Jesus the Light of the world came to shine in the darkness. Of course many were saved but there were those who remained in their darkness (ignorance, guilt, misery etc.) as we did at one time before Jesus shined upon us. They did not comprehend the light, in other words they did not have the ability of accept it. I believe this is a gift of God for those He chose as vessels of honor.

It reminds me of the story of Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus. (Acts 9) Oh did the light shine on him. Although, he was blinded instantly which was his mission to do to all who called on the name of Jesus he understood who the light was and not only understood but asked for instructions on what he should do and obeyed, was given new vision (spiritually speaking) was baptized and began preaching Christ the True Christ.

There are many like Paul who will accept Jesus but for them to comprehend they may need to go through some STUFF! Jesus told Ananias that Saul (Paul) was a chosen vessel and would be used by God. (Acts 9:15) Once God has selected you for His kingdom believe it or not you will make it in even if he needs to make you land on your butt!

Unfortunately, we need to put up with some stuff as well when we share this Gospel of Power. We have understood the power of the Gospel but it does not mean everyone will and/or that everyone will be as simple or as hard to accept it. The good thing is that we are not in charge of convincing them. We are charged by God to preach the Gospel and allow God to bring them to a convicted state in which all they can do is fall to Gods feet in surrender.

Jesus came to shine His light and those who accepted Him were those whom He spent time teaching His words too. In Matthew 7:6 Jesus tells his disciples; “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.” Here Jesus is not saying do not preach the Gospel rather He explains to them to not go in depth in giving those who do not accept the light the precious doctrines of the Gospel. If they have not accepted the gospel they will more than likely reject its preciousness doctrines. They may trample them and turn and attack you.

I have experienced it before, while trying to explain creation and its creator. You will find yourself going in circles, the same circles and at times it may appear you are doing a good thing and chances are someone may see the light through apologetic’s. However, our commission is to preach the gospel. Someone who does not accept the truth is not likely to accept the fact that they are sinners and need a savior. They need the gospel! They need to know that they are sinners and that the only way to be saved is through Jesus Christ. The only way we can see Christ as Savior is when we see ourselves as sinners in need of a savior.

So, press on sharing this gospel. Do not feel ashamed, dismayed or humiliated. For God will not be ashamed of us on the day we are called up to His presence. (Luke 9:26)

Let your light Shine, Let it SHINE on the mountain top!

But just as the thought starts to enter your mind, the TV flickers and there sitting in Bob’s chair is Jesus himself.  He says your name to get your attention.  Jesus, your Savior and King, is sitting in Bob’s chair, on the Channel 7 Action News, talking to you.  In the upper right corner of the screen, you can still see the Live! coverage of the standoff at the church.  Jesus says your name once more, this time a little more insistently. He now has your full, undivided attention. He tells you that He wants you to go to that church, it’s on Straight Street, and talk to the terrorist. Jesus, still sitting in Bob’s chair, tells you that the terrorist is waiting for you.

After a few awkward moments of silence, you pick up the remote and turn the channel to channel 3. No good. Jesus is on channel 3 too and oddly enough He is still sitting in Bob’s chair. So you decide to reason with Him. “But Jesus, don’t you know what this guy has done! He has killed Christians all over the country and probably is planning on killing everyone in that church.” But Jesus, in a very patient, yet demanding tone looks at you in full 1080p HD through your 70″ plasma flat screen and says “Go! I have chosen this guy to be the next Billy Graham!  I will show him how much he will suffer for my name!”

What would you do? Really? Think about it and try to answer honestly. In Acts 9, Ananias made the right decision. Because of his obedience, Saul, the treacherous persecutor of The Way, became a traitor to his mission of persecution – for which he was almost killed if it weren’t for a band of basket weaving believers, and was transformed into one of the most influential evangelists of the early church and all time.  So the question still stands. What would you do? Turn off the TV and update your Facebook status that you really need a vacation? Or would you grab the car keys and head for what would be the hardest thing you would ever do?

Unfortunately, like most of us, I believe I may have chosen what was behind Door #1. As much as I would like to think that something as miraculous as Jesus sitting in Bob’s chair talking directly to me would convince me to act, past performance indicates that I may have turned off the tv and just called it a hallucination brought on by stress and too much pizza for dinner. And I don’t think I am alone. Growing up in the church I have observed that we “Christians” have become very good at believing in Jesus but somewhere along the journey we have forgotten how to obey Him. We have come to believe that we can love Jesus without obedience when He has made clear that you cannot have one without the other. (I’m going to make you work for it: John 3:36, John 14:15, Matthew 7:21 and much more)

In 2 Corinthians 13:3, our transformed Paul encourages us to “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.” So that is what I have been doing lately and would encourage you to do the same. By being “in the faith”, I must be obedient to Christ. My faith must pass the test of obedient action motivated solely by my love for Jesus. Am I doing what Christ has told me to do? Am I spreading the gospel? Am I making disciples? Have I put aside this world, seeking only the Kingdom of God? Do I feed the hungry, house the homeless, clothe the naked? Or did I just turn off the tv, say my prayers and go to bed?

Postscript -  So if you made it this far, you didn’t tune me out so here is a little help on the scripture.

John 3:36 – “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

John 14:15 – “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

Matthew 7:21 – “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”

Bonus 7:22 & 23 - “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”

*All scripture is NIV with the emphasis being mine.

“But a man named Ananias with his wife Sapphira sold a piece of property, and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back some of the proceeds, and brought only a part and laid it at the apostles’ feet.  But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own?  And after it was sold, were not the proceeds at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.’  When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died.”  Acts 5:1-5 FAIL.  The only man in history to literally die of awkwardness. [btw his wife also dies]

Did God kill Ananias as punishment for being selfish?  No.  Fortunately/Unfortunately God does not murder people for being selfish.

Did he die of embarrassment at being found out in the midst of his brilliant li’tle scheme?  No.  That would be awesome, but ridiculous.

So then why did he die?  What purpose does his death serve?

I think the answer lies in the words “he kept back some of the proceeds, and brought only a part to lay at the apostles’ feet.”  This passage shows us that you cannot hold yourself back from the Lord and expect to be saved.  Ananias was loath to give himself wholly to the church community- to the body and spirit of God.  In the face of having Jesus in his heart, Ananias wanted to hold onto a part of his old self, and this story uses a rather extreme example to tell us that this is not going to work.

A partial commitment to God is the same as no commitment to God.  It’s useless, personified here as death.  The money Ananias held back could really be any area of life where God is not a factor.  For me personally, it’s lust.  For other people it might be school or work or their gym membership or- like Ananias- the joy of holding money in your hand.  My sexual appetite, while not rampant or particularly egregious, takes into no account the will or love of Jesus Christ, and even that is keeping me from the Kingdom of Heaven.  It is a part of myself that I have not given away, I guess because I’m just not ready yet.  Reading this passage made me realize that I am heading toward a confrontation with some very ugly end results.  Having this knowledge, however, Jesus and I have begun to work on this issue, and I’ll tell you progress is being made already to take my heart and my self-appreciation to a place I have always dreamed of being, but honestly never thought I would.

My old boss used to say “When you jump out of a plane, you’re dead until that parachute opens.”  That’s the same with life.  We are born dead, and only begin to live when we pull the cord and commit our whole selves to God.  You can’t open a parachute part way, and you can’t straddle the fence when it comes to God.  It’s an all-or-nothing type thing.  Either your whole self belongs to Him and works along with Him, or your whole self dies.  Why?  Because God is Life, and everything else is worthlessness, futility, literally just death.   If we expand this lesson outward, the take-away here is that nothing in life can be done half-heartedly.  If there is some commitment, some decision on which you are waffling, heed the warning of Ananias and jump off the fence for yourself before you fall and crack your head.

This story teaches us another thing that I think it’s valuable to be privy to.  It shows us  the subtlety of Satan’s inner workings, and being aware of this, I think, can really tip the scales when we struggle against sinning or making the right decision.  Rather than admit his heart wasn’t ready to commit to God, Ananias chose to lie and say that it was.  See he wanted to have his cake and eat it too.  Peter says it himself “While [the land] remained unsold, did it not remain your own?  And after it was sold, were not the proceeds at your disposal?”  That land was Anny’s to do whatever he wanted with.  Nobody was forcing him to sell it off and give it away?  Peer pressure may have played a small part in this, b surely this man is no fool.  He must have known that it is impossible to lie to the Holy Spirit.  Why not be honest?  Why not say “You know, I’m just not ready to commit to all this yet?”  Something screwed up his brain noodles so badly that he thought living a huge lie would be better than just being honest with himself and God?  He sounds like George Kostanza.  Peter saw immediately where Ananias had gone wrong.  ”Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?”  Satan’s work here wasn’t so much in getting Ananias to lie, but in tricking Ananias into thinking his lie would work.  See this gives us a sneak peek into Satan’s backstage operations.  The verse gets behind the more obvious blunder of “You should lie!” to the really poisonous motto “lies work.”  It was Ananias who chose to lie, but Satan led his heart astray and led him to believe that an impure heart could still inherit the Kingdom of God.  Lucky the Bible makes this information available to us!  Knowing that 3-Card Monte is a scam you might still be tempted to try to win it.  After all that other guy in the crowd just won; it seems to be a game of chance.  But if you know that the deception goes much deeper, and that the audience members who appear to be winning are actually working with the dealer, and the whole thing is a clever rouse, you will know that the game can’t be beat and you’ll avoid playing it all together.  Same here:  If you know how Satan works, you’ll know how to avoid his trickery.  What’s further, the story also goes ahead and lets us know, again in a very extreme way, what will happen if we let ourselves be fooled by the likes of Satan- a bad idea never ends up good.

So to what kind of practical applications can we put this story and the understanding it brings us?

1) Search your heart to figure out where God is and where God is not in your life.  Once you know you can start to work together to make some changes.

2) Make whole decisions.  I’m bad at this.  I like to be everywhere at once.  But eventually I came to see that straddling the fence is just not sustainable (it killed Ananias).  When you have a decision to make, gather the facts, listen for the word of God, and shut the door behind you.  Life is a lot less mentally exhausting when you’re decisive.

3) Remember that the danger of Satan isn’t that he urges you to sin, but that he tells you that your sin won’t hurt you.  Be aware that evil works better below the surface, and keep watch for hidden lies.

4) And finally:  do not carry a lie in your heart.  Expunge it.  Do it right now. Think of some kind of lie you’re living or something you’re not dealing with.  Stop right now and go take care of it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ch.9…

- the Conversion of Saul (who would eventually be named Paul);

- Saul’s meeting with Ananias;

- Saul preaches Jesus in the synagogue;

- Saul escapes from Damascus (the first of many such narrow escapes for this bold missionary);

- Saul in Jerusalem;

- Saul’s introduction to Barnabas;

- the Healing of Aeneas by Peter;

- Dorcas brought back to life by Peter;

Ch.10…

- Peter’s stay with Cornelius;

- Peter’s vision of a gospel that is intended for ALL people!;

- Peter preaching the good news of Jesus with Gentiles (gasp!);

- the Holy Spirit coming upon the Gentile believers the same as He did upon Jewish believers (again, gasp!);

Ch.11…

- Peter reporting this “Gentile inclusion” to the church in Jerusalem; and

- the Center of Christian activity shifting from Jerusalem to Antioch.

Whew! That’s a lot of activity. God was certainly at work through His Church! Pray that it might be so today!!

Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks within himself,  so is he.”  Our thoughts are the clearest test of our character.  When compared with our actions and our speech, our thoughts are the hardest things to control.  Evil thoughts, impure desires and temptations are constantly knocking at the door of our minds.  We cannot always avoid them or shut them out, but we can keep from entertaining them and making them feel at home.  The best way to keep evil thoughts out, is to bring good thoughts into our minds.  What you and I read, look at, and listen to, will to a great extent determine our thoughts and our outlook.

The best way to keep evil ideas and worry out of our minds is to concentrate on things that are good and pure and beautiful.  The mind is not a blank slate, and is never totally at rest. Also, our thoughts are real and powerful, even though our thoughts cannot be seen, weighed, or measured.  In verse 8 the apostle Paul tells us in detail what things we ought to think about as Christians.  He gives us eight things to dwell upon.

I.  ”WHATEVER IS TRUE“

Dr. Walter Cavert reported a survey on worry that indicated that only 8 percent of the things people worried about were true concerns.  The other 92 percent were either imaginary, never happened, or involved things that the people had no control over.  In John 8:44 Jesus said that Satan  ”is a liar and the father of lies”.  Whenever we choose to believe an obvious lie, Satan takes over.  The word “true” means “real” instead of phony. It can also mean “unconcealed” or “undeniably true”. Two opposite examples of this kind of thinking are found in the New Testament.  Barnabas determined to sell his property and donate the money to the church in Jerusalem.  He responded to the leading of the Holy Spirit and did it.  Ananias, on the other hand, had thoughts of personal glory.  He said publicly that he would give all the money from the sale of a piece of property to the church at Jerusalem;  but then he only gave a portion of the money, kept the rest, and lied about it.  This attitude, and the actions that resulted, cost him and his wife their lives.  You can read about this in Acts chapter 5.

II.  ”WHATEVER IS HONORABLE“

The word means whatever is “worthy of respect” and “serious”, rather than trivial and unimportant things.  For example, while Moses was on the mountain, alone with God, and receiving God’s Law for his people, his brother Aaron was down in the valley having a party with the people of Israel,  and they worshiping a golden calf.  Later Aaron was ashamed.  God wants us to fill our minds with things that are serious and noble, rather than things that are of little or no value.

The apostle Paul also uses this word when speaking to the deacons and elders of the church in I Timothy 3.
He tells them to be honest and straightforward, not being gossipers nor slanderers. Paul is saying, “If it’s not true, don’t let it enter your mind.”

III.  ”WHATEVER IS JUST“

The apostle Paul is talking about focusing our thoughts on what is right rather than on what’s comfortable or what’s convenient.  For example, Joseph of Arimathea was a just man, concerned about doing the right thing.  He risked his life when he went and asked for the dead body of Jesus.  Taking the body of Jesus and burying Jesus in his own tomb was no easy task, and Joseph became an enemy of the Jews for doing it.  But it was the right thing to do and he did it.  Pontius Pilate, on the other hand, tried to avoid the decision he was faced with, and he tried every trick in the book.  But Jesus was still standing before him on trial for His life.  Pilate knew what was right, and he knew what would happen if he did it.  He chose what was convenient, washed his hands of the matter, and let the Jews put Jesus to death. Pilate went to his grave responsible for his thoughts and his actions. The word “just” here means “just in the eyes of God”, not merely in the eyes of men.

IV. “WHATEVER IS PURE“

This probably refers to moral purity. There will always be temptations to sexual impurity. There is so much in our world today that gets our minds focused on things that are immoral. In the Old Testament scriptures David and Uriah are good examples of these two opposite thought patterns. King David sent his men to war and went to bed himself. He saw his neighbor’s wife and went to bed with her while her husband was fighting the enemy. He got the woman pregnant and called the husband home on a phony excuse hoping he would go to bed with his wife, but his plan failed. David then got him drunk but he still wouldn’t go home to his wife. So he sent Uriah back to the battlefield with instructions that he be killed. All of this was the result of David’s dirty mind. Uriah, on the other hand, was pure and blameless. He couldn’t go home to his wife for even one night when the soldiers under his leadership were risking their lives on the battlefield. Even when David got him drunk, Uriah had more moral stability than David did when he was sober.

What do you do when impure thoughts and desires start to enter your mind? Do you open the door and invite them in, or do you shut the door and move away from them? God wants our minds to be uncontaminated by sin and always prepared to worship Him.

V. “WHATEVER IS LOVELY“

It means to think about things that promote brotherly love rather than conflict and disharmony. Many things happen to bring misunderstanding and conflict, and often these things happen because they are made to happen by people who want them to happen. They are miserable people, and they want to make other people miserable too. For example, Demetrius, the silversmith in Acts 19, was trying to stir up trouble for the apostle Paul and cause a riot at Ephesus, but the town clerk, whose name we don’t know (so we’ll call him “anonymous”), calmed the crowd. What are you – a Demetrius or an “anonymous”? Do your thoughts focus on peace with others or conflict?

VI “WHATEVER IS OF GOOD REPUTE“

We get the word “euphemism” for this Greek work.  It refers to what is praiseworthy, highly regarded, and of good reputation.  The word is used to describe Cornelius in Acts 10:22.  He was “well spoken of” by the entire nation of the Jews.  Are we focusing on the good things we see in others, or do we dwell on their faults and shortcomings?

The following is a powerful lesson learned about negative thinking.  In 1892, John Hyde boarded a ship in New York harbor and set out for India.  His goal was to proclaim the gospel to people who had not heard about Jesus.  During the next 20 years he earned the nickname “praying Hyde” because he often spend hours and even many days in prayer for the salvation of nonbelievers and the renewal of Christ’s followers.  On one occasion, Hyde was upset about the spiritual coldness of a pastor, so he began to pray, “O Father, you know how cold -”  But it was as if a finger stopped his lips from uttering the man’s name.  Hyde was horrified when he realized that he had judged the man harshly.  He confessed his critical spirit and then determined not to focus on the shortcomings of others but to see them as individuals whom God loves.  Let’s not be faultfinders in our thoughts, words, and prayers.

VII. “IF THERE IS ANY EXCELLENCE“

The word means “helpful”,  not critical. It also means “goodness” and “uprightness”. When Nehemiah and Ezra were trying to rebuild Jerusalem, Tobiah and Sanballat found fault with everything that was done. In contrast, in Mark 5, when Jesus healed the demon possessed person, this man went through ten cities giving a helpful message to all who would listen, and great blessing resulted. What a wonderful demonstration of his joy and appreciation!

VIII. “IF THERE IS ANYTHING “WORTHY OF PRAISE”

This means thinking about the positive side rather than the negative side of a situation. When the twelve spies were sent out to look over the promised land and give their report, Joshua and Caleb gave a positive report and believed that God would give them the victory. The other ten spies saw some large problems and wanted to forget the whole thing. They disobeyed God’s command to conquer the land which He had already given to them. The result was that God allowed only Joshua and Caleb, from their generation, to enter the promised land.

As a thought enters your mind, ask yourself the question:  ”Would God praise me for that thought?” Then ask yourself:  ” Do I want my thoughts to  be worthy of His praise?

CONCLUSION:

These eight categories of thought can be found in their clearest form in the Bible , the Word of God, and also in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ as He is described in God’s Word.  The apostle Paul says, “consider these things” –  memorize them, meditate on them, let your mind be constantly occupied them.  Remember, we are in a battle against the ways of the world, the lusts of the flesh, and the temptations of Satan, and that battle is won or lost in our minds.  We give in first in our minds.  We sin first in our minds.  As II Corinthians 10:5 says, “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.  Enjoy the victory as you fill  your mind with the things God desires, and leave no room for the things he forbids.  ”Good thinking, my friends!”

“But a certain man named Ananias, with his wife Saphira, sold a piece of land, and by fraud kept back part of the price of the land, and bringing a certain part of it, laid it at the feet of the apostles.

But Peter said: Ananias, why hath Satan tempted thy heart, that thou shouldst lie to the Holy Ghost, and by fraud keep part of the price of the land…Thou hast not lied to men, but to God.

And Ananias hearing these words, fell down, and gave up the ghost…” Acts 5:1-5

If a welfare state isn’t anti-Catholic, name one European country that has developed a welfare state and retained its Catholicity. Over the post-WWII period, as the state’s intrusion into our lives has grown, so all measures of Catholicity, or even Christianity, have shrunk in proportion. It’s not just an unhappy coincidence, the loss of faith is a consequence of the advance of the welfare state. Which is why, “Judas Iscariot is the patron saint of social justice”, quoting Michael Voris quoting Archbishop Fulton Sheen.

The family is the cell of society according to the Church. That is because a family is the unique, independently self-replicating basic unit of society (two “mothers” or two “fathers” cannot reproduce without the intervention of science; it is not an independent process, which is why gay families are not sustainable).

This is how the process of societal growth and development is supposed to proceed: a child is born and is nurtured by his mother. His father earns a living and provides all the physical necessities of life for the family. Both parents provide the child’s spiritual and psychological necessities, including love of God, knowledge of the Faith and encouragement to leave the hedonism of infanthood; to develop a personality that sees beyond his own immediate needs, looking out to the future and to other people. One of the many lessons is that the child must grow up and seek his own means of income, or be a burden on his family. Each family member knows that the other family members will provide for them in need. What’s more there are other related families who will be willing and able to help in times of extreme need. Also, the elderly family members will be looked after by the younger members and be valued for their wisdom of experience.

It is obvious that this system is a very efficient means of transmitting a work ethic, empathy and a deep faith through the generations. Crucially it leads to the rejection of any socialist snake oil salesmen who have nothing to offer that the family doesn’t already possess. It has a correction mechanism built-in too. Should parents fail to provide the requisite lessons in life, the child will never leave his hedonistic phase successfully, and remain a dependent for his life. However, his potential to reproduce will be near-zero as his antics would be repulsive to any girl reared to expect to be with a financially solvent, responsible man. In a society built on faith, the stigma of illegitimacy would be a high price to pay.

Socialists promise the impossible, i.e. something for nothing. In seeking to usurp the rights of the father and mother they break the link between the generations and prevent the transmission of Faith. Who needs God when the chancellor of the exchequer is the provider? There are no paternal exhortations to prepare for the world of work because fathers can scatter their seed liberally without recourse. The country has been demoralized as a matter of policy, by those who seek to interpose themselves into our lives. They have done this by raising taxes to a level where only a few hundred thousand working people, out of a working population of 31.5 million, can earn enough to be sure they are out of poverty. The rest of us can slide back in any day we lose our poorly paid, highly taxed employment. The entire system is a dysgenic vicious circle.

The Church’s teaching on socialism is unequivocal, e.g.

• “The socialists, in setting aside the parent and setting up a state supervision, act against natural justice, and destroy the structure of the home.” Rerum Novarum, 1891
• Socialism…cannot be reconciled with the teachings of the Catholic Church because its concept of society itself is utterly foreign to Christian truth.” Quadragesimo Anno, 1931

 Yet, our bishops always come down on the side of the welfare state whenever there is any talk of cuts to benefits. There are going to be massive cuts to benefits in the coming years because it is a mathematical certainty that there will be insufficient wealth to meet the imputed liabilities of the welfare state, public sector pensions and the costs of the NHS. See flaming Athens for what happens when the government’s marker is called in.

The bishops should preach against tax rates that are at expropriatory levels; at those who live happily at the expense of others; at the sexual licence that encourages single motherhood and a system that makes it financially rewarding; and always, always debt-based money that robs the labourer of his just wage and means all of us could see our nest-eggs go up in a puff of inflationary smoke overnight. Debt-based money is created out of thin air and it goes back into thin air just as easily. When will the Church  get out from under the baleful influence of progressives who promise utopia in this world, but instead keep us on the road to serfdom?

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

1 Timothy 6:10 | NIV (1984) | Other Versions | Context

Brief

In Paul‘s first letter to Timothy, he goes deeply into the topic of false teaching and warns the young Timothy against it when trying to guide his congregation in the doctrine. In 1 Timothy chapter 6, Paul warns against those church leaders with false doctrines, who view godliness as a means to financial gain. If the purpose to worship God is for money, or for anything else, the doctrine is severely flawed. With 1 Tim 6:10, Paul further explains how the love of money will lead to sin.

Analysis: Love of Money is evil

Love of Money Leads to Sin

Do you love money? You probably do, as money is a necessity in order to fulfil the most basic of our needs. you probably wouldn’t mind earning more money. You will probably rejoice and shout out ‘Hallelujah!’ on receiving a fat bonus for Christmas. That’s probably loving money. And that’s probably not what Paul was referring to here. The love of money here probably refers to a deep, insatiable lust for wealth and riches that leads to one straying from God. A love of money that would, for 30 silver coins [Matt 26:15], make Judas betray Christ. A love of money that would, for just a portion of the profit from the sale of the land [Acts 5:2], cause Ananias and Sapphira to lie to the apostles.

Money isn’t evil. The love of money that would lead to men straying from God is evil. It leads to sins.

Love of Money Keeps us from Faith

By faith, we are told that we do not need to worry about our needs, for God will supply them [1 Tim 6:7]. No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Money. [Matthew 6:24] We cannot serve both God and Money. The Love of Money will keep us from serving our Lord. It weakens our faith, and causes us to lose sight of God. As in the case of Ananias, what was meant to be an act of charity, generosity and kindness became an act of selfishness and sin, because he thought about the money, and wanted to keep some of it himself. Could he not have kept some of that money to himself? Was that a sin? No, it wasn’t a sin, as Paul mentioned in Acts 5:4 – as the money was his. His sin was lying to the apostles in a bid to keep up the show of generosity. His overwhelming love for money caused him to lose sight of the right thing to do. His faith collapsed, and he paid for it in blood.

Judas was guilty of accepting money that came from dubious means or illegal activities. A greedy man brings trouble to his family, but he who hates bribes will live [Proverbs 15:27]. Bribery, theft, gambling are but just some of the ways one can make money from. Do not trust in extortion or take pride in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them. [Psalm 62:10]

Love of Money keeps us from the peace, joy and hope that come with faith

People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction [1 Tim 6:9]. The allure of wealth is undoubted, as wealth ensures financial security, which, especially in modern days, in turn ensure a certain degree of health stability, family stability, and luxury. Judas ended up overwhelmed with guilt and grief and committed suicide [Matt 27:5]. Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead on the spot upon lying. Harsh, really, really harsh.

As Christians we believe that worldly assets amount to nothing at the end of our physical life. Our assets are in heaven, as Jesus warned and promised, do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. [Matthew 6:19-20]

If we truly view our heavenly assets greater than our worldly assets; if we truly view our eternal life more highly than our temporary life, it is not difficult to be contented with what we have and thus have peace. Contentment [1 Tim 6:6] isn’t about not bettering yourself, but about knowing that your future is assured in Christ. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” [Hebrews 13:5]

If we place our trust not in Money but in our Lord; if we serve not Money but God, we will learn to have peace, joy and hope even in poor and dire times. If we place our trust not in Money but in our Lord, if we serve not Money but God, we will learn to have peace, joy and hope even in rich and blessed times. Poor but happy is a romantic ideal, but true happiness is possible for both the rich and the poor, if their eyes are set on the Lord. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away [Job 1:21] – you may be rich today, but don’t ever forget that the wealth that you hold onto so much can one day be taken away from you. A good relationship with the Lord when you are rich and a good understanding of wealth being but just a worldly asset that does not translate itself into eternity will see you through times of poverty. A good relationship with the Lord when you are poor and a good understanding of wealth being but just a worldly asset that does not translate itself into eternity will see you through times of wealth.

Conclusion

How important is money to you? Is it more important than your family, more important than life, more important than God? Love money, but do so not without God; do so with the faith that God will provide for your needs. Do so with a joy that remembers the Lord. If you give, do not give for the sake of giving like Ananias, who was a copycat of Barnabas, but give sincerely and cheerfully [Romans 12:8]. If you are rich, ask yourself if you are able to give to the needy as Jesus commanded [Matthew 5:42]; ask yourself if you are able to go, sell your possessions and give to the poor and follow Christ [Matthew 19:21]. If you are poor, take heart for God will maintain justice for you [Psalm 140:12], persevere and not fall into sin and temptation because God will not forsake you [Isaiah 41:17] and have faith because you are blessed with peace, contentment and joy [Luke 6:20-21]. If you are neither rich or poor, reflect on the words of Solomon in Proverbs 30:8-9 - give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.

Professors of faith have generally been poor, but many have been rich – Job was an example of a man of faith and hence blessed with great wealth. Whether you are rich or poor, the temptations of money are great. In a world that values everything by its monetary worth, let us stay strong in faith and let not our eyes be swayed by the allure of wealth, whether through legal means or through dubious means.

God bless,
Z.

Most of us like to think that we are fair-minded; that given all the right evidence, we would be able to make an informed decision, and maybe even flip our opinion on something. And even though political campaigns make hay on the idea that changing your mind is a sign of weakness, we know that this kind of manipulation is just politics as usual: nothing to do with substance, everything to do with image. The ability to change one’s mind is, in reality, a sign of strength, being “big” enough to say, “I was wrong; and now I see things differently.”

But when was the last time you changed your mind?

I’m not talking about small stuff, or the things that are just a natural consequence of aging. I don’t mean, “I used to hate country music, but then I discovered Hank Williams, Sr.” or “I never met a vegetable I liked until I married someone who knew how to cook them.” And I’m not talking about indecision, either, that trip down the cereal aisle where Cheerios is replaced by the generic brand and then again by bulk cereal. What I’m talking about is moving from one firmly held opinion to the opposite of that conviction.

For most of us, that kind of transformation takes years – decades, even. What we were once sure of takes a few dents in the armor, our defenses are weakened, and we begin to see the wisdom of what we once opposed; until one day, we awaken to find ourselves 180 degrees removed from where we once were.

Now that long-range scenario may, indeed, describe changing our minds, but that’s not how we would like to be, I don’t think. We tend to see flexibility and selflessness as strengths; and if we are truly flexible and without ego, we would be able to change our minds much more fluidly than we tend to. And if that were the case, then all of the important social transitions that seem to take decades would be dispensed with in a matter of weeks.

But that’s not how it works; and it’s not really how we are wired, either.

It’s in reading the story of Saul that raises all of these questions for me. Saul, who later becomes Paul, has been a zealous defender of the faith, of orthodoxy as he and the religious establishment see it. He was there at the trial of Stephen, when the early Christian convert was stoned to death. Those who carried out the sentence laid their cloaks at Saul’s feet, a clear sign of his approval of this brutal repression of this splinter movement.

In our lesson this morning, we find Sault taking papers with him from Jerusalem up to Damascus, so that the Diaspora in that great city can be warned about the dangerous radicals calling themselves followers of “the Way”, these Jesus freaks who are trying to split apart the ancient faith of the ancestors. It is then that the world changes for him in the blink of an eye.

A light shines on him, so powerful that it knocks him to the ground, bringing with it a voice asking why Saul is so brutal in his persecution. He walks away from the accident learning only that it was Jesus speaking, and that when he gets to Damascus, he will be told what to do. Oh, and by the way, he has been struck blind.

It is then that the story shifts scenes. We are now inside Damascus, at the home of a Christian named Ananias. Jesus arrives in a vision, telling Ananias that Saul of Tarsus is on his way into the city, that he is to show him hospitality and bring him healing. Saul’s reputation has preceded him, which leaves Ananias wondering if this really is a wise approach. But he takes a chance and carries out his mission despite any misgivings he might have.

As the two men meet, Ananias confirms what Saul heard on the road, that Jesus was behind this whole escapade. Saul is healed, baptized, and fed. Within a few chapters, Saul has become Paul, has met the church leaders in Jerusalem, and eventually ends up eclipsing them as the central character in the book of Acts. He is finally martyred in Rome after authoring what becomes the largest section of the New Testament.

In other words, the most passionate opponent of Christianity became its most passionate defender. If we are looking for the poster child for changing your mind, I think we have found him.

What would it be like to be more like Paul? What would it take for us to be as limber with our convictions as he was, so that we might be more open to the voice of Christ and the movement of the Spirit? Does it take a blinding light, literally, a miraculous healing that forever changes us? Is it a personal encounter with those whom we have despised where we discover that they are the ones who are far more faithful than we ever could be? And, if so, is that the kind of situation we can engineer, or are we subject to the whims of an unpredictable world to make them happen?

These are the themes that we seem to return to time and time again here. As we try to speak into and live in the world around us, as we recognize the challenges and barriers to faith as they really are, we recognize that our world has become one of ghettoes. We live in isolation booths designed not just by others, but by ourselves. I once heard it described in literary terms this way: we had anticipated the world to become 1984, with Big Brother watching and dictating our every move; instead, it has become Brave New World, where we both willingly and unwittingly participate in our own isolation.

To be fair, it is so much easier to surround ourselves with those with whom we agree. We self-select for Fox News or MSNBC, the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal. And even that is a superficial analysis, since we have self-selected less for content and more for contrivance. The truth is that it is exhausting to confront our own deeply-held assumptions about the way the world works, because these convictions are wired into us as survival techniques. Our lizard brains need to know that there is a difference between a kitten and a lion. But: when we have learned untruths and take them as truths necessary for our survival, how can we possibly unlearn them?

How often to we find ourselves in conversation, or in relationship, or in situations with those who are unlike us? Are our lives shaped so that we regularly spend time with people of different generations, faiths, incomes, educations? Or do we find ourselves mostly with those who are, for the most part, a lot like us?

It is when we end up with those who do not share our convictions that we are going to be challenged for those assumptions – including some falsehoods, admittedly – that we hold dear. These are the experiences that can be troubling and disorienting, to say the least.

But if our grounding is in the right place, that is, in the Maker of heaven and earth, then our foundation is sure, “even though the earth may change and the mountains shake in the heart of the sea.”

Friends, I’m convinced that the lesson of Paul for us is that God desires, more than anything, that we would be open to new possibilities. If that’s not true, then death wins and resurrection is nothing more than a fantasy that we tell the young so that they might be comforted in a discomfiting world.

God is the one who opens up those new possibilities to us! The truth is that, in so many ways, each of us is just as blind as Saul to the realities of the world around us. It is only when we meet Ananias that our eyes begin to be opened to the fact that hope, not despair, carries the day.

Where is your Damascus? Where is it that you need to go so that you might have your own transformative encounter with the Lord? How is it that we can let our lives be reshaped to meet those who can heal our blindness, drop the scales from our eyes? Are we willing to go?

Amen.

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.  Acts 9:17-19

Have you ever wondered why exactly Ananias was necessary to Paul’s conversion experience?  Doesn’t it seem like a lot of extra (unnecessary) steps?  God could have handled this entire conversion experience so much more efficiently by just handling it Himself.  What is the point of blinding Paul until a fellow believer could come to him and play a part in helping Paul see again?  Friends, I believe we, the church, must answer these questions if we are to understand God’s expectations of us.

I have built an entire ministry around the proposition that the church is not just one alternative plan of God’s to reach this broken world, but that it is the only plan.  I believe that will all my heart.  Christian Unity Ministries is not about finding alternative ways to reach the communities of the world…it is about bringing health and vitality to the only vehicle God has already ordained for that work: his church.

Can our sovereign God reach people without the church?  Of course He can.  And we do still hear stories from time to time about miraculous conversions in remote places of the world which take place completely separate and apart from “the church”.  But for reasons only He fully understands, God has chosen to work through His people…His church.  You and I would not have done it that way, for sure.  But He does.  And I do not need to understand why He does.  He just does.

So, for me, the highest calling I could have received is to help make His church healthy…to help keep it fit and ready to mobilize at a moment’s notice.  To me, Ananias represents that readiness.  Certainly he had a question or two (in the category of “Are You sure, Lord?”), but irrespective of God’s response, his answer was “Yes, Lord!”  Think of the wisdom of God’s plan.  Think about what it did for Paul to first hear a fellow Christ-follower call him “brother”.  Think how it ministered to him to have that fellow Christ-follower administer a physical healing to him and restore his sight.  Ask yourself if Paul’s undying devotion to the churches to whom he wrote, to the fellow believers whom he mentored might have been related in some ways to this “hands-on” ministry from Ananias.

It is such an amazingly profound plan…if God expects His people to grow and to be nurtured in community with other believers then doesn’t it just make sense that He will therefore use that same community of believers to reach those people in the first place?  It is why the church exists…to be Ananias to a blind and broken world.

© Blake Coffee

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There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Acts 5:1-10 ESV

But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

Satan? What did Satan have to do with this? Did Satan physically come and fill the heart of Ananias with this deceit? Certainly this is not certain. But at the very least we can recognize that Ananias was behaving on behalf of Satan by setting himself against God and his purposes.  We know that it is of Satan to speak lies and be filled with greed.  This small passage in the Holy Scriptures makes me sad.  The scriptures say that there was none that were lacking.  Ananias had not been cheated. He was not missing something vital for his life.  He had all that he required, all that he needed.  At once, having all that he needed was not good enough.  Does not that sound familiar?

If this is the work of Satan, then he is powerfully at work in this world today.  I see this same thing nearly every day. To lack nothing today where I live is just not good enough.  We have all been lied to.  To have a better car, bigger house, more money, these are the things that we have placed as the great priority.  Consider it well.  If cash is truly king for you, if gaining wealth is the greatest attainable victory, then lying and cheating to gain it is no big deal at all.  What a small thing is a lie to better my own status and gain more wealth.  If this life is all that you live for, than by all means do what ever it takes to make yourself happy.  But…
Are you not being encouraged to lie in order to prosper yourself. Is it not possible if likely that him who is encouraging this in you is a liar too.   

There is a greater purpose. There is a greater life. Living a self induged life means aligning yourself with Satan and making yourself the enemy of God. This will absolutely affect your life. God is the giver and sustainer of life itself. He is all powerful. This is not the one that you woud want to set yourself against. This short life is not even the point. There is an eternity to be lived. But to live is to be with God for in Him is life and breath. The enemy of God can not bring life. The enemy would promise life but he has no power nor authority to give life.

Be ever so mindful my friends. Consider again Ananias and Sapphira. Having simply lied in disobedience and defiance to the Holy Spirit. They dropped dead. They were in mid conversation with Peter when they died. God simply removed life from them. Trust me when I say that God sustains our life every moment that we live and breath. When ananias and Sapphira fell dead, God did not have to kill them. God only stopped sustaining their life. God is where life comes from. He has promised to give life to you freely for all of eternity. Surrender to the authority, that is the protection and provision, of God. He is Truth. He will follow through. God is worthy of all of your adoration and honor. It is fitting to give glory to the Creator. It is right to surrender to the King of Kings.

“What does fear do to us?

1. Fear can make problems bigger than they really are.  I believe we have all fallen into this trap.  Something happens that makes us scared. We over-analyze the situation.  We think of all the different scenario’s that “could happen” and before we know it, the situation seems overwhelming and we are paralyzed with fear.
2. Fear prevents us from enjoying the blessings we have.  When we live in fear we are not at peace.  We focus all our energy on this thing that has us in fear and we lose our joy.
3. Fear can motivate us to disobey God.  Certain fears often prompt us to do things which are displeasing to God.  Fear of failing may prompt us to cheat on a test.  Fear of the truth being found out may prompt us to lie about what we have done.  Fear of rejection can lead people to give in to improper sexual advances.  Fear of persecution has led some christians to denounce their faith in God.

What are you afraid of?  Are there any areas of your life that are being stifled because of fear?  Satan is always going to bring fear against us at varying times.  It is one of his major weapons.

On Friday night I turned on the TV and the show Hoarders was happened to be on the channel the tv had been set to.  There was an older gentleman who was riding on a scooter around his property that looked like a junk yard.  Rusty bicycles, sewing machines, broken fences–just about anything you can imagine was piled all over the property.  The city had given him notice to clean up the property which was why Hoarder’s tv show was there. The psychologist spoke with the man asking him why he had accumulated so many things. He replied that he had planned repair the items and open a shop which was an old repair shop on the property. Suddenly he broke down crying.  She ask him what was wrong.  He confided that cleaning up the property made him fear that he would never get out of the wheelchair and that he would need to give up his dream of having a shop that rebuilds old items. The fear of facing his new reality was keeping him paralyzed.  Every day he would look at what he had hoped to accomplish and realize it wasn’t going to happen.  But instead of moving forward and moving on to something new that he could do, he got stuck in the fear and depression.

1 John 4:18 says

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

We can resolve our fears first by focusing on God’s  immeasurable love for us.  His love will quiet our fears and give us confidence.”

Is there anything fear is keeping you from right now? What would you be able to accomplish if you could overcome those fears. Fear will keep you stuck in what might have been. Ask God to help you with your fears and to trust Him instead.

Ananias, available and alert, he arose and acted. God could have used any means to minister to Saul, following his Damascus Road blinding encounter. He might have appointed an angel. Barnabas would seem a good candidate. Soon, Saul would become Paul, and Barnabas would be his co-laborer in carrying the gospel. God would bring that to pass. First, He would entrust the care of Saul into the hands of Ananias.

The Lord spoke to Ananias in a vision. He knew that he was available for service, always at His beckoned call. He was present and accounted for. “Now in Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. And the Lord said to him in a vision, ‘Ananias (Acts 9:10a HCS)!” Just as a student, answering roll call, “Here I am, Lord!’ he said (Acts 9:10b HCS). Ananias, available and alert!

The Lord had his attention and gave him detailed, specific instructions, telling him where to go, what to ask, who to see, and what to do. (Verses 11-12) He was to go to Saul, lay hands on him in order that he would regain his sight. Ananias undoubtedly trusted the LORD’s guidance; yet, he also trusted him enough to share his doubts. (Verses 13-14) Saul had persecuted the church. He came to arrest those who called on Christ’s name. Ananias heard an affirmation from the Almighty.

“But the Lord said to him, ‘Go! For this man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before Gentiles, kings, and the sons of Israel. I will certainly show him how much he must suffer for my sake (Acts 9:15-16 HCS)!” Ananias, available and alert, arose and acted. “So Ananias left and entered the house. Then he placed his hands on him and said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road you were traveling, has sent me so you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:17 HCS).” Saul met the Savior. Ananias acted on God’s word.  

But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. ⁽Acts 5:1-5 KJV)

Later in this story we find out that Ananias’ wife Sapphira told this same lie and died instantly too. Sometimes we really don’t understand the consequences of a “little” lie. What seems harmless at first can have unintended consequences. When I was ten years old I was fascinated with the idea of getting a Jheri Curl. Don’t laugh. I really wanted one, so much so, that I lied to get it. See there was one small catch to converting to a Jheri Curl. To get a Jheri Curl, you had to wait at least three months from your last relaxer. When the beautician asked me the date of my last relaxer, I made up some date that I thought would meet her approval knowing full well that I had just gotten a relaxer a few weeks prior. Everything was going fine as I felt the “curls” and juice hit my neck. Then came the announcement: “I’m going to cut your hair because the curl didn’t take. It looks like you must have recently gotten a relaxer.” Snip – “sniffle sniffle,” Snip-Snip – “sniffle sniffle.” I was crying as I saw my hair hit the floor below. Why did I lie when I had the chance to tell the truth? How was I going to go to school with no hair? I didn’t want to face anyone. If only I had been truthful.

Just as I imagined, school was harsh the next day. The more people teased me about the “teeny tiny, not quite curled Jheri Curl” the more I cried. The guys were particularly harsh and the girls followed suit. I was sent to the guidance counselor and she let me sit in her office all day. She tried to make it better but nothing could convince me that it would get better. I couldn’t understand why people were mistreating me. I was still the same person on the inside. The smart, funny, tough little girl — yes, that was still me. I just had a new hair-do. Sure my outward appearance was awkward but that didn’t change who I was internally. As time passed, my hair grew and the jokes subsided but I learned valuable lessons from the experience: all lies have consequences and to judge people based on who they are on the inside and not on their outer appearance.

Throughout my matriculation in school I found myself in different places in these situations: the person being lied to, as well as the person mocking someone else. Can you find yourself in either of these situations? The lie you willingly tell to get what you want. You manipulate a situation because you aren’t patient enough to wait until the time is right. You maneuver things in your favor and they don’t quite turn out like you want. Maybe you are like the kids at school. Have you ever mistreated someone because they didn’t fit your appearance standards? Their clothes weren’t up to date, their hair wasn’t what you would approve, you judged them based on what sins you believed they were guilty of or maybe you made fun of them just because of others. In school, these traits are all too common but these aren’t traits of the King’s kids. Lying, manipulating, vanity nor judging are pleasing to God. Remember everything that glitters isn’t gold.“… for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. (I Samuel 16:7 KJV)

Dear Daddy,

Forgive me for the times when I have been dishonest or manipulative to get my way. Thank You for loving me enough to provide opportunity for correction and opening my eyes to learn the lessons. When I place myself in a seat to judge others based on their outward appearance, remind me of the times that others mistreated me based on my outward appearance. Give me the courage to speak truth even when the outcome may not favor what I want. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

Ladies, today I EMPOWER you to reflect over your life and recall the times you manipulated a situation to make the outcome favor you. Repent and ask God to remove that spirit from you. I also EMPOWER you to treat others based on who they are on the inside even when their outward appearance doesn’t meet your standards. Strive to be more Christ-like looking at character instead and let your ‘soul’ glow!

Can you relate to this EmpowerMoment? Did a lie that you told come back to haunt you or maybe you were on the receiving end of other’s harsh judgment? Share your story with us.

___________________________________________________________________

Ms. Chancee` Lundy lives in Washington, DC and is an entrepreneur as she is the co-owner of Nspiregreen, LLC, an environmental consulting firm. She is also a dedicated daughter, sister, friend and community servant. She has used her gift of public speaking to lead workshops across the globe speaking to crowds as large as 10,000 people. Her guiding scriptures this week are Philippians 4:11-13 “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Acts 5, Ananias, God, Sapphira & violence: How Do You Explain the Violent Judgment of Ananias and Sapphira? by Greg Boyd

“Knowing that God’s true character looks like Jesus voluntarily dying on the cross for his enemies, we will always know that something else is going on if God appears to act in ways that are contrary to this enemy-loving, non-violent character.”

Bragging, jealousy & rejoicing: Solving Your ‘You Problem’ by Sean Palmer

“I would only feel as if  they were bragging, if I felt something else first: JEALOUS!”

Church & faith: Together by William Willimon [21 min. sermon video clip; required viewing]

“Where the heck did you get the notion we wanted you to be comfortable? … The way of Jesus Christ is just too difficult to attempt it by yourself. …. the only way that you can be saved is by bringing all of us along with you. It’s together.”

Church & generations: A Head, Heart, or Hands Church? by Dan Bouchelle [truly required reading; as in "if you read only one thing this month"]

“I grew up in a church designed for the head. That is not a criticism. It is just a description. We did not trust emotions because they were easily manipulated and clouded thinking. Actions were important and we believed ‘good works’ were essential to faithfulness, but what really mattered was getting your theology straight. … The church of my heritage lost many of the boomer generation who walked away looking for a church with a heart. … Ironically, now that boomers make up the majority of leaders and have the most control in our churches, the emerging adult generation has shifted the criteria for validity again. Young adults today, and the culture in general, are not looking for a powerful experience of God or ballast for a head-heavy church. … What this generation longs for is not more heart but something to do with their hands. … While the young adult generation is not anti-logic or emotionless, they just aren’t impressed with their church options. They may show up for the show and agree with most of the teaching, but they will give their time and money to something that changes lives in tangible ways.”

Church & phones: The Cold, Hard Truth About Phones in Church by Jon Acuff

[I won't spoil it for you here. Go look at it. There's a powerful parable here, not just a smile.]

Leadership & worry: 7 Encouragements for Leaders Who Worry by Ron Edmonson

“Having a strong faith is no guarantee your emotions won’t play tricks on you at times.”

Were they killed by God or not?

Pastor Vic says no…………..have a listen to find out more.

Also do you know that Peter was smote by the angel of God as well as Herod?

The Bible tells us of one man whose main purpose in life was to persecute the Christians and bring all he met under the law. That man was a Pharisee named Saul of Tarsus, who later became Apostle Paul, follower of Christ . Saul lived a life zealously devoted to killing and destroying those who shared and lived the gospel. He felt it was his moral duty until Christ met him on the road to Damascus!

 Acts 9:1-19 NIV 9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest ² and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. ³ As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”⁵ “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁶ “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”⁷ The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.⁸ Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. ⁹ For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.¹⁰ In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”“Yes, Lord,” he answered.¹¹ The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. ¹² In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”¹³ “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”¹⁵ But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. ¹⁶ I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”¹⁷ Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, ¹⁹ and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.

Here is a man determined to snuff out the early Church and yet God in His mercy saw something in Saul (soon to be Paul) that caused Him to transform His life for good. So how did things go for Saul from there?…

 Acts 22:12-21 NIV ¹² “A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. ¹³ He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I was able to see him.¹⁴ “Then he said: ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. ¹⁵ You will be His witness to all people of what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶ And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on His name.’¹⁷ “When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance ¹⁸ and saw the Lord speaking to me. ‘Quick!’ he said. ‘Leave Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept your testimony about me.’¹⁹ “‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. ²⁰ And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’²¹ “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”  

Though he had done horrible things to Christ himself by persecuting the early Christians, Acts 9:4 NIV⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”  God saw His potential and brought about a most  beautiful change that only His Spirit could do.  Saul was then given his new name Paul (some believe it was a custom after baptism to receive a new name representing new life.) Acts 13:9 NIV ⁹ Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit.

Paul went on to preach the gospel to both the Jews and the gentiles and write thirteen, (possibly fourteen) books in the New Testament. He became one of God’s greatest preachers of all time!

We should NEVER forget that there isn’t anyone with breath, that is too far gone for God to change. Though we look at the outer man, God is able to see the heart and know what that person is capable of once transformed by the blood of His Son and with the anointing of His Spirit. God can use those same character traits that we may find offensive, for His glory. Never underestimate what God can do for anyone. Instead ask God to save them and anoint them for service! Nothing is too big for our God.

the Conversion of Saul on the road to Damascus as painted by Michelangelo. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We talked on Monday about fearing God and that it’s not just an Old Testament thing. The New Testament gives us the classic example of Ananias and Sapphira and their little white lie. Believers were selling property and giving the proceeds to the Apostles to distribute as needed. Ananias and Sapphira sold some property but fudged on how much they had received. They wanted to look good. Had they said they were keeping part for themselves, who would have objected? Just don’t lie. Peter asked, “Did you sell you land for x number of dollars?” “Oh, yes!” Dead.

Fear indeed, but we need to see God in his full dimensions, not just the parts that make us feel good. However, the essence of God is love. The doctrine of the Trinity makes sense only in this understanding of love. One person cannot love in a vacuum; love requires at least two persons. Long before the universe and all its inhabitants existed, the triune God was giving and receiving love. God IS love, and that’s our bottom line.

But the other important God dimension is his holiness. Less comfortable but necessary for us to be able to understand who he is. A holy God cannot tolerate sin—BAM! You’re dead. A loving God provided atonement for our sin and receives us back to his loving home. Jesus—God himself—made the way. He IS the way.

Even in the context of sin, God shows his love. We see this in Psalm 51, David’s confession of his affair with Bathsheba:

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love… Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight… You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it… My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Keep in mind that even though David was guilty of both of adultery and murder, God called him a man after his own heart.

As we learned from Narnia, God is not a tame lion. He’s not safe, but he’s good.

The novel I’m currently writing lines out the concept of a spiritual True North, versus Magnetic North. Without going into the science of those terms, we can say that Magnetic North can lead us astray spiritually, whereas True North keeps our heart compass tight to God, no matter the circumstances. We are a grand mix of sin and devotion, but moment by moment, we look to the love of God to pull us out of the mire and into his presence.

One of my favorite quotes is by Mike Yaconelli in The Wittenburg Door, issue #131:

I would like to suggest that the Church become a place of terror again; a place where God continually has to tell us, ‘Fear not’; a place where our relationship with God is not a simple belief or a doctrine or theology, it is God’s burning presence in our lives. I am suggesting that the tame God of relevance be replaced by the God whose very presence shatters our egos into dust, burns our sin into ashes, and strips us naked to reveal the real person within. The Church needs to become a gloriously dangerous place where nothing is safe in God’s presence except us. Nothing—including our plans, our agendas, our priorities, our politics, our money, our security, our comfort, our possessions, our needs.

Fear God, yes, but know that you are much loved by this holy God.

Eleanor K. Gustafson (aka Ellie) began thinking up stories when she was five or six years old. When she started to read, God grabbed her with—yes—a story that had an invitation at the end, and she was hooked for life. But after reading her early attempts at writing, friends and even her mother told her straight out to stick to music as a career. She pushed manfully along, however, and began publishing both fiction and nonfiction in 1978.

The Stones: A Novel of the Life of King David is her fourth novel and builds off the biblical account of David, bringing the characters and dramatic elements to life and full color. A graduate of Wheaton College in Illinois, she has been actively involved in church life as a minister’s wife, teacher, musician, writer, and encourager. Additional experiences—riding horses, gardening, house construction, tree farming, and parenting—help bring color and humor to her fiction. One of her major writing goals has been to make scriptural principles understandable and relevant for today’s readers through the undeniable power of story.

Website – http://www.eleanorgustafson.com

Amazon reviews - http://www.amazon.com/The-Stones-Eleanor-Gustafson/dp/1603740791/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342304125&sr=8-1&keywords=gustafson+stones