Lies

Romans 1: 21-25 "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator-who is forever praised. Amen." NIV

Why does it seem so easy to believe lies? It should be fairly hard in light of the wonders of the world around us and even in us, in our own bodies and in the food we eat and the emotions we feel. God's handy work is all around us, but so often we see his beautiful creation as a part of the mundane. It's just a tree, nothing special. It's just me, nobody important. We start to believe lies when we, as Paul says, stop glorifying God and giving thanks to Him, recognizing Him and paying attention to the little details and the greater story of our lives and creation, the gospel. We don't make traditional idols for ourselves, but we elevate and worship things above God just the same. The created things, like tv where we waste time, or our schedules, or even our work, knitting, reading. Anything that distracts us from God and takes our focus off of him is an idol. But God is bigger than us, and he knows that we need him. He "will never leave us nor forsake us." He has given us his power, the power to fight back and to resist the idols of this world.

Spring Break! "Causin' trouble all over the world!"

Acts 17:6 "'These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here.'"

This week is spring break week, and also the week of our road trips at church. I am so excited. I am staying in town, but I hope that someday someone will say this about us. Isn't that an awesome observation! "Trouble all over the world!" The apostles and other disciples were having an impact that people recognized. There was indeed some trouble! People were getting riled up! Their reaction to the apostles was just spreading the Word farther though! This is an interesting section of Acts. The trouble quote comes from a man in Thessalonica, but earlier when they were in Philippi, there had been a young woman following them around and yelling that they were "servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." (16:17) Paul is so "troubled" that he casts the demon out of her that causes her to "tell the future." We are to be bold, but in the words of Jon Foreman, there shouldn't be a "show." The conversations in Acts are all very organic. The Apostles preach Jesus in the synagogue. They give help to beggars and those seeking healing. They answer the questions of their jailers. These aren't the guys on most college campuses who are yelling at students that their skirts are too short, that they are evil sinners, and they need to repent. These are men meeting people where they are, in moments of pain, in simple conversation about life and religion. :) God help us to follow their example, to be bold, but not judgmental. To be bold and loving.

Random thoughts... on Acts 1-8ish.

The gospel is personal, and God is a personal God. He gets all up in people's business. He challenges individuals with specific purposes. He answers their questions. He tells them what to do. Often his instructions are to do the very same thing. Ananias, go to Saul, get in his business. He's a stranger, but I'm going to have you help him help me.

On Acts: Part 1

Acts 1:7-8 He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the father has fixed by his own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."

You will, you shall. I love it! They will be witnesses, according to Strong's, "in a legal sense, an historical sense, and in an ethical sense" as martyrs. This is not a suggestion, this is Christ, God telling them what is going to happen. "You will receive." According to Strong's, this is not just an I'm going to send you something in the mail type of verb, this is an active verb on the disciple's part, they are "a. to take with the hand, lay hold of, [this power] in order to use it. 1. to take up a thing to be carried, 2. to take upon one's self...c. to take what is one's own, to take to one's self. to make one's own." (#2983) They are going to be given God's power to make their own, in order that they might be his witnesses and glorify Him. They are given the power to be as Christ was and is. Strong's describes the ethical sense of being a witness as one who follows in the footsteps of Christ, those who die as he did for their faith, their knowledge, their truth.

Acts 1:14 "These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women." They were all talking to God. That along is "with" and comes from the word for union.

One of the things I've been thinking about as I've been reading Acts, is the idea that they were witnesses. They testified about the gospel in a very culturally relevant way. First, with the Holy Spirit they spoke in different languages, languages that were recognized by people in the crowd. The Holy Spirit allowed them to speak in this way directly to certain people who were present. Christ is personal. Christ, the power of God, was revealed to them in a language they could hardly misunderstand. It was an amazingly cool, powerful experience. It showed off the strength of the power the Holy Spirit could give. These people were on the whole ordinary people, fishermen, and instantaneously they were given the knowledge and the words to coherently speak another language and speak truth into the lives of specific members of that crowd. Peter's response to those who mocked God's power as drunkenness, was to testify to all he had seen. He shared the gospel in a way that those in Jerusalem, Jews and others familiar with Jewish custom, would understand it. He quoted the prophets and reminded the crowd of what even they had witnessed in Jerusalem recently. They too were witnesses to a degree.

The 35 Days

So the 35 days (our church's version of Lent) are over, and I am excited about what has happened in my life and my spiritual walk, but I am also eager and anxious about the future. I have decided to attempt a 35 days part two (35X2). Conveniently enough Easter happens to be in 35 days. So right now I am planning on reading through Acts and potentially Luke as well, but I have also been thinking about doing the Lord's Table bible study or a book my mom gave me called Jesus Calling. Not sure which route will ultimately win out. I am also only going to let my self check my messages and the top lists on Facebook twice a day... 15 mins or so after I respond to messages and things.

What God has done: God brought me back to a place where I could see him and I could see myself through his eyes. I was devastated by my father's death. I felt like my life was a disaster and that nothing good could come from me or for me. I was terrified of not knowing what God would want me to do with myself and that I would somehow fail him. The Truth is AMAZING! God really does love us, and our sins have been paid for. He does have a plan for us, and we need to step out boldly in faith believing that he will direct our paths. He has sent us a counselor who will guide us! Sin and death have been defeated. Our sinful natures are made dead through Christ and that truth/promise is a powerful weapon in combatting temptation and fear. Col 3:3 is so powerful.