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Thoughts Archived > Message of Life - Stand With God - Part 4


15 Jun 2014

                                   

 

  

June 15, 2014

Message Of Life - Stand With God! - Part 4

Acts 5: 33 - 39

 

 

 Luke

At this, the high council was furious and decided to kill them.  But one member had a different perspective.  He was a Pharisee named Gamaliel, who was an expert on religious law and was very popular with the people.  He stood up and ordered that the apostles be sent outside the council chamber for a while.  Then he addressed his colleagues as follows.  "Men of Israel, take care what you are planning to do to these men!  Some time ago there was that fellow Theudas, who pretended to be someone great.  About four hundred others joined him, but he was killed, and his followers went their various ways.  The whole movement came to nothing. After him, at the time of the census, there was Judas of Galilee.  He got some people to follow him, but he was killed, too, and all his followers were scattered.

"So my advice is, leave these men alone.  If they are teaching and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown.  But if it is of God, you will not be able to stop them.  You may even find yourselves fighting against God."     

 

 

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Thoughts....

 

Stand with God.  What does this mean? 

I've been teaching on Acts 5 the last few weeks and we are winding down.  But God is still at bat.  All bases are loaded.  Runners are ready to make a mad dash for home base.  The batter is up and the ball has been hit!  You are on a base....will you run or stand your ground?  It's a fly ball....and it was caught in mid air.  The batter is out.  Are you safer to try to run for another base, or home base, or stand your ground?  Will you get caught in the middle of bases without a base to run to?  Which decision will keep you safe?  Which will get you to home base?  If you are on 3rd base and you don't run, no one else can run toward home.  If you do run to home base, will you be safe, will others be safe?  Will they reach home base, too?  What chances are you willing to take?  Will you ask God what you should do?  Or step out on your own without him?

Will God tell you to stand your ground with him?  Will you, if he asks?

I may have just outlined a baseball game.  But every day is a ball game of sorts in everyday life.  Every day we need to know whether to stand our ground with God, or make a run for home base.  And is home base our earthly home or our heavenly home, or somewhere in between like that new job, the engagement ring moment, the new car, an abundant life?  Or could it be hell, the bar, the liquor store, the drug corner, the abuse, the downtrodden and poor life?

Hmmmmmm......lots to consider in every day life.

So far we've learned that the apostles stood their ground with God.  They continued to persevere in obeying God and teaching the Message of Life:  The Messiah you are looking for is Jesus.  Despite being up at bat, batting, and being declared out, and, despite other attempts at bat and the threats of not being able to run, the apostles were determined to stand their ground with God and proceed as he directed.  They were determined....to press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God.  Philippians 3:14 

And we have every promise of God and Jesus that those who stood their ground, those who persevered, did indeed receive the prize of receiving eternal life, just like Jesus, for obeying, teaching, and standing their ground.

In todays lesson we learn that the high council was furious that the apostles were not obeying them and the religious law they represented.  Yet the apostles knew of a higher law....God's law and obeying God.  The high council wanted to kill the apostles, but Gamaliel had a different idea.  He felt that if the apostles were not of God, aligned with him, then their ministry would fizzle out, if you will, like others before them.  I guess, once a firecracker, not always a firecracker, in his esteemed opinion.  But if the apostles WERE OF GOD, in Gamaliel's words "....you will not be able to stop them.  You may even find yourselves fighting against God." 

Gamaliel was trying to do two things.  Protect those in the council, and himself, from sure death [definitely spiritual, very possibly immediate physical death] from opposing God, and, give the apostles free reign to go forth, obeying and teaching, as they continued to stand with God.  Or in todays example, give them further opportunity to go to bat, run the game, and win.  In doing so, he essentially absolved himself of guilt by association and life commitment for 'murder one in the first degree', as the TV shows teach us.  Whether that life commitment would be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual imprisonment we can only guess.  Taking the stand that he did, to sit back and watch 'the game unfold', gave him the opportunity to have a relationship with God, and yes, Jesus.

He absolutely understood what it meant to fight against God.  Was it by personal experience?  Was it as a result of seeing others' experiences?  Was it by the direction of the Holy Spirit?  We don't know at this junction, [merely conjecture to say anything, as the law might put it] but we do know, he knew that one could be with the team of God or fight against God and lose....and that it was apparently not pretty, prestigious, nor beneficial to fight against God.  He paved his way to having a [better?] relationship with God by keeping a door open for himself, and helped his 'teammates' in the council for future opportunity to be one with God and Christ Jesus.

Most importantly, he provided an open door policy for the apostles to do as they were called....obey God and teach his Word, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, through the Message of Life:  The Messiah you are looking for is Jesus.  And through living their lives rightly, while healing others and bringing them to the forgiving, healing, and love of God, Jesus, Holy Spirit.

Are you trying to do things on your own?  Are you doing things for yourself, or for God, Jesus, Holy Spirit?  Is what you are doing actually helping THE TRINITY?  Are you even ONE WITH God, Jesus, Holy Spirit?

Do you want to be one with God, Jesus, Holy Spirit?  Do you want to be forgiven of your sins?  Do you want to obey God?  Do you want to teach the Message of Life?  Do you want to help God, so others can learn how to become one with God, He can offer them forgiveness of sins, Holy Spirit can manifest His healing power in everyone, and Jesus can offer eternal life to all?  Then STAND WITH GOD!

Jesus said, "Walk with me and work with me...watch how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of grace."  From Matthew 11:25-30 The Message.  Jesus also said it was the way to live freely and lightly.  I translate 'freely and lightly' as 'abundantly'.  And all you have to do is STAND WITH GOD!  Just like the apostles did.  They stood their ground with God against those opposing God.  They continued to obey God and teach the Message of Life:  The Messiah you are looking for is Jesus.  And guess what happened?! 

Tune in next week to learn 'the rest of the story'!

In the meantime, here are some references in relation to the word 'stand'.  There are definitions per me, as well as Strong's Exhaustive Concordance.

In Revelations 3:20 Jesus gave a revelation to John from God.  He said, "Look!  Here I stand at the door and knock.  If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends.  I will invite everyone who is victorious to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne.  Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches."  MY definition of 'stand' in this text is 'this is a command, and, it is an opportunity to make a commitment'.  Strong's refers to number 2476 for 'stand' which reads, 'stand firm, be present, to stop, to make stand, put, establish/ed, stood still, appointed, brought, covenanted, covered, present'. 

Under definition number 2476 there is also the following:

Acts 26:16, Romans 5:2; 2 Corinthians 1:24; Ephesians 6:11, 6:13-14 and Revelations 20:12 in which Jesus gave revelation saying, "I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God's throne.  And the books were opened, including the Book of Life.  And the dead were judged according to what they had done."  [Or not done?!]  [Obey?!]

Strong's reference number 450 for 'stand' includes Acts 10:26 and Acts 14:10.  MY definition would be 'for healing, to show acceptance'.  Strong's defines it as this:  'get up, stand up, come back to life, arise, raise up, rise again'.  [Are you ready?!]

For reference number 3936 pertaining to the word 'stand' in Strong's we have Romans 14:10.  MY definition would be 'proclamation, conviction'.  Strong's defines this as 'place beside, put at disposal, to present, make offering, provide, come to aid, brought before, assist, present, yield.'  [Teach?!]

The following references for 'stand' from number 4739 per my definition are 'to show, place emphasis, prove'.  Strong's are 'stand firm, be stead fast, stand fast, stand'.  The Scripture references pertaining to 'stand' in this context  include 1 Corinthians 16:13, Philippians 1:27 and 2 Thes. 2:15, in which we learn from Jesus via John, "With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on everything we taught you both in person and by letter."  

STAND WITH GOD!   

 

   

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  Let Us Pray

 

God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, I'm beginning to get why I should be ONE WITH you, OBEY you, and what I need to do FOR you....and WITH you....TEACH....and STAND! 

"Lord You have my heart....and I will search for Yours.  Jesus take my life and lead me on.  Lord, You have my heart.  And I will search for Yours. Let me be to You a sacrifice.  And I will praise You Lord.  And I will sing of love come down.  And as You show Your face, We'll see Your glory here." *

Yes, Lord.  If I am doing my job for you, many will see your glory here.  Help me Father God, Jesus, Holy Spirit to do everything I need to do to achieve that.  Help me to better hear your voice and obey you.  Help me STAND! and teach....about you....and everything you have to offer.  And please, so that I might be a cleansed vessel ready to receive all you have to give, forgive me of my sins, heal me and make me whole.  And then help me to make a choice to actively reap the harvest once I sow the seeds.  Mark 4.29  I know, Lord, that while the earth remains, seedtime and harvest shall not cease, and while I remain on earth, that shall be my task and everyone else's who accepts you into their lives.  Genesis 8:22.

Thank you for opening my heart, mind, spirit, body and soul to receive all you have to give me.  I am ready to reap that harvest now.  In the name of Jesus, God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, come fully into my life now!  And while you are at it, and life is such in this day and age in the world that we need an income to go forth for and with you, as well as survive this thing called life, I am ready to reap that harvest now, too.  In the name of Jesus, money come!  I praise you and thank you, God, Jesus, Holy Spirit.  From this day forward I will OBEY you, STAND with you, TEACH for you and with you!  Open the hearts and minds of those you set before me, so that they will reap the harvest of your love, and all you have to give them through me.  Thank you.  Alleluia!  Amen!   

    

 

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More love.... 

  Benediction....Blessing

 

Let us hear from Paul as he prays:  

When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.  I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit.  And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him.  May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love.  And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is.  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it.  Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now glory be to God!  By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.  May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages.  Amen.  Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT         

 

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Scroll down to read Jesus' Prayer of Thanksgiving...'The Unforced Rhythms of Grace'.

 

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Definition of a Christian:  Anyone who believes in God, Jesus and Holy Spirit, and accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior.  Regardless of church name or religious affiliation. 

'All who have been united with Christ in baptism have been made like him.  There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female.  For you are all Christians - you are ONE in Christ Jesus.'  Galatians 3: 27

 

  It is not how we worship, but that we worship....the Trinity!

 

Teach tolerance....reach in acceptance....worship as one!

 

Embrace....Respect....Encourage!

 

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Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.  And be sure of this:

I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

 

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It is time to reach into the community and the world around you to see wherein lies the greatest need.  As you choose to focus on these areas, do so with a servant's heart.  Whether the need is for children, adults, or animals, or any cause in between that will help those in need, ask God how you can best serve his needs, what path you must take, and how long you should persevere.  Sometimes we are to be in the lives of others merely as stepping stones.  Sometimes we are to touch those lives forever.  Whatever journey you are called to take, whatever team you will be a member, know this:  God is with you always...even til the end of time.  He loves you, is grateful for you, and will help you along life's way, especially if you are helping others along theirs, persevering with a servant's heart.  

    

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BesidesBesid  ***

 

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    One last thing....

 

 Jesus' Prayer of Thanksgiving

'The Unforced Rhythms of Grace'

 

"Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer:  "Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth.  You've concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people.  Yes, Father, that's the way you like to work."

Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly.  "The Father has given me all these things to do and say.  This is a unique Father - Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge.  No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does.  But I'm not keeping it to myself; I'm ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen."

"Are you tired?  Worn out?  Burned out on religion?  Come to me.  Get away with me and you'll recover your life.  I'll show you how to take a real rest.  Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.  I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn how to live freely and lightly.

 

   Matthew 11:  25-30

  The Message

 

And the people said,

"Amen."

 

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* Lord You Have My Heart from Delirious?  Music and lyrics by Martin Smith c 1992 Kingsway's Thank You Music/PRS/All rights in the Western Hemisphere administered by EMI Christian Music Publishing p 1998 Sparrow Records Delirious? appears courtesy of Furious? Records/Sparrow Records

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I now write most prayers in the position of ' I ' (first person) because most people are sitting at their computer alone, not in groups, and it allows those reading and praying to personalize the prayer as coming from them going to God.  Variations may appear on holidays when families may wish to use the prayer provided.  I encourage you to pray your own prayers as well.

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  Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189.  All rights reserved.

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NOTE:  I said it long ago, but let me say it again.  If you are wanting to lead a group, start a church, or are confined in an institution, or live in a country where the Gospel is not preached, and you don't know what to say or how to say it, and yet feel led to share, teach, or preach, besides just reading straight out of the Bible and sharing what God puts on your heart, please feel free to share any or all of what I've written, if it will help you, as long as you include where it comes from, due to copyright laws.  Jesus gave God's love and healing freely, as well as his message.  Our responsibility is to get the Word out to those who need to hear it.  If what I've written....by the power and direction of the Holy Spirit....or what he has said through me....has helped you, it may help others that you know.  You are welcome to share it.  God calls all of us to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the world.  Please share it with the fullness of love that God, Jesus, Holy Spirit....and I....have given it.  Amen!

 

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Bible Authors and Minister