them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring at the sky? Jesus has been taken away from you into heaven. And someday, just as you saw him go, he will return!”

The apostles were at the Mount of Olives when this happened, so they walked the half mile back to Jerusalem. Then they went to the upstairs room of the house where they were staying. Here is the list of those who were present:

Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (the Zealot), and Judas (son of James).

They all met together continually for prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.

Acts 1:3-14

Waiting. The lull between what has happened, and what comes next. Waiting comes in many varieties. Some waiting is full of expectation, like a child waiting for Christmas morning. You’re so excited that you can hardly sleep. Waiting can be informed of the future while still unaware of the end. Waiting for a love one to pass from this world, knowing the end is near. Waiting can be full of resolution; imagine the man on death-row, resolved to his fate. Nothing can stop the approaching moment. Nothing can speed it up, either.

I suppose saying that waiting is a lull is not entirely accurate. Waiting is filled with opportunities. Many are missed altogether, the focus elsewhere. Some are mishandled or squandered due to lack of vision. How many lives are squandered, waiting for something to happen before taking the next step? Never doing the ministry God has planted in your heart because you are waiting for perfect circumstances… Wrecking a relationship in hopes of that perfect job…

The disciples are at a loss in the beginning of Acts. They are waiting. What are they to do? Jesus is gone. He has been openly crucified. They put their hopes in this man. He has completely altered their expectations. How can they settle for the life of a tax collector… a fisherman… They have seen God act, have heard God’s call. But now what?

The first hours must have been hard. Not only are their expectations completely up-turned, they know that they have run as cowards from their master and teacher. Would he forsake them? Would they ever hear from him again? Were they without hope?

Jesus resolves the matter by interacting with his disciples. He begins the process of preparing them for a completely new life. But it involves more waiting. God is doing something. Why can’t it just happen? Why all the meetings with Jesus to look at the scriptures and explain the prophecies? Why all the discussions about what God is doing, what his kingdom is like? Couldn’t he just get to it? They keep asking, “Now? Is it now?”

“No.” they hear repeatedly. “Wait.” They cringe. “There’s more you don’t understand.”

Jesus takes his exit. They look on, stunned. Once again, now what? All they know is they’ve been told to stay in Jerusalem. The Spirit is coming. What are they waiting for? And why is Jesus leaving? Why doesn’t he just stay? Why must they wait for him, too? They are scanning the scriptures. They are praying. They are waiting.

We know some of the end of their questions. The spirit will come. He will completely alter the existence of this band of believers. He will empower them to send the message around the world. Literally to the ends of the earth. He will give them power to spread a new form of life, the Church. But we don’t know when Christ will come back. Soon, we hope. We don’t know all the details why, but we know that it is his grace, not wanting any to perish, that motivates the wait. It is his deep love for us today that kept him from returning earlier.

All this waiting! Are you tense with expectation? Are you sick of the stress? Are you taking advantage of the time you still have? Or have you given up? God wants this wait to be active. He has purpose for you. He has a plan. He is not sitting around waiting for the end. He is still actively pursuing the lost. So let’s keep up the pace.

prayer

God, thank you for sending your spirit. Help me to wait for Jesus’ return by actively seeking my friends, my neighbors, my family. Give me power to serve you, and patience to find the right opportunities; the moments you have prepared to work and move in a powerful way.
God thank you for being my sacrifice! I offer my failings to you. Do something with them, turn them into good that I cannot see. Keep on forming me in your image, in the image of your Son.

Jesus, come soon!

Amen

When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “Truly, this was the Son of God!”

Mark 15:39

In three of the four gospels, we are given a very brief glimpse of a man who was present while Jesus was hanging from the cross. This man was a Roman centurion who was commander of 100 soldiers in the Roman army. We don’t know very much at all about the man, except that he was probably a hardened soldier and that he was in charge of a detachment of probably Syrian-born soldiers. Most likely he had presided over the crucifixion of hundreds, if not thousands, of men and must have become desensitized to the agony of those he helped execute.

It is likely that this man was present from the time Jesus appeared before Pilate all the way through the crucifixion. He may have been present when Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. He probably was the one who gave the order for his men to beat Jesus, caring little for who He was, knowing Him only to be another in a long line of people he was ordered to torture. He likely was nearby when his men put a robe on Jesus’ bleeding body, pressed the crown of thorns into His head, and walked him to Golgotha.

Having seen so many crucifixions, the officer surely knew what to expect from the prisoners. Most people who were sentenced to die were thieves, murderers, and guilty criminals. The centurion had undoubtedly heard countless men screaming in anguish as they were being beaten, pleading for their lives. From their crosses, he had heard them shout curses to the people below and to God above.

Surely, as this centurion witnessed first-hand the trial and crucifixion of Jesus, it became glaringly obvious to him that there was something distinctly different about this Man. When most men could be found cursing and swearing, Jesus, with His hands nailed to the cross, was crying out for forgiveness on behalf of His executioners!! The centurion probably overheard the compassion and mercy in Jesus’ voice as He spoke to the penitent thief beside Him that day on Golgotha, promising him that they would soon be in Paradise together. Perhaps he was astounded that during such suffering Jesus looked down from the cross and reassured His mother that her future would be secure when He asked John to take care of her. Certainly the three hours of darkness that accompanied Jesus’ sacrifice would have also marked this crucifixion unlike any other.

We can only offer guesses as to when the centurion began to realize that perhaps, just maybe, this Man was exactly who He claimed to be. But, we do know exactly when he realized it with full certainty!

Just before He died, Jesus cried out, “It is finished.” Immediately after that He said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” At that precise moment, Jesus died. And, at that same moment, a violent earthquake shook the land with such force that rocks were split and the veil in the Temple was torn in half. Witnessing all of this, the book of Luke tells us that the Roman captain praised God! He said, “Surely this was the Son of God.” Wow! Just like that, the man who had presided over Jesus’ execution, the man who ordered the nails to be driven into his hands and feet, became the first person to become a believer after Jesus’ death! What a conversion! Jesus’ conduct and testimony throughout the entire agonizing ordeal was so loving, so unique, and so divine, that it won the heart of at least one of His executioners! How incredible!!

This centurion, who as I said earlier is mentioned in three of the four gospel accounts, was not pointed out in Scripture because of his cruelty, ruthlessness, or abilities as a soldier. But rather He went down in the greatest history book of all time for something far more important: a marvelous transformation that occurred in his life at the foot of the cross.

Have you experienced that transformation? Have you declared, “Surely Jesus is the Son of God?”

It was because of our sin that it was necessary for Jesus to go to the cross. And He did it willingly and lovingly for each of us. Have you ever told Him thank you?

Untold millions of people have followed the example of that Roman soldier and become believers in Jesus down through the centuries since His death. I hope you are one of them.

As we continue to celebrate the wonder of Jesus’ sacrifice and the miracle of His resurrection, I can think of no greater expression of gratitude than for all of our hearts to be totally devoted and committed to Him. If you’ve never taken that step, you can do so today by simply admitting to God that your sins were the reason that Jesus needed to go to Calvary. Just tell God you’re sorry. Then you simply need to thank Jesus for the forgiveness He extends to you and accept it as a free gift that you could never earn on your own. Then just ask Jesus to be the leader of your life and commit to follow His plan for your life from here on out. It all begins with those simple steps, and they lead to the greatest adventure of you’ll ever know!

If you’ve made a decision to follow Christ for the first time today, or if you’ve decided to recommit your life to Jesus, please let us know. You can simply respond to this and we’ll be so happy to join in the party that heaven is throwing on behalf of your decision to follow Jesus!