Acts 2:21

Let us help each other learn.

When the Holy Spirit came upon the believers on the day of the Pentecost, there was a huge commotion. Some of those watching in the crowd said, “What can this mean?” Acts 2:12. Others watching thought the believers were drunk. Just when it seemed things might get out of control, Peter stepped forward with the 11 other disciples next to him and preached the most powerful message of his life. The sermon Peter preached wasn’t just any sermon. It was the first sermon proclaiming the Good News message.

Acts 2:21
Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Yes, Peter, who denied Jesus three times. And in Mark 8:33, Jesus rebuked Peter. Yet Jesus saw Peter’s heart. When Jesus asked His disciples, ‘who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” (Matthew 16:16) This prompted Jesus to bless Peter and to declare that he was the rock upon which He would build his church. (Matthew 16:18) Peter became the first leader of the new church and its most powerful preacher.

At the conclusion of his sermon, Peter had an “altar call”. In other words, he invited the people listening to receive Jesus unto their lives.

Peter replied, “each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)

The Holy Spirit was a very real presence in that meeting. The bible says that about three thousand in all were added to the church because they “believed what Peter said” (Acts 2:41)
They joined with other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, sharing in the Lord’s Supper and in prayer. (Acts 2:42)

The church was born on the day of Pentecost and its membership grew from a few people to more than 3,000 in a single day.

I encourage each of you to also read 1 and 2 Peter.

1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.

2 Peter 1:20-21 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For the prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Because He lives…

Tammy

1 Timothy 4:8

So let us help each other grow. Share the Word and what you are learning.

1 Timothy 4:8 Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

Here are some suggestions for all of us to become a person of influence just as Paul was.

1. 
   Become more disciplined. Determine today that you will apply greater energy to the different roles that are required of you. What is your role currently? The role of the spiritual leader of your family? Your roles as a husband or a wife? A friend or a provider? Discipline in any area of your life starts with desire. What is the level of your desire?
   
2. Develop Spiritual Sensitivity. Spiritual sensitivity means you can discern evil from good. That means to walk through life with a God consciousness. We need to know how God would act, talk and respond to life’s situations. The best way to develop in this area is read about God in the bible. There, He has written to us about Himself. Constantly asking yourself, How would Jesus respond to this situation or to this person.
   
3. Improve our prayer life. Luke 11:1 Teach us to pray. You can also start by reading Psalms. I did that quite often. Learning from others in Psalms on how to cry out to the Lord helped me greatly.
   
4. Deal with our sin. How can we be a proper influence on others if we do not deal with the sin in our own lives? The bible states, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9. How can we know when we have sinned? By reading the Word.
   
5. Worship with God’s People. We have a responsibility to our spiritual family. To worship together and to serve together. Find a church that not only preaches Jesus but also preaches about the importance of learning the Word. God created us to worship Him. So many do not know what it means to worship Jesus. I have heard someone say, when we die, we are going to worship Him daily. Kind of sounds boring. I didn’t get it but God made it clear so many Christians do not know how to worship Him. They do not know what it feels like to be in His presence and to worship Him. When they let go and open their hearts and understand what it means to worship Him. They will want to stay in His presence forever.

Let’s train ourselves to be Godly. What is godliness? Someone wrote. Godliness is a right attitude and response toward the true Creator God.

Romans 7:25 8:2
Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord…because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

My prayer is that we who love the Lord will begin to love His people and influence others to do the same.

Mark 12:29-31 29“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a] 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[b] 31The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[c]There is no commandment greater than these.”

Tammy

Judging

1 Corinthians 4:4-6 4My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. 5Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. 6Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not take pride in one man over against another.

Whether we like it or not, we judge a lot during our day. We look at other Christians and second guess whether they really are a Christian by their actions, by their words and how they treat others. I find Christians wanting to argue the Truths of the Word vs. actually digging deep into the Word and letting it penetrate them. People thirst for the Word but would rather hear it from a Preacher vs. reading it. It saddens me because I know what happens when I open the Word. The Word God gave us to know who He is. I heard someone say, the bible is, basic instructions before leaving earth. My dear brothers and sisters it is so much more than that. It is how we have a very intimate relationship with our awesome God, Creator, Friend, Healer and so much more.

What if we looked at David, at the office, who was just like the David we read in the Word? David did many things wrong but what he did right, he loved the Lord. He had a heart for the Lord. What would we say about David, if we knew him…adultery and all?

What if we looked at Paul, on the news who was just like the Paul we read in the Word? We would think crazy. The Lord wouldn’t want you to go through all of that. Prison? Come on. You are giving us Christians a bad name out here.

What about Jeremiah? Jeremiah was the last prophet to the decaying southern kingdom of Judah. He gave up everything all for the sake of calling the Jews back to God. But they didn’t listen. When he predicted the fall of Jerusalem, they had him jailed for being unpatriotic. He never saw the slightest hint that he was making a difference. What was the secret of his perseverance? He must have known that God didn’t require him to be successful only faithful. My point, he was doing things for God and being put in prison. How tolerant would be if we heard that on the news? What would we think of Jeremiah?

My mom after two years Feb 7th, is still battling cancer. Yesterday we found the chemo on the new found cancer is not working. My mom is very strong but this has been very hard on her. My dad thought, maybe mom is going through this because of his sin. He is sick with grief. He asks us, are we praying enough for mom? My dad then thinks, maybe mom isn’t praying enough. Maybe she isn’t doing her part with God because she isn’t getting better. Kind of reminds me of the blind man. We do that don’t we? Blame ourselves or others for the bad things that happen in our lives that are actually out of our control. I couldn’t sleep. Tossed and turned. And God reminded me of the verse my husband gave to me the other day.

Acts 13:48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

Even though, God made it clear to me the weekend my parents asked Christ to be their Savior, was all His doing…I still “worry” because what I think I should see to know, I don’t see. But then there are Christians that I know that love the Lord, but have a lot of things they need to work on. And for me, well, I could make a list of the things I know I need to work.

We are to share the Good News Of Jesus Christ. We should share the Truths about our Father. God came down in the flesh as Jesus Christ because we “are” sinners and He knew we were in desperate need of a savior.

My prayer is that we begin to look inside our hearts and ask God to cleanse us. That we ask God to give us more desire for Him and His Word so that we know the Truth and can share the Truth with others…with lots of love. The world needs His love. We need His love. I need His love. He had a book written so that we are without excuse. I pray that our relationship with Him get stronger and stronger as we help each other grow.

Tammy

Mark 5:1-18

Mark 5:1-18
(A) 1 Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.[a] 2And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him,[b] not even with chains, 4because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. 5And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. 6When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. 7And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me." 8For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!" 9Then He asked him, "What is your name?" And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many." 10Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country. 11
Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains. 12So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them." 13And at once Jesus[c] gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea. 14So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had happened. 15Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 16And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine. 17Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region. 18And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him 19However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you." 20And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.

First, let’s focus on the guy who was possessed. He beats himself with stones. No one could bind him, not even with chains. You can imagine if he beats himself with stones he has open soars and gashes. He dwells among the tombs. No one can control him and nothing holds him. This is the work of satan. Satan does not sit still. Not then and not now. What is satan’s goal in your life? Drugs? Violence? Obsession with death? Endless restlessness. Isolation? 1 Peter 5:8 8Be sober, be vigilant; because[a] your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Mark 5:7,9, & 10 What have you to do with me, Jesus Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me…Jesus asked him, what is your name? He replied, my name is legion for we are many. He begged earnestly not to send them out of the country.

Legion is a Roman Military term. A Roman legion involved six thousand soldiers.

Jesus spoke of the gates of hell. 12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,[a] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Eph 6:12.

Know that there is hope because we have been given a Savior…Jesus Christ

Mark 5:11-13 The demons begged Jesus… How the demon’s cower in Jesus’ presence. The demons obey Him. They can’t even lease pigs without permission from Christ.

So how does that leave us? Confident. Jesus has power over satan. One word from Jesus…just one command and the demons obey. Mark 1:27 Jesus commands..evil spirits, and they obey Him. Although we are confident, we are still careful. Satan knows his time is short. Rev 12:12. 1 John 4:4 Greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world. James 4:7 Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

My prayer for us today is that we realize the One who lives in us is greater and mightier than all things. To realize the Power we have been given. The power to not let satan creep in and allow him to destroy our lives…we are without excuse when it comes to satan. We have been given a Savior…who crushes satan’s head. Eph 6:13 13Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. To believe and trust the work of your Savior.

Tammy

John 9:1-38

John 9:1-38

The story starts off by the disciples asking Jesus who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus replies, neither this man nor his parents sinned but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

Having said this, Jesus spit on the ground, made some mud with his saliva and put it on the man’s eyes. Jesus told him to wash in the Pool of Siloam. So the man did as he was told. When he did, he came out seeing.

I want to stop here for a minute and just think about how this man felt. This man was blind from birth. He had never seen a sunrise. The people believed he was blind because of sin, whether from his sin or his family’s sin. And Jesus tells the disciples he is blind so “the works of God might be displayed in him.”

This man was born blind for God’s glory. What a role to play. He was blind and a beggar but his story isn’t over yet. So, Jesus, the Son of Man, gave this blind man sight. What a gift. The blind man can see. You would think the town would be rejoicing but they aren’t.

He had to insist to the neighbors and those who had seen him blind and begging that he was that man. Vs 9: Some claimed that he was. Other said, no, he only looks like him. But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”

They then demanded, how then were your eyes opened? He replied, the man they call Jesus. They take him to the Pharisees. They also asked how did you receive this sight? Again, he told the same story. The blind man’s parents were even a bit skeptical about replying to the Pharisees. They said he is old enough ask him. For the parents knew that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the Synagogue. They hurled insults at him trying to get him to say he was His follower.

Vs 30: The man answers them, “now that is remarkable, you don’t know where he comes from yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.

Vs 34: To this they replied, you were steeped in sin at birth, how dare you lecture us and they threw him out. Vs 35 Jesus heard this and when Jesus found him, He said, do you believe in the Son of Man. The man said, who is he, sir? Tell me and I will believe in him. Jesus said you have now seen him in fact he is the one speaking with you. The man said, Lord I believe and he worshiped him.

The people of the town didn’t celebrate. They immediately debated. Yet for the sake of God’s work he was born blind. He was healed and could now see. Then he was insulted and thrown out of the Synagogue. Jesus finds him…what does the man do? He doesn’t yell at him. He doesn’t criticize him. No, he worships Him.

When we see Jesus, we too, will worship Him. My prayer is that we dig deep into God’s Word and ask Him to show us what He wants us to learn.

Tammy