Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Nov 20th In Tune With The Spirit of God

Today’s Passages – Acts 14 – 16; Proverbs 20

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 96 – 100)

“Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.” – (Acts 16:6-9)

“And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.” – (Acts 16:14)

“And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” – (Acts 16:31)

In Acts chapter 16, Paul was on his second missionary journey, along with his partner, Silas. The plan was for them to go back to some of the churches that Paul had visited on the first journey with Barnabas. They were able to go to back to some of the cities that he had been to before, and were about to embark on some new, uncharted spiritual territory. They wanted to preach the gospel in some of the cities of Asia Minor, but the Spirit of God said “no”. They also attempted to go into Bythinia, but again they were somehow hindered by the Holy Ghost. However, in the city of  Troas, Paul received a vision which revealed to him just where God wanted him to go. In this vision he saw “a man of Macedonia” that was asking for Paul’s help. Now Macedonia is farther geographically than Paul had ever been, but he listened to the voice of God and travelled across the Aegean Sea into the region of Macedonia, specifically into the city of Philippi. It was in this city that they were able to lead Lydia first to the Lord, and then finally, after some difficult circumstances, they were able to get the gospel to the Philippian jailor and his family. I believe that this jailor was the man that Paul saw in his vision.

As I was reading this passage, I wondered what would have happened had Paul and Silas tried to stubbornly stick to their original agenda rather than listening to the voice of God. I am sure that Paul had a well thought out plan that he had prayed over, and was in the process of implementing it when the Spirit of God intervened. And how did the Holy Ghost stop them from going to their intended destinations, anyway? I can’t be sure, but I bet that as Paul and Silas attempted to go and preach at these places, they probably were confronted with “closed doors”. Has God ever closed the door on your plans. I remember a time when my wife and I thought it was the will of God to bypass Bible College in order to move to another city in order to serve as  a youth pastor. It felt like the right thing to do, but God shut the door tightly on that plan. Guess where we ended up going? You guessed it – to Bible college, because that is where the Holy Ghost wanted us.

It is my desire to be sensitive – in tune – with the Holy Ghost of God. I want to be listening to his voice. I know that if He can get past all of the distractions and clamour that are normally filling my world, He can get through to me. I just need to pull myself away from the world, and get alone with Him and His Word. He will guide and direct me according to His will. I also know that He will let me do “my thing” if I choose to, but  my way will lead to spiritual barrenness. His way points to Lydia, and the jailor; and many others who will cry out to me, “[Sir], What must I do to be saved?”.

“Lord, help me to set aside my own agenda; and help me to listen for your voice as you reveal your wonderful plan for my life and ministry.”

Nov 18th Their All Precious In His Sight

Today’s Passages – Acts 9 – 10; Proverbs 18

(Second Milers also read – Psalm 86 – 90; Memorize – Philippians 4:6)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Ephesians 4:32

Click here to read last year’s post on this passage – “The Beauty of Salvation”

“And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. … And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.” – (Acts 10:13-15, 45)

In Acts, chapter one, Jesus told the disciples that after they received the Holy Ghost the gospel was going to go forth into all Judaea, Samaria, and into the uttermost part of the earth. I suppose the disciples at first thought that even though the gospel was to spread out geographically, it was still intended only for the Jewish people. These Jewish disciples were slow about sharing the good news of the gospel with other people groups. We have previously seen in this book the great revival in Samaria, but the people that lived there had at least some Jewish blood in them. We have also read about the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch who was clearly a Gentile, but was also apparently a convert to Judaism. Here in chapter ten, however, we see the first completely Gentile convert to Christianity since Pentecost. God had to clearly demonstrate to Peter through the vision he received on the rooftop in Joppa that it was His will to save the Gentiles. Those “creatures” that were let down in the sheet  in Peter’s vision represented the Gentile people groups of the world.

The little ones sing the song, “Jesus Loves the Little Children”; but the truth contained in that song is applicable to saints of every age. God loves people – all people. He loves Americans, but He also loves the billions of people who live outside of our borders. Sometimes we get a little “tunnel-visioned” in our approach to ministry. There are all kinds of people in our world, and God wants all of them in Heaven. Our churches today need to be a representation – a sample – of the demographic of Heaven. I am glad that we have all kinds of people at our church: many colors, many cultures; but all coming together for the common bond that holds us all together – Christ. They are all precious in His sight!

Nov 17th Divine Appointments.

Today’s Passage – Acts 7 – 8; Proverbs 17 (Second Milers also read – Psalms 81 – 85)

“And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. … Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.” – (Acts 8:26, 29-31)

In chapter 8 of today’s passage we read about Philip and his evangelistic efforts in Samaria, and then his witness to the Ethiopian Eunuch. This account is possibly the most famous conversion story in the entire Bible, perhaps taking second place only to the salvationtory s of the Apostle Paul. By the way, I am very thankful that, although the Book of Acts tells us a lot about the multitudes that came to Christ, it also concerns itself with the individual. This individual eunuch of Ethiopia was very important to the Lord; and the Lord went to great lengths to reach him with the gospel. We will be reading about some of the other people that the Lord saved in future days: people like Lydia and the jailor at Philippi. I love to read about people getting saved.

Let’s notice some things about this divine appointment that the Lord made for Philip and this man from Ethiopia:

1  God was at work in each of these men’s lives before Acts 8. The eunuch was already reading the Book of Isaiah before Philip got there. He was thinking about the things of God. Philip was already serving the Lord. He was on of the seven deacons chosen by the Church at Jerusalem which indicated that he was filled with the Holy Ghost and wisdom. Philip was serving in Samaria, already faithful to the Lord’s will.

2  I notice that God orchestrated the events in Philip’s (and the eunuch’s) life to get him to where the eunuch was. Philip left a very successful ministry in Samaria to go and witness to this one man. He was sensitive to the will leading of God. He recognized that the circumstances in his life were in the hands of a Sovereign God.

3  I notice that Philip did not hesitate to speak to a man that was different than himself. This man was a convert to Judaism, but He was a man of Ethiopia: a Gentile. If we are going to reach this world, we are going to have to be willing to come out of our comfort zones.

4  I notice also that Philip very patiently and lovingly lead the man, step by step, to the Lord.

5  Finally, I notice in this passage the one Bible prerequisite for baptism – “if thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.” Baptism is for believers, not for babies. By the way, you can also see the mode of baptism here: they went down into the water. Sprinkling is not baptism.

I love reading this exciting Book of Acts. It motivates me to want to be an active participant in the Great Commission. God has made some devine appointments for me along the way, but I am looking forward to being used of Him more in the future. I want to have some of my own stories to tell.

Nov 16th Ye Cannot Overthrow It

Today’s Passages – Acts 4 – 6; Proverbs 16

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 76 – 80; Memorize – Philippians 4:6)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Matthew 6:33

Click here to read last year’s post on this passage – “They Had Been With Jesus – Have You?”

“But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.” – (Acts 5:39)

“And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” – (Acts 5:40-42)

“But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.” – (Exodus 1:12)

Persecution has a strange way of producing the opposite outcome the what was intended by those that are doing the persecuting. In our text, Peter and John are preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ until they are arrested by the religious leaders and put in prison. They are released the next day, but only after they are threatened. They go right back to preaching, because they believed that God’s command to preach superseded any human law. They are again arrested, but are miraculously removed from prison by the Angel of the Lord, only to go back out and preach again. The religious leaders don’t know what to do about these trouble makers, so they arrest them again; and they release them again, but this time before they are released, they are beaten. We can see that things are certainly starting to heat up for the apostles. In chapter 7 we will see that things will heat up even more, when Stephen is put to death for preaching the gospel.

You would think that with all of this punishment being handed out to the Christians that the preaching would be curtailed; but the opposite is actually true. The more they were persecuted, the more they preached. In fact, when persecution really heats up in Jerusalem (Acts 8), the people are scattered throughout all Judea and Samaria preaching the gospel. And the more they preached, the more people got saved.

It is the same way in the world we live in today. Christianity is thriving in some of the most unlikely places. Did you know that it is estimated that the actual number of Christians in communist China is said to be more than the number of Christians in Europe and America combined; and most of the churches in China are operating illegally, underground. Many Christians have been imprisoned in China for their faith; yet the Christians keep coming.

Now let’s consider America. We have freedom and prosperity here; but it seems that we are spiritually dying in most places. Maybe the churches in America would benefit from a little persecution. Does that sound strange to you? Don’t misunderstand. I am not wishing or asking for persecution; but I am willing to ask the Lord to do whatever is necessary to wake the churches in America up, even if it includes some persecution.

Nov 15th Don’t Quit

Today’s Passages – Acts 1 – 3; Proverbs 15

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 71 – 75; Memorize – Philippians 4:6)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Micah 6:8

Read “Five Ways To Grow Closer to the Lord in November” by Dr. Paul Chappell

If you haven’t read the completed post from yesterday, please go back and read it now. It will be helpful in understanding this one.

“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)

“But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:” (Acts 2:14)

“And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.” (Acts 3:4)

In yesterday’s post, we read of a discouraged Peter who, though called of God to serve Him in ministry, went back to his vocation of being a commercial fishermen. He thought that because of his denial of the Lord that he was certainly disqualified from ever serving the Lord again. He was wrong. The Lord arranged that special meeting that we read about in John 21. I believe the sole purpose of that meeting was for the Lord to reassure and restore Peter. He convinced Peter to keep going. Peter was down, but not out.

Now look at what the Lord is doing through Peter here in these first three chapters in Acts. After the Lord’s departure Peter is leading the disciples in chapter one as they await the arrival of the Holy Ghost. In chapter 2, through the power of the Holy Ghost, Peter preaches his famous Pentecost sermon resulting in thousands saved. Finally, in chapter 3, he heals a man in the temple which gives him another wonderful opportunity to preach the gospel to the people who had gathered to see what was done.

Peter almost missed it. He almost missed being a prominent part of the greatest works yet of the Lord. I wonder how many of God’s servants missed seeing God use them in miraculous ways simply because they got discouraged and quit. If you are reading this and you are discouraged, let me encourage you: Don’t Quit!!! If you have blown it, as Peter had obviously done, get back up. You are in good company. We all blow it. Maybe now, you will serve in His power instead of your own. But whatever you do, don’t stay down. God still wants to use you. Get back in the game.

Now let me say a word to those of you who might be doing well right now, and you are enjoying the fruits of your ministry for the Lord. I bet you can think of  a “Peter” right now in your life. A person that used to serve with you, but has fallen in his service and testimony. You might think that he wants to be where he is, but remember that no saved person enjoys being out of the will of God. Why don’t you do what you can do to encourage him. Remember the Lord arranged a special post-resurrection meeting with Peter for the sole purpose of encouraging and restoring him. Maybe God will use you to help somebody get back up and serve the Lord.