Paul went to Ephesus on his missionary journey. When he arrived there he found disciples there who had believed. They had not heard of the Holy Spirit and had only been baptized with John’s baptism of repentance. Paul explained:
“John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.”” Acts 19:4 ESV
They were baptized and then Paul placed his hands on them to receive the Holy Spirit. Once again the Holy Spirit filled the people as He did on Pentecost:
“And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.” Acts 19:6 ESV
God had not changed. He filled the believers in Ephesus with the same promised power and presence of the Holy Spirit. God has not changed still today! We are a part of the promise:
“For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”” Acts 2:39 ESV
The Altar to the Unknown God Found 1820 Palatine Hill
Today is Acts 17.
Paul and his companions continued on their missionary journey spending time in various gathering places declaring the gospel of Jesus. Some received the message others did not and would try to incite the crowds against him. Each time Paul would move on but continue to share Jesus.
Paul ended up in Athens, Greece. He was greatly distressed to see the number of idols that were in the city. He noted that the people there were very religious. They were searching for God, the one true God. They even had an idol erected in honor of the “Unknown God.” That very God they were looking for did not want to be unknown in their lives. He had been speaking to them all along.
“The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,” Acts 17:24-27 ESV
We are not that different than the people of Athens. We erect all kind of things we worship instead of the true and living God. We run after our ways, our thoughts, and our own ideas instead of following His Word. But our God wants us to KNOW Him. This is why He sent Jesus and this is why He longs to fill us to overflowing with the Holy Spirit. He wants us to seek Him and find Him.
“Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”” Acts 15:10-11 NIV
Today is Acts 15
There was a division in he early church. A council met to discuss this division. Some of the Jewish believers wanted the new Gentile believers to be circumcised so that they could observe the Jewish law. Peter spoke to the council with these words, “We believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus…”
Salvation does not come through rituals, traditions, works, being an extra good person… Salvation is through grace alone! There is nothing we can do to be saved, except admit that we are sinners, believe in Jesus, and confess He is our Lord!
God is not looking for us to join a religion. He is wanting us to be in a relationship with Him. This was evident when the Gentiles, heard the Word of God and believed, the Holy Spirit was given to them. It was the same for the Gentiles as the Jews.
Hear the Word! Receive the Word! Believe the Word! This is the way to truly love God. Our love will be expressed in our obedience to Him.
Then we will experience God in a deep and intimate relationship, what we were created for.
“They said to her, “You are out of your mind.”” Acts 12:18 ESV
Today is Acts 12.
Things were looking pretty bleak… Herod the king, had James the brother of John, killed. He was one of the 12 disciples that followed Jesus during His earthly ministry. He was Peter’s friend. Then Herod decided to arrest Peter too. BUT, “earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.” (Verse 9)
Four squads of soldiers, chains, and the iron gates of the city are no match for God. An angel sent by God came to Peter and led him out of the prison and into the city. It was so incredible that Peter thought it was just a vision he was seeing until the angel left him, and he stood free in a street of a city.
When Peter arrived at Mary’s house, the servant girl who went to the door to answer his knocking was amazed and left him there outside. She reported the miracle to those inside, and they said, “You are out of our mind.”
God is a God of miracles! These miracles are “mind blowing”! People who hear them may have a hard time believing that what has happened is true or could even occur. I have seen “mind blowing” miracles in my own life. God still works wonders that the world would tell you are impossible. For me, a woman held in the chains of a prison of anxiety — meds, secular therapy, eastern meditation apps, mindfulness, you name it… I’ve probably tried it… has seen the chains drop off, walked passed the guards, and am standing totally free! Some may say, “you are out of your mind.” Because it doesn’t match the pattern of the world. A person in prison should stay there… But God!
Earnest prayer was made on Peter’s behalf, and God answered! God is still the same! He answers prayer!
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13 ESV
Boldness! Peter, “filled with the Holy Spirit” spoke with boldness. Even when arrested and brought before the powerful religious leaders, Peter and John were not afraid.They continued to testify of Jesus and His salvation. This boldness gave evidence to the council of a fact. These men had been with Jesus!
Peter and John were “common men,” fishermen. They were “uneducated.” They were not the elite But there was one characteristic that stood out about them, “they had been with Jesus.”
When we live our lives surrendered to the Holy Spirit, filled with Him, it will be evident that we have been with Jesus as well. The same Holy Spirit, that enabled Peter and John to be bold and to display Jesus in their lives, desires to fill us and give us boldness as well.
After the council released Peter and John, they went to their friends and prayed. They asked for God to continue to grant them boldness so they could continue to speak His Word “with all boldness, while {He stretched} out {His} hand to heal, and signs and wonders {were} performed through the name of {His} holy servant Jesus.” (Verse 30) When they prayed the place was “shaken” and “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” (Verse 31) With great power they testified of the resurrection of Jesus. (Verse 33)
We have a purpose in our lives. We are to know God and to make Him known. Peter and John gave evidence that they had been with Jesus, they knew Him. Everywhere they went they witnessed of Him, made Him known. God’s purpose for us has not changed! What God has called us to He will empower us to do! He longs to fill us with His Holy Spirit so that we can be witnesses! We can proclaim the Word of God with Boldness through the power of the Holy Spirit!
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”” Acts 1:8 NIV
Acts begins where the Gospel of Luke left off. For 40 days after His resurrection, Jesus appeared to the disciples and spoke to them about the kingdom of God. Could you imagine what the disciples had witnessed with their own eyes? They had seen Jesus as the soldiers arrested Him in the garden. They had seen Jesus as He was beaten and nailed to a cross. They had seen Him as He breathed His last breath. Then they had seen the empty tomb! They had seen Him, in His risen form, as He showed them the nail prints in His hands. They had shared meals with Him, listened to Him teach them, and then they saw Jesus as He ascended into heaven!
But in all this, Jesus instructed them to wait. Jesus wanted to empower them to be “witnesses.”
Jesus had already told them that the Holy Spirit was going to come. Jesus came to us as “Emmanuel, God with us”, but the Holy Spirit would come to begin something new — God IN us!
Jesus said “… in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit…” (verse 5) The disciples obeyed the words He spoke to them. They went to the upper room and were “constantly in prayer.” (Verse 14)
“Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”Matthew 4:4 NIV
Dear Devoted and Determined Princess Warriors,
Have you ever considered the condition of your spiritual life? Would you describe your spiritual life as one of abundance, thriving in a living and real relationship of oneness with God? Or have you been living a life that is destitute — wanting and needy, never satisfied, never content, without continual comfort, hope, joy or peace? I considered these questions almost 4 years ago, when I first began attending WOW. At that time, I did not know that the most important thing about me was my spiritual heart. I knew I was living without hope, joy, and peace. I was not satisfied nor was I content; however, I did not realize why. I did not realize that the Word of God was an indispensable necessity for my spiritual heart and life. I did not see that I truly could not live or thrive without the Word.
My spiritual condition was similar to a physical condition my daughter, Faith, experienced as a newborn. She did not latch on correctly when nursing. The first two weeks of her life were absolutely miserable for her. I tried to get her to nurse correctly, but she couldn’t. She cried and cried and could not be comforted. When I took her in for her two-week checkup, she had lost two pounds. The doctor instructed me to supplement her feedings with formula. When I did, Faith suddenly became a sweet and peaceful infant. The weight loss stopped, and she began to grow.
Four years ago, I was not latching on to the source of my spiritual food, the Word of God. I was not thriving nor was I surviving well. I thought I could satisfy and fulfill myself with earthly things when I was meant to be connected to God in a love/ faith relationship. Simply put, I was not making room for God’s Word to dwell in my spiritual heart. I was not reading His Word, receiving it, understanding it, believing it, and obeying it. Instead, I was ignoring it, neglecting it, omitting it, cherry picking it, and rejecting it. As a result, I was living a destitute life — empty and hopeless.
In our verse this week Jesus is speaking of such a condition. Jesus tells us that “‘…Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” As my infant daughter needed physical nutrition in order to thrive, you and I need spiritual nutrition. Jesus, the living Word, is “…the true bread from heaven” (John 6:32)! Jesus and every inspired word written in the 66 books of the Bible are the bread, the spiritual food you and I desperately need for nourishment, sustenance, and growth of our spiritual hearts and lives. Every day we need to continually feed on the Word of God that is right and true, sweet as honey, more precious than a thousand pieces of silver and gold. As we make room for the Word in our hearts, we will truly live a life of abundance! But we must choose to “latch on to the Word,” or receive the Word and take it in.
As I consider the words spoken by Jesus in our verse this week, I am contemplating these questions: How hungry am I for His Word? Do I long for His Word more than I long for my next physical meal? Do I take time planning and scheduling when I can eat more of the Bread of Life, God’s Word, and take it into my spiritual heart? Perhaps you wonder the same things. The Word of God is an indispensable necessity for our spiritual hearts and lives. May we truly hunger for “every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
This week’s song is “Your Words” by Third Day featuring Harvest.
“For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.” John 17:8 NIV
Shortly after Rich and I started dating he went home with me to meet my parents. I had been in college for three years and was 21. He was 19 and had been in college for one. We were driving along and he took off his high school class ring, flipped it up on the dashboard and said, “Here, why don’t you take this so the other boys won’t flirt with you?” This was his way of saying, “Would you like to be in an exclusive relationship? Just me and you?” He had extended an opportunity and expressed a desire for us to know each other better. At that moment, I had a choice. Accept what he offered or deny it.
Jesus offers us an invitation. It is to an exclusive relationship. He wants us to know Him. This is why He has given us His Word. The key is for us to accept His Word. We have to take it in and allow it to work in our lives.
In a small way it is like that high school class ring Rich offered to me. God holds out the invitation for us to receive what He has offered, His Word. When we receive God’s Word into our hearts, we receive an exclusive relationship. We are His. We grow in our knowledge of Him and our love for Him. We will believe Him, because we have accepted His Word.
God help me to always have a heart that is receptive to the Word You have given me. Help me to always take the time and make the time to be with you each and every day engaging with You and Your Word in a deep and intimate relationship.
Jesus and God the Father are one. Jesus said that He did what He saw the Father doing. “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.” Hebrews 1:3. When we see Jesus, we see God the Father.
Jesus repeatedly spoke about “the one who sent” him. He wanted us to understand that He was not working on His own. He was connected in a real and intimate relationship with His Heavenly Father. Jesus said, “… but I know Him because I am from Him and he sent me.” Jesus had and still has an intimate relationship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. They are one.
Jesus came to show us what our Heavenly Father is like. He revealed God to us. He also came to restore the relationship mankind lost long ago in the Garden of Eden. He came to restore our connection to Him through the Holy Spirit, who we can now receive to live within us.
When the Holy Spirit lives within us, we are able to identify with Jesus in His own words, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me.” May this be our desire. That we do nothing from ourselves and for our own ambitions, but that we live for the glory of God. That He is lifted up in our lives, and that we will display God as His visible representation — Image Bearer — to the World around us.
Today is Mark 11 ❤️🙌🔥 for the “Bible Book of the Month Club — The Gospel of Mark”
“Have faith in God…” verse 22
Faith — belief, trust, confidence… the assent of the mind to the truth. Assent is the act of the mind in admitting, or agreeing to, the truth of a proposition. (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary)
I have complicated faith for years. I thought if I worked hard enough at it and gritted my teeth tight enough, I could have faith and see God move in my life. But faith is actually quite simple. It is this statement: “God said it. I believe it.”
Faith comes to us by hearing and hearing comes to us by the Word of God. Faith is simply agreeing with the truth of God’s Word. It is trusting in God’s Word. It is having confidence that God is who He says He is and He will do what He says He will do.
In order for me to walk in that kind of faith, I have to know the Word. I have to have an intimate relationship with it. When we come to the Word of God expecting to hear from Him, our faith in who God is grows. Because we are interacting with Him in relationship. We will see the truth about Him and we will agree with that truth.
Jesus tells us to “Have faith in God.” It is a command that is for our good. When we live in intimate, close and connected relationship with God interacting with Him through His Word, we will have faith in Him. We will see God do the impossible in our lives that is always for our good because He is always good!
Your Love 