Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Nov 18th, 2023 Then Had The Churches Rest – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passages – Acts 9 – 10 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 86 – 90; Proverbs 18)

Read the “1118 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem. And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him. Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus. Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.” (Acts 9:26-31)

Good morning. Saul was persecuting the churches, but then he met Jesus. After meeting Jesus, Saul boldly preached that Jesus was the Christ: the Saviour of the world. Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea, Galilee, and Samaria. Do you know why the world is in the condition it is in? Those in Islam don’t have Jesus, they have a moon god. The Hindus don’t have Jesus. They have, according to Wikipedia, 330 million gods. You have to worship over 900,000 per day to get them all in for the year. Buddhists are trying to be perfect, but only Jesus was perfect, and they don’t have Jesus. Tree-huggers worship creation, but not the Creator: they don’t have Jesus. The Atheist, the Communist, the Fascist, the Socialist, and the DNC don’t believe in God, but by their actions may worship the god of this world. They don’t have Jesus. The Mormon Jesus is not the Jesus of the Bible, he is Satan’s brother. As a matter of fact they believe there are sins you can commit that require your own blood to be shed in payment: their Jesus is a weak Jesus, not God Almighty. And the Catholic Jesus is still hangs on the cross, while the real Jesus is risen. There are many other religions around the world, and they all have one thing in common: they don’t have Jesus. Why don’t they have Jesus?

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)

“And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” (Luke 24:44-49)

“Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” (John 20:21)

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

Because we have ignored the Great Commission that Jesus gave to us to get the gospel to a lost and dying world. The Apostle Paul wrote about the Gospel he preached…

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” (1Corinthians 15:1-9)

The Gospel as simple as that. And if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (see 2Corintians 5:17). Simply, when you got saved you became a new creature: you should know, because you know what you were like before, and you yourself should know the change in you; others will notice and see as you grow in Christ. So you ARE WITNESSES of these things.

The church had dropped the ball on personal soul-winning may years ago. Godless evolution crept into our schools as churches argued what color the new carpet should be. Now children are searching for the truth, but are being pulled away into believing in false gods and their false religions. They need to hear the Truth, and Jesus is the Truth; and the only One who can give Life (because He is the Life), and the only Way to Heaven (because He is the Way).

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” (Proverbs 11:30)

The churches can have rest. Do you have wisdom?

Peace.