A sheep in wolf's clothing.
But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
(Acts 9:10-22) KJV
We can be in doubt and wondering about the way forward in God’s will. For some of us it feels like a maze. Our passage is an example of what it’s like when God answers prayer in a decisive way.
Continue reading “A Chosen Vessel”
Open Door Baptist Church
And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
(Acts 9:1) KJV
Danby House
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
James 1:19-27
The great thing about James is that it practically preaches itself.
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
(James 1:12-18) KJV
Open Door Baptist Church
Taken circa 1915
Acts 8:14-25
Pastoral Oversight.
If they were saved, why didn’t they have the Holy Ghost already? We have seen that there is a difference between receiving the Holy Spirit and being Filled with Holy Spirit.
And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
( John 20:22 )
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
( Acts 2:4 )
We believe that we receive the Holy Spirit when we put our faith in Jesus Christ. So why didn’t Phillip’s converts have the Holy Spirit?
And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
They were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, but had they actually understood who Jesus Christ was? Right now they are being thrilled by Phillips miracles which put to shame those of poor Simon the Sorcerer.
Whether Peter and john are fixing a problem with Phillip’s teaching or the Holy Spirit was held back as a sign, this is a clear picture of the importance of Pastoral oversight.
They fixed the problem.
Simon hears the cash register in his mind. This is what he has been waiting for: a bankable talent.
Greed and avarice overcome whatever spiritual revelation he had.
Peter responds as he did in the situation with Ananias and Sapphira
He gives a pronouncement about Simon’s spiritual condition.
However, he is merciful and points to God’s mercy. Making sure to include the part about repentance.
Peter realized that Simon didn’t have a spiritual revelation at all, he was envious of Phillip and seeking a way to recoup his losses.
Simon no doubt knows who Peter is, and he as quite possibly heard about what happened to Ananias and Sapphira. Now his own lust and avarice have overpowered him, and he has fallen under the judgement of God, the righteous judge. In panic he asks Peter to intercede for him.
He comes under conviction of his own wickedness, but does he repent?
Technically he has not repented, he asks for intercession, but he didn’t confess his sin. He asks to be saved from the consequences of his actions, but he doesn’t appear to connect that with repenting, turning away, from those actions.
Simon’s status is uncertain.
Back to Jerusalem. What they did was made sure that Phillip had his facts straight and was on the right track. This was critical because of what comes next.
Danby House
Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
( James 1:9-11 )
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
( Matthew 5:5 )
Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
( James 2:5 )
But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.
( Luke 6:24 )
Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.
He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.
( Job 14:1-2 )
The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
( Isaiah 40:6-8 )
The Parable of the Rich Fool ( Luke 12:13-21 )
And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
( Luke 16:23-26 )
That is the question.
For now the answer is… let’s see.
Our first video just went live. It is an adaptation of our post from February 6th:
Calculating the mass of earth takes circular reasoning and an assumption based on circumstantial evidence. It falls apart when you try to prove that there is no open space inside the earth.
So far it is the most read post in May, thanks largely to interest from the wonderful folk over at Reddit!
Open Door Baptist Church
Acts 8:9-25
The Bible shows us that magic and the dark arts are a real thing, it is not just a matter of illusions or sleight of hand. There are several examples of conjuring in Exodus.
Exodus 7:8-13
Exodus 7:22
Exodus 8:6-7
Exodus 8:16-19
There is an example of a medium summoning a spirit of the dead. This was when Saul was panicking having completely lost his way.
1 Samuel 28:7-19
People posessed with demons and evil spirits was common in the time of Jesus and the apostles. Now it is called “mental illness.”
Acts 16:16
Scroll, books and textx of the curious arts have always existed. Thankfully many have been destroyed over the course of history.
Acts 19:19
The greatest collection of ancient texts of the curious arts perished in 48BC
In 48 BC, during Caesar’s Civil War, Julius Caesar was besieged at Alexandria. His soldiers set fire to his own ships while trying to clear the wharves to block the fleet belonging to Cleopatra’s brother Ptolemy XIV.[80][81][57][8] This fire spread to the parts of the city nearest to the docks, causing considerable devastation.[81][78][8] The first-century AD Roman playwright and Stoic philosopher Seneca the Younger quotes Livy’s Ab Urbe Condita Libri, which was written between 63 and 14 BC, as saying that the fire started by Caesar destroyed 40,000 scrolls from the Library of Alexandria.
Danby House
James 1:1-8
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
( Mark 11:24 )
And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.
( Matthew 17:20 )
Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
( Matthew 18:19-20 )
And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
( John 16:23-24 )
Matty (Headwind) 