Dad's Ramblings -- The One We Serve

" 'Therefore being at the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear... Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.' "

                                                                                             Acts 2:33, 36 KJV

Because of the Resurrection and Ascension, we can have assurance that the One whom we worship is the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is Jesus, the Savior ("thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins -- Matthew 1:21).  He is Lord, the second person of the trinity, the Adonai of the Old Testament (see verse 34).  And He is the Christ, the Messiah, the One anointed to be King (see Psalm 10:16; I John 2:22).  What an awesome One we worship and serve.  

Today's Thought:  We serve the LORD JESUS CHRIST.

Have an assured day.  Love you.

Dad's Ramblings -- Why Glossalalia?

"And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying to one another, "Behold, are not all these who speak Galilaens?  And how hear we every man in our own tongue wherein we were born?....We do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God."
 
                                                                              Acts 2:7-8, 11b (King James)
 
Some people question the value of speaking in other tongues (glossalalia).  I think this illustrates a primary purpose -- praising God and speaking His wonderful works.  It is just another avenue of worship God empowers His people with to express their devotion, even though they may not understand it.  The Holy Spirit expresses the praise of our spirit to the Father.
 
Today's Thought:  Through unknown tongues, the Holy Spirit exalts God through our spirit.
 
Have a praising day.  Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Private and Public

"And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused because everyone heard them speak in his own language."
 
                                                                                                    Acts 2:5-6
 
The small band of disciples had been meeting in private, behind closed doors. But when the Holy Spirit came, they were thrust into the public arena. God had timed the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost when there were pilgrims from many nations present who witnessed this heavenly visitation. Jesus came in the incarnation in an obscure manner to a relatively small group of people. But the Holy Spirit came to bear witness to the masses. In my spiritual journey, there need to be those times both private times with Jesus, and public expression. Some people want to be very private in their faith; others are very public with no private worship to back them up. But one without the other is incomplete. From the place where the "church" meets together, the Holy Spirit propels us out into the world.
 
Today's Thought: We are prepared in private for our witness in public.
 
Have a private and public day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Taken By Surprise

"And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and sat upon each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance."
 
                                                                                        Acts 2:2-4
 
The wind – the fire – the foreign languages — they caught the disciples by surprise. Who would have dreamed that the coming of the Holy Spirit would include such wonders? The creative God does the unexpected. He took the world by surprise when The Savior of the world was born in a dirty, smelly barn. He took Saul of Tarsus by surprise, upsetting his agenda. I imagine Heaven will be filled with surprises. And Jesus will come again when we least expect it. I shouldn't be too surprised by what God may do unexpectedly in my life today.
 
Today's Thought: The God of the Universe is full of surprises.
 
Have a surprising day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- The Waiting Game

"When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place."
 
                                                                                            Acts 2:1
 
Ten days had passed since Ascension, and the disciples were waiting – for what they didn't exactly know. All they knew was that Jesus had commanded them to go to Jerusalem and wait. Knowing human nature, I imagine there may have been some people who said, "I don't have time to waste sitting around. I've got more important things to do." So they left, and missed what God wanted to give them. Churches uses to have "tarrying" services where people would linger around the altar waiting for God to move. Today, we are so impatient we don't have time to waste. And in our impatience, we miss what God wants to do in our midst as we are in one accord in one place. God does not work on our time-table. As the preachers used to say at the end of a service, "The altars are open." Teach me, Lord, to wait."
 
Today's Thought: It pays to wait on God.
 
Have a "waiting" day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Position and Ministry

"And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, 'You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell...' And they cast their lots, and the lot feel on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles."
 
                                                                              Acts 1:23-26
 
Both Joseph and Mathias were qualified, having been followers of Jesus all the way from His baptism in water to the resurrection (vs. 22). And although Matthias was chosen, he is not mentioned again in the New Testament. On the other hand, Justus, called Barsabas (who was also called Barnabas, Acts 15:22), had a great ministry in Acts, mentoring Saul after his conversion and doing missionary work. Ministry is not based on position or title. And even though he was passed over for promotion to apostleship, Barnabas did not develop a bad spirit but just kept on serving Jesus, and God gave him a dynamic ministry because he remained faithful.
 
Today's Thought: Position or title does not determine ministry.
 
Have a "ministry" day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Indispensable

" 'For it is written in the book of Psalms... "Let another take his office." ' "
 
                                                                      Acts 1:20
 
No one is indispensable. Some people get the big-head and think they are the only ones who can do God's work. They think they are so important that they can do anything they want -- even sin -- with impunity. But anyone can be replaced. Ministry leaders who fall into sin and lose their ministry may leave a big hole, but they can be replaced. God is greater than a person's ministry and He can fill that hole with anyone He wants. After all, it is God's work, not ours.
 
Today's Thought: Anyone, no matter how big a position they fill, can be replaced.
 
Have a humble day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Proof-texts

"And in those days, Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples...and said, 'Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus...' "
 
                                                                              Acts 1:15-16
 
As in the days of Jesus' earthly ministry, Peter (which, being interpreted, is "big-mouth) took the floor and became the spokesman for the group. He was blessed with the Gift of Gab. As he tried to understand and make sense of what had happened in the past week or two, he turned to the Psalms (41:9; 69:25; and 109:8). Later on the Day of Pentecost, he would quote Joel (Acts 2:16ff). It could be said that he was proof-texting. (A proof-text without a context is a pre-text.) I am not saying that Peter was wrong. I'm sure He was led by the Holy Spirit to apply these verses to the situation. For us, proof-texting is a common method of trying to understand our circumstances. It is easy to grab a verse and apply it to my personal challenges, and it can be beneficial in bringing light and encouragement to my own life. But I need to be careful how I use God's Word lest I misuse it.
 
Today's Thought: Proof-texting can be beneficial but needs to be done with care.
 
Have a Scriptural day. Love you.