Peter’s Posts

Living the Matthew 29 life. The book of Matthew ends at chapter 28. So now we are all living in Matthew 29, the next chapter.

“And thenHe ascended into heaven from whence he shall come to judge the Quick and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.”

I quote from memory, part of the apostles creed. (It was my favorite, the Nicene creed was longer ). Growing up in a liturgical Lutheran church we recited a creed every week. Our statement of faith always included our ascended savior.

3 of the 4 Gospels have a commissioning by Jesus before his ascension. Matthew’s goes like this: “Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:16-20

Mark and Luke tell us that Jesus ascended into heaven. In Acts Luke says “They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

Acts 1:10-11

Editorially I will add that the angels were implying “didn’t our master and your master just give you a job to do? Will you now get moving on that job?”

Here we are, His church, His people, and we still have the same job to do. We are to make disciples of all nations. When we think about sharing the story of Jesus with the entire world it is overwhelming. Let’s just start with one. A neighbor or a co-worker. That too can be scary. It scares me. But what is the alternative for these people we know who don’t know Jesus? The alternative is that they will enter eternity not hearing about the God who loves them, who suffered and died to save them and now lives forever to intercede for them.

We live in the next chapter, we live in the era of being The commissioned. We live in Matthew 29. How are we doing on sharing our story, the story of being redeemed, bought back from slavery by a loving God?

Here is a Facebook challenge, share your redemption story with one person this week.

(P.S. It occurs to me that not everyone has a redemption story. If you are reading this and you don’t have a story to tell about how Jesus forgvave all of your sins and became your Lord and master you can begin the story today. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that he rose from the dead, you will be saved”)

My wife released a Christmas album last year. Her title track tells the story, “the whole year long”. We believe that celebrating the birth of Jesus doesn’t have to be confined to December 25th. God’s love for us shines everyday and everyday can be a celebration of gratitude that God sent his son to us, that God remembered our plight and remembered his promise to come and save us. Please click on the link to get to YouTube then take 3 minutes to listen and celebrate with us.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kxv12ZmKhD0

 

An inconvenient truth. That is what Jesus’ resurrection was to the Jewish leaders. They got the story, the whole story from the guards but chose to invent a lie to maintain the status quo.

Matthew 28 tells us the story.

“While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

Matthew 28:11-15

They did the wrong thing. They lied and bribed to cover the truth about Jesus.

The question always comes back to us though, what do we believe about Jesus? Who is he? What do his life and death mean for us? Did he really rise from the dead? Where is he now?

The apostle Peter said this to the Jewish leaders after healing a man born lame.

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Acts 4:12

The inconvenient truth is there is no body in Jesus’ tomb because God raised him from the dead. The truth is inconvenient only for those who don’t believe that Jesus came to die for us sinners and to be raised back to life on the third day.

What do you believe about Jesus?

(Originally posted 11/07/17)

God did something new. It was around 2000 years ago but what he did changed history, changed the future for mankind. What did he do? He visited us. God visited earth, not as a tourist, not as a deity as such, but as a man. God became man and dwelt among us.

Mary recorded this song on her album. It starts out with 4 of our grand-kids singing “Away in a manger”. That is where God started his visitation.  The creator of everything that exists came to visit, and his first appearance was in a barn and he slept in a feed trough. He didn’t start out in a palace among the elite and privileged, he started out in a common place, among common folks, like us. Mary is joined later in the song by our son Aaron Loeffelbein.

Jesus is God with us.

1 Timothy 1

Timothy, that young man that joined Paul and Barnabas in Lystra. He is now Pastoring the church in Ephesus.

Paul calls him “a true son in the faith”.

This is a tough town. It’s where Paul & Silas got thrown into prison for setting a slave girl free from her demonic possession. Then they had church in chains and were set free by a God Ordained earthquake.

Paul was asked to leave the city but he sent Timothy back in.

This letter is advice to pastor in the thick of it and to a young man living in a sensual city.

We’ll get to the advice later, I was impressed with this in my reading this morning.

Paul sums up his life and ministry I chapter 1.

“12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. 13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

Yes Paul, what you said. To the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Yes.

The gospel equalizes us all. We are all sinners who need a savior. Jesus has died for all of us. The state of grace, being forgiven, is a confession of need and an acceptance of his gift away.

Who will God save? He saved me. Has he saved you yet? He wants to. He wants all of us to come to him. That’s why he sent Jesus, he sent Jesus to save each one of us. He won’t give up on us until we are done with life.

 

(Originally posted 11/06/15)

But was it? The night that Jesus was born, was it a silent reverent night? Maybe the hymn writer pondered that as he wrote the lyrics.

Silent night, Holy night, all is calm, all is bright. Round yon virgin, mother and child, Holy infant, so tender and mild, sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace.

I quoted verse one from memory. I have been singing this song at Christmas time for as long as I can remember.  The music is beautiful and the message of the song is simple.

Two points to think about, Holy infant and a virgin mother. Mary, who had never been with a man, gave birth to a baby. How was that possible? The baby was God, in human flesh. God chose to live the life of a human, to live among us, live as one of us. He will live, and love, and heal and teach and serve, and then he will die a gruesome death on the cross. That death was for no crime or sin of his own. He died to pay the price for my sin. He died to pay the price for our sin, all of us, all humans who have ever lived and will ever live. He lived, he died and then, most important of all, he rose from the dead.

Silent night! Holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight.
Glories stream from heaven afar,
heav’nly hosts sing: “Alleluia!
Christ the Savior is born!
Christ the Savior is born!”

3 Silent night! Holy night!
Son of God, love’s pure light
radiant beams from Thy holy face
with the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth!
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth!

4 Silent night! Holy night!
Wondrous star, lend thy light;
with the angels let us sing
“Alleluia” to our King:
“Christ the Savior is born!
Christ the Savior is born.”

It’s a big deal. The promised one, the messiah, the redeemer has now been born. God is with us.

Mary recorded an instrumental version of Silent night on her album. Here is an opportunity to take a few minutes and just listen and ponder this wondrous thing that God has done.

Christ the Savior is born.

Acts 28

The final chapter but it isn’t the end.

Paul and crew arrive safely on Malta. They winter there. While there Paul shows Gods love and power by getting bit by a snake and not dying and healing all of the sick on the island.

Life is more than cause and effect. Karma doesn’t work. “3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.”

What I’m getting out of this is that Life is neither random nor predictable. Our life and our time is ordered by God.

Paul finally arrived in Rome and was able to stay in a rented house under Roman guard. He first went to the Jewish population, when some rejected his message he went to the Gentiles.

“30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!”

What was next for Paul? Well he wrote most of the New Testament. And then? Tradition says he died for his faith.

“Concerning the time, place, and manner of his death, we have little certainty. It is commonly believed that, when a general persecution was raised against the Christians by Nero, about A.D. 64, under pretence that they had set Rome on fire, both St. Paul and St. Peter then sealed the truth with their blood; the latter being crucified with his head downward; the former being beheaded, either in A.D. 64 or 65, and buried in the Via Ostiensis. ”

Thanks for following with me as we read through Acts. I’

May God bless your day.

(Originally posted 11/05/19)

I have never been to a Midnight mass. I grew up Lutheran, we didn’t have mass, we had church service. I was about ten when my mom took us to midnight service. It was strange being at church, at night. I was sleepy and a little grumpy. It was Christmas and instead of opening presents, or dumping out my stocking, or eating treats I was at church. But even in my childish moodiness I remember an awe and reverence during the service with singing and the liturgy.

My wife Mary recorded Tàladh Chríosda which is also known as the Christ child lullaby. Mary sings the first part in Gaelic. The tune will get stuck your head, it is beautiful. It is a traditional Scottish midnight mass Christmas carol.

For some of my readers it may be too early to think about Christmas. In many minds in the US we have Thanksgiving Day, then and only then we move on to Christmas.

I would like to change that up. Mary’s Christmas album is called “The Whole Year Long”. Her message was and is that celebrating Jesus can be and maybe should be a year long practice.

No matter where you live or how you celebrate the upcoming holiday season, I hope that you will take a few minutes and click on the link and listen to my wife’s beautiful voice sing this lovely lullaby for the Christ child.

 

Acts 27

Luke Aristarchus and Paul along with 273 sailors soldiers and prisoners set sail that day…I really want to sing “for a three hour tour..” But it was towards Rome. Things did not go well.

A really bad storm came up. Luke says, “when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we gave up all hope of being saved.”

Storms are a part of sailing. Troubles and trials are a part of life. Every life will encounter them. How will we respond?

Paul was told by Jesus that he would go to Rome. Then while on the ship he was encouraged again by an Angel.

“Last night an angel of God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you’.

It wasn’t easy, it wasn’t without struggle or peril. “42 The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. 43 But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44 The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely.”

There is no standard or rule that I can see that God uses to get people where he wants them and we do not know how our patience and confidence in an unseen God is affecting those around us. An all-knowing God makes plans that baffle the unknowing people who serve him. Yet, he cares, yet He sees, yet he knows and provides.

They say the shortest distance between point a and point b is a straight line. Efficiency is not Gods main concern. He doesn’t always take the straight line to get me to where he wants me. I think I can safely say this, if we are his, we are, right now right where he wants us. Even if we have strayed, God knows where we are and can use our present situation for His glory. I am right where he wants me. Today that is a very uncomfortable spot. I am out on a figurative ledge way beyond my comfort zone, not even in the same ZIP code as my comfort zone. Help me Jesus. Use me while I’m here. But don’t leave me here.

(Originally posted 11/04/15)

My wife and I live in eastern Washington state. Our state is divided north to south by the mighty and glorious cascade mountains. What that means to us is that all the rain that Seattle Washington is famous for usually stays on the western side of the state. Our side, the east side, is a dry desert caused by the rain shadow effect of the cascade mountains. It makes the area dry and mostly treeless and in the winter it can be very drab and monotone and monotonous. It gets cold here, it just doesn’t always snow. When it does snow our little desert becomes a fairly land of sparkles and snow drifts.

Our granddaughter Molly Dowd wrote a song about the miracle of transformation that happens for us when it snows. Her grandma Mary wrote some verses and then they recorded this delightful little tune for all of us to enjoy.  It is Molly and Mary singing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5gI5VRgmA8 white sheet of snow.

Please sit back and relax and remember, or if you have never experienced snow, imagine the transformation miracle of a white sheet of snow over a bland and bleak landscape.

Acts 26

Paul’s trial before King Agrippa.

We hear more of what happened on the road to Damascus. We get more of the conversation.

“12 “On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. 14 We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic,[a] ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

15 “Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’

“ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. 16 ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’”

Paul loved God. He grew up

Loving God and learning about him. During his days persecuting the church he was defending the God he loved from attack, or so he thought.

It seems as though Judaism was a vehicle to bring us Jesus who is the fulfillment of all the promises of the past. Kind of like the ark of Noah binging mankind from one place to another. We don’t still live in the ark but we still live because of the ark.

As Paul said, “22 But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen— 23 that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles.”’

“29 Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”’

So I invite you to receive Jesus gift of forgiveness for your sins. Today. I did it by just admitting that I needed forgiveness and then acknowledging that Jesus gift was for me too.

Thank you Jesus for your ongoing work in my life. I fail you so often yet you are always faithful to forgive.

(Originally posted 11/3/15)

Last year my wife released a Christmas album, titled “The Whole Year Long”. We are a musical family and so most of the music and singers on the album are family. One song that she did she had our grandkids sing and she also is joined by my son Aaron Loeffelbein who has one of the most beautiful male voices that I have ever heard. Yes I am biased but I hope you will take the 3 to 4 minutes to just relax and listen. God with us. Jesus name is Emanuel, God with us, not against us, not annoyed with us, not on vacation and ignoring us but God with us, here on earth, living life as a human, from infant to adulthood, then to suffer and die to pay a debt that wasn’t his. But that is just how gracious and loving our God is. He gave up his only son to pay for our sins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iRgko_5LSI God with us

Please listen and enjoy and start this Christmas season pondering God with us.

I have this idea in my head about how the bible is divided in two parts. The Old Testament in my head is all about the law judgement and Gods wrath, the New Testament is about Jesus and grace and mercy.

This morning I read psalm 103.

Maybe mercy love and forgiveness permeate both halves.

“1 Praise the Lord, my soul;

all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2 Praise the Lord, my soul,

and forget not all his benefits—

3 who forgives all your sins

and heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit

and crowns you with love and compassion,

5 who satisfies your desires with good things

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

6 The Lord works righteousness

and justice for all the oppressed.

7 He made known his ways to Moses,

his deeds to the people of Israel:

8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

slow to anger, abounding in love.

9 He will not always accuse,

nor will he harbor his anger forever;

10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve

or repay us according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his love for those who fear him;

12 as far as the east is from the west,

so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

13 As a father has compassion on his children,

so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;

14 for he knows how we are formed,

he remembers that we are dust.

15 The life of mortals is like grass,

they flourish like a flower of the field;

16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,

and its place remembers it no more.

17 But from everlasting to everlasting

the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,

and his righteousness with their children’s children—

18 with those who keep his covenant

and remember to obey his precepts.

19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven,

and his kingdom rules over all.

20 Praise the Lord, you his angels,

you mighty ones who do his bidding,

who obey his word.

21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,

you his servants who do his will.

22 Praise the Lord, all his works

everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the Lord, my soul.”

Our sin is no surprise to God. He has always been in the forgiveness business.

As high as the heavens, that’s how much he loves us. As far as the east is from the west, that’s how far away he puts our repented sin. He heals us, he redeems us, crowns us with love, satisfies our desires, and renews our strength.

The message that flows through the bible is this; God is in love with us.

What will we do today in response to this great love?

Mk 12:10,11 “the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone”.

Jesus doesn’t fit into our lives, but we can build our life around Him. He is that odd shape that will not be conformed or reshaped to fit into a God box that we have built , but we can completely trust that he is solid and secure and we can use Him to build our lives on, but we must shape ourselves to fit to Him, not the other way around.

(Originally posted 11/02/12)

I’ve got some good news.

I opened my bible this morning intending to continue reading in Psalms but opened to Isaiah 61. Isaiah 61 is the Gospel ministry spelled out in the Old Testament.

“61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,

because the Lord has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim freedom for the captives

and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]

2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor

and the day of vengeance of our God,

to comfort all who mourn,

3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—

to bestow on them a crown of beauty

instead of ashes,

the oil of joy

instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise

instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

a planting of the Lord

for the display of his splendor.

4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins

and restore the places long devastated;

they will renew the ruined cities

that have been devastated for generations.”

This is good news.

I am spiritually poor. My debt has been paid in Jesus.

I am broken-hearted. For my own situation and for the people of my world. There is help and healing and comfort in Jesus.

I am captive to sin. And sometimes held chained in darkness. Jesus can set me free. Jesus brings light into my world. Light shows me my depravity and also shows me the way out.

I’m not sure what the year of the Lords favor is. I think it might be the year of jubilee. That is where all debt is wiped clean. Anything mortgaged or pawned is returned. I would love a day of that. Can you imagine a year of that? No debt unpaid. Everyone reset to zero. Financially it would be incredible, spiritually it is life changing.

I mourn the loss of family. I mourn the loss of innocence and purity. I mourn for those lost and and alone. I mourn for those enslaved by addiction of any kind. I mourn the victims of abuse, the breakup of homes and families. I mourn. Jesus brings comfort to me.

Beauty for ashes. This part is special to me. I am ashes. I was burned as a child, my dad said my nose was a black cinder. He feared it would be gone. When my bandages came off my nose was there. All of it. I feared that I would never find a woman to love me but then one day while I was still a youth I met Mary and she has been the beauty that I traded my ashes for. Jesus provided love through my loss.

I have a family history. It’s not all good. There is abuse and alcoholism and pornography and fights and divorce and pain and base humanness. Jesus has come to restore brokenness that is generational. Walls broken down for decades, for centuries can be restored. Family sins, family patterns of abuse and pain can end now in Jesus.

“delight greatly in the Lord;

my soul rejoices in my God.

For he has clothed me with garments of salvation

and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,

as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,

and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up

and a garden causes seeds to grow,

so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness

and praise spring up before all nations.”

Jesus has come to bring good news. That’s what the word gospel means, good news. We are forgiven and free in the covering Jesus provides us.

God loves us and longs for a relationship with us. The one who built everything we see and know, who created us , has also redeemed us. He has bought us out of slavery. That’s good news.

(Originally posted 11/01/16)

How do I get back?

Part of my job is to design operator interfaces. It’s a screen that symbolizes our factory process. I build it from pre-drawn pieces and parts. Last week I was drawing a pipe and I needed a tee. There was a tee on the page already but it was pointed in the wrong direction. I clicked on it, went to the properties window and I adjusted the rotation angle. I punched in 180 and suddenly a tee that was useless became useful. It was now headed in the right direction.

Sometimes in life we need to have our rotation angle adjusted.

“11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.”

I sometimes stumble and fall. I rely on Gods grace to forgive me one more time.

I read psalm 100 and it reminded me of this sweet reunion when the prodigal son returns.

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

2 Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

3 Know that the Lord is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his[a];

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

We have father who loves us and his son who died for us to pay for all our mistakes. If we find ourselves far away from home and disconnected from our heavenly Father,  let’s go home to the father and celebrate together. We may have to get turned around first (repent), but God is waiting and watching for us to come home.

Acts 24

In jail for two years and no end in sight.

I kind of wonder what happened to the 40 men who vowed not to eat until they killed Paul? (Chapter 23). Two years without food can make a person hungry. And dead.

The high priest Ananias was there to accuse Paul. This is the same guy who had Jesus crucified. It was personal. The “sect” just wouldn’t go away. This group of people who believe that a man named Jesus was actually God in the flesh. And they believe that his death holds some spiritual significance. That it pays for sin. Only sacrifices pay for sin. Only a perfect sacrifice will actually wash away, forgive, sin. They said Jesus’ death was that, the perfect sacrifice. They also say that he didn’t stay dead. You just can’t keep a good man down and you just can’t keep a God-man dead. That’s what they say. That’s what they believe.

Ananias couldn’t crush the sect. No one has been able to. WE are still here. This sect that believes in a God-man who died for our sins and now lives forever.

He loves us enough to die for us. He loves you. Join us.

(Originally posted 10/30/19)

Acts 23

Paul has a meeting with the boss.

The boss takes this time to encourage Paul. We don’t have a record of very many encounters with Jesus after he was taken into heaven. This makes this significant.

“11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”’

Not a lot of detail in the message but the journey is laid out. Paul will end up in Rome. Paul will tell his story at every step and at every stop. Soldiers, governors, Sanhedrin, rulers and servants will all hear about Jesus through Paul.

Us too. We get to hear his story because Luke wrote it down.

Thanks Luke. Thanks Paul. Thank you Jesus.

(Originally posted 10/29/15)

Who is this God we serve?

Psalm 89 starts out with praise of God. It talks about how awesome He is. How he is the creator of everything and then it reminds God of his promises to King David and his line.

“I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;

with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known

through all generations.

2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever,

that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.

3 You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,

I have sworn to David my servant,

4 ‘I will establish your line forever

and make your throne firm through all generations.’”[c]

“11 The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth;

you founded the world and all that is in it.

12 You created the north and the south;

Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name.

13 Your arm is endowed with power;

your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.”

So God is good, he is powerful, he is creative and creator. He has promised special favors. Good good good. Yes.

But here’s the problem. Life is in shambles. Enemies have attacked and are tearing up home. Literally destroying and killing.

Now what? Why go through the process of recounting the goodness of God and his promises before telling God about the destroyer in the backyard banging on your door?

When we are reminding God of his power and his promises are we really reminding him? Does he forget? I think we are the forgetters. But it also sets up why we can expect anything more out of life than scraping up enough food to stay alive, procreating, getting sick and dying like animals. Aren’t we just animals? Not according to God. We wouldn’t know who we are or what we are or what more there was to life without Gods word. Reminding him reminds us that he is Almighty God. He is not some mighty, a little mighty, sort of mighty he is All Mighty. He is creator. He is sustainer. He is the maker and keeper of promises. Why did the psalmist have hope or expectations of David’s lineage? Because God said so. So what? We all make grandiose statements sometimes. God is the only one who can promise and keep his promises, all of his promises.

We can turn to God. We can vent. But while venting I will try to also say why I expect more from my existence. I have seen and heard God working. I have read his proclamation of love for me and for a sick and dying world and so now I have hope for more out of life.

“46 How long, Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?

How long will your wrath burn like fire?

47 Remember how fleeting is my life.

For what futility you have created all humanity!

48 Who can live and not see death,

or who can escape the power of the grave?

49 Lord, where is your former great love,

which in your faithfulness you swore to David?

50 Remember, Lord, how your servant has[g] been mocked,

how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations,

51 the taunts with which your enemies, Lord, have mocked,

with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one.

52 Praise be to the Lord forever!

Amen and Amen.”

Acts 21

Was Paul brave or was he stubborn?

In my mind the answer is yes. He was both brave and stubborn but he had a third quality that was at work here. He was trusting, he trusted God for his life and trusted his life to God.

“10 After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’”

12 When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”’

Paul went on to Jerusalem. He went to the temple and there was beaten by a mob and arrested by a Roman commander.

We can only imagine what the world and Christianity would be like without Paul, his message to the people then and his message to us now. He wrote most of the New Testament 13 books. Much of that he wrote from prison.

Paul wrote in Romans 8: “28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[i] have been called according to his purpose.”

God can use whatever situation we are in, and wherever we are for the good. Not just for our own good but for the good of the world. Jesus died to save the world, the people of the world. You and me, Us and our neighbors.

Good news. God loves us, died for us, lives again and is waiting to use us to enlarge his kingdom.