DIG for Wednesday the 16th of March….we are still living in the time of Acts…..Acts 2 v 42

I listened to a wonderful teaching today about the gifts and calling of God, and one phrase spoken out has really impacted me.

The teacher said, “We are still living in the Book of Acts”.

Now I think I always knew this, that what we saw in Acts should be what we see today, but I’ve never heard it said in such a way before.

In Acts we read about the Holy Spirit coming, but we do not see Him returning to heaven.

So He is still here doing what we saw Him do in the Book of Acts.

Believers, empowered by the Holy Spirit, were healing the sick and raising the dead (among other things).

This is what we can, and should, be seeing today.

Yes, we should be doing what we see the disciples doing in Acts 2 v 42, but we should also see the manifestation of the Spirit that was commonplace in the Book of Acts.

Many people teach that miracles, signs and wonders were just for the start of the church, but that is not true.

We are meant to be doing the same as the original disciples, after all we were given authority by the same Jesus and are empowered by the same indwelling Holy Spirit.

Supernatural manifestations of the power of the Spirit are for all of us today, here as a signpost to Jesus and also to destroy the works of the devil.

Let’s realise the power that we all have within us and let’s start using it.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for the indwelling Holy Spirit and thank you for the power I have within”.

Acts 2 v 42…..And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in prayers

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DIG for Monday the 19th of October…..how we do things is more important than what we do…..Acts 8 v 21

 

In the Book of Acts we see the people of God carrying out many miracles and many wondrous acts.

In chapter 8 we see the apostles laying hands on people in order that they receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8 v 17).

Simon, a supposed believer, saw this and wanted to be able to do the same so he offered money to be able to do it.

We then see Peter “tearing into him”, saying he did not have part of this because of his heart attitude (Acts 8 v 20 to 23).

This is a picture to us of what is important to God.

It is not what we do but how we do it that is important.

Doing things without the right heart, even when they seem to be good things, is ugly and horrible.

Doing things for our own selfish motives is not of God.

Even giving away all our money to the poor is worthless if done out of the wrong heart with the wrong motives.

All we do should be out of love for God and love for people, there should be no “self” in what we do.

This goes against everything we have been taught growing up, but the Kingdom is never in line with the world.

In the Kingdom we gain as we give away, we win as we lose, we achieve as we serve.

Our motives are more important than what we do, it is our motives we need to be looking at rather than our works, even good works.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for the example of Jesus, the supreme example of someone with a servant heart”.

Acts 8 v 21…..Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God

DIG for Sunday the 27th of September…..can we sometimes be too “spiritual”…..Acts 1 v 11

While reading the beginning of Acts this morning I was challenged again, as I was in church this week, about our actions with regards to social issues such as homelessness, poverty, immigration etc.

I preached from James 2 this week, looking at how we should give evidence of our beliefs through works of faith.

James asks what good is it speaking to and blessing a brother or sister if we do not fulfil their need for food or clothes (James 2 v 14 to 17).

If we do this James argues that our faith is dead!

A similar challenge came upon me as I read the fist part of verse Acts 1 v 11, where the disciples are gazing up into the sky, looking at where Jesus had gone.

I’ve heard the phrase, “he is so spiritually focussed he is no earthly good”; have you?

Now, I am not against praying for situations, but instead of asking God to deal with something or “sending labourers”, maybe the solution is for us to get off our backsides and do something practical?

People have what is known as a “hierarchy of needs”, where practical issues such as food, clothing and housing need to be dealt with first.
We obviously know that the most important issue for any human being is how they are with the Lord, however if we do not deal with their practical issues first how can we “get in” to deal with their spiritual issues?

Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil with regards to illness and poverty; we, as His ambassadors on earth, have a responsibility for this too.

Sometimes we maybe look too much “towards heaven” instead of looking “towards earth” to see the issues that we should be dealing with.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and thank you that I can play my part in this mission”

Acts 1 v 11…..Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven

DIG for Thursday the 24th of September…..building your ministry takes time…..Acts 1 v 8

I have been a pastor for about eight years now, and in a teaching ministry for about the same time, and I have to say that I think I am only just starting out in ministry.

Plans were being made to go and preach in India, however at the planning stage the Lord said, “No, not yet”.

Initially I thought why and maybe got a little bit disappointed, but the Lord led me to this verse in Acts.

We all have a “ministry” from the Lord and that is to preach the Gospel, but we also have our individual ministries.

Each ministry we have and undertake needs to “fit in” with Acts 1 v 8.

Jesus told the disciples to be witnesses, starting in Jerusalem, then Judea and then Samaria; this means at home, closer to home and then further away.

For me when the Lord led me to this verse, He was telling me that I needing to minister to people at home and closer to home before going much further apart (i.e. India).

Ministry is never an overnight success; it takes time and effort and always starts small.

We start small and we do not despise this, as we may need to stay small for longer than anticipated.

All the time in ministry, big or small, is a time of preparation and will benefit us (and those we minster to) in the long run.

If you are in ministry keep pressing on and pushing in, all ministry is valuable, big or small.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you have a plan and a purpose for my life and ministry, and have equipped me for that purpose”.

Acts 1 v 8…..But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth

DIG for Wednesday the 23rd of September……nobody knows, or can know, when He is coming back…..Acts 1 v 7

This week, this year, next year on this date; I’m sure you’ll find lots of predictions of when Jesus is coming back if you look.

Allow me to save you time and effort by saying don’t bother!

Yes, Jesus is coming back but no man knows when this is going to be.

There have been hundreds and hundreds of predictions already and every single one of them has been wrong, as Jesus has not returned.

People may try and tell you when He is coming back, but this is not for man to know.

There are things that God has told us and things that God has delegated to us but knowing when He will “restore the kingdom of Israel” is not one of them.

That is something that He has within His own power.

He has given us things to know and do; preaching the Gospel and healing people for example.

These things are in our power, and they are what we should be concentrating on instead of this seemingly endless debate about when the Second Coming of Jesus will be.

Don’t get hung up with that nonsense; get stuck into our real job on earth.

Get into spreading the Gospel, teaching about Jesus, setting people free from bondages including poverty and illness.

Don’t worry about when Jesus is coming back, that is not for you to know.

And consider very carefully if you should be listening to, or associating with, a man who says he knows the date of Jesus coming back!

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you have a task for me to do, thank you that you have a plan and purpose for my life”.

Acts 1 v 7…..And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power

DIG for Monday the 21st of September…..nothing has told us to stop…..Acts 1 v 1 and 2

The Acts of the Apostles is a wonderful book, showing us how the early church spread the gospel, bringing healing, abundance, joy and peace.

We see the early church going into the world in the power of the Holy Spirit teaching and spreading the good news.

Luke, who wrote the Book of Acts, tells us that Jesus started this process (Acts 1 v 2).

He brought healing and salvation, He began to do this; in the Gospels we read what Jesus started to do and started to teach.

Luke then goes on to say that this task has passed onto the apostles (Acts 1 v 2).

In Acts we read how Peter and John, Philip and Paul (among others) carried on this “work” originating through Jesus.

People are saved, people are healed and people are set free from bondage.

And the great thing that I see when reading Acts, and indeed the rest of the Bible, is that this process has never stopped.

The Holy Spirit aided Jesus and aided the apostles.

He has not returned to Heaven yet, so He is still here to aid you to carry on from Jesus and the apostles.

We are living in the same “times” as the apostles, we are meant to do the same as them and carry on the work of Jesus.

Healing has not stopped, abundance has not ceased and the Holy Spirit has not left us!

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for the Holy Spirit and thank you that you want us to spread the Gospel, releasing salvation, healing and abundance”.

Acts 1 v 1 and 2…..The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments until the apostles whom he had chosen

DIG for Sunday the 20th of September…..the power of the Holy Spirit is essential…..Acts 1 v 7 and 8

I’ve been considering recently doing an in depth study in the Acts of the Apostles, and reading the start of this book today I recognised one essential requirement that is needed to operate in same power that we see there.

This requirement is the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Scripture is clear that baptism in the Holy Spirit is a separate experience from salvation (Acts 8 v 13 to 17).

Jesus tells us that we are to witness to the whole world, however we can only do this after we have received the Holy Spirit (Acts 1 v 7 and 8).

Once we have received the Holy Spirit then we will have the required power to carry out this mission.

Jesus had already told His apostles to wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit, so He must have felt that the baptism of the Holy Spirit was an essential pre-requisite.

If the first apostles had to be baptised in the Holy Spirit in order to witness in power, then I think we should as well.

Don’t let anyone tell you that Holy Spirit baptism is not for today; that’s a lie.

It is for today, and for every day until the Lord Jesus returns again.

Do you want to see people healed and set free and do you want to see people saved?

Then if you have not done so already ask the Lord for the baptism of the Holy Spirit and then believe that He has.

Then get out into the world!

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for the baptism of the Holy Spirit and for the power that we receive”.

Acts 1 v 7 and 8…..And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall witness unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth

DIG for Friday the 20th of September…..what He began, the apostles continued and we carry on…..Acts 1 v 1

Acts is more properly known as The Acts of the Apostles.

Here we have an account of how the apostles brought the good news of Jesus to the known world; in other words we read about their acts.

We see the apostles using the power and authority given to them by Jesus to heal, and to deliver and to make people whole.

We see the apostles carrying on this work that Jesus had began, just as we read in Acts 1 v 1.

Nowhere in the book of Acts can I see this ending, I cannot see a verse that says what was began now has to stop.

This is a verse that I cannot see in the whole of scripture.

It means that we are the next in line, we now are to carry on what Jesus began; we are to teach what He taught and do what He did.

Paul write something like this to Timothy (2 Timothy 2 v 1 and 2).

The key to teaching as Jesus did and carrying out the same acts that He did is to be strong in the grace of Jesus Christ.

This means to be strong, or know and understand, what Jesus did and what He accomplished; we need a grasp and understanding of His finished work on the cross.

With this, along with the indwelling Holy Spirit, we can do mighty things through Him and for Him; we can carry on with our own acts.

Acts flowing from knowledge and understanding of Him, His finished work and His grace (Philemon v 6).

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for the finished work of Jesus Christ”.

Acts 1 v 1…..The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach