The Beauty of Salvation
Today’s Reading – Acts 9 & 10
The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) … To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. (Acts 10:36 & 43)
As I was musing on the reading this morning, I was actually having a mental block as to what I would write about. Not that there isn’t enough material here to pique my interest as this is obviously one of the most exciting passages of Scripture in the Bible. Sometimes when there is so much going on, I have a hard time picking one thought from a passage. However, I have decided t develop a thought regarding the beauty and wonder of salvation. In both of the chapters that we have read today, there is a prominent individual who receives Christ as Saviour.
In Acts 9, we read of the marvelous conversion of Saul of Tarsus; a man that was enemy number one to every Christian. Saul was the most zealous persecutor of the Christians, who wasn’t satisfied by just driving them out of Jerusalem; he requested and received permission to chase them to the places where they had fled. Paul is on his way to Damascus to prosecute the Christians there when suddenly the Lord appears to him personally. I can’t be sure about this, but I believe that the Lord handled Paul’s conversion in this way because Paul would have never listened to another man. Paul’s life is changed 180 degrees and he served Christ with an intensity that surpassed even the zeal of his days as a persecutor. What a conversion. I have often wondered if we will ever see a conversion like this ever again. I am not referring to the way the Lord revealed himself, but to the extent the convert would be used of the Lord after his salvation.
In chapter ten, we learn about Cornelius, a Gentile centurion. Now Cornelius was also a prominent figure in his circles. Though he was a Gentile, he was a man who feared God, and to the best of his knowledge and understanding, he served him. Jesus revealed himself to Cornelius in a different way than Paul, yet just as dramatic. An angel appears to him and tells him to send for Peter. Peter has to be specially prepared by the Lord for this meeting, because he would never, without God’s specific intervention, go and present Christ to a Gentile. Peter eventually goes to Caesarea to preach the gospel to Cornelius, and he and many others who were present were gloriously saved.
I love the Book of Acts. It is all about people getting saved. Sometimes in church we lose sight of the main thing which is winning people to Christ. We get very caught up in the administrative aspects of ministry, and other good things that we forget about the best things. I always want to be involved with a church that has a heart for people and a zeal for the winning of souls. We should never get tired of seeing people saved. I can’t wait to go out tonight for soulwinning visitation!
And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. (Jude 22 & 23)
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from Acts by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Say Cheeeeeeese!
Today’s Passage – Acts 7 – 8
And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 8:59 & 60)
The world is taking a picture of our lives every day; but what image are they getting. When people look at me do they see me, or do they see Christ. As Christians, we are supposed to be pictures of Christ to this godless world. We are to show them Christ through our lives and testimonies. When people see us they are supposed to get a glimpse of what Jesus would be like if He were here in the flesh personally. In our passage today, we see a man who demonstrated Christ to his generation. He lived like Christ, and he died like Christ.
1 Stephen was fearless in his preaching. He knew that the crowd that he was witnessing to had already killed the Lord, and they had already beaten and imprisoned Peter and John. He knew that he was risking his life by saying the things that he said, yet he preached the truth.
2 Stephen was faithful in his passing. He had his eyes on the Lord right up until he died. He was not thinking about his circumstances, he was looking straight into the eyes of the Lord. And the Lord was standing at the right hand of the Father, waiting to receive Stephen. What a way to go.
3 He was forgiving to his persecutors. Perhaps this is the most striking picture of Christ. When Jesus died on the cross, He said, “Forgive them Father”. Here Stephen says virtually the same thing. He says, “Lay not this sin to their charge”.
There was a young man named Saul in the crowd that day that got a good look at the picture that Stephen was portraying that day. Saul would get another look at the Lord, first hand, later on; but I contend to you that he had already seen the Lord through the testimony of Stephen.
What do people see in our lives? Do they see Jesus or do they see us? We need to peel back the layers of our own desires and personalities, and allow Christ to live through us. This world desperately needs to see the real Jesus. There have certainly been many impersonators out there; but through our surrendered lives, we can show the world Christ.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from Acts by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
They Had Been With Jesus – Have You?
Today’s Reading – Acts 4 – 6
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13)
In our text today, Peter and John are in the temple and are being interrogated by the religious leaders for the healing of the lame man on the previous day. (See Acts 3) The problem was not that this man was healed, but that Peter and John used the occasion of the healing to preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and many were saved as a result. The Pharisees now understood that they had a real problem on their hands. In the last couple of weeks there had been nearly ten thousand of their ranks that had joined the Christians. Something had to be done about these trouble makers.
In the midst of all of this the Jewish leadership made some observations about Peter and John found in verse 13 above:
1 They were bold – evidence of their being filled with the Holy Spirit. When was the last time you asked the Holy Ghost of God to fill you? Are you willing to yield to what He wants to do with your life?
And ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you… (Acts 1:8)
2 They were uneducated – yet they possessed a wisdom and knowledge that could not be refuted. These men were fishermen by trade. They were not trained in the Scriptures by Gamaliel as Paul was. But they knew the Word of God. Consider all of the passages that were quoted by Peter in his sermons. This is a good lesson for us to learn. We do not need to know and preach all of the junk that this world teaches, but we should know and preach the Word of God.
3 The had been with Jesus – this is perhaps the greatest compliment a Christian can be given. These two humble fishermen reminded the Pharisees of Jesus. They saw Jesus in them. Can people see Jesus in us? Maybe it’s because we do not spend enough time with Him. My preacher used to say, “You are, or you soon will be, who you hang around.” It was obvious to the Jews that these two fishermen were hanging out with the Lord.
If you are reading this, then you have probably read the Scripture passage for today. At least I hope you have. That’s good! Then you will be a little more like Jesus as a result of the time you have spent with Him, and maybe people will begin to recognize the Lord’s presence in your life. They should be able to spot Him in your attitude, in your compassion, in your integrity, in your work ethic, and in your separation from the evil of this world.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from Acts by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
He Was Down, But He Got Back Up
Today’s Reading – Acts 1 – 3
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.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from Acts by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Do You Still Love Me?
Today’s Passage – John 20 – 21
He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. (John 21:17)
I apologize for completing this post from the Scriptures late, as I ran out of time yesterday morning. Sunday is obviously a very busy day for me, and I sometimes struggle getting everything done. I do want to share some thoughts from this passage of Scripture though.
I love this account of Peter being restored to service by the Lord. Let me make some observations:
I think it is very interesting that the Lord did the very same miracle here at Peter’s restoration that He did very early in His earthly ministry where He first called Peter to serve Him.(see Luke 5:1 – 9) Both times Peter was fishing, and was not really getting anywhere. The Lord called Peter away from His fishing business in Luke 5, and He is now reminding Peter that “the gifts and calling of God are without repentance”. Jesus had not changed His mind about Peter, though Peter certainly was not sure about himself.
The second observation that I would like to make is that Peter was certainly changed through the experience of denying the Lord. Formerly, Peter boldly asserted his love for the Lord stating that he would die for Him. Now, after failing that test, he is no longer so sure of himself. He does not make the same bold claims that he had previously made.
The third observation that I would like to make is that the Lord is very patient with His servants. He knows our frame, that we are but dust. He knows that even though we may be willing in spirit, we are still weak in our flesh. Praise God for second chances. I can’t count the number of times that I have blown it, yet God never gives up on me.
Peter certainly did go on to feed the Lord’s lambs, and he did get many more opportunities to demonstrate his love for Jesus. After the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, Peter preached the first great “church age” revival with 3000 saved and baptized. He had a boldness now that did come from his flesh, but that flowed mightily through him from the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God.
How about you? Maybe God called you to do something for Him, and you have forsaken that call. Why not come back to the Lord humbly, and see if He won’t put you back in the game like He did with Peter.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from John by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Today’s Reading: John 17-19
That The Scripture Might Be Fulfilled
Good morning. What a great way to start the morning with my favorite chapter from the Bible: John chapter 17. Jesus is praying to His Father before going to the cross. Jesus prayed for His disciples, and us: those who would believe through their testimony: their word. And there was only one who was lost: the son of perdition: Judas. And the explanation is given as to why: that the Scripture might be fulfilled (vs12). The Scripture, God’s Word, should be one of the most cherished possessions in our lives. Chapter 17 is all God’s Word (yes, even the 13 words printed black in verse 1). Because God’s will is being done no matter what, we can trust the promises from the Scripture will come to pass: that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
1) The Father would be glorified through Jesus, that the Lord’s glory would be restored as it was before creation, and that we would glorify Jesus (vs 1-10).
Revelation 19:11-16 says, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
That the Scripture might be fulfilled.
2) Safety for believers (vs 11-16).
John 10:27-30 tells us this also, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.”
We are protected so that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
3) Jesus also prayed that we would be sanctified (made holy) through the Scriptures (verses 17-19). And in Hebrews 10:10 the Scriptures tell us that, “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
Because of His sacrifice the Scriptures say we are sanctified.
I’m getting excited about this. Isn’t it great to know you’re saved and on your way to Heaven!
4) In verses 20 through 23, Jesus prays for the unity of those who believe, and that the world would believe. Revelation 7:9-12 gives us a glimpse into the future. John said, “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
And that’s only the tribulation saints, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
5) And I especially like verse 24 which tells us that one day we will see Jesus. Stephen saw Jesus just before he was stoned to death, Acts chapter 7:55-56 tell us, “But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
Face to face we shall behold Him that the Scriptures might be fulfilled.
6) And that brings us to verses 25 and 26. Jesus prayed that we would have the same love of the Father that He had. This is the sacrificial love, the agape’ love. Jesus said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” This was Jesus going to the cross, paying the price for our sins, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. We are supposed to have the same love in us. We need to die too: die to self. If we can be a little bit humble, maybe bury our pride, we can easily forgive our brothers and sisters when they sin against us, or hurt us. We should be demonstrating the love of God to others so that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
Peace (John 14:27).
Posted in Devotions, Guest Posts, Thoughts from John by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Never Alone
Today’s Passage – John 14 – 16
Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. (John 16:32)
The context of this passage of Scripture is the conversation Jesus had with His disciples after the Last Supper, and before the crucifixion. He has repeatedly told them that He was about to leave them; and He has also instructed them several times in these three chapters about the coming of the Comforter, the Holy Ghost of God. In verse thirty the disciples make a bold declaration of their faith, and in the verse above (32) Jesus tells them that when He is taken away for crucifixion the disciples will scatter, leaving Him alone. However, He tells them that He is not really alone, because the Father is always with Him. The Father will endure with Him the darkest time of His earthly life.
Have you ever felt that you were all alone and that nobody cared about what you were going through? God cares, and God shares your pain and sorrows with you. If you are a child of God, born again through faith in His Son, you have the Holy Ghost of God that Jesus told us about in these chapters in you and with you. He is there all the time. Have you talked to Him today? Have you acknowledged His presence? Have you yielded to His will? I think the reason why most of us feel so alone at times is because we have failed to fully appreciate and develop our relationship with the indwelling Spirit of God, which then causes us to become over-dependent upon the approval of men. Think about it. If we could learn to live daily with the realization of the presence of God in every aspect of our lives, why we be so concerned about what people think? Yet, we are constantly pushed and pulled by the whims of men.
One of the central truths of the Christian faith is the presence of the Holy Ghost of God in the life of every believer, all of the time. We must learn to cultivate that relationship until the reality of that presence becomes very real to us. Speak to the Holy Ghost constantly, acknowledging Him. Ask for His help in understanding the Scriptures. Ask for His guidance and direction with decisions you need to make in life. Look to Him for comfort before running to another human. It may seem weird at first, but as you put these things into practice, it will become more natural and He will become more real to you.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from John by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Servant Leadership
Today’s Passage – John 12 & 13
If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. (John 13:14)
When I was in Bible College, I worked for Super One Foods, a supermarket chain that operated in the Ark-La-Tex area. They had a philosophy for management that was not common for many companies that I had been associated with before. They believed that the managers should work alongside of the employees, instead of just directing them. I was eventually promoted to a grocery department manager, which basically meant that I was the overseer of the night stockers. In order to get that position I had to demonstrate that I could stock as well or better than the other men on the night crew. Once I received the promotion, I still had to stock along with the crew as much as I could. There was nothing that I expected them to do that I was not willing to do myself.
Jesus taught and lived servant leadership. He did not separate Himself from His disciples, except when He was praying privately with His Father. He lived with them, ate with them, ministered with them; and most importantly, He served them. Here in this passage, He is washing their feet. It is interesting that none of the disciples thought about washing each other’s feet. The water was there, the towel was there, and the need was there; yet only the Lord had enough humility to get down on His knees and clean off the filth from the world that had accumulated on them.
I wonder, how many of God’s servants today are truly servants. Both words, minister and deacon, have as their primary meaning the idea of serving others. There are too many preachers out there that want to be ministered to, instead of ministering to others. Every once in a while I hear about preachers that have a list of demands that must be met in order for him to come and minister to a church. The list might include first class flights, a certain brand of hotel, minimum amount of love offering, etc. Now I am certainly not opposed to giving “double honor” to the men that come to preach for us; but I can’t in my wildest imagination think that Jesus or Paul would have such a list of demands. We need to get back to serving people. All kinds of people: rich ones and poor ones; educated ones and ignorant ones; all cultures; all races; even the ones with very dirty feet.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from John by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
The Door
Today’s Passage – John 10 & 11
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:9 & 10)
Almost twenty-one years ago I walked through a door that radically changed the course of the rest of my life. I should back up a little and tell you that for some time prior to this I had been thinking about God and eternity. I know now that God was drawing me in. At any rate, for about a month I had been secretly listening to Christian radio in between deliveries as I drove my truck for my Dad’s candy business. I was certainly conscious and convicted about my sin, but I just wasn’t sure what to do about it. One of the preachers invited me to go through the Door, and I received the Lord Jesus as my Saviour. I had tried many other doors in life prior to going through this One, but none of them took me to the abundant life that this Door lead me to.
My life has never been the same since. Christ not only saved me and gave me eternal life with Him in Heaven when I die; but also provided a means for me to have an abundant life here on the earth; a life that is productive and fruitful. However, in order to maintain that abundant life, I need to keep going through the door, daily. Eternal life is a one time decision, but having an abundant life here on earth is decided every day. We must daily yield to the indwelling Holy Spirit of God, submitting ourselves to God’s Word and will for our lives. I have been saved for a long time now, but unfortunately I have not always practiced what I just preached to you. I have strayed away at times from God’s perfect plan, and during those times that abundant life eluded me. But I have tasted enough of the abundant life to have developed a strong desire for it, and when I do stray I quickly try to get back on track. No doubt there are many of you also that know what the abundant life feels like, yet you have somehow let it slip away from you. The solution is really simple, go back through the Door.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from John by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Believe It – He’s The Great I AM
Today’s Passage – John 8 & 9
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. (John 8:58)
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12)
I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me. (John 8:18)
And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. (John 8:23)
I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. (John 8:24)
Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. (John 8:28)
And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. (Exodus 3:14)
This is one of my favorite passages of Scriptures in the entire Bible. I just love when Jesus tangles with the religious leaders. They never seem to get it. Here in this passage is really the bottom line of Christianity: you either believe that Jesus is God or you do not. The Pharisees certainly did not. They accused Him of being a Samaritan and “born of fornication”. They said He had a devil. They claimed that because He grew up in Galilee that He was disqualified. I guess they didn’t bother to check where He was born because if they did they would have found that His birthplace was Bethlehem. Everything in the Scriptures completely pointed to Jesus being the true Messiah.
The thing that really amazes me about this passage though are all of the I am statements made by the Lord in this dialogue. There is no doubt here that Jesus was making a bold declaration as to Who He is. He is God. Remember when Moses asked God His name in Exodus 3. God said to tell the people that “I AM THAT I AM hath sent [him]”. Jesus uses that little phrase, I am, at least a half a dozen times in this passage alone. The best being verse 58 where He attests that He pre-existed Abraham. That really “hair-lipped” the Pharisees. They took up stones to stone Him. Why? Because they knew that He was claiming to be God.
You can tell me that you do not believe the Bible, and I will accept that; but you cannot say that the Bible does not teach very plainly that Jesus is the Great I AM, that Jesus is God. And you cannot claim that Jesus did not claim deity for Himself. The record is crystal clear. You either believe it or you don’t. And until you put your faith in Jesus, the Great I AM, you will also remain in your sins.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from John by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.