DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 3.9.24

 Peterand the Name of Jesus “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, wherebywe must be saved.” (Acts4:12) This is the climactic declaration ending Peter’s three great messages in the early chapters of Acts (2:14-36; 3:12-26; 4:8-12). On the previous day, he and John had seen the crippled man healed at the temple gate, saying: “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazarethrise up and walk” (Acts3:6). Testifying to the crowd that had assembled following the miracle, Peter said: “His name through faith in his name hath made this man strong” (Acts3:16). But what exactly is meant by “His name”? In biblical usage, one’s name stands for his character and all that he is and does. In his three messages, Peter actually used many different names and titles to refer to Christ. Note the following partial list: theLord, Jesus of Nazareth, Thine Holy One, Christ, Jesus Christ, a Prophet, the Stone, the Head of the Corner. To the multitude on the day of Pentecost, he had exhorted: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts2:38). To the Sanhedrin, he said: “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole” (Acts4:10). Perhaps the most definitive form of “the name” was prescribed by Peter in the concluding statement of his great sermon on the day of Pentecost: “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified,both Lord and Christ” (Acts2:36). Thus, He is the Lord Jesus Christ. HMM -------------------- ThePerfections of God “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew5:48) Since God is Creator of the universe, all that He does is right, and all He says is truth, by definition. The world He created was perfect; the Word He inscripturated is perfect; every work He accomplishes is perfect; all the ways He follows are perfect; andthe will He reveals is perfect. His perfect world: “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Genesis1:31). Of course, because of sin, the creation is now groaning in pain, but it was perfect as it came from God in the beginning. It will again be perfect in the ages to come, when God makes “all things new” (Revelation21:5). His perfect Word: “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul” (Psalm19:7). God has given us His inspired Word, providing perfect guidance for every need, “that the man of God may be perfect” (2Timothy 3:17). His perfect works: “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he” (Deuteronomy32:4). Not only His work in creation but also His works of redemption and reconciliation—all His works throughout history. His perfect ways: “As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him” (Psalm18:30). His ways may not be our ways (Isaiah55:9), but always, they are the best ways. His perfect will: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that...perfect, will of God” (Romans12:2). His will is invariably right. Thus, God is our standard of perfection, and we must never set a lower standard for ourselves. “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (our text). HMM ----------------------- BlindedMinds “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded theminds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2Corinthians 4:3-4) The “god of this world” is none other than Satan, who is also called “the prince of this world” (John12:31) and the one “which deceiveth the whole world” (Revelation12:9). It is sobering to realize that he and his demonic cohorts have the power to blind the minds of unbelievers, preventing them from comprehending even the simplest elements of the saving gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. However, Christ can make the blind to see! In answer to prayer and through the faithful presentation of the Word of truth, “the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding beingenlightened; that ye may know...” (Ephesians1:17-18). The Lord desires that people come to Christ; therefore, He gives His witnesses weapons that can even vanquish Satan and open the eyes of the spiritually blind. These are the spiritual weapons of truth and righteousness, peace and faith, the Word and prayer(Ephesians6:11-18). “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations [literally, ‘reasonings’], and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringinginto captivity every thought [same word as ‘mind’] to the obedience of Christ” (2Corinthians 10:4-5). Even though Satan is far more intelligent and powerful than we or those we seek to reach, God still enables us to recapture their minds and bring them to Christ as we proclaim His truth, in His name, by His grace! HMM ----------------------------------- Dilutingthe Word of God “And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his partout of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” (Revelation22:19) It is a very serious error to try to add some new revelation to God’s written Word, as many cults and false religions do. This is the warning of verse 18 (see also Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 30:6). It is even more dangerous, as shown in the above text (the third from the last verse of the Bible), to delete (or even dilute) any of the words of the Bible. Note that the warning emphasizes the words, not just the thoughts. The sad fact is that a great many liberal theologians, especially in the past hundred years or so, have been doing just that, thinking thereby to make Christianity more compatible with modern science and philosophy. Butthey are literally playing with fire—this same book had just warned that any whose names do not remain in the book of life will be “cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation20:15). Tragically, many of the sections they seek to “take away” are the references to hell. God has promised to guard His Word against any such deletions. “The words of the LORD are pure words:...Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever” (Psalm12:6-7). There are also many who would not try to take away any of the words from the text but who then dilute their intended meaning in order to attract unbelieving intellectuals. This also is dangerous. Peter warns against those who would “wrest,...scriptures, untotheir own destruction” (2Peter 3:16). We must never forget the words of the Bible are “pure words,” meaning just what they say. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God [God-breathed], and is profitable...” (2Timothy 3:16). HMM -------------------- AWitness to a Divided World - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. �Ephesians 4:3 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/a-witness-to-a-divided-world/- Listen One of the wonderful things about a healthy church is the diversity in it. That, in itself, is a witness to a divided world. It�s a powerful testimony when someone can comeinto an assembly of believers and see that we have set aside our differences and there is unity. That doesn�t mean there is uniformity. It doesn�t mean that we all dress a certain way or wear the same hairstyle. That is not what the church is about. It is about unity,but it is also about a blessed diversity as each one of us discovers the gifts that God has put into our lives. Christians are not supposed to be like assembly line products where each unit looks exactly like the others. God can take the same gift and place it into the lives of twopeople, yet it might manifest itself a little differently in each individual. They�ll have certain things in common, but they also will have unique traits as the Holy Spirit works through human personalities. In chapter 4 of Ephesians, the apostle Paul wrote, among other things, about the various gifts God has placed in the church. This chapter shows us how important our individualplace in the church is and the incredible gifts of the Holy Spirit that God has made available to us as believers today. The gift that God gives to each believer is always the right one. We never should feel that we have to return it. It�s a perfect gift, and it�s always appropriate. Sometimes, we may see the gift that another believer has received and feel envious. As a result, we�re not thankful for the gift that God has given to us. But we must realizethat the gifts God has placed in our lives are always the best for us. Sadly, many of us are not using these gifts. We don�t understand what our role in the church is, and we don�t even realize what we�re supposed to do when we come to church. So, why does the church exist? The purpose of the church is threefold: the exaltation of God, the edification of the saints, and the evangelization of the world. We�re hereto worship God, to build up one another, and to reach out to a lost world. We could sum it up in three words: upward, inward, and outward. However, a lot of Christians drag their feet when it comes to going to church every week. The same excuses they make for skipping church don�t keep them from going to a movieor to the mall. Their excuses simply show their lack of desire to go. The problem is that we think of church as something we attend merely as spectators. Yet Ephesians 4 shows us that God wants us to participate. He wants us to be involved inwhat He is doing, not just as observers but as laborers in the work that He has called us to do. ---------------------- Why Spiritual Gifts Are Important - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. �Ephesians 4:7 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/why-spiritual-gifts-are-important/- Listen When you are born into this world, you have certain natural abilities. Some of us have a natural ability in mechanics. Some have a natural ability in music. Others have anatural ability in art. There is a skill or a talent that God has given to each of us. However, there�s a difference between spiritual gifts and natural abilities. In the spiritual realm, after we put our faith in Jesus Christ, God places certain gifts in ourlives. Ephesians 4:7 tells us, �However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ� (NLT). God has given some gifts to you. And God is the one whodecides what gift (or gifts) you will have. The Bible also says, �Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ�s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belongto each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well� (Romans 12:4�6 NLT). There are gifts that God has placed into your life, and He has chosen to whom He will give what. The choice is totally up to Him. These gifts have nothing to do with any kindof merit on our part. Rather, they�re a result of God�s grace. Paul mentions these gifts again in the letter he wrote to the church of Corinth. He pointed out, �It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decideswhich gift each person should have� (1 Corinthians 12:11 NLT). We can�t go out and pick and choose what gifts appeal to us. We need to recognize that God has placed these gifts in our lives, and our main objective is to use them. Of course, whenever you bring up the gifts of the Spirit, it causes some level of discomfort for certain people because of the abuse they�ve seen. It seems that whenever wehear the phrase �gifts of the Spirit� or �the power of the Spirit,� we often see excess. We often see the gifts misused. What we see displayed may be so bizarre and erratic that we think, �If those are the gifts of the Spirit and that is the work of the Holy Spirit, then I want nothing to dowith it.� Yet what we are often seeing is not the gifts in action but an abuse of the gifts, a misuse of them outside the parameters that the Bible gives. We are not seeing what Godreally wants to do. God wants to work through our lives in a powerful and wonderful way. God has given us these gifts, and we need them. We are living in dark times. In fact, the Bible tells us that the last days would be satanically energized times. People will go from bad to worse. We need all the power thatwe can get to effectively live for the Lord and serve Him. ---------------------------- Equipped and Called - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. �1 Corinthians 1:7 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/equipped-and-called/- Listen Let�s say that you found an old car at the junkyard and you started restoring it. You painstakingly researched the original colors, how the upholstery originally looked, andwhat kind of tires had been on it. You made sure that all the numbers matched on the engine. And when you finished working on it, the car was restored to showroom condition. In the same way, when we function as the church ought to function, we�re getting back to God�s original order. Ephesians 4:11�12 says, �Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibilityis to equip God�s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ� (NLT). In the original language, the word for �equip� means to put something back to its original condition. It also speaks of putting a bone back into place again. The role of pastors and teachers, the role of evangelists, is to equip believers to do ministry. It is not for them to do everything for those in the body of Christ. Rather,they are to encourage believers to discover the gifts that God has placed in their lives so they can start serving Him. People who serve in their churches have come to realize that God has blessed them and has done so much in their lives that they want to give back. They want to start servingthe Lord with what He has given them. Maybe God hasn�t called you to be a pastor, a teacher, or an evangelist. But there are many gifts that God has given to the church. When we put our faith in Christ, God givesus some of those gifts. Maybe you�re not a preacher, but maybe you have the ability to help behind the scenes. There is something for everyone. And God has put gifts in your life. There are a number of passages in the Bible that specifically tell us not to lack in these gifts as we wait for the Lord�s return. For instance, 1 Corinthians 1:7 says, �Nowyou have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ� (NLT). And in 1 Thessalonians 5:19, we read, �Do not stifle the Holy Spirit� (NLT). I would encourage you to study the Bible to see how these gifts are used (see 1 Corinthians 12�14 and Romans 12). Read through the Book of Acts. And then pray, �Lord, I askYou to show me what my gift or gifts of the Spirit are so that I might use them for Your glory.� This could be a wonderful blessing for you to start giving out what God has given you. Be a part of His purpose for the church, which is the equipping of the saints for thework of the ministry. It�s time to engage and discover the gifts that God has given you�and then start using them. --------------------- Blessed in Christ �Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessingsin heavenly places in Christ.� (Ephesians 1:3) This little phrase, �in Christ,� conveys a world of doctrinal truth with great blessing to the believer. Positionally speaking, God has actually �raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus� (Ephesians2:6). God in effect sees us as �in Christ,� and this wonderful position at God�s right hand implies great honor. It is well to note similar phrases throughout Scripture. Paul assures us that we were �chosen...in him before the foundation of the world� (1:4), �accepted in the beloved� (1:6), and �created in Christ Jesus unto good works� (2:10). He is the one �in whom also we have obtained an inheritance� (1:11) and �in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit� (2:22). We have the glorious future promise that God will �gather together in one all things in Christ� (1:10) �according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places� (1:19-20). Therefore, in our exalted position in Him, in the heavenly places, we do indeed enjoy �all spiritual blessings.� This doctrinal truth provides us with the incentive and power to live a practical Christian life that is genuinely consistent with our high callingand position in Him. This is the basis of the many New Testament exhortations to the believer to live daily �in Christ.� For example, �As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him� (Colossians2:6). Therefore, since �ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God....For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God� (Colossians3:1-3). HMM ------------------------ Growing Up Spiritually - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Dear brothers and sisters, don�t be childish in your understanding of these things. Be innocent as babies when it comes to evil, but be mature in understanding matters ofthis kind. �1 Corinthians 14:20 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/growing-up-spiritually/- Listen You can�t be a kid again. But in one sense, you can because the Bible teaches that, as Christians, we should be childlike in our faith. Jesus said, �I tell you the truth,unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven� (Matthew 18:3 NLT). When I became a Christian, it was like a new world to me. I realized that I had so much to learn. I also realized that I really didn�t even know what I thought about so manyissues in life, what really mattered, and what my priorities were. The apostle Paul urged the believers in Corinth, �Dear brothers and sisters, don�t be childish in your understanding of these things. Be innocent as babies when it comes toevil, but be mature in understanding matters of this kind� (1 Corinthians 14:20 NLT). There are some areas of the Christian life in which we should be childlike, in which we should be simple. We don�t need to know all the intricacies of evil and the way thisworld works. We need to maintain our dependence on God and be childlike in that way. On the other hand, there are areas in which we need to mature and grow. Of course, there is nothing wrong with being spiritual babies when we�re new in the faith. But as theyears pass, we need to become spiritually mature. When we begin as Christians, when we put our faith in Jesus Christ, when we are born again, we start out as spiritual infants. This is true of every person, regardless ofage. Everyone starts out this way in the faith. Some people were raised in the church and have always been familiar with the Bible, with worship, and with prayer. But at some point, they realized their walk with God neededto be their own, so they made their own personal commitment to the Lord. Others came in cold from the world. I was one of those people. I had no background in the church. I had no understanding of the Bible. And I had never worshipped God before.I knew nothing about prayer. I knew relatively nothing about Jesus. When we�re new in the faith, it�s all so different. It�s a bit of a mystery. That�s why we need people to help us acclimate. We need to learn how to start growing up spiritually. I like the questions that new believers ask. I like the statements they make. But best of all, I like their zeal. They�re excited about what Christ has done for them. A church that does not have a constant flow of new believers coming in will be a church that is stagnating spiritually. New believers need more mature believers to help themget grounded. And mature believers need new believers to help remind them of what really matters in life. We need to remain childlike with our excitement about our faith, but we also need to mature and grow spiritually. --------------------------- TheChristian Rest �There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hathceased from his own works, as God did from his.� (Hebrews4:9-10) This is an important New Testament affirmation that God�s work of creation was �finished from the foundation of the world� (Hebrews4:3). The reference is to Genesis 2:1-3, where the writer has told us that God had �rested from all his work which God created and made,� thus completely denying the contention of theistic evolutionists that the processes of �creation� (that is, evolution)are still going on. In addition, it makes a significant comparison between the believer�s rest and God�s rest. The word �rest� here is not the usual word for �rest� and is used only this once in the New Testament. It means, literally, �sabbath rest� or �keeping of the Sabbath.� In the context of chapters 2 and 3 of Hebrews, the concept of rest is being expounded with several meanings. The original warning was in Psalm 95:11, where it referred both to the Israelites entering into the promised land under Joshua and to God�s own restafter His work of creation. Psalm 95 is repeatedly quoted in Hebrews, where other meanings are also implied: the keeping of a weekly Sabbath in commemoration of God�s rest after creation; the promised future rest to the world and its believing inhabitants�possiblyin the millennium but certainly in the new earth; and the believer�s present spiritual rest after he puts his faith in Christ, no longer trusting in his works for salvation. With such a rich investiture of meaning in the fact of God�s past rest and the promise of our future rest, it is appropriate that there should be a perpetual weekly commemoration and expression of faith in that rest in every generation until its ultimate fulfillment in the eternal rest in the New Jerusalem. In the meantime, we are urged to �labour� to �enter into that rest� (Hebrews4:11). HMM --------------------------- LivingStones in the Holy Temple �And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundationof the house....And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.� (1Kings 5:17; 6:7) The building of Solomon�s temple was one of the most remarkable construction operations in history. Much of the temple�s legendary beauty was attributed to the great stones�beautiful and costly stones quarried from beds of white limestone�that were used inits construction. Probably the most remarkable feature of its building was the fact that each stone was carefully cut and dimensioned while still in the quarry, so that the temple itself could be erected in silence, with each stone fitting perfectly in place as it came to thetemple site. The temple, as the structure where God would meet with His people, was considered too sacred to permit the noise of construction during its erection. In the New Testament, the physical temple is taken as a type of the mighty house of God being erected by the Holy Spirit. �[Ye] are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the buildingfitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit� (Ephesians2:20-22). Each believer is like one of the beautiful temple stones, so costly that the price was the shed blood of Christ Himself. Taken out of the great pit of sin by the Holy Spirit, each person, one by one, is being placed quietly in the great spiritual temple. �Yealso, as lively [i.e., living] stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ� (1Peter 2:5). HMM ---------------------- FickleChristians - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won�t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us withlies so clever they sound like the truth. �Ephesians 4:14 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/fickle-christians/- Listen It�s cute for babies to be babies. There is nothing like them, especially when they�re your own. But they can�t stay babies forever. They have to grow up. The same is true when it comes to our spiritual growth. We start out as spiritual babies, but then we must grow up spiritually. The apostle Paul addressed this in Ephesians 4, where he wrote, �Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won�t be tossed and blown about by every wind of newteaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth� (verse 14 NLT). Peter used a similar comparison, saying, �Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation� (1 Peter 2:2 NLT). Children can be fickle. It�s interesting how they can go from laughing to crying to laughing again in a millisecond. They can be totally thrilled. Then they�re upset. Andthen they�re happy again. New believers are often emotionally oriented, too. They can have very high highs and very low lows. That is fine when you�re learning to walk by faith rather than living offyour emotions. However, it�s sad when someone who has been a Christian for a number of years is still fickle spiritually. They have no clear viewpoint or direction in life, and they don�treally know what they believe. They think something is true simply because they have experienced it. That is understandable when you�re new in the faith. But it�s tragic when you are not. The writer of Hebrews pointed out, �You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic thingsabout God�s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn�t know how to do what is right� (5:12�13 NLT). When I was a new Christian, I wanted to find a shortcut to spiritual maturity. I didn�t want to wait fifteen or twenty years to learn and grow. I was always looking for theangle, the experience that would bring me instant spiritual maturity. We have to be careful because we can be looking for a new experience, truth, or revelation and get ourselves into a lot of trouble. As we grow older and mature, we discoverthat just because something is new doesn�t mean that it�s better. We need to apply judgment and recognize that the Bible is the arbiter of truth. Some of us have known the Lord for years, but we�re still like babies spiritually. We still need to be spoon-fed. We�re still looking for something new. It�s time to be matureand have a faith that sustains us instead of living on fickle emotions that come and go. We need to be mature so we can apply proper understanding. It�s time to grow up.