Memorial Day

This day is great for remembering those who have gone before us, and especially those who served our country, allowing us to be free.  But it could be a good day to remember those who went before us to see that the Gospel, the "good news," was preserved for us.  We'll take a few moments here to review this process, as described to us in the Bible.

It all began with Jesus when He told His followers:  Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned (Mark 16:15-16).  Just before He left the earth, He charged the apostles to carry on the work  after He was gone: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

The apostles probably did not understand all that Jesus told them before He left; but they did understand the charge that was left to them, i.e., to start in Jerusalem and go out into all the world spreading the good news of Jesus. And as we read on in the book of Acts, we see that they did just that.  Acts 4:31 says they "..spoke the word of God with boldness."  Acts 5:42, after being beaten and persecuted, we read, "And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ."

As we read further, we see in the letters, the epistles, where the apostles continued to help the Christians in the churches.  In Paul's 2nd letter to the Thessalonians, note verses 13-15 and particularly verse 15: "But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Verse 15) Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle."

After Jesus left the earth, the apostles carried on the work, teaching, working miracles, strengthening Christians, spreading the good news.  They started churches, they visited churches, they wrote letters to the Christians.  These letters and writings were eventually preserved, compiled and now comprise the New Testament. 

We certainly can be thankful in our remembrance of these great early Christians.  Thanks for reading.  Have a great day and a great week.  Feel the love.

The First Church

In the last two posts that I made here I wrote of the prophet Joel and King David; these were two important characters in the Old Testament.  One commonality that they share is that they were both quoted by Peter in the first gospel sermon given by Peter and the rest of the apostles, recorded in Acts 2.  The setting for this sermon, or speech, is that the apostles were in Jerusalem speaking to a totally Jewish audience.  Jesus has just ascended into heaven, as recorded in Acts 1. What follows is the response by some of the Jews who heard this harsh teaching by Peter and the others.  The response is one of shame and hurt; the hearers, being told that they just killed the Messiah, said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?  Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.' " 

Note verse 41, "Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.  This is the first church that we read about in the Bible; it begins right here in Jerusalem.  Read verses 37-47 of Acts 2 and you will get a good picture of what the first Christians were doing.  It concludes with verse 47, "praising God and having favor with all the people.  And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved."

As we read on through Acts, we learn of the movements of these early Christians.  Initially, they stay in Jerusalem, but begin to scatter when we get to chapter 8.  But then, this is what Jesus had said to them, this is what had to happen, that they were to go into all the world, and teach all men--see Matthew 28:18 and Mark 16:15-16.

The early church is established and begins to flourish as a result of persecution.  And it grew by leaps and bounds because people could see that these Christians had the truth; that Jesus is real; and that salvation was being offered through the good news of the gospel. These characteristics are still true today for those who follow Jesus.

Thanks for reading.  See you next week. 

King David

There are volumes that could be written about King David, but in this post I will be focusing on the way that the Bible references David as a type of Christ, a pre-Christ.  We will examine a few of the verses that show the importance that David had in leading up to the Christ coming.

One of the things that we note about David and Jesus is that they were both of the Israelite tribe of Judah.  This is not coincidence; the OT follows the descendants of the person Judah, son of Jacob, down through the generations to King David and on down finally to Jesus.

David has to be considered the greatest king of all time up until the coming of Jesus.  But Daniel in Dan. 2:44 pointed out that there was a kingdom coming that would never be destroyed.  Kings always came and went; but there was one coming that would never go; a kingdom that would last forever.

This subject is referenced in Acts 2, where Peter and the other apostles stand up and make the first gospel sermon.  Note the words of Peter as he quotes David from the OT scriptures, where David was speaking of Jesus to come:  " I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.  Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; moreover my flesh also will rest in hope, for You will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.  You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence."  Peter goes on to explain that David, as great as he was, is dead and buried.  But Jesus, the greater king, is reigning in heaven.

David is described in the Bible as a "man after God's own heart." (1Samuel 13:13-14).  But we know that Jesus is the greatest of all kings, Lord of Lords.  Praise be to God.....and His Son!

Have a great week!

The Prophet Joel

In this week's article, I want to focus just a little on the prophet Joel.  As a prophet, he was a spokesman for God; he brought a message to the people from the Lord.  You will recall that the nation of Israel split into 2 parts: the northern kingdom, Israel, and the southern kingdom, Judah.  The north kept following idols and got further and further away from God; thus, God allowed them to be taken into captivity to the Assyrian Empire, never to return again to their homeland.  The southern kingdom, Judah, had periods of failing, but also periods of following God.  Therefore, the Lord allowed them time to get their act together.  Eventually, the southern kingdom of Judah failed the Lord and ended up in Babylonian captivity.  The Lord did allow a remnant to return at a later date to rebuild. 

Joel did his work, his prophesying, to the nation of Judah, apparently after the fall of Israel.  One of the significant statements made by him is recorded in Joel 2, beginning in verse 27.  He speaks here of a time to come when God will "pour out My Spirit in those days."  If we did not have further instruction as the the meaning of this, we couldn't be sure of what Joel was saying.  But the Bible is very clear on this meaning, since it is quoted over in the NT, in Acts chapter 2. 

Acts 2 tells of the occurrences soon after Jesus has left this world, ascended into heaven.  Peter stands with the other apostles and delivers the first gospel sermon.  This is one of the most fateful days in the history of the world.  Standing here in Jerusalem, the apostles kick off the beginnings of the church; the church for which Jesus died.  This is the day of which the prophet Joel was speaking; Listen to the words of Peter as he quotes Joel and makes this famous speech:
     Acts 2:16:  "But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:  'and it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dram dreams.  And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy.  I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath; blood and fire and vapor of smoke.  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.  And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' "

In this same speech, Peter quotes king David twice and concludes by telling these Jewish people that they have crucified the Messiah, the very Messiah that they had been waiting on.  Verse 27, "...when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Men and brethren, what shall we do?'  The Peter said to them, 'Repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.' "

The prophet Joel played a key role in foretelling the coming events, events to occur in the "last days." 

Ok, enough for now.  Have a great week....and thanks for reading!