Author: admin

If there is one thing that would seem to be self-evident, it is that we cannot fight against God and His will, and win. He will prevail and His purposes will be accomplished. Yet we resist God’s work in numerous ways. Sometimes we adamantly resist His will for our life. We know He wants us to do something and we refuse. We don’t want to be uncomfortable, or we are afraid, or we feel inadequate, so we say ‘no.’

At other times we resist God by not immediately obeying what He tells us. We allow our life to be consumed with cares and commitments until there is no way to follow through with what He told us. We explain that we would obey if only we were able to. We see this as being too busy. God calls it rebellion.

At other times we are willing to obey, but only on our terms and under our conditions. We modify God’s instructions until they become palatable to us. We may be satisfied, but God is not.

God would do so much more if only we would stop resisting Him and wholeheartedly obey Him. God might ask us the same question He asked Saul: “Why do you keep kicking against the goads?”

It is possible to fervently serve Christ without knowing much about Him. We might even call Him “Lord,” yet we have never taken adequate time to understand Him. No one was busier serving God than Saul. Yet to his great consternation, he realized he was unfamiliar with the One he was allegedly serving.

At this point in Saul’s life, he was not yet a Christian. He had heard about Jesus, but until this day, he had never met Him. But what about you? Do you need to also ask, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ Would His answer surprise or disturb you? Have you been assuming things about Christ that are incorrect? Have you taken for granted that you know Christ when in fact you are virtually strangers?

Saul was a task oriented, Type-A personality. Yet once he truly came to know Christ, he discovered that everything else was garbage in comparison. He spent the remainder of his life avidly pursuing a deeper and more intimate knowledge of Christ. Has that been your life’s aim as well? Or, do you need to take time to ask, ‘Who are you, Lord?’

What a shock it is when we discover that what we were doing for the cause of Christ has actually been more harmful than helpful. At times in our zeal to get something done, or to gain momentum, or to achieve a small win, we can jump to conclusions about God’s work. We assume that because something makes sense to us, it must be pleasing to God. We charge ahead with the best of intentions only to be disappointed at the result.

The reality is that when we do anything in our strength and wisdom, it falls miserably short of what God cold have accomplished. Imagine Saul’s surprise. He thought he was the most devout man in his society. No one went to greater lengths to please God and to live righteously than he did. Yet rather than be grateful for Saul’s efforts on His behalf, God viewed him as His enemy. Rather than extending God’s kingdom, Saul’s efforts were harming it.

Saul desperately needed to radically reorient his life to Christ. He needed to start listening rather than always doing. He needed humility rather than more zeal. He needed to begin doing things God’s way. Only then would he achieve God-sized results.

One of the realities we don’t like to talk about much is that there are people who are adamantly, vehemently, even violently, opposed to Christ. Such people are driven by more than a difference of opinion. For them it is not merely theological hairsplitting. They hate Christianity and those who practice it. Perhaps you are dealing with someone like that right now.

At times you can wonder why your colleague or boss, or neighbor is so antagonistic toward you. They may be excessively critical. They may seem angry for no apparent reason. They may even go out of their way to make your life miserable. Despite all of your efforts to be at peace, these people may continue waging relentless war.

Christ does not allow people to remain neutral. He said people were either for Him or against Him. There are many reasons why people can be adamantly opposed to Christ. Perhaps they have drifted from Him and now feel compelled to find an excuse for their apostasy. Some may have been disillusioned by an encounter with a hypocrite. Others may have been disappointed when God did not grant their request. Still others may deeply resent anyone telling them what to do, even if He is God. Finally, some people, like Saul, are misguided, but actually closer to salvation than people would think. Be aware: If you are serving Christ, you will have enemies.

Saul of Tarsus was a natural leader. He was outspoken, ambitious, and supremely confident. Such natural abilities were disastrous for the church. While the world was impressed with Saul and granted him additional responsibilities and privileges, God was opposed to him. The world admires decisive people of action. It applauds people who “get things done.” The problem is that our natural tendencies dishonor God.

Our innate attitudes and values exalt us, rather than God. They achieve worldly goals, not God’s purposes. They harm people rather than saving them. They spread darkness, rather than light. We can have the best of intentions, as did Saul, but find ourselves with God as our adversary.

That is why we must lead with more than our natural ability. We must have goals that originate from God rather than our best thinking. We can fool ourselves into assuming our actions glorify God when they do not. Better to wholly surrender your plans, goals, and methods to Christ and be sure you are furthering His kingdom rather than your own.

It ought to be our goal to find favor with God, and, if possible, with people. The early Christians did not always enjoy favor with people (which was apparent when they were being thrown to the lions), but they did experience God’s approval.

When our focus is properly on God, the world around us will often be attracted to Him too. When people see our genuine devotion to Christ and they observe the positive difference He makes in our lives, they will inevitably want to know our God also.

Sometimes our worship can be self-centered. It becomes all about us and what we like or what makes us comfortable. The songs we sing are about what God does for us and how happy He makes us feel. At other times our worship can become about others. That is, we become more concerned with the comfort of the unbelievers who are attending our services rather than being focused on pleasing God through our worship.

Worship is fundamentally about God and who He is and what He was done. When we focus on Christ and praise Him with all of our heart, God will inevitably add people to our fellowship. Just because we like our worship services does not mean that God does. Just because visitors enjoy our worship does not mean God does. One of the ways to determine if God is pleased with the manner in which we are relating to Him is by looking to see if God is adding people to our number.

For two thousand years people have studied the first century church to learn why they grew so dramatically and changed their society so thoroughly. Much of the answer lies in this verse.

What they did, they did daily. Consistency, over time, can change the world. Their faith was not occasional or sporadic. You could count on it. What they did was done in unity. The church had a common purpose because it had a common Lord. Their witness was not fractured through division and lack of cooperation. Because the early Christians spent so much time seeking the Lord together, they tended to have the same heart. They also spent time together in each other’s homes. They cared about each other and enjoyed each other’s company. Church was fun! That is why they had gladness of heart. These people didn’t have to be coerced into attending services or meeting together. They wanted to. Finally, they had a simplicity of heart. They kept it simple! They didn’t play games or wear masks. They loved God and they loved one another. The results were astounding.

The key to the Christian life is much like sports: keep it simple. Don’t neglect the fundamentals. Be consistent. Is there anything more important than living your Christian life, well?

Anyone can resolve to do something for a brief time. Those who achieve great accomplishments, however, are those who stick with their commitments over the long haul.

Few Christians are unaware of things they could do that would strengthen their faith and expand their witness. Our primary challenge is not knowledge, but will. The reason the early church had such astounding success is because they continually did the right things. They strengthened their understanding of Christian doctrine. They also regularly met together for fellowship and encouragement. Finally, they prayed together. The consequence of such behavior was a world turned upside down.

Many Christians today regularly bemoan the fact that they are not experiencing the spiritual victories the way they know they should. Yet these same people carelessly neglect the practices that could provide them the strength they required to attain their spiritual goals. Being steadfast means you are consistent, dependable. It suggests you are not haphazard or fickle. Being steadfast entails doing the right things, not merely when you feel like it or doing so is convenient. Steadfastness implies regularly, consistently, relentlessly, doing the right thing. Are you?

At times we can be lulled into thinking that society and people in general are fundamentally good. We may assume that unbelief and immorality are the exception. The Bible has no such illusions.

Scripture is clear that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s standard for living (Romans 3:23). The world is widely dominated by the prince of darkness. The standards and values of the world, while at times improved by Christian influence, are fundamentally opposed to God’s ways. It ought never to surprise us when the world promotes values or lifestyles that are foreign to God’s nature. We ought not to be caught by surprise when the world pressures us or tempts us to compromise our beliefs or standards. The society we live in is perverse!

How ought we relate to a society that is fundamentally opposed to our God? With our eyes wide open! We ought to function as salt and light, determined for God to use our lives to change our society for the better. We ought never to place our trust in this world because we know it will always disappoint us. For, it is just as perverse in our day as it was at the time of Jesus.

The active presence of the Holy Spirit can make an enormous difference in our life!

Peter was an enthusiastic follower of Jesus, but he had an unfortunate habit of stumbling at crucial moments. His Lord was praying in the garden, but Peter was dozing. Jesus was surrendering peacefully, but Peter was amputating someone’s ear. Jesus was being falsely accused and bullied while Peter was adamantly denying he knew who Jesus was. Despite Peter’s best intentions, he kept letting His Lord down.

But that was before the erstwhile disciple received the filling of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. After that moment, Peter and his companions faced criticism and mocking once again. This time, however, Peter stood up, rather than slinking away. He raised his voice to be heard, rather than whispering denials. He spoke truth, boldly. In fact, he preached such a powerful, spontaneous sermon that 3,000 were immediately added to the church.

What happened? The Holy Spirit had changed Peter’s life. That’s why Jesus instructed His followers to wait until the Spirit’s filling. He knew the powerful difference the Spirit would make in His followers’ lives. Are you serving Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit? What is the evidence?