THE STORY OF JESUS: Acts 1:12-14 “They all joined together constantly in prayer.” (Acts 1:14) Did not Jesus tell them to go witness – so why are they just praying? Actually Jesus told them to “wait for the gift” of the Spirit. (Acts 1:4) Once received, the Spirit would them propel them outwards as witnesses. And reading the…
Category: daily meditations
Stop staring, get going!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Acts 1:9-11 “Why do you stand here looking into the sky?” (Acts 1:11) Jesus calls His disciples to go, the Spirit equips us to witness. And we just stand there, looking up into the sky. We spend so much time ‘looking up’ in worship, yet so little time looking out. “I tell you,…
Power to BE witnesses!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Acts 1:6-8 “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses… to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) God made Adam and Eve to be His witnesses in creation (Genesis 1:26-28). They received the breath (Spirit) of life to equip them for this task (Genesis 2:7)….
Catch the wind!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Acts 1:1-5 “John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:5) The prophet Joel predicted a coming day of judgment, the ‘day of the Lord’. The narrow meaning of the Greek word ‘baptizo’ is to immerse, dip or wash something, The figurative meaning…
Through the Spirit
THE STORY OF JESUS: Acts 1:1-3 “Giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.” (Acts 1:2) As the new Adam, the Son of God, Jesus was a Spirit-filled, Spirit-led human. Everything He did, He did in communion with God, motivated by His Spirit. Luke (the author) explains how Jesus gave instructions “through the…
Baby steps to better living!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Galatians 5:22-26 “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25) Every move I make, every breathe I take, I move and take through God’s Spirit. Not only me, EVERY person lives by the Spirit (see Genesis 2:7). The problem is that we stopped keeping in step…
The answer to so many questions!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Galatians 5:22-23 “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23) These qualities are a helpful summary of all our God and life questions. What is God like… think of the fruit of the Spirit. What is…
Dead End living
THE STORY OF JESUS: Galatians 5:19-21 “Those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:21) Paul is not making a checklist, so that if you fail in one you fail in all. He is describing what happens in a person who indulges themselves. Someone that is full of themselves, focused on what…
Decide to walk by the Spirit!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Galatians 5:16-18 “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16) I’m the first to admit that resisting sinful temptations is hard. To ‘walk by the Spirit’ is to choose to go where the Spirit leads. Imagine a situation: you’re tempted to curse someone who cuts…
Free to love!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Galatians 5:13-15 “Do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh.” (Galatians 5:13) No more need to fear God’s anger, or punishment for sin, we are loved, we are free. So does that mean we can live as we please, do what we want? By no means, we have been set free from…