The Spirit Told Him To Go

"And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.

And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,

Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.

Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.

And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?

And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:

In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.

And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?

Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus."

                                                                                   (Acts 8:26-35 KJV)

Philip heard the Spirit send him to the eunuch and so he went. He did not make excuses for not going. He did not say I have other things to do right now. He did not say I will wait for the eunuch to come to me. He just went so that he could help the eunuch understand the word of God. Philip preached Jesus to the Eunuch.

The Spirit calls and sends each and every Christian to go and share with others that Jesus is the Christ. Will you listen? Will you go?

"How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?" (Rom 10:14)

Listen to where the Spirit sends you and then go wherever he sends and tell about the love of God through Jesus the Christ, our Savior and Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Wisdom; Listen For It

Folly is joy to him that is destitute of wisdom: but a man of understanding walketh uprightly.

Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established. 

                           (Prov 15:21-22 KJV)

It actually pays to listen to the experience and wisdom of others. It doesn't mean you have to accept what they say. But, something they have to say from their own experiences might help us to make right, safe, and good choices regarding the way in which we would go.

Scripture is full of wisdom. Read it, listen to it, take it to heart, that you might live a long and an abundant life.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Let Your Light Shine

No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.

The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.

Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.

If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light. 

                                                                            (Luke 11:33-36 KJV)

The light of Christ shines forever. However, there are times when man-made lights must be dimmed or even turned of. 

When I was a teenager, I loved to read. But, my parents were just a little strict or maybe it was that they liked their evenings to themselves. Whatever the reason, I was to be in bed with lights out by 8 p.m.. My remedy was to move the lamp to the closet and sit on a box and read 'till sometimes past 10 o'clock!

During World War II, England had "blackouts." Lights were turned out or at least dimmed in order to make it more difficult for the enemy to navigate to targets by air or sea.

Man-made lights may be dimmed and even turned off. They eventually burn out. But, the light of Christ that abides within us will never be extinguished. 

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.Father in heaven." (Matt 5:16)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Christ Is Our Peace

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 15:33 KJV)

I realize that I blog a lot about peace. That's because the world is full of trouble and tribulation. The world will do its' best to work against you while Christ has done a good work for you.

Even as Christ overcame tribulations directed at him as true man; he also has overcome the world for you. In him we can know the peace that our hearts so long for. Read and hear the Word. Trust in that Word and you too will know peace no matter what the world throws at you. The Word who is Jesus the Christ is our peace!

God's Peace be with you! Pr. J.

Let Your Light Shine!

 

 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

                                                                                     (Matt 5:14-16 KJV)

There are times when people will indeed hide their lit man-made lamps. When I was a teenager, I loved to read. But, my parents were just a little strict or maybe it was that they liked their evenings to be quiet and to themselves. Whatever the reason, I was to be in bed with lights out by 8 p.m.. My remedy to the situation was to move the lamp to the closet and sit on a box and read 'till sometimes past 10 o'clock! 

During World War II, England had "black outs." Lights were turned out or at least dimmed in order to make it more difficult for the enemy to find their targets by air or sea. Windows had to be covered to prevent any light from within the homes escaping into the streets.

Man-made lights may be dimmed and even turned off. They eventually burn out. But, the light of Christ that abides within us will never be extinguished. ..."let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matt 5:16 NIV)

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Word Is Truth

"Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth."  (John 17:17 NRSV)

So how exactly does the Word of God say we are to be sanctified? We are sanctified in the truth which is in the word of God. To know the truth means we must immerse ourselves in his word. We are to read it daily. We are to hear it often. We are to think on his words. 

Half asleep in the pew on Sunday morning is not exactly hearing anything, let alone the truth. Rise up and hear the word of God. Be filled with his truth, not your truth; but, God's truth. And, please don't be presenting your opinions as truth. There is really no such think as your truth or my truth. What we represent to be our truths are really only our opinions of the truth. Jesus is the only truth. He is "...the way, and the truth, and the life." (John 14:6)  Listen to him and follow in his way.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Smooth Talk And Itching Ears

I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. Rom 16:17-19 NIV

We've all heard them; those who, with smooth talk, teach and preach a false gospel. It is not any different today than in what it was in St. Paul's day. There is one way to tell if something proclaimed to you is the truth; know the scriptures: read them, study them, and hear them. The message proclaimed to us through the prophets is found in them. The fulfillment is found in them. Do not let your itching ears lead you to believe smooth talkers whose aim is not to glorify God; but their own egos. It is neither wise nor safe to accept any doctrine that cannot be supported by scripture; scripture supports scripture.

Read your Bibles daily and have a blessed day; a blessed life in Christ Jesus.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

P.S. Join us as we hear the Word at worship at Christ Lutheran every Sunday morning at 10 a.m.. However, we do begin our day at 8:45 for Adult Sunday School. We are presently studying the book of Romans. You are welcome to join us!