God Has Called and Saved Us for a Purpose

"For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, 'I have made you a light for the
Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.,,,And the
disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit." -Acts 13:47, 52
(ESV)

Those who worked in the early church were noted by Dr. Luke, the writer of
Acts, to be "filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.  After Jesus'
resurrection from the dead, His appearance to several in a forty-day period,
and then when He was ready to ascend to heaven,  He gave His disciples what
we have come to call the Great Commission.  It contains believers' "marching
orders" to do the will of God: that is, telling others what Jesus has done
and will do for anyone who believes.   "And Jesus came and said , 'All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and
make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have
commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.' "
-Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)  

Jesus promised to be with the disciples as they went everywhere preaching
the Word.  And He was with them:  through rejection by their own Jewish
kinsmen and those who refused to believe that Jesus was the Messiah promised
by their prophets.  He had not set up an earthly kingdom and rid them of the
dreaded Roman rulers.  Therefore, He could not possibly be the Messiah for
whom they had looked for centuries.  But through the preaching of Peter,
James, John and the newly-converted Jew we know as Paul the Apostle, many
heard the Word of the gospel and believed.  We don't have to know a lot of
Scripture to share our faith with others.  Tell an unsaved person about your
own personal experience with the Lord.  Lead the unbeliever to read John
3:16, which contains the heart of the gospel:  "For God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should
not perish, but have everlasting life." (-John 3:16, KJV).  Then the way to
be saved is given in Ephesians 2:8-9:  "For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves:  it is the gift of God: not of works,
lest any man should boast."  (KJV).

Great joy can come to the believer by testifying to his/her faith with an
unbeliever.  Remember, the Lord commanded us to be a light to unbelievers.
If we do not witness to them, tell them, who will?  Someone has aptly said:
"You may be the best Christian someone knows."  What if our light is not
shining with the Lord's love?  What if our witness is silent?  How will the
unbeliever come to know the Lord?  We are living in very troubled times.
The recent slaughter in a school in Florida has set our hearts to yearning
for law, order, protection and peace in our land.  And there can be no peace
unless people are guided by the peace that Jesus Christ brings to the heart.

Prayer:  Lord, this week, give me purpose, courage, strength and boldness to
be a witness for You wherever I go.  "Arise, shine, for Thy light is come!"
Help me be a bearer of your Light to others.  I know You are willing to go
with me and guide me.  Let me accept this knowledge and speak out lovingly
to those who need to hear and respond to Your invitation to "Come; believe!"
Amen.     - Ethelene Dyer Jones    02.25.2018

Paul the Apostle Testifies Before King Agrippa

“Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. For this reason, the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.” -Acts 26:19-23 (ESV).

In the passage from Acts given above, Paul the Apostle is in Caesarea about 65 miles northwest of Jerusalem. The city is on the Mediterranean Sea. Because Paul was a Roman citizen, he had asked for an appearance before Caesar, the Emperor, in Rome. He had been taken out of the Roman barracks in Jerusalem, heavily guarded by 200 Roman soldiers, until his entourage arrived in Antiparis, about half-way to Caesarea. Having out-run the angry Jews who were also on their way to Caesarea hoping to kill Paul before he could go on to Rome for trial,, the 200 Roman soldiers returned to Jerusalem. A contingent of the cavalry continued on toget Paul safely to Caesarea. Paul would be retained in Caesarea for two years. There he would testify before three Roman leaders in high positions, governors or procurators, Felix, whose term was from 52 A. D. to 60 A. D., followed by Festus, governor from 60 A. D. until his death in 62 A. D. King Agrippa II,the “Herod,” or major ruler of the Jewish people under Roman Rule, and his wife, Bernice, wife, arrived in Caesarea for a visit. King Agrippa and many heard the testimony of Paul as given in Acts 26:2-23. At this point Festus had already given permission for Paul, a Roman citizen, to be sent on to Rome to appear before Caesar. When Paul had given his testimony before King Agrippa, Paul asked him: King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe (the prophets,understood, for Agrippa had studied avidly the law and the prophets. King Agrippa replied, “In a short time, wouldy ou persuade me to be a Christian?” (See Acts 26:27-29). Even before rulers, Paul sought to bring them to a belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, proving that he was truly called of the Lord to be an apostle to the Gentiles.

Following Paul’s testimony before King Agrippa II and Festus, the governor (procurator)at Caesarea, and the King, agreed that Paul had done nothing to deserve death, and that if he had not already been granted a hearing before Caesar in Rome, hecould be set free. Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe says of the Apostle: “Paul did not look for the easy way but for the way that would most honor the Lord and win the lost. He was even willing to become a prisoner if that would further the work of the gospel.[i] God amazingly cared for Paul, his servant, and allowed him to speak and preach in many places following his amazing conversion on the road to Damascus. We are reminded of these words from Psalm 34:7: “The angel of the Lorden camps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.” (Psalm 34:7). After giving his testimony, Paul pressed fora decision to follow the Christ. Let us not forget in our witnessing that we, too, should seek to persuade those to whom we witness to have faith in the Lord to save us so that we, too, may be apart of His kingdom and look forward to our own resurrection from death, as Christ promised.

Thank you, Lord, that by faith we are saved for abundant life here, and everlasting life with You. -Ethelene Dyer Jones. 02.18.2018.

[i]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe BibleCommentary. NT. Colorado Springs: David C. Cook. 2007. P. 397.

Ethelene Dyer Jones

When Things Are Turned Upside Down

“Ah, you who hide deep from the Lord your counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, ‘Who sees us? Who knows us?’ You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, ‘He did not make me; the thing formed say of him who formed it, ‘He has no understanding?’ ” -Isaiah 15-16 (ESV)

“Thou art the Potter, I am the clay!

Mold me and make me, After thy will,

While I am waiting, yielded and still.”

So declares the beloved hymn, “Have Thine Own Way, Lord,” with words by Adelaide A. Pollard (1862-1934), set to the tune “Adelaide” composed by George C. Stebbins (1846-1945). But what about the words from the prophet Isaiah in the focal passage for this devotional? When we read it carefully, Isaiah is talking about people in his day who “hide counsel deep from the Lord,” those who perform deeds “in the dark;” those who say (after all) ‘Who sees us? “Who knows us?” Those who “turn things upside down.” Those who regard God, not as the Potter who formed the world and the people in it, but who regard Him as the clay and themselves as the potter, denying Him as the Maker or as One with infinite understanding.

Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe, Bible scholar and writer of the Wiersbe Bible Commentary states: This “woe” exposed the devious political tactics of the rulers of Judah who thought that God would not hold them accountable for what they were doing. They were trying to turn things upside down, the clay telling the potter what to do (See also Isaiah 45:9; 64:8; Jeremiah 18; and Romans 9:20. If only people would seek the counsel of the Lord instead of depending on their own wisdom and the fragile promises of men!” (Wiersbe, Warren W. The Wiersbe Bible Commentary. O.T. Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2007, p. 1174).

Read the Isaiah passage above again carefully? Does this not remind you of our own day? Are things not “turned upside down today?”

Benjamin Franklin at the Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia in 1787 told his fellow gathered countrymen: “I have lived a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of men. I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of heaven and its blessings on our deliberations be held in this Assembly every morning.” (Wiersbe. Ibid. p.1175).

Oh, that we as citizens would sincerely seek God’s guidance for our country! Oh, that we as church members would see that we are in a strategic position to make a difference in our church, in our community, our county, state, nation and world! Oh, if we as individuals, saved by the grace of God and with a purpose ordained by Him for this life could realize our strategic position in God’s plan! God knows each of us. He knows where we are. He is our Potter; we are His clay. Let us rejoice and take the responsibility He grants us seriously and gladly. When, as now, things are “turned upside down,” we, as individuals, can make a difference by seeking God’s face and asking for His power to right wrongs and to allow us to be His person where we are, for Jesus’ sake. Selah! -Ethelene Dyer Jones 02.04.2018