God wants us to ‘grow up in every way into Christ’(Ephesisns 4:15). We are to ‘walk in love’(Ephesians 5:2), a life which is ‘pleasing to the Lord’(Ephesians 5:10). It is so easy for us to settle for something less than God’s very best. We settle down into a state of spiritual complacency. What does God have to say about this? - ‘Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God’(Ephesians 4:30). He gives us His wake-up call: ‘Awake, O sleeper…’(Ephesians 5:5:14). God says to us, ‘Awake, awake, put on your strength… Shake yourself from the dust, arise’(Isaiah 52:1-2). Have you become ‘lukewarm’? - ‘Be zealous and repent’. Christ says, ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him’(Revelation 3:16, 19-20). What will you say to Him? - ‘Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in today. Come in to stay’.
Showing posts with label repentance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label repentance. Show all posts
God Is Planning For The Future.
2 Kings 2:14-3:27
‘Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’(2:14). Elijah was no longer there - but God was still there! Don’t imagine that God goes away when there’s a change of ministry. While Elijah had been serving the Lord, Elisha was being prepared for his time. God is always one step ahead of us. We are living in the present day. He is planning for the future. With each succeeding generation, the question is asked, ‘Where is the Lord?’. In every generation, God is looking for those who will serve Him - ‘testifying of the Gospel of the grace of God, testifying of repentance to God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, declaring the whole counsel of God’(Acts 20:24,21,27). This is ‘the mantle of Elijah’(2:14) - the mantle of prophetic ministry. Will you ‘take up the mantle’ for God and the next generation?
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
Travelling On A Road Full Of Blessing
Acts 18:22-19:22
Apollos ‘taught accurately the things concerning Jesus’. He needed to have ‘the way of God expounded to him more accurately’(24-26). There is always more to learn. We should never adopt a ‘know-it-all’ attitude. In ‘two years’ of ministry, ‘God did’ great things through Paul (10-11). Paul was moving on. His road led to ‘Rome’. It was a road, full of blessing - ‘The Word of the Lord grew and prevailed mightily’(20-21). Paul was on the move. God was on the move. Wherever Paul went, there were opportunities to make Christ known. Wherever he went, people were trusting Christ. Paul was moving from place to place, bringing Christ to so many different people. People were moving ‘from death to life’(John 5:24). This is what drove Paul on - Bringing more and more sinners to his Saviour!
Acts 19:23-20:16
verse 28: ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians’. Remember Exodus 20:3 - ‘You shall have no other gods before Me’. Remove all pretenders from God’s throne. Rededicate yourself to the Lord - ‘King of my life, I crown Thee now, Thine shall the glory be’(Redemption Hymnal, 165). People could not get enough of God’s Word. Be hungry and thirsty for God, for His righteousness, for His Word, for His blessing (7; Matthew 5:6). Paul wanted to be ‘at Jerusalem... on the day of Pentecost’(16). This had been a place and time of blessing (2:1-4,41). Paul was eager for the blessing of God in his own life. He was eager to bring God’s blessing to others. How much does the blessing of God mean to you? Do you want His blessing? Do you want to be a blessing? ‘Lord bless me and make me a blessing’.
Acts 20:17-21:14
From Paul’s farewell to the Ephesian elders, there are some lessons for all of us. (a) ‘Repentance to God’ and ‘faith in our Lord Jesus Christ’(21) - This is not only a call for conversion. It is for every believer - all the time. (b) ‘Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock of God... Care for the Church of God’(28). Taking our own spiritual growth seriously will always involve caring for others. (c) ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’(35). Jesus Others Yourself - This is JOY. Let it be Thanksgiving (‘I want to’) rather than Duty Giving (‘I ought to’) or Grudge Giving (‘I have to’). For Jesus and Paul, Jerusalem meant suffering. For both, the important thing was doing ‘the Lord’s will’(10-14; Matthew 16:21-23). ‘Let us go forth to Him... and bear the abuse He endured’(Hebrews 13:13).
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