Acts 3 Peter and John went up to the temple to pray.. and God led them to heal the man who had been lame all his life.  Peter said, "I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you; In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene - walk!" Peter took the man's hand and pulled him up  - as his feet and his ankles were strengthened.  He went from never walking to  leaping, jumping, and walking right into the temple.  No longer sitting at the gate.. he walked through the court of women.. and for the first time entered into the place of worship.  

Still "clinging" to the apostles, they moved with the crowd of amazed worshippers into the porch of Solomon.  There, Peter addressed the crowd and spoke about Jesus.  The people had "delivered up and disowned " Him; they had asked for a murderer to be freed and for the "Prince of life" to be put to death.  But, God raised Him from the dead and His Name is the One who healed this man .  Again, Peter calls upon the people to repent that their sins would be forgiven.. 

Jesus was the fulfillment of every prophesy.  He is the Servant of God that they had been awaiting and the One who would come again to fulfill all that the holy prophets had spoken.  But first... Jesus was raised from the dead to "bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways." 

"Repent"- think differently.. turn away.. regret.. change your mind. Verse 19 "Repent therefore, and return that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord."  This is the call that still is needed. Turn from sin and to the Lord our God, to Christ the Eternal Son.. and receive the Spirit of refreshing. 

Father draw us ever more into Your blessed Presence we pray. Amen

 Acts 2 The day of Pentecost came and the group of believers met together once again. "And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distribution themselves, and they rested on each one of them." 

God "poured forth" His Spirit that day.  He fulfilled the promises of prophets.. and the promise of Jesus.. doing what He said He would do.  The believers heard the sound.. saw the fire.. and received the Holy Spirit.  Immediately they began to speak about the "mighty deeds of God".  The fact that others all heard their words as if spoken in their native languages was both amazing and bewildering.  "And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity.."  They all had this one question.. "What does this mean?"

Peter stood up and addressed the crowd.. people from many different nations.. all confused and astounded.. some mocking.. some doubting.. but all ready to listen for the moment.  Peter began with the Word of God.. quoting the prophet Joel, "And it shall be in the last days, God says, that I will pour forth of My Spirit upon all mankind.. "   Peter proclaimed the gospel, " Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God perform through Him in your midst... this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power." ( v17-24) 

Peter continued his message by speaking of the resurrection of Jesus and His ascension into heaven, "exalted to the right hand of God".  Jesus received the promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit, and He "poured forth" the Spirit "this which you both see and hear."  

"Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ -this Jesus whom you sacrificed." (v36)

The people who listened carefully to Peter's message were "pierced to the heart".  They didn't know what to do. Peter told them to "Repent and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."  3000 people received this word, were baptized... and joined the kingdom that day.  The church was born. 

Father in heaven, thank You for the gift of Your Spirit, "poured forth" from our Lord Jesus to all who repent and are baptized. We want to continue to walk in the Spirit every day, living in the power of Your great love and grace. Help us to also to continue to  be steadfast in the reading of Your word and in fellowship with other believers and in much prayer.  Let our voices be so lifted up in praise to Your Name that others will come to be saved as You work in us Your will and delight. In the Name of Jesus our Lord we pray. Amen 

 Acts 1 :1-11 Luke tells of the last meetings between Jesus and His disciples before He ascended into heaven.  He spent that time giving them "orders";(v2)  presenting Himself to those He had chosen for 40 days.. giving them "proof" that He was indeed alive; and "speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God."( v3)  Jesus gathered His followers together and reminded them to wait in Jerusalem "to wait for what the Father had promised." (v4)

The promise of the Holy Spirit's  baptism was more important than the restoration of the kingdom of Israel..which was certainly on the minds of the disciples.  Jesus wouldn't answer their questions about that.. He had a different priority.. a greater purpose.. "But.. you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you ; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." (v8)

Jesus prepared His disciples for the coming of the Holy Spirit and then He ascended into the sky right before their eyes.  It had to be an amazing moment!  They just stood their staring until the angels came and told them to stop!  "This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven , will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven." ( v11) 

Vs 12-26  Luke gives a timeline for what happened next.  The disciples went back into Jerusalem, back into the "upper room", and waited as they were told. "These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary , the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers."  I love that Luke includes the brothers of Jesus in this list of believers.. they finally believed!  All through the ministry of Jesus on earth they had not accepted Him as the Lord, the Son of God.. now they knew and devoted themselves to prayer!  They would receive the Holy Spirit and be His witnesses too.  What amazing grace. 

Luke tells us what happened to Judas and the election of Matthias to take his place as one of the 12. Scripture was examined and fulfilled in both of these events. 

There is a moment of suspense here... we know what happened next.. and we can almost begin to feel the anticipation that those in the upper room were experiencing.. The  Holy Spirit was coming in a way that had never happened before.. and they had no idea what was about to happen.. 

Father in heaven, we thank You for giving Your children this wonderful promise, this sacred Gift.. .. Your Holy Spirit.. Who came to give us "power" to be Your witnesses.  Fill us continually we pray.  In Jesus' name. Amen. 

 Joshua 24 Before Joshua passed away at the age of 110 he called all the leaders of Israel together at Shechem and presented a new covenant between them and the Lord their God.  The Lord spoke to them all.. reminding them of what He had done..

He "took" Abraham from "beyond the River" and brought into Canaan and promised him the land.

He gave Jacob and Esau to their father Isaac. It was Jacob who went down into Egypt.

He sent Moses and Aaron to bring them out of Egypt. 

He led them across the Red Sea.

He gave them victories and deliverance.. He gave them "a land on which you have not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you have lived on them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant." 

Joshua then presented the challenge. " Now, therefore, fear  the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord." 

Three times the Israelites vowed to serve the Lord their God and obey His voice.  Joshua told them that God would use their words as "witnesses" against themselves.. and they agreed. 

After this Joshua passed away and was buried in the land given to the tribe of Ephraim.  "And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, and had known all the deeds of the Lord which He had done for Israel." 

Unfortunately .. that was as far as they went.. and the nation began to fall away.  

The lesson is clear.. we must not forget all that the Lord had done.. we must teach the next generation these truths! We must keep clinging to the Lord!  We must be diligent to keep adding perseverance  and virtue and knowledge  and godliness and self-control.. and love.. and obedience to God's word as we walk with Jesus. 

Father, come and fill us again with Your Spirit so that You are exalted in our lives. Teach us and guide us Spirit of our Mighty God.. we need You... for what is impossible for us to do in our own strength.. You alone can do in us.  May Your plans and purposes be completed in us according to the power of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior whom we serve. Help us to be faithful.. Help us to teach our children and grandchildren Your Words.. that they may also continue to walk in the Light.  We ask this in Jesus' name. 

Amen. 

 It was early Saturday morning and I was awake.. thinking about the  recent disaster in Nepal.. a glacier collapsed.. a whole city was violently overtaken by a mountain high flood of mud and rock and water.  The pictures are devastating as people ran for their lives.. in vain.  There have been several earthquakes lately that have also brought about sudden destruction .. buildings collapsing.. people lost.. lives taken… without warning..without time to say goodbye.. without time to repent and prepare to meet the Lord. 

I am reminded of Jonah.  He reluctantly preached a simple message to the evil people of Nineveh.. “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”   The people of Nineveh repented and God relented.  Disaster was diverted. 

What would the people of Nepal given.. to have had that message.. a flood .. a disaster was coming. Forty days?  Even 40 hours or 40 minutes would have helped some..  But, they received no warning.  How about the people of Venezuela or Columbia?   They had no warning of the disaster about to hit them. How many of them  were ready to meet  their Creator?

In Luke 13 some people were telling Jesus about a  terrible thing that had happened to some Galileans.  Jesus answered them in an unexpected way, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners that all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?  I tell you, no!  But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them - do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” 

Disasters come.. unexpectedly.. suddenly.. and from all appearances.. randomly.  Life will end and we do not know the day nor the hour.  The Lord had compassion on Nineveh.. there were “120,000 people” who could not tell their right hands from their left.  Maybe these were children.. maybe these were just ordinary people who were living the only life they knew… not ready to die.. like the people in Nepal, or Columbia or Venezuela.. or in the next earthquake or flood.. or other disaster. 

When Jesus was speaking to His disciples about the time of His return He said this,      “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son; but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;  and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” ( Matthew 24:36-39)  

Isn’t that how it was in Nepal just a few days ago?

Revelation 6 describes the judgements to come when the Lamb.. He who is worthy to open the scroll.. begins to break the seals one by one.. and God’s wrath is poured out upon the earth.  Verse 17 says, “For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”  People great and small..rich and poor.. kings and slaves.. will all run and try to hide themselves in caves and on mountains, we are told in verse 15.  But, just like those in Nepal just a few days ago.. it doesn’t matter who you are.. what position you hold.. what wealth you have accumulated.. when the disaster hits, when the judgement comes, when the tower falls, or whatever.. “unless you repent, you too will perish.” 

This is the word that the Lord spoke to me early Saturday morning.  We must pray for those who are lost without Jesus, those who may perish tomorrow.. from a  disaster or from disease or an accident.. or whatever.  We will all die, but Jesus came that we might not perish but have everlasting life by believing in Him. Let the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ be heard around the world today! 

Father in heaven, may Your name be exalted in all the earth.. in every nation.. in every city..in every heart!  May Your will be done!  May Your Kingdom come. Let the Gospel news be shouted from the mountains and the Truth be announced in every city.  Let Your great mercy and grace be preached in all the earth we pray, in the Name of Jesus Christ the Lord.  Amen. 

 Joshua 23 At the age of 120 Joshua told the leaders of Israel, "I am old, advanced in years."  His message to them was spoken with both hope and caution.  He reminded the people of all that God had done for them.. ".. the Lord your God is He who has been fighting for you."  

He exhorted them to:

"Be very firm,  ( strong or courageous) then, to keep and do all that is written in the book of the Law of Moses, so that you may not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left." (v6)

"But you are to cling to  ( cleave; stick close, follow closely ) the Lord your God, as you have done to this day." (v8)

"So take diligent heed ( keep, have charge of, watch and wait for, be on guard )  to yourselves to love the Lord your God." ( v11) 

He warned them against associating with the nations that were still living in the land; of even speaking the name of the false gods.  The nations needed to be driven out of God's land.. for they would become "a snare and a trap.. a whip on your sides and a thorns in your eyes.." 

Joshua's concern for the people of Israel is deep and troubled. "When you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God.. and go serve other gods.. then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land which he has given you." 

 Joshua's message is a good word for all of us.. we also must "be very firm" in our obedience to the Lord's Word; we must also "cling to the Lord" - constantly abiding in Jesus Christ the "true Vine"; and we must also be "diligent" to love the Lord. 

II Peter 1:5 reminds us of this also... "Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness; and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.  For if these qualities are yours and are increasing , they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." 

Diligence.. personal attention and care.. to guard with earnestness and eagerness; with haste..   We must apply ourselves to these exhortations.. Perhaps if the Israelites had done so  - things would have turned out so much better for them.

Peter wrote "Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you." (v10-11)

Father in heaven, You have granted to us Your precious promises so that we can partake of Your divine nature, for in Christ Jesus we have been made one with You. How great is Your salvation!  Help us by Your indwelling Spirit to be diligent in clinging to You, standing firm in faith, and loving You more and more every day and every hour. We ask this in the Name of Jesus our King, Amen. 

 Joshua 22 Three tribes. Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh, were allowed to return  to the east side of the Jordan where they had been given their inheritance "according to the command of the Lord through Moses."  Joshua blessed them and gave them these instructions:

"And now the Lord your God has given rest to your brothers, as He spoke to them; therefore turn now and go to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan. Only be careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you to love the Lord your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul." 

The group returned to their land which was called "Gilead" .. the rocky place.. Before they crossed the Jordan they built a large "altar".  As soon as the news spread all the rest of the Israelites , they got ready to fight.. they thought the altar would cause God to bring judgement upon all of them! They assumed it was an affront to the altar before the Tabernacle...   However, that was not the intentions of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh... they simply wanted a monument to help the future generations remember that they were all a part of God's people. They called it "Witness".. a sign of unity.. a sign that they all served the same God... even though the river Jordan separated them from each other. 

This was acceptable to everyone and they all blessed God together. 

Rest is fleeting. Unity is fragile. Even after all that Israel had experience together.. all the the Lord had done for them and given them.. troubles would come.. people would fail to keep God's commandments. Joshua's words to the people are so important:

 Observe God's words. Love the Lord. Walk in His ways. Keep His commandments.. Hold fast to Him. Serve Him with all you have. 

Father in heaven, we need You to fill us with Your Word, by Your Spirit, that we might walk with Jesus in Your ways and for Your glory.  Help us to hold fast to You, for we are weak and easily distracted and weighed down by the things in this world. Let our eyes be fixed on that which is above.. on You, our Holy God and loving  Father; on Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior; and on the Spirit of God, who lives in us and brings us Your Word and Your Love. May Your will be done in each of us today as we seek to be one with You and with our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. We ask this in His Name. Amen.