Author: Tom

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The Act of BOLD (Acts 4)

It is hard for me to read the book of Acts without being overwhelmed by the sheer boldness that is shown by the Apostles and Christians represented on its pages!  It is nearly impossible to miss the power of God at work as the disciples are transformed from a small group huddled together in fear in a small upper room following the crucifixion of Jesus to bold preachers of the gospel of Jesus with disciples numbering over five thousand by Acts chapter 4.

It seems that a missing quality in the lives of many Christians and churches today is the act of BOLD that made the early church come alive with power.  We have too often bought into a politically correct, soft-spoken acceptance of any way is as good as any other.  Following the act of healing found in Acts 3, we are able to see some critical elements to living with The Act of BOLD as we look at Acts 4!  Here are some bold characteristics we should cultivate in our life.

  • Bold Belief:  The religious leaders of the day were “greatly disturbed” because Peter and John were teaching and proclaiming the bold belief that Jesus had resurrected from the dead.  This bold belief did two thing — it got them thrown in jail by the leaders and it drew more followers to the ways of Jesus.  When you act with a bold belief, there will be some who are troubled by your belief and seek to discredit you or even do you harm.  That is part of the price  you pay for a bold belief that will lift up Jesus and draw others to Him.  Does your bold belief make it clear in your life that Jesus has the power to change you?  You cannot expect to bring change into the lives of people by sharing the gospel if your belief in Jesus hasn’t changed you!
  • Bold Obedience:  Another quality that I see in Peter and John that seems to often be missing today is a bold obedience to the authority of Jesus!  When you truly have a bold belief, there will be many who would like to silence you and make the gospel of Jesus ineffective.  Peter and John’s response to being commanded to no longer talk about the resurrection of Jesus was that they must obey God rather than man.  Many times we base our definition of right and wrong on our feelings, popular opinion, or what will be least offensive.  Does your bold obedience cause you discomfort as you lovingly stand for God’s Word as ultimate truth?  If bold obedience to God is not a part of you life, you will have great difficulty in seeing the results of obedience to God in others through the message you share!
  • Bold Living:  The bold belief and bold obedience of Peter and John translated into bold living!  When your life is sold out for Jesus Christ, you live with a boldness that understands the power of the resurrection.  Not only did Peter and John express a bold obedience to God when commanded to stop speaking or teaching about Jesus, they prayed for greater opportunities to do the very thing they were told not to.  They lived with a boldness that asked God for an even greater display of His power through more healings, miraculous signs, and wonders.  Their request was for the ability to speak with an even greater boldness.  Does your bold living ask God for more opportunities in and through you life for His power to be displayed?  If bold living is not a part of your life, you will struggle to make an eternal impact in the lives of any who are watching your actions and listening to your words!
  • Bold Decisions:  Ultimately, the act of bold ought to lead us to bold decisions!  Even in the face of persecution, we see the number of people making the bold decision to follow the way of Jesus growing from the 3000 who were baptized in Acts 2 to over 5000 in Acts 4 as people respond to the message of the resurrection that Peter and John are sharing.  The chapter ends with the reporting of the bold decision of believers to share whatever they had that could be a benefit to other believers.  In a culture so obsessed with obtaining more and more stuff, it is a very bold decision to accurately evaluate what is excess and voluntarily give away anything that could help a brother or sister in Christ.  Do your bold decisions go against the status quo and acknowledge God as provider and owner of all that you possess?  If fear and selfishness keep you from making bold decisions, you will likely never help the people who God has put in your life to be helped by you!

So, how is the act of BOLD being expressed both in and through your life?  Are you sharing a bold Belief, a bold Obedience, a bold Living, and a bold Decision as you encounter Jesus and the people He brings across your path?  I pray that the act of BOLD brings great transformation to you and to many others through you.

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2 Samuel: Lesson 21 — Unfinished Business

The following are discussion questions from a weekly study I am leading through the book of 2 Samuel.  We meet each Wednesday evening at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

A Man After God’s Own Heart:
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

A Study of the Book of 2 Samuel

Lesson 21 (Unfinished Business)
2 Samuel 21
February 13, 2013

The Text:

  1. What event sets the background for the opening of chapter 21?  What does David do?  What does God have to say about it?
    –
  2. Who were the Gibeonites?  What had they been promised?  What had happened instead?  What did David ask them?  How do they initially respond?
    –
  3. When David presses the issue of what he can do for them, how do they respond?  What is David’s response to their request?  Who is spared?  Why?
    –
  4. Who was Rizpah?  What did she do?  How did David respond to her actions — what did he do and have done?  How did God respond?
    –
  5. What happens when David goes with his men to fight the Philistines?  How did David’s men respond to this?  Why?  What is a common theme through the rest of the battles described in this chapter?

 

The Application:

  1. Have you ever been hungry — physically, emotionally, spiritually — over a long period of time?  What did you do about it?  What should you do about it?  What did God say about it?
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  2. Have you ever had someone not keep a promise?  Have you ever not kept a promise?  How does either side of that make you feel?  Are there times where you know that making things right is out of your hands?
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  3. How far would you go to right a wrong that you may not have been responsible for but you have the power to change?  Why do you think God warns us against making rash vows or promises?
    –
  4. How do you react when it hurts to make wrongs right?  What response do you have when you observe someone who is hurting or mourning?  How has God responded to your times of godly repentance and mourning?
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  5. What effect does discovering you can no longer do what you used to do have on you?  How hard is it to admit that?  How hard is it to have to point that out to someone else for their own good?  How important is it to you to train/mentor the next generation of godly warriors?  What are you doing about it?

 

 

Next Week: Song of Victory
2 Samuel 22

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2 Samuel: Lesson 20 — Trouble and Advice

The following are discussion questions from a weekly study I am leading through the book of 2 Samuel.  We meet each Wednesday evening at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

A Man After God’s Own Heart:
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

A Study of the Book of 2 Samuel

Lesson 20 (Trouble and Advice)
2 Samuel 20
February 6, 2013

The Text:

  1. Who was Sheba?  What was significant about his family heritage?  What did he announce to all who would hear?  What was the result?
    –
  2.  What role had Amasa been given?  What did David ask him to do?  How prompt was he in following David’s request?  How did David view Sheba?  What did David ask Abishai to do?  How prompt was he in following David’s request?
    –
  3. While the army carries out David’s command, who comes to meet them?  What did Joab do to him?  What does one of Joab’s men say to the rest of the army?  What kept the men from responding positively?  How is that problem resolved.  What is the result?
    –
  4. What did Joab and the army start to do when they catch up with Sheba in Abel Beth Maacah?  Who asks to speak to Joab?  What does she say about the city?  What does she suggest Joab’s current actions are doing to the city?
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  5. What reason does Joab give for the actions of he and his army?  What condition does he give for them to stop?  How does the woman respond?  How did the people of the city respond to her advice?  What was the result?

 

 

The Application:

  1. How important is your heritage in determining your actions?  Do “troublemakers” tend to get your attention?  What things make them so effective in causing division?
    –
  2. Do you ever reach a point that you forget who’s in charge?  How prompt are you at following God’s directives?  Do you think there are times God chooses someone else for a task because we’ve not been prompt in obeying?
    –
  3. How do you interact with people who seem irresponsible?  How about when that person is promoted or honored above yourself?  Are there visible remnants of wrong in your life that keep people from following the right way?
    –
  4. Do you ever suffer for the wrong of someone else?  Do you ever treat groups of people badly because of the actions of one person?  How do you bring wisdom into these times?
    –
  5. How can explaining the reasons for your actions help resolve “third-party” conflict?  When you feel under attack, how hard is it to identify wrong and get rid of it?

 

 

Next Week: Unfinished Business
2 Samuel 21

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2 Samuel: Lesson 19 — Everyone Loves A Victor

The following are discussion questions from a weekly study I am leading through the book of 2 Samuel.  We meet each Wednesday evening at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

A Man After God’s Own Heart:
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

A Study of the Book of 2 Samuel

Lesson 19 (Everyone Loves A Victor)
2 Samuel 19
January 30, 2013

The Text:

  1. What was Joab told about David?  What effect did David’s reaction have on the army?  How did they return to the city?   What does Joab have to say to David?  What conclusion does Joab present based on David’s actions?  How does David respond?
    –
  2.  What had the Israelites done?  What do they seem to be confused about?  What message does David send to the priests?  What is the result of the message?
    –
  3. Who cames to meet David on his way back to Israel?  Who is with him?  What is his request?  What does Abishai recommend?  How does David respond?
    –
  4. Who else comes to meet David?  How does he look?  What does David want to know from him?  What is his report?  How does David respond?  How is that response received?
    –
  5. Who is the next person who comes to see David cross the Jordan back into Israel?  What had he done?  What does David suggest he do?  What response does he give David?  What conflict arises between the men of Israel and the men of Judah?  Is it resolved?

 

The Application:

  1. Are there times you are sad about something even when you know it had to happen?  How does the sadness of others affect how you feel about good events?  How does your reaction to events affect others?  How can you encourage people even when you are hurting?
    –
  2. How does confusion about who is in charge make you feel?  What about God reminds you of why He deserves to be in charge of your life?  Are there times you need reminded that He really is king?  How can you be one who reminds others?
    –
  3. How hard is it to see someone who has mistreated you?  . . . That you have mistreated?  Do you still want revenge after a person comes clean and admits they were wrong?  How does knowing who you are help you to extend mercy?
    –
  4. How do you feel when circumstances keep you from what/where you desire?  How about if it’s a betrayal that has kept you isolated?  Is being with God enough to forget everything else you “ought” to have?
    –
  5. What brings satisfaction to you?  How likely are you to pass honor/respect on to someone else when it is offered to you?  How can you avoid/resolve conflict when it seems to be more about who gets the credit because both sides appear to want the same thing?

Next Week: Trouble and Advice
2 Samuel 20

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The Act of HEALing (Acts 3)

You don’t have to look far to find someone in need of healing.  If we consider all the types of aches, pains, sickness, and brokenness that exists, it shouldn’t take long to realize that each of us need to experience healing on a regular basis.  The good news is that God can heal the innermost parts of a person in ways we would never expect and never even realize we needed!

In keeping with my acrostic method, I titled the Acts 3 sermon, “The Act of HEAL”, but that was just grammatically awkward even for a title. 🙂  So I modified it for this article to “The Act of HEALing”.

Acts chapter three has two main parts — the story of a man who is healed and the explanation that the act was only astonishing because the people refused to acknowledge the power of God revealed through his son, Jesus.  As we consider this chapter, I want us to look at four components that made the act of healing possible or overflowed into life as a result of this man’s healing.

  • Heart:  Foundational to us receiving genuine healing, or us sharing such healing with others, is the act of an open heart.  In explaining why people would not understand and accept his teaching, Jesus quoted from Isaiah in saying, “For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.”  (Matthew 13:15)  Our heart must be open to the working of God and His Spirit in our life.  We must also open our heart to see people as God sees them.  When we close our heart we fail to see people who are in need of God’s healing.  Peter and John approached the temple with hearts open to God and in doing so noticed a man in need.  The act of an open heart aligns our eyes with Jesus and we begin to see people in need of healing as He sees them.
  • Expectation:  The act of expectation can mire us in the mud of brokenness, settle us in the dust of average, or propel us beyond the ceiling of possible!  When Jesus encountered a man in need of healing in John 5 he asks the man, “Do you want to get well?”.  What do you expect from an encounter with Jesus?  What should people expect when they encounter Jesus through you?  Do you fail to even see the possibility of healing because you don’t expect it?  Do you fail to offer the real gift of healing to others because they expect something less?  The man Peter and John encountered was expecting money, food, or some small act of kindness.  While they did not have the ability to give any of those things, they saw beyond the expectation and offered the healing power of Jesus.  The act of expectation must reach new levels as we expect God can bring true healing to all in need.
  • Amazing:  Have you ever had an encounter with someone who made you say, “Wow!  That was amazing!”?  These amazing moments usually come when your expectations are exceeded.  When I began working at the camp we had an oft-repeated slogan, “and then some”.  The idea was that we would do our best to meet expectations . . . and then some.  Our goal was the “Wow!” factor.  We wanted our campers and guests to have an amazing experience.  How about your encounter with Jesus?  Do you live like it is amazing?  How about your interactions with people each day?  Are they amazed at how much you talk and act like Jesus?  People took notice of a formerly crippled man they had probably passed by day after day without a second thought because his life had an amazing encounter with the power of Jesus.  The act of amazing in our life ought to make the healing power of Jesus attractive to all who see us.
  • Leaping:  There is something about unexpected excitement that tends to make people jump for joy.  From sporting event victories to solving game show puzzles, people from all walks of life do a lot of leaping.  The man in the text was leaping and praising God because it was the best expression of the act of healing he had received from God.  What does the act of leaping look like in your life?  If you have experienced the healing power of God you ought to be leaping for joy in ways that are noticeable to your neighbors, co-workers, friends, and family.  Perhaps we don’t leap so much because we have forgotten how much we’ve been healed.  The act of leaping expresses our joy of receiving the healing of God in our life.

So, how is the act of HEALing being expressed both in and through your life?  Are you living out the act of Heart, Expectation, Amazing, and Leaping as you encounter Jesus and the people He brings across your path?  I pray that the act of HEALing brings great joy to you and to many others through you.

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The Act of CHANGE (Acts 2)

There are many jokes about change because as much as we like to think others need to change, most of us are much more resistant to the idea of change when it involves us!  Last week we looked at the Act of WAIT which prepared the disciples, and should prepare us, for the CHANGE that we see in Acts chapter two.

It is important to note an often overlooked detail of the events in Acts 2 — the crowd that the apostles are in the midst of is described as God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven!  Yes, even those who believe in God, who fear God, need to hear the message of God from time to time in ways that call them to change!

Acts chapter two has all kinds of lessons in it for us as individuals and for us as the church — the body of Christ.  Here are six components that I see which contributed to, or resulted from, the change that takes place in many lives from that day until now.

  • Correction:  Sometimes we need to gently and accurately correct the perception of others before we have any hope of them listening to the truth.  Other times we must have our perception corrected before we can begin to make necessary changes.  In Acts 2, the perception of some of the crowd was that the apostles were drunk.  Instead of being offended, Peter steps up and addresses the crowd based on their view of authority!  Remember, this crowd was God-fearing Jews.  Peter met them where they were and corrected their perception with scripture that they would have held as authoritative.  The act of Correction should bring us, or those listening to us, to a point of recognized authority.
  • Hearing:  Once we reach a point of recognized authority, the next step is hearing what that authority has to say.  How often do we resist change because we are not willing to hear what is being said?  This is a version of the old, “I know what the Bible says, but . . .”.  We may know what God says in his Word, but if we’re not doing it then we’re not really hearing what he has to say!  This hearing is a two-way street — we must take the time to really hear those we are sharing the gospel of Jesus with just as much as they need to hear the message.  The act of Hearing ought to connect us with our listener and our listener with God.
  • Accepting:  The intended result of the correction and hearing is the accepting of the message of change — in the case of Acts 2, the message of salvation.  James tells us that we ought to not simply be hearers of God’s Word, we ought to do what it says!  Accepting a message that calls us to change means that we will change.  We don’t know the exact size of the crowd that had gathered in Jerusalem but we do know that about three thousand of them accepted the message and were baptized that day!  Many others were corrected and may have even heard, but the real change didn’t take place until the message was accepted.  The act of accepting call us to respond to the message of truth with the appropriate action of change.
  • Noticing:  When real change takes place, we begin to notice things from a different point of view.  We may claim to be changed, but how often do we not notice the people around us?  While the message and response of salvation gets most of our attention in chapter two, the story doesn’t stop there.  As a result of the change in their life, people begin noticing that others are in genuine need and hurting.  While the needs of Christians increase greatly soon after this due to persecution, at this point the needs that exist are the same needs that existed unnoticed the day before.  When we accept the act of change in our life, we ought to notice that people really are hurting and genuine needs really do exist.  The act of noticing takes our eyes off of ourself and causes us to look toward the interests of others.
  • Giving:  Just as accepting ought to be the expected outcome of correction and hearing, giving should be the natural response to noticing.  John warns us that if we notice a brother or sister in need and have no pity on them, how can the love of God truly be in us?  The first act of giving is the giving of ourself, our everything, to God.  It is this change in our life that helps us to give to the needs we notice.  We realize we are stewards, managers of God’s possessions, and we give out of his abundance not out of our means.  These early believers in Acts 2 not only noticed the needs of other believers, they gave freely to any who had need.  The act of giving acknowledges that all the stuff in our life belongs to God and it is His to use in meeting the needs of everyone.
  • Eternity:  The act of change that makes a real difference is the one that impacts where a person spends eternity.  This is why the other components of CHANGE are so important.  Change for the sake of change isn’t all that significant.  Sometime it can be a good thing to break us out of our comfort zone and other times it can be so distracting and upsetting that it is harmful.  The change that matters is change that aligns us more fully with the will and word of God — change that molds us more fully into the image of Christ.  The act of eternity causes us to see the hardships of this life as momentary troubles that are preparing us for the eternal reward that is waiting for all who call upon the name of the Lord and are saved.

So, how many parts of this act of CHANGE is God calling you to work on?  I pray that we see the act of Correction, Hearing, Accepting, Noticing, Giving, and Eternity from God’s perspective and we eagerly accept his act of change in our life.

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2 Samuel: Lesson 18 — Is It Worth It?

The following are discussion questions from a weekly study I am leading through the book of 2 Samuel.  We meet each Wednesday evening at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

A Man After God’s Own Heart:
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

A Study of the Book of 2 Samuel

Lesson 18 (Is It Worth It?)
2 Samuel 18
January 23, 2013

The Text:

  1. What did David do with his troops?  What did he intend to do?  What concern/advice did his men have?  How did David respond?  What was David’s final order as the men left?
    –
  2. How did the battle go?  Who/what was responsible for the greatest number of casualties?  What happened to Absalom when he met David’s men?  How did Joab respond to the man who had seen Absalom in his predicament?  How does this man respond to Joab?
    –
  3. What did Joab do?  Who helped?  What was done with Absalom?  How did this impact the people of Israel?  What had been Absalom’s concern during his lifetime?
    –
  4. Who volunteers to deliver news to David?  How does Joab respond?  Who does Joab choose instead?  Did this satisfy the first request?  What did he do?
    –
  5. What did David think as the first messenger approached?  Why?  What reputation did Ahimaaz have?  What report did he give?  Was it complete?  How did the Cushite respond when David asked about Absalom?  How did David take the news?

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The Application:

  1. When are some times you need to trust your resources, or something you control, to the oversight of others?  How hard is it to actually let someone else lead?  Are there times that you might draw unnecessary attention so entrusting someone else is more productive?
    –
  2. Are there times in your life that you feel the spiritual battle around you, and affecting you, is going well?  Who is responsible for the greatest victories in your life?  Who would you tell if you see something you don’t know what to do about?  Are there things that you are convince aren’t worth it no matter who asks you to do them?
    –
  3. Do you ever approach a situation with your own agenda even when you know God has specific instructions in regard to it?  Why do we do this?  How important is leaving a legacy to you?
    –
  4. What type of news would you be eager to deliver to someone?  Why?  How persistent would you be?  Are there times you would send a “stranger” to deliver news?  Why?
    –
  5. What are some signs that would make you think a person is bringing good news?  . . . Bad news?  If someone saw you coming with a message for them, would they assume it is good news or bad news?  Is there a good or proper way to deliver bad news?  How do you respond to bad news?

 
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Next Week: Everyone Loves a Victor
2 Samuel 19

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The Act of WAIT (Acts 1)

I’m preaching a sermon series through the book of Acts for the Sunday evening worship gathering at the church I attend.  The plan is to take a chapter-by-chapter look at what act God would be calling us to take as we learn to apply His Word to our life.  Tonight’s sermon took a look at Acts 1 and asked, “What do I do when God calls me to wait?”.

Waiting can be an important part of life if we embrace the usefulness that God has in it for us.  It was this time of waiting in Acts 1 that God uses to change the disciples from the scared, run away from trouble, group of men at the arrest and trial of Jesus to the bold, confident preachers of Acts 2!  So, what can we learn from them about what to do when God says, “Wait”?

  • Worship:  Central to our being able to learn from having to wait is our ability to worship God and connect to Him as our God.  Worship is simply using our time to acknowledge and express to God his worth.  While we often associate worship with singing and music, it ought to be much bigger and broader than just that.  As they gathered to wait, the disciples of Jesus expressed their worship through constant prayer.  Sometimes God calls us to wait because we need to strengthen our connection with Him and learn to truly worship Him before He can do the work through us that He desires.
  • Accept:  Having to wait also gives us the time necessary to accept what was, or what has happened, in the past and be able to look forward to changes God may require.  The disciples needed time to accept that Jesus really had resurrected from the dead then ascended into heaven.  I wonder how long they would have stayed staring into the sky if God had not sent the two messengers to tell them Jesus had ascended into heaven and would return in the future.  It was through the accepting of the return of Jesus to heaven that they would be open to God immersing them in His Spirit.  Often God calls us to wait because there are things we need to deal with and accept before He can do the work in us that He desires.
  • Inspect:  Waiting also gives us an opportunity to inspect God’s Word and see how our actions stack up against it.  As the disciples inspected scripture during their time of waiting, it helped them to understand why Judas had acted the way he  did and also pointed out their need to select someone to take his place as an apostle.  Inspecting is a powerful tool to refine and improve the way we do life if we use God’s Word as our inspection standard.  Many times God calls us to wait because there are areas of our life that we need to inspect with the magnifying glass of God’s Word before He can fully mold us into His image.
  • Train:  Many times we are not ready for what is next and God has us wait so we can complete the necessary training.  As the book of Acts opens, the disciples have been given their assignment, the same assignment that you and I have been given — “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”  (Matthew 28:19-20 NIV)  The command was given yet they were still told to wait — they still needed training, in their case immersion in the Holy Spirit, before God could accomplish His intended work through them.  God often calls us to wait because there is training that He needs to do in us before He can accomplish His intended work in and through us.

If you’re like me, you don’t like to wait.  I pray that when you consider what God did in the lives of the disciples as He called them to wait, you would embrace the act of waiting when God wants to use it to accomplish amazing things in your life!