Hope for Your House

Do you have immediate family who are not walking with the Lord?  There is a hope.

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Acts 16:31 – And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

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There is a vast difference between a promise and a commitment already fulfilled.  A promise is a commit-ment set for fulfillment at a later date.  Today, I write about a promise.  And what a wonderful promise it is!  Read our Text for Today once again, and when you do, rejoice, my friend, rejoice.  What you see is a command with a following benefit, or promise.  It all begins with you.

The command, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,” has an understood subject, you.  This command is directed at you; that’s right, you.  And I mean you personally and specifically.  In other words, you must recognize that if you have family who need Jesus, it begins with you.  You must believe.  Do you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ?  I’m not asking if you believe that Jesus is real, or if you believe He died on the cross, or even if you believe He is the Son of God.  I’m asking if you have set your faith on Him as the source of your life, and all that you need in life?  There is a lot said in the three words, Lord, Jesus, and Christ.  Lord signifies His position of authority.  He is over all, above all, possesses all, and is responsible for all.  Jesus is His Name; the Name above all names; the only name given by which man can be saved.  And Christ signifies what He has been made to be; He is the Anointed One.  If you believe on Him, you will be saved.

Ah, but then, having believed on Him for yourself, there is a promise given; a commitment from the Lord for a future point in time, as yet unfulfilled, but still a promise; a verbal commitment from the Lord.  Not only will you be saved if you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, but so will your house.  Take a moment to read our Manna for Today.  There is more than one Scripture that points to this great promise of God.  For that promise to be fulfilled, you must believe, and you must hold on to your faith in this might promise of the Lord.  You may see much that says it’s not going to happen.  Circumstances may scream at you that it will never happen.  Still, hold fast to what God’s Word says.  God has not failed, nor will He.  He is true to His Word.  Be true to your faith.

Manna for Today – Acts 16:6-40; John 3:16-17; Romans 10:6-17; Psalm 2:8; Acts 2:14-18; Isaiah 55:11

Shouting Doesn’t Make It So

Quacking and waddling like a duck does not make it a duck.  More needs to be known.

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Acts 16:17 – The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.

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Let’s set up the scenario around this encounter.  Paul and Silas had come to Philippi, and remained for a period of time, ministering to the people.  Then a young woman, possessed by a spirit of divination, also known as a spirit of python, came on the scene.  Note closely that she did not come attacking Paul and Silas.  Rather, she came on the scene seeming to herald the coming of two great men of God, showing them the way of salvation.

Now on the surface, it would seem that she was doing Paul and Silas a great favor.  They were getting great volumes of free publicity from her, and no doubt, many people were attracted to their meetings because of it.  But there was something wrong, and by Holy Spirit, Paul knew it.  It was revealed to him that she was operating under the ownership and leadership of demon spirits.  While we rejoice in the outcome, we should also learn a valuable lesson from this event.  It has been said that if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.  While probabilities may point to that as true, reality says it is not.  Take another look at our Text for Today.

The young woman in question was demon possessed, and deceiving many people.  Yet she was not attacking or defying Paul and Silas.  Instead, she was pointing them out and signifying that they were “servants of the most high God.”  Wouldn’t it be great if you were recognized by well-known people wherever you go as a servant of “the most high God?”  Think about it.  That could be of awesome benefit to the kingdom of God and your ministry.  But in this case, that was not the ultimate intent.  The intent of this demon possessed soothsayer was to show that she had deep ability to recognize spiritual authority, so that when Paul and Silas had gone their way, she would be recognized as someone of great spiritual prowess.  And that would lead to gross deception throughout the young church of that region.

That same scenario is played out too often in today’s church.  Someone who looks sharp, dresses well, speaks intelligently, and acts kindly towards others, all of which are traits sought out by people, comes into a church.  They are well-received, fit it well, seem to bring great assets to the church, and soon find themselves in a place of influence.  But the question that needs to be answered, that must be answered is, what fruit are they producing?

Manna for Today – Acts 16:6-40; Matthew 24:4; Mark 4:23; Luke 8:18; Luke 11:36; Matthew 7:16-20