Post #45 The Doctrine of God - How the Trinity Anchored Practices And Preaching In The Book of Acts

Introduction:

    As we continue our Biblical survey of the doctrine of God and the doctrine of the Trinity, we come to the Book of Acts. A pattern we find common in the Bible pertaining to God's revelation of Himself is the cycle of God's works, followed by the revelation of His ways. 

    In Genesis, we see God create - His work. Then we see the exposition or revelation of the way in which He did the work (hence Genesis 1-2). This cycle of God's work, then "ways of revelation", is repeated progressively throughout the Bible. God acted in history, followed by a codifying all He did in creation, providence, and redemption, though means of the Divine inspiration of Scripture. Scripture does not merely witness to what God did, it is the revelation of all He achieved. The entire Old Testament is a testimony of God's work of creation, providence, and redemption, followed up by the ways of His revelation put into writing via the prophets.

    The time between the Old and New Testaments, known in the technical literature as "the second temple era" or the "intertestamental period" witnesses a temporary cessation of this cycle of "God acting, followed by revelation" for four hundred years. We could say that the Jews spent four centuries reflecting upon the revelation they had received through the 39 books of Genesis to Malachi. 

    It is then that the Son of God is incarnated in history as the man Jesus Christ. Once Christ arrives in history through His incarnation, the cycle resumes. Jesus came as the decisive revelation of God in the flesh. He came to work the final work of redemption here on earth, and then to ascend after His resurrection to do His work as Mediator in the Heavens (see Hebrews 10:19-25). The Gospels, Acts, Epistles, and John's Apocalypse serve as the final body of revelatory literature, disclosing God's ways through the incarnate Son of God and the ongoing work of the Spirit. The New Testament, along with the Hebrew Bible or "Old Testament", completes God's written revelation of His acts in creation, providence, and redemption, as well as predicting what will be Christ's return and consummation of the ages. 

The Triune God in the practices and preaching of the Christians in the Book of Acts

    The reader may notice in my introductory comments above how embedded the doctrine of the Trinity is in the fabric of Scripture. We've witnessed the Old Testament's setting the stage for this doctrine. No doubt Jesus spoke time and again about His own relationship with the Father. He further elaborated on His promise of the Holy Spirit. These two-sets of truths show how all three Persons of the Trinity worked together as One God in the drama of redemption accomplished in the four Gospel accounts. But what about the Book of Acts, and the remainder of the New Testament for that matter? 

    The 19th century theologian B.B. Warfield wrote a wonderful article on the Doctrine of the Trinity in His volume "Biblical and Theological Studies", an essay that readers can access in the online "International Standard Bible Encyclopedia" here Trinity, 1 - International Standard Bible Encyclopedia.. What Warfield has to say is relevant to our posting today,

    "The relation of the two Testaments to this revelation is in the one case that of preparation for it, and in the other that of product of it. The revelation itself is embodied just in Christ and the Holy Spirit. This is as much as to say that the revelation of the Trinity was incidental to, and the inevitable effect of, the accomplishment of redemption. It was in the coming of the Son of God in the likeness of sinful flesh to offer Himself a sacrifice for sin; and in the coming of the Holy Spirit to convict the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment, that the Trinity of Persons in the Unity of the Godhead was once for all revealed to men." 

    When you consider the practices of the early church as demonstrating their consciousness of the Triune character of the God of the Bible, one can begin with the practice of Baptism. Jesus gave the church the practice of Baptism as one of two ordinances or commands. In Matthew 28:19-20 we find Him commanding the disciples to go into all the world and make disciples of all the nations, teaching them, and then "baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit". 

    When we come to Acts 2:41, 8:12, and other places in Acts of the Apostles, we see Christian converts being baptized in the name of Jesus. This isn't a denial of the Trinity in the Baptismal formula. If anything, to be baptized in the name of Jesus was still affirming the plurality of persons in the Godhead, since public identification with all that was entailed in public confession of Jesus was resident in His name (The true deity, co-equality of the Son with the Father, plus He and the Father's promised sending of the Holy Spirit). 

    No doubt the practice of worship, prayer, and preaching in the Book of Acts showed how central the Trinity was in the Christians' minds. For instance, Peter's inaugural sermon on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 explains the event of Pentecost by reference to all three Persons of the Trinity. In Acts 2:17, reference is made to the Father's sending of the Spirit, wherein Peter quotes the prophet Joel "God says 'I will pour forth my Spirit'". Peter later in the sermon mentions all three Persons of the Trinity in Acts 2:33

"Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear."

    Throughout the Book of Acts you'll encounter roughly twenty sermons, half of which center upon the Resurrection of Jesus. In one of the Apostle Peter's sermons, we find him mentioning the Trinity in Acts 10:38

"You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him." 

    The Apostle Paul's preaching is also recorded in the Book of Acts, referencing language that points us to the Trinity. One example is found in Acts 13:33, where Paul quotes Psalm 2:7, a passage that depicts the eternal Son of God and the Father in an inter-Trinitarian dialogue,

"that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘You are My Son; today I have begotten You.’"

    Like I said, there are roughly twenty sermons in the Book of Acts, most of which have woven within them a Trinitarian understanding of God's acts and revelation of Himself. 

    I only need to mention a couple other examples of practices of the early Christians to round out our study today.

1. The Lord's Supper.

    In addition to Baptism, Jesus had given one other command or ordinance to His church, the Lord's Table. In Acts 2:46 we read of how the early Christians were "breaking bread" from house-to-house. It is most likely this was reference to eating of meals together, however we could also include that they observed the Lord's Supper as a church gathered together. 

    The text states they continued in the Apostle's teaching. What was it that the Apostles had taught? In context, Peter had expounded to those gathered on the Day of Pentecost of the promised Holy Spirit, and how He came as a consequence of the ascension of Christ, as promised by the Father (see Acts 2:1-37 for the whole sermon preached by Peter). 

    The Lord's Supper, initiated by Jesus on the Eve of His crucifixion, represented not only His accomplished work of redemption, but also the body of believers. The three-thousand people saved that day were summarily baptized and had occasion to celebrate the Lord's Supper and other acts of fellowship with one another (Acts 2:42-47). No doubt the Trinity informed these practices of the early Christians.

2. Church Discipline.

    Jesus first taught about church discipline in Matthew 18. He expounded what I call "The Great Concern", namely the concern over the holiness of believers in what would be the forthcoming Church birthed on the Day of Pentecost. Accountability is so important in the Christian-life. The local church is designed by God to be a community in which Christians urge one another onto love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:23-25). 

    In Acts 5:3-5 we see the harrowing episode of the deceit of Ananias and Sapphira, a married couple who pretended to sell property to give to the church, while lying about how they secretly held back some of the proceeds for themselves. The Apostle Peter  publicly confronted them. In the passage, we find one of the strongest passages concerning the Personality and Deity of the Holy Spirit,

"But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” 5 And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it." 

    We see in verse three above that this couple had lied to the Holy Spirit. Then in the next verse, Peter tells them they have lied to God. The Lord disciplined these two by way of physically taking their life! This was what the Apostle John would later refer to as "the sin unto death" (1 John 5:16-17). 

    The deity and Personality of the Holy Spirit follows from the doctrine of the Trinity, since the one divine nature is equally and wholly in the Father, in the Son, and in the Holy Spirit. What is remarkable here is that the early Christians, Jews by background, would have had no problem affirming the deity of the Spirit of God, since He is mentioned as God in the Hebrew Bible (as early as Genesis 1:2, and most robustly Psalm 104:30, Isaiah 63:10, plus several other places). To mention one of the of the Divine Persons is to automatically include the other two. Even in this traumatic scene, the Triune God was deeply embedded in the spiritual life of the early Christians - Peter most notably.

Closing thoughts

    Today we looked at how we see the doctrine of the Trinity shaping the preaching and practices of the early church in the Book of Acts. Although I've given only a sampling of the full scope of references for sake of space, the reader ought to perceive how much the doctrine of the Trinity factored into the Church's understanding of itself. This ought to also demonstrate that the doctrine of the Trinity is not just a speculative doctrine, but highly practical in helping the Christ-follower and the Bible believing church to remain faithful to the Biblical revelation of the Triune God.  

The Holy Spirit's Identity And Ministries In Luke And Acts

Luke 1:15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb.

Introduction:

Today's post is aimed at introducing the reader to Luke's Gospel and his second volume, the Book of Acts, regarding what He has to write about the Person and work of the Holy Spirit. The Person and work of the Holy Spirit is among my favorite subjects to study in God's Word. The inevitable outcome of studying the Person and work of the Holy Spirit is that of focusing upon the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. To enter into this rich truth requires the aid of Biblical authors that expound upon the Spirit's ministry and identity - especially His work within the arena of the New Testament. No other writer in either Old or New Testament writes as much about the Holy Spirit's working as the Holy Ghost as does Luke (over 50 references in all!) 

To keep today's post at a readable length, I will give the reader headings with accompanying scripture from Luke and Acts that refer to the Holy Spirit. May the reader find these to be encouraging, informative and insightful to the glory of Jesus Christ!

1. Filling of the Holy Spirit.

In events or persons associated with the life of Christ: Luke 1:15,17,35,41; 2:25; 3:32; 4:1

In the life of the church: Acts 6:3,5,11:24; 13:52

2. Conception

In the humanity of Christ: Luke 1:35

The believer's New birth: Acts 2:33,38; 8:15,17,19; 10:45-47; 19:2

3. Leading/prompting

In Jesus' life: Luke 2:27,27

In the church's life: Acts 1:2; 8:29; 11:12; 13:2,4; 15:28; 16:6; 19:21; 20:22,23; 21:4

4. Baptism

Jesus' baptism: Luke 3:16

Spirit's baptism (to inaugurate New Covenant church) promised on the day of Pentecost by Jesus: Acts 1:5

5. Anointing of the Spirit

Jesus' anointing: Luke 4:18; 10:21; 12:12

Anointing of the Holy Spirit in the church: Acts 1:8; 4:8,31; 5:32; 6:10; 11:28; 13:9; 20:28; 21:11; 28:28

6. Warnings of blaspheming the Holy Spirit

Jesus' warnings: Luke 12:10

Possible blaspheming by individuals: Acts 8:9-24

7. The Person of the Holy Spirit is God

Jesus says the Spirit to be fully Divine: Luke 12:10

The Holy Spirit is explicitly equated to be fully Divine: Acts 5:3,4,9

Revival Sermon: Revive And Refresh Us - Pastor Mark Dooley Acts 3:19-20

Acts 3:19-20 "Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; 20 and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you."

Introduction:

Today's post will feature another post from guest blogger and a dear pastor friend of mine: Pastor Mark Dooley. Pastor Mark and I have had a wonderful friendship in both life and ministry since 2001. Recently Pastor Mark came and preached a series of revival messages at the church where I pastor. He pastors Leonardtown Baptist Church in Leonardtown, MD. I offer these sermons to the wider readership of this blog and pray that all who read them will be blessed and revived in their faith as I was in getting to hear them.

Sermon: Revive Us And Refresh Us, preached at New Hope Baptist Church, Watertown, New York
Tuesday Night 10/4/17
by Pastor Mark Dooley

Introduction:

What’s the most refreshing thing you can think of?  For some of you, perhaps it’s a coke (or soda, or pop, depending on what part of the country you’re from).  For others, when you’ve been working hard and perspiring profusely, a nice tall glass of iced tea is just the ticket.  Still for others, there’s nothing like cool refreshing water to invigorate you.  In fact, water is refreshing in more ways than one.  You can drink it and be refreshed, but you can also bathe in it or swim in it and be refreshed.

There are other things in life that are refreshing.  Laughter’s refreshing.  There’s nothing like a good belly laugh to keep you going.  Singing can refresh you.  How about an activity like fishing?  Jesus did it, so it must be pretty important, right?  Or perhaps some of the women are thinking that going shopping can be refreshing!  Sometimes, just good hard labor is actually refreshing – especially if you sit behind a desk or at a computer much of the time.  That’s true for me, and I’ve found that going home, getting on my riding lawnmower, and mowing the yard, then going and pulling weeds in my garden is actually very refreshing.

Well, of all the refreshing experiences we can find, nothing can compare to the renewal of the mind and spirit that’s found in the presence of God.  That’s what we’re going to consider tonight.  Tonight’s message is quite simple:  We can be continually refreshed, if we will live in right relationship with God.  But how does a right relationship with God affect our lives?  I want us to consider a few thoughts from our passage that will show us how a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ can bring refreshing to our souls.  Let me build this message tonight around three words.

1. The first word is Repent.  

We must turn away from sin if we are to experience God’s refreshing.  The first word of verse 19 is, “Repent.”  To repent means more than to feel sorry for the bad things we’ve said or done. The idea of repentance includes remorse, but it also involves turning away from that which is offensive to God.  It involves more than just an emotional response, but also moves the will into action.  

True repentance results in change.  It’s often pictured by the guard who marches in from of Buckingham Palace in London, or goes back and forth at the tomb of the unknown soldier here in our own country.  I’ve been privileged to be at the tomb of the unknown soldier.  If you ever get to go to Arlington National cemetery and see that, make sure you do it.  The guard marches, taking 21 steps, an allusion to the 21-gun salute, which is the highest honor given to somebody in the military.  Then, the guard stops and does a complete 180-degree turn, and goes in the opposite direction.  

THAT is a picture of what true repentance is.  It’s going in the opposite direction.  The only problem with the soldier is that eventually he takes 21 more steps and then turns and goes back in the same direction he was going earlier.  Biblical repentance though means to turn away completely from sin, never to return to it.

When Peter preached to the crowd on the Day of Pentecost, here was their response in Acts 2:37: “Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?’”  The answer Peter gave them was “Repent” (Acts 2:38).  Repentance is a call to action.  It is a call to do something; to change the way you’re living.  

All too often we want the benefit of salvation without the burden or requirement that goes along with it.  Repentance is that requirement.

If there are men here who are struggling with pornography, you need to repent.  That means you turn away from it.  Stop the behavior.  Put whatever safeguards you need to put in place to ensure that it stays out of your life.  Even if it means doing something drastic like getting rid of your computer, going back to a dumb phone instead of a smart phone, then true repentance means you’re willing to do that.  If there are women here who are flirting with another man at the office thinking it’s all innocent fun, it’s not.  You need to repent.  That means you stop that behavior immediately, even if it means cutting off all contact with that person or even taking the drastic step of quitting your job.

Why do I recommend being willing to take drastic action if that’s what it takes?  Well, it’s because when unrepentant sin is left unchecked it will inevitably eventually result if much worse pain than the difficulty of the drastic action.  When John the Baptist came preaching repentance, he didn’t cut anybody any slack, but he told everyone within earshot to bear fruit that was worthy of repentance.  In other words, be willing to change the way you live, and God will forgive you and help you.  

Let the repentance you proclaim be evidenced by the life you lead was John’s basic message.

This wasn’t just John’s message either.  Jesus said in Luke 13:3, “unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”  Repentance is not an optional add on for the believer.  You know what I mean by an optional add on, right?  You get a new cell phone and you get the opportunity to “add on” all kinds of additional services.  Parental controls?  No problem, we can add them on.  Unlimited international calling?  Yes, we can add that on.  Alert notifications?  That’s another add on that’s available.  All of these add on features come at an additional price, of course.

Repentance, however, is not something you add on for an additional cost.  It is part and parcel of true salvation.  Without true and genuine repentance, we will perish.  Sometimes I believe we forget too quickly that Jesus is Lord of the universe.  Too often we all too easily dismiss His word to us.  Instead, we need to repent of our disobedience and be quick to say, “Yes, Lord, I will do whatever You ask me to do.”

If we’ll become quick to listen and quick to obey the Lord, we’ll find times of refreshing in our lives.  All disobedience is sin.  We should repent and turn away from the sin we’ve allowed into our lives, and the times of refreshing will begin to flow into our lives like cool refreshing water.

But in addition to turning away from sin, we must also turn toward our heavenly Father.  It’s impossible to turn towards sin and towards God at the same time.  So, we turn away from sin, but we also turn to God.  

2. This leads us to our second word tonight:  Return.

It is turning to God that brings true refreshing.  Verse 19 also says we must “Return.”  When there’s sin in our lives, we don’t want to face the Lord.  We don’t want to be in church or talk about spiritual things with others because we know that all is not right.  We often become like Adam and Eve in the Garden.  We try to hide from God, because we don’t want to face the consequences of our actions.  

However, may I remind you that God always knows what’s up?  The longer we refuse to turn to God, the longer we’ll wallow in the sense of guilt and failure.

We’ve been looking at the Psalms primarily in our first three messages so far, this week.  The Psalms are filled with the language of intimacy, in which the Psalmist asks to Lord to look on him favorably, or to make His face shine upon him.  Now, let’s be clear about one thing: God loves us beyond what we can comprehend.  Even when we fail and sin against Him, He still loves us.  

This is what grace is all about.

However, God is not only a God of grace, but He is one of justice as well.  He is holy, and He is righteous.  He will not smile upon us when we sin against Him.  The Bible tells us that the Lord disciplines those whom He loves.  So, if we refuse to turn to God, we can expect some loving discipline to come our way.  Perhaps you’ve heard the saying: “God loves me just the way I am, but too much to let me stay that way.”  There is truth in that statement.  

God’s work in our lives is always for the better.  At times, we may not feel like doing better or turning to God, but He has a way of drawing us back to Himself.  When God is at work in our lives bringing conviction to us, the only proper response is to return.

It is when we turn our hearts toward God, that we’ll also experience times of refreshing in His presence.  There’s nothing as refreshing as making things right with our Creator.  Why is that?  It is because we were created to have unbroken fellowship with Him.  

That was what was so tragic about the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden.  It wasn’t just that they disobeyed God (which in and of itself is bad enough).  But even more tragic was that their fellowship with God was broken.

This is a huge misunderstanding that many believers have today.  They think that their sin ruins their relationship with God and cuts them off from Him.  When we belong to the Lord, we are eternally secure in Him.  Think about it this way – does God do anything that’s not perfect?  Of course He doesn’t.  

That means that the salvation He gives us when we trust Christ is perfect.  Salvation that can be lost isn’t perfect salvation; it’s only partial salvation, at best.  So sin may cause us to lose our fellowship with God, but it will never cause us to lose our relationship with Him.

We were created to have fellowship with God, talking to and listening to Him.  When we are in fellowship with the Lord, it is well with our soul.  We will find that we are refreshed in such times because we are doing what we were created to do, which is to live in harmony with God.

Now, along the same lines, Peter tells this crowd that if they will repent and return to God, then He will send His Messiah to them.  And this is really the heart of what Peter’s saying.  How does a person turn to God?  People turn to God by turning to Jesus, and having a close relationship with Him. 

3. This leads us to the final word we need to consider tonight: Remain.

When we remain in Christ, we will experience seasons of refreshing.  Verse.20 says that God will send “Jesus, the Christ appointed for you.”  The NASB uses the term “may” here, but that’s not may as in “it’s possible, but not absolutely for sure.”  This is rather a word of certainty which is why the King James translation uses the phrase “he SHALL send.”  Jesus had already come and lived, died, and rose again at this point.  However, Peter tells them that in addition to the times of refreshing Jesus brings in the here and now, Jesus is going to come back again to restore things the way they’re supposed to be.

This has, I believe two implications.  First, there’s a future implication.  We must believe that Jesus is coming again.  Jesus is not just a good teacher who lived 2000 years ago and taught us some pretty cool truths to live by.  He’s the living Lord of all who, one day, will return to reign.  God WILL send Jesus.  Put the stress on that word from verse 20 for just a moment.  In this world, there are plenty of people who doubt the second coming.  The Apostle Peter describes such people when he says, “Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming?  For ever since the fathers feel asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation’” (2 Peter 3:3-4).  

The interesting thing is Peter was dealing with that in his day as well.  For 2000 years now, people have been denying the second coming.  We need to remain in the hope of His coming.  We need to know that God does not lie.  When He says the Messiah will one day return, the that means that one day, Jesus will come again.  Jesus Himself told a number of parables that are recorded in Luke’s gospel that talk about His coming, its apparent delay, but also its inevitability.  

People may mock and poke fun at those “silly Christians” who believe Jesus is coming again, but let me remind you that the world mocked and poked fun at Noah when he told them a flood was coming.  They laughed, that is, until the rains descended.  In the same way, people won’t be laughing any longer when Jesus comes again.  We need to remain in the belief that His word is true when it says He WILL send Jesus.

But besides this future implication, there’s also a present implication.  Verse 19b speaks of “times of refreshing” that “come from the presence of the Lord.”  The phrase “presence of the Lord” is literally “the face of the Lord” in Greek.  As one commentator put it, “All joy is pure from the face of the Lord, when He regards us with a look of mercy.”

Folks, if we want to experience revival, we not only need to repent and return, but we need to remain as well.  We need to abide in Christ.  Jesus said, “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me.  I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5).

What does it mean to abide in Christ, to remain in Him?  It means we are daily spending time with Him.  Are you daily reading from the Word?  Do you have a regular plan by which you read the Bible and study it?  What about prayer?  Do you regularly talk to God?  Our prayer life has to consist of more than meal time blessings and joining in with others at church when we corporately pray, if we are going to abide in Christ.  What about fellowship with the body?  Are you main associations with fellow believers, or is the only time you see other Christians when you come to church?  

The Scripture tells us that as “iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17).  Part of abiding in Christ is drawing strength from fellow believers and helping to encourage others in their walk as well.  We need to remain in Christ.

I read about a little girl who saved up her money for weeks and weeks.  She wanted to buy a pretty little plastic pearl necklace she had seen down at the store.  At last, she had enough money to buy the necklace.  She was so excited!  Her father took her down to the store so she could purchase the necklace of her dreams.  She brought it home and paraded around in it proudly. 

That night, when her father came in to kiss her goodnight, he asked her, “Becky, can I have your necklace?”  Little Becky looked at him with a frown and said, “No, Daddy. It’s my necklace.”  He just smiled and kissed her and said, “I love you, Sweetie. Good night.” 

The next night the same thing happened.  Becky’s father asked her if he could have her necklace, and her response was the same: “No, Daddy. I saved and saved and bought this with my own money.”  The father just kissed her and said, “I love you, Becky. Good night.” 

On the third night, when he came in to kiss her goodnight, Becky was sobbing, with big alligator tears streaming down her face.  She handed the necklace to her father and said, “Daddy, you can have it if you really want it.  I don’t need it anymore.”  Her father smiled and knelt down beside her and pulled her close for a great big Daddy hug. 

Then, he took her necklace and slipped it into his pocket.  As he did, his hand came out with a thin black box with a velvety cover.  He opened it and held it out to her.  Her eyes got as big as saucers as she saw a string of real pearls shining back at her.  “Oh Daddy,” she said. “Thank you, thank you!  If I had known, I would have given you my necklace the first time you asked.”

So, what’s the point of that story?  Little Becky had a choice.  She could keep her cheap plastic pearls, or she could trust her father who wanted to give her the real thing.  What about you tonight?  Are you willing to let go of what seems so important to you?  If you will, I can assure you that God has something 1000 times more wonderful than what you’d be giving up.  Let go of your plastic pearls, and trust Him to give you something far more valuable.  

Maybe you’re holding onto some things in your life that are wrong.  The only way God can give you what He has for you is for you to be willing to let go of the old life.  As Peter said, “Turn away from sin.  Turn to God, and you will begin to experience times of refreshing in your life.”  Jesus will forgive you, and one day He will come back to this earth to give everyone the reward He has prepared for them.  

What have you been preparing for?  Life with Jesus for eternity, or just enjoying the here and now?  The Lord gives times of refreshing in the here and now, but He has so much more in store for us when He returns for us.  How about it?  Do you want plastic beads or beautiful pearls?

If you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus, I believe He’s been waiting to catch your attention.  He’s been involved in your life from before you were born.  Now, He’s brought you here tonight, and He’s asking you to make a choice.  Are you willing to let go of the old life and turn to God?  If we confess our sins, God will forgive us.  If we are willing to give up our way of doing things, God will show us His way of doing things, and He does all things well. He will give you a new heart, a new hope, a new life.  He will save those who are not saved, and He will revive and refresh those whose walk has grown cold.  How will you respond to Him today?

What The Spirit-Filled Christian Life Looks Like

Acts 11:22-24 "The news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch. 23 Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; 24 for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord."

Introduction: Rechargeable batteries and the Spirit-filled life

It is amazing how many batteries one can go through when raising young children.  Whenever the children were younger, they would come to my wife or me and inquire about batteries. We would make sure we had fresh ones - ready-to-go. Now-a-days, most in our family have various devices that need plugged in so as to get "recharged". The performance of electronic devices will degrade unless you plug them in for a periodic recharge. Having available power is important whether we are talking about children's toys, cell-phones or computers.

What ought to characterize the Christian throughout the remainder of their post-conversion life? The Spirit-filled life.

Just as in the illustration above, you and I as Christians - whether new to the faith or converted for years - continue to live life in this world. All Christians live life with the "batteries" of the Christian walk (commitment, obedience, love for God and others), needing  recharged.  God's people are not only called to live out a certain spiritual position or privilege, but also to walk forth in power. The Spirit-filled life can be likened to the repeated need to be recharged and influenced by the Spirit following one's conversion to saving faith. 

Meet a Spirit-filled man by the name of Barnabas

Acts 11:19-30 details the events the were still following from the persecution of Stephen the Martyr in Acts 7-8.  The early church in the Book of Acts had blossomed and grown despite the hardship and tribulations that she endured.  Acts 11:21 records a major development in regards to the progress of the church at Antioch - "And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord." These people were getting converted as a result of the Spirit's work through the preaching of the Gospel. But now with the people becoming new believers, what was going to be needed? How was this fledgling Christian movement in Antioch going to continue on from this point? Enter the man Barnabas and the key trait which he possessed - being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Acts 11:24, quoted at the beginning of today's post, records how Barnabas "....was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith."  In the remainder of time that we have I would like us to briefly consider what the rest of Acts 11 (particularly 11:23-25 and 30) has to teach us about the filling of the Spirit in regards to is characteristics.

Characteristics of the Spirit-filled life. Acts 11:23-25, 30

Notice the following characteristics of the Spirit-filled life:

1. Clear testimony  11:23a
2. Confident joy      11:23b
3. Consistent in Faith 11:24a
4. Kingdom fruit 11:24b
5. Counted reliable  11:30

Certainly there are other scriptures in the New Testament that bear out more examples and more traits. Barnabas is a great introduction to the Spirit-filled or Spirit-empowered life in terms of what it looks like, sounds like and acts like. Barnabas (whose name means "son of encouragement) was the type of Christian that was a joy to be around. The Spirit-filled Christian not only has enough "rechargable energy" for their own Christian walk but they operate in the "over-flow" of the Holy Spirit to the affecting of others.  

It is only apropos that in the very first place in the Bible that we find the term "Christian" that it should be attached to this idea of being "filled with the Holy Spirit." Just as the new birth or regenerative work of the Holy Spirit constitutes the epicenter of conversion; the filling or empowering ministry of the Holy Spirit occupies the center of the post-conversion Christian walk. 

The filling of the Spirit enables me to become in experience of my sanctification (i.e progressive Christian growth) whom God has legally declared me to be in justification in salvation. As we find Barnabas to be a grand example of this precious truth of the Spirit-filled life, may those who are Christians heed the admonition of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5:18 - to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Four Reasons Why Christianity Is More Reasonable Than Atheism & Secular Humanism: Considering Three Remaining Reasons

Acts 17:26-27 "and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us."

Introduction:

In the last post, we began exploring four reasons why Christian theism is more reasonable of a position than atheism or secular humanism. We first defined atheism, secular humanism and reasonability. We then observed that one can indeed be a rational person while "knowing God to be true". Other sorts of various arguments for God's existence can function as a second-type of ground for "showing Christianity to be true". In today's post, we will give three other reasons or arguments that "show" the God of Christianity, and belief in Him, as being far more reasonable of a worldview than atheism and secular humanism. 

Three more reasons why Christianity is more reasonable than Atheism and Secular Humanism

Reason #2: Biblical Christianity best explains the universe’s cause. Material causes cannot account for why there is something rather than nothing.

Evidences:

Most astronomers conclude the universe began to exist a finite time ago.

It is absurd to rely upon an infinite chain of material causes. Logical reasoning leads us to conclude that the cause of the universe was an immaterial, spaceless, timeless, unimaginably powerful, intelligent being – i.e God. A type of argument which uses observations from the universe to show that God exists is what we call a "cosmological argument". The one below is a simple and very effective type of cosmological argument called "The Kalaam Cosmological Argument" ("kalaam" is from a term meaning "learning").

Kalaam Cosmological Argument: 
A. Everything that begins to exist has a cause

B. The universe began to exist

C. Therefore, the universe has a cause

Biblical texts: Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 43:10-11; 1 Corinthians 8:6

Reason #3. Biblical Christianity best explains meaning, value and purpose in life. 

We not only live in a physical universe, but a moral one, containing universal moral values and duties. Human well-being is not a sufficient explanation for the reality of morality.

Evidences:
Answer this question: “Is it wrong to purposefully hurt little children?” “Is it right to fight injustice?” “Was the Holocaust wrong, even though the people doing it thought it was right?” You respond like you do because of there being universal right and wrong. Below is a sample of what we call "the moral argument for God's existence". 

Moral Argument:
A. If God does not exist, universal moral values and duties don’t exist

B. Universal moral values and duties exist

C. Therefore, God exists

Biblical texts: Ecclesiastes 12:13; Philippians 3:7-10

Reason # 4. The existence of the Biblical God best explains the facts surrounding the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. 

No other non-Christian explanation has sufficed to explain what took place on that first Easter morning. This particular argument gets us from a "generalized deity" to the specific God of Christianity (the only God there is). 

Evidence:
Naturalistic explanations (Jesus fainted in the tomb / Jesus faked His death / Disciples stole the body / His appearances were hallucinations / They got the wrong tomb) have consistently failed. Whenever there are no reasonable grounds for rejecting a superior explanation, that explanation is deemed: “beyond reasonable doubt”. The resurrection explanation alone reaches this gold standard. 

Argument:

A. There are four facts concerning Jesus resurrection agreed upon by most historians: His honorable burial / the discovery of the empty tomb / post-resurrection appearances to critics and followers / Disciples’ sudden switch from skepticism to faith 

B. The hypothesis that God raised Jesus from the dead best explains these facts

C. This hypothesis entails the Biblical God’s existence

D. Therefore, the Biblical God exists

Example Biblical Text: 1 Cor 15:1-6, 19-20

As can be seen in the above arguments, the case for showing that it is more reasonable to believe in the God of Christianity takes into consideration all the evidence (scientific evidence, moral intuitions and historical considerations). Such arguments are valuable in helping people to come to the point of saying there to be a high probability that Christianity is true. As we saw in the last post, there is an important distinction between "showing Christianity to be true" and "knowing Christianity to be true". Only the Person and work of the Holy Spirit in the explanation of the scriptures can take a person from "probably Christianity is true" to that of "Christianity is most certainly true". May these posts aid the reader in their quest for truth or helping others in their journey.

The Coming King through a mother's eyes

Acts 1:12-14 "Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. 13 When they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. 14 These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers."

Introduction:

The last couple of posts have been devoted to viewing key episodes of Jesus' life and ministry through the eyes of Mary. The particular focus has been upon He as King of Kings and Lord of Lords in His incarnation and crucifixion. We noted how she experienced Him as King through His incarnation and crucifixion. Today we take one final look at Mary. Acts 1:12-14 represents the final time we see Mary in the Bible. The simple report of her gathered in the upper room with the other disciples communicates her profound and yet minimal role in the sweeping redemptive drama of Jesus' life and achievements.

When we say Mary's role was profound, we speak of her part in being the vessel of Christ's humanity. In His hypostatic union, whereby the humanity of Mary's DNA was conjoined to His Person as the truly Divine Son, we find the miracle of the virgin birth/conception (Matthew 1:21-23; Luke 1:35; Galatians 4:4). When we say at the same time that Mary's role was minimal, we mean that it was Christ alone who did the miracles and bore the wrath of God on the cross apart from her. Mary's role is to point to Christ. Thus we can use her view of Him to guide our thoughts to His actions on our behalf. 

In today's post we find Mary gathered in the upper room with the disciples. Why? The risen Christ had told His disciples that they were to tarry and wait until the promised Holy Spirit would come (Acts 1:8). Jesus had taught prior to His crucifixion that He would send another comforter (John 14:17, 26-27; 15:26; 16:8-12). His repeating of this promise in His post-resurrection appearances signified how He would tangibly prove that His ascension into heaven was completed. Thus, the events of Pentecost in Acts 2 confirmed that Jesus had indeed begun His inaugural reign upon His throne over His church, a point spelled out by the Apostle Peter in Acts 2:32-36. 

Now why labor over these details? Because what Mary was doing in her actions was identifying the fact that the One whom she experience in her womb as an incarnate infant and whom she saw crucified was no less than the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. His ascension into heaven began a sequence of events that would lead her to complete the full circuit of her faith to see Him as the coming King by faith. 

Now we know that Jesus, Who is ascended and exalted at the Father's right hand (Philippians 2:5-11) will return to this world. His role as King of Kings and Lord of Lords will be revealed fully when He returns. Revelation 19:11-16 states: "And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. 16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

What Mary's actions model for us is the importance of watching and waiting. We watch for the King to act. We wait. She was awaiting the coming Holy Spirit. He came. We Christians, having the promised Holy Spirit, wait for Jesus to return. He will come to take us up to be with Him (rapture of the church, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-16). Then, (seven years after His taking us up), He will descend fully and complete to this earth to begin the physical manifestation of His earthly reign. It is exciting to think about that like Mary, we behold our King through eyes of faith. What is now faith will be made sight. Would it be that we watch and wait. The King of Kings, and Lord of Lords is coming soon!

ABC's of discerning God's will

Acts 16:6 "They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; 7 and after they came toMysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and theSpirit of Jesus did not permit them."

Acts 18:19-21 "They came to Ephesus, and he left them there. Now he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to stay for a longer time, he did not consent, 21 buttaking leave of them and saying, “I will return to you again if God wills,” he set sail from Ephesus."

Introduction

In today's post we consider what is entailed in discerning God's will in everyday life. For ease of study, I will have each main point begin with a subsequent letter of the alphabet, hence the title of this series: "ABC's of discerning God's will". 

In the opening text we find the Apostle Paul being hindered by the Holy Spirit from entering into the region of Asia Minor (Ephesus, Mysia). Why would God prevent this great missionary from sharing the Gospel in that land at that time? We discover in Acts 16-17 that God had a mission for Paul to achieve first - namely going over to the region of Macedonia. The fruits of Paul's Macedonian mission can be seen in the letters he wrote to the churches in that region: Philippi, Thessalonica and Corinth. We then find after Paul had completed his assignment, the Lord had lifted the restraints and Paul was then permitted to freely enter into Ephesus.

How is it that Paul was able to discern the Spirit's leadings and promptings? I would suggest that God's way of leading His people entails a combination of interior promptings, circumstances, people and of course the objective, infallibe Word of God. We will list four major components in discerning God's Will. Notice the following ABC's of discerning God's Will:

Active obedience.  You and I dear friend cannot expect to detect God's leading and promptings if we are operating outside the known will of God. Paul was obeying God in his work of spreading the Gospel. Obedience to Christ's Lordship positions us in ready mode for sensing God's direction. 

Bible. It is impossible to hear God and know His will apart from the Bible. The Bible was revealed by God for the sake of "us and our children" (Deuteronomy 29:29). God's Word is the objective standard by which all the other methods of discerning God's will are evaluated.

Circumstances. How often do we take the time to "read" our circumstances. God is creative in the ways He guides His people. Circumstances are a big indicator of what God is doing in our lives. Certainly Paul had to read his circumstances and make an informed decision. He had Divine guidance from God for sure, but the circumstances acted as a secondary method of confirming that he and his companions had to go one way, rather than another.

Divine Promptings. This refers to the internal leadings of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Person of the Godhead Who indwells us and is fully God. He speaks to us from the moment of the newbirth/conversion (Romans 8:14-16). By the scriptures the Holy Spirit inside our human spirit delivers insights and illumination (1 Corinthians 2:10-13). The Holy Spirit is the One who provides warrant or justified reasons for why we believe we are saved, Jesus is Lord and the Bible is true (1 Corinthians 12:1-3; 12:12; Galatians 4:6; 1 John 2:20,27).

All four of these elements are evident in Paul's missionary journeys here in Acts. As we noted already, he was actively obeying God (Acts 16:10). Paul had a Divine word from God, which would be tantamount to our scriptures, since he did not have a completed New Testament at that point (Acts 10:10). Paul discerned from the circumstances that he could not go into Ephesus, concluding that the Spirit was not leading them there (Acts 16:6-7). Later on of course Paul was able to go into Ephesus, recognizing that God's will was involved (Acts 18:19-21). Then we find Divine promptings at work, as demonstrated in the cited texts and by the presence of the Holy Spirit through the passages. 

So as you and I live our lives for the Lord today, let's aim to do His will. Let's be actively obedient. Let's consult the Bible in our decision making. Let's be mindful of our circumstances. Then finally, let's be listening for what could be Divine promptings from the Holy Spirit. 

A,B,C's for Christian apologetics & evangelism - Acts 17:22-34

Acts 17:22-24 "So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. 23 For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you."

Introduction

When we communicate the truth claims of the Christian faith to non-believers, what strategy ought we to use? In one sense it helps to have several different methods of doing apologetics (that is, giving answers as to the hope we have in Jesus Christ - 1 Peter 3:15). Certainly the different types of people we encounter will respond to different methods of presentation. With that said, it does help on the other hand to have at least one standard way of presenting a reasonable defense of Christianity that can be flexible to the needs of the moment. When we consider Paul's presentation of Christian theism before the pagan philosophers in Athens, we find what appears to be one such strategy. 

Such a strategy for presenting the truth claims of Christianity has been deemed "classical apologetics" due to it's early roots reaching back to the second century and earlier. Those living after the apostles had adopted strategies for defending the Christian faith against skeptics of their time. Undoubtedly the seeds for many of the arguments for God's existence and apologetic for Jesus' resurrection popularized by both ancient and contemporary apologists can be traced to such episodes as Paul's dialogue here in Acts 17. 

To better guide our thinking through this text, I will lay out in alphabetical order a strategy for presenting the truth claims of Christianity. The thoughts below are not meant to be exhaustive, but more so representative of what could be the beginnings of a strategy for defending the faith. Under each heading I will briefly summarize the portion of scripture and then provide a sample arguments that have been gleaned from one of the leading apologists of our day: Dr. William Lane Craig and his ministry - Reasonable Faith. 

1. Almighty Creator of the universe is God. Acts 17:22-29

After making some opening remarks in his address, Paul zeros in on a particular altar in Athens that inscribed these words: "To An Unknown GOD". In contrast to the pagan doctrines of the day, Paul asserts a strong Biblical belief in the One true Almighty Creator. He notes first of all that God and God alone is the origin of the universe and all things in Acts 17:24a. Second, Paul notes that this God is immaterial and eternal in contrast to the pagan deities who were believed to be material and localized (Acts 17:24b). Thirdly, Paul notes how the God of Christianity and Judaism is by nature non-dependent upon the universe, and thus the universe and life are truly dependent upon Him (Acts 17:25). Then fourthly, Paul describes how this all-powerful, eternal, immaterial and self-sufficient God is all-knowing and possessing free-will, since He ordains times and seasons and places where men live (Acts 17:26-29). 

These attributes of God correspond to what apologists call the cosmological arguments for God's existence - meaning that from observations of the universe and life, one can infer God's existence. A contemporary example of such an argument is what has been deemed "The Kalam cosmological argument":

a. Everything that begins to exist has a cause

b. The universe began to exist

c. Therefore, the universe has a cause for its existence. 

2. Basis of objective morality is God. Acts 17:30-31a

Paul then moves from demonstrating God's existence from observations of the physical universe and life (i.e cosmological arguments) to the realm of objective morality. It is one thing to speak about what "is" and quite another to discuss what "ought" to be. How are we obligated to live good, moral lives? Why ought we be moral people? Are standards of right and wrong a matter of personal preference, determined by a given culture or do such values operate independently of what you and I may say or not say? 

Paul makes mention of such moral concepts as sin and justice. To repent means to change one's mind about sin, which is to say, to turn away from that which is wrong and evil and detrimental to one's own spiritual and moral condition. Paul's mention of a final judgment indicates that there is a set of objective, universal moral standards by which all human beings are measured. Paul's point is that moral laws require a transcendent moral law-giver. 

This type of argument for God's existence from objective moral values and duties is perhaps the most effective sort of argument in today's culture. Modern apologists like C.S Lewis center's his arguments against atheism in his book "Mere Christianity" through appeal to a moral argument for God's existence. As Lewis notes, one cannot know what a crooked line is unless there is a straight line by which to judge it. A sample moral argument for God's existence is given below:

a. If God does not exist, objective moral values and duties don't exist

b. Objective moral values and duties exist

c. Therefore, God exist

3. Christ's resurrection from the dead. Acts 17:31b

In presenting to the Athenian philosophers a general Judaistic theism (i.e belief in God), Paul then narrows his focus on demonstrating the truth claims of Christian theism. He identifies the God of creation and morality as having been decisively revealed in the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. As Dr. Craig has often noted in his debates with skeptics of the resurrection, the following four facts, widely acknowledged by N.T scholars of all stripes, must be explained:

a. The burial of Jesus by Joseph of Arimathea

b. The discovery of Jesus' empty tomb by Jesus' closest followers who were women and men

c. The subsequent appearances of Jesus to his disciples

d. The emergence of the robust faith of the early church 

The ancient pagan audience of Paul's day had no concept of resurrection in their thinking. Furthermore, by specifically mentioning the resurrection of Jesus, Paul brings his closing argument from the realm of the abstract to the concrete in preparation for a personal response to his message.

4. Deciding whether you believe or reject these truth claims. Acts 17:32-24

Paul's time in Athens ends with a response of both astonishment and acceptance. The first group responded with mockery. Within that first group, there were others who exhibited an openness, but nothing more. The second group consisted of some who not only accepted Paul's message, but "joined him and believed". This would had been unheard of in the ancient culture of Athens. To leave such a prominent guild as the Areopagus meant leaving behind prestige and the everything that one knew. It would be likened to a new Christian leaving behind a tenured professorship or risking ridicule at work or at school for the sake of following Christ. 

The work of apologetics aims to mesh with evangelism in pressing the demands of the Gospel on the hearer to "repent, believe and be saved". We pray that for all who hear us, that the Holy Spirit would attend our arguments, sermons, lessons and conversations so as to result in that person placing their faith and trust in Jesus Christ .