The Sword of the LORD

As the apostles, Peter and John, were about to enter the temple in Jerusalem for prayer, they encountered a man who was lame sitting at the gate and asking for handouts.  The man was over 40 years old, and had been born lame and never walked.  When he saw Peter and John, the man asked them for some money.  This man received healing that day because these two men were obedient to God and stopped to minister to the need.  The record of this miracle can be found in Acts 3:1-8.  Five things stand out to me that preceded this miracle, and these five things I believe are pre-requisite to becoming useful servants of God, and, ultimately, channels for miracles:   ·         “And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him…”   First, and foremost, before we can minister to others, we must be willing to see their needs.   It is too easy to look past them, or worse, not see them at all, as we speed through our busy schedules. ...

“AFTER THESE THINGS Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together.  Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We are going with you also." They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing.” (John 21:1-3 NKJV).   After Jesus’ betrayal and subsequent execution, the disciples were despondent and unsure how to proceed.   Jesus had appeared to them two separate times after His death, yet they still didn’t know what they should be doing.   In this context we find Peter and six other disciples at the sea of Tiberias and Peter declaring “I am going fishing.” The others went along with him.     Fishing is what these men knew.   It was their profession before the Lord called them.   They had grown up fi...

"Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity [excess] of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls." (James 1:21).     A neighbor who lives behind me has an amazing apple tree.   It is enormous, and has been there for a very long time.   It provides a lot of shade to them in the summer time, and an ample amount of fruit in the fall.   The amazing thing about this tree, though, is not its size, or age, or even the amount of apples that it bears; no, the amazing thing is that it bears five different varieties of apple!   Someone years ago took the time to graft the branches of other apple trees into the branches of this existing tree.   Now, that which was not possible for this tree to bear on its own has not only become possible, but a reality.   The Bible teaches us that the Word of God can be grafted into the lives of believers.   It is an operation that is, unfortunately, ve...

As we rapidly approach another election cycle, and people in America are considering their options for the next candidates to lead the nation, my thoughts go to the Old Testament story of Samuel and Israel’s desire for a king. For centuries the Israelites were under the oversight of judges who offered guidance to the nation in matters of military engagement.  They also resolved disputes between the people and upheld the civil laws of Israel.  These were men (and women, in the case of Deborah) who were chosen by God and anointed to resist the oppression of their neighbor kingdoms and lead their people in the right ways of the LORD.  Samuel the Prophet was the transition between the time of the judges and the time of the prophets and kings.  He was the last judge of Israel and the first of a string of major prophets of the Lord who gave spiritual guidance to Israel.  It was Samuel, too, who God sent to anoint Israel's first king.  He also was tr...

“And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude: and they came up, and pitched in Michmash, eastward from Bethaven.   When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits.  And some of the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.  As for Saul [the King of Israel], he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.” (1 Samuel 13:5-7).   King Saul found himself in difficult straits.   An innumerable host of Philistines had gathered their forces at a place called Michmash in the highlands north of Jerusalem.   Much of Saul’s army was frightened because of the overwhelming odds and went to hide themselves in the caves, hills and pits around the...

The Lord taught  His disciples to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.”  It is true that this refers to our daily provision of food, but more importantly, I believe God was referring to His Word that He speaks daily to us.  Just as man cannot survive for long without natural food, neither can he survive spiritually without the Word of God.  Our natural life subsists on one kind of food, but our spiritual life subsists on another kind of food altogether.  Jesus told the devil during His temptation in the wilderness, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”  He also refers to Himself as the “Bread of Life” in John 6.  Therefore, this daily bread is the portion of Himself that He reveals to us through His Word to make us strong spiritually.  After all, Jesus is the Word made flesh.  Without a daily dose of the Word, we will grow weak and undernourished as Christians.   You see...

Peter and John had had a good day.  As they were going to the temple to pray, they had encountered a man who was lame for 40 years sitting at the gate.  The man asked for a handout; but they gave him the gift of healing and salvation, and he went about walking and leaping.  Seeing what had happened, a great crowd gathered; and Peter, seizing the opportunity, preached to them about Jesus Christ.  Five thousand men believed and were converted to the faith.  It was a very good day!   Some of the religious leaders were grieved, however, that the Apostles taught the people about Jesus, and so they took them and cast them in prison.   The next day, they were brought before the rulers to answer for their actions.   When given the chance to speak, God anointed Peter again with words of salvation.   Scripture records, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and the...