So What Shall We Do Now?

Acts 2: 42

And they were continually devoting themselves to the Apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. 

These four things were what the infant church was focused on: 

1. Learning more about Jesus;
2. Befriending one another;
3. Having their meals together (a continual party!); and
4. Praying, communing with God

We don't see evangelism here. Or preaching. Though we do see them sharing the Gospel with the people they encounter as they live their lives. 

They devoted themselves to the internal priorities, to grow strong in the Lord and in their relationships with one another.

Then reaching out to others came as a natural consequence. 

We would do well to follow this pattern in our new birth: as a new Christian we need to continue to learn God's ways by reading and studying Scripture, as well as strengthening our friendships with our new brothers and sisters in the Lord by spending time and meals together, as well as praying together for one another. 

And as we grow in Christ in these practises, we will begin to reach out to others to share our witness and the Good News. 

And as our responsibilities in the church grow, we must not neglect the fundamental practises. We certainly do not want to lose our "first love," as Revelation 2:4-5 says that the first church, in Ephesus, had, and was told to remember where they have fallen from, and repent, turn around, to love the Lord like they had at the first. It looks like they got caught up into "doing church" instead of being the church.

That happens so often, so we really need to pay attention to our personal relationship with our Father and our Lord as first priority; then our own families must come next, to nurture our children and honor our spouse. Then the third priority is our work for the Lord and the church. 

If we get our priorities wrong, we will lose that "first love"--or lose our families, who we are responsible for before the Lord (I Timothy 5:8). 

O my Father, You are so kind to us, to be so patient with us, giving us second chances, and third and fourth! You know that we are but dust, our flesh is weak, and we need Your strength and perseverance to be who You intend us to be. 

Father, You have even given us Your own Holy Spirit, the power that raised Jesus from the dead, to live inside our human spirits; so we always have access to His knowledge and strength and wisdom and courage to face every trial and maneuver over every stumbling stone and around every pothole in our path. 

And Father, as we do the good works that You planned ahead of time for us to do, help us to lean on you when the enemy's minions slander us, and fight against us, and attack us. He knows that his time is short, and he is furious. 

Protect Your children, Father; may those who are facing extreme persecution know that they can curl up in Your lap, wrapped in Your strong and gentle arms. Let them know that their families are being cared for, not starving. 

And watch over Your people Israel, all the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, scattered over the whole World in every Nation. Continue to carry them, protect them, and preserve them, drawing them to Yourself. 

And, Father, send Your workers into Your mission fields, to find every lost sheep, in every Nation, every people group, every language; to carry them into the safety of the One Fold with One Shepherd. 

And may every seat around Your great Table be filled with all the subjects in Your Kingdom; all Your children, all Your friends, all Your guests, from whatever places and realms they will be found; that Your House will be full!

And every knee will bow, every tongue in every language will confess and admit, that Jesus of Nazareth is our Almighty Lord God of the Universe, to the glory of God the Father, in the power of God the Holy Spirit, forever and ever, through all Eternity! 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

His Commission To Us

Matthew 28: 18-20

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in Heaven and on Earth.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the Nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
Teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the Age.

Acts 1: 8 

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 evern to the remotest part of the Earth.

This has been called The Great Commission, and many think that it only applies to His Apostles and disciples who followed Him then, and pastors and missionaries today. 

But we need to understand that all Christians in every time since then have been His students, His disciples. Every believer is a disciple. And every believer has been given this commission. 

We are all "called." When the Apostles wrote their Epistles, they were letters to all the believers in each location, not just the leaders. (See Romans 1:6; I Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:6; Ephesians 4:1; Colossians 3:15; I Thessalonians 2:12; Hebrews 9:15; I Peter 1:15; II Peter 1:3; and I John 3:1, for example.) 

So each one of us is called to faith, called to be His children, called to be Christians. And we are all commissioned to be His witnesses, to testify of our own personal knowledge and experiences in our relationship with Him. 

Each of us needs to be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks us why we are different, or why we respond to something instead of reacting. 

Has Jesus changed your life and attitudes about anything? That's your experience, your testimony. Be ready to share it when called upon. 

O my Father, thank You so much for knowing me and loving me. Thank You for choosing me to be Your own daughter. Thank You for sending Your own Son to be my personal Sacrificial Lamb to take my death and wash me clean by His precious Blood. Thank You for plannng out my life for my good and Your glory. 

Father, You are amazing! You are incredible! You are so much more than I could ever imagine! (And You have given me a really good imagination!) You are my Source of Everything! Source of existence, Source of environment, Source of sustenance, Source of being, Source of every material need in this World. Also Source of every fun and pleasurable thing for me to enjoy. 

O Father, I am looking forward with great anticipation to that Day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is our Lord God, to the glory of God the Father, throughout all eternity.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

My Apology

My Apologies

I must apologize for my rush to pronounce a fact something that may not be. 

I have been taught by highly respected Bible scholars, and I sometimes disagree with them, and I sometimes just swallow whole what they have said, without a lot of personal research to determine if what they said is really True. 

I suppose it is my pride that will do this, thinking that I am somebody when I am a nobody in the World. Only God considers me a V.I.P.--in His family and in His Family Business, His Kingdom. 

So I must confess that I shared that the Mary who was the mother of James and Joseph could be Jesus' own mother, without also showing that she could be another Mary who was the wife of Cleophas and the mother of James the Less and Joseph. 

I've done some research and am impressed that "James the Less" is one of the Twelve Apostles, and is the brother of the Apostle Jude, the son of Alphaeus. 

So "James the Just" would be the brother of Jesus, who didn't believe in Him until after His Resurrection, but who then became the leader of the church at Jerusalem, and who probably wrote the Epistle of James. 

And I'm sorry I didactically proclaimed that the Epistle of Jude was written by the brother of Jesus. I don't know that for a certainty, but I suspect it is so. He calls himself "the brother of James" who is understood as being James the Just, the leader of the Jerusalem church. So if James the Just is the brother of Jesus, then Jude is also the brother of Jesus. But, like I said, there is not total certainty of that.

Please forgive me for my indiscretions and my eagerness to promote my own knowledge, even before I did my own sufficient research. 

I call on all of you, my readers, to not just take what I say as Gospel, but to do your own research to make sure that what I say really is according to Scripture, before you swallow it whole, as I did. 

I am always open to other views on what God is really saying to us, and I appreciate that He is so gracious with me in the weakness of my flesh. 

Thank you for reading my blog, and for your faithfulness if you read it every day. You are free to share it with others, if you think it will help them grow closer to our Father, which is my purpose in sharing. You may freely print out any of my entries to share with your Bible study group or Sunday School class, at your pleasure and discretion. 

You may comment on any page, with questions or comments or to let me know what effect these entries are having on you and your friends. 

And may God receive all the credit and glory for all of our readings and studyings and researchings and seekings and prayers. 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Intro To The Church

Acts 1

Doctor Luke was a scientist, so he made very careful research into everything Jesus said and did, interviewing all the people who knew and interacted with Him, in order to make sure that all the stories that were going around were really accurate according to the Truth of what really happened. That's why he wrote the Gospel According to Luke. 

And that is also why he wrote this treatise of The Acts of the Apostles, to continue the story God was folding out, especially since he himself is part of this continuing saga as he travelled with Paul as his doctor (Acts 16:7, they; v. 10, we, when he joined the party).

This first chapter records how Jesus commissioned His disciples to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the Earth. 
And when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up into a cloud that received Him out of their sight.
And while they were still looking earnestly toward Heaven, suddenly two men stood by them in white apparel; 
And said, Why are you men of Galilee standing here gazing up into Heaven? 
This same Jesus, that has been taken from you into Heaven, shall come again in the same way that you saw Him go into Heaven. (Vs. 8-11.)

So here is another promise that Jesus will come back, coming through the clouds to the Mount of Olives, just as He went up into the clouds from the Mount of Olives. (As Zechariah describes in chapter 14.)

Then they walked the Sabbath's day journey, about 3/5ths of a mile, to Jerusalem, to the upper room where Peter and James were staying, and all the other Apostles and disciples were with them, about 120 people in all, including Jesus' mother and His brothers, too. (Vs. 12-14.)

Since the Apostles' number went from 12 to 11 with the abdication of Judas, who had hanged himself in despair; Peter held a vote, and two were appointed to take his place; so they cast lots, probably like dice, and it fell on Matthias to take Judas' place as the 12th Apostle. (Vs. 15-26.)

We never hear any more about Matthias, this is the only place in the whole Bible where his name is mentioned. 

But when Saul of Tarsis has his crisis of faith (Acts 9) and becomes Paul the Evangelist (Acts 13), he considers himself to be the twelfth Apostle (Romans 1:1; I Corinthians 1:1; II Corinthians 1:1; Galatians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1; Colossians 1:1; I Timothy 1:1; II Timothy 1:1; and Titus 1:1), so maybe Peter was jumping the gun here, in rushing to fill that position. 

O my Father, Your written Word is so rich in knowledge and wisdom and information and depth of understanding! It's like You wrote it in a code that takes Your Holy Spirit in us to decrypt and decypher it. 

Father, please continue to reveal Your Truth to me, so that I will have an accurate understanding of what You are saying to us. Help me to use the words that will convey a clear picture of Your Truth, in whichever facet I am focused on to share. Keep me from any kind of minor or major error in my telling, and use my efforts in Your strength to draw others ever closer to Yourself, to love You and love others as You have Loved us. 

O Father, keep us all firmly in Your Truth; in every story, in every point of doctrine to believe, in every detail of what we need to know. So that we will be confident in Your trustworthyness and bold in our proclamations that we broadcast throughout all the World. 

And we know that Your Word is True and Steadfast, and will remain in effect until everything, every detail, every promise, every prophecy, is fulfilled and finished, exactly as You said it. 

And You will receive all the Glory and Honor and Praise, when every knee will bow and every tongue will admit, in every created realm, that Jesus is our Lord God and Sovereign King, forever and ever throughout all Eternity! 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

His Disciples And His Brothers

Matthew 28

In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalen and the other Mary to see the sepulchure. ...
And the angel answered and said unto the women, ... He is not here, for He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
And go quickly, and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead; and behold He goes before you into Galilee; there you shall see Him. Now I have told you.

And as they went to tell His disciples, behold Jesus met them ... then said to them, Be not afraid; go tell my brothers that they go into Galilee, and they shall see Me there.

Jesus had made an appointment with His disciples before He died to meet with Him at a specific place and time, after He died, as He knew He would rise again.

The angel told the two Marys to tell the disciples to keep that appointment. Then when Jesus appeared to them on the way, He told them to also tell His brothers to go there, too, and they would see Him there. 

This is not surprising to me, because I think that it is possible that the "other Mary" could be none other than the Lord's own mother, the mother of James and Joseph (Mark 15:40), Jesus' brothers, along with Simon and Jude. (Matthew records His neighbors as complaining about who He thought He was, because they knew His family, The carpenter's son, and His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon, and Jude? (13:55). 

Can you imagine having a big brother who never did anything wrong? How frustrating it would be to constantly bait Him and He never fell for it! 

Jesus wanted His own brothers to believe Him. So He would tell His mother to tell them to come to the meeting also. He wanted to keep His family together. 

And His brother James became the head pastor of the church in Jerusalem. (Paul, in defending his apostleship, says that, Other of the Apostles saw I none, save James, the Lord's brother, Galatians 1:19.) And His brother Jude wrote the Epistle of Jude (V. 1, he calls himself, the brother of James). 

O my Father, You have made Your written Word so clear, in giving understanding through Your Spirit of Truth that lives in us. Thank You for telling us plainly the historical Truth in all the stories You had Your prophets and evangelists to write. Thank You that we don't need to depend on mere oral Tradition, that changes in the telling, like the child's party game of "Telephone." 

It has been said that writing is, "words that stay" (the movie, The Dark Crystal).

Having Your message written down with words on parchment, and the diligence Your Scribes used in transcribing these words, so that they would not disappear, insured that every generation would have access to what we need to learn and know and apply in our daily living. 

And to be able to trust that You have the power and authority to preserve Your written Word, so that no mere man can change or alter it in any way. And You have cursed anyone who would teach someone to add anything to it, or take away any part of it. It is all Your Words, and all important for us to know. 

It all fits together so perfectly, like pieces of a puzzle, like connecting all the dots into a beautiful picture, an exquisite Tapestry of Time. 

Thank You, Father, for allowing us to each have a part in the weaving of Your Tapestry; that our stories are recorded, and will be told throughout all Time and Eternity, to the glory of Your Name. 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

His Resurrection Body

John 20

The first day of the week, Mary Magdalen came early, while it was still dark ...

When Jesus rose from the dead, the first person He appeared to was a woman, Mary from Magdala. This is very out-of-the-box, as in that culture a woman's testimony was not considered valid in a court of law. 

So when Mary told the disciples, they had to come see for themselves, and Peter and John ran both together, [John] outran Peter and came to the sepulchure first. And stooping down, looking in, saw the linen wrappings lying there, yet did not go in. 
Then came Simon Peter, following him, and ran into the sepulchure, and saw the linen cloth lying there. 
And the napkin that was over His face, not lying with the wrapping, but folded, and set aside.
For they did not realize that the Scriptures said that He must rise from the dead.

How like Peter, the impulsive one, to run right into the cave before stopping. 

It had to have been strange to see the linin sheet His body had been wrapped in, just lying there, empty. And then seeing the face-napkin, set aside by itself, neatly folded. 

In that day, when the master got up from the meal, the servant would look at the napkin: if it was crumpled beside the plate, that meant that he was finished eating and the dishes could be cleared away; but if it was folded, that meant that he was returning to finish the meal.

So Jesus folded His napkin, because He's coming back!

That same day at evening, the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood in their midst, and said to them, Peace be unto you!

Now that afternoon the same day, the disciples are huddled together in a locked room in fear, Jesus just appears there with them. His Resurrection body wasn't hampered by bolts and locks. 

And they were so glad to see Him! What a surprise! But Thomas wasn't with them, and it was just too much for him to take in. 

So eight days later Jesus comes again, and Thomas is there, too. So Jesus speaks directly with Thomas, saying, reach here your finger and see My hands, and reach here your hand, and put it in my side; and be not faithless, but believing. 
And Thomas answered and said, My Lord and my God!
And Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen, you believe; blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed.

Thomas was called a twin (Didymus), but we call him Doubting Thomas, because he had to see to believe. But they all had to see Him to realize He had risen, to understand the Old Testament prophesies that He had to die and rise again. 

It was incredible that a Man who had been beaten and crucified and pierced and buried could, days later, be alive again! No wonder they had to see. 

But we receive His blessing today for not having seen His Resurrection body personally, but we still believe. 

He showed His Resurrection Life as so far superior to our natural life, passing through a locked door, and just appearing, but still Himself.

So our resurrected bodies will also be ourselves that we know, but so far superior to how we know ourselves now. 

Because He is the First-Fruits of the Resurrection: Every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming (I Corinthians 15:23). Paul wrote this whole chapter laying out the reasonable logic of how we will also be resurrected. 

O my Father, You are Great! You are Good! You are Love! You are Light! You are Life! You are our Source of everything we are and everything we need. You have imagined us, and made us so. In You we live and breathe and move and have our being, in Your imagination. If You were not thinking about me right now, I would not exist. 

O Father, Your plans for me surpass everything I can think of or imagine, far beyond all my high hopes and aspirations. 

You have called me out upon the waters; keep my eyes on You, above the waves! Keep me focused on Your Love, that chases away every fear, and gives me courage to carry on. 

And You are the One who deserves all the glory, all the credit, all the honor, all the praise--for it is all You! All Your idea, Your will being done, Your plans being carried out to completion. And You have granted me a small part in it all! So gracious! 

Who am I that I should be called a daughter of the Great King?

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Himself In All The Scriptures

Luke 24: 27, 32, 45

And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them all the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

And they said to one another, Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?

Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

How wonderful it had to have been to have the Lord, Himself, walk with them, explaining all the Scriptures, and show how they all tell one story. Their hearts were burning within them to understand the magnificent ways of God.

Now Jesus has given each of us -- even me -- His own Holy Spirit of Truth to open our minds to understand the Scriptures. And sometimes I almost feel overwhelmed with the enormity and expanse of all the knowledge God has put into His written Word!

Just these 66 Books we have cover Time from before Creation until this Universe has run it's course, and a hint of the next one to come after it.

His unfathomable Love is the engine, the driving force, behind everything He has planned and is doing. And He will never be done! 

Even when this Earth is done and gone along with the World we have built on it, there will be a New Earth with a New Heaven for it to exist in. And after that, some other, then another, and more after that, and again, and again, forever and ever! Wow! With every Universe different from every other before and after it. Our God loves a variety! And He is infinitely creative.

And at every step, at every sunrise, and at every sunset, His Name is praised! Because it is all His: His idea, His Plan, His power, His authority, and His work. No one else anywhere at any Time can call Him to account or question anything He has done. He is God, there is no other. 

And we are all accountable to Him. He made us, He owns us, He rules over us and determines our days. And He has told us and shown us everything we need to know and do to live, to prosper, and to please Him. He will even reward us for doing what He empowers us to do, because of His unexplainable Love. 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!