by Pastor Cecil | Jul 16, 2018 | Acts
Acts 4:13
“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”
“Being,“ is what produces “doing.“ People can “do” things all day long, and it will have no effect. The reason is they have not “become.“ The ordinary men of the early New Testament Church were great because they had been with Jesus and, as a result, they were becoming more and more like Jesus.
When skies are blue, no shades of gray; When words of praise, fall across our way; When birds sing sweet, and trees do sway; It is not hard to take our stand; To laugh, to smile, to kiss a hand.
BUT!
When clouds roll in, the going’s tough; When we’re the target, of the tempters stuff; When trees stand gaunt, their trunks so rough; When health gives way, and friends depart; When all our dreams, just fall apart;
THEN!
If we open wide, God’s Holy Book; We’ll find the way inside, because we look;
It’s hard and steep, the way Christ took. He calls us all to follow Him,
What’s done for Him will last; Our life will count, we’ll win the prize;
The secret is – – – we held Christ fast!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 2, 2016 | Acts
Acts 4:12
“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
It makes me cringe when I hear someone state that they have always been a Christian. Beeep!! That is so far from scripturally sound that it makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck.
The sad thing is that many people fail to truly become believers because they have been taught that they have always believed in God. If someone has “always been a Christian,” then the Bible is false. God’s Word repeatedly tells us that we must experience a new birth in order to obtain salvation.
Nicodemus was a devout and knowledgeable teacher of the Jews. He knew all of the man-made requirements that seemingly would make a person right with God. Jesus shook his thinking when He told Nicodemus he had to be born again (John 3:16).
The question you need to pose for yourself is this: “Have I experienced the new birth?” If not, you need to open your heart, confess that you are a sinner, and ask Jesus to come in and make you His child. Have you done that?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 31, 2016 | Acts
Acts 7:55
“But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God.”
In the King James Version of the Bible the word heaven is mentioned 582 times in 550 verses. That makes it a well documented location in Scripture. The problem is in knowing how to get there. This week I will be dealing with the issue of insuring we know for certain we are heaven bound.
It is tragic that so many people who have little or no concern about spiritual matters are sure they will be going to heaven. They convince themselves that just because they want to go there, that is where they will go.
Hollywood and fiction writers have performed a horrible disservice by depicting that entry into heaven is gained by doing more good deeds than bad ones. It has even been expressed as a book showing which outweighs the other. More good you go to heaven; more bad you go to hell.
I want to take the time this week to show what the Bible says about what is necessary to gain entrance into God’s glorious heaven. I urge you to invite your friends and family to travel with us to show God’s requirement for entry.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 22, 2016 | Acts
Acts 26:28
“Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You almost persuade me to become a Christian.’“
Last Saturday I was on my way to conduct a graveside service in a small community in our area. My daughter Lori was riding along to keep me company and as part of honoring me for Father’s Day.
We were less than a mile from the cemetery when an oncoming car swerved across into my lane. I immediately jogged to the shoulder of the road and he missed me by a fraction. I told Lori that the graveside service might easily have been for us.
We laughed about it and Lori profoundly commented that it would not have been all that bad to enter Paradise together. She later said it would be even better to be in a church service when the Rapture occurs and we could all go up together.
There are many “almosts” in life. The most heart rendering one is for a person to be under deep spiritual conviction from the Holy Spirit and fail to accept the free gift of eternal salvation. I have a deep desire to try to insure that I have done all I can to remove the “almost” from a person’s destiny.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 5, 2016 | Acts
Acts 17:11
“These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”
My birds are at it again. They are down on the bottom of their cage gleaning over seeds they had tossed out of the feed cup. It seems that they want to make sure that they get every morsel of food that is available.
In today’s Scripture, Paul introduces us to the people of Berea. He commends them for three reasons: 1) they were fair-minded; 2) they received the word with all readiness; 3) they searched the Scriptures daily. Wow!
There is no letter that Paul penned to the people of Berea like he sent to Thessalonica, but he commends them highly. It was because they were faithful to the WORD! We are not told how many Berean believers there were, but they were a blessing to Paul.
Like my birds scratch away at the bottom of their cage to get every last bit of seed, I want to scratch away at the life-giving Word of God and apply it to my life. I ask you to make a new commitment to join with me in discovering the truth that the Lord has for us.
Blessings dear hearts!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 28, 2015 | Acts
Acts 9:17
“Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’”
If you have the time, go to your Internet browser and type in your own name. It may surprise you to discover the number of people in the United States who have the same name as you.
There are two men mentioned in the book of Acts by the name of Ananias. The first man with that name was mentioned in Acts, chapter five, when a man by the name of Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold a piece of land. They acted deceitfully and brought only a portion of the proceeds to the disciples but made it appear to be the full amount they had received. The result was their deaths.
The other man by the name of Ananias lived in Damascus. He was a true disciple, one who could be counted upon for a difficult task. In a vision the Lord told him to go to Straight Street where he would find a man named Saul who was blind and who was praying. He was to lay hands on him that he might receive his sight. This Ananias knew who this man Saul was and that he was an enemy who had been sent to persecute Christians. Putting his fear aside, Ananias went and did as the Lord had told him.
Think of what a difference that one man Saul has made to the entire world! Two men with the same name. One ended in death and the other brought sight and salvation.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
