Worship for Today: The Holy Spirit enables us today!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Acts 6:8,

“Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people.”

The Holy Spirit came to the church on Pentecost and empowered the disciples in a way that emboldened and energized them. This was a fulfillment of what Jesus promised on the day he ascended into heaven. In Acts 1:8 Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

When each of us embraced Jesus Christ in faith we received the promised Holy Spirit as well. Still today the Holy Spirit enables us to fulfill what needs to be done to further God’s purposes here on earth. Where Stephen performed great wonders and miraculous signs, that which the Lord wanted done at that time, so we carry out what the Lord wants done today.

In 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 we read, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.”

Throughout history the Holy Spirit has been enabling his saints to participate with the Lord in what he does in each generation. To me it is a wonder to see just how the Lord works in our lives today through the Holy Spirit.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your theme of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We’d love to hear from you!

Trevor V. Fisk

(314) 814-8486

trevorf@gracehill.org

 

 

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Worship for Today: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Acts 5:28,38-39,

“We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name”… “in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

The second half of chapter five in Acts could be called, “A Tale of a Fool and a Wise Man”. Here we have the disciples indwelt with the Holy Spirit performing miraculous acts of healings, deliverances from demons, etc. and are called before the religious elites of the day, the Sanhedrin, because of their activities and for teaching the people. Luke tells us the Sanhedrin was filled with jealousy and had them jailed. The following day the high priest, “the Fool”, recalls the strict orders the Sanhedrin had given the disciples not to teach in the name of Jesus Christ. Having the apostles removed from their presence, Gamaliel, “the Wise Man” reminded the Sanhedrin that if the activities of the disciples were from God, the Sanhedrin would only find itself fighting against God.

If anything, this “Tale of a Fool and a Wise Man” points to the insanity of placing oneself in opposition to God. The online Jewish Encyclopedia recognizes Gamaliel as having a leading position in the Sanhedrin in first century Jerusalem. In this account Gamaliel brings someone into the discussion that seems to have escaped the consideration of the high priest: God. Rather than giving vent to their jealousy, wouldn’t it behoove the Sanhedrin to consider the possibility that this movement might be from God and if so, what would the prospect be of finding themselves as fighting against God?

“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” Psalm 14:1. Although many may not verbalize such, through their actions, attitudes and decisions such an outlook is often manifested. In my own life there have been those times when it seems my actions, attitudes and decisions reflected “the fool”. What an outlook of insanity it is to not fear the Lord and allow that posture to influence my actions, attitudes and decisions! “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your theme of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We’d love to hear from you!

Trevor V. Fisk

(314) 814-8486

trevorf@gracehill.org

 

 

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This electronic transmission and any documents accompanying this electronic transmission contain confidential information belonging to the sender. This information may contain confidential health information that is legally privileged. The information is intended only for the use of the individual or entity named above. The authorized recipient of this transmission is prohibited from disclosing this information to any other party unless required to do so by law or regulation and is required to delete or destroy the information after its stated need has been fulfilled. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or takinf of any action in reliance on or regarding the contents of this electronicallytransmitted information is strictly prohibited. If you have received this E-mail in error please notify the sender and delete this message immediately

Worship for Today: Our God is worthy of all my appreciation and gratitude!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Acts 4:27-30,

“Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

After being threatened by the chief priests and elders of Israel, Peter and John went back to the disciples after their release. They reported all that had happened to them in their being jailed and threatened for healing a cripple and teaching the people about Jesus at the temple. The above few verses are the last part of the disciple’s prayer to God upon hearing the news from Peter and John. It is not difficult to hear the appreciation and gratitude in this prayer: the appreciation and gratitude of folks who have had their sins paid for and freely given acceptance with the Creator of “heaven and earth and the sea, and everything in them.”

As I read this prayer, I ask myself this morning if I have the same sense of appreciation and gratitude for God as these believers did… after all, have I not also received from our wonderful God all these folks had received? The same God has done the same things for me as he did for these believers in the early church. I note in the context of threat these believers wanted God to bring on even more opportunities for sharing their faith.

How much greater should my appreciation and gratitude for our wonderful God be expressed by my own eagerness to pursue opportunities to share my faith in the absence of threat?!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your theme of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We’d love to hear from you!

Trevor V. Fisk

(314) 814-8486

trevorf@gracehill.org

 

 

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This electronic transmission and any documents accompanying this electronic transmission contain confidential information belonging to the sender. This information may contain confidential health information that is legally privileged. The information is intended only for the use of the individual or entity named above. The authorized recipient of this transmission is prohibited from disclosing this information to any other party unless required to do so by law or regulation and is required to delete or destroy the information after its stated need has been fulfilled. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or takinf of any action in reliance on or regarding the contents of this electronicallytransmitted information is strictly prohibited. If you have received this E-mail in error please notify the sender and delete this message immediately

Worship for Today: God can use any of us!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Acts 3:12-16,

“Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? … It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.”

When the Lord healed a crippled beggar through Peter and John a crowd gathered. In addressing the surprise of the people Peter corrects an assumption the crowd was apparently taken by: the healing did not take place because of Peter and John’s own power or godliness.

In some circles of the church there is the feeling that it is only when we arrive at a certain “godliness” or a certain maturity that God can begin to work through us. Indeed, there are those today who engage in what I would consider to be questionable practices and wear these on their sleeves as an authentication that they have arrived at a level of “godliness”. Their way is the way to go because, after all, God is placing his stamp of approval on their ministry because of what they are capable of doing - what others are not or cannot.

But that is not what I see in this episode. Here we have two apostles, who, between them, authored seven of our twenty seven New Testament books. They lived, ate, served and were taught by the Lord himself during his earthly ministry. Now empowered by the promised Holy Spirit as two of twelve apostles, if anyone had claim to godliness or power it would be these men. But in this account they clearly state that the miraculous healing the Lord provided through them had nothing to do whatever with “godliness” or power they might have had.

I suspect many of us today have forgotten Paul’s words, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” 1 Corinthians 1:27-29. I can say that the Lord has touched my life in very important ways at times through folks who have only been saved for just a few months or others who have never been considered to be the “spiritual elite” of the congregation. All of us, no matter our tenure in the church, our position in the church or our perceived status are capable and probably used more in the lives of others around us, than we will ever know. This is just the way our wonderful Lord works!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your theme of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We’d love to hear from you!

Trevor V. Fisk

(314) 814-8486

trevorf@gracehill.org

 

 

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This electronic transmission and any documents accompanying this electronic transmission contain confidential information belonging to the sender. This information may contain confidential health information that is legally privileged. The information is intended only for the use of the individual or entity named above. The authorized recipient of this transmission is prohibited from disclosing this information to any other party unless required to do so by law or regulation and is required to delete or destroy the information after its stated need has been fulfilled. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or takinf of any action in reliance on or regarding the contents of this electronicallytransmitted information is strictly prohibited. If you have received this E-mail in error please notify the sender and delete this message immediately

Worship for Today: God is intolerant of man's foolishness!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Acts 4:12,

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Peter tells the religious leaders of the day that the man they had crucified, Jesus Christ, was in fact the only one through whom salvation could be found.

I suspect if I were God I would be as intolerant as he is. Imagine the lack of political correctness! No Mohammed, no Joseph Smith, no Buddha, no Confucius, just a sweeping condemnation of any “path to God” that isn’t Jesus Christ himself!

Although John tells us that God is love, it would behoove the wise to not underestimate God’s lack of tolerance for the foolishness of any man who would attempt to supplant God’s Son with his own inventions. Pretty sobering, isn’t it?!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your theme of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We’d love to hear from you!

Trevor V. Fisk

(314) 814-8486

trevorf@gracehill.org

 

 

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This electronic transmission and any documents accompanying this electronic transmission contain confidential information belonging to the sender. This information may contain confidential health information that is legally privileged. The information is intended only for the use of the individual or entity named above. The authorized recipient of this transmission is prohibited from disclosing this information to any other party unless required to do so by law or regulation and is required to delete or destroy the information after its stated need has been fulfilled. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or takinf of any action in reliance on or regarding the contents of this electronicallytransmitted information is strictly prohibited. If you have received this E-mail in error please notify the sender and delete this message immediately

Worship for Today: God provided many prophecies of Jesus Christ's coming!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Acts 3:24-26,

“Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, 'Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.' When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”

As Peter preached to the crowd that gathered at Solomon’s Colonnade when the Lord healed a crippled beggar through him, Peter pointed out to them that “all the prophets from Samuel on… have foretold these days.” Then he quoted Genesis 22:18, where just after Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac the angel of the Lord tells Abraham that through is offspring “all the nations on earth will be blessed”, a reference to the coming Messiah.

As we study the Scriptures we find numerous prophecies of Jesus Christ coming to planet earth. The circumstances of his birth, his purpose in ministry, his death, burial, resurrection and ascension into heaven are all foretold in many places. The Psalms, Isaiah and the other prophets, Moses’ writings all contain prophecies of the coming Messiah.

It must be that the Lord saw a need for people like me, who are slow on the uptake, who would need his intentions repeated numerous times, to have an assurance that all of this was planned well ahead of time, all the things that would take place after Jesus Christ showed up on Christmas morning.

Wouldn’t you agree what a wonderful thing this is?!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your theme of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We’d love to hear from you!

Trevor V. Fisk

(314) 814-8486

trevorf@gracehill.org

 

 

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This electronic transmission and any documents accompanying this electronic transmission contain confidential information belonging to the sender. This information may contain confidential health information that is legally privileged. The information is intended only for the use of the individual or entity named above. The authorized recipient of this transmission is prohibited from disclosing this information to any other party unless required to do so by law or regulation and is required to delete or destroy the information after its stated need has been fulfilled. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or takinf of any action in reliance on or regarding the contents of this electronicallytransmitted information is strictly prohibited. If you have received this E-mail in error please notify the sender and delete this message immediately

Worship for Today: Jesus Christ sends the Holy Spirit to dwell within us!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Acts 2:33,

“Exalted to the right hand of God, he [Jesus Christ] has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.”

Here is something I find just fascinating! Peter tells the crowd that gathered when the “Pentecost event” took place that what they were witnessing was something Jesus Christ was doing in heaven at that exact time that was manifesting itself on earth. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to come and physically dwell within the actual hearts and lives of each of the disciples. Since that time, as we learn in other passages such as Ephesians 1 and 1 Corinthians 12, each one of us who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith have had Jesus send the Holy Spirit into our hearts and lives as well.

Our experience may not be the same as what these disciples had on the day of Pentecost, but just as they, our Lord in heaven did something very personal for each one of us that impacted us here on earth: at the time we embraced him in faith, he has sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within each of us!!

Simply astonishing!!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your theme of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We’d love to hear from you!

Trevor V. Fisk

(314) 814-8486

trevorf@gracehill.org

 

 

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This electronic transmission and any documents accompanying this electronic transmission contain confidential information belonging to the sender. This information may contain confidential health information that is legally privileged. The information is intended only for the use of the individual or entity named above. The authorized recipient of this transmission is prohibited from disclosing this information to any other party unless required to do so by law or regulation and is required to delete or destroy the information after its stated need has been fulfilled. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or takinf of any action in reliance on or regarding the contents of this electronicallytransmitted information is strictly prohibited. If you have received this E-mail in error please notify the sender and delete this message immediately

Worship for Today: Jesus provided many convincing proofs he was alive!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Acts 1:3,

“After his suffering, he [Jesus] showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.”

Following his predetermined and planned sacrificial death on the cross to take the penalty of God’s justice for our own sin, Jesus came back from the dead. Prophesied in many places in the Scriptures and foretold by Jesus himself, it came to pass just as he said it would. “As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Matthew 12:40.

All four gospels provide the account of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.”

Death is the penalty for sin. God told Adam that if he sinned he would die. All people are born with the certainty of facing both physical and spiritual death. That Jesus Christ rose from the dead demonstrates God’s satisfaction with the ultimate payment for sin. We still face physical death, and we all do until resurrection day, but none of us have to face certain spiritual death any longer. The resurrection of Jesus Christ authenticates all he said and did while here and is the seal of God’s satisfaction with his payment for our sin.

Did God have to prove his satisfaction of Jesus Christ’s payment for our sin by revealing him to us in his resurrection? Wasn’t it enough that the Lord foretold these events, brought them about and following, couldn’t he have just ascended into heaven? But he stayed here for a period of forty days providing “many convincing proofs that he was alive.”

As always, our loving and merciful heavenly Father provides for us in our weakness. He held up his Son to us to let us know, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” Matthew 17:5.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your theme of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We’d love to hear from you!

Trevor V. Fisk

(314) 814-8486

trevorf@gracehill.org

 

 

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This electronic transmission and any documents accompanying this electronic transmission contain confidential information belonging to the sender. This information may contain confidential health information that is legally privileged. The information is intended only for the use of the individual or entity named above. The authorized recipient of this transmission is prohibited from disclosing this information to any other party unless required to do so by law or regulation and is required to delete or destroy the information after its stated need has been fulfilled. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or takinf of any action in reliance on or regarding the contents of this electronicallytransmitted information is strictly prohibited. If you have received this E-mail in error please notify the sender and delete this message immediately