Stephen the Martyr

"But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, 'Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God".   

                          Acts 7:55-56  NKJV.  (For the fuller explanation, read Acts 6:8 - 7:60) 

Stephen had been falsely accused of blasphemy. This is an occupational hazard for all who live for Jesus. Here the Synagogue of the Freedmen - Jews that had been carried off to Rome by Pompey as captives in 63 BC, and later freed. These were part of the Jerusalem synagogue who opposed Stephen. They were also known as Libertines. These men manipulated people to say untruths about him and he was delivered to the council and placed on trial, a trial that was just a play on words really. You know, there will always be people around who, will falsely accuse you, gossip about you and try to get rid of you. Cheer up and don't give up, what you're doing for God is totally right and He is pleased.

Stephen was allowed to defend his actions and, he gave a very long discourse related to his behaviour. At the end of this, he spoke the words of our text today,"But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, 'Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God".  This caused havoc and they ran at him, cast him out into the street and stoned him.

Notice a few things: (1) He was full of the Holy Spirit v55. Never try to take on a major incident or meeting unless, you have the Spirit of God firmly within you. (2) He was not afraid, he knew His Lord was with him (3) They began stoning him but he, knelt down and asked God to 'Receive my Spirit' (4) Then in a loud voice he prayed that the people would not be charged for their actions. He then fell asleep and was with Jesus forever.

All over the world, people lay down their lives for Jesus Christ because, He did the same for them. They put themselves at risk to bring aid and bibles to the downtrodden. They get on with the work and yet, at times all we can care about is that somebody has taken our seat in church. Come on, I'm not saying that we should all be martyrs - not at all, but we should all put Jesus and His work, uppermost in our lives. 

For His life-offering, Stephen knelt down before God and went to sleep - in peace.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Zacchaeus the Chief Tax Collector

"He has gone to be a guest with man who is a sinner" v7    Luke 19:1-10   NKJV

Zacchaeus was a Jewish chief tax collector, a hated breed of people, who were employed by the Romans to collect taxes from their own kins-people. Many, possibly including Zacchaeus, collected extra for their own pocket too. By this, they were considered traitors. This is why tax collectors were classed alongside prostitutes and other sinners.

Understandably, Zacchaeus was a very rich man, but like so many of the other tax collectors, he was a social outcast, a man with few friends, a real Billy no mates. 

At this present time, Zacchaeus had a great desire to see the man who everyone was speaking about - Jesus. He had heard that He would be passing by very soon, so he was anxious to get ready for this. However, the crowds were endless and because he was a man of short statue, he had difficulty in seeing. He therefore, climbed a Sycamore tree that was close by. This type of tree had low-limbed branches so it was easy to climb. All of a sudden, he had a prime position and could see more than the crowd below.

All of a sudden, Jesus was there below Him. 'Zacchaeus, make haste and come down for today, I must stay at your house' v5. He couldn't get down the tree quick enough and also, couldn't believe that this man of dignity, was calling him and wanted to stay at his house. The nearby crowd hated it, 'He's gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner' v7.

People just can't comprehend who Jesus is. They feel He should spend all His time with the famous and rich, not the people that are hated and despised.

Zacchaeus said, 'I give half of my goods to the poor and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore it four-fold.' Jesus replied, 'Today, salvation has come to this house, because he also is a Son of Abraham' v10. Now the Greek definition of the word 'Salvation' is Soteria which covers, deliverance, preservation, soundness, prosperity, happiness, rescue and general well-being. This fuller salvation covers the present possession with a fuller realisation for the future. In fact, it is The Full Monty of salvation.

Don't ever look down on people who don't come up to your standards. Be courteous and kind because, you never who you may meet on your way down. Jesus saw the best in us, let us do the same. Many of us, may have had a rough ride before we met Jesus, marital breakdowns, drink problems, soldiers, trying to adjust to civilian life after being in the forces, PTSD, and other such things. I don't know where you came from and neither do you know about me but, Jesus does, and He died on a cross for us all. I am a somebody and so are you! Amen? Amen!

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Are you a Moody Guy?

"And Nathanael said to him, 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"'  

                                                                                                   John 1:46  NKJV 

This was quite a detrimental thing to say - judgemental and discriminatory. But in Nathanael's opinion, it was not good and he was appalled. At that time, Nazareth had a bad reputation, and anyway, the Messiah was supposed to be born in Bethlehem not this place. He was right in one way, the Messiah was born in Bethlehem but he neglected to see that He was actually brought up in Nazareth.

After Philip encouraged him to 'Come and see'. He went with him. Jesus saw him coming and spoke into his heart, things that only Nathanael knew, and he was convinced and said, 'Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel'  v49. What a difference Jesus can make in a person's life. We may struggle to convince someone that Jesus is alive but, the Holy Spirit is the No 1 evangelist. He turned Nathanael's mood from deflated to abounding.

What about Thomas? He was known as The Doubter. But this was a rather unfair label to give him. He was heroic. When Jesus was preparing to go to Lazarus after he had died, The disciples knew it would be a risky thing to: 'go and wake him up' John 11:11. But Thomas replied in v16, 'Let us also go, that we may die with Him.' There was nothing about Thomas that could be said he was a doubting coward. He was sound and totally for Jesus.

However, in John 20:25-28, we read That Thomas refused to believe the disciples when he was told that they had seen Jesus. 'Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.' v25. Again, Jesus changed this situation when He came to Thomas and said, 'Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing' John 20:27. Jesus once again changed a doubting mood into a believing one.

This all goes to show that we, as believers, can be tough one minute and deflated the next. We have moments of doubt but, we try to hide this and be courageous. However, Jesus knows us through and through. Do you have doubts about what Jesus can and cannot do? Do you have moody sessions. where you refuse to believe that a fellow Christian is genuine? Do you doubt their integrity? Do you just become moody? You're not alone; we all have times such as this; so let us be grateful that Jesus still loves us.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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The Winter is Past Part 2. (It is time to get ready)

"Behold, He stands behind our wall; He is looking through the windows, gazing through the lattice."                                                         Song of Solomon. 2:9   NKJV

Carrying on from our reading yesterday, it is interesting to read about how Jesus never forces Himself upon us. Here, as recorded by Solomon and which can be interpreted as a type of Jesus, we see Him standing behind a wall and only looking in through the windows. This gives us the picture of Jesus, before we are saved and also afterwards, observing us but not becoming involved until we ask Him to. He watches what we do, how we do it; notices the mistakes we make and the things we become involved in and know deep down, that we shouldn't. However, He doesn't interfere, just watches. But He expects that, if we know Him as Lord, we should know His presence is forever with us and, He will never leave us. He expects us to call to Him when, we need to.

This is the case before we consider inviting Jesus into our hearts. 

In Revelation 3:20, Jesus says: 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and he with Me.' This is an invitation to each unsaved person. As Jesus knocks at the door of their heart and they realise it is Him and open the door of their heart, Jesus will enter and be their Lord and Saviour. Notice though, Jesus says that He stands at the door and knocks. He doesn't just walk in unannounced, He has to be invited in, which is what we see Him doing in Song of Solomon.

There is another side to Revelation 3:20. It utters a warning to people everywhere, especially Christians, that time is short, any day Jesus could return to claim His children and kingdom. The warning is, will we be ready, what will He find. This sobering thought needs to be digested and thought carefully about. One day Jesus will return, of course none of us know when. However, things in the world offer some questions of whether it is soon. All the more why, we need to be on guard and ready.

In Song of Solomon, the beloved (A type of Jesus) says to the Shulamite (A type of Us) 'Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away' 2:10 + 12. This is Jesus preparing His church. He is calling us to rise up and come away from the way we are living and, live for Him - totally. The days are short, He is coming soon. It is time to get ready!

'Lord Jesus, help me to be ready, to get things right in my life. I recognise that time is short, You are coming soon. Please help me to be prepared.

AND FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW JESUS

Lord, I open the door of my heart to Your knocking. Please come in and forgive my sin. I accept You as My Lord, right now. In Jesus' name. Amen

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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The Winter is Past

"For lo, the winter is past, the rains over and gone."     Song of Solomon  2:11   NKJV 

As we look at this scripture today, it would be easy to say, 'No it hasn't, it's freezing out there and, for many of us, it's freezing in the house too. The energy crisis has hit us all, very hard. However, we are not looking at the present winter that we are enduring but, the spiritual side of winter. 

No matter what you are gong through, if you have Jesus in your life, He will move mountains to bless you. Check out 2:8: 'The voice of my beloved! Behold he comes leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.' He loves you so much that, He can't help Himself. As you call on Him with praise, worship and thanksgiving in your heart (Philippians 4:6-7), He comes running, and leaping to your aid. You may not believe this at times, but it's true. You see, He will not always answer our pleas the way we think He should. This is why we feel nothing has really happened, but it has and you will soon realise this. At other times, His answer is instant and deliverance is obvious. 

We need to look through the eyes of faith. The answers to our prayers may not always be visible to us but, they are there anyway. This is why we need to look past what is seen to, what is unseen (2 Corinthians 4:18-19). This is what faith is all about. In other words, we need to confess and receive and make this a way of living. We are of the supernatural not, the natural. We are kingdom people; we belong to Jesus and this, is why He comes leaping over all of our obstacles and rescues us.

Obstacles, the giants of pain, disappointments and whatever else causes us heartache and anxiety is like a bad winter in itself. It seems like it's never going to end and is cold and gloomy. But take joy, the winter is past, the rains over and has gone. The season has changed, Jesus has done this. All of the bad things that have happened are at an end. How you may ask? Because, if you called on Jesus, He has skipped over the giant obstacles and He stands there and tells you, 'The winter is past'. Therefore, take Him at His word and believe in your heart that your success is on the horizon, the summer of blessing is here. 

Look through the eyes of faith and you will see things you only dreamed about.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Confidence in God

17Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labour of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls 18Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.          Habakkuk 3:17-19  NKJV

Whatever happens to you, good or bad, carry on and praise God because, He has saved you and He is your strength. When you realise just who God is and what He has done throughout the world and, in you, you will have a feeling within you that, He can be trusted, even though you may walk through the valley of the shadow of death and darkness (Psalm 23:4). 

Whatever you are going through now or may happen in the future, you have no need to fear for He is with you. His rod will deal with things that come against you and His staff will pull you out of any holes you may fall in (Psalm 23:4).

Here, Habakkuk is stating that although he has nothing and all is going wrong, he will still praise the God of his salvation. You may be able to echo this statement but, note in verse 19, he says that God will make him walk on my high hills. In other words, when we come up against high mountains, totally blocking our way, Jesus will help us to make our way through this giant of rock. Nothing is too difficult for Him - nothing!

It may have been a rough year for you. Things may not have gone the way you had planned or expected. But ask yourself, was God in on your planning or your expectations? Did you give these plans to Him (Proverbs 3:5-6). There may be a lesson to learn here. We must ensure that God is in the driving seat, because He knows the way. The devil will take you the wrong way every time. So your guideline is, put your plans in His hands.

If you didn't consult God with your plans, just repent and He will help you through the miry clay - the quicksand that has tried to drag you under. 

This Christmas celebrations and the New Year can be a different story for you as, you place your total confidence in Jesus. Why not pray this prayer:

Lord Jesus, as we approach the Christmas period and then the New Year, will you please help me to have a new spiritual encounter with you, one that will help me to realise, even deeper, the true meaning of Christmas and, set me up for the New Year.

Boost my confidence in You and in myself, Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Have you been crushed by the enemy?

 "3For the enemy has pursued me, crushing me to the ground, making me live in darkness like those long dead. 4My spirit is weak within me; my heart is overcome with dismay. 5I remember the days of old; I meditate on all you have done; I reflect on the work of your hands. 6I spread out my hands to you; I am like parched land before you. Selah"                                                                       Psalm 143:3-6   CSB

The term 'Selah' at the end of a scripture, means to pause and think about it, and I strongly recommend that you do this for these six verses. This was David's appeal for guidance and deliverance and, I am sure that we all have had times such as these. 

We all go through bad times, whether we belong to Jesus or not. Just because we are a Christian, doesn't mean that we will never have bad times. The difference is, we have a Saviour who does just that, He saves us, not only at salvation but throughout our life time. 

David felt crushed by all that his enemy had caused him. To feel crushed is to be brought low and broken; and David was experiencing this at the time. He was longing for God's intervention where his thirsty soul could be restored. He felt as if he had been thrown into darkness - cut off from the enjoyments of life. How many times have you felt this way? You may be feeling this way now. 

David began to encourage himself by remembering times past - the times when he had been in similar situations and God turned up at the right time. This led him to 'spread out my hands to You' v6. Praise and worship always lifts our spirits when we are feeling this way; and it may be the right thing for you to do right now. Before you do, please read this diamond of a helpful verse 'We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to His purpose'. Romans 8:28.

This is a life-saver of a verse. He actually causes difficult circumstances to work together for good in your life. As long as you remain steadfast and loyal to Jesus, loving Him with all your heart, He will take all of the things that have gone pear-shaped in your life and, will bring them together - in your favour. That is a promise.  The Living Bible puts it this way, 'And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into His plans.'

What a wonderful blessing, but there is a condition, don't forget. As long as you have given everything in your life to Jesus, Whenever bad things come your way, He will turn it around for good.

So why not spread out your hands to God right now, call on Him and get lost in His presence for a while. He is in charge and has your best interests in hand.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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