Acts Chapter Four

Acts Chapter Four
When great spiritual things happen, it opens up the potential for the unbelievers to rise up in opposition. The events recorded here provide the setting for some powerful verses that have a great impact. In chapter three there was a miracle of healing. Now, the Sadducees (who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead) were angry at the disciples for preaching the resurrection of Jesus. In their attempt to shut them up, they had them arrested.
When the disciples were brought before the religious leaders, they were asked by what power or name they did this miracle. This is a situation when many people would be tempted to tone down the "religious rhetoric" and compromise, but not Peter. The key to this is found in V. 8. He received a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit so that he could speak boldly and with Godly power.
The source of the power, the miracle? V. 10 says " . . . It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed." It was the teaching in the name of Jesus and the resurrection that got them in trouble, but Peter didn’t compromise the truth when he was challenged.
This leads us to V. 12, one of the key verses in the Bible. Peter emphasized the importance of personal salvation in Jesus, of having our sins forgiven. There is nothing else that even comes close the being so critical for every person in the world. The first thing to get settled in life is to receive the forgiveness that Jesus bought and paid for on the cross. Salvation used to be strongly emphasized in the church world. We need to return to that. It really IS the answer for establishing the foundation for life and putting things together.
V. 12 "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
In our cafeteria-style world where you can pick and choose your favorite beliefs that make you the most comfortable, this verse clearly states under the anointing of the Holy Spirit that there is only ONE WAY of salvation. His name is Jesus. God doesn’t give us lots of options so we can be comfortable. The forgiveness of sins that He offers sets us free.
I love V. 13. It says so much and gives great encouragement to us "average folks".
"When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." NIV The King James Version says they were "unlearned and ignorant men". Do you see what this statement says? Because they had been with Jesus, even though they didn’t have what the world says is necessary for success, it doesn’t really matter. They had been with Jesus. He makes the changes and we have God’s power living in us.
The religious leaders threatened them and told them to be quite about Jesus and the resurrection. Their response was not fear, they simply said they had to speak the things that had seen and heard. They didn’t compromise. They told the truth. When you are challenged for your belief, remember not to compromise.
The follow-up prayer meeting they had shook the place. (V. 31) That’s what the power of the Spirit will do. When the place is shaken with the power of the Spirit, lives change. That needs to be one of our prayers, "Lord, shake this place with your power and presence."
Let me encourage you to keep reading a chapter a day of Acts. Keep checking in with these comments. Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section.

Acts Chapter Three

Acts Chapter Three

This book is called Acts (actions) of the Apostles, of the early church. It is a book of history of how the church got started. Chapter one tells of the completion of Jesus’ mission on earth and His return to heaven. Chapter two gives us the outpouring of the power of the Holy Spirit on the believers and how they began to apply it. Now in chapter three, we see the beginning of the application of Spirit-filled ministry.

One of our discussion questions for reading Acts is: How can we apply what we see in Acts? This will be a good question throughout this book. It is a real challenge for chapter three. This chapter starts out with a miraculous healing in the name of Jesus. Peter and John were going to the temple for prayer. A local beggar, one that all the people knew, was there looking for a few coins so he could eat another day. Peter told him he had something even better than money (he also said he didn’t have any money). "In the name of Jesus, get up and walk." God supernaturally gave physical strength to a man who had never had any. He got up, not only walking, but running and jumping. I think I would do the same.

The name of Jesus is not a magical formula to see miracles happen. Faith in the name, in the power of Jesus brought many miracles back then. We still have the privilege of seeing them today as we have genuine faith in Him. Back then the church didn’t have much money, but they had God’s power. Today, many churches have piles of money, do they (we) have the power?

Peter responded to the questioners about this miracle by telling them that Jesus was rejected. He boldly spoke that they had delivered Jesus to be killed. They had denied the Holy One of God and had Him killed. But, God raised Him from the dead.

REPENT!!! This is second time in the book that Peter told a crowd to repent. Repent, turn from sinful ways and live a righteous life. God hates sin and the destruction it brings. So, His Word says over and over, repent and get away from active participation in sin. The world around you is perverse, get away from it. This message of repentance is as necessary today as it ever was. Sin is rampant. Sin is accepted as normal and right. Sadly, even some who call themselves Christians accept sin as OK, reasonable. Repentance and rejection of sin must be normal in the church.

The promise of times of refreshing is given to believers in Jesus. We are promised times of refreshing in the power of the Holy Spirit. I have done many one on one visits with inmates at the Challenge Incarceration Program. It is a very intense place. I usually say to them as we start, take a deep breath and relax for a moment. They do that, and usually say, "Oh, that feels so good". There is a refreshing that comes over them. We need physical times of refreshing. We really need times of spiritual refreshing. God promised them, grab hold of the promise.

While we face great challenges today, Jesus will return some day to take us to be with Him. So, we have reason to press on.

Question: how are you doing so far this new year? I trust that you are growing in your daily walk with the Lord. Have a great day in HIM. Feel free to hit the comment tab and share your thoughts.

Acts Chapter Two

Acts Chapter Two

Here we are in day two of this adventure to read the Book of Acts in January. Read a chapter a day and meditate on the message of the chapter. Feel free to post your comments. Click on the comments button at the end of this article, write your thoughts. The comment will not post immediately, but it will come up soon on the web.

What a chapter this is!! The outpouring of the power of the Holy Spirit on the church gave it LIFE. This power was given to the church till Jesus comes to take us to be with Him. The world is powerfully challenged when the Holy Spirit is actively working through believers. We need this power today more than ever.

What are some of the key points of this chapter? I don’t claim that this is an all-inclusive list of key points.
They were in unity, v. 1
They were filled with the Holy Spirit, v. 4
The mockers showed up (I guess we can still expect this), v. 13
Spirit-anointed preaching gets to the heart of the matter, v. 14 and following
Jesus was resurrected from the dead, v. 24
The conclusion of this powerful sermon – changed lives, v. 37
Repentance from sin is required, v. 38
All generations need the baptism in the Holy Spirit, v. 39
Faithfully follow the Scriptures, v. 42

If you take time to chew on these specific points, you will see the application to the church today.

As we are going through Acts this month, one of our discussion points is "What should be normative for the church?". The power of the Spirit, the Spirit-filled life must be normative for the church. Do you want to see the supernatural happening? We need the power of the Spirit. The main reason why the early church was so powerful and influential in the world was the power of the Spirit flowing through them and empowering them to an awesome work. History over the past 2,000 years has shown that the work of the Holy Spirit through believers is necessary for the church to be effective. As individuals we can become very knowledgeable and effective, but we don’t have the spiritual power necessary to win the battle against evil. We must follow the Biblical directives regarding the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

There are other sections of this chapter I could also focus on, but let me comment on v. 37-39. Peter’s sermon pricked their hearts (cut to the heart, stung) and they had to do something about the sin in their lives. The convicting power of the Spirit doesn’t allow a person to play around with sin. Repentance is crucial. Jesus didn’t come to give us religion, but relationship with Him that comes through our repentance. Water baptism is a step for believers to publically state that they are followers of Jesus. The baptism in the Holy Spirit must also come. Our world today needs to repent. There are many sitting in churches on a regular basis that need to repent, as well. We cannot hide sin in our lives. Psalm 66:18 tells us that if we cherish sin in our hearts that God will not hear us. The Spirit-empowered sermon that Peter preached caused the listeners to be cut deep in their hearts and make some radical changes in life.

Lord, we need to see radical changes in the lives of millions of people.

Acts Chapter One

Acts Chapter One
As we start this month-long venture reading in Acts, I trust that you will be excited at what you can learn. I trust you will be challenged in your daily walk with Jesus to be obedient to Him and His Word. I trust that you will be more focused to learn what the Bible teaches and then apply these truths to your daily life. Please feel free to join in a dialogue about the readings. Starting today with chapter one, read one chapter per day until you get to the end of the Book of Acts, which will take you to the end of January.

Acts is a letter of history written by Luke to Theophilus. I remember one of my teachers in college talk about the fact that Luke was a physician. They have a tendency to be very detailed in everything they do. That’s a good thing, especially when it’s your body that is sick, you want the doc to find everything. Luke’s writings show this detail.

Luke is writing to tell us the things that Jesus did right up to the day He was taken back to Heaven. I like the phrase that Jesus "showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs". One of the big debates over the millennia has been the resurrection. Here, Luke is writing in the lifetimes of people who would be witnesses. He is saying there are many people alive who can verify what I am saying. Jesus proved over and over again during the forty days after His resurrection that he really was alive. Because of these proofs, the early church exploded in growth because those who saw Jesus were willing to die for the sake of the Gospel. No one is willing to die for what they believe is a hoax.

Chapter one includes verse 8 which tells believers in Jesus that the power of the Holy Spirit will be given. It will be dynamic power to fight the spiritual battle and win. Later we will read that they were so effective that they "turned the world upside down". Throughout the life of the church, as believers have truly been filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, they have continued to see the supernatural. As we read Acts we will see many testimonies of the power of the Spirit working through the believers. That power is still available today. Let that be part of your prayer as you read this book, Lord fill me with your power.

What an amazing experience that must have been to be there while Jesus was lifted up from their presence, up through the sky, till they couldn’t see Him any more. It is hard to imagine the celebration and rejoicing in Heaven when He returned. Wow!!! And, for the folks standing there, the angels came by and asked why they were standing there like that. Any human can answer that question. We’ve never seen anything like this. I believe we live in a day that is very close to the promise of His return. We must be living ready.

I must be careful to not get too wordy in these comments, but I need to mention one more thing. Peter guided them in a process to replace Judas. He did this because of the Scriptures. This is a very important principle: do things because the Bible says to. That is always a good reason to do something.

Have a fun adventure in this month. Come back to this blog daily and see the comments people add. Add your own as well.

Y2K

Do you remember that thing called Y2K? WAY BACK in the 1990’s we continually heard how, when the year 2000 came, all our computers were going to go crazy. Millions of dollars were spent to prevent a catastrophe. We wondered if we would have electricity. What would happen to banking and large businesses? People bought generators and stocked up on food. Some were truly consumed with fear.

Now, here we are, with only 45 days left in 2009, a full ten years after Y2K. Ten years? Yes, ten years. Where did the time go? I am finding that time is flying by more rapidly than ever. To me, the 1990’s are not that far back. It’s hard to me to fathom how quickly the years are going. Within a few years high school graduates won’t know about Y2K from personal knowledge, but only because they were told about it.

Along with the faster pace of life, changes are coming at us so fast that it is impossible to keep up. As much as I would like to, there is no way I can keep up with the changes in technology. Cell phones and I Pods and computer games come and change so quickly. I do well to keep up with what I have, much less the new stuff.

I remember when someone was talking about something amazing. Instead of having records or tapes, we would listen to music on tiny machines that have no moving parts. Music would be simply a file on the machine. That seemed incredible because listening to music has always had moving parts – turning a record or moving a tape across a tape head. That dream is true today as a tiny player has enough memory capacity to hold thousands of songs. And, that technology now includes video.

Time is flying, life is moving at a dizzying pace. What are we getting done? What will last? What of value will be here in the future. 8-track tapes are now found only in a museum or your great grandparents house. Some time soon the latest I Pod or digital camera will be considered a dinosaur. What will last? What has value?

Let me leave you with words I used to hear quite often:

Only one life will soon be passed. Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Veterans’ Day

Since today is the day we honor veterans, I thought I would like to share some thoughts and pictures in remembrance of my father. For most of his life he was known as Pastor Thomassen, or Pastor T. For a few years he was known as a soldier who served in WW II in the European Theater of War.

He was a medic in the 99th Inf. Btn. (Sep). It was a group of American soldiers of Norwegian heritage. The original goal was the liberation of Norway. They trained at Camp Hale near Leadville, Colorado as a ski troop.

When they got to England, their mission was changed and they landed in Europe shortly after D Day. They spent the war moving around Europe plugging holes. One of the stories my father told us about was the Malmedy Massacre.

It happened during the Battle of the Bulge on December 17, 1944 near Malmedy, Belgium. The 1st SS Panzer Division under the command of Lt. Col. Joachim Peiper captured a truck convoy of Battery B, 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion, in the Ardennes. They took about one hundred unarmed American POW’s in a field and shot them. A few faked death and escaped. Most died.

This group of Nazis earned the nickname "Blowtorch Battalion" as they burned their way across Russia. They were also responsible for slaughtering civilians in two separate villages.
The 99th was nearby and they raced there. They rescued a few survivors. The rest they found dead in the snow. It was a very sad day in the war.

If you go to Malmedy today, you will find at least two memorials. On the edge of town, at the location of the shootings is a memorial with the names of all the soldiers murdered that day. On the other end of town is a memorial to the 99th, put up by the town in memory of their brave actions in the war.

I heard about this memorial many years ago. I never thought I would see it in person. A few years ago I was privileged to be there and see it. The pictures posted here are of the memorial, as well as my brother, George and I.

Memorials are very important in life. In the Bible God directed many memorials so that people didn’t forget the things He did for them. Today, Veterans’ Day, is a memorial of all the sacrifice given in the service to our nation. We are free today because millions have served and paid the price so we can be free.

Memorials, we need to actually SEE THEM. As we looked for these memorials in Malmedy and talked to people to ask directions, they didn’t seem to know where they were, even though they had passed them many times.

Memorials . . . . Lest We Forget . . . . . . .

Memorials . . . . See Them . . . . . . . .

Memorials . . . . Lest We Forget . . . . . . .

Memorials . . . . Veterans’ Day . . . . . . . . .
　

How Hungry Are You?

Let me share some random of the thoughts from Sunday morning’s service.

Hunger is universal. Every person who has ever lived understands hunger.

Hunger is continual. Many teenagers are ALWAYS hungry. Food is the fuel that keeps our bodies going.

Hunger drives actions. Many people hate their jobs, but they have a bad habit, they like to eat. So, they keep on working.

It is true, it is universal: We need food. Another universal truth is this: We need connection with God. Both hunger for food and hunger for God are universal because that is the way God made us. He made us with a need for physical fuel to keep us going. He made us with a hunger and desire to know HIM and be close to Him.

Jacob and Esau – the birthright for a meal.
Genesis 25:29-34 NIV
29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom. 31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” 32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?” 33 But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.

Hunger can cause you to make poor choices. Hunger can make you not see beyond this moment. Being hungry can cause one to make bad choices. It is said that you should never grocery shop when you are hungry. You will buy many things you wouldn’t normally buy.

From Esau’s illustration here we can learn that we shouldn’t make major decisions when we are weak and hungry. Hunger can blind a person to not see the long term impact of the decision made out of hunger.

Spiritual hunger will drive us to seek God in a greater way than we are doing at the time. What are you hungry for? More of God? If you don’t sense a hunger for more of God, do you ask yourself the question of why? Do you have enough of God and His power in your life?

Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, The Beatitudes
Matthew 5:6 NIV
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

The Sermon on the Mount is an amazing passage in the Bible. Blessing comes to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Don’t let the fear and anxiety of the things of the world that surround us destroy your hunger for more of God. The world system is full of lies.

The word “righteousness” comes from a root word that means “straightness.” Seek HIS Righteousness. Let God define the righteousness in your life. You will be amazed at the results.

Jesus is the Bread of Life
John 6:35 NIV
Then Jesus declared, I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.

Let’s talk about real food. There is the stuff that attracts kids, that they would live on if they could. Except, if they tried to live on it, it would kill them. Twinkies, cheese curls, potato chips, Oreos, Krispy Kreme Donuts, and the list could go on. How long would a person live eating only things like that? Soon they would have all kinds of health problems.

Then, there is food that will give you good fuel for your body and keep you healthy.

Let’s look at spiritual food. We have a natural hunger for spiritual nourishment. There is an ample supply of spiritual fluff out there that many are consuming. A focus on whatever makes me feel good. Running from one fun event to the next. Simply feeding the emotions. All these (and more) will eventually lead to spiritual anemia – spiritual weakness.

Then there is the spiritual food that will make you spiritually strong and healthy. Jesus is the bread of life. We will find real spiritual satisfaction as we focus on Him and devour His Word. We must put out the effort to learn more of Him and learn to apply what we learn.
How Do We Do It?
Matthew 6: 25, 33 NIV
Do Not Worry
25 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

We are not to worry about the provision of what we need. We are to trust God. We are to seek after Him and all that has to do with His Kingdom, and He will take care of us.

Are you hungry? How are you going to fill that hunger?