The Carpenter's Chapel

The current devotional readings and thoughts will follow through the book of Acts. This is probably the most important book to the church. It is in Acts we have the historical foundation of the Church in Jerusalem. We have the gift of the Holy Spirit demonstrated, church polity and practice outlined and the early experiences of the Christians.

Keep in mind that these are devotional in nature and not intended to resolve the controversial areas that often divide Christians. What I write here is strictly taken from my own personal devotions. Whilst I do try to adhere to the actual meaning of the text, I am also drawing what the spiritual benefit of the text is to me.

I trust that all readers will benefit, and draw closer to the Lord Jesus in the process. For we live, but not us, but Christ in us, the hope of things to come, and our witness to a lost world.

In the final analyses, it does not matter so much what we believe, regarding the controversial issues, as how we live out the gospel of Christ in our daily lives.

Cheers, and God bless,

Jim

PS. I am blowing snow to-day, as yesterday, and may or may not get back to writing the devotional. My sincere apologies.

 

Thursday, January 29, 2004

Acts 1

There is no question that Luke, the author of the Gospel, is the author of Acts. The
date is up for questions, but it would appear that it was written before AD70 and
most likely during Paul’s last two years of imprisonment in Rome; early or
mid-sixties. It was before Nero’s persecutions and the Jewish revolt for there is no
mention of these events. Paul’s death was about AD67. We need only read the last
verse of Acts to note the positive note on which it concludes: “Preaching the
kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ,
with all confidence, no man forbidding him.”
At one point the gospel and Acts were one collection and circulated among the
churches as such.
________________________________________________________

We would do well to pay attention to the behaviour of the early believers. “And he
said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father
hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is
come upon you; ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea,
and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Vse 7,8

When I was with the Plymouth Brethren, they went to great lengths to display
charts and drawings showing great details about the second coming of Christ.
They even had slide shows. I do not want to go into the various eschatalogical
viewpoints, but rather to point out that the best thing for excessive curiosity is the
humble waiting and working for God in the immediate and hintermost parts of the
earth. We should be busy preaching the things that are most important; the Gospel
of grace. At this point Jesus ascended up on a cloud Will we stand about gazing at
that cloud? Or will we be found busy in the Lord’s work? Which would be more
pleasing to the Lord? Speaking for myself, I should like to be found working until
my dying day.

What did these men do once they realized their mission was not to watch the skies
and dream? “...they continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the
women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.” The last mention of
Mary and His brethren in the New Testament.

In vse 15,16, we have a wonderful moment with Peter. Yes, impetus Peter. That
same one who, by doubt, slipped into the water when he took his eyes off the
Master. This same Peter who denied the Lord three times at His very crucifixion.
Peter learned from his many mistakes. Here he refuses to speak harshly of the very
men who took Jesus captive and crucified Him. “...men and brethren, this scripture
must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David
spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. How
often we reach out with our righteous indignation at all manner of evil men. Here
Peter shows the gentler, kinder way to deal with mankind.

This is how the church ought to behave in this world. We should take the unsaved
under our wings, love them and feed them God’s word with absolute patience
gifted to us by the Holy Spirit.

Lord, grant in me a rightful spirit that I may testify before You that I have done the
job You have given me, and I am found faithful.

Cheers,

Jim

 

Friday, January 30, 2004

Acts 2

“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in
one place.”

Ancient Israel celebrated the feast of Harvest, and here some 3000 souls are
gathered in one day and in one place to be fed by the Holy Spirit. This is the
outcome of His presence. All the people will be of one accord and they will be
together. There is no place for division when the Holy Spirit visits upon His
people. So often we hear of isolated cases of the Holy Spirit visiting upon a man in
a church and he bursts out in some gobbledy-gook called a message. This is a
false presence and does not have any place among believers. Settle for nothing less
than the full presence of the Holy Spirit. He will fill all at once and that
congregation will never be the same again.

In the great Welsh revivals, the preacher got up to speak, but was silent. Someone
in the congregation broke out in song and all joined in. This was followed by
confession after confession, more song, and tears and joy, and it spread all over
the land, from church to church. My friends, this was the work of the Holy Spirit.
He silences the voices of men who would preach and opens the hearts of those
who would hear. This is the outpouring we relish to-day, and indeed, the
outpouring we need so desparately. So be it.

Vse 5 tells us that others had heard about this event and verse 6 Says, “it was
noised abroad...”, but they were confounded. The world of unbelief is always
confounded by the word of God because it takes the mysteries of the gospel and
makes them quite clear. Yet, is there unbelief, and doubters, and those who would
mock the truth. They try to rationalize the miraculous works of God. “Are these
not all Galileans? Yet we hear every man in our own tongue. These men did not
speak gibberish, but another language, not formerly known, and it was clear to
those who knew it. The Holy Spirit is not the author of confusion, but does often
leave the world confused by their own unbelief.

Vse 12 tells us that “they were all amazed....”...”and were in doubt..these men are
filled wih new wine,,they are drunk....” It is easier to believe that a person is stupid
than to believe in the truth, In so believing one stands on his own pride, and does
not have to deal with his own soul’s estate. I reason, therefore I am.


Then our beloved, bold Peter takes the podium and tells everyone that these men
are not drunk, but speaking the words of the prophet Joel, that these days would
come and God would pour out His Spirit upon men, “and it shall come to pass,
that whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

This is what we long for. This is what every pastor should wish in his
congregation. All my years I dreamed about the Sunday I would enter the pulpit
and not have to preach. That a true revival would erupt and of all of God’s people
would fall on their faces before God.

Lord, help us each one to seek your face anew and be revived in your Spirit.

Cheers,

Jim

 

Monday, February 2, 2004

Acts 3

“Now Peter and John went up together,,,,where?...unto the temple.....why?...at the
hour of prayer.....”

True disciples go together. They want to be with each other. How sad it is when
brethren in the Lord do not want to share each others company, but it happens so
often. We can find so much objectionable in the other fellow, when in fact, we
have so much in common in the Lord. What else really matters when we share
brotherhood in Jesus.

These brethren were in the habit of going to the temple at prayer time. Remember,
the early disciples were essentially Jewish. The temple was an important part of
their lives. So, they were off to the temple to pray.

When we are busy in the affairs of God, so often this is when we find additional
service in His name. “And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was
carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to
ask alms of them that entered into the temple.” He knew the nature of the people
who entered the temple. He knew that was the place of generosity. We learn from
this that we are to be a giving people, and this too is a service unto God. We were
not only given the responsibility to care for the animal life on earth, but we are to
be the caretakers of the humans who share our space and time on earth.

This chap got more than he bargained for. He merely wanted alms, and he got his
legs and his arms and his entire body. The Lord never does half a job; He provided
healing from head to toe.

“Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee; in the name of Jesus
Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” There is healing power in the name of Jesus.
F.F. Bruce adds an interesting anecdote to this verse in his commentary:

“Cornelius a Lapide tells us how Thomas Aquinas called upon Pope Innocent II
once when the latter was counting a large sum of money...’You see, Thomas,’ said
the pope, ‘the church can no longer say, Silver and gold have I none.’ “True, holy
father, “ said Thomas, “And neither can she now say, “Arise and walk.”

Has the church lost it potency? Have we so far strayed from the doctrines of old
that we have forgotten to lay hold on the power of God in Christ Jesus? Has the
church become so concerned about temporal things that we have become
spiritually bankrupt? Oh, that the Lord would visit us afresh and renew in us a
right spirit, and give us the power that we once knew.

I realize that certain gifts were given for a time and a purpose, but there are other
areas of our spiritual lives that could use rejuvenation. We have not begun to
experience the fullness of the Spirit in either our assemblies or our personal lives.

We use to sing the song, “Count your many blessings, name them one by one” and
we changed the words a little, “Count your many blessings name them ton by
ton...” I always remembered that. We satisfy ourselves blessed with one blessing,
when we could have more fish than we could handle by crossing over to God’s
side of the ship.

This lame man, when he was healed, “leaped up and stood....he walked...and he
went to church...leaping...and praising God.” Vs 8 When was the last time we went
to church in such a manner? The Lord has healed us and given us eternal life. Far
better than any temporal healing of the body and flesh, and yet we continue in a
rather lethargic way to woship Him.

Lord, lift me up, and help me stand, on solid ground, not quicksand. Let my
witness be ever of You.

Cheers,

Jim

 

That's good, Dan. We should all learn a great deal in Acts...It is an alive book.

Cheers,

Jim

 

I don't think anyone is reading this thread....

Acts 4 is the key to local church revival. More to follow.

Cheers,

Jim

 

February 4, 2004

Acts 4: 31-37

“Now when the saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were
unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them,
that they had been with Jesus.”

The key to ministry is in this verse alone. Peter and John, fishermen, not schooled,
as were the leaders of the temple. They, however, knew where they stood, and
spoke boldly. Listen now! “that they had been with Jesus.” It does not matter how
many degrees we possess. It does not matter how well we speak. If the preacher is
not perceived as having been with Jesus, all his eloquence is for nought. It was a
deacon, filling in for the regular preacher, who pointed the young Spurgeon to
Jesus. That was perhaps all he knew. Look, Look to Jesus, he preached, and
history has recorded the results of pointing one young lad to Jesus.

Sometimes we forget the great mission which is ours to proclaim. If we do not
elevate Jesus before men, then our ministry is in vain. I should never preach
anything but that I lift the Saviour high, lay the sinner low, remembering that I am
but a sinner lifted unto Him by His grace and mercy. This is ministry.

In this chapter of Acts, we see the steps the local church must follow if it is to
know revival. When I speak of revival, it is not merely a “get saved” meeting. It is
a revival. It is an outpouring of the Spirit of God, and renewal of dedication to
Him, and adoration for Him.

The first qualification: “They were all filled with the Holy Ghost.” vs 31. This is
the first and foremost consideration. I well remember A.W. Tozer appearing on the
platform of the Avenue Road Church. He wore a wrinkled suit and just was not
impressive for a man of the cloth standing in the pulpit. His voice was not
powerful as an orator. When he began to speak, however, it was evident that he
had been with Jesus. I learned later that Tozer would often spend the entire
evening, in that suit, on his knees in prayer. No wonder his suit was wrinkled.
Lord, give me the suit of Tozer, yea, give me the prayer life behind that suit.

We must be filled with the Holy Spirit before we can preach.

“They spoke the word of God with boldness.” Vs 31. We must not enter the pulpit
with temerity. We must speak with boldness. We are not talking about some
political action, or something that we must oppose in society. We must speak the
word of God. There is a place for speaking out against the great sins of society, the
shortcomings of political people, the general immoraity prevalent to-day, but it is
not the service we hope for revival. Only the bold preaching of the word of God
will satisfy this great need.

Unity of purpose. “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and
of one soul.” vs 32 This is doctrinal fidelity. We not only believe the same things,
but we are true to the word, and it is embedded in our entire being.

The fellowship. “they had all things common.” vs 32. Oh what fellowship, Oh
what joy divine....We fellowship one with the other. We do not elevate one man
over the other. We have all things common. We almost worship some men of old.
Here they had all things common. We ought to admire the Saviour these men
exalted, but we ought not to worship the men.

Testimony. These people were not ashamed to give their testimony. And what was
that? “gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. This is
where evangelical, fundamental Christianity rises above all other religions. The
Founder of this religion conquered death and the grave; He rose again. We should
never forget the power of the resurrection. This is our great hope of things to
come. Because He rose again, so shall we. We already have the victory secured in
Him. Why do we live as if we are just another religion? Why do we behave as if it
doesn’t matter? That I might know the power of the resurrection.

The final step to revival is in our charity to one another and the world around us.
“Neither was there any among them that lacked.” vse 34. This led to another step
in charity; the tithe. We engage in great argument that the tithe was a legal step in
the Old testament, and does not apply in the New Testament. My friends, the tithe
is but a guide. If they, in the Old Testament gave ten per cent, the tithe, that should
be our starting point under grace. We have not given until we have given our
“tithe”, and then our offering. I remember the young lad in England who gave a
pence or two each week from his meagre savings. One Sunday he had no money.
He took the plate from the servers, laid it on the floor, and placed his foot in the
plate. I have no money, he said, so I give myself.” He gave it all, didn’t he? He
was the poor widow in our lifetime.

Lord, help me to see Jesus, and the power of His resurrection, and may my life be
ever filled with the Holy Spirit in power.

Cheers,

Jim

 

Thursday, February 5, 2004

Acts 5: 1-14

“But a certain man named Ananias, with Saphira his wife, sold a possession, and
kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain
part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.”

This is a rather interesting event which has nothing to do with money. These
people sold some property and brought a rather generous portion to the temple.
Now, what’s wrong with that? Nothing, of course. We are entitled to make a profit
on what we own and sell. We are free to bring any amount we wish to the temple.

Here is the prime example of a couple pretending to be what they are not. They
want to impress the people. Have a look at me. I am rich and I am also generous. It
was the act of deception that God took offense too. They pretended to be what
they were not. And where are they now? Six feet under.

This art of deception is carried on to-day in the world and in the church. I am sure
that you have seen it. Listen to me! There is no preacher like me! I have books and
tapes and fine suits, luxurious cars and a mansion.

This deception before people may tarry for some time, but it will not wash before
an holy God, and eventually it will be found out among God’s people. You can
fool the people, but it is impossible to fool God. His judgement will follow. We
have seen this time and time again, but I wonder if we take notice because we have
deceptions of our own. The student gets a 74 on a paper and rounds it off to a 75.
It isn’t much, but it is false, and it does sound better.

For years I sailed along with relative ease. Everything seemed to work out. I had
income. I was academically adept. I could read a book in one sitting..then God
spoke. I suffered a series of strokes which took my speech, my short-term memory
and my mobility. Now, what does a preacher and teacher do when he cannot talk,
cannot remember and cannot think? It is most devastating. You think that your
entire world has collapsed, and it has. Then God! When you can do nothing else,
God is able to speak and all you can do is listen. I learned the greatest lesson of all
my life; to listen to the small quiet voice of God and hear what He had to say.

Well, my friends, it was three years to the day that I preached my first sermon. It
was titled, There Are Potholes Along the Way. We travel life’s journey with
smooth sailing, but there are potholes along the way. We must detour; change
directions, and find a smoother way. God does this. He calms us and teaches us
His way, and when we have learned the lesson, He makes all things right.

This is the lesson in Acts 5. We cannot get away with lying to God. We cannot go
on pretending what we are not. We must give account, and sometimes the price
comes with a grave.

With Milton, “God doth not exact day-labour, light denied......he also serves who
only stands and waits....” (Milton, On His Blindness). He does equip us for the
occasion and we must be responsive to His bidding. Sometimes it takes new
directions and we must be willing to follow these paths. There are blessings galore
when we are in the centre of His will.

“And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among
the people.....but the people magnified them....and believers were the more added
to the Lord, multitudes of men and women.”

Once the chaff was driven out, the true harvest was ready and the true believers
came forward. We will see this harvest as we rest totally in His will for our lives.

Lord, may we ever be true to You, and may we see the fruit of your Spirit in our
lives.

Cheers,

Jim

 

Singer, thank you.

When I see Nebraska, I always think about Back to the Bible on the radio. When I was in the wilderness of Saskatchewan, Back to the Bible was an oasis of blessing to me. The messages of Theodore Epp and G. Christian Weiss and even the Danny Orlis stories. It was a great ministry, even to the ministers.

Cheers, and God bless,

Jim

 

God remains huge no matter how big we make ourselves. God remains good incarnate, no matter how good we become. God remains God no matter how much we try to bring Him down to our level. God was so huge and so good when He came to earth as a man and died for us and rose again that we might live.

We don't know the half until we have listened to missionaries and their trials and triumphs.

Cheers,

Jim

 

Friday, February 6, 2004

Acts 5: 17-36; 38,39

“Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him (which is the sect of
the Sadducees) and were filled with indignation, and laid their hands on the
apostles, and put them in the common prison.”

These were the religious liberals of the day. These are the ones who preach the
social gospel. The want nothing to do with the Son of God, and the doctrines of
truth, but everything to do with humanity at large. They, of course, choose their
branch of humanity, when that branch hangs in their direction. They want nothing
to do with the disciples of truth.

This is a lesson for us to stand firm on the foundation of Jesus Christ and His
eternal word. Do not waiver one iota. Preach the gospel in and out of season. Be
faithful to what you know. We are constantly being placed in the common prison
of ridicule. How can anyone in this modern age of science and philosophy beleive
these things? Well, my friend, the changed life, the forgiven soul, can believe
nothing else. This is where our convictions must lie.

“But......” and I love the Lord’s buts.....the angel of the Lord by night opened the
prison doors and brought them forth and said, Go......” escape and save your
lives.....Watch out for your own personal safety......Not at all, He says, “Go, stand
and speak in the temple...” Go right back to where you were arrested and taken to
prison. Go right back into the middle of trouble, and preach the gospel. We must
find a new boldness in our preaching. In the last portion of scripture we saw this
instruction, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John.....they took
knowledge that they had been with Jesus...” When people have been with Jesus
nothing remains the same. In poverty, we discover great riches; in ignorance, we
gain great education; and in our timidity, we find a new boldness. So should it be
when we “have been with Jesus.”

The instructions continue, “and speak in the temple to the people ALL the words
of this life...” What life? The life that Jesus affords us as new creatures in Him.
I am often asked how to witness to this cult or the other cult, and my answer is
always the same. Tell them about Jesus and your experience with Him. There is no
answer to that. If you try to engage them in an argument of theology, you will
always lose. They have fixed answers and are unwilling to hear sense. Tell them
about Jesus. Tell them how your life has changed since Jesus came in to stay. It is
an irrefutable argument to tell of one’s personal experience. Are we confident of
the work that God has done in us? Then let us not fear to express it. Nothing can
humble the heart and soften the mind more than a personal experience. We are told
of a dying child, and we weep. We are told of an unfortunate situation, and we
weep.

I long remember a Jewish lady who was a member of one church I served. For
many years she had been safely in the hands of Jesus. She also led her son to the
Lord. They faithfully came to services. Her husband remained a Jew and did
everything to dissuade them. She said nothing back to him, but continued as a
faithful wife and mother. I had visited the house a number of times, and what a
marvellous family it was. They all went to synagogue on Friday. The young lad
went to Hebrew school, and mother and child came to the Baptist Church on
Sundays.

One day the man came to me with tears in his eyes. He said he had had enough. He
could not break her. She only talked about what Jesus had done for her when
nothing else worked. Now, he said, I want to know this Jesus too. There was great
joy in heaven over one soul....As a pastor, I did nothing. This woman did it all. She
would not preach to him, but would not surrender what the Lord had done in her
life. It wore him down and he too came to the Lord.

We ought to find this new boldness in the Lord. We do not have to be bullish in all
things, but we ought to be bold in the Lord Jesus.

Lord, help us always to be bold in your name, not in our own causes, but in your
name.

Cheers,

Jim

 

Monday, February 9, 2004

Acts 6: 1-15; 7: 54-60

“And in those days, when the numbers of the disciples was multiplied, there arose
a murmuring of the Grecians (Christian Jews from other lands) against the
Hebrews (Palestinian Jews), because their widows were neglected in the daily
ministration.” What we have here is the beginning of disputes among the brethren.
How easy dissent can enter the house of the Lord, and great divisiveness is born. It
is important to nip these things in the bud, rid one another of misunderstandings,
and get on with our dedication to the cause of Christ.

These disputes brought about the need for servants in the church to handle the
mundane things. We have a clear defining of what ministers do and what deacons
do. I have seen many debates about the role of the minister and the role of the
deacons, and I always return to this passage. It is very clear that the minister is to
be given to prayer and to preaching. My friends, prayer and preaching must
occupy the entirety of the ministers’ life. If we slack off on either, we do a
misservice to the King. Here we have the importance of prayer. The minister must
always have wrinkles about his knees having spent much time in prayer. I am not
very good about kneeling in prayer. I have the habit of walking back and forth in
my study when I pray. In the early years, I had a small chalkboard on the end wall,
and there I listed the daily prayer needs of the church. This time was quite apart
from my own personal devotions.

We must also be given to preaching. Time spent in study and preparation for the
preaching is never wasted. We must prepare as if it all depended on us, knowing
that it is all of God. In our personal prayer, we invoke the presence and power of
the Holy Spirit. Without this we preach in vain. While we employ every gift we
have, we first cultivate a relationship through the Holy Spirit. The well prepared
garden bed will aways reward the gardener. And so it is with prayer. The well
prayed minister will have the blessings of the Holy Spirt and will see fruit for his
labours.

We are instructed to separate seven men to serve the church. The must be of (1)
honest report; a good reputation. They are to be (2) filled with the Holy Spirit and
(3) wisdom. How often do we fill deaconate vacancies by available men rather
than adhering to what God says they ought to be. It is far better to leave a vacancy
than to muddle with the unqualified. Choose seven men the book says.

And the minister is instructed in verse 4, “But we will give ourselves continually
to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.” That is so clear. We need not debate
the issue; just do it. It is by the foolishness of preaching that we will see men
convinced and convicted. It is by the foolishness of preaching we will see the
flock edified in the things of God. In all my churches, I served as a member ex
officio on the deacon’s board, but I stayed clear of the ministrations of the church.
That was their job, and we ought to let men do their jobs. There is a time when
correction is needed, but we ought to be careful in this area and only violations of
the direct instructions by God should be addressed.

The end result of these steps of obedience is fruit. Isn’t that our aim in ministry?
To bear fruit.

In verse 13 tells us about every ministers’ fears. “And set up false witnesses. How
often it is that a ministry is destroyed because of the wicked designs of men. They
will manufacture all manner of things that speak against the man. Our response
must always be to preach the word. We are to stand firm on what the word says.
Sometimes the consequences are unfortunate, but we have no option. The moment
we start to compromise in this area, we become losers and God will have
something to say about that. If a matter is personal; drop it. If the matter is
principle; die for it. And Stephen did. Are we prepared to stand firm in the word?

Lord, make us to be faithful to your word, even unto death.

Cheers,

Jim