Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Living in the Miraculous Pt.5

Let's go ahead and turn to the book of Acts and we'll pick up where we were this morning. It's very, I think, pertinent for us to take these next sessions to go through the book of Acts and use it really as a mirror to see whether or not we are in the image of what Jesus intended His church to be. We want to look at the church in light of all of the promises of God being fulfilled--the persecution that they were going through--but the methods really in which they employed to respond to, not only the trials, but to what prepared them to stand in the midst of the trials. That's what we want to address a little bit this evening.

You know, what strengthened these people was that none of them served as individuals but as a community, constantly allowing every gift to operate in their midst, to have their hands lifted up by brothers and sisters that were truly able to comfort with the same comfort wherewith they were comforted. We want to emphasize that aspect: of it; the community and the unity that caused them to be prepared for the great persecution that was at hand. I personally believe that that is coming to us as a people. I don't think that there's any other method of preparation that will enable us to stand when it's faced. That's why the emphasis we've had over all of these last months and years to come into the unity of the faith, the community of one accord, which really gave place to the Holy Spirit to come in and strengthen each individual.

Let's look at Acts, Chapter 2 again, where we left off this morning. It's interesting, the emphasis being on the infilling of the Holy Spirit, the fulfilling of the mandate of 1:8 that we would receive power to be witnesses, and the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel in Acts, Chapter 2, verse 4, that as the Spirit of God came into their midst "as a rushing mighty wind they were all filled and began to speak with tongues as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance." So we saw that, as is always the case, the promises of God are for all of us. He intends for you to be intimately involved in the proclamation of the gospel. There are so many ways that are made available to us. We're a people being prepared to be the light of the world, the salt of the earth. That's the mandate that was given to every believer. We don't want to be critical of other people. We don't even want to be overly critical of ourselves when we fail, but look around, analyze yourself first, and then look at so many that are on the job and in the marketplace that profess to be believers and ask yourself, "Are they light or are they being amalgamated into the world's system?" How do we do this? Let me ask you a question. Are we acting more like the world or is the world acting like us? I'm talking about the way we dress, the way we conduct ourselves, the things that we talk about, the reason we live. For it's in Him that we live and move and have our being, amen? Life's about Jesus. We live for Him. We live through Him. As we go through our daily activities, whether it be vocational, whether it be recreational, whatever it might be, in the midst of these things, are you conscious always of your calling to be light and to be salt? Are you standing always to make the proclamation of truth in the midst of a society that believes lies, promotes lies, and delights in lies? Are we individuals that are set apart?

So the infilling that all experienced--if you'll remember the era in which these people lived, it was the height of the Roman empire. We found that as the Scriptures were being fulfilled and all of the prophecies that were seen in Daniel; we saw the great empires coming down historically--Egypt, the broken reed that the people of God were told not to trust in--God brought down. I believe that one of the reasons that Egypt came down was because of the opposition to the kingdom of God and the people of God. Then you find the Medes and the Persians that came into power following the Babylonian empire. The Babylonians who boasted themselves to be great, to be gods, who took the people of God captive; the prophets prophesied it so. They took the people of God and persecuted them and they came down because there was a faithful remnant that would stand--your Shadrachs, Meshachs, Abednegos, your Daniels. Then the Medes and the Persians come into power and God's people receive favor in the midst of that, and yet the hand of God judged. The Scripture made it very clear that this nation too would come down. The prophets spoke of it, how this great leopard, as they're symbolized in the book of Daniel, this nation of speed as Alexander came across and conquered the world in such a short period of time; irresistible and yet there was another creature coming of greater power. All of these prophesies and the symbolism that was given and the Roman empire emerges and he said at that time you're going to see a stone cut without hands, one that's going to come forth and there's going to be a kingdom that's going to counter that great Roman power, and of this kingdom there will be no end. In the midst of the Roman Empire, we find the power of God manifested in the birth of Emmanuel, God with us. All of these prophecies that declared of this hour, and in the great power of Rome, the greatest nation that ever lived up until that time, boasting in its sovereigns, a church was birthed and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. That church is still alive and the church is still operating under the same principles and by the same power that sustained it these 2,000 years.

What's your daily relationship to that power? Are you praying with power? Are you praying in faith? Are we walking in the spirit? Are the words that we're speaking irresistible or do they fall to the ground? When you walk away from a conversation at work, are those people convicted? Do they know that they've come into contact with somebody who's been in the presence of Jesus? They marveled that these unlearned men moved in such wisdom and power and took note that they had been with Jesus. That's what this is all about--common men being breathed upon by the Holy Spirit; lives transformed, visions renewed and the awareness of a daily walk in the supernatural that's going to cut absolutely across the grain of society. We are going to constantly be the odd man out. With that in our understanding--from the historical perspective of the time that God was establishing the order through the kingdoms from Egypt, Babylon, Medes, Persians, Grecians, Romans and into the era that we're living today--the thing that I want to encourage you in, and I keep talking about the times that are coming and I don't want fear to strike your hearts, because I want to tell you something: the gates of hell will not prevail, amen? We are the conquerors. We're the ones that are going forth and setting captives free. There's a remnant to be delivered if you'll bring the light that's necessary in the midst of this crooked and perverse generation.

Here we are all of us filled with the Spirit? Are you? If not, why? The infilling takes place and then the Scripture goes on and says in verse 14, and this is where we left off this morning, "Peter stood up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, Jerusalem, hearken to my words: "Those that had a real inquiry said what does this mean and others said they're just a bunch of drunks. They're just babbling. There's always an earnest remnant, people that are truly saying, "What's different about you? I want to hear more about what you have to say." And in the same category will be those that mock and ridicule you and blow it off. Don't be afraid to respond to the mockers. Use wisdom. The Scripture tells us there's times when you'll answer a fool according to their folly and there are times when you won't answer a fool. You need to know. I have to watch out, personally, because I can be very sarcastic and make sharp remarks to make fools look foolish, and that's not what we want to do but we do want to speak the truth in love. When you state the truth, it makes a fool appear to be what he is, in love. Don't be afraid to resist those that oppose the gospel and the truth in your midst. Don't be afraid to speak the simplicity of the gospel. You don't have to answer all of their foolish and unlearned questions, but respond with the truth. Always return to the gospel: the death, burial, and resurrection and soon coming of Jesus Christ, and just say, "I don't have anything else to tell you." If they won't receive that, they won't hear the application and the specifics that they want you to speak to. If they won't receive the general message, they will not respond to the specifics that they're trying to cause you to speak toward. Peter responds and says, "These guys are not drunken as you suppose, this being only the third hour of the day. [I've been drunk by the third hour of the day but...] This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel."

Here's a very interesting thing about this prophecy that I want to point out before we get to the real meat of what I think the Lord would say to us today. When you do what we're doing here, you deal with all of these situations as you deal from more of an expository approach; that isn't something that I do a lot, or particularly even enjoy, but I think it's something that the Lord's led us to do here. So, I'm going to be obedient and see if we can go through these chapters systematically and in an expository manner. This is that spoken by the prophet Joel. The one thing I want you to see about prophecy here that will help you as we go here in just a moment and Peter begins to expound upon the prophetic statement of Joel, Joel's prophecy speaks to this day of Pentecost but it transcends time and goes into the day of the judgment of God. The very thing that Joel spoke of that Peter says was fulfilled that day is continually being fulfilled, and this is why I said the church was not limited to a timeframe but is continual. It's seen in just this very small prophetic statement because the very same thing that Joel's prophecy speaks toward, that was fulfilled 2,000 years ago on Pentecost, is yet to be fulfilled because it's being spoken of in Revelation, Chapter 6,and in Matthew 24: the prophetic judgment of the earth, of the sun turning black and the moon turning to blood. That's part of this prophecy. Now, why do I even take time to emphasize that? To show you again how prophecies work. It was fulfilled, it is being fulfilled, because he's speaking to one generation, the church; one era, the church. Now, you can get extreme and get into what's called dispensationalism and make it so rigid that you draw lines in saying it stops here, but the church never ceases to exist into eternity as the body and bride of Jesus Christ.

I'm saying all that to say as you study--prophecy is a very interesting thing, prophetic statements. That's why when we hear prophecies here in our midst many times we say, "That wasn't fulfilled." It's not over yet. Prophecy transcends time. Prophecies are interesting. Maybe this will help you understand. When the Old Testament prophets speak and even prophets of our generation, when words are spoken, prophecies kind of skim the mountaintops and there are a lot of things in the valleys that you don't see, that take place over this same period of time while this prophecy is being fulfilled. It can get confusing because it seems to be being fulfilled in segments. It was spoken in a whole but it's fulfilled in segments. Now watch, and I'll show you what I'm talking about. As Joel spoke he said, "I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: [I don't know if that means we're going to sleep a lot or what, but don't use that as a Scripture to justify your naps.] And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit [this is from Joel 2:28-31] and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: [Matthew 24:29 and Revelation, Chapter 6 speaks of these different things that Jesus prophesied of in the future judgment or that time of the great tribulation, that's referred to, as Joel is quoted in verse 20, "the day of the Lord."] The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come" (Acts 2:17-20.)

We see then that the birth of the church has this promise that though it's going to be persecuted, there's going to be trials and tribulations, don't mistake yourself into thinking that you're in that day of the Lord or the judgment of God. That's coming at a future date. Jesus spoke it in Matthew 24 and Peter reiterates it here in the prophecy of Joel. I'm saying that to tell you that when these times of trials and tribulation come upon us, we're just the church experiencing the normal persecution, and trials but Jesus is coming back, praise God. There's the purification of the bride that's taking place. We're going to be caught up and out before the day of the Lord. In the midst of the trials and the tribulations, there's to be an empowering to prophesy, to see the signs and wonders ministry continue in the church. It didn't end with the first century. It didn't end with Azusa Street. Where are the miracles today? Where's the power today if we're that same church? Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Are they? Your young men shall see visions; not dollar signs, not retirement plans, not bigger homes and bigger estates. What are we training this next generation to covet? Do they understand their role in the hour in which we live? Young men, young women, the ministry belongs to you. You are God's source of strength in this generation. You're a generation that's to be separate. You're a generation that's not to be seduced with this selfish perspective. You're a generation that's not to be caught up in all of the techie seduction. If we spend as much time quiet listening to the voice of God so we can speak a prophetic word instead of pushing little buttons and text messaging everybody--How much time do you spend waiting to hear that still small voice in comparison to all of your little button pushing? Your sons and your daughters shall. You're the church. You're not kids waiting to grow up and be the church. You are the church that can hear the same voice of the Holy Ghost that the old man dreamer can hear. It's not generational. It's inclusive--the body of Christ. There's no age limit on who prophesies and who prays the prayer of faith and who speaks in tongues and who interprets, for your sons and your daughters shall. You parents ought to say amen, praise God, and covet that for your children and be the covering that God made you to be to keep them from being seduced by all of this other stuff. Most of you here are doing a good job and I just want to encourage you. There's more that can be done.

As the Scripture speaks to us, he tells us of this day that we're living in and he said, "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Don't you love the whosoevers of the Scriptures? God is so merciful and so inclusive in all of His love and gifts to us. He speaks to that generation that was opposing and he says, "Ye men of Israel, hear these words." Now I think that it's interesting that Jesus, constantly in His earthly ministry said, "To the Jew first." This is being fulfilled here on the day of Pentecost and in Peter's life. Peter who's speaking to the men of Israel and Jew first fulfilling the promise of God is going to be the same one at the house of Cornelius that receives the vision that says okay it's time to go to the Gentiles. How do we apply this in our day? I think that what we do is we look for the professed believer first. Spend some time with those that say they believe in the name, those that say they believe the word of God and spend some time and if they're not willing to hear, then don't be afraid to go to those people who are the pagans. You'll find out that many of them are more receptive than those that profess to believe in God; the non-hypocritical. As Jesus' mandates are being fulfilled here, he speaks and says, "Ye men of Israel...[You who profess to be the children of covenant,] Jesus of Nazareth [verse 22] , a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs... [The Jews were sign seekers and God gave them a sign. And Jesus came and worked miracles that they had never seen before and they still didn't believe. And then the statement was made that He's going to give you a sign, the sign of the prophet Jonah; His death, burial, and resurrection that's going to be irrefutable and still you won't believe. But he says that this man was approved among you by the miracles that he did.] "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God... [not the Sanhedrin, not Pilate]."

Let me take just a moment to encourage you in this. Nobody can take your life either; amen? Many of you parents sit around wringing your hands worried about your kids. The devil can't get your kids. The world can't get your kids if you train them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. If you get out of the way and teach them how to live by faith and trust in God and not your protection. Any amens or, oh mes? We're invincible. Our steps are ordered of God. We're the church. Your kids are the church. They are no more susceptible to the fiery darts than you are. Teach them how to hold up the shield of faith. Cause them to understand the power of the sword of the Spirit. Cause them to stop coming to you and asking for all of these little things to be given to them. Teach them how to pray the prayer of faith. Teach them how to believe God for something. Kids, when's the last time you received something that wasn't given to you by your parents, that you believed God for? I'm not talking about natural provisions and I'm not talking about the fact that we're able to bless our kids and the parents lay up for the children, not the children for the parents. I understand that. I'm just talking about teaching our kids how to live by faith. We live in such abundance that we don't have to live by faith. Well, we teach our kids to believe and so they're going to believe for something, and they know and you know that in the end, you're going to write the check to bail them out. Okay, son, you're going to have to believe God for that. Okay, that $100 bicycle and I'm believing God and I'm praying. Okay son it's not going to fall out of heaven. You're going to need to look for some ways to make yourself available. Go down and bless this brother or sister. Do some work for them. Don't charge them. If they feel they want to bless you, just let them bless you, praise God. If you want to strike a deal and charge them, there's nothing wrong with being a laborer and contracting. But we need to learn how to live both ways. I'm going to go in there and you say, "I'm going to cut your lawn for $12.50 and here's all these documents and sign, contracts." How about just seeing somebody in our midst who might physically have a need and go down and do it whether they pay you or not? Do you want me to tell you what happens? You can go down here and cut a contract with this guy for ten bucks and they'll pay you your ten bucks or you can go down here and take care of Grandma and be willing to bless her for nothing and she may give you the whole hundred because God moves on their heart. Oh good, I'll go down and hunt the grandmas down--wrong motive; by faith.

I know what I'm talking about. I've lived this way for 35 years without ever agreeing with anybody about anything for money; just believing God, willing to preach for nothing. I've done it. I've been used by people and I've been stolen from. What's it matter? I would have done it for nothing anyway, so no matter how much they stole from me, I still profited. I've told this story many times, but holding those meetings and those preachers that invited me to come up and they said, "We've never seen so much money come in so we figured you didn't need that much so we kept half of it and divided it up among our churches." I said, "Well, praise God. It's obvious you needed it more than I did. I said, what, do you think I'm stupid? I know what meetings are like. I know how people are. I know what that offering should have been. I knew all along." He said, "Why didn't you say anything?" I said, "I don't need this. That's not what it's about." He said, "Well brother, would you forgive us?" I said, "I forgave you 10 years ago." This guy 10 years later contacted me. I wonder how well he slept for 10 years. Isn't it good to be free, to owe no man anything but to love him? The power of God--are we teaching our children to walk by faith, to live by faith, sons and daughters prophesying, being fulfilled with the Holy Spirit, teaching them that they are the church in this generation?

These signs and wonders approved Him. He was delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. Here's one thing to realize. The foreknowledge of God, the determinate counsel of God, does not negate the responsibility of the instruments used to fulfill His purposes. In other words, Peter speaks and says and you by your righteous hands and being used of God and honoring God by causing Jesus to be fulfilled and crucified--no, he says, "You have taken by your wicked hands and crucified and slain: Whom God has raised up having loosed the pains of death because it was not possible that he should be holden of it (Acts 2:24)." God's will is going to be done but it doesn't in any way negate your responsibility to believe or those responsibilities who oppose for God do show Himself righteous in smiting the wicked and breaking their stiff necks. How do you fit in to the whole program? Stop and think. The man that's preaching this sermon and telling them by your wicked hands you have taken and crucified the Son of glory. Who is this man? He's one of twelve. This same man who was rejected, despised and crucified approached them on no different basis then he approached this man that's preaching this sermon. This man was a prosperous man. This man was established in business. This man had family roots. This man had responsibilities and one day this man of Galilee walked up and looked him in the face and said, "Come and follow Me," and it changed his life. His brother Andrew had come to him and said, "You've got to see this guy." No promises. Thank God for Peter; a guy that says what most of us think. "Lord we left all. What's in it for us?" There's no man that's left father, mother, houses and lands, for my name's sake, for this kingdom, that will not receive in this life a hundredfold and in the life to come eternal life. I'm so glad Peter asked that question so I wouldn't have to. Here I am 2,000 years later being asked to do the same thing. The question had already been asked. Do you want to know what? It's true. The fulfillment, the promise, is true. Aren't you glad that you no longer have one family but a hundred? How real is that to you? You leave one family and you'll get a hundred, praise God, and thank God they're not like the ones you left. That's the promise.

Here's this man standing and preaching and he says, "You heard the same message I heard. Why didn't you respond? Couldn't you see who He was and is, and yet your wicked hands took him and crucified Him because you had your own agendas? You weren't willing to die to your own ambition? Do you understand who this man Jesus was? And now God has raised Him and loosed Him from the pains of death. David spoke of this. You guys say that you're the representatives of Moses, that you are those that are here as the representatives of the Mosaic covenant, the Davidic covenant. David himself prophesied of this very day. He spoke and said "I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance." (Acts 2:25-28). David being a prophet, he said, spoke of these things. David's been dead and buried. He's in his sepulcher this day. But being a prophet he knew that God was going to fulfill this, not about himself but about He that should come. John the Baptist, "I'm not He, but there's one coming after me who's greater than I am, whose shoe latches I'm not worthy." "David seeing this, [verse 31], spoke of the resurrection of Christ and that He, the Christ's soul, would not be left in hell, neither would His flesh see corruption. This Jesus that you crucified, this Jesus as God, [verse 32], raised up whereof we here are all witnesses. And being by the right hand of God exalted, having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost has shed forth this, which you know see and hear."

There's the conclusion. There's his answer to them saying you're just drunk. He said, "No this is that which was promised by Joel. It was accomplished because of the fulfillment of the prophet David talking about the resurrection of Jesus Christ; the testimony that Jesus is alive today and seated at God's right hand is the promise of the Father, the infilling of the Holy Spirit. The fact that people can see and understand the resurrection is going to be seen through the power of the Holy Spirit operating in our lives. That's why it's so important that you be filled with the Holy Spirit. You can't speak this message without that experience with the same anointing, the same power. As Peter is proclaiming this, conviction begins to hit the hearts of these people. This same Jesus is expressing Himself through the power of the Spirit. He makes reference to David again that it was not fulfilled in David but in fact in the Messiah. Verse 36, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. "

Which one of the things can we learn from this? In our witnessing, we need to cause people to understand that you're responsible. You're the ones, your sin and my sin crucified Jesus. God has raised Him from the dead, proclaimed Him Lord and Christ. He became sin with your sin that you might be made righteous with His righteousness. How? Romans 6, you need to be crucified with Him. You need to die to self and understand that all of your righteousness is imputed. There's nothing in you that's good. If you're going to be right with God, it must be an imputed righteousness, solely trusting in the finished work of Jesus, not in anything we do, not what we believe, not in what good works we perform but solely in the finished work of Jesus Christ; the absolute relinquishing of trust in self and self-righteousness. As we proclaim that and we show the responsibility of the individual and our individual sin that crucified Him, it brings them to a point of decision and] "...when they heard this, [verse 37] they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? [And Peter's response to them was] Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. [It's emphasizing that Peter is also stating at this time, very clearly, at the birth of the church, it's not enough just to be regenerated, you need to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. For this promise that made us new men, this promise that caused us who were regenerated to now be empowered is available unto you. Look at it.] For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation."

That's what this teaching is all about: saving ourselves from this generation, the deluded church, and I might even say, the delusional church. We look around and we see churches that are operating on everything but the power of God. Some that are being sustained by history, people are committed to a traditional approach, whether it be the Methodists or the Lutherans, and they go back and they say we're Lutherans--Martin Luther. You're nothing like Martin Luther and you're nothing like Wesley because every one of those movements had one thing in common: the power of the Holy Spirit initiating and motivating and perpetuating until the wisdom of men came in and choked out the power of the Word of God; until the world came in through apparent success and stole the righteousness from the bride of Christ. We're jealous for that and we're a people that need to stand and defend it. We're standing for something greater than just our own individual families. Men, the decisions that many of you are going to make to defend this faith are going to cost your families. It's going to cost them ease and comfort. It's going to make us a byword in our communities and in our generation. We're going to suffer ridicule and persecution and criticism. Up until this day, we've had it easy and we're coming out of a time when it was popular through the Carter era and the Reagan era to be called a Christian and it's going away and it's going to deteriorate rapidly. There's no longer going to be a sociological admiration for your righteousness and your integrity, but there's going to be a hatred. There's going to be a common effort to oust you like they did Daniel on his job. They're going to find one thing to use against you. "He's not a company man." "No I'm not; I'm a kingdom man. This company is not my Lord and I'm not married to this company. I'm a citizen of the kingdom of God, I'm married to my family and they're first," and you're going to pay dearly. Are your children going to hear you bemoan that or rejoice in it? Are they going to hear you going away from that persecution rejoicing that you've been counted worthy to suffer for His name's sake or bemoaning the fact that there's a change in your lifestyle? This is what we're looking at.

Peter's standing and proclaiming these things in the power of God and he tells them, "[Repent. This promise is unto you. ] And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. [Let that admonition come to us clearly tonight. A big crowd heard this message, most of them knowledgeable of the covenant promises that were made to Israel. The Scripture says, look at it, ] Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls" (Acts 2:41). There were those that gladly received his word and there were those that rejected it, whose hearts were smitten. They were pricked in their hearts and said, "What must we do?." And some will receive it and some won't. They gladly received and were baptized. Baptism is an important part--water baptism, the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Jeff you were saying--was it our young people or young adults and youth together--how many were there that were not baptized yet? This Friday on the property on the youth retreat in the creek we're going to have a baptism. If you want to see your kids baptized, be there at 7:00 o'clock on Friday night. We'll give you directions. It's a cool place, if you haven't been there. You helped pay for it. You might as well see it. It's beautiful out there--a great time. I think it's supposed to be nice day. We can baptize them off the rope swing or something. It will be good time of fellowship and that gives you time to be able to get out there. We'll take a shot at it anyway.

They continued, and here's what I want to emphasize as we wind down this evening. "And they that gladly received his word were baptized And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: [that's an interesting phrase] and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles" (Acts 2:43). We'll pick that up on Wednesday night.

Father, we thank You for Your Word. We are the church and the gates of hell shall not prevail. It's Your promise, You've ordained it, You've equipped us with the armor of God, the infilling of Your Spirit, and we ask You to make us faithful to finish the task at hand, a people faithful to the end. You said if these days were not shortened, the very elect would not be able to stand. Help us not to be ignorant of the hour and the peril of the hour. If the days were not shortened the very elect could not stand. Are we a little overconfident? Are we preparing ourselves? Are we ignorant? Are we even aware of the signs? What has your attention? Is there something temporal that's standing between you and the eternal vision that makes you unaware of the hour in which we're living? We're the salt. We're the light. We are the body who being seen in fulfilling the role of ambassadors. When seen, Jesus should be seen. Is that happening in our midst? People taking note that we'd been with Jesus? Make that real, we ask, Father, in Jesus' name, amen.

Let's stand before the Lord. Take a moment as Gary plays for us and just rejoice in the high calling our lives, that we are sons of God, ambassadors, the light of the world. Thank God for the grace and the mercy, that when you saw you we're enabled to see, to hear, and to receive. When you heard the answer to what must I do, you obeyed. That's the grace of God to you. It's a gift. Thank God for it. Who are we that we might be called the sons of God, and yet we are called, separated, gifted, empowered and responsible. Finish Your work in us, Father. Cause us to be wise stewards of all that you've entrusted to us, faithful to hear well done. That's our heart's desire. Let's sing this together and just worship Him and thank Him for the high calling on our lives. To hear that still, small voice. Sing it one more time. Just thank Him for His visitation. Thank you, Jesus. Give us ears, Lord. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Oh, Jesus, just a glimpse. Just a glimpse. The horror of that glimpse that Peter saw when he denied You, but the delight of that glimpse that says well done, the delight in Your satisfaction of our obedience. Just give us a glimpse of that nod, that approval that'll cause us to finish this course. It'll cause us to stand. We thank You for that, Father, in Jesus' name, amen. Before you go, turn to somebody and say, "We're the light of the world." Amen? Go in peace. God's love go with you.

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