It was obvious that they had been with Jesus Part 2

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marvelled. And they realised that they had been with Jesus."                                                                                         Acts 4:13     NKJV

Peter, John and the other apostles, were not always the type of people one would have thought they should be. They had many rough edges just as we do, especially before they were baptised in the Holy Spirit. Robert E Coleman comments:

'What is more revealing about these men is that, at first they do not impress us as being key men. None of them occupied prominent places in the synagogue, nor did any of them belong to the Levitical priesthood. For the most part they were common labouring men, probably having no professional training beyond the rudiments of knowledge necessary for their vocation. Perhaps a few of them came from families of some considerable means, such as the sons of Zebedee, but none of them could have been considered wealthy. They had no academic degrees in the arts and philosophies of their day. Like their master, their formal education likely consisted only of the synagogue schools. Most of them were raised in the poor section of the country around Galilee. Apparently, the only one of the twelve who came from the more refined region of Judea, was Judas Iscariot. By any standard of sophisticated culture then and now, they would surely be considered as a rather ragged aggregation of souls. One might wonder how Jesus could ever use them. They were impulsive, temperamental, easily offended and had all the prejudices of their environment. In short, these men selected by the Lord to be His assistants, represented an average cross section of the lot of society in their day. Not the kind of group one would expect to win the world for Christ'

                                                                        Copyright Robert E Coleman 1964

                                                                        The Master Plan of Evangelism

And there you have it. Not the greatest of references if they were applying for a job anywhere. The most amazing thing about all of this though, is the fact that even though such a testimony could be written about them, Jesus loved them and had faith in their ability. He knew their potential and by the time that they had been with Him, and been filled with the Spirit of God - that dunamis power, it could be said of them, they had been with Jesus.

This also confirms that there is hope for us. We may not feel like we are suitable for God's work; we may feel that we keep letting Him down with our attitude and behaviour but, in Jesus' eyes, we have a potential. He has started a work within us and will continue this until it is time to go home.

Now that is something to praise God for!

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

It was obvious that they had been with Jesus

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marvelled. And they realised that they had been with Jesus."                                                                                         Acts 4:13     NKJV

Why would the members of the elite Sanhedrin, marvel at untrained and unlearned men? Because they were so impressed at their courage and the results they had received in healing the man at the gate Beautiful. They had nothing else to compare it with; the evidence was staring them in the face, the man had been made well. It could not be denied. Therefore, they were astounded and realised that these men had been with Jesus.

Now that is amazing in itself. They knew of Jesus, they had seen Him around preaching and teaching and had also seen Him in the synagogues around the area. He had such a mighty reputation. Now Peter and John were carrying out the same type of work and the results were evident, the man had been healed and they were echoing the work of Jesus and displaying the training He had given them.

The Sanhedrin would also have recognised that there was a dynamic power to all of this. It was the power of the Holy Spirit. The disciples were fulfilling the work Jesus had left them to carry out and were flowing in the power He said they would receive. It was a Heaven sent power.

All of this shines a light on the fact that there are many Christian leaders in the world today, who haven't received a formal training in theology and the hierarchy knock them for this. Let me just say, yes there is a place for formal training, very much so and it is good to attend these training places if one is to serve Jesus. However, Jesus can also anoint ordinary, Spirit-filled people to build amazing ministries, bringing many thousands of people to Jesus. We should never knock either direction a person takes. Jesus is the one who makes this choice. Therefore, sharing one's faith or testimony, should be guided by the Holy Spirit not just one's educational experience. 

God can use little old you to make a mighty difference where you live, work or go during any given day. He has commissioned you Matthew 28 & Mark 16 and you have been filled with the Holy Spirit from that day you came to Jesus. Perhaps you need a little extra power, so ask Him to baptise you in the Holy Spirit if you haven't been already. Get stuck into studying your bible until you're familiar with key verses. Once this has happened, you're good to go.

The most important characteristic you need to carry around, is allowing people to see, that you have been with Jesus. People cannot resist Him, whether they like Him or loathe Him.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

 

Believe in Yourself

"And has made us kings and priests to His God and Father"  

                                                                                                                 Revelation 1:6    NKJV

In God's eyes, this is who we are - kings and priests to God the Father. To hold the office of both king and priest, was forbidden in Old Testament times, as King Uzziah discovered. (Read 2 Chronicles 26:16-23.) Yet, through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, these titles of royalty, special servanthood and representatives of God, are bestowed upon us. We have specially privileged access, day or night, to the Throne of Grace, where we will find mercy (Hesed), to help us in our need. Hebrews 4:16.

We need to let this sink in, especially on the days when we feel so unworthy; the times when we have a low self-image, feeling useless to mankind. Jesus has taken each one of us and turned us into a somebody. We may not have a great fortune or any particular talent, but Jesus has faith in us and sees our potential.

We live in a competitive world where people are always trying to outshine the other. In every area of life, someone will always try to do better than us. That's just the way it is. We would probably have witnessed this at school when another pupil may have said, 'My dad is bigger than your dad', or 'We live in a much better house than you do'. Then on into your teens and adulthood, where there would always be a person who had the latest designer clothes; a better MacBook or even a bigger and more powerful car. It never really stops, we even find it in the Christian world. We just have to learn how to live with it.

This morning, just realise and accept that you are a special person within the Kingdom of God. Accept this and see yourself this way. You don't have to brag about it, people will do that for you. You just need to see yourself as a loved and blessed Child of God - a giant killer when needed, but a loving peaceful dove at other times. You have nothing to prove because God loves you just as you are. You couldn't do anything different to make Him love you more.

You need to allow this to sink in and begin to see yourself the way Jesus sees you. Believe me, He can't get enough of you and protects and stands up for you every corner of your life - as long as you walk with Him, daily.

So accept your royal titles and live the life for Jesus, believing in yourself.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Shine the Light of Jesus

"Do all things without complaining and disputing"                 Philippians 2:14      NKJV

If there is one thing that we humans are good at, it's complaining, moaning and grumbling. We can really become expert at it, it takes little practice. The blame is always on other people and we find it difficult to admit that we are in the wrong and apologise. However, we really need to change this, as soon as possible.

The Israelites were extremely good at complaining. Moses had done a good job by bringing them out of Egypt, risking his own life; yet it was not good enough in their eyes. Let us not forget that, initially, Moses had tried to wriggle out of taking on this commission from God. Now, when he has performed what God had ordained, the Israelites were moaning. 'This is wrong, that was wrong, we should have remained in Egypt, at least we had comfort and decent food there'. 

They had taken their eyes off God and wanted someone other than Mose and Aaron, to do the work. They had no faith in them and less in God, who was the cause of it all. They had even had the audacity to say, 'Is the Lord with us or not?' They were ungrateful people with very short memories.

When the chips are down and things are totally against you; do you complain? When someone, in your opinion, has let you down, do you moan and blame them? Paul tells us to, 'do all things without complaining and disputing'. Why is this? Because, 'God wants us to live upright lives, blameless and harmless, without fault'. My paraphrase Philippians 2:15-16. In fact, He would have us shining as Lights in a crooked generation. There is already lots of anger around from unbelievers who want to protest and take the law into their own hands. We should act differently by holding fast to the Word of Life.

Easy to write and read about I agree, but much more difficult to put into action. However, we do have a role model - Jesus Himself. It would help to read and pray through Philippians 2:5 - 11. This is the heart of Jesus and the mandate for how we should live. He suffered a terribly, cruel and painful death, a death that we were responsible for because of our sin. Therefore, is it really too much trouble to teach ourselves to live as He did; to love as He did and shine His love - the love of the Father, wherever we go?

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

You are Able to do this

"Let us go up at once and take possession for we are well able to overcome it." 

                                                                                                   Numbers 13:30     NKJV

Bob Gass once wrote, 'How many times does something look impossible, simply because you think it is.' Think about that for a moment. Opportunities come your way and at first it seems a great idea. However, as time goes on and you have thought about it some more, the opportunity can appear to be too risky to attempt. This may be a new job, a house move or going into your own business. The prospect may appear very exciting initially but negatives can quickly take over and settling for second best follows shortly afterwards.

Remember one thing, God is your source; if He has placed an opportunity at your feet, He will supply what you need to put it into practice. He does though, expect you to count the cost and have the faith to carry the opportunity through. If you do this, He will be right there with you.

Thomas Edison said, 'Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed up in overalls and looks like work.' Don't have this attitude; God puts things your way but you need to work at it in order for it to be successful and, sometimes it can mean very hard work, with a few disappointments at first. However, achievers are not avoiders. Not only do they find solutions to the problems of life, but they discover a tremendous power within themselves - Jesus. 'He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.' 1 John 4:4. M People sang a song in the mid-90's that made this very clear. 'Search for the hero inside yourself,' and it is true. Jesus is your hero and you, are His. He makes heros and you are a winner in His eyes.

Our attitudes either lift us or they bury us and this is something that you need to watch out for. Some people talk about things but, they never do it. Don't be like them and miss the opportunity. Caleb said in our text today, 'Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.' Focus on the words, 'well able.' The word, 'able', in the Hebrew is Yakol and means to have power and the capacity to prevail and succeed. Paul said, 'you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you', Philippians 4:13. You are Well Able.

Don't reach the end of your life regretting you didn't do what you had the opportunity to do. It will be too late then. When the opportunity comes by, pray about it, check it out, count the cost and if it still sounds ok. go for it!

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Under attack? Then rejoice!

"Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." 

                                                                                                Matthew 5:11-12    NKJV

Let's look at this statement from Jesus clearly. He is saying that, when we are suffering persecutions, false accusations and all the other stuff thrown at us, for His sake, then we should rejoice and be exceedingly glad. Now to the world, this would seem ridiculous and possibly cowardly. To be falsely accused, lied about and dragged through the gutter while someone stabs us in the back, is not one's idea of pleasure. Is it?

Jesus, says it is. He tells us here that, when we have got ourselves in position for Him and start moving forward in the Holy Spirit, then the devil becomes worried. In fact, we become a threat to him. It's hard to realise this but, it's true.

Jesus tells us to rejoice in the fact that the devil has to send in his heavier demons to counteract  us going any further. Let that settle in your mind for a moment. Those who suffer with Him, by way of persecution in this life, will be glorified with Him in the next. Surely, you didn't think the devil would leave you alone when you are in a position to take some of his ground. When you become active for God - watch out, because he will plot an attack of some sort.

Let us analyse this for a moment. When you are suffering an attack, you can be sure that you have begun to make some progress for God. The devil doesn't like this, so he will send all he can to make you stop. So that is something to rejoice about. You are in God's will. The devil doesn't waste his time with inactive people. They are no threat to him at all.

Just lately, you may have suffered false accusations. Someone has been led to make an issue about you and it may be quite devastating. Stand firm and keep your peace. This is the time that you need Jesus to step in and set you free from these lies; and He will. There may be hate towards you, back-biting, where people talk about you and make you feel uncomfortable in their presence. Hold your head up high. The battle is not yours, but God's. Let Him handle this.

Whatever is coming against you, don't let it prevent you from doing God's work. Keep your peace, if you give it all to Jesus, He will take care of it all. Don't go into your shell, stand up tall; this is part of the Armour of God - Ephesians 6, especially verse 13. Keep standing. 

All you need to do, is what Jesus said, 'Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.'

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

What do you see and hear?

 "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear."

                                                                                                 Matthew 13:16     NKJV

As Christians, we are the blessed. God has given us the Holy Spirit in order for us to be enlightened and led to the truth about the things of God. (John 16:30). Many unbelievers do not understand us, they think that we are strange, to say the least, especially if they hear us speaking in tongues. But there is so much more that we need to operate in.

Take for example a newspaper advertisement.I used to work in newspaper advertising at one time, and I know how an advertisement is created in order to grab the attention of the reader. There is a kind of psychology to it, one which draws the reader in so much, that they just have to have what is on offer. Life cannot exist without this particular item, type of thing. So, ask yourself, if a person is prone to believe what the advertisement is saying about something, and believe it; why then don't they believe what the Word of God says about Jesus? In a similar manner, a Christian may believe  their doctor when he tells them that they have an incurable illness, so, why don't they believe what is written in their bible about healing?

There is so much that we have to learn about. Time is running out. Many people believe that we are living in the last days - the end times. There is some scope to believe this when you look around at all of the terror and pain that is going on in the world today. Then of course there is the pandemic that we are still trying to get through. Add to that the violence and uprises that are happening all over the place and it is easy to believe that Jesus' return is imminent.

Whether it is or it isn't, we need to train ourselves to walk with God 24/7. There is a need to read the bible much more and understand it. We need to learn that, through Jesus, we have a future in Heaven. We are eligible to have God speak to us personally and show us things that no one else can see. He does this, as we draw nearer to Him. He is also available for us to speak to Him as well, at any time of day or night. He is so interested in you - more than you could ever imagine.

God longs to show you things that you've never seen and tell you things that you long to hear. He is Your Father - the Daddy of them all - Abba Father. Tony Campolo used to say that God carried a photograph of you in His wallet and whenever He saw someone, say, 'Have you seen My son - My daughter. Obviously, there is no possible biblical evidence to this, but I could see Him doing this. He is so proud of us and so much in love with us. In fact, He wants to show each and everyone of us, things to come and give us blessing after blessing.

The thing is, we need to get into position for this. We need to allow Him to give us eyes to see and ears to hear about the Kingdom. If you want this, spend more time with Him.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE