The Apostles Doctrine

The book of Acts is exciting and full of new adventure.  It is the story of the first century church told in the first person by those who actually lived it.  It also lays out the pattern for Christianity.

In Acts 2:42 we read:
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers.  
43: then fear came upon every soul and many signs and wonders were done through the apostles.

We need to stop right here and ask the question "what is the apostles doctrine?" In the verses preceding we are provided with that answer in Peters sermon.

Jesus is Lord, raised from the dead by God for our redemption
Repent of sin and be baptized as a symbol of new life
Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit

It all begins with an act of God (GOD, in the beginning created the Heavens and the earth)  which has direct consequences upon us, His creation.  We respond to this action, because God created us specifically for His pleasure and to respond to His actions (God said Let Us make man in Our image according to Our likeness, let THEM have dominion over...).  Dependent on our response there is then the receiving of Gods blessings (for by grace you've been saved, not of works lest any man should boast).

As you read through the bible you will find this pattern established and we are encouraged to follow it, for by doing so we reap the many blessings and benefits God intends for His creation, stolen by that serpent the devil, satan our enemy who because of PRIDE fell and pulled and continues to pull many down with him.

Awe and wonder of the Lord God opens the eyes of our hearts, allowing us to see the miracles of God.  It isn't that OUR faith brings about miracles - this has been an error taught too long in our churches.  As if healing or miracles would occur IF we believe enough, or have faith enough.  This makes God dependent upon us - not so!  The truth is that God is always moving, always blessing and caring for and tending to His sheep, but our eyes are darkened, unable to see those miracles and blessings and joys.

Receiving His gift of Eternal Life through Christ Jesus our Lord, by confessing the truth that Jesus is the Lord, responding to that truth by believing in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead after He gave Himself as the substitute sacrifice for OUR sins and by the GRACE of God being filled with the Holy Spirit gives us the sight to see those miracles, see those blessings and live in the JOY that God the Creator and Master of all the Heavens, Earth and Creatures He created intended us to live in.  Praise God from Whom ALL blessings flow!

I encourage you to pick up the Bible, open to the Book of Acts and begin to read.  I pray God will give you new insight and then the courage to LIVE as He intended you to live - VICTORIOUS through Christ Jesus our Lord!  Sure, you are weak and your flesh is selfish and sinful.  Certainly you don't have all the right thoughts and feelings all the time toward everyone.  None of us does.  BUT, as we submit to the Holy Spirit, somehow God grants the grace we need to overcome, to speak in ways that bless, to act in ways that honor Him and many wonders and signs will be done through His born again Sons and Daughters!

Our Amazing Lord!

Isn't it amazing how God works? When we get ourselves out of His way, set aside our own will and desire and truly allow His Spirit to lead and guide us we may end up in places we never even dreamed of doing things we hadn't ever thought about and yet they are just exactly the right place and the right things to do, bringing Glory and Honor to His name rather than our own. We are finding this truth applied over and over again in our journeying as Ambassadors for Christ.

You may be familiar with the parable Jesus shares in Luke 12:20 about the man who puts his hope in the physical riches of this world only to enjoy none of the fruits of his labor. His focus was on the temporary things of this world rather than obedience to the Lord. In short the story is a snapshot of his life. He is blessed with abundance of goods, but rather than giving thanks to God and seeking how he might honor the Lord for the abundance he's been granted, he makes his own selfish plans which are never realized as his life ends that very night.

The point or moral of the story is simply to give God the glory, to seek Gods way for our lives and not our own ways. To recognize the temporary nature of this life and keep our focus on the HOPE that is ours in Eternity, precisely so that we won't get fixated on the things of this world. This is an especially necessary reminder in this age of instant gratification. Cell phones keep us in instant constant contact and computers connect us to everything the world has to offer at the push of a button. We've grown so far and so fast, and yet the exhortation remains to WAIT UPON THE LORD. His timing, His will, His plan brought to completion in our lives.

We recently had a "plan" about where we were going and what we were going to do.  It was a good plan that included being a blessing to others, preaching the Word of God and leading people to a saving knowledge of Christ as Savior.  A good plan, but it was our plan, not Gods plan.  Thankfully, as we prayed and sought His way for us, He showed us His way.  It wasn't ours, not what we had thought but His is so much better!

One of the things we've had to guard against in our lives since answering the Lords call to live as Missionaries fully surrendered to Him is a tendency to define what we think "ministry"is or what it should look like based on how it's "always been done." We see it in the churches as well. This is what has worked in the past, so we simply continue in our flesh doing what has worked in the past. A few tweaks here or there to keep up with technology, maybe refresh the music ministry to reflect current tastes, but essentially we plod along doing what we've always done.

In the midst of his discourse to believers in the first century, wherein he touches upon many different subjects, the Apostle James makes this great observation that is timely to our lives today.  "Come now, you who say "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit"; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that." James 4: 13-15

We are joyfully and even sometimes painfully discovering that MINISTRY as God defines it is very different from "what we've always done" and very different from what we thought it would be. When we insist on defining what His work is, we limit ourselves to our ability and our knowledge. WE BOX GOD IN. We don't stop His work from occurring, we simply stop ourselves from doing His work and begin doing our own. By putting aside our preconceived notions and truly seeking the leading of the Holy Spirit, we will find ourselves doing things we never could have imagined, for He is infinitely CREATIVE, but they will be the things that bring about His glory, His will and have positive Eternal effect on others lives as well as our own.

Thank you for joining us today for an encouraging Word in the Lord!  Subscribe to Tide Turning Tales and get the Teachings and inspiring stories right to your inbox.  Leave a comment and tell us how the Lord is working in your life! We are one body in Christ.  Whatever we do, lets MAKE IT COUNT FOR CHRIST.

RESOLUTIONS

Great insight and great revelation was given to the Apostle Paul after his conversion on that road to Damascus.  Once introduced to TRUTH Himself, Paul never looked back, but set himself on a forward seeking mission that cost him a great deal in his personal, physical life but gained him a far greater reward in his spiritual, eternal life!

Phil 3:10-11 (Amplified Version) “For my determined purpose is that I may know Him, that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly, and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection which it exerts over believers and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed in Spirit into His likeness even to His death in the HOPE that if possible I may attain to the spiritual and moral resurrection that lifts me out from among the dead even while in the body."

WOW! Now there is a mouthful of spiritual transforming POWER! Read that a few times to let it sink fully into your heart.

From this we see that Paul had 2 distinct, specific and IMPORTANT goals in mind for his relationship with Christ.

1.)  TO KNOW JESUS

            How do we ever really get to know the heart, thoughts and being of another?  First, we must spend TIME with them and pay close attention to them; observe them in situations; listen to the words they speak; discover their likes and dislikes, the behavior patterns that indicate who they are in relation to others and how they treat other people.  Not just their friends and families, but people in general, how they behave toward them, how they speak of others, especially when not in the presence of those persons!

To KNOW JESUS we need to observe Him both in His humanity that we can relate to which we will find in the Gospels, and also in His divinity which shines through the Old Testament prophesies of His coming.  To know Him, we must read the book written about Him.  Whether for five minutes, an hour or a chapter a day – immerse yourself in His written Word and you will get to know WHO HE IS IN RELATION TO YOU!

2.) TO KNOW THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION

            This goes far deeper than simply acknowledging that Jesus was raised from the dead.  Lazarus was also raised from the dead as was Jarius’ daughter, but in their resurrections there is no indication of power on their parts.  In Jesus’ resurrection POWER from Him personally and made known to US PERSONALLY is available!  Power to overcome sin!  Power to transform lives!  Power to bring LIFE and that ETERNAL!  How does it work?  Why does it work?  How does it affect each of us in our lives?

TO KNOW THAT POWER is to understand your own place in this world, the purpose you were born and live for and why the Almighty Maker of Heaven and earth loves you so very much!  You can read about this power in the Bible, but that isn’t the extent of it.  That tells you stories of this power, but it isn’t personal – YET!  Once you KNOW JESUS, then you are in a position to KNOW THE RESURRECTION POWER up close and personally in your own life, your own circumstances.

From this knowledge springs forth a life that honors God the Father and releases extraordinary JOY into the life you live right now – and ushers you into a joy filled ETERNAL LIFE as well.

Paul knew how to make a New Years Resolution!  What is your resolution?  Will you move closer to the One Who created you this year?  “Draw near to me” says the Lord, “and I will draw near to you.”