12/05/13

Its harder to saved people who think they know or who think they have power

Acts 17:4-5
4 And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
5 But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.



In Acts 17 we read Paul went to Thessalonica and spend 3 weeks reasoning on scriptures with people in the synagogue of the Jews. It is written Paul manages to convince many Greeks and even the women (including Jewish and Greek), but among the Jewish men Paul does not have much success.

We read these Jewish men did not only reject Paul's explanation of scriptures but in fact went to the extent of provoking violence against Paul and the people connected with him. They did not find Paul so they caught Jason the person in whose house Paul resided and took him unto the city council. They try to create trouble by misinterpreting Paul's words and accused Paul and his group of inciting dissidence against the Roman rule by calming Jesus as an earthly ruler.

I have shared my testimony before; before I came into the Lord I was a person full of worldly knowledge, relying greatly on science and logic. It was only when God proved to me my logic and scientific knowledge was very limited before Him and what I knew was zero that is when I really acknowledged Him as God. Before even though I was born in a ‘Christian' (Catholic) family and though I verbal called Him God yet I had not given Him the God status. The same I did with Jesus; I believed He existed but He was more a historical and theological person for me. It was only when I gave God His position in my life, than did Jesus become a living person to me, a person whom I would communicate day in and out. After Jesus came in my life came the most beautiful person the Holy Spirit. It was the Holy Spirit who turned (and is still doing it) my life inside out and upside down. I could no longer live the person I was and the whole world changed for me. People who did not matter to me started mattering, and also the meaning of the word love completely changed. All this happened by God healing a 70+years old Muslim unbeliever having cancer in the backbone, who did not know I was praying for him and whom the doctors were administering morphine as pain killer and that too did not calm his pain but in fact made him a drug addict. He would often get cold turkey symptoms. His healing was not a gradual healing but an instant healing like a dead coming to life and running around. It was like Lazarus coming back to life, for this man who suffered many years due to cancer and was bed ridden for many years and was left to die got up that day and even went to visit his bank and to the market.

Also my baptism of the Holy Spirit happened only when I was in in a state of helplessness like the Apostles in the upper room.

Today's message confirms unless we set aside our limited worldly knowledge and unless we come in a helpless state to God, we will never know Him and have Him in our lives. The Greek realized their limited knowledge and the women due to their helplessness compared to man were more receptive to God's Word.

To all those who want to see the glory of the God in their lives the Lord is asking them to not be like those Jewish men who relied on their limited understanding but be like the Greek men and the women. Let us put aside our limited understanding before God and let us approach Him with helplessness, not relying on our strength and ability.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, You made man but the fruit of doubt which man ate in the Garden of Eden has filled man with knowledge that is corrupted. Man lost the Truth and thus is limited in his understanding. Lord, we pray we do not rely on this corrupted and limited knowledge. We also pray we be like the women who rely on You for strength and protection. We pray also today for all mothers since it is mother's day. Lord, we pray that the special place You placed them in the family to nurture and love, that they be filled with compassion, patience and slow to anger. That time and world does not change them but You, your Truth and Spirit keep them. Bless them Lord...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference ]
Acts 17:1-10
1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:
2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,
3 Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.
4 And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
5 But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.
6 And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;
7 Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.
8 And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things.
9 And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go.
10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.


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