GREENE STREET LETTERS: What Must I Do?

Monday, July 21, 2008

What Must I Do?

Acts 2:37
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

Unusual response?
Or is it?
Is the response of the people to the message of Peter really that unusual? Or have we moved so far away from the truth of God, that we no longer recognize truth.

The Holy Spirit had come in power to all believer's.
The religious system of the day was in disarray as an invasion had taken place.
The very heart of what was once considered to be the only way to God, was now threatened by God himself through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, now stands and delivers the first Pentecostal message. Upon completion those in attendance cried out, "What shall we do? What is expected of us? We know we have heard something that has stricken our hearts, but how are we to respond?

Peter replies, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins."

The ball was in the court of those whose hearts had been touched. They either responded or rejected.

I see so much manipulation today in church to "Bring People to the Lord". I confess that I have been part of that crowd. No more! I see no fruit from people coming forward to simply say a few words and have their feelings soothed, only to go away back to sin from which they never fully left. It has been hard for me, a pastor, to turn loose of this behavior. To learn to trust God with his message that He will bring about the result he desires.

That doesn't mean I do nothing.
I pray and cry out to God!
I pray for those in attendance that their hearts would be opened to the truth of God and the state of their own heart.
I teach the gospel in the simplest of terms.
I trust God with the rest.
I still struggle, but I am learning to listen and trust God.

If you are having trouble with what I have written, then pray for yourself and pray for me that we both might come to the truth and realization of just how powerful God truly is.

God on you.....
mb

1 comment:

Bobby said...: ..."fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb.12:2) If Jesus isn't the Author of our faith...it's not real. Just keep preaching the Word, the Author will handle the rest.; July 21, 2008 at 10:33 PM

Looking At The World Through Cracked Lens

As ol' Paul wrote in his Corinthian letters.."We see in part and we know in part." Now what piece of this bit of wisdom do we not get? I wish to not run around acting and trying to be some sort of Biblical G00-Ru (I meant to spell it wrong). Or a sage of sages.

I simply want to be able to communicate some of what God has given to me. Why? Do I think what I get is better than what you may have received from Him? Nope. But I do think encouragement comes when we share our daily story of struggle and victory in an effort to encourage each other.

Thanks for letting me share.

Time to soldier on..

mbb

Our Statement of Faith

We believe that God is the eternal king. He is an infinite, unchangeable Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, power and love. From all eternity He exists as the One Living and True God in three persons of one substance, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit equal in power and glory. we believe that God created mankind in His image, male and female, for relationship with Himself and to govern the earth. Under the temptation of Satan, our original parents fell from grace, bringing sin, sickness and God's judgment of death to the earth. Through the fall, Satan and his demonic hosts gained access to God's good creation. Creation now experiences the consequences and effects of Adam's original sin. Human beings are born into sin, subject to God's judgment of death and captive to Satan's kingdom of darkness. We believe that Jesus, God's Son, was sent to this world, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary, fully God and fully man in one person. He is humanity as God intended us to be. Jesus was anointed as God's Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit, ushering in God's kingdom reign on earth, overpowering the reign of Satan by resisting temptation, preaching the good news of salvation, healing the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead. Jesus' atoning death on the cross took God's judgment for sin which we deserved as law-breakers. Jesus' resurrection and ascent back to heaven opened the door for those who received salvation to begin a relationship with God.

Little Nets Into Deep Waters

Fishing nets were designed for one purpose only. To catch fish. Nets are no good if they stay on the boat. Nets serve no purpose if they are never used. I think maybe God sees us this way. We are all created for a purpose (by the way, the creator gets to define what our purpose is). Any other use besides the one we were created for does us no good. But when the creator places His hands upon us, casting us out into those scary, dark places with deep waters, it is then we can see the reality of our purpose. He knew there would be a catch waiting for us. I think I will be the net God has called me to be.

The Twelve Steps

As a community of people in recovery, we affirm that our higher power is Jesus Christ. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Just as God told the children of Israel He was going to give them a promised land, He has revealed to us that He desires to give us a "Promised Life." When Israel got to the promised land, God instructed them to go and in a possess it, fight for it and claim it. In recovery, the 12 Steps are the directions given to us on how to fight, possess and claim this promised life.

Monday, July 21, 2008

What Must I Do?

1 comment:

THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD