To the Jew First and also to the Gentile

A healing was done at the temple in Jerusalem - it was on a man who was handicapped since birth.  Those looking on were astonished.  But, the man who helped him was named Peter, and he addressed the crowd in Jerusalem.


When Peter saw this, he said, “Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us? We haven’t made this man walk by our own power or godliness.  The God of our fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has done this. He has brought glory to Jesus, who serves him. But you handed Jesus over to be killed. Pilate had decided to let him go. But you spoke against Jesus when he was in Pilate’s court.  You spoke against the Holy and Blameless One. You asked for a murderer to be set free instead.  You killed the one who gives life. But God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.  This man whom you see and know was made strong because of faith in Jesus’ name. Faith in Jesus has healed him completely. You can see it with your own eyes.
 
 “My friends, I know you didn’t realize what you were doing. Neither did your leaders.  But God had given a promise through all the prophets. And this is how he has made his promise come true. He said that his Christ would suffer.  So turn away from your sins. Turn to God. Then your sins will be wiped away. The time will come when the Lord will make everything new.  He will send the Christ. Jesus has been appointed as the Christ for you.  He must remain in heaven until the time when God makes everything new. He promised this long ago through his holy prophets.  Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me. He will be one of your own people. You must listen to everything he tells you.  Those who do not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’ (Deuteronomy 18:15,18,19)
  
“Samuel and all the prophets after him spoke about this. They said these days would come.  What the prophets said was meant for you. The covenant God made with your people long ago is yours also. He said to Abraham, ‘All nations on earth will be blessed through your children.’ (Genesis 22:18; 26:4)  God raised up Jesus, who serves him. God sent him first to you. He did it to bless you. He wanted to turn each of you from your evil ways.”

Acts 3:12-26

It's a process...

A wonderful song was sent to me today as a reminder of the journey we are on with the Lord God.  Apply yourself to seeking after Him and everyday you will see an increase of faith and a peace that surpasses all understanding.

 Song by Josh Garrels "Farther Along"

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IctD9l4F-ag

“What no eye has seen,
    what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
    the things God has prepared for those who love him—

 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.  For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.  What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.  This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. ¹⁵ The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,  for,

“Who has known the mind of the Lord
    so as to instruct him?”

But we have the mind of Christ."

 

1 Corinthians 2:9-16

Your Kingdom Come

The disciples of Jesus asked him for instruction on how to pray.

 "And he said to them, “When you pray, say:

 “Father, hallowed be your name. 

 Your kingdom come. 

 Give us each day our daily bread;

  and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. 

 And lead us not into temptation.”

In studying the book of Revelation, I came across a verse that made me think about the Kingdom to come.

  "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.  And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place  of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people,  and God himself will be with them as their God."

Could it be that the Kingdom Jesus told his followers to keep in their prayers was the one that was coming down from heaven? The actual dwelling place of God with man? We know the will of the Father is to dwell with His people. And one day we will. IF that is the Kingdom Jesus wants us to focus our hearts and minds on while we pray, then it would be best to do so. He saw into the future like none of us can.  And he knew that we needed to have a heavenly mindset - so that we would not get entangled with trying to recreate heaven on earth. That's the Lord's role. But we are to walk in faith knowing that one day, God's Kingdom will come down from heaven and be on earth..as it is in Heaven.  And that day will be marvelous in our sight.  So, pray with a Kingdom focus and it will make whatever else we want to focus on pale by comparison.

Luke 11:1-2, Revelation 21:1-3

Amos 9:14-15

October 1st, 2013, the prime minister of Israel spoke at the United Nations 68th session in New York.  I am not a political person.  But there is a fair warning in his words.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/full-text-netanyahus-2013-speech-to-the-un-general-assembly/

 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ended his speech with these words:

I will bring back my exiled people Israel;

they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them.

They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; 

they will make gardens and eat their fruit.

I will plant Israel in their own land,

never again to be uprooted

from the land I have given them."  

Amos 9:14-15

Goads - a prodding to move forward

In the Jewish scriptures there is a wonderful reminder from Solomon found in the book of Ecclesiastes.  Solomon became king of Israel in 970 B.C. and was called the wisest man ever to be born. Here is what he wrote;

"The teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true. 

 The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails -

 given by One Shepherd. Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them.  Of making 

many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body."  *

I love how he likened the words of the wise to goads.  A goad is a spiked stick tool used to prod cattle or sheep.  A shepherd uses it to make his sheep move forward! 

1000 years after Ecclesiastes was written and included in the holy bible, there was a zealous Pharisee and honor student of the scriptures named Saul of Tarsus. He was on his horse traveling on the road to Damascus to murder followers of a sect called, "The Way." He heard a voice saying to him in Aramaic, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?  It is hard for you to kick against the goads."

Could this voice be referring to the simile of the goad that was like the word of the wise written in Ecclesiastes? And Saul being such a student of the word, would know.  If so, the goad the voice referred to would be the word of the wise moving people forward into the new way of faith.  Just like a shepherd would need to prod his sheep to move in a new direction with an actual goad! 

The voice reveals himself.

"Then I [Saul] asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' " 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and stand on your feet.  I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you.' "**

Saul was knocked of his horse that day, and 3 days later came to believe in Jesus. His testimony, witness and letters are recorded in the bible today and have helped others see the truth for over 2000 years.

Are you kicking against the goads? Is their a prodding in your life right now to move in a new direction? Maybe from a friend or relative or coworker to hear the gospel, but you refuse to pay attention? Could you too, like Saul, be at a place in your belief where you are zealous against the idea of believing in Jesus? He was knocked off his horse.  What is it going to take for you?





*Ecclesiastes 12:10-12, **Acts 26:14-18

Wisdom or Foolishness?

Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?  For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.  Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,  but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,  but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

1 Corinthians 1:20-25