As I continue in my series on the Book of Acts, I would like to teach from the last few verses of chapter four. Even though these are a small number of scriptures out of chapter four, they provide us an example of how the church should function with helping people in need. There are many people today who might be going through a difficult time, whether that be financially, emotionally, or physically. Regardless of what one’s circumstances might be, nothing is impossible with God. I would like to raise a question to you before I go into this teaching, what is your church doing to reach out to those in your community or even inside your church who are in need? This is something we all need to ask whether we are involved in church leadership or not.
Acts 4:32-33: Sharing and Like Minded
Let’s begin with Acts 4:32-33
(NKJV) which says, “Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart
and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was
his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles
gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon
them all.”. The group of believers in
the church of Acts were a group of people who were like-minded with the same
beliefs in Jesus Christ through the Apostles were teaching them. Romans 15:5-6
(NKJV) tells us, “Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be
like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth
glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”. Additionally,
Philippians 2:2 (NKJV) tells us, “fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having
the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.”. Aside from being like-minded, the people in
the church of Acts shared what they had individually with each other, only
because of the great grace through Jesus Christ that they had.
Acts 4:34-37: Examples of Generosity
Acts 4:34-35 (NKJV) continues and
tells us, “Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were
possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things
that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to
each as anyone had need.”. The early Christians shared their possessions to
others who were in need, they are leading by example with their generosity.
This generosity was not of their own works but a work of God through them
because of grace. Continuing on Acts 4:36-37 (NKJV) tells us, “And Joses, who
was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement),
a Levite of the country of Cyprus,
having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’
feet.”. Joses led by example by selling his land and donating all the profits
from the sale to the church. Joses act
of generosity should inspire us Christians to strive to be as generous as we
possibly can.
What Else Does the Bible Say About Generosity?
So aside from the Book of Acts,
what do other verses in the Bible tell us about generosity? Proverbs 19:17
(NKJV), says “He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, And He will pay
back what he has given.”. God will repay those who help the needy out. We
shouldn’t give to expect something back; we should give because it is the right
thing to do and it is instructed to us by God. Deuteronomy 15:7-8 (NKJV) tells us “If there is among you a poor man of
your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the Lord your God is
giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor
brother, but you shall open your hand
wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he
needs.”. Too often in today’s world, people want to live a self-centered life
where they are more concerned about their bank account than the needs of others
around them. If you are more concerned about your bank account and investments
than having a giving heart, then you’re taking pride in yourself and in your
finances. 1 John 2:16 (NKJV) says “For all that is in the world—the lust of the
flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is
of the world.”. God doesn’t want us to be prideful He wants us to be humble,
James 4:10 (ESV) tells us, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will
exalt you.”.
The Gospel of Prosperity?
Many people don’t like to talk
about this but there are many ministers who live in mansions and proclaim the
Word of God. Some people will only follow their teachings because they will
teach you prosperity on Sundays or in their books. I understand ministers need
to make a living to support themselves and their families, but if you are
living in a mansion, I feel your megachurch needs to do more to serve the
people of the community. It’s not about living our ‘Best Life Now’, it is about
being sure that we are 100 percent ready for eternity. 1 John 3:17 (NKJV)
reminds us, “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need,
and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?”.
Final Thoughts
So now that we have an example of
generosity from the Book of Acts, could your church be doing more outreach to
others? I am sure we could all pull together as the Body of Christ and find
ways to show our generosity to people in our churches who are in need, along
with unbelievers who are in need. Outreaching to unbelievers who are in need is
a great way to minister to them. So, I challenge you to take some time and
reflect on how you can better show generosity as God’s Word instructs us to. I
would like to end with giving you a list of the nine fruits of the Spirit that
should show through in all believers, I recently wrote a devotional on this so
please be sure to order that! The nine fruits of the Spirit are listed in
Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV) which says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
self-control. Against such there is no law.”. There will come times when we
might be lacking in one of these nine fruits if that is the case for you then
seek God to help you in your weakness. In my next teaching, I will continue to
chapter five in the Book of Acts.
As I continue my series on the Book
of Acts, I would like to teach from Chapter 4 and how it applies to us
Christians today. Previously I talked about the healing of the lame man done by
the Apostles through the power of the Holy Spirit. Today I would like to
discuss something that we all need to realize and that is the persecuted
church. There are many Christians around the world who become imprisoned,
tortured, or even killed for proclaiming the name of Jesus. I myself live in
the United States of America where we are blessed to have freedom of religion
in 2019. However, I would like to give a warning, our freedoms will be coming
to an end one day, Christians in the United States will begin to be persecuted
and killed for proclaiming the name of Jesus. My question for you is, are you
ready to take a true stand for Jesus or are you just going to go with the flow?
Jesus took a stand for us sinners on the cross, so we should all be ready for
the day of persecution. I have heard many prophetic words on the persecution of
Christians coming to America, and I feel strongly in my spirit that the enemy
is planning to get some Christian blood in America. In this teaching I will
discuss the imprisonment of John and Peter, and what we need to do to be ready
for not just persecution but ongoing spiritual warfare that is going on right
now.
Let’s look at Acts 4:1-3 (NKJV),
“Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and
the Sadducees came upon them, being
greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the
resurrection from the dead. And they
laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was
already evening.”. John and Peter were arrested for teaching on the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Sadducees were the ones who were
predominately behind this because they did not believe in the resurrection.
Matthew 22:23 (NKJV) tells us, “The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no
resurrection…”. The followed the Pentateuch which is the portion of the Hebrew
Bible they deemed true. Regardless of what the Sadducees thought, we find out
many who heard the teachings about Jesus from Peter believed. Acts 4:4 (NKJV)
confirms this, “However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the
number of the men came to be about five thousand.”. We also see the number of believers grow
because of the power of the Holy Spirit.
As we continue on Acts 4:7 (NKJV)
tells us the leaders of the Sadducees began to question John and Peter on the
next day, “And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, “By what power
or by what name have you done this?””. With this questioned asked, we can
expect a great teaching from Peter. Acts 4:8-10 (NKJV) continues, “Then Peter,
filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of
Israel: If we this day are judged for a
good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the
people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you
crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before
you whole.”. Peter spoke boldly to these rulers and explains they did a good
deed in the mighty name of Jesus that resulted in a lame man to be completely
healed, this will be something these rulers will not be able to deny. Acts
4:11-12 (NKJV) goes on to say, “This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you
builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for
there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be
saved.”. Peter tells the leaders that Jesus is the cornerstone of the church,
this was prophesized in Psalm 118:22 (NKJV), “The stone which the builders
rejected Has become the chief cornerstone.”. Peter also tells them that
salvation is only through Jesus Christ, John 14:6 (NKJV) tells us “Jesus said
to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through Me.”. This was another great teaching given by Peter because he
spoke with the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus also foretold of this very event
happening in Luke 12:11-12 (NKJV) when He said, ““Now when they bring you to
the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what
you should answer, or what you should say.
For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to
say.”. We will also see that Mark gave an account of this in his gospel as well
in Mark 13:11 (NKJV) where Jesus said, “But when they arrest you and deliver
you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But
whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak,
but the Holy Spirit.”. When we are dealing with spiritual warfare, we need to
allow the Holy Spirit to speak through us and guide us just like the apostles
did.
The rulers see the boldness of Peter and John. Acts 4:13 (NKJV) continues, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus”. They claim that John and Peter are uneducated and untrained in ministry. Let me tell you something you don’t need a degree from a highly ranked university or college to become a great minister. Don’t get me wrong coursework and training will help to prepare you, but not everyone is able to go to earn a full degree to step into ministry. There are many churches that offer small programs both accredited and non-accredited and they do successfully prepare people for ministry. A true minister will deliver a message only from the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit. God can call anyone into ministry at any point in their life. Ephesians 4:11-13 (NKJV) tells us “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;”. Additionally, 2 Timothy 1:6-8 (NKJV) tells us, “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God”. We should not be afraid of sharing the Gospel nor ashamed of sharing it. I feel in my spirit that there are too many secret disciples today too many people who publicly don’t want to admit they are a follower of Jesus Christ. This is something we can all be guilty of, but we must remember we need to share the Gospel at every opportunity we possibly can. We will also need to realize that people of this world will not always favor us because of our faith. People of the world would rather see Christians be more politically correct than Biblically correct. The only way to be a true Christian is to be Biblically correct, then politics can come second according to what is right in the Word of God. There are many Christians who are not voting accordingly to what the Word of God says is correct, and God is angry right now with America. It is time Christians take a stand and vote on values according to the Word of God, rather than what the mainstream media is brainwashing us with. Jesus told us in John 15:18-21 (NKJV), “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake because they do not know Him who sent Me.”.
Continuing Acts 4:14 (NKJV) says, “And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.”. The religious rulers cannot say anything against the miracle of the lame man. Acts 4:15-22 (NKJV) goes on to say, “But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.” So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done. For the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.”. The religious rulers are going to try to put a stop to the spread of Christianity, however, we will find out that Christianity will continue to spread. There is no power of the enemy that can stand up against the power of the Holy Spirit, therefore we must pray with authority.
After John and Peter are let go,
they go back to their group of believers and inform them of what happened. We
will find out that they pray together as they face this giant. Acts 4:23-26
(NKJV) tells us, “And being let go, they went to their own companions and
reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. So when they heard that, they raised their
voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and
earth and the sea, and all that is in them,
who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations
rage, And the people plot vain things? The kings of the earth took their stand,
And the rulers were gathered together Against the Lord and against His
Christ.’”. We see that part of what they prayed comes from Psalms 2:1-3 (NKJV),
“Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth
set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord and
against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away
Their cords from us.””. Persecution because of faith in Jesus Christ was
prophesized in the Book of Psalms. We will see when they asked for boldness the
Holy Spirit gave them boldness. Acts 4:27-31 (NKJV) continues and tells us,
““For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and
Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered
together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be
done. Now, Lord, look on their threats,
and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by
stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done
through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the
place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled
with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.”.
Peter leads by example and shows us how we need to seek God in both our personal trials and in spiritual warfare. When we are in a trial or dealing with spiritual warfare we need to put on the Whole Armor of God as it is told to us in Ephesians 6:10-20 (NKJV), “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”. So, my question to you is have you truly put on the whole Armor of God? Are you ready to face spiritual warfare? How is your prayer life right now? Are you only praying to just bless your meal? Are you only praying when a problem is coming your way? Or are you praying at every opportunity you can get in the valuable time the Lord has blessed you with? The truth is we all need to spend more time praying and more importantly praying in the Spirit. I just gave you a teaching on the gift of tongues, if you have not received that gift, I encourage you to seek God and ask Him for a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit and for the gift of tongues. The devil hates when someone who is truly baptized in the Holy Spirit prays in the Spirit. I promise you the more time you spend praying in tongues the greater amount of change you will see take place to the spiritual warfare going on around you and in your own trails and weaknesses. If you need a deeper explanation on the gift of tongues, I encourage you to look back on that teaching I recently gave on my blog or YouTube Channel. I encourage you again to put on the full armor of God and do spiritual warfare and seek God on where you need to improve in your prayer life.
I would like to teach on chapter three from the Book of Acts as I continue my series on this powerful book of the Bible. Let’s look at Acts 3:1 (NKJV) which says, “Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.”. There are a few things to take away here to help us get a good picture of the setting. First John and Peter are going to the temple, anytime a passage takes place at the temple you can expect for there to be crowds of people. Next, we will see this is taking place at the ninth hour of the day which is the hour of prayer. Now the ninth hour of the day according to the Jews would be 3 pm on our clock.
Acts 3:2 (NKJV) goes on to tell us,
“And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid
daily at the gate of the temple, which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from
those who entered the temple;”. There
was a lame man left at the gate of the temple, and he was asking people for
alms which is money, food or donations for the poor. I looked further into the
word alms and found it comes from the Greek word eleemosyne which means
compassion or pity. Acts 3:3-4 (NKJV) continues on and says, “who, seeing Peter
and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter
said, “Look at us.””. The lame man sees
Peter and John coming and he asks them for alms, well we are going to find out
he will get something much greater than alms.
Acts 3:5-7 (NKJV) tells us, “So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.”. Peter and John did not have anything to give this man, except a miracle through the healing power of Jesus Christ. This man expected to receive something from Peter and John, even though he was expecting a donation he was in the right attitude to receive a healing. When we come to Jesus in prayer, we need to come expecting for Him to do the supernatural through the promises found in the Word of God. Also, notice how Peter did not pray a long prayer, he simply commanded healing in the name of Jesus Christ. John 14:13 (NKJV) tells us, “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”. This type of miracle was one of the ones prophesized to be done through the power of Jesus Christ by Isaiah in Isaiah 35:6 (NKJV), “Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert.”. Acts 3:8-9 (NKJV) continues, “So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God.”. The man gave praise to God for his healing, this is a reminder for us to praise God when He does the supernatural for us. Psalm 107:1-2 (NKJV) tells us, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,”. This miracle caught the attention of the crowd of people who were at the temple, Acts 3:10 (NKJV) tells us, “Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.”.
We will now look at Peters second sermon that we will find in the Book of Acts. If you have been following my series on the Book of Acts, you will see Peter’s first great sermon that is recorded in the Book of Acts. Peter sets the example of what sermons should be like today. Too often we have a watered-down gospel infiltrating our churches, especially the ones on mainstream media. I like to look at Peter’s sermons as ones that bring people to the conviction seat, which many churches today are lacking. The ministers of today’s churches need to get back to the basics of salvation and true conviction, we have too many unconverted people in the church today. Salvation is more than just saying the sinner’s prayer, there should be evidence in someone who is truly saved that they are a new creation through salvation. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) reminds us, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”.
Acts 3:12-13 (NKJV) continues and
says, “So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do
you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power
or godliness we had made this man walk?
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified
His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate
when he was determined to let Him go.”. Peter is taking the opportunity to talk
about the Power of God to the crowd. Peter also goes onto say in Acts 3:14-15
(NKJV), “But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to
be granted to you, and killed the Prince
of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.”. Peter
takes the time to also remind the Jews that Jesus Christ was the Son of God,
that they crucified. Peter also tells them about the power in the name of Jesus
in Acts 3:16 (NKJV), “And His name, through faith in His name, has made this
man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has
given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.”. We need to
always be reminded that we have power and authority in the name of Jesus. As we
read on in this passage, we will find out why the Jews rejected Jesus. Acts
3:17 (NKJV) tells us, “Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance,
as did also your rulers.”. The Jews rejected Jesus because of their tradition
and love of sin, this caused spiritual blindness. People will often have
difficulty understanding the Bible because of spiritual blindness, we need to
look at the Bible with spiritual eyes rather than intellectual eyes.
Let’s look at how Peter reminds the Jews that Jesus is mentioned throughout the Old Testament. Acts 3:18 (NKJV) tells us, “But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.”. The prophets in the Old Testament foretold of Jesus precisely. Isaiah 53:10 (NKJV) tells us, “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.”. Continuing Acts 3:19 (NKJV) tells us, “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,”. Peter is calling for the Jews to come to Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, he also mentions for them to be converted. This reminds us to get back to the basics of salvation when we lead people to Christ. We need to stop focusing on not only on how many people we can get to repeat the sinner’s prayer but, also how many people are truly converted from their old ways for Jesus Christ.
Peter continues speaking about how the Old Testament points to Jesus Christ. Acts 3:22-23 (NKJV) tells us, “For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’”. Moses foretold of a rising prophet, we will find this written out in Deuteronomy 18:15-19 (NKJV) which tells us, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, according to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’ “And the Lord said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good. I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.”.
Let’s now look at the seed through
Abraham. Acts 3:24-26 (NKJV) says, “Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and
those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. You are sons of the prophets, and of the
covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed,
all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ To you first, God, having raised up His
Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from
your iniquities.”. If you know the Old Testament well enough you will find out
that God’s covenant with Abraham points us to Jesus. It is critical to understand the seed that is
mentioned in this Blood Covenant between God and Abraham. Genesis 26:4 tells
us, “And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will
give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of
the earth shall be blessed;”. Now if we go to the New Testament and look at
Galatians 3:26-29 it says, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ
Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is
neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one
in Christ Jesus. And if you are
Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”.
So, the seed that will bless many nations is pointing to Jesus, isn’t that
amazing to know this is one of the many ways the Old Testament points us to
Jesus!
I covered a lot in this teaching from the first healing in the Book of Acts to how the Old Testament points us to Jesus. I would encourage you when you pray to expect God to do the supernatural for your situation according to His word. Just remember your prayers don’t need to be very long, you just need to pray with authority in the name of Jesus Christ. Also, many people view the Old Testament as unnecessary to read, this is incorrect thinking. We need to read the Bible in its entirety multiple times through our walk with the Lord. I encourage you to fully read the Old Testament and then go back through and study it slowly and you will begin to see how it points to Jesus. In my next teaching, I will continue onto Acts chapter four which will talk about the imprisonment of Peter and John.
If you have been following along
with my current teaching series on the Book of Acts, I previously talked taught
on Peter’s explanation of Pentecost to the Jews. Today I would like to teach on
Acts 2:37-47 which continues mainly on the Jews response to Peter. Peter just got done telling the Jews that
Jesus, who they crucified is the Lord and Christ. Acts 2:37 (NKJV) tells us how
the Jews reacted, which says “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the
heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what
shall we do?””. I would like to dissect this scripture a little bit. If you
read Peter’s teaching to the Jews, you will see why his teaching cut to their
hearts. Peter along with the other disciples received the baptism of the Holy
Spirit. Only by the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit was he able to
deliver a great message to the Jews that cut through their hearts. This is a
perfect example where an audience of people in the Bible were sitting in the
conviction seat. When someone is truly convicted it will lead to salvation. The
Holy Spirit is what convicts us; therefore, we need the Holy Spirit in our
churches today. Jesus not only promised the Holy Spirit, But He also promised
that the Holy Spirit would bring conviction. Jesus said in John 16:7-8 (NKJV),
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for
if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will
send Him to you. And when He has come,
He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment”. This
promise was not only fulfilled in Acts 2 when the Jews said to Peter ‘what
shall we do?’, this promised is fulfilled when every true believer becomes
saved because of true conviction. I am not talking about someone who says the
sinner’s prayer to give them an excuse to go out and sin all they want; I am
talking about the true believer who got on their knees and cried out and
accepted Jesus as Lord of their life. Romans 10:13 (NKJV) tells us, “For
“whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.””.
So, the Jews who were truly
convicted by what Peter told them, what do they do? Acts 2:38 (NKJV) tells us,
“Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name
of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of
the Holy Spirit.” When we are truly convicted, we are to repent of our sins, so
that we can be forgiven. We are forgiven because of the blood of Jesus Christ.
We must remember that our spirit and flesh are two separate things. John 3:6
(NKJV) tells us, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is
born of the Spirit is spirit.”. When we become born again, we are born of a new
spirit by the power of the Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) confirms,
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have
passed away; behold, all things have become new.”. When we become born again, we need to
constantly be walking in the Spirit, because following the desires of the flesh
will work against our newborn spirit. Galatians 5:16-17 (NKJV) instructs us, “I
say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the
flesh. For the flesh lusts against the
Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one
another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”. Additionally, Romans
8:6 (NKJV) tells us, “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually
minded is life and peace.”. Another word for carnally is fleshly, on the other
hand, an antonym for the word carnal is spiritual. In today’s age, there is too
much of the world invading the church, many churches have begun using carnal
means to attract carnal people (unbelievers). If churches draw in carnal people
with carnal means, then how do you keep these people attending church? Most
likely you will have to use carnal means to maintain their attendance. This
poses a real danger, if a church is using carnal means to attract people, then
it is encouraging the works of the flesh and going against the works of the
Spirit. Therefore, so many people today have become self-deceived rather than
truly saved. So, after Peter told the Jews that they need to repent and receive
Jesus as their savior, what happened? Acts 2:41 (NKJV) tells us, “Then those
who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand
souls were added to them.”. Great 3,000 people were saved because of Peter? No,
they were saved because the Holy Spirit brought conviction through Peter’s
teaching. I would like to encourage you when you witness to an unbeliever, ask
God to give you the words to speak.
If we continue reading to the end
of Acts chapter two, we will see some of the early church practices. Acts 2:42
(NKJV) says, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and
fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”. This scripture sets an
example of how churches today should function. We need the Word of God to teach
us, discipline us, and train us. 2 Timothy 3:16 (NKJV) tells us, “All Scripture
is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,
for correction, for instruction in righteousness,”. Also Acts 2:42 tells us
about prayer and fellowship in the church. We not only need to be praying for
each other during church service but during our own prayer time. Pray for your
fellow brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. Just because someone looks like
they have their life together when you see them on Sundays, does not mean
everything is truly okay. They might need healing in their body, a financial
breakthrough, comfort, or strength. Also, we should always be encouraging one
another as Christians, this will help keep the Body of Christ strong. 1
Thessalonians 5:11 (NKJV) instructs us, “Therefore comfort each other and edify
one another, just as you also are doing.”.
As the Body of Christ, we also need
to believe together. If someone is getting prayed for, the whole church needs
to pray in agreement for that person. There should not be any doubt if we all
believe together, if there is doubt it can hinder the work of God. Acts 2:44
(NKJV) tells us, “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in
common,”. This is also another example of how the Body of Christ needs to
encourage one another, by believing together. Proverbs 27:17 tells us, “As iron
sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”. Lastly, as
the Body of Christ, we need to praise the Lord for what we have, and God will
add people to the Body of Christ. Acts 2:47 (NKJV) tells us, “praising God and
having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those
who were being saved.”. This verse is very important because too often many
churches can forget to give thanks for the members it does have because
churches can get too distracted trying to grow. This is also the same with us
individually, we need to take time to thank God for what He has given us. To
any church that is trying to grow, first, give thanks to God for what you have,
and seek Him for guidance on how to grow.
Originally when I studied Acts 2, I
was hoping to only have one teaching on this chapter. However, with as many
notes as I got out of it, I ended up having to divide it up into three
teachings. I would encourage you to read over Acts 2 and dig deep into it.
There is so much more in this chapter that God can reveal to you. I would like
to encourage you to take some time and reflect on Acts 2, and what you can take
from it and apply over your life. In my next teaching, I will begin Acts 3, I
cannot say how many teachings I will get out of that chapter. I will leave that
up to God.
Today is the day we celebrate the
resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! It is marked on our calendar
as ‘Easter Sunday’. Before I get into the scriptures for today, I think it is
important that we have a historical understanding of Easter. The word Easter is
a word of Saxon origin from the word Estra, which means goddess of the spring.
Easter started as a Pagan holiday, however, in the eighth century, Anglo Saxons
adopted the name Easter to designate Christ’s resurrection. Paganism represents
people who practiced non-Christian religions and traditions. There are some
Easter traditions that many people still practice today, and those include egg
hunts, candy rabbits, and Easter baskets. The rabbit is a symbol of fertility
and agility, sacred to Ostra. Now don’t get me wrong, I understand children enjoy
Easter egg hunts, and people enjoy giving others Easter candy as gifts this
time of year. But we really need to evaluate what is at the center of our
‘Easter Sunday’? Is the Easter bunny at the center of your ‘Easter Sunday’ or
is it our Lord and Savior? Also, if we really want to be true Christians do we
want to recognize Paganism and say Happy Easter, or should we say Happy
Resurrection Sunday or He is Risen? This is not meant to be condemnation, but
we really need to put this in perspective as Christians on what we represent.
As I go through this teaching, I want you to really think of what Easter means
to you, and what is at the center of your Easter Sunday.
Let’s look at Matthew 28:1-4 (NKJV) which tells us, “Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.”. There is a good bit going on here in these four verses. First, it is early on Sunday morning, and there was a great earthquake, there was a fear the guards had when this heavenly sign took place, and there was an angelic appearance. I believe that the earthquake was the time when Jesus was raised from the dead, and the earthquake was a sign from heaven. There will be many signs that we will experience before the rapture and at the end of the seven-year tribulation period. Mark 13:8 (NKJV) warns us, “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows.”. We have seen much of what is mentioned in Mark 13 as we are nearing the second coming of Jesus. Too often people are more concerned about what they see on the news or hearing certain ‘prophetic’ messages of when the day of the rapture will be. However, we must be reminded that no man will know the hour when Jesus returns, only God does. Matthew 24:36 (NKJV) tells us, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”. Too often Christians can be worried about what they see on the news and what the latest prophetic word is on when the rapture will be, we need to stop focusing on that and make sure that our hearts are ready for when it does happen.
I would now like to continue in the
story of the Resurrection in the Gospel of John. If we look at John 20:1-2
(NKJV) it says, “Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb
early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from
the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon
Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They
have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have
laid Him.””. I would like to point out
in verse two that the disciple who Jesus loved was John, I discussed that in my
previous teaching on Good Friday when Jesus entrusted John to be Mary’s son.
John 20:3-10 (NKJV) goes on to tell us, “Peter therefore went out, and the
other disciple, and were going to the tomb.
So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came
to the tomb first. And he, stooping down
and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and
went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the
handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths,
but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who came to
the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not know
the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went
away again to their own homes.”. In
verse nine it tells us they did not know the scripture that Jesus must rise
again. If you remember from one of my other teachings this week when I
discussed the term Logos, in that teaching I also mentioned the eight I Am’s in
the Gospel of John. One of those eight I Am’s is in John 11:25 (NKJV) where
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though
he may die, he shall live.”. Jesus told us in that scripture before His
crucifixion that He is the resurrection and the life.
I would now like to move on to
discuss the reaction of Mary Magdalene at the tomb. John 20:11-13 (NKJV) goes
onto say, “But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she
stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting,
one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because
they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.””.
Again, in this scripture, we see an angelic appearance just like we saw at the
beginning of Matthew’s account. When the angels asked Mary why she was crying,
she told them she was crying because the body of Jesus vanished, and she did
not know where His body was. John 20:14-15 (NKJV) goes on to tell us, “Now when
she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not
know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to
her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to
be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where
You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.””. Jesus was right here with her
at the garden that was near the tomb, however, she did not recognize Jesus at
first, she thought He was a gardener. When He asked her why she was crying she
again expresses her concern of the body of Jesus vanishing. He also asked her
who she was seeking, and she was seeking Jesus. Continuing John 20:16 (NKJV)
tells us, “Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!”
(which is to say, Teacher).”. Jesus called her by name when she realized who
she thought was a gardener was Jesus risen from the dead. I would like us to
think back to two of the eight I Am’s I mentioned in one of my previous
teachings where Jesus said He was the Good Shepherd in John 10:11, He also told
us that He is the Door in John 10:9. When you look at these two I Am’s you will
find out that He calls his own sheep by name, Jesus told us in John 10:3
(NKJV), “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he
calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”. When Mary was weeping to
Jesus, He called her by name and she recognized that He was Jesus.
John 20:19-20 (NKJV) goes on to tell us when the Disciples see Jesus and says, “Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.”. The disciples were glad to see Jesus risen from the grave. The phrase ‘peace be with you’ was a common greeting among the Jews and it is still popular in use today. We know that Jesus brings us peace, Matthew 11:28 (AMP) tells us, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation] .”. Our religious rituals will not save
us from spiritual death, only Jesus can save us from spiritual death by giving
us eternal life. Continuing John 20:21-23 says, “So Jesus said to them again,
“Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on
them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of
any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are
retained.””. In these few verses, Jesus is talking about the disciples
receiving the Holy Spirit which we will see take place on the Day of Pentecost
in the Book of Acts. Jesus also talks about forgiveness of sins; Jesus is not
giving the disciples the authority to have people go through them to be
forgiven of sins but is giving them the authority to tell unbelievers that they
do not have forgiveness of sins. We know that only Jesus has the authority to
forgive people of their sins, and forgiveness of people’s sins is only through
the blood of Jesus. One thing people of all denominations need to understand is
Jesus is the one who should have the true authority over the House of God,
people of the church need to look to Jesus rather than a pope or bishop.
Revelation 3:7 (NKJV) confirms the authority of Jesus in the House of God, “
“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He
who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no
one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”.
I would next like to talk about the
disciple Thomas and his encounter with Jesus after His resurrection. John
20:24-29 (NKJV) tells us, “Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was
not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, “We
have seen the Lord.”So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of
the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into
His side, I will not believe.” And after eight days His disciples were again
inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in
the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger
here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side.
Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My
Lord and my God!””. Thomas was not there when Jesus first appeared to the
disciples after His resurrection, but eight days later Jesus appeared again and
when Thomas put his hands on the print of nails on Jesus’s resurrected body, he
believed. John 20:29 (NKJV) continues
and tells us, “Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have
believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.””. We who
are truly born again believers in Jesus Christ, may not have seen Jesus but we
still believe because we know His word is true and we know the power of the
Holy Spirit is working today. Hebrews 13:8 (NKJV) tells us, “Jesus Christ is
the same yesterday, today, and forever.”.
Lastly, I would like to discuss the
Great Commission. Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV) tells us, “And Jesus came and spoke
to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go
therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I
have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Amen.”. From this scripture, we know
that Jesus has an authority that is far greater than Satan’s when you are under
attack from the enemy pray in the name of Jesus with authority. He also told us
we are to bring people to Christ, Jesus told us in Mark 16:15 (NKJV) “And He
said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”.
Jesus also told us about the importance of salvation, part of bringing people
to Christ is to get them to be saved or born again. Mark 16:16 (NKJV) tells us, “He who believes
and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”.
Once one becomes born again, they should be encouraged to be baptized in water
as an outward symbol of the old man dying and the new man through Jesus Christ
coming forward, I discussed this further in one of my previous teachings on
water baptism. Along with salvation and water baptism the baptism of the Holy
Spirit should follow, where one received the gifts of the Holy Spirit as God
gives them to us individually. In the Gospel of Mark the gift of tongues,
miracles, and healing are mentioned, Mark 16:17-18 (NKJV) tells us, “And these
signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they
will speak with new tongues; they will
take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt
them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”. Therefore, we
need our churches filled with the Holy Spirit today now more than ever before.
The enemy is working very hard at putting people in bondage with sickness, depression,
addiction, anxiety, and much more.
This was an in-depth teaching on
what took place when Jesus conquered the grave. So, I must ask you what is at
the center of your celebration on this Resurrection Sunday? Is it the Pagan
traditions or is it Jesus Christ? I
think it is a no brainer after what I discussed in this teaching and my
previous ones during Holy Week that we make Jesus Christ the center of our
celebration today. Sure, it is okay to give the kids some plastic eggs with
candy or have a basket of candy, but we should not let these pagan traditions
blind us of the truth that is found in Jesus Christ.
As you know today is Good Friday,
so you can probably figure out I will be teaching on the crucifixion of Jesus
Christ, our Lord, and Savior. Before I go any further, I want you to ask
yourself one question, what does Good Friday really mean to me? As I go through this teaching, I will be
using scriptures from all four of the Gospels to help us get a good perspective
on Good Friday. I encourage you to also take time to read the full story from
all four Gospels when you have time because there is so much in these scriptures.
Let’s take a look at Matthew 27:3-9
(NKJV) which says, “Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been
condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the
chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”
And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!” Then he threw down the
pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.”.
Judas was the one disciple who betrayed Jesus, he was remorseful for what he
did, he had a sense of guilt and then hung himself. As I go further into my
teaching, I would like you to take this into perspective. When we come to Jesus
for the first time, right before we repent, we have a sense of guilt that we
have done wrong through our sins. But only because of Jesus we don’t have to
live in guilt because our sins are washed in the blood of Jesus when we become
born again. 1 John 1:9 (NKJV) says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”. Our
sins are forgiven when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and
confess our sins to Him. We also need to remember to forgive ourselves and
truly receive the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
Let’s now look at the next part of
the crucifixion story in Mark 15:2-5 (NKJV) which says, “Then Pilate asked Him,
“Are You the King of the Jews?” He answered and said to him, “It is as you
say.” And the chief priests accused Him of many things, but He answered
nothing. Then Pilate asked Him again,
saying, “Do You answer nothing? See how many things they testify against
You!” But Jesus still answered nothing,
so that Pilate marveled.”. One thing we must know is that Pilate did not really
want to crucify Jesus Christ. He was shocked at Jesus’s silence to the
accusations of the chief priests. Jesus could have tried to have given Pilate a
satisfactory response to the accusations and could have been released, but
Jesus just stayed silent. This shows the obedience Jesus had to His Father because
Jesus knew He was to be crucified.
Mark 15:12-14 (NKJV) goes on to
say, “Pilate answered and said to them again, “What then do you want me to do
with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?” So they cried out again, “Crucify
Him!” Then Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried
out all the more, “Crucify Him!””. Pilate asked the crowd of the Jews what they
wanted to be done to Jesus, and they yelled for Him to be crucified. Pilate
tried reasoning with the Jews by asking what evil Jesus has done, and they only
responded with crucify. This shows us that Pilate did not truly want to crucify
Jesus, he was simply satisfying the people in the crowd with what they wanted
to have done to Jesus.
Mark 15:16 (KJV) continues and
says, “And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they
call together the whole band.”. I want you to notice the word band in this
scripture, it is translated from the Greek equivalent of the Latin word
‘cohort’ which means 600 soldiers. When Mark wrote this in his Gospel it was
not used technically, but to show there was a very large group of soldiers that
mocked and beat Jesus. Mark 15:17-20 (NKJV) goes on to say, “And they clothed
Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head, and
began to salute Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing
the knee, they worshiped Him. And when they had mocked Him, they took the
purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.”.
To put it simply Jesus went through a lot of torment from these soldiers, just
imagine what your Lord and Savior went through here for your sins.
Now we have just seen Jesus’s trial
and torment from the soldiers, now let’s look at Jesus on the cross in the
Gospel of John. John 19:17-18 (NKJV) says, “And He, bearing His cross, went out
to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew,
Golgotha, where they crucified Him, and
two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center.”. We will
find that two other men are beside Jesus on the cross in Golgotha. Luke 23:32
(NKJV) tells us, “There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put
to death.”. So, we know there are two other criminals beside Jesus being
crucified. What types of crime did these
two people commit? The answer is in Matthew 27:38 (NKJV), “Then two robbers
were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left.”. There were
two other men crucified with Jesus because they were thieves. Jesus did not
commit any crime; He simply gave His life for us and became sin for us so we
can become saved. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) says, “For He made Him who knew no
sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”.
John 19:19-24 will go on to tell us
about Jesus being given the title of ‘King of the Jews’ on His cross, and about
the soldiers casting lots to divide His garments. I would like to skip to John
19:26-27 (NKJV) which says, “When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the
disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your
son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour
that disciple took her to his own home.”.
This is where Jesus entrusted the Apostle John as Mary’s son, some
people believe that this scripture gives Mary a level of authority like God,
which we know is a false teaching from hell. Jesus could have designated any of
His brothers, but He chose one of His disciples. If you read John 7:5 you will
find out Jesus’s brothers did not believe He was the Son of God. John 7:5
(NKJV) tells us, “For even His brothers did not believe in Him.”.
John 19:28-29 (NKJV) continues and
says, “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that
the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” Now a vessel full of sour
wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on
hyssop, and put it to His mouth.”. Jesus
became thirsty and they gave Him sour vinegar on a sponge to sip on. This is
portrayed in Psalms 22:15 (NKJV) which says, “My strength is dried up like a
potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of
death.”. Additionally Psalms 69:21(NKJV)
says, “They also gave me gall for my food, And for my thirst they gave me
vinegar to drink.”. Jesus needed a drink so He could say His final words, this
also shows the amount of suffering Jesus went through to die for our sins. John
19:30 (NKJV) says, “So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is
finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”. Jesus told us ‘IT IS
FINISHED’. The ultimate satisfice was finished. The prophet Isaiah talked about
Jesus Christ a lot, you will find a lot of reference notes in the Gospels, that
go back to Isaiah. Isaiah 53:12 (NKJV) tells us, “Therefore I will divide Him a
portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because
He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.”.
The end of the story for Good Friday takes us to the tomb, which John 19:42 (NKJV) tells us, “So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.”. There is so much more to the story of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ from the accounts we have in all four Gospels. So I encourage you to take some time and read them out of all four of the Gospels and reflect on it, what I have taught only scratches the surface of what you will find in your time of study in God’s Word. At the beginning of this teaching, I asked you to think to yourself what does Good Friday mean to you? Does Good Friday just mean that you get a day off work or school? For those of you who have religious spirits, does Good Friday mean it is the last Friday you can’t eat meat on during Lent? Or does it mean that the Son of God paid the ultimate price for your sins so that you could have eternal life? When one becomes born again you should have a strong desire to sin no more and seek God on corrections as you go along your walk with God. Just because you say the sinner’s prayer does not mean you can go back out and sin all you want without a care in the world. Just because you said the sinner’s prayer at an altar call does not give you a free pass to stay out of the word of God. Matthew 16:24-26 (NKJV) says, “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”. I again encourage you to take some time and read the accounts of Good Friday in all four of the Gospels and really reflect on what Good Friday means to you. This might be a good opportunity to rededicate your life to Christ or seek a more serious walk with Christ.
In my current series this week that is focused on Jesus in the Gospels, I would like to discuss the concept of Logos. The word Logos in Greek means: word, speech, principle, or thought. The Gospel of John is a Spiritual account of Jesus, and it is the only Gospel to explain the concept of Logos. John 1:1 (NKJV) says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”. In the beginning, was the Word, God created by speaking. The Word was with God and was God. Jesus was with God from the beginning. Reading further John 1:2-3 (NKJV) says, “He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”. Without Jesus we have nothing.
John 1:14 (NKJV) goes on to say, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”. This is a very powerful verse right here. The Word became flesh, this is something thought to be impossible by the Gentiles. There are three characteristics that Jesus brings with Him. The first characteristic is glory. Hebrews 1:3 (NKJV) tells us, “who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”. The second characteristic Jesus brings with Him is grace, we know that we are saved by grace through Jesus Christ only. 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 (NKJV) says, “Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”. The third characteristic that Jesus brings with Him that we find in John 1:14 is truth, we know the Word of God is true. 1 John 4:6 (NKJV) tells us, “We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this, we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”. Additionally, 2 Timothy 2:15 (NKJV) tells us, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”. We need to constantly be in the Word and have our trust in Jesus Christ because He is the truth. We need to be equipped with the Word every day of our lives. Ephesians 6:14(NKJV) reminds us, “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,”.
Along with the concept of Logos there is something else about Jesus that you will find in the Gospel of John that I absolutely love and would like to share with you this week as we get close to Good Friday. In the Gospel of John, you will find eight I Am’s of Jesus. Here is the list along with the scripture, I encourage you to reflect and study each of these this week:
The
Bread of Life
John 6:35 (NKJV): And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes
to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
The
Light of the World
John 8:12(NKJV): Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the
world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of
life.”
From
Above
John 8:23 (NKJV): And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above.
You are of this world; I am not of this world.
Before
Abraham Was
John 8:58 (NKJV): Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before
Abraham was, I AM.”
The
Door
John 10:9 (NKJV): I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and
will go in and out and find pasture.
The
Good Shepherd
John 10:11 (NKJV): “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life
for the sheep.
I
Am
John 10:36 (NKJV): do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into
the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?
The
Resurrection and the Life
John 11:25 (NKJV): Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He
who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
Please take some time this week to
reflect on the concept of Logos and reflect on these eight I Am’s of Jesus
Christ. My next teaching will be on The Cross and will be posted on Good
Friday. Please be sure to subscribe to
my blog!
As I continue my teaching series
this week before Resurrection Sunday, I would like to teach on Jesus’ baptism
and how it impacts us. Before looking
into the baptism of Jesus, I would like to discuss one important person and
that is John the Baptist. There was a false teaching back in those days where
people believed that John the Baptist would be greater than or equal to Jesus
Christ. This false teaching or heresy was addressed in The Gospel of John. John
1:6-8 (NKJV) tells us, “There was a man sent from God, whose name was
John. This man came for a witness, to
bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear
witness of that Light.”. Jesus is the true Light, and John the Baptist is a
forerunner for Jesus. John the Baptist baptized people with water for the
remission of sins, however, we know that Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 3:13-14 (NKJV) says, “Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the
Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need
to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?””. John the Baptist wanted
Jesus to baptize him because he knew who Jesus was. However, we will find out
that Jesus wanted to be baptized by John the Baptist. We will also find out why
Jesus got baptized by him.
So why did Jesus wanted to be
baptized by John the Baptist? Jesus was clearly without sin so why was it
necessary? Matthew 3:15 tells us, “But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit
it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”
Then he allowed Him.”. Jesus got baptized so He could be identified with
sinners. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be
sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”. Reading further into the passage in Matthew,
verse 16 goes on to say, “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately
from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the
Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.”. John the Baptist
witnessed the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus, it appeared to be like a dove. John
1:32 (NKJV) says, “And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending
from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.” The Holy Spirit remained on
Jesus during His earthly ministry, and we know that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit
to the disciples after His ascension as you would read in the Book of Acts.
John the Baptist also got confirmation from heaven that Jesus is the Son of God,
Matthews 3:17 (NKJV) tells us, “And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying,
“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.””.
So now that we know about what took
place during the baptism of Jesus, let’s look at two key Old Testament
scriptures. There are many Messianic scriptures found in the Old Testament that
often get overlooked. First Isaiah 42:1 (NKJV) says, “Behold! My Servant whom I
uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.”. Jesus is God’s Elect One, who He
sent His Spirit upon. Matthew 3:17 is also confirmed in the Old Testament, look
at Psalm 2:7 (NKJV) which says, ““I will declare the decree: The Lord has said
to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.”.
Now that we have a background on
the story of Jesus’ baptism and why He got baptized let’s look at the
difference between water baptism and salvation. First, salvation needs to come
before water baptism. Romans 10:9-10 (NKJV) instructs us, “that if you confess
with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised
Him from the dead, you will be saved.
For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth,
confession is made unto salvation.”.
Salvation is what is required of us to make it to Heaven when we
die. If water baptism was the way to
heaven then we would be saying we are saved by works, which we know is false
teaching. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV) tells us, “For by grace you have been saved
through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”.
This would also cancel out the largely popular tradition of newly born babies
being baptized in water. Pouring water over a newborn baby in a church is no
greater than giving your baby a bath at home, except you don’t invite the whole
family to watch your baby get a bath at home. Also, we cannot be forgiven by
anyone except Jesus, and we can go directly to Jesus in prayer. We don’t need
any priest, bishop, or pope to go to Jesus, simply come as you are to Him. 2
Timothy 2:5 (NKJV) says, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and
men, the Man Christ Jesus,”. Once we are truly saved at salvation, water
baptism is an outward expression of the old man dying and the new man coming
forth. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he
is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become
new.”. I encourage you this week to reflect on the following questions:
Think
about how this scripture impacts your specifically: 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV)
says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become
the righteousness of God in Him.”.
Read
2 Corinthians 5:17. Describe the transformation that took place in your life
after your salvation?
I welcome you to feel free to share
your comments to this post.
As we are in the month of April it
comes time to remember Jesus going to the cross and dying for our sins and
conquering the grave. I will be giving a few teachings over the next few days
about Jesus’ earthly ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection. During His earthly ministry, He did many
great things. One of the things Jesus did was preach because this was one of
His purposes in His earthly ministry. Jesus said in Mark 1:38 (NKJV) “Let us go
into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I
have come forth.”. Jesus also performed many signs; He had several healings
that we will find an account for in the Gospels. Many of His signs were related
to healings, for example, when He healed the blind beggar, John 9:7 (NKJV)
says, “And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is
translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.”. Another great
sign Jesus performed was raising Lazarus from the dead. As I was studying the story of Lazarus God
put the word bondage on my heart, which is what I will be discussing in this
teaching. In this teaching, we will not only look at the story of Lazarus but
also why we need to be loosed from our bondage. Also, I am going to discuss
eight common bondages many people, including Christians, deal with. And most
importantly I will address how to be loosed from these bondages.
When Jesus went to the tomb that
Lazarus was buried in there was a stone in the way. With this stone in the way
there would be no way that Jesus could speak life to Lazarus, this is why He
said: “Take away the stone” in John 11:39. Jesus could have called angels down
to remove the stone, but He had the Jews remove the stone. Sometimes God will
want us to remove the stone in our life before the breakthrough comes our way.
If you look at the many miracles Jesus did in His earthly ministry you will see
He wanted to get people involved in some way in their miracle. Maybe you might
have to ask yourself what is He wanting me to do in my situation? If we read
further into the scripture, we will find that when Lazarus was raised from the
dead, He was still bound to the graveclothes. John 11:44 (NKJV) says, “And he
who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was
wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.””. There
are many born again Christians who are still bound to something and need to
come loose of it, or maybe you became bound to something after you got born
again. Regardless of the situation there is one person who can make you be
loosed of your bondage, and His name is Jesus and He is alive and working
today!
As I was studying bondage, I then
obviously came across the word ‘loose’, so I got my Strong’s Concordance and
dug deeper into the word ‘loose’. Jesus told us in Matthew 16:19 (NKJV), “And I
will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth
will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in
heaven.”. So, do you have something that needs to be loosed here on earth,
before you make your way to heaven? God wants us to be loosened of our bondage
because He desires us fully. Matthews 21:2-3 says, “saying to them, “Go into
the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a
colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me.
And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of
them,’ and immediately he will send them.”.
When we are fully loosened of our bondage God will do even greater works
in our lives, therefore we need to really step back from our circumstances and
look at the Spiritual roots of our circumstances and deal with the Spirit in
the mighty name of Jesus!
I am going to go over eight common
bondages that we could all be facing or could face. I must remind you that we
live in a dark world and there are many demonic doors the enemy can use to
enter our lives. Many of these problems will have a demonic spirit behind them.
Therefore, we must deal with the spirit, and once we deal with the spirit the
restoration can begin if we fully trust in God and His Word. I am going to warn
you I am going to be to the point on these items, it is not to be offensive but
to stress the importance of taking each of these to God. If we continue
tolerating these things in our lives and churches, they will dominate us if
they already haven’t. I would also like
to make the disclaimer that some of the problems we face can be self-inflicted
also and may not have a spiritual root behind it. Therefore, it is important to
seek God to properly deal with our problems in life and be open to hear His
voice. So here is my list of eight
common bondages that have Spiritual roots behind them:
1. Addiction
You might be addicted to drugs,
alcohol, gaming, pornography, sexual immorality, or unhealthy food. Regardless
of the addiction, it can be broken by putting your faith in Jesus and getting
the Word in you daily. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NKJV) says, “No temptation has
overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not
allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will
also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
2. Depression
Let’s face it the Spirit of
Depression is so common anymore, so many people turn to psychology and
medications rather than focusing on God’s word. Don’t get me wrong it is
important to follow your doctor’s recommendation, but God is above all things.
If you fully put your trust in God on your depression you can be delivered, and
even get off your anti-depressant (please consult with your doctor first before
getting off any medications). Psalms 34:17-18 (NKJV) says, “The righteous cry
out, and the Lord hears And delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord
is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite
spirit.” If you are dealing with depression, I would encourage you to not only
read but study the whole Book of Psalms.
3. Anxiety
With as hectic as life can get, we
can worry from time to time, but then some people have issues with chronic
anxiety, they might even have panic attacks. When I was younger, I had issues
with anxiety. I was on medication for it until one night at church I got
delivered of it and never had the problem again and never needed any medication
for anxiety. 1 Peter 5:7 (NKJV) says, “casting all your care upon Him, for He
cares for you.”. Another word for care is anxiety, so cast your anxiety to the
Lord.
4. Rejection
Some people might be dealing with
rejection. Whether it stems from an abusive relationship, abusive parent,
rejection from another person, or even self-rejection. Rejection may also lead
to poor emotional health and may even lead to poor physical health. Your
medical condition may not be caused by the Spirit of Infirmity but might be a
result of rejection. Remember 1 Peter 2:4 (NKJV) says, “Coming to Him as to a
living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,”.
5. Infirmity
If you have sickness in your body,
turn to Jesus. Healing might not be instant; it might be a process. More
importantly, we should not let our sickness hinder our walk with God. The enemy
can use infirmities to hinder or even destroy our faith. Luke 13:12-13 (NKJV)
says, “But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman,
you are loosed from your infirmity.” And
He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight and glorified
God.”. When you feel fatigued, get The Word into you. We need to get to a place
when we are at our weakest, we turn to God and His Word first rather than the
pill bottle. While God can use medicine and doctors to heal us, it important to
always put God first in every situation even sickness.
6. Trauma
Whether this is an emotional or
physical trauma it must go in Jesus name. The bondage of trauma can come
together with any of the previous five bondages I just listed. Maybe a trauma
resulted in your self-rejection, or maybe a trauma resulted in anxiety or
depression. Maybe a trauma resulted in arthritis, and you might have become addicted
to pain medicine or alcohol. Or maybe you are suffering from arthritis because
of a past injury. Regardless Jesus can heal us of both our physical and
emotional traumas. Have you truly given your pain that you have buried away to
Jesus? Or do you cope with it from something of this world? Remember Mark 10:27 (CSB) says, “Looking at
them, Jesus said, “With man, it is impossible, but not with God, because all
things are possible with God.””.
7. Generational Curse
You might have one of the six problems
I just listed, and it might stem from a generational curse. You might have had
a grandparent or great grandparent who suffered from addiction, depression, or
anxiety. Or maybe someone in your bloodline had cancer or another disease that
you are dealing with right now. Generational curses can run up to the third or
fourth generation. Exodus 20:5 (NKJV) says, “you shall not bow down to them nor
serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity
of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those
who hate Me,”. When one becomes born again, they should not only ask for
forgiveness of their own sins but also the sins of their ancestors that run in
their bloodlines. John 8:36 (NKJV) says, “Therefore if the Son makes you free,
you shall be free indeed.”.
8. Religious Spirits
Oh man, I can really go into this
one! Christianity is not a religion; it is a personal relationship with Jesus
Christ our Lord and Savior. Many people get stuck on tradition and man-made
doctrine and fail to truly accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. If you
look back to Jesus’ earthly ministry you will see that the Jews did not accept
Him because they were stuck in tradition and because they were looking at human
standards. A question I would like to
challenge you on is why do the Catholics have mass at every service? Mass is
the continued sacrifice of the cross, why are Catholics continuing to redo this
sacrifice today? There is no need to because Jesus said, “It is finished”. I am
calling on the Catholic Church in general because the Catholic Church is the
largest seed planter of Religious Spirits that are straight from the pit of
hell. Let me be clear I love all people of all denominations, but people need
to wake up and read their Bible and realize the truth and be set free. Romans
10:3 (NKJV) says, “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking
to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness
of God.”.
I am hoping by me listing some
common bondages you might be able to realize that you have some in your life,
or maybe a loved one has them in their life. Regardless, these bondages can be
broken in the name of Jesus. Galatians
5:1 (NKJV) tells us, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has
made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”. God loves
you so much that is why He sent His only Son to save us, to heal us, to deliver
us, and to set us free. He sent His Son to die on the cross for us, and His Son
conquered the grave. John 3:16 (NKJV) tells us, “For God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not
perish but have everlasting life.”. I encourage you to take some time in prayer
and seek God to be delivered of any of these eight bondages I just discussed
with you. Also ask God to reveal areas of your life that you need to correct so
there can be fewer doors for the enemy to enter in through. Finally, be sure to
be in The Word everyday of your life as much as you possibly can along with
prayer and worship.
I am excited to announce I have published my first book. You can order your copy on Amazon today! It is also available for Kindle. This is the first of several books I plan on publishing. If you are able to please share this book with others. It would also make a great gift in an Easter basket!
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
