God Invites All Mankind! - 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 10:9-16,

"About noon the following day as they [Cornelius' messengers] were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Then a voice told him, 'Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.' 'Surely not, Lord!' Peter replied. 'I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.' The voice spoke to him a second time, 'Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.' This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven."
 
What a vision! Here in it, the Lord tells Peter that he intends the Gentiles be called through the gospel message, it is not for the Jews only. Using the concepts of "clean" and "unclean" relative to dietary restrictions imposed by the law God gave Moses, he explains that all men of the earth are invited to the kingdom of God. No one is to be considered unworthy of the gospel - we are all unworthy!

As Peter says later about this vision, "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right." Verses 34-35.
 
As a Gentile, that includes me! How wonderful that God does not show favoritism, but has called all mankind! I take this for granted so easily - but not so the first believers who were all Jews: it wasn't clear to them at all that anyone outside the Jewish nation would be invited to God's family for all eternity.
 
And to think, it didn't have to be this way. God could have called only the Jews. But, as we read in John 3:16, "for God so love the world…"! I am also reminded of Paul's speech at the Areopagus in Athens in Acts 17:30, "now he commands all people everywhere to repent"!
 
What a wonderful God we have that has called all people to himself through his gospel message! He loves us all and he wants us all! All he asks is that we put our trust in him by embracing him in faith!

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.

Who Are You, Lord? - 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 9:1-5a,

"Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?' 'Who are you, Lord?' Saul asked."

We are introduced to Saul at the beginning of chapter eight where Saul attended the stoning of Stephen as a participant in witnessing his death. Following, we read that Saul "began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison." Acts 8:3. After the killing of Stephen, Saul had become obsessed with crushing this new movement in its infancy. In my own speculation, I suspect Saul (who would later be renamed "Paul", selected by the Lord to be an apostle to the Gentiles and would go on to establish fellowships throughout the Mediterranean and southern Europe and write half of the books of our New Testament), was beguiled by the experience he had on the day Stephen was martyred.

We are told on that day the Sanhedrin looked "intently at Stephen" and saw his face was like the face of an angel, Acts 6:15. Stephen very boldly indicted the entire leadership of the nation of Israel and all of its forefathers: "You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers…" Using their own Scriptures against them he proved incontrovertibly they had persecuted every prophet God had sent them. Not only that but they had betrayed and murdered the very one the prophets spoke of who was to come! We read that Stephen exclaimed to Saul and the others that he was looking into heaven itself, seeing the glory of God and Jesus standing at his right hand! As they stoned Stephen Saul heard him ask the Lord not to hold this sin against them – a plea for Saul's own benefit.

I don't think you just go home after a day like that and not reflect on it. As I say, I think it must have been something that Saul struggled with and at some point it became the source of his obsession with destroying the church. Either everything Stephen said was true or he represented a very malicious new threat against the leadership of Israel. Either way Stephen represented something very dangerous from Saul's perspective. Unfortunately for Saul, he interpreted things exactly the wrong way and set out to crush the church. And now this! In his further efforts to rape the bride of Jesus Christ he is brought to his knees as a bright light flashed around him and a voice spoke to him from heaven!

When Saul asks the pregnant question, "Who are you, Lord?" it becomes the question of the ages. Many may assume they know who Jesus Christ is, but as Saul found out, all assumptions will be confronted with the truth, either today or at the end of the age. Woe to the man who does not gain the truthful answer to this all-important question while it is still today!

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's Good News To Us Is Unstoppable! - 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 8:1b-8,

"On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison. Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. So there was great joy in that city."

When someone "swats" at a fire it only fans the flames. Just as fire needs oxygen to consume and grow, so the gospel grows when fanned into flame within unregenerate folks. The great persecution that broke out against the church in Jerusalem only had the effect of fanning to life the missionary activity of the gospel into the regions beyond Jerusalem.

This reminds me of the statement made by Gamaliel in Acts 5:35-39, "Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men… 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."

Here I see the feeble attempts of mankind to stop the advance of God's activity in the world through the gospel message. But God's gospel message to us has its own power that no one is capable of stopping, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.'" Romans 1:16-17.

What a message this is!

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's Love For Fallen Mankind Is A Mystery! - 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 7:51-53,

"You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it."

This sweeping condemnation of the nation of Israel is breath-taking! Here Stephen, whose truthful words brought him swift retribution, points to the ugly truth that the Jews of the day were no different than their forefathers. "Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute?" This rhetorical question was followed with his charge that his hearers were guilty of the betrayal and murder of the One the prophets were sent to speak of: Jesus Christ.

The reaction of the high priest and the Sanhedrin represents the deceitful heart of all mankind. In the killing of Stephen, a man who only confronted them with the truth, the rebellious and sinful condition of the human heart is on full display. And these folks were, of all humanity, given the greatest of all advantages to have God's perspective on things. As Paul points out in Romans 9:4-5, "Theirs [the Jews] is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen." And yet, with so much advantage they still react to the truth with murder in the killing of yet another prophet of God, only substantiating all Stephen charged them with.

But the most astonishing thing to me of all is that given this horrific portrayal of the desperate condition of the wicked human heart, what a love God reveals as he sends his Son to die for folks just like these - folks just like me! Why God would send him for folks like this, for folks like me, is a mystery I will continue to be perplexed with. It will continually be a cause for my unceasing gratitude and worship!!

The magnificence of our wonderful God is something I know I will never plumb the depths of.

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.

The Holy Spirit Enables Us Today! - 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 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 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.

Freedom From Slavery To Sin - 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 5:1-6,

"Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet. Then Peter said, 'Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.' When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him."

Sin in the church! I am fully persuaded that Ananias and Sapphira were believers and had the unfortunate distinction of being those whose sin was the first recorded in the church after its birth on Pentecost. I don't mean to imply the first sin committed by believers, but the first recorded in the church after its birth. From this, the early church learned a very bitter and difficult lesson: sin is not eradicated from the new community of believers. As we go through the accounts of the early church we find believers continue to struggle with sin and the pull of the sin nature even though they are redeemed, sanctified and sealed by the Holy Spirit for the hope we all have in the resurrection.

While this is cause for dismay, from another perspective, however, it provides an environment where the redeemed can glorify the Lord by choosing him over sin. We have an opportunity, which would not exist were it not for the presence of sin in our lives to make those choices that clearly manifest our passion for God as opposed to passion that the sin nature can so easily generate within us.

We are not merely robots but continue to have a free will that expresses just what we are. Against the backdrop of that sin nature that will continue with us until resurrection day, we reveal just who we are as John notes in 1 John 3:6, "No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him." John goes on to say, "No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother." 1 John 3:9-10. We are capable of sinning, but we no longer practice sin as a lifestyle.

Yes, just like Ananias and Sapphira, we can and do sin. But in God's kindness and love for us he has given us his Holy Spirit and we find we are not the slaves to the sin nature we once were, but are now free to glorify him with the choices we make.

I am reminded of Romans 6:17-18, "Thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness."

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.

Our God Is Worthy: Will I Speak Of It? - 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 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 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", verse 24.

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 the kind of threat they faced?

I am greatly moved by Peter and John's statement, "As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." Verse 20.

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.