A LIFE WELL LIVED

 

A LIFE WELL LIVED

Acts 7:56 And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!” NLT

We don’t know much about Stephen. We do know that he was a man of God. He believed Jesus was God and trusted Him with his life. He was not ashamed of Christ and proclaimed Christ boldly before those who were against him. Even when his accusers turned on him and started stoning him to death, Stephen looked to heaven for his help. Jesus was there for him. Even as he was dying, Stephen saw his Lord and knew he was not alone.

Stephen was the first martyr that we know of for his faith. Notice Jesus was standing and not sitting on His throne. This is the only time we are told that Jesus was standing in heaven affirming the life of His saints. It was as if He was standing to applaud Stephen for a job well done. It was as if Jesus was telling Stephen all was well, soon it would be over and he would be home with Jesus.

We see Stephen’s heart on his death bed. Before he died, he prayed for those who were stoning him. He could easily have done what most would do, despise those who killed him to his grave, but he didn’t. He forgave them and asked the Lord to be merciful to them and bring forgiveness to them as well. I wonder if there might be those in your life that you need to forgive before you die.

I wonder what the Lord thinks of the life we are living. Are we meeting God’s approval for a life well lived, or are we lacking? Let us live each day in such a way that the Lord will be well-pleased with us and applaud us for a job well done

HONORED IN HEAVEN

 

HONORED IN HEAVEN

Acts 7:56 And he told them, "Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God's right hand!" NLT

Stephen was being stoned to death because of his stand for Christ. He had just witnessed to God's past and present workings amongst God's people. He was a strong follower of Christ and unashamed of it. He was recognized in the Church as a godly man and servant of the Lord. He was not popular among those who would not accept Christ as being the promised Messiah.

As he was dying, Stephen looked up to heaven and he saw Jesus. This was the first recorded instance where we find Jesus standing in heaven. He normally was sitting at His rightful place at the right hand of God on His throne. I believe that the Lord was giving Stephen a standing ovation for being the first martyr of the faith.

I wonder how many of us are being honored in heaven today because of our faith. I wonder how much honor we are being given in heaven. In order to receive honor from the Lord, we must live honorable lives before Him and man. If we live consistently lives of righteousness, it honors the Lord. If we are not ashamed of the Gospel and our Lord and witness for Him whenever we have the chance without regard for the consequences, we are honored in heaven. If we live holy lives, we are being honored in heaven. If we live solely by faith, we are being honored in heaven. If Jesus is Lord of our lives, we are being honored in heaven.

We may not get a standing ovation from the Lord, but we will be greeted at heaven's doors by our Lord and He will say unto the faithful, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter now into the kingdom of your Lord." If the Lord finds us faithful, great will be our reward in heaven.

NOT ONE CHURCH

 

NOT ONE CHURCH

Acts 4:32 All the believers were of one heart and mind, and they felt that what they owned was not their own, they shared everything they had. NLT

One of the greatest problems in the Church today is that we are so divided and fragmented. We are weak because we are not united in Christ. There are so many different kinds of church bodies to choose from, each with their own agenda. We isolate ourselves from one another because we think and worship differently. We are suspicious of those who are not like us. We become jealous of each other and often compete for the souls of man. We sometimes get critical and nasty towards those we disagree with. We have lost any sense of oneness.

The early Church was not like what we have become. They were of one heart and mind. They sincerely cared for each other and sought their common good. They were a people who understood that their very existence was centered in Christ alone. They understood that they existed to honor and serve Him. They were a focused people and did not let their differences divide them.

While it is humanly impossible for the Church to overcome all of our differences and become one once again, we can do a much better job of it. Let us strive to rally ourselves around the foot of the cross. Let us strive to make and keep Jesus the main reason why we exist. Let us seek to the best of our ability to get along and cooperate with those whom we may disagree with on minor points of faith.

The world is frantically running straight to hell and we seemly are not concerned enough to stop our internal bickering to work together for Jesus’ sake to reach as many of the lost as we can for Him. Are you part of the problem or part of the solution?

We are not one Church, and we won’t be until Jesus comes to take us home. But that doesn’t excuse us from not trying to get along and work together for the glory and honor of Christ and the salvation of souls.

ONE HEART, ONE MIND

 

ONE HEART, ONE MIND

Acts 4:32 All the believers were of one heart and mind, and they felt that what they owned was not their own, they shared everything they had. NLT

I can only imagine what it must have been like in the early Church. I have been in the ministry for over 50 years and I have never been in a church where all the believers were of one heart and mind. In today's Church, it would be practically impossible for this to happen. We can't come close to being of one mind on what we believe, let alone one in heart. Often in the local church there is a huge difference in what people really believe and how they live out what they believe.

It is common for people to be upset with each other, often times over the smallest of things. We just can't seem to get over the hump of agreeing to disagree agreeably. We want everyone to see things as we do and when they don't, we get upset and pout. With so many church choices available, it's not very hard to find another church to fellowship and worship in.

Before we can be of one mind, we have to be of one heart, and that is where we mess up so much. In order to be of one heart, we have to focus on the same thing, Christ. There has to be one agenda in the Church, the exaltation of Christ in all we do. We have to want to honor and glorify Him more than anything else. We must set aside our own agendas and submit to the Lord's. We must be willing to work together for Jesus' sake instead of trying to promote our own churches.

I believe that one of the primary needs of the Church today is to strive to become of one mind and heart before Christ. Can we change the Church? Perhaps not. But, we can let the Lord change us so that we will do our part. We can strive to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

COMPELLED TO TELL

 

COMPELLED TO TELL

Acts 4:19-20 But Peter and John replied, "Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? We cannot stop telling about the wonderful things we have seen and heard." NLT

What do you think? Do you think God wants you to obey Him or man? The answer is obvious; we must obey God. The problem comes in when what God dictates conflicts with what man dictates. The two often do conflict and to not obey man can create some very difficult, and even bad, consequences. If we truly want to honor and please the Lord, we must be willing to face whatever consequences our obeying God would create. We have to answer to God on Judgment Day, not man.

Rarely do we find that man's ways are fully in line with God's ways. The mind of man does not always comprehend the mind of God. The heart of man is not always in line with God's heart. Thus when laws are made by man, there is bound to be conflicts. It is our responsibility to develop Biblically minded minds so that we can recognize when man's laws are not in agreement with God's laws. We must be into the Word of God consistently enough to recognize when we must disobey man's laws in order to obey God's laws, regardless of the consequences it may cause. What happens when we become Biblically minded is we become so enamored by Christ that we cannot disobey God.

Are you to the point where you just can't help yourself, that you just have to obey God? Is your faith such a part of you that you do not compromise God's laws for anyone, regardless of personal cost? If not, get into the Word of God until it gets in you and takes hold of you. Get into your prayer closet until Christ rubs off on you. Live life to the fullest in Christ and you won't be able to stop telling others about the wonderful things Christ is doing in you.

A BOLD, SEEN FAITH

 

A BOLD, SEEN FAITH

Acts 4:13 The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men who had had no special training. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. NLT

Is anyone amazed by your bold faith? Can others see that you have been with Jesus?

Most of us are not very bold when it comes to our faith. We don't hide it when we are with like-minded people, but when we are with people who don't share our faith, we aren't apt to make it known that we are believers in Christ. There are many reasons why we tend to not be vocal about our faith. Taking our faith outside of Christian circles is just hard for most people to do.

Yet, we must examine ourselves and consider whether or not we are indeed in love with the Lord as we should be. If we are not comfortable with making our faith known publicly, can we really say we love the Lord? Hiding our faith goes against what the Lord tells us we must do. He said that we are to let our lights shine in the world. The Word reminds us over and over again that if we truly love the Lord we will be known by our love through our actions.

When we are with Jesus like we should be, others will know it. The glory of Christ is reflected in those who spend adequate time with Him. This means that we spend sufficient time alone with the Lord. We spend enough time to wait before Him to hear from Him. We wait before Him in worship, letting Him flood our souls with His love and grace. We wait before Him until we are ready to face the world. Spending time with Jesus is a priority and not an afterthought in those who reflect Him in such a way that others can readily see Him in them.

People you know need to see Jesus through you. You may very well be the difference maker in their lives. You may be the key to whether or not they will know Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

Hide it under a bushel? NO. Let it shine wherever you go until Jesus comes. Someone’s eternal soul may very well be at stake.

“Lord, I ask that you forgive us for those times that we have hidden our faith out of fear of what others may think or because it just wasn’t convenient for us at the time to make it known. Forgive us for those times we have missed where someone needed to see our living faith. Please give us the boldness to let our lights shine wherever we go. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

PASSION FOR JESUS

 

PASSION FOR JESUS

Acts 4:13 The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men who had had no special training. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. NLT

This verse has always challenged me. I want to be like Peter and John. I want others who see and know me to know that I have been with Jesus. I want to be so connected to the Lord that there is no mistake about it in how I live.

Notice that it wasn’t their education that made Peter and John stand out. If anything, their lack of education would be noticed. They were ordinary men, fishermen by trade. They had no pedigree that would get them noticed. They would have been scarcely noticed, especially by those who were educated and in seats of authority. Peter and John were just common people, just like most of us. Yet, there was something quite noticeable about them.

Peter and John stood out from the crowd because they oozed the life of Jesus. They were not impressed by the Jewish leaders. They did not hold back their witness because of who they were with. They boldly proclaimed Christ to all they could. Why? They were passionately committed to Christ. They knew He was indeed God who had come in human flesh. They knew that He alone was the way to heaven, and they were driven by their compassion for the lost. They had the heart of God for others and were not willing that any would be lost. They boldly proclaimed the Gospel message so that as many people as possible would hear it and perhaps be saved.

Are we as driven by our love for Christ as Peter and John were? Are we telling as many people as possible about our salvation? If not, why not? Isn’t the soul of man far more important than anything else in life?

If you find yourself not caring enough about the lost souls of others, I implore you to fall on your knees before God and stay there until He changes your heart.

When you look into the mirror of your soul, can you see Jesus? If you have trouble seeing Jesus in you, what do you think others see? If Jesus cannot be readily seen, you need to get things right with God before you drift any farther away.