By His Word

Mark 11:2-3 “And saith unto them,  Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, wherein never man sat:  loose him, and bring him.

And if any man say unto you,  Why do ye this? Say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.”

This is, of course, the colt that Jesus rode into Jerusalem with the shouts of “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord”.    “Hosanna in the highest”. 

This is where Jesus presents Himself to the King’s City as King, according to prophesy:

Zechariah 9:9 ” Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.”

As King, although unrecognized by the rulers,  He goes into the temple:

Mark 11:11 “And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things,    and now eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.”

And as King, He sees all that needs to be set in order in the temple.

But He does not stay in Jerusalem….but goes out of the city.

The next day, coming into Jerusalem, to do the work that needed to be done;  He was hungry.

Mark 11:12-13″And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:

And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves,  he came, if haply he might find anything thereon:  and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves;  for the time of figs was not yet.”

Here Jesus was hungry, and walked out of His way to have some figs.

On fig trees, the figs come on before the leaves;  and there were leaves, so there should have been figs.

It was not the time of figs, but there were leaves; so there should have been figs.

But He found none.

So by His Word:

Mark 11:14 “And Jesus answered and said unto it,   No man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever.  And his disciples heard it.”

You will notice “And Jesus answered”;  Why this term?

Because the tree had “spoken”.  It had rejected feeding the Son of Man, Jesus Christ; therefore Jesus “answered” it with a curse.

(Some say the fig tree is a figure of Israel:  Religiously looking good, but without fruit unto God.      But is there any among us, that can say that the Lord has not looked for fruit from them, and found leaves, only?)

So they continue into Jerusalem, where yesterday they had praised and blessed Him.

Mark 11:15-16 ” And they come to Jerusalem:  and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple,  and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves;

And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.”

Yesterday it was to manifest Himself as King,  today it is to do the work of His Father, for His house.  Setting in order that which was wanting in the service of God.

He did this Himself,  casting out; and refusing entrance to those who would violate the temple.   He had done this once before at the beginning of His ministry (John 2:13-16).   Now He would do it again, as a witness against the hardness of their heart.

Then by His Word:

Mark 11:17 “And he taught,  saying unto them,  Is it not written,  My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer?   But ye have made it a den of thieves.”

Not only did He cleanse, He spoke concerning God’s will for His house.

To set in order.

Mark 11:18-19 ” And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought out how they might destroy him:  for they feared him,  because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.

And when even was come,  he went out of the city.”

But here again, He was rejected.  The people were amazed at Him speaking with authority the doctrine of God.   Amazed but unresponsive.  And the rulers, instead of submitting to God’s Word, only sought to destroy Him.

The work finished He came into the city to do, He again leaves the city.  He would not stay a night in Jerusalem, until the night of the passover feast.

By His Word the fig tree was cursed, and by His Word the temple was cleansed.

Mark 11:20-21″And in the morning, as they passed by,  they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.  

And Peter calling to rememberance  saith unto him,  Master, behold,  the fig tree that thou cursedst is withered away.”

By His Word it was all done. 

Then the Lord Jesus, wanting to set forth the importance of our words, showed His disciples what it was all about.

Mark 11:22 “And Jesus answering saith unto them,  Have faith in God.”

Faith is that active ingredient in our life which makes real the things of God.

God will act for you if you have faith in Him.  For real faith, trusts Him.

Are you doing and saying because it is what you want?

Or are you doing and saying because God wants you to?

Leaves are words,  Fruit is obedient deeds.

A temple serving man, is not God’s temple.

Have faith in God….don’t just look good, or go along with everyone else.   But believe God’s Word and obey Him.

Mark 11:23 “For verily I say unto you,  That whosoever shall say unto this mountain,  Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass;  he shall have whatsoever he saith.”

What a wonderful Word from our Lord Jesus!  What an encouragement to His disciples, for soon everything was going to change.   The reality of their faith would soon be shown.  There were going to be plenty of “mountains” that would need to be removed in front of them, to bring them past Jesus crucified,  to Jesus resurrected, to Jesus ascended, to the Holy Spirit given.

Here is faith in action.

And what is the mountain that I want to see cast into the sea?

It is that “mountain” (within me, and within my circumstances) that hinders me from seeing done,  what I’ve been called to do by the Lord.

I want that mountain or mountains removed!

It is according to :

“And shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass.”

Faith sees God;  “shall believe” is the hearts response to God’s Word to us.

The disciples were called to put their faith in action and believe God’s Word to go on in their callings.

So are we.

Mark 11:24-26 “Therefore I say unto you, What things so ever ye desire, when we pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any;   that your Father also  which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

To believe when you pray, asking God for your requests, is to place yourself at His disposal to bring them to pass.

To do this, nothing must come between you and God. 

Therefore,  forgive, if you have anything against another person; and God will forgive you. 

Everyone is on the same level:  we all need forgiveness.   And Jesus was plainly teaching that sins are to be forgiven, that our prayers are not hindered.

We need to pray…we have mountains to be removed.    So have faith in God, and believe when you pray, forgiving all; that you may be forgiven.   Then those mountains will be removed!    

By His Word:  He has said these things that we might put them into practice.

What will we do with them?

Appointed 

Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die,  but after this the judgement:”

By God’s appointment, every life shall end in fire:

                For the Christian, it is the purifying fire of the Bema of Christ, before the eternity of Heaven.(1 Corinthians 3:13-15)

                For the unsaved, it is ultimately the Lake of Fire. (Revelation 20:15). 

[Matthew 25:41 “Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand,  Depart from Me,  ye cursed, into everlasting fire,  prepared for the devil and his angels:”

Notice:  God made the Lake of Fire for the devil and his angels.  Not man.  Man chooses to rebel against his Maker, and refuses the only Savior.]

God has appointed this day:  it is not for anyone to know.

Acts 1:7 “And He said unto them,  It is not for you to know the times or the seasons,  which the Father hath put in His own power.”

But it is put into God’s appointment book;  it will happen.

As Job said:

Job 23:13-14 “But He is in one mind and who can turn Him?  And what His soul desireth, even that He doeth.  

                          For He performeth the thing that is appointed for me:  and many such things are with Him.”

God performs the thing appointed.  For every Christian, this is a blessed fact.

Every trial, every person, every circumstance which is in the path I am to take, following Him, is appointed for us.

1 Thessalonians 3:3 “That no man should be moved by these afflictions:  for yourselves know that we are appointed thereinto.”

So because God has appointed this day;  He would have us receive the reward and crown He has for us.

In that day:  He will purify us with fire.   Today:  He wants to purify us by trials.

Faith must be tried to show us that it is there,  and how much we have.  That is the way we learn what God will do for us.

Micah 6:8-9 “He hath showed thee,  O man,  what is good;  and what doth the Lord require thee,  but to do justly,  and to love mercy,  and to walk humbly with thy God?

                        The Lord’s voice crieth unto the city,  and the man of wisdom shall see Thy name:   hear ye the rod,  and Who hath appointed it.”

[The rod here is the same as “Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23). They are given the Shepherd, both to correct the sheep and protect them.]

Our path is one in which we deal with ourselves,  and others.  We ask for mercy, and deal with others in mercy.

We ask for forgiveness, and forgive others.

We ask for help,  and pray for help for others. (Giving it in comfort, and encouragement, as we can)

Our path is one which follows our Lord,  “to walk humbly with our God”,  in the many “appointments” He has made for us.   

We agree with Him in this path,  leaning on Him and His Word to us, to see us through in safety.    And in joy.   [And if the joy is not there,  we are not really agreeing with Him,  but “putting up” with Him]

He has appointed for me, and for you.   Let us receive a full reward (2 John 8),  and enter into all He has for us:    both here, and there.

Are we indifferent to God?

Isaiah 45:22 “Look unto me,  and be ye saved,  all the ends of the earth:  for I am God, and there is none else.”

In the world,  there are many gods. 

But for the one who is truly born again,  there is no other God,  but the Triune God.

God, the Father.

God, the Son.

God, the Holy Ghost.

They are three persons in One.   

God the Father formulated our Salvation.

God the Son purchased by HIs redeeming blood, our Salvation.

God the Holy Ghost works that Salvation within us;  day by day,  moment by moment.

Indifference in religion is the worst of attitudes. (Indifference means a lack of decision,  for either for or against something.)

Really?!  How can this be for a Christian?

We should either be,  “all in”;   Or “all out”.

When I was younger,  many preachers used to mention the proverbial “fence-setters”.

As a true Christian,  you really cannot be on that fence.   You must choose which side you will walk on.

Joshua 24: 14-15 “Now therefore fear the Lord,  and serve Him in sincerity and in truth;  and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood,  and in Egypt;    and serve ye the Lord.

                                

                               And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord,  choose you this day whom ye will serve;  whither the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood,  or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell:          but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

You see, everyone will serve a god:

Either the true God.

Or a god of their own making. (Which includes themselves…making themselves a god of their life.)

We are not in charge.  There are circumstances which come up we are not prepared for.

There are people who have an effect on us,  for good and evil, come into our lives.

There is the “bug” that bites:  greed,  success,  and power.

And there is the emotional roll-a-coaster from the choices we make.

As Christians, we should gladly submit ourselves to God.

He has saved,  and in a real sense,  saves us everyday;  as we yield to His Holy Spirit, within.

We should give up the attitude of the world to our God:  

Psalms 14:1 “The fool hath said in his heart,   There is no God.   They are corrupt,  they have done abominable works,  there is none that doeth good.”

In the original Hebrew, it means that they say,  “No,  God.”  For they work very hard to say that there is no God,  and as they work,  they seem to more and more, believe it.   

We cannot afford to be hesitant about our life with God. 

We must stand with someone.

We will come with the zealous attitude of following after our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Or,  in indifference,  we will take on the attitude of the world, and lose our greatest strength.

Where do we stand?   

Are we indifferent to our God?

Give us a King, like Others 

1 Samuel 8:5 “And said unto him,  Behold, thou art old,  and thy sons walk not in thy ways:  now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

A little background:   God had chosen Israel to be His people.  A nation ruled and guided by Him and His law.  

He was to be their King.  He gave them the Tabernacle and the Priesthood, so they could come before Him and remove sins by sacrifice (all pointing to Christ), to get direction, and to joy before Him because of His many blessings.(in the peace offering, the family feasted with the priests, before the Tabernacle, after offering the sacrifice for thanksgiving.)

Some of Israel did.  Others refused, choosing rather to follow the idols of the nations round about.

Then God chastened them, and when they repented or cried out to Him,  He sent Judges to lead them back into the way.  Giving victory over the enemies which had come up against them.

Samuel was the last great judge, appointed by God.  He was loved and followed, leading the people for years.   But…

1 Samuel 8:1, 3 “And it came to pass,  when Samuel was old,  that he made his sons judges over Israel.  

                             And his sons walked not in his ways,  but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes,  and perverted judgement.”

This gave Israel the excuse it wanted to ask for a king.   But the thing displeased Samuel,  so he asked the Lord what to do.

1 Samuel 8:7  “And the Lord said unto Samuel,   Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee:  for they have not rejected thee,  but they have rejected Me,  that I should not reign over them.”

The Lord told him to do what they ask,  but warn them of all that this king will do, and take from them.

So he did:  your sons will become soldiers, and servants to keep his ground.  Your daughters will be cooks and bakers.   Your fields, your vineyards and olive yards will the king give to his servants.

He will take a tenth of your crops, sheep, cattle, etc.

But they refused to be moved.  They would have a king, like the other nations.

1 Samuel 8:19-20 “Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel;  and they said,  Nay; but we will have a king over us;

                                  That we may also may be like all the nations;  and that our king may judge us, and go out before us,  and fight our battles.”

So God gave them what they asked for:  He gave them Saul.  A man head and shoulders talker than all. (1 Samuel 10:23-24).  

Saul’s reign was filled with all that Samuel had said.  

At first Saul was humbled by the task,  but then became vain and greedy for the honor and applause.   So in the end, his reign was full of jealousy and disobedience.  

(And the kings after him—some good, following the Lord;  others terrible, leading the people into gross sins)

So God told them:

Hosea 13:11 “I gave thee a king in Mine anger,  and took him away in My wrath.”

Then they were ruled by other nations.  One after the other, till Rome.

Then God sent His Son, Jesus Christ to earth:  He presented Himself as their King, to Israel, for three years. 

(Mark 1:14-15) “The kingdom of God is at hand:  repent ye, and believe the gospel.”    

Even up to the last week, it was said of Jesus:   (Luke 19:37-38) “Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.”

Would they receive their true King?      Sadly, no.

John 19:15 “But they cried out,  Away with Him,  away with Him,  crucify Him.  Pilate saith unto them,  Shall I crucify your King?    The chief priests answered,  We have no king but Caesar.”

What about us?   Jesus Christ is Lord of Lord and King of Kings:  but is He our King?

Jesus says we should pray:

Matthew 6:10 “Thy kingdom come.  Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

The Apostle Paul wrote, about his experience:

1 Timothy 1:15-17 “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners;  of whom I am chief.

                                 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering,  for a pattern which to them which should hereafter believe on Him to life everlasting.

                                  Now unto the King Eternal,  Immortal,  Invisible,  the only wise God,  be honor and glory forever and ever.  Amen.”

He is the King.  That is fact.  But He is only King in our personal experience,  if we have made Him so.

Does He rule and reign in your life?   Do you come to Him not just for help,  but for guidance?   Does He fill the void in your heart;  or is there something (or someone) else that satisfies, and rules there?

Christ Jesus, today, is still presenting Himself as King.  And calling all who will come, to repent of the other “kings” in your life, and follow Him.

The throne we establish in our hearts for Him is one of love, built on the foundation of faith, given us by the Holy Spirit within.  

Will we not only proclaim Him as King,  but make Him so?

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,  to them who are the called according to His purpose.”

To them that love God.  Do you love Him?  Does your heart reach out to Him in prayer and fellowship?   Do you love His Name,  and character?

I believe this love is a gift given us in the Holy Spirit.   And like faith, it is to be exercised, so it will grow into the abounding force of Christ’s life within us.

Love takes us out of ourselves; widening our hearts and lives, giving us wider boundaries for good.

To them that love God:  If we will bow to our Father in the results and consequences of our sin and rebellious ways;  and seek forgiveness and cleansing,  setting our affairs right before Him.

Then He will see that “all things work for good” in each of His servants.

His good, of course, which must be ours also.

In this verse we see that it is our attitude to God, and our calling in His purpose, and our sin;  which needs to be made right.

That is why love to God is most important.  

Proverbs 4:23 “Keep thy heart with all diligence;  for out of it are the issues of life.”

“Issues” here means the boundaries we set up. This is how far we will go.  These boundaries come from the heart.

Matthew 12:34-35 “…for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things:  and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

Again I will stress:  it is love to God which sets the boundaries of our life.

If we love Him,  we will obey Him.(John 14:15)

If we love Him,  we will love each other.(John 13:34-35)

If we love Him, we will hate our sin.(1 John 5:18)

If we love Him, we will persevere through trials and difficulties.(1 John 4:16-18)

It is love to Him, which causes all things to be good.  For He loves us much more that we can ever love Him.   (1 John 4:19)

It is the reciprocal relationship of love,  sweet and full,  that makes all things work together; for we are working together.   

Thou art Worthy

Revelation 4:11 “Thou art worthy,  O Lord,  to receive glory and honor and power:  for Thou hast created all things,  and for Thy Pleasure they are and were created.”

For Thou hast created all things:  Jesus as the Son of God created all things by the Word of His mouth.   He is the Word. (John 1:1-3)

And Jesus as the Son of Man bought back all that was lost at the fall.

1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God,  and one mediator between God and men,  the man Christ Jesus;”

So what is there for me to consider about this?  

That I should know what His personal Pleasure for me is.

Not just where I am to go,  but how am I to get there?   What am I to become along the Way?

In all my days and all the circumstances of those days,  there must be a plan,  and a purpose to look to.

One thing I believe our ministry is to stress:  Above all else Jesus Christ requires obedience from His own.

1 Samuel 15:22 “And Samuel said,  Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,  as in obeying the voice of the Lord?    Behold,  to obey is better than sacrifice,  and to hearken  than the fat of rams.”

No amount of religious activity will ever take the place of Obedience.

For this act of placing yourself with him, and doing what He says now;  pleases Him most.

Human evil comes from Adam’s refusal to obey the one rule the Creator laid down.  (Sin is, in all its actions,  “I will not do what You say,  I will not be what You want me to be.”)

This was the cause of man’s fall into sin.   And the force behind it was the devil.

But now that we are redeemed;  we are redeemed for a purpose.  

And that purpose is to show forth His glory (the manifesting of His light and power) in our circumstances.

And obedience is the instrument by which this is accomplished.   

Will we be children of Adam,  and say no to God’s Will; refusing to obey?

Or will we be children of God, and say yes to His Purpose;  now.

For it always comes down to now.    

We are to bear fruit, as branches in the Vine.

Fruit,  more fruit, and much fruit.

(There are two kinds of fruit:  the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and the fruit of a Christian, which is another Christian by our witnessing, praying,  or soul winning)

John 15:1-2 “I am the true vine,  and My Father is the husbandman.      

Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away;  and every branch that beareth fruit;  He purgeth it,  that it may bring forth more fruit.”

John 15:5 “I am the vine,  ye are the branches,  he that abideth in Me,  and I in him,  the same bringeth forth much fruit;  for without Me ye can do nothing.”

We are all to bear fruit to God’s glory.   It is by abiding in Him, that we have His life flowing through us, to others.

But how do we “abide” in Him?

John 15:10 “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love;  even as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love.”

We abide by obeying His Word to us.

John 15:7 “If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”

This is a great promise to those who have the “sap” (life of Christ) flowing through us.    By obeying His Word,  we may ask what we will (for we will His Will),  and it will be done unto us.

Not for us, or through us…..but unto us.  For our personal growth.

We have a lack?  Ask,  and it will be done unto us.

Christ created us for His pleasure:  the way we are is what He intended. 

(I can not tell you how many arguments I used to have with the Lord about “the way I am.”     If He had only made me less anxious;  or if I had a more sunny disposition,  etc.)

But here is where the “unto you” , comes in.   

God made me:  with the parents I had,  the circumstances I had to go through,  all things were made for His pleasure where I was concerned.

So…and here is the great part:   I can abide in Him,  and ask Him for the things I need to be different;   And He will do it unto me.

He is Worthy!  To be praised,  for we are offered the great privilege of abiding, obeying, and receiving from our great Lord Jesus Christ, personally.

                         

Liberty of the Holy Spirit

2 Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is that Spirit:  and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

Liberty of Spirit is to have the ability and will, to do the Will of God,  joyfully.

Philippians 2:12-13 “Wherefore,  by beloved,  as ye have always obeyed,  not as in my presence only,  but how much more in my absence,  work out your own salvation with fear and trembling:

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

After being born again,  we are called to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This calling is personal, between the Lord and you, and has nothing to do with your work for Him, or your witness of Him. 

It is the beginning of a relationship.   

How far you take this relationship,  is as far as the Liberty of the Spirit is yours;  for it is based on love, not duty.

It is true, that all those that belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, are called to obey Him.

Acts 5:32. “And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.”

We stress obedience a lot for Christians,  but this Liberty of Spirit is found in those that love Him.

When we are born again,  the Spirit of God comes into our spirits and gives us light for darkness,  and a love,  however small, for God;  not an anger toward Him.

The Spirit of God then uses the Word of God to awaken a desire within us to be holy.

There are two terms for holy in the Scriptures:   Holy when it speaks of God is His Nature of Sinlessness, and Integrity.  

Holy when it speaks of us as His followers, means that we are setting ourselves aside for His sacred use.   He can use us as He will, for His honor and glory.

Holiness comes from the determined will of the believer, to be a vessel unto honor, meet for the Master’s use. (2 Timothy2:21). This is not sinlessness,  but constant communion with Him,  who is Holiness.

This Liberty of the Spirit, is the same liberty you feel with your true friends.   There is nothing you can not tell, or hear, that would effect your friendship.  There is the feeling of acceptance, and power.  For who is not more powerful, with friends.

And the Holy Spirit empowers us in God’s Word,  God’s Grace, and God’s Will.

Fear is dealt with.

Anger is defused.

Self-pity is turned from.

Power is given, from within  us by the Holy Spirit; and received.

This is Liberty of the Spirit.   And so much more;  with that personal relationship with Him.

Do you want it?

Paul and Silas in Jail

A little background:

Paul and Silas were on a missionary trip, when Paul received a vision.

Acts 16:9 “And a vision appeared to Paul in the night;  There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.”

So they went “immediately”.   Once there, they went to  Philippi, which was the chief city.

There they stayed for several days, but on the Sabbath they went to the river side, and spoke to the women who had gathered to pray.

One woman was born again and baptized, and she opened her house to them, so they had a place to stay.

As they were going to prayer,  a demon possessed girl,  who could tell fortunes;  began to follow Paul and Silas,  crying out,  “These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation.”

This she did for several days.

Perhaps to some, this might seem good publicity.

But not to Paul,  who was grieved that the gospel was shouted about like a piece of meat.           The gospel is about Christ.

Yes, there is a “way of salvation”,  but cried out like that, made it seem cheap.  “Give me a coin and I will show you what to do.”

That was her line.

Not God’s.

So….Paul turned:

Acts 16:18 “And this she did many days.  But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit,   I command thee in the name of Jesus to come out of her.  And he came out the same hour.”

Her masters,  who got money from her predictions, were furious.

They grabbed Paul and Silas, and brought them before the magistrates, in the market.

With a false accusation, and no chance of defense;  Paul and Silas were given over to being beaten;  and jailed.

Acts 16:23-24 “And when they had laid many stripes upon them,  they cast them into prison,  charging the jailer to keep them safely:  

Who having received such a charge,  thrust them into the inner prison,  and made their feet fast in the stocks.”

Not at all a good result,  it would seem.  They were beaten and put into a filthy, small space with their feet in wooden stocks.

But…

Paul and Silas,  beaten and sore;  were not going to stop seeking God’s Will.

They had been sent there,  and so now they needed to know whether what Paul had done about this demonic girl was the right thing to do.

Or just his idea,  because he disliked what she said.

Acts 16:25 “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed,  and sang praises unto God:  and the prisoners heard them.”

First they prayed.  Maybe groaned more than prayed.  Yet God heard them.

When they had heard that it was God’s Will,  then they sang praises unto God.

There was no stifling the Holy Spirit, here.   They prayed,  then praised Him for these circumstances.   Power,  real power to praise rose within their hearts and spilled over into song.

They had preached to many people.   They had come to the place God sent them.  They had preached and led some to Christ Jesus.

And they had done what they should, about this girl.

This was still God’s Will;   Hallelujah!

Acts 16:26-27 “And suddenly there was a great earthquake,  so that the foundation of the prison were shaken:  and immediately all the doors were opened,  and everyone’s bands were loosed.

And the keeper of the prison wakening out of his sleep,  and seeing the doors open,  drew out his sword,  and would have killed himself,  supposing that the prisoners had been fled.”

The glory of God, and His power came down to them in that prison.

They sang.

There was an earthquake.   It opened all the doors. 

When the doors opened,  not one of the prisoners escaped!  They were all there.

But the real power was in their praise.   

It took beaten,  sad men, and turned them into praising, joyful peacemakers.

Acts 16:28-30 “But Paul cried with a loud voice,  saying,  Do thyself no harm:  for we are all here.

Then he called for a light,  and sprang in,  and came trembling,  and fell down before Paul and Silas.

And brought them out, and said,  Sirs,  what must I do to be saved?”

The power was also there for the jailer.  

He would have killed himself.  If those in his charge were missing,  Rome would have killed him.  But if he killed himself,  his family might be spared.

Acts 16:32-33 “And they spake unto him the word of the Lord,  and to all that were in his house.

And he took them the same hour of the night,  and washed their stripes;  and was baptized,  and all his, straightway.”

When the Holy Spirit is not quenched;  power is the result.  

Power for you, and through you, to others.

Paul and Silas were badly treated, jailed.

But both praised God for the opportunity to suffer for Him.

And by that praise,  power was given to bring other souls to Christ.

(It is amazing how God works through our bad circumstances,  for good.  But it was as they prayed and praised, that the circumstances changed)

The next day the magistrates told the keeper to let them go.

(This seems like a good time to get out of there quick!)

But Paul said,  No, for they have beaten us publicly, and we are Romans,  and now they want to let us go privately?    No,  let them come and let us out themselves.

(Romans had rights:  they could not be accused without a hearing,  or beaten, uncondemned.      Paul and Silas had been rushed into prison;  and beaten at the whim of these magistrates.)

Now Paul speaks, not in anger, but for justice.  He could have had these magistrates judged,  but instead required them simply to personally see to their release.

And they feared, and came themselves, and let them out.

God’s Power, for the Christian, is first in us, working joy and peace, and guidance. 

Then it is through us,  by the influence of the Holy Spirit, to others.

It is always to manifest Christ.

Blessed

Psalm 65:4 “Blessed is the man whom thou choosest,  and causest to approach unto thee,  that he may dwell in thy courts:  we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house,  even of thy holy temple.”

Blessed means twice happy!

God sees us blessed;   How do we see ourselves, in His work?

When He chooses us,  He causes us to draw near to Him.  Would we resist that drawing?

When I was first brought back into the right way, after wandering away from God;  I was in awe, that  He loved me enough to welcome me back.

My thought was to grow closer to Him.  Nearer, Nearer, I prayed.  That is what I want.

The song of Nearer My God to Thee,  seemed to play in my head, often.

“Even though it be a cross that raises me…”.  

The “pig pen” of the world I had experienced;  I wanted the “home” of closeness with God.

Blessed I was, and am, for God’s mercy to me.

This Psalm typifies God’s great arms.  Drawing us, even when we run away.

Calling us, even when we have refused before.

“We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house,”

For Christians, the closer we get to the Lord,  the more satisfied we are.  The further away from God,  the more opportunity for things to come in between us.   These cause barriers.

The barriers we place, between the Lord and ourselves, cause discontent.

And discontent is to be dissatisfied.

And when we are dissatisfied,  we start looking for other things.

There are many temptations in the world,  the best place to be safe is in the holy temple of fellowship and nearness to the Lord.

Blessed is the one who is close to the Lord.

Blessed, also, is the one who is given opportunity to get near to the Lord again.

Most blessed is the one who never looks for any other satisfaction,  than in Him.

Destroy your Wall

Song of Solomon 2:8-9 “The voice of my beloved!  Behold,  He cometh leaping upon the mountains;  skipping upon the hills.

                                           My beloved is like a roe or a young hart:  behold,  He standeth behind our wall,  He looketh forth at the windows,  showing Himself through the lattice.”

This maiden (a picture of a believer) is at home.  She is saved, and has had fellowship with the Lord.   Wonderful personal experiences in prayer, and communion.

She loves Him,  for she calls Him “my beloved”.

She hears Him speaking to her, but she is on the inside and He is standing, waiting,  on the outside.

Song of Solomon 2:10 “My beloved  spake,  and said unto me,   Rise up, my love, my fair one,  and come away.”

This is the reason He has called to her;  He wants her to come with Him and go on in the spiritual experiences of life.  

She cannot grow much,  hiding behind the wall.   She must come out and go with Him, into the streets and byways.   The places where people need to hear her testimony and see her witness of Him.

But they are to go together.  So He calls to her to come,  come away.

She can see through the lattice at the windows that this is her Beloved.  She can hear His Voice, calling her.

So what hinders?

There is a wall between them,  made very plain in the verses.  “He standeth behind our wall”

It is our wall,  because the stones of it are those experiences with Christ that she has “stacked up”.

She has made a wall of what she knows,  what she has experienced with Christ;  so she can feel safe.

But that can not be.   It is not safety in the past experiences;  but in Christ.

It is not the knowledge about Christ,  it is Christ,  that makes life worth living.

And for that to happen,  every Christian needs to progress in their walk with Him.

Now, it may be personal things to pray for and see to.   Next,  it could be a calling to fulfill.  But where ever He leads,  it is always forward.

So He calls.   And calls again, telling about the beauty beyond the enclosure of the past (even though the past is wonderful…we can not live there.  We must go forward,  or we are stifled.)

Song of Solomon 2:11-13 “For, lo, the winter is past,  the rain is over and gone;

The flowers appear on the earth;  the time of the singing of birds is come,  and the voice of the turtle (dove) is heard in our land;

                                             The fig tree putteth forth her green figs,  and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell.    Arise, my love, my fair one,  and come away.”

Here is the beauty of fruitfulness in our Christian life.

Here the sweetness, and song of all creation crying to “come out with Christ”.

He calls to her to come on with Him, to leap over mountains with Him.  

Impossible!

Yes,  mountains are impossible things in scripture;  yet as He leaps over them,  we can too…with Him.

He calls to her skip upon the hills,  with Him.   These hills are difficulties and trials, we face every day.

But how to destroy the wall?       Simply bring them before the Lord,  and place them at His feet.   Thanking Him for every blessing….   And then as Paul says:

Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren,  I count not myself to have apprehended:  but his one thing I do,  forgetting those things which are behind,  and reaching forth for those things which are before. 

                                    I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Some of us do not like changes.   

We like things steady, and quite.

But when the Lord calls us to go,  we must decide whether it is the safety of our past experiences we will trust.

Or Jesus Christ.      

Do you hear Him calling you on, today?