You can't take God on and win!

"but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it - lest you even be found to fight against God."  

                                                                   Acts 5:39  NKJV 

In parts, this piece of scripture looks like a comedy scene. Peter and John had once again been caught preaching about Jesus in public. So Peter and John were once again arrested and placed in a guarded cell. During the night, an angel turned up, opened the prison doors and freed them, directing them to go and preach in the temple about Jesus.

God always has a way, no one can outsmart Him, But when God starts working, the devil does too. Jonathan Edwards is quoted as saying something similar, 'When the church is revived so is the devil.'  So when you are in blessing, it is not the time to sit back, have a day off and enjoy things. We have to stay vigilant.

It's amazing when you think about it, the guards were still on the door keeping things safe, or so they thought and then an angel escorted by Peter and John passes them by and the angel locks the door again. v23. The angel sent them to preach in the temple, not to hide away from their enemies. It was time to move forward, retreating gets us nowhere. So there they were preaching on the streets again. Have you ever done this? It is quite scary at first until you get used to it. Then it  comes as second nature. There will be hecklers though but this goes with the territory.

The next day, the high priest and Sadducees, sent for Peter and John but were quickly told that the cell was stilled locked up, guarded but there was no one in there. Eventually they were found in the temple teaching about Jesus v25. One would have felt that they would have asked Peter and John how on earth had they got out of their cell but, surprisingly they didn't. Perhaps they had figured it out themselves but didn't want the crowd to be considering miraculous ideas. They took them back to the council and as they were deliberating about all what had happened, Gamaliel, a respected teacher of the law spoke up with these words of wisdom:

'And he said to them: “Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men.  36For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing.  37After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed.  38And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing;  39but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.40And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.'

We really cannot take God on and win. Many have tried and, many have failed. Gamaliel was a wise man and could see that, if this was of God, no one would be able to stop it. And it's the same today. There may be great Christian outreach's all over the place, if God is in them, then no matter what protesters try to do, He will win. Don't ever, allow people to prevent you from speaking about Jesus. It is your right as a Child of God, no matter what all of the protesting organisations are saying we can't do. We can, because Jesus said so!

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

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They had been with Jesus

"But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name."  Acts 4:17  NKJV 

Peter and John were arrested because they were becoming a threat and, an embarrassment. A man had been healed, of that there was no doubt and Peter and John were becoming too vocal on the streets talking about Jesus. It had to stop. Therefore, the Sanhedrin decided to forbid the teaching of Jesus to anyone. Peter's response to this was:

'But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.  20For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”  21So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done.' Acts 4:19-21.

Once a person has met powerfully with Jesus, they cannot avoid speaking about Him, the Holy Spirit within them will not allow anyone to do this. Peter was having none of this and told them so. One thing the Sanhedrin noticed was the fact 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 marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. 14And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it'. Acts 4:13-14.

It's no wonder that Peter and John had wanted to praise God. Word would have got to them, either from the crowd or the Holy Spirit, that the Sanhedrin had noticed something special about them - they had been with Jesus. Therefore, the first port of call was to praise God with their companions v23-24. Just think about that, it had been noticed that they had been with Jesus and had personally been trained by Him for 3 years. It is doubtful that anyone would have had the anointed training at any bible college that the disciples had undergone.

As you spend time with Jesus, you will become so much like Him that people will not fail to notice that you are different. Especially, when you refuse to water-down the gospel. It is life and people need this life. Today, just feel grateful that Jesus - Your Friend, has saved your soul and given you His name. Now that's something to praise Him for.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

Check it out

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Overwhelming power of the Holy Spirit

"Others mocking said, 'They are full of new wine."  Acts 2:13  NKJV  

Wherever you go and whatever you do for the Lord, you will always have the mockers around. Sometimes they turn up from nowhere, at other times they reveal what you had always suspected. They are not your friends and are sent to distract and take your mind off what is God's plan. They are very convincing sometimes, and at other times they can be brutally nasty. Avoid them.

We see a different Peter here. One moment he is standing with the other disciples v14, the next, he is addressing the crowds. What had happened? The fear had gone and he had turned into the man of God that Jesus had forgiven, re-built and blessed in John 21. And now, with the overwhelming power of the Holy Spirit, He was on fire - a preacher at work. Peter told them that they were not drunk but they were living the word of the prophets. He really laid it on thickly letting them know that if they had been observant to God's word, they would known this. Peter continued:

'Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren what shall we do?" 38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit"  Acts 2:36-38

Peter carried on preaching; he was alive for Jesus and he was living out his calling. He preached and around three thousand souls were saved that day. Now, for a preacher who has never preached before, that really is something and he must have felt elated, however, he would be sure to give the glory to God. 

The church today needs this power. Sadly many sermons are preached with very little response. to them. Altar calls are intermittent. There appears to be more time allocated to worship than there is to God's Word. People may say that worship is still God's word but, that may be ambiguous. We need God's word being preached in the power of the Holy Spirit with so much power that, souls are saved, lives are changed and the name of Jesus is glorified. Amen?

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

Check it out

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The Holy Spirit

"When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind."  

                                                               Acts 2:1-2  NKJV

Jerusalem was packed at this time. It was a holiday season -  the Day of Pentecost and many people from far and wide visited for this purpose. The disciples, were still avoiding people because of their fear of the authorities, so they were together in the house. Notice a very important thing, they were together of one accord in one place. They were united in Jesus. An important emphasis is made connecting unity and obedience in order to experience the presence, the power and the influence of the Holy Spirit. If a church is not together in unity and obedience, no matter how much worship and praise is offered, there will be very little that happens in that place. If people are at loggerheads and back-biting with gossips of all kinds, the Holy Spirit cannot work in such a fellowship. Changes will need to be made of which, making Jesus the central part of the church should be uppermost. 

The disciples were together and 'suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind' v2. I was in Burnham on Sea a few years ago and I decided to walk down to the beach. The tide was coming in but, it was far off on the horizon. I busied myself taking a few photographs when suddenly, there was an awesome sound, rather like an express train had gone by. It was the tide, I never knew that it came in so fast and so noisy. It was quite an experience. I relate this experience to the sound that the disciples heard that morning. It would have been awesome and very supernatural but the bonus was when tongues of fire came on them and they began to speak in other

 languages.

This is not to be confused with the heavenly language that the Holy Spirit gives us for our powerful prayer life. This was much different because visitors to the city were hearing their own language being spoken. Everyone was speaking in each other's tongue and this brought confusion but also a desire to know more about it. If they had been speaking in their own heavenly language, no one would have been able to understand them and they may have been labelled as mad. As it is, some began spreading it around that they were drunk. They were not intoxicated with wine but they were overdosed in the Holy Spirit. They would also never be the same again. Watch this space!

 

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

Check it out

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084G9S4FD/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

 

 

 

 

God has a plan

"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth."   

                                                                Acts 1:8  NKJV 

Jesus was getting ready for His ascension into heaven. Therefore, He wanted the disciples to understand their role in His plan. It was preparation time. He told them that within a few days they would be baptised with the Holy Spirit. They understood this because, Jesus had already prepared them. If you look back at John 20:21-22, we read:

'So Jesus said to them again, 'Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.' 22 'And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'

This was a foretaste of what He had for them very soon. They needed strength to be able to meet the daily problems that they were receiving from their enemies and therefore needed a certain authority that could only come from Jesus. The full level of The Holy Spirit would come very soon.

As I mentioned, Jesus was preparing them. He wanted them to be ready but it was essential that there was a waiting period for this to take place. Preparation is essential for the Christian worker, they need to be equipped with the Word of God. Once you are on the streets, you need to be sure of what you are saying to people. So they had a short time of prayer and meditation as they prepared for the greatest test of their lives.

Note how Jesus planned things out, giving the disciples a blue print of the areas they would go. It was systematic. Later, the Holy Spirit would have the total control but, until then, this was the plan. Be careful here. It is so easy to take the control and run ahead doing your own thing. Sometimes, people don't seem to go as quick as you feel they should go. The truth is, it may work both ways and they may be thinking, 'I wish they would slow down and work with us.' As much as some people don't like it, there is a need for team work. There are no Lone Rangers in God's Army. We must be united and in step with each other. Otherwise, the devil will have a heyday. Remember Eve in the garden?

Therefore, allow God to knock you into shape. He has an awesome mission for you so, get ready.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

Check it out

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084G9S4FD/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

 

 

 

 

He's alive again

"And behold there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it."   

                                                                 Matthew 28:2   NKJV 

I love the last part of this verse 'rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.' The angel was declaring that Jesus is alive. Let's face it, the angel was no mere cherub. He was so astonishing and awesome that the guards who saw Him were terrified and passed out. What the officials had feared, had happened - Jesus had escaped but, not in the way they had felt, by His disciples taking Him out of the grave. Not at all, Jesus had declared that He would arise and there was no denying this fact.

The words of Phil Driscoll say it all:

'He's alive again, the stone's been rolled away, He's alive again, He's no longer where He lay. He's alive again, you can hear the angels say, let all the world rejoice, He's alive'

However, for Christians, this is not an annual appointment on the calendar. It is an everyday experience - Jesus Christ is Alive! The devil couldn't hold Him. He blew the lid off hell and after that three day experience, He blasted out of there like and Exocet missile.  Jesus Christ is alive, the stone's been rolled away and this means, the stone holding you back from living fully for Jesus. Something has held you back, it may be fear, it may be embarrassment, but today, the stone has been rolled away and you are free.

You may not have much financial or successful comparison with others but one thing you do have is Jesus. He is your forever friend, your confidante, your encourager and protector. He is your everything. It is time to make a stand for Jesus. In this world there are too many people telling us that we should not do this or it is wrong to be in opposition to their beliefs. As Christians, we are labelled as troublemakers and old fashioned. The bible is outdated and should be re-written. Well, I say, no way, not today or any day. 

These people have no right to walk all over us. Jesus paid the price for sin, He hasn't changed, He is still the same Jesus. From now on, will you make your stand for Jesus? Will you refuse to follow the world and its changes and promote Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords? Let's do it.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

Check it out

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084G9S4FD/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

 

 

 

 

Alone and hurting

 "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning"   Psalm 30:5   NKJV

Jesus had died on the cross and His body had been placed in a tomb. It was over!. Many of the disciples were devastated. They had never really understood what Jesus had been telling them over the past three years - that He must die and be raised again. This would all be going through their minds as they tried to cope with their grief.

Grief can completely wreck a person's life. We think death happens to other people, it doesn't cross over into our lives. The thing is, we never really give death a thought, it's too painful to comprehend. However, when it invades our own personal space, it is hard to handle and people can go through all sorts of confusing emotions trying to make sense of it all.

Loss brings change - many of them and this can be difficult to negotiate. The process cannot be rushed and it can take an age before some are strong enough to be able to cope. When a person has invested their whole life with someone and that person is no longer with them, their whole life can fall apart. You may be going through a loss right now. There are no right or wrong ways to do things. The big factor is time. We need to allow ourselves to come to terms with what has happened and work through the early stages of loss very gently.

To a degree, this was probably how Peter and the others were feeling. They had given everything up to follow Jesus and now, as they tried to remember what Jesus had been teaching them, a feeling of utter loss was upon them. 'What are we going to do now?' You can just hear them as you try to sit in on their conversation. They may have been irritable or felt a sense of betrayal. It is hard to think how they were feeling at this time. Be honest, when you have felt let down by someone, badly, it is difficult to feel good about the situation. This was part of the process, they had to sort through their anger and frustration before they could do anything else.

Deep down though, these men and women had been handpicked by Jesus Himself; they were a special type of people and given the time, the Holy Spirit would bring to mind what  had been happening. And He will to you as well.

"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning." Like the disciples, you may be devastated by what has happened in your life just lately. Please be encouraged to take your time, the sun will shine again for you but only when you are ready to walk on with life.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

Check it out

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084G9S4FD/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2