Paul was on a mission. The ministry that he originally set out on was to the nations, and he had an end-goal, which was to engage the culture and, ultimately, to get to Caesar and preach the Gospel. He knew he had to get to Rome and speak Truth to the highest power in the land, which was Caesar. We need to understand that we have a call as followers of Jesus. It begins by asking, “What is God’s will?”
Right now in our nation, we don’t just have a political problem, we also have a spiritual problem. We need revival and spiritual awakening across our land. That’s happening in pockets all over, and it’s happening here – but we need more of it. We’re asking God to make this ground-swell a major tsunami to sweep over us.
Since then, a landslide of bad decisions have been made. We need to pray for our country, and ask God to get us back to “original intent” and to our original documents. Our nation is divided and the body of Christ is divided, and we are desperately in need of revival – both political reformation and spiritual reformation. In the Book of Acts, Paul’s mission was to get to the power center of the world and preach the Gospel in Rome. It took four missionary journeys to spread the Gospel across the known world for Paul to get to the place where he could appeal to Caesar and go before him.
It’s so easy to get spun-up in all that’s happening, but our cultural mandate right now is the same one that God gave in the Garden of Eden – “to fill the earth with people who are like Jesus, who love God, and follow His ways – to govern the earth and beautify it in a way which leads to the flourishing of humanity.” – Kirk Cameron.
“The Bible carries with it the history of the creation, the fall and redemption of man, and discloses to him, in the infant born at Bethlehem, the Legislator and Savior of the world.” – Samuel Adams
“Let us therefore persevere steadfastly in distributing the Scriptures far and near, and without note or comment. We are assured that they ‘are profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.’”
– John Jay
Acts 1:8 ESV – Empowered for the Assignment (Week 1)
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 2:16-18 ESV – Empowered for Deployment (Week 2)
“But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.’ ”
Suddenly, the Holy Spirit fell, and the Church was birthed at Pentecost. And Peter, the rough, simple fisherman became eloquent and educated and began to declare that prophesy was being fulfilled right there in their midst. In the season we’re in now, prophecy is being fulfilled right before our own eyes as well. This is an exciting time in history when the culmination – the last of the “last days” – is unfolding and coming to pass in our time.
We could literally see the second coming of Christ, where we get air-lifted out of here – “Beam me up, Scotty!” That could happen for us. It’s possible! Scriptures and prophecies are being fulfilled, and we are in the last of the last days – it could be today! And, then we’ll see him as he is – face to face – and we’ll receive our new and glorified bodies. It’s coming soon. The weirder things get, we just need to know that God is on the move. Let’s not let it make us weary or bring us down, but instead, let it bring us up. It’s closer. It’s here!
Acts 2:21 ESV
“And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
“Everyone” – all we have to do is call upon his name – “Jesus, save me!” That’s all it takes – for us to believe in our hearts that God has raised him from the dead and to confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord. That’s it. “Jesus save me.” That’s all it takes for people to be saved. because people are calling on the name of the Lord, we’ve baptized fifty-four people this year already, and we’ve added ninety-four members to Bridge Church. God is raising up an army in Fredericksburg, Texas, and all over the hill country.
People are getting energized and activated to engage their culture with the Gospel of Jesus. God brings us together to worship him and to get our marching orders from the Word of God. In weird times, the more pressure that comes on culture and society, the more the Church grows – and, the more people get saved. God has a strategy – it’s not always the devil.
It could be things are allowed that cause us to turn our hearts to God and say, “We need You!” Sometimes, God has to bring us to the end of ourselves so that we realize we need a Savior and Deliverer to rescue us out of this mess. If that’s what it takes, then so be it, because this is a temporary gig on this earth. This is just a short time compared to eternity.
Acts 2:22,23 ESV
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know – this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.”
People have twisted these verses to blame the Jews for killing Jesus, but the Bible says that God had a definite foreknowledge and a plan. He could have stopped it, but it was part of his plan. We have to trust beyond what we think or reason – what appears to be. It might not make sense to us that God used the Jews to reject and kill Jesus, but that doesn’t mean that we get angry and take up arms against the Jewish people. We pray for them to come to the full knowledge of the truth – to be saved and born again – to come to know Jesus as Messiah.
We must never allow that kind of thinking to be in us. Peter held them accountable because it had all just happened, and he wanted them to see that they had rejected the very One they had been waiting for – the Messiah. Peter was saying, “This was that…” and they had missed it. But, that doesn’t mean that we have a right to come against God’s chosen people. God’s Word says rather that we are to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We’re not the original branches – they are – we are branches that are grafted into the Vine who is Jesus.
Acts 2:24-32 ESV
“God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades or let your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
“Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.”
After Jesus was raised from the dead, he appeared to over five hundred people. He made many appearances and even the Bible can’t contain all that happened during those days after his resurrection because he was showing up everywhere. And, what’s exciting is that Jesus is still showing up!
Acts 2:33-37 ESV
“ ‘Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ ”
The Holy Spirit was working, and we need to understand that we, too, are empowered for change – we also are change-agents in this world. The same Holy Spirit that was on Peter, and who raised Jesus from the dead, also works in us – in every conversation. When we’re at our job, and somebody challenges our faith, we are empowered for change, and to release the Holy Spirit at that moment as he works in us and through us – through our words – so that, they too, will be “cut to the heart”.
Acts 2:38 ESV
“And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’ ”
“Repent” means to turn around and to change your mind. When we repent, we turn to the Lord first – then we are empowered to turn away from sin. When we face him, everything else (sin) then becomes in our rear-view mirror behind us. That begins to re-align our thinking with his. Jesus makes us righteous just by his Spirit, his presence, and his blood. We can’t do that on our own, so we have to turn to him, and now he gives us the ability to overcome and defeat sin – because he defeated it for us on the cross. That’s what the Gospel is. Jesus defeated what we, in and of ourselves, can’t. On our own, we’ll fail every time, but when we turn to him, we leave those things behind – in our dust.
“Baptized” means an outward expression of an inward reality where we say, “I’ve been buried with Christ in baptism, but now I’m being raised up to walk in new life.” We’re to follow the Lord in believer’s baptism, which means that it’s a choice we make, and then it becomes a picture and metaphor of what just happened. Our “old man” died and a new person (Romans 6:4) is being raised to walk in newness of life. We all need more of the Holy Spirit every day – a fresh baptism. Every day we need him.
Acts 2:39 ESV
“For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
He’s calling out to us constantly, “Come to Me!” He’s issueing the invitation. Have we answered the call of God to “come”? – to come close and give him our heart?
Acts 2:40-42 ESV
“And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this crooked generation.’ So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
Thousands of people got saved and baptized, and there was a festive atmosphere after the Holy Spirit had been poured out. God was moving and there was joy and excitement, and there was something spectacular and amazing happening.
Acts 2:43-47 ESV
“And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
God was moving in a big way – and he’s moving today on school campuses across America with many being baptized. There’s celebration going on, and people are looking at it and saying, “This is amazing!” We’re in a season now that is “the best of times and the worst of times.” The world is losing its mind. Things are off the rails, and we shouldn’t be surprised. But, what’s happening in churches, schools, and other places across America, people are gathering together and realizing that God is still on the throne – the sky has not fallen – and, no matter how bad it gets, we’re going to be okay. We can experience God’s peace and grace and glory, but we don’t have to wait for a catastrophe to receive it…we can ask God to wake us up right now!
Prayer
Father, we thank You for Your Word. Lord, our heart is to live awake, with our eyes wide open – looking at what You are doing and where You are moving – to re-align ourselves and join with You in Your work. Lord, wake us up! We want to be awake. Don’t let us miss anything. Don’t let us miss You in the midst of the news and election, and all the craziness. Don’t let us miss You. Wake us up. We don’t want to be asleep in the light. We want to be awake.
Use us as we step out into our spheres of influence to go in wide awake – eyes wide open – looking for Your activity as Your invitation to join You in Your work. We’ll align ourselves with You, and live a life of repentance by turning to You constantly – keeping our face towards You, knowing that everything else will be behind. Lord, we love You and honor You. In Jesus’ name. Amen
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on The Bridge
Featured Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Comments are closed.