God Manifests What He Is Doing In How He Gifts Us - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Acts 13:1,

“In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers…”

It is at this church in Antioch where disciples were first called “Christians”, Acts 11:26. Barnabas was dispatched from Jerusalem when the believers there heard that “a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord” in Antioch. After arriving in Antioch, Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Paul (still called Saul in the account in the book of Acts at this point.) After Barnabas and Paul returned to Antioch we are told they taught the believers there for a year.

At the time, they had also been sent from this church back up to Jerusalem to take a gift to help the believers there who were experiencing a famine. When Barnabas and Paul returned to Antioch they brought with them John Mark, the author of the gospel that bears his name.

As seen, there was a lot of activity taking place at Antioch, and we read in Acts 13:1 that there were prophets and teachers within the fellowship there. God was on the move and it is from this fellowship that we see Paul’s missionary enterprise being launched. God was active at Antioch, and the Holy Spirit raised up gifted people to perform the work that needed to be done. There was a need for prophets and teachers, so the Holy Spirit gifted certain ones to fill that need.

Within the early church, and throughout the centuries of church history, we see God gifting individuals to carry out work that needs to be done. In Ephesians 4:11-13 we read, “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

God gifts us all for participating in what he is doing in and through the church. “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good”, 1 Corinthians 12:7. With these gifts he expects us to serve one another. In 1 Peter 4:10 we read, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.”

It is in this that I find the presence of God very active in the church. He gifts us all and raises up certain ones for specific tasks. He did in the early church and he still does so to this day.

I find it fascinating to see how the Lord manifests what he is doing by looking at how he gifts his people.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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God: Sovereign Over All - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Acts 12:11,

"Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating."

As I read the account of King Herod’s intent to put Peter to death, I am reminded of a theme that appears in the book of Proverbs. Herod had put John’s brother, the apostle James, to death and “when he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also.” Acts 12:3.

The church was “earnestly praying to God for him [Peter]” and so God had other plans. We read in Proverbs 19:21, “Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.” See also Proverbs 16:1 and 16:9. No one, not even a king can thwart the purposes of God. Even a king’s heart is subject to God, “The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.” Proverbs 21:1.

God is sovereign over all of his creation. We enjoy a free will only because our Creator has deemed it so. As I think of the choices we make in life, especially the ones I make, I think of the sheer insanity of not choosing that which is consistent with the will of God.

John 1:12 tells us, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”. What of those who choose not to “receive him”? Insanity! Our God is supreme in all of creation. He is transcendent and sovereign and no one, nothing, not any plan or intent, no scheme, no religion, not even if all humanity assembled to oppose him, nothing can bring even a dent against what God chooses to do.

As God says in Isaiah 55:10-11, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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God's Wonderful Heart - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Acts 12:8,

“Then the angel said to him, ‘Put on your clothes and sandals.’ And Peter did so. ‘Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,’ the angel told him.”

There is something here in this account of Peter’s escape from jail that touches my heart about the heart of God. As we follow the account of Acts 12 we read of the first apostle martyred, James the brother of John. As Herod persecuted the church and saw how his killing of James “pleased the Jews” he proceeded to do the same with Peter. As I read it, I find this to be a very vivid and dramatic account. Peter is thrown into jail but the church was “earnestly praying to God for him.” Two forces pitted against one another for the life of this great apostle.

I can't help but note that the church at John's mother's house was up during the night praying for Peter, no doubt filled with anxiety over Peter's plight and seeking the Lord for his deliverance. For his own part, Peter was simply fast asleep, chained between guards at the prison. I'm not quite sure what, but this does tell me something about Peter!

On this night we find Peter stripped of his clothes and bound with two chains between two soldiers with sentries at the entrance. An angel appears and tells Peter to get dressed and miraculously leads him out of the jail. The account tells us that the chains binding Peter’s wrists “fell off”. The angel leads Peter past the guards that have been assigned to keep him secured. A gate opens by itself to let them through and Peter is freed.

As many do, I find this a very exciting and fascinating account to read. And embedded within this story is something the angel does that touches my heart, and is certainly an expression of God’s heart. When the angel appears, wakes Peter and has him get dressed, in the midst of this miraculous and dramatic encounter in this fallen world with the heavenly presence of God’s angel, the angel tells Peter to wrap his cloak around himself! Maybe it is just me, but to see the angel’s concern for Peter’s comfort as he leads him out into the cold night air in the midst of this incredible drama, shows a tenderness and a care for Peter by this angel that I find remarkable. Surely this very minor detail exposes the great heart of God for Peter in this angel's care for him.

I am sure this is viewed as a somewhat insignificant comment by Luke in his recounting of the event. But for me, it is precisely these comments that speak so much of the heart of our wonderful loving God.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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God And Prayer - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Acts 12:5,

“So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.”

Here we see the clash of two wills. King Herod intended to have Peter put to death after he saw how much it pleased the Jews when he had John’s brother, James, put to death. James was the first known apostle to have suffered a martyr’s death and Herod intended to do the same with Peter.

But the church did not want Peter put to death, and not having the power to stop it themselves, they were “earnestly praying to God for him.” They made their appeal to God to spare Peter’s life, and as we read the account we see their prayers answered. So startling was this answer to prayer that, when Peter showed up at the door where a number of disciples were praying for him, they initially assumed the servant girl, Rhoda, who had answered the door, was out of her mind when she told them Peter was at the door.

Much has been said of the expectation we should have when we pray, and this account is often used as an example of what it looks like when we don’t have the faith that God will answer our prayers, “when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.” Acts 12:16. Why should they have been astonished?

I see something else here as well though, which commends these believers to me. We are told in 1 John 5:14, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” These believers were praying according to God’s will. Apparently God was not done with Peter in this life and he was pleased to respond to the believer’s prayers to spare his life.

It is fascinating to me to read the verse in John’s letter. There are those times God wants us to participate with him in the actions he takes by us requesting those things that need to be done, that are according to his own will. There may be many things we pray for that do not coincide with God's will, but the clear implication here is that some things might not happen if we don’t pray for them.

What might have happened if the church had not prayed for Peter? What might happen if I do not bring those things to God in prayer that I know are according to God’s will? And, for that matter, am I engaged in those things that lead me to know what his will is in the first place?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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God: Worthy To Suffer For! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Acts 12:1,

“It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them.”

There are a variety of reasons why members of the Kingdom of Heaven may endure difficulty or suffering in this life. Living in a lost and fallen world that continues to struggle under its Creator’s judgment is cause for difficulty or suffering for all mankind, whether they are God’s children or not.

Some in the church suffer because of poor choices they might make, stumbling in sin, etc., as we reap what we sow.

Others suffer for some purpose of God, as did the blind man who was born blind, not because of his own sin or the sin of his parents. Jesus told his disciples he was born blind that God’s work might be displayed in his life, as he healed him miraculously to demonstrate his compassion and authenticate the message of the coming Kingdom of God, John 9:1-12.

Others have been called by God to martyrdom as a testimony of their commitment to God, revealing what true faith looks like, “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered”, Romans 8:36.

There is possibly another cause for suffering that we see on display here as we read of King Herod’s treatment of the church when he had the apostle James put to death, the first apostle martyred. His brother speaks of it in 1 John 3:12-13, “Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.”

There may have been political reasons why Herod took the action he did against the church, but I have to think he was also fueled by this dynamic we read of in the account of Cain’s murder of Abel in Genesis 4.

There are those of us who have thrown our lot in with the Kingdom of Heaven and joined God in his tent. On the other hand, there are those who, for whatever reason (Jesus, in his conversation with Nicodemus in John 3 spoke of those who refuse to come into the light because their evil deeds would be exposed), have rejected God’s offer, remain outside of God’s tent and live in hostility toward those of us who are within.

How is it that God allowed the early church to suffer? The church willingly participated in God’s agenda, working together with him to carry out his purposes. In this way the church very effectively communicated the greatness and glory of God as One who was worthy to suffer for.

After all, wasn’t God the one who harbored a love of unworthy mankind that prompted him to send his Son to suffer in mankind's place?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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The Lord's hand was with them - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Acts 11:19-21,

“Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.”

I suspect many of us might feel something was not right if some misfortune as this befell the church today (the killing of Stephen). “Maybe God is not with us? Maybe Satan has the upper hand here?”

I am quite certain that many in the early church felt something was horribly wrong when Stephen, the first martyr, was stoned to death and the church was scattered. I think if I were in the circumstance recounted above, I would have been one of those wondering how such a thing could happen to God’s elect!

Clearly, from the advantage of having Luke’s account here in the book of Acts, we see God himself using these events to spread the gospel message to new geographic as well as demographic regions.

I know I couldn’t have seen it at the time, but from our vantage, with Luke's account, I can. “The Lord’s hand was with them”, whether it seemed that way or not.

To me this speaks volumes about our transcendent and sovereign God! He just may be doing things I don't understand to bring about the great things of his redemption of mankind.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.

God Extends His Invitation To All - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Acts 11:18b,

“So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.”

Here in our country, we live in a day of an entitlement mentality. We think in terms of having certain rights and equal access to opportunities. Politicians these days talk of the rights of “every American to have access to affordable medical care”, etc. You get the drift. If anyone has a shot at something, we ought to as well.

Sometimes I think this mentality has had an impact on our appreciation and gratitude for what God has done for us. A full understanding and perspective on the level of the importance of our access to the promises of God to Abraham may have been diminished with an entitlement mentality. So much so, that when we Gentiles of today read the above, our thought might be a less than appreciative one, “Gee, that’s big of you to say so… ‘even the Gentiles…’!”

And yet, the apostle Paul reminds us that God has every right to do whatever he wants with anyone. As we read in Romans 9:15-18, “He [God] says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: ‘I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.’ Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.” In this passage Paul is making the point that God has chosen that all those who embrace him in faith, he accepts, and those who don’t will be condemned. But the point is made very well that God can choose whomever he wants.

Did God have to extend his invitation to Gentiles? Did he have to extend an invitation to anyone for that matter? The more I think of such things, the greater I find my appreciation, gratitude, and love grow for our God who has decided to extend his invitation even to me!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.