Welcome to Real-ity Based Blogging

Go ahead and look first at Acts 7 . See how God speaks to you individually. Then come back, if you wish, and see what God has put in my mind/heart.

Key Verse(s): Acts 7:60

Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.

Title: Revisionist History

Observation: Stephen is giving the people a review of “their glorious heritage” and reminds them of how often their fathers and grandfathers had failed to follow God’s lead. We tend to mythologize the past, even own personal history, in order to both please ourselves and also to construct a reason for where we are.

Stephen challenged their beliefs, particularly about Jesus being the long promised messiah. He laid the blame on them for the crucifixion of Jesus (though in truth it was their fault and ours as well- sinners in need of a savior). Their response was a childish covering of their ears to block out the truth of what Stephen was saying and the ultimate form of censorship- assassination. This first martyr of Jesus’ followers would be God positioned well enough to ask God to forgive them for their sin of murdering him. Awesome testimony

I think that if we can help others see what God has done and encourage them to re-think their suppositions, we might help them to see that the only true rock is Jesus Christ. And seeing clearly may or may not make us popular with them.

Application: I need to be willing to hold up a mirror to others and particularly to myself.

Prayer: Lord God, help me to with grace be willing to stand for the truth and help me to give people honest feedback. Help me to do the same to myself. And be willing to suffer for the Truth.

In Jesus Name,
Amen.

Go ahead and look first at Acts 6 . See how God speaks to you individually. Then come back, if you wish, and see what God has put in my mind/heart.

Key Verse(s): Acts 6:2-4

So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."

Title: Identifying Your Calling, Encouraging Leaders, and Blessing and Releasing Them

Observation: We see here that the twelve realized that their ministry was to preach the Word and pray. It did not mean that they were too haughty to serve- rather they had a different calling. Understanding what we should be doing is rare and one of the great gifts from God when he reveals it us.

And once it is revealed what ministry we need to let go, we need to encourage other leaders to come alongside. Admitting that we are not God is key. Admitting we need help is key.

And then not just handing them the keys and move on, but to bless them and let them know that they are “ordained” for that ministry. Releasing them to run the ministry the best way they know how. And trusting them to do it as they would to the Lord

Application: I need to identify what exactly my role is, encourage others to rise to leadership, bless and equip them, and then release them into fruitful ministry.

Prayer: Lord God, help me to allow others to come alongside and help in the church. Help me to be crystal clear on the things I should and shouldn’t do. Enable me to Call, Equip, and Bless those who you have placed in the church and then release them to use their own individual giftedness in ways that I can’t imagine.

In Jesus Name,
Amen.

Go ahead and look first at Acts 5 . See how God speaks to you individually. Then come back, if you wish, and see what God has put in my mind/heart.

Key Verse(s): Acts 5:38-39

Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."

Title: Boxing With God

Observation: As one James Weldon Jones once said, “Young man, young man, your arms are too short to box with God.” We too often forget that. We think its our place to pass judgment on other people, other Christian ministries, really anything that we don’t agree with.

And yet God will sort out what He will bless, and the endeavors He will allow to flourish. This does not mean that everything that’s a success is God’s plan or that anything that fails is cursed by God, but we must remember that while we may not understand or approve of someone else’s approach to Jesus, we should not assume that it isn’t God’s plan

Also, when we move together as a church, we need to move where God wants us to be. We will fail on without the intervention of the Spirit. We are too weak and frail to push things through in our humanness. We need God’s leading to reach the community in which we have been placed.

Application: I need not pass snap judgments on other people and ministries. I must wait to see what bears fruit for Jesus, what new thing that God wants to do.

Prayer: Lord God, help me to wait and see what you want. Lord, help me to have courage to take the steps in which you lead and avoid the “easier” steps of pleasing myself or others.

In Jesus Name,
Amen.

Go ahead and look first at Acts 4 . See how God speaks to you individually. Then come back, if you wish, and see what God has put in my mind/heart.

Key Verse(s): Acts 4:19-21

But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."

After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened.

Title: Crazy in a Good Way

Observation: A favorite Christian song of mine from the 90’s

the kind of light
that might persuade
a strict dictator to retire
fire the army
teach the poor origami

This crazy thing we become when we stop playing by our culture’s rules and live extravagantly in the love of Jesus. To gleefully disobey the rules of men when the clash with the imperatives of God. To be joyful in persecution, to praise God for the opportunity to suffer for Christ. Lord may we be given this intoxicating faith.

Application: I can trust Jesus. I can believe in Him against opposition. And I can be eccentric for the Kingdom

Prayer: Lord God, help me to have this kind of faith. The kind that puzzles and confuses the world, like the person who gives up there place in line at Safeway. Help me to live this way.

In Jesus Name,
Amen.

Go ahead and look first at Acts 3 . See how God speaks to you individually. Then come back, if you wish, and see what God has put in my mind/heart.

Key Verse(s): Acts 3:19

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord…

Title: The Experience of Refreshment

Observation: Christians are often the most run down people you meet. They are running from here to there, no time to talk, no time to see and observe, no time for anyone- because they are busy. Busy being good. At its best, tunnel visioned and busy because of a hurting world they want to serve. Worst case, killing themselves trying to worship two masters, Jesus and the unwritten prosperity gospel that has invaded just about every church.

And the very worst part for me is that this can be a fairly accurate portrait of my life. I can be so focused on doing ministry, that I stop caring for people in the process. I am so “heavenly minded” I’m no earthly good. I either trample or ignore those whom I am called to serve. An ambulance at top speed with lights blaring is unlikely to see those who are most in need of aid.

And I need to repent of this action. For a lot of reasons. Firstly, its idolatry to believe that I have to take the place of God in running around fixing all the things that I try to fix. Secondly, when I am weary I am ineffective in the limited role that I have been given. And thirdly, God has given me a family to be present with, to love and care for.

I have experienced the refreshment of asking Jesus to forgive my sins. I can remember many time the feelings of load being lifted from me. I need again to turn to God and ask forgiveness for trying to usurp his role. I need to experience the freedom that comes from not being responsible for the outcomes of peoples’ lives, but rather just to play the part that God has given me. I need to relax and trust God to be God. Getting in God’s way is foolish for me and damaging for those I come in contact with.

Application: I need to seek God’s forgiveness for trying to be in charge of His church and experience the refreshment of knowing that I don’t have to carry this too heavy burden.

Prayer: Lord God, forgive me for not trusting your sovereign will and love. Allow me to experience the refreshment of your goodness and to trust in your love for me, my family and the church. Allow me to trust you to accomplish your purposes. Thank you for being gracious enough to fulfill mine, especially when I don’t deserve it. You are a great God whose love is poured out in my life in ways beyond counting, ways beyond measure. May Jesus Christ be praised!

In Jesus Name,
Amen.

Go ahead and look first at Acts 2 . See how God speaks to you individually. Then come back, if you wish, and see what God has put in my mind/heart.

Key Verse(s): Acts 2:17-18

'In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.

Title: The Genesis of the Church of Jesus Christ

Observation: This is the beginning of our story. This is where it starts. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live lives us of purpose and meaning.

A few years ago I was teaching a group of older men this passage. And I challenged them, “what dreams has God given you?” Mostly I had blank stares back. Yet God makes it clear that he want to pour out his Spirit and his vision to the church.

We need vision and empowerment if we are to survive

Application: I need to be empowered and directed by the Spirit.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the Holy Spirit. Lead me in following your will, for the rest of my life.

In Jesus Name,
Amen.

Go ahead and look first at Acts 1 . See how God speaks to you individually. Then come back, if you wish, and see what God has put in my mind/heart.

Key Verse(s): Acts 1:8

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Title: The Outline of the Church

Observation: This verse is the outline of the Book of Acts. In Chapter 2 the power of the Holy Spirit will fall on the believers and their number will increase by 3000. The book will move on to the spread of the faith to Judea and Samaria. Ultimately the book ends in Rome, as the center of the earth. Through the story of the first generation of believers we see the story reach across the known world.

However, it is not a story of triumph after triumph. Persecution and martyrdom will be the order of the day. The gospel will be spread when persecution comes and the apostles are forced to flee. The story will reach its climax in Rome, not with a triumphal procession and the conversion of the emperor, but with the great apostle Paul in chains waiting for his death sentence.

This is still the outline of the church today. We are called to reach our Jerusalem (our community), our Judea/Samaria (our region/nation) and then out to the ends of the earth. To be focused on just our own church is antithetical to the command of Christ. On the other hand to be so mission minded we step over those on our door step to reach beyond into the world is also an error. And all the while we must accept that persecution will be the norm, not the exception.

Application: I need to think in all three levels personally and in the church. What are we doing locally to share the Good News of Jesus. We need to focus on our relationship regionally, how we support and serve here. And we cannot forget the world that Jesus died for. We need to send both our money and people to bring hope and share faith to the ends of the earth.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for this command. It is not easy, but it is clear. Give us the power and the passion to reach our neighbor and the Bantu tribe of Africa. Help us to care for the immigrant worker in California and the persecuted minister in mainland China. Send forth your Spirit so that we might be your instruments locally, nationally, and internationally.

In Jesus Name,
Amen.

Go ahead and look first at Matthew 27 . See how God speaks to you individually. Then come back, if you wish, and see what God has put in my mind/heart.

Key Verse(s): Matthew 27:25

All the people answered, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!"

Title: The Blood of Jesus

Observation: It’s interesting to read this scripture on Easter. We have just celebrated the resurrection. It was a day of joy in our church, a day when we did well in worship of Jesus and serving the people he brought to us. It was a day of God working through us and in us.

And being brought back to the place of the crime of humanity against God is humbling. Hearing the crowd, the fickle humans, choose Barabbas just days after welcoming Jesus into the city. They declare, “let his blood be on us and our children.” As Jesus prayed, for them and us, “Forgive them Lord, they know not what they do.”

And yet, as misguided and as badly as they meant it, they’re phrase could be our prayer. Because the blood of Jesus was spilled on our behalf, he chose the cross. And its his blood that frees us from sin. So, in a sense that we want his sacrificial blood upon us and our children. Once again God takes evil and uses it for good.

Application: I need to trust God and his plans more than I do. I need to not “white knuckle” it when God leads out me out on a limb. I need to trust in His sovereign plan.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for you shed blood. May it be upon me and my wife. Lord, I pray now that Josiah will one day chose to accept the gift of your blood, your sacrifice on his behalf as well. Lord, lead us in the everlasting way.

In Jesus Name,
Amen.

Go ahead and look first at Matthew 26 . See how God speaks to you individually. Then come back, if you wish, and see what God has put in my mind/heart.

Key Verse(s): Matthew 26:40-41

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

Title: Watching and Praying- Not Running Around Like A Chicken…

Observation: My small group was great this evening. One of the members suggested that the reason that the disciples fell asleep was not merely it being night, but that they were truly emotionally exhausted from the events of the day. I had never thought of it that way, but it seems to hold some water.

Its so easy to be about the kingdom of God that you miss it. You can run around, as I too often do, trying to “do” kingdom work that you miss the opportunity to be in prayer and the presence of the Savior. You can exhaust yourself and miss the effectiveness and the personal blessing of knowing God.

Application: I need to be watchful and in prayer. God seemed to speak to me this morning when I heard the voice say, “You can’t be My leader and be this busy”. It was different, much more matter-of-fact that my self-flagellating voice. I need to be in watchful prayer and have God’s vision in order to lead my self, my family, and the church God has called me in leadership to.

Prayer: Lord God, help me to prioritize your priority. Allow me to let others and myself fail if you will use if for your glory. Allow me to patient with the movement of the spirit and to earnestly seek where the Spirit blows. Lead me in the everlasting way.

In Jesus Name,
Amen.

Go ahead and look first at Matthew 24 . See how God speaks to you individually. Then come back, if you wish, and see what God has put in my mind/heart.

Key Verse(s): Matthew 24:6

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.

Title: The Promise of Eternity and the Problem of Pain

Observation: This chapter talks about the 2^nd coming of Jesus, this time to rule over the world and the tribulations to come before Jesus will return.

I think that we would like Jesus to come and snatch us up into his eternal realm while the battles of the earth are just beginning. We’d like Him to catch us up in the air with him, just after church some Sunday morning, with clean souls and an attitude of praise. Yet I think that Jesus in this chapter, and elsewhere, warns us that his coming will surprise us.

I think that we are in the stage that hears of wars and rumors of wars. Just this week we it has been reported that the U.S. has put together a plan for a strike to disarm the nuclear ambitions of Iran. While there is denial on the part of our officials, the reality is that whether this plan ever took shape or not, controlling the increasing number of states and non-governmental organizations (read terrorist) with access to weapons of mass destruction means entering an era where we will be constantly bombarded with wars and rumors of war in a regular basis.

So what do we do in the middle of the mess that is unfolding? Hold on to Jesus. It has always been this way. Most generations of humans have lived at some point in their life in the middle of a war zone- we in American have largely been spared for many generations. Jesus’ prayer is not that God would take us out of the world, but that God would protect us from the evil one (John 17:15) The days may get much darker before we see Jesus face to face.

Application: I need to have courage, courage that comes from Jesus. Not a false belief that I, nor my family, will not suffer. But rather that Jesus will be in the midst of the days of suffering. And I need to be vigilant in the midst of “strange days” that I attend to the Lord and His work.

Prayer: Lord God, help me to be a model of faith and perseverance. Give me courage and resolve when I am tempted to collapse into blame and hatred for those who look like my countries enemies. Allow me to be a person of peace, and be willing to turn the other cheek when I am hit.

In Jesus Name,
Amen.

Go ahead and look first at Matthew 21 . See how God speaks to you individually. Then come back, if you wish, and see what God has put in my mind/heart.

Key Verse(s): Matthew 21:9

The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
"Hosanna to the Son of David!"
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
"Hosanna in the highest!"

Title: The Moment the Mob Got it Right!

Observation: Hosanna means save, or save us. For a moment the crowd came around Jesus with cries of praise (sort of the subtext of hosanna) and also pleas for Jesus to save them. This is exactly the right attitude for humanity to have when it comes to our Savior and Lord, Jesus the Christ!

As we approach Palm Sunday we too would do well to worship with the crowd. But we also need to remember that this same mob (or largely the same group of Jerusalmites) would cry out for Barabbas in just a few days. They would chose a felon over Jesus.

Our hearts are fickle. We need to choose Jesus, and not merely chose Him, but honor Him as Savior and Lord. Because the fulfillment of the true Palm Sunday will come when every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.

Application: I need to remember my place in the order of God’s creation. I am the child of God, the brother of Jesus, my savior, and servant of The Most High. But its not my job to bring redemption into the world- Jesus has already done that. I am called to enjoy the privileges of being God’s child and also the responsibilities of that calling. I need to slow down in some areas and take more responsibility in others. Its not up to me; I am the beloved of the King.

Prayer: Lord God, help me to be both faithful and joyful in my worship and service to You. Help me to do well with the relationships and possessions you have given me. Let me be faithful to you today.

In Jesus Name,
Amen.

Go ahead and look first at Matthew 20 . See how God speaks to you individually. Then come back, if you wish, and see what God has put in my mind/heart.

Key Verse(s): Matthew 20:13-15

13"But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? 14Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?'

Title: God’s Generosity is Not Always to Our Liking

Observation: God is generous. That’s His nature. But sometimes his generosity leaves us feeling like spoiled children on Christmas morning wondering where the “more” is.

God blesses others and sometimes we compare and feel bad. A new church has started in our community in the last year and is already larger than the church I serve at even though we have been ministering to the American Canyon community for 40 years. God gives a person an out-of-the-blue blessing that you can’t imagine even though you have been waiting in line patiently (or sort of patiently) for years.

These are the prerogatives of God. God can choose to bestow his blessing in any way he pleases. The thing that we need to hold on to is that God will give us what we need, not what we want. I suspect that much of the time we don’t get what we want its because that thing would ultimately be damaging to us. A little yeast goes through the loaf.

Application: I battle arrogance and too much success is a major danger for me. I need to be constantly reminded that I am dependent on God for all things. I am by nature too competitive and need to be content in all circumstances, as the Apostle Paul taught.

Prayer: Lord God, help me to be both faithful and joyful with what you have given and not compare myself to others. Allow me to find a way to serve you and reflect and praise and glory due to You, author of all things.

In Jesus Name,
Amen.