HE CHANGED ME!

Acts 20:24 But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus--the work of telling others the Good News about God’s wonderful kindness and love.  NLT

       The Apostle Paul understood what life was all about.  For him the only thing that mattered was his telling others about Jesus.  He had to do other things, but everything revolved around his passion for Christ.  Paul was so passionate about Christ because he knew from personal experience what life was like without Christ and what a difference Jesus had made in him.  The difference was so profound and deep that he couldn’t do anything else with his life.

        I wonder if one of the reasons why so many of us are not equally driven to tell others about Christ is because we haven’t had the life-changing experience Paul had.  Paul was shaken to the very core of his being by Christ.  The Lord changed him from being a self-driven, passionate hater of the Church to a Christ-driven lover of the Church.  Paul was not the same man after his encounter with Christ.  He thought differently about things and he acted differently.

      For far too many of us, we don’t think or act too much differently after we accept Christ as our Savior as we did before we met Him.  We seem to be content to go on doing what we want to do.  We don’t want to consider doing anything radically different.  We don’t have the passion that Paul had for Christ or the lost who need to know Him.  Why?  How can we say Jesus is our Savior and Lord when nothing much has changed in us?

      We need to learn to appreciate what the Lord has and is doing in us.  We need to capture the wonder of His touch.  We need to think more about the difference Christ does make in our lives.  We need to let go of our hold on us and let the Lord take control.  We need to get serious about what it means to have Jesus in our hearts. 

      Jesus does radically change us.  He cannot be in us and not change us.  He never quits changing us.  He changes us and gives us a deep passion for those who don’t have the same heart for Him as we do.  Sharing our faith with others becomes the driving force in all of our living.  Let Jesus have His way with you and “He changed me” will be your rallying cry.

THINK FOR YOURSELF

Acts 17:11 And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul's message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to check up on Paul and Silas, to see if they were really teaching the truth.  NLT

      Wait a minute. The people of Berea searched the Scriptures to check up on Paul and Silas to make sure they were telling it like it is? Paul, the pillar of the Church and author of much of the New Testament??? Why would anyone question Paul and Silas?

        It makes no difference who we are; we are all capable of err in our thinking and teaching. No one is so spiritually-minded that they can't mess up in their interpretation of the Scriptures. No matter how educated a person may be, how long they have been a Christian, or what they may have accomplished for Christ, he is capable of err.

       The Scriptures are our sole authority for life and practice. What we read and hear must be evaluated in light of the Scriptures. Do not accept anything as being true until you evaluate it in light of what God says in His Word. Think for yourself over the Word, and if what you read and hear ring true, then learn from it and seek to apply it to life.

      One of the church's biggest problems is that we are not well-grounded in the Scriptures. We don't often think for ourselves about what the Scriptures say. We let others do our thinking for us. You will never grow spiritually until you examine the Scriptures for yourself and let the Lord speak to you from it.  Besides, we remember best what we discover to be true from our own study and meditations.

      May the Lord bless you as you study the Scriptures for yourself so that you will be a workman that needs not to be ashamed.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Acts 17:11  And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul's message.  They searched the Scriptures day after day to check up on Paul and Silas, to see if they were really teaching the truth.  NLT

      As a preacher this verse has always been a challenge for me.  I want people who listen to me and read what I write to always evaluate what comes out of me in light of what the Scriptures teach. 

      It is easy to let others do the thinking for us.  It is easy to believe what someone says just because they are supposed to know what they are talking about.  It is easy to believe someone because of who they are in the world.  It's easy to believe those who speak eloquently.  It is easy to believe those who use the Scriptures to make their points.

      Yet, we should never accept what we hear and read unless it is backed up by the Word of God.  We should do our own studying and thinking of the Word.  We must be careful as well that we don't take things out of context when we do our studying.  Scripture always backs up Scripture.  If the rest of the Scriptures do not support our conclusions, then we need to change our thinking. 

        Like the Bereans, we need to have open minds.  We need to always be willing to change our understanding if the Spirit of God gives us new insight and greater understanding.  We must always read the Word with an attitude of learning what God is saying.  We also must not accept what someone says if it is not supported by the Word of God.  A wrong interpretation of the Word is false teaching and must be rejected and corrected when it is brought to light.

IN TUNE WITH GOD

Acts 16:6-7 Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had told them to go into the province of Asia at that time. Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not let them go.  NLT

       Paul and Silas were on the road serving the Lord. They were going from place to place preaching and teaching the Word. They were doing it because the Lord had clearly shown them that they were to do it. They went where they knew the Spirit was leading them to go.

       It is important that in our service to the Lord that we remain sensitive to the voice of God so that we will be in the right place doing the right thing at the right time. So often, we plunge ahead like a bull in the china closet. We often make the decision as to where we will be and what we will be doing. I suspect that there are far too many people in the Church who are busy doing the work of the Lord without being sent by the Lord to do it. Are you sure that what you are doing is the Lord's leading on your life and not your own?

       Paul and Silas were so in tune with the Spirit that when He prevented them from going where the Lord didn't want them to go, they recognized it and didn't go.

       It is important that we don't force doors open that the Lord has shut. There are good reasons why sometimes the Lord says no. We must be humble and wise enough to listen to God's nos. Far too often we stubbornly push our way ahead. The result always is that we hinder or damage the cause of Christ.

       Are you doing what the Lord wants you to do, or are you doing what you want to do and then expect Him to put His stamp of approval on it?  Only when we align ourselves up with God's will are we able to be whom He wants and needs us to be in His work on earth.

SPEAK FROM THE HEART

Acts 11:15 "Well, I began telling them the Good News, but just as I was getting started, the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as he fell on us at the beginning."  NLT

       Here Peter was in Cornelius' house. Everyone there had been waiting for Peter to arrive. They were waiting to hear the Word of God from Peter. Before Peter got into the Word, he shared with them his personal testimony of how God had spoken to him in a vision. Peter's personal testimony was enough. He barely got started sharing the Good News and the Spirit of God came upon those gathered and overpowered them.

        I wonder what it would have been like to be in a service like that. The people were ready and waiting to hear from God. They were focused on the message and not the messenger. They did not want to be entertained, they wanted to hear from God. I wonder what would be different in our churches today if everyone were to be as anxious to hear from God as Cornelius and his family were?

       Sometimes our personal testimony is enough. Peter did not wow the people with his knowledge or understanding. He just told them about his encounter with Jesus. Knowledge and understanding are important, but sometimes we let them get in the way of our worship. God doesn't need what we know to do what He desires to do in someone's life. He just needs us to be willing to be real about what God has done for us. We need to be careful that we don't allow our minds to crowd out our hearts when we talk about Jesus. I fear that in so many cases, we speak from our heads and not our hearts.

       If you want to see God in action, let Him first move through your heart.

READY TO HEAR

Acts 10:33 "So I sent for you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now here we are, waiting before God to hear the message the Lord has given you."  NLT

       This is the account of Cornelius and Peter. The Lord had just spoken to Peter about getting rid of any prejudices he had about who could or could not be saved. Cornelius was amongst those whom Peter would have denied access to grace before God had spoken to him. God had been working on Cornelius and his heart was hungry for the Gospel. God had told him to send for Peter and he did. When Peter arrived, Cornelius and his household were ready and waiting to hear from God.

      Wouldn't it be wonderful if we too were sent to a people who were ready and waiting to hear from the Lord? But wait a minute, Jesus said that the harvest field was ripe and ready for the harvesting. There are people all around us who are ready to be told about God's love and saving grace. All we have to do is to go into the harvest field to find them. And if we can't go for some reason, we are to pray that the Lord will send laborers who can go. We don't go and expect them to come to us, but it doesn't work that way. The Lord sends us out, not in. We are to bring them in, and you can't bring them in unless you first go out. If we are not reaching out with the Gospel in their world, we are not functioning in God's will.

       Wouldn't it be wonderful if we, who already are believers, would have the same spirit as Cornelius? I wonder what would be different in our homes and churches if we were to eagerly wait before the Lord for a message from Him. When was the last time you were ready and waiting to hear from the Lord? Would He have something important to say to you? There is only one way to find out.

READY TO SERVE?

Acts 8:30-31 Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah, so he asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”  The man replied, “How can I, when there is no one to instruct me?” And he begged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.  NLT

      There was a high ranking man in a chariot not too far away from Philip.  He was not there by accident.  He was reading in the book of Isaiah, but did not understand what he was reading.  He was searching for God in His Word.  He was doing a very good thing.  He did not know God, but he was smart enough to know where to look for God.  There was something in him that was missing and he knew it. 

      God sent the eunuch Philip’s way because he knew Philip could help him.  Philip was an early leader in the church.  He was going from town to town preaching the Gospel.  There were things about Philip that the eunuch could relate to, so the Lord arranged a meeting.  Let us not minimize the opportunities the Lord gives to us come alongside of someone with the Gospel.  You may be the only person someone will listen to.

      The eunuch needed someone to explain to him the meaning of what he was reading.  Philip was grounded in faith and knew well the book of Isaiah.  So when the two of them got together, Philip explained to him the meaning of what the eunuch was reading.  Are you knowledgeable enough with the Scriptures that you can explain it to someone seeking answers from it?  Never minimize the importance of daily being in the Word and studying it.

       Philip did not hesitate to come alongside of the eunuch to help him.  Do we care enough to take the time to come alongside of those searching for God?  There is no greater agenda on earth than to share the Good News with those who want to hear it.

        The end result of this meeting was that the eunuch was saved on the spot and immediately baptized in a nearby body of water.  Philip’s mission was complete and the Lord immediately took him and put him in another place of service.