Loving your children (audio lesson).

Acts 4:13 “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled.  And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”

I don’t like to do laundry. I have no clue why I feel this way. I have pondered any possible childhood laundry-trauma, but I cannot recall one. My recollection is of my mother, who raised six children, constantly washing, drying, folding, and putting away laundry while singing praises to God and praying for each child represented in her mountain of laundry. Certainly, no trauma there! But in my world, folding t-shirts is drudgery and matching socks is like a prison sentence.

Early in my marriage, I determined life to be too short to sort socks, so my miss-matched-sock basket overflows. However, I’ve had a sock-revelation: Any sock with a bold color, stripe, or pattern, is easily matched because it stands out from the rest.

In Acts 4, we meet some bold apostles who, like my socks, stood out in the crowd and were easily recognizable as having been with Jesus. They were healing and proclaiming a resurrected Christ. These were not the same men they had been just weeks before at Jesus’ crucifixion. At that time, they attempted to blend in as they cowered and hid, afraid to be recognized as followers of Jesus.

But following Christ’s resurrection, these men began living mightily. Ephesians 1:19-20 explains it:

You will know that God’s power is very great for us who believe.  It is the same as the mighty power he used to raise Christ from death…”

The apostles had accessed the power used to raise Christ from the dead! Imagine for a moment how great a power was unleashed upon the lifeless body of Jesus, bringing him back to a living and breathing human. This same power was now living in the apostles.

Did you know we also have access to the power that raised Jesus from the dead? Friend, that’s a big deal, for through it, we can be bold. We can proclaim to the unbeliever at the grocery store the story of a loving Savior. We can stand up for godly values in our workplace or our child’s school. We can be bold enough to lovingly confront a friend who is making dangerous choices in their marriage. We can have the boldness to oppose an issue if it pits God’s will against popular will. Then, like a bold colored sock, we will stand out from the rest of the world. We will be different. We will be recognizable as having been with Jesus.

Father God, help us to live boldly for you.   

Blessings,

Rita

The culture at large has become increasingly self-centered. This is no surprise, since from the beginning, Satan has succeeded in tempting mankind to serve self by doing what we think is best and doubting God’s Word (Genesis 3:1-7). Throughout history, Satan continued to corrupt what God had made good. At times, Israel doubted, “Will God really deliver us?” “We can just worship this golden calf as our god” (Exodus 32; Numbers 14). Just within the last few hundred years, especially with the acceptance of Darwinism, man has questioned whether the Genesis record can be trusted. “Did God really make the earth in six literal days?” Today, we live in the age of thinking, “Does God really exist?” and we are seeing the fruits of atheistic reasoning. Man is his own god (2 Timothy 3:1-5)!

Therefore, in such a humanistic culture, we see the serving of self in the world every day. The media parades the philosophy of self before our eyes every time we turn on the TV or computer. Ads are full of beautiful and handsome (but often indecently dressed) individuals persuading us that we need whatever product in our lives, and many times we think to ourselves, “I could look like that and be happy like them if I bought the product.” Technology today allows us instant self-gratification. We order things for next day delivery; we download and upload whatever we want; everything is at our fingertips. Slogans such as Cbelieve in yourself,” “do what makes you happy” and “have it your way” are common. Taking pictures of oneself has become a popular trend on social media (called selfies). What goes through our minds when we do and see these? “I’m not as pretty as she is,” “I hope so-and-so sees how beautiful/handsome I look in this picture,” “She/He is so thin; I wish I could look like that.”

The breakdown of the home is another result of the problem of selfism. Husbands and wives are so quick to divorce, not wanting to put the hard work and sacrifice into maintaining a loving marriage. Children (if they are not killed in the womb) are often left alone as parents/guardians work long hours. The list of examples could go on, but we can easily see how distracted we are with ourselves! Although some of these things are not necessarily sinful (like ordering express shipping), they do influence us, and we must ask the question whether the influence is for the better or the worse.

Some may ask, what is really wrong with such thinking? Why can’t I think about myself and let others think about themselves? The simple answer is, God’s Word teaches the opposite. We are not to always be thinking about ourselves – our feelings, our wants and even our needs. We can see this just by reading the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). As noted earlier, Satan has deceived us into believing the lie that we are most happy (and our happiness is of utmost importance) when serving ourselves. Evolution – a philosophy that teaches man arose from single-celled organisms, evolved over billions of years and has survived by being the “fittest” – has given selfism a foothold as more people accepted this lie and thus conclude “number one” must be top priority. This kind of thinking undermines Christianity, and if we are not careful, we Christians will look, walk and talk just like the world – no longer being the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13-16, 44-48; 6:30-33)!

What is to be done? How do Christians fight against the philosophy of self? We must be diligent students of His Word. Jesus said, “…If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32 NKJV). We have Truth! Not a truth but the Truth! Are we spending more time with Truth or with the distractions of this world (watching movies, playing games, hobbies, etc.)? Let us honestly evaluate ourselves where our heart is – laying up treasures on earth (serving self) or laying up treasures in Heaven (serving others). “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). We must remind ourselves every day that self-seeking is damnable (Matthew 23:25; Romans 2:8; 2 Corinthians 12:20; Galatians 5:20; Colossians 2:23; 2 Peter 2:9-10). Study these passages in their respective contexts and spend time in prayer to God about overcoming self and serving God alone (Matthew 6:24; James 3:13-18; Romans 12:1-2). “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (Philippians 2:3).

Emily Fisher

She is only mentioned in three verses of Scripture. She is surely important to the story, otherwise Luke would not have recorded the event. We know so little about her, but her message carries hope for us today.

The church was young, but it was growing by the thousands. The Jews that would not accept the resurrection of Jesus or any of the apostle’s teachings were adamantly opposed to the church, the dissolution of the Jewish nation as they once knew it, and the baptism for remission of sins.

King Herod decided he wanted to send a message to these believers, these members of “the way.” Why he picked James, the brother of John, we can only guess. James probably was outspoken and was preaching openly against the continued adherence to the Old Law. For whatever reason, Herod had him killed with the sword, probably by beheading.

The Jews were very happy about this, and Herod also decided to arrest Peter. It is interesting that Herod didn’t take more of the apostles, but Peter was also a prominent figure in spreading of the gospel. So, Herod had him arrested and set four groups of four soldiers to guard him. He was taking no chance that Peter would somehow escape. That would, of course, make Herod look bad.

The church met together in the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark. There they prayed constantly for Peter. What do you suppose they prayed for?  Perhaps his release, or that he wouldn’t be killed? They would have been frightened for Peter and for their own lives. They were probably very cautious as they admitted various members of the local church into the house. If anyone found out a group of believers was meeting there, they could be arrested as well.

Their prayers were heard, because God sent his angel into the prison cell, released Peter from his bonds, and led him out into the street. The angel disappeared, and Peter made his way to the house of Mary.

When Peter arrived, he knocked on the outside gate to the house; a young girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. As was the custom, it would have been her job to find out who was there, if they were a friend or an enemy, and what they wanted. When she inquired who was there, she recognized the voice as that of Peter. She became so excited that she left poor Peter standing at the door while she went to tell the other Christians. Their response was that this girl was crazy. When she insisted that it was Peter, they opened the door for him.

There are lessons we can learn from this story. One lesson is that though Rhoda doesn’t play a significant role in the full story of Peter’s arrest and escape, Luke gives her a name but her role in all of this is not about her. We know she was a young girl, but we do not know if she was a slave girl or one of the Christians. We know that she recognized Peter’s voice, so she must have been very familiar with hearing him speak. The point is that the messenger isn’t where the value is.

Second, the faith of these Christians was imperfect. Though God granted their request, they were surprised that He did. They weren’t expecting Peter to somehow appear at the house where prayers were going up for him. Though we may be diligent in praying for something, we need to believe that prayers can be answered.

Third, age and status are not important in delivering the good news of the gospel. The message can come from anyone who knows what God wants us to do. I think about the servant girl who told Naaman about the ability of a prophet of God to heal him. She was unimportant in the eyes of the Syrians and maybe even the Jews, but she was able to save Naaman from horrible death. Rhoda was unimportant in her role as doorkeeper, but her message was one of deliverance for the people of God.

The important thing in all of this is the message Rhoda had to deliver. Her announcement that Peter was at the door affirmed their faith in God, though it may have been weak. It acknowledged that God was listening to a group of Christians hidden away in a house in prayer for the life of their friend. It revealed that God was actively continuing to perform miracles to help them confirm their faith in Him.

The messenger is of no value to us today in comparison to the message. We are imperfect and sometimes weak in our faith, but God continues to answer our prayers, though not always the way we want. Who we are, where we live, how much money we have, man or woman, prominent or ordinary; we all belong to an almighty God who loves us and will always do what is best for us. That is the message.

Sandra Oliver

Random House Webster’s College Dictionary defines “mine” as “a form of the possessive case of I as a predicate adjective; that or those belonging to me.” We have no problem understanding the meaning of “mine” when something or someone belongs to us. Somehow, that is totally lost in our understanding when God Almighty declares to all of us what is His possession.

Jehovah God began declaring early in His interaction with His people that they – everybody and everything – belong to Him. That is still an irrevocable divine truth. However, humanity with breakneck speed and determination is doing everything in its power to live and to act as though all belongs to it. How tragic! This mindset is totally unsustainable and doomed to failure.

The passages used for the purpose of this article do not begin to touch the hem of the garment in terms of the number there are in which God essentially says, “It is Mine.” The ones cited are but a few in which God has spoken directly or through one of His prophets. Note the following.

Exodus 9:29 – “So Moses said to him, ‘As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s.’” Moses spoke to Pharaoh in further answering his question about the identity of God.

Exodus 13:1-2 – “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying ‘Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine.’” God consecrated the firstborn to Himself.

Exodus 19:5 – “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people, for all the earth is Mine.” God was speaking to the children of Israel after He freed them from Egyptian bondage.

Leviticus 25:23 – “The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine, for you are strangers and sojourners with Me.” God was speaking to the children of Israel about property rights.

Numbers 3:11-13 – “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Now behold, I Myself have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel. Therefore, the Levites shall be Mine, because all the firstborn are Mine. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They shall be Mine: I am the LORD.’” God was speaking to Moses regarding the Levites serving in the tabernacle.

Deuteronomy 10:14 – “Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it.” Moses declared God’s sovereignty over heaven and earth.

Job 41:9-11 – “Indeed, any hope of overcoming him is false; shall one not be overwhelmed at the sight of him? No one is so fierce that he would stir him up. Who then is able to stand against Me? Who has preceded Me, that I should pay Him? Everything under heaven is Mine.” God spoke to Job about His creation of leviathan, a large sea creature, the exact identity of which is unknown.

Psalm 24:1 – “The earth is the LORD’s and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.” David, the sweet psalmist of Israel forthrightly gave exalted honor, distinction and recognition to God as the Creator and Sustainer of all.

Psalm 50:10-12 – “For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you for the world is Mine, and all its fullness.” God declared His rightful ownership.

Isaiah 43:1 – “But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.” God proclaimed Himself to be the Redeemer of Israel.

Isaiah 45:12 – “I have made the earth, and created man on it. I – My hands – stretched out the heavens, and all their hosts I have commanded.” God stated His sovereignty over all creation.

God made His most concise and boldest declarations of Who He is and what He possesses in Job 38-41. God peppered Job with some 60+ questions according to some writers, and Job could not answer even one question! It would serve every living being well to read those four chapters to get an external understanding of Who God is and how He deals with us!

Job 42:1-2 reads, “Then Job answered the LORD and said: ‘I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.’” Job repented in dust and ashes. God told Job’s three friends exactly where they stood in His sight – in need of forgiveness. Job 42:7 reads, “And so it was, after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, ‘My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.” God continued by telling Eliphaz exactly what they had to do to appease His wrath, which was to offer up a burnt offering and Job would pray for them. In Job 42:8b God bluntly said, “For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.” Verse 9 reads, “[They] went and did as the LORD commanded them; for the LORD had accepted Job.” Oh, if all of humanity had the humility exhibited by these three men to accept that all of this and that all of us belong to Jehovah God! Our part in all of this is to trust and obey. God reigns!

Marilyn LaStrape

Isaiah 12:2a – 3 “Behold, God is my salvation. . . Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”

What always runs but never walks; always falls, but never hurt; can swallow you up, but you can swallow it?

Water!

Seldom do we stop to consider our blessing of water. Accessing it is simply the turn of a handle away, meaning we often take it for granted.

But in scripture, wells were few and far between and established with great difficulty. They were excavated by hand, through rock, requiring years of hard labor, and at the cost of many lives. The villagers trekked from far and wide and carried every precious drop home in buckets. Without a doubt, if this were the case today, we would all be wearing dirty clothes!

Wells were the biblical “coffee shop” of sorts. Around them, people gathered to socialize, news was relayed, faith was shared, and marriages were arranged. But without the presence of wells, cities failed, famines plagued, nations died, and wars were fought.

Water wells mentioned in scripture were often used as instruments of war. Abraham and Isaac’s wells were seized by the enemy and filled with dirt to render them useless. This was the enemy’s strategy to defeat, harm, and disable God’s people.

Today, Satan uses this strategy against us as he seeks to destroy our wells of salvation and heap his dirt upon our victorious life in Christ. The Evil One’s goal is to sabotage our praise, our songs, and our trust in God by filling us up with doubt, jealousy, greed, and pride, rendering us hopeless and incapable of sharing Christ’s Living Water with others.

However, Isaiah used the metaphor of drawing water from a deep well to symbolize the life-giving salvation of God. God’s salvation quenches our thirst for what Satan offers and fills us, instead, with the desire to praise Him, call upon Him, tell of His mighty works and wonders, and sing of His greatness.

Sisters, may we dig a well of salvation so pure and deep Satan cannot possibly fill it in. May our souls overflow with such an abundance of Living Water that we share with the world the joy of a Father whose love for us is unspeakable.

So, Satan, take your shovel elsewhere. Your dirt is of no use here!

Father God, help us dig deep wells of salvation as we spend precious time with You.

Blessings,

Rita Cochrane

I have no words. Of all the things Cheez-It could have chosen to picture in celebration of an anniversary, this celebrated drag queen is what my Cheez-it loving and innocent grandchildren will have to see if they see the “celebration” boxes. The celebration is all about the thirtieth year of reality TV–an entertainment venue that, for Christians is not celebration-worthy, in the first place.

The word “celebration” is often associated with the most base aspects of our national thinking. The celebration aspect of sin more often envelopes the people of God than the actual participation aspect. We are not drag queens, but we look the other way when members of our congregations become involved in homosexuality and/or transgenderism. We fail to really help the teens who come to us acknowledging temptation and/or asking questions about bi-sexuality or homosexuality. We attend gay weddings or excuse the support of family members who continue to post their support of sexual sin (whether in general fornication or marriages that are adulterous)  on social media. It’s not that our congregations are filled with malicious people or deceivers. It’s more often that the one who is malicious or deceptive is not approached with meekness in search of restoration. It’s that we never progress to the point of purifying the body from sin.  In short, it’s not always verses 20-31 that we violate. We usually violate verse 32 first:

Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

I’m just saying we should know His judgment and restrain from nodding acceptance to those who are the actual participants in malignity, homosexuality, backbiting, deceiving, etc….In the Lord’s church, if we fail in our practice of seeking restoration and guiding through discipline that culminates in withdrawal of fellowship when all avenues to urge and facilitate repentance have been taken, we are nodding the acceptance. We become, by default, a part of the celebration. It’s easy to become very relaxed about sin when society around us is pushing and celebrating the very things from which we have been washed (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). 

In 1 Corinthians 5, in  the very context of a discussion (command) about withdrawal of fellowship, we see a metaphor about the old covenant’s Passover feast…the celebration. The text is rich in its comparison. If we want to celebrate, as God’s people the passing over of our sins—our gift of life and salvation through His blood—we must cast out the leaven of sin. It’s not just about personal avoidance of sin. It’s about keeping the body free from the  world’s celebration of it. That’s a huge challenge in 2023. It’s an especially huge burden for shepherds.

Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Let’s celebrate this way!

(And also, though those extra toasty ones are in the amazing category of snackables,  I can’t bring myself to buy Cheez-Its right now. I just can’t.)

Cindy Colley

When I was a senior in high school, the high school I attended received a special award call the Bellamy Flag Award. The Bellamy Award was a national award given by the Bellamy family in honor of Francis Bellamy, the man who wrote the original draft of the Pledge of Allegiance. Schools who were awarded with this honor were those that showed the spirit of the American flag, patriotism, citizenship, service, and other specific qualities. It was a big event with speeches, musical performances, and receptions, with many important officials and dignitaries attending. The school was presented with a huge American flag that had been flown in Washington, D.C.

One of the celebrations that was part of the final day was a Naturalization Ceremony. It was one of the most moving events I have ever witnessed. Watching that group of immigrants become citizens of the United States left a lasting impression on me. There were tears in their eyes as they took their oath, and there were tears in our eyes as we welcomed them to our country.

Another part of this program was the instruction we received before the festivities began. We learned about the proper way to act during the pledge to the flag and the singing of our national anthem. The key words were reverence and respect.

I continue to feel a sense of pride as I say the pledge to the flag. I also feel a sense of dismay when I see men wearing their hats or ball caps, people looking at cell phones, whispering, eating, or doing other things when a group is trying to say the pledge.

Though the naturalization ceremony did create a sense of awe and pride in my teenage mind, it is nothing compared to the participation of one becoming a citizen of the kingdom of God. I tear up when someone responds to the invitation. Watching a baptism into Christ stirs special feelings in me. I feel dismay at the sometimes irreverent behavior of some when such a special event occurs.

On the day of Pentecost when Peter preached the first gospel sermon, the people first made fun of the apostles and accused them of being drunk. When Peter laid their sins before them—“you crucified and killed” the Son of God, their attitude changed. They were “cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’”  They no longer expressed irreverence and disrespect for the twelve men that preached to them. They were begging for relief from what they now know as the sin of murder. Peter gave them the simple answer to total forgiveness. “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).  About three thousand souls obeyed those instructions and were added to the church.

What a glorious event that would have been Seeing three thousand people being immersed in water, putting on the name of Christ, and dedicating their lives to the service of Christ. No naturalization ceremony, no other ceremony can compare with such a reverent experience.

When Ananias baptized Saul of Tarsus, Pharisee, soldier, and persecutor of disciples of Christ, the feelings might have been less dramatic but still impressive. We can feel the emotion in Saul’s voice in later years when he revealed his conversion to King Agrippa. His pride shows in his words, “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance” (Acts 26:19-20).

Paul was a Roman citizen, and he was proud of that. That citizenship in no way compares with the pride he felt in his citizenship in the kingdom of heaven. He refers to it often in his writings. One such passage is found in Colossians 1:13-14. He says, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Those who participate in a naturalization ceremony exhibit pride in the studying, learning about this country, and taking the final oath to become a citizen of the United States. May we, like the Ethiopian Eunuch, go on our way rejoicing after becoming a citizen of the kingdom of God.

Sandra Oliver

How blessed is the one whom you instruct, O Lord, the one whom you teach from your law, in order to protect him from times of trouble, until the wicked are destroyed. Psalm 94.12-13

The easy access to what is happening all over the world through the internet can give the impression that the world is worse than ever. Bad news always seems to travel quickly. Much of the good that is happening goes unnoticed.

In Psalm 94, the author questioned when God would deal with the proud and the wicked who were spewing out threats and speaking defiantly. Evildoers were boasting as they oppressed God’s people. They were killing orphans and widows who were weak and helpless. They determined that God did not see what they were doing. Evildoers do not want to acknowledge that a day of judgment is coming.

God sees everything that is done. He hears everything that is said. There will be no escape for the one who does evil.

However, God instructs his people on how to act and how to live during such times in order to protect them during times of trouble. Not wanting anyone to perish, his desire is that all people come to repentance, 2 Peter 3.9.

by Vicki Matheny