Full and Standing

On By BrianIn Book of Acts, Habit of Scripture

Stephen was preaching the gospel.  There arose opposition, and these men disputed with him, “but they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking” (Acts 6:10).  He was full of the Spirit and wisdom, and it showed.  His opponents gathered false witnesses and brought him before the Sanhedrin.  The high priest asked if the charges were true, and Stephen begins to speak to them from the Scriptures.  He was full of the Word, and it showed.

We too must be full of the Spirit and wisdom and the Word so that we might use the Word in the face of persecution or even simple discussion of the gospel with others.  We must be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks us for a reason for the hope that is in us (I Peter 3:15).  Are you ready like Stephen was?

We must be full of the Spirit and wisdom and the Word in our temptations so that we might follow the Spirit’s leading and wisely discern which verses to use against them.  Are you, like Jesus, well equipped with verses to throw in the devil’s face?

We must be full of the Spirit and wisdom and the Word in our trials so that we can follow the leading of the Spirit and wisely discern where we might find encouragement and strength from God’s Word.  Do you have an arsenal of verses at your disposal to use in times of trial?

If we are going to stand when the opposition comes against us – whether persecution, temptation, or trial – we must be full of the Spirit, wisdom, and the Word.  Are you?

Becoming Full

On By BrianIn Book of Acts, Habit of Prayer, Habit of Scripture

Last week we looked at three areas where we should be full.  We should be full of the Spirit, full of wisdom, and full of faith.  But how do we get full?  How can we be filled?  This is not something we can do on our own.  Each of these things comes from God, and so if we are going to be full we must look to God.

  • First, we must look to God in prayer.  In Acts 4, the early church prayed and they were filled with the Holy Spirit.  James 1:5 tells us that if any lack wisdom, they should ask of God, and God will give wisdom.  In Mark 9:24, a man cries out to Jesus that he might overcome his unbelief.  If we want to be full, we must pray.  Do you pray to be full?
  • Second, we must look to God in His Word.  In Ephesians 5:18-20, we are told to be full of the Spirit.  In a parallel passage in Colossians 3:16, we are told to be full of the Word.  The Spirit and the Word work together.  The Word is the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17).  Psalm 19:7 tells us that God’s Word makes people wise.  Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes from hearing the Word.  If we want to be full, we must be in the Word.  Are you filling yourself with God’s Word?

Full

On By BrianIn Book of Acts1 Comment

When the members of the early church were given the task of choosing seven men to make sure the church’s widows were fed, the apostles gave some important criteria (Acts 6:1-7).  These men must be of good repute, and they must be full.  They must be full of:

  • The Spirit: To be full of the Spirit is to be empowered and enabled by the Spirit to accomplish the ministry (Acts 4:31).  A person filled with the Spirit will follow the leading of the Spirit and show forth the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26).
  • Wisdom: Undoubtedly practical wisdom would be required to take care of the details of feeding so many people.  Beyond that, they needed Biblical wisdom to discern right from wrong, and in the fear of the Lord (which is the beginning of wisdom) choose what is right.  As they were entrusted with much money to buy much food, they had to be trustworthy.
  • Faith: This was not a criteria but an observation about Stephen.  He was full of faith.  To be full of faith is to have a firm faith in Jesus for salvation.  A full faith will trust God in trials and persecutions.

It must be recognized that these seven men came from the membership of the church.  The only way leaders could be chosen is if the members were growing in these areas, which means we all should be growing in these areas.  Looked at another way, leaders are to be an example to the church so that all of the church might follow their example, and so we too should follow their example and seek to grow in these areas.

Are you living in the power and leading of the Spirit, showing his fruit in your life?

Are you discerning between right and wrong and choosing to do what is right?

Are you growing in your faith in God for salvation, and trusting him in your trials?

Are you being filled?

Are you full?

Prayer Warrior-March

On By BrianIn Prayer Guides

Praying for your Church

  • Revival in your church, passion/hunger for God
  • Worship – Heart worship, Joyful singing, Cheerful giving, Passionate prayer, Powerful preaching, Appropriate response
  • Growing disciples, increasing maturity
  • Full of the Spirit, wisdom, and faith
  • Recognition of God’s presence
  • God’s grace to overcome bitterness and sinful patterns
  • Hearts of love toward those who are different
  • Gripped by the sacrifice of Jesus for us
  • Prayer – Growing priority and passion for prayer, Prayer Services
  • Word – Sunday School, Children’s ministry, Youth ministry
  • Fellowship – Growing care/love/unity, Fellowship activities
  • Growing passion for evangelism and missions
  • Opportunities and boldness to share the gospel
  • Growing willingness to take risks for gospel
  • People to be saved in our spheres of influence
  • Guests to come to your Worship Service and the Spirit to draw them to Himself
  • Easter outreaches
  • Your missionaries

Be Thou Exalted

On By BrianIn Prayers1 Comment

O God,
Be Thou exalted over my possessions.
Nothing of earth’s treasures shall seem dear unto me
if only Thou art glorified in my life.

Be Thou exalted over my friendships.
I am determined that Thou shalt be above all,
though I must stand deserted and alone
in the midst of the earth.

Be Thou exalted above my comforts.
Though it mean the loss of bodily comforts
and the carrying of heavy crosses,
I shall keep my vow made this day before Thee.

 Be Thou exalted over my reputation.
Make me ambitious to please Thee
even if as a result I must sink into obscurity
and my name be forgotten as a dream.

Rise, O Lord,
into Thy proper place of honor,
above my ambitions,
above my likes and dislikes,
above my family,
my health
and even my life itself.

Let me decrease that Thou mayest increase;
let me sink that Thou mayest rise above.

– A. W. Tozer, 1897-1963

Six Clear Commitments for the Church

On By BrianIn Book of Acts, Church Life

In Acts 6:1-7, we see six clear commitments of the early church.  These same commitments should be true of our churches today as well:

  • Unity – The occasion behind this passage is a real threat to unity.  Diverse backgrounds, neglect, and complaining all threaten the church.  The apostles deal decisively with the problems to preserve unity in the church.  So should we.
  • Caring Fellowship – The early church was daily feeding widows in need.  Acts 2 tells us they gave to anyone in the church who was in need.  Plus they met regularly in homes.  They cared about each other in tangible ways, and so should we.
  • Prayer and the Word – The apostles wouldn’t neglect prayer and the Word.  Indeed throughout Acts, we see prayer and the Word continually.  These were central to the early church, and they should be central in our churches today.
  • Diverse Roles – If the church was going to commit to caring fellowship and the Word and prayer, it became clear that diverse roles were necessary.  Some needed to focus on caring for people’s physical needs, while others focused on people’s spiritual needs.  Diverse roles are just as important today.
  • Active Membership – The full number of the disciples assembled for essentially a business meeting to deal with the issue at hand.  They were involved in choosing the seven.  These same disciples were devoted to the ministries of the church (Acts 2:41-42).  We need an active membership today.
  • Qualified Leadership – The apostles gave clear guidelines for choosing the seven.  This was not a popular vote.  Each leader had to have a good reputation, and be full of the Spirit and full of wisdom.  We need leaders like that today as well.

As the early church lived out these six commitments, the gospel continued to spread.  May God help our churches to live out these six clear commitments, and may the Lord cause the gospel to spread through us today!

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are two good posts for your weekend reading.  Both are packed with a lot to ponder and apply.

The Glory of God: Quotes – Trevin Wax
Contains several good quotes on God’s glory.  Here is one:
“The work of God in the cross of Christ strikes us as awe-inspiring only after we have first been awed by the glory of God.” – Matt Chandler

Church Was Great! Let’s Not Talk About It – Colin Marshall (Gospel Coalition)
We’ve just heard the Word read and proclaimed, sung the praises of our great God, and petitioned him for mercy in our time of need. And then we spend our time afterward talking about last night’s movie, the game, the hobby, the state of the nation, or whatever. Anything but the great truths of the gospel we’ve just heard and by which we’re saved. Why do we do this?

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day pondering God’s glory and actually talking about the things of God!