Aches and Praise Five Hundred & Forty Three

Posted on 2022-02-04 in English |

February 4, 2022
 
Dear friends,
 

Have you found any books in your collection that you forgot that you had? This happened to me recently, as I was preparing for a study of the book of Acts with men who have studied the gospels of Luke and John last year via Zoom.  I found a book entitled “The Challenge of First Century Christianity” by John M. Moore. Karen and I were blessed when Dr. Moore taught from God’s Word at conferences of Global Outreach Mission (now MissionGO) in Olcott, NY. In addition to being an excellent Bible teacher, Dr. Moore was a gifted musician. He went to be with the Lord in 2017, two years after Karen’s father and three years after Karen’s mother died. I wonder if they are playing “Burdens are Lifted at Calvary” and other worship songs.

In the introduction to his book, Dr. Moore writes: “Luke refused to write ‘finis’ at the end of his gospel, and now the Spirit of God leads him to record the continuance of the work which ‘Jesus began both to do and teach.’ Note this! If Luke had written ‘all that Jesus did and taught,’ the inference would have been quite different. The point here is that the doings and teachings of Jesus are continuing on.

Also ‘Doing’ comes before ‘Teaching!’ Action comes before Accents! Works come before Words! Psalm 90:17 gives us the prayer of Moses ‘Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish Thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish Thou it.’ Beauty comes before service. Character comes before ministry! What we are is more important than what we say.

 

Acts 29 is being written today:-
 

‘You are writing a gospel a chapter each day,                                                                                               

By the deeds that you do, and the words that you say.                                                                                 

Men read what you write, whether faithless or true,                                                                                          

Say, what is the Gospel according to you?’”
 

I invite all men reading this to join us on Zoom on Tuesday evenings at 7 pm Eastern to study the Acts of the Apostles. Please email me to receive the link. As the attention of the world turns to the Winter Olympics being held now in China, let’s pray that the life-changing message of the Lord Jesus will be shared with many people from many lands. While athletes seek victory in sporting events, believers in Christ are assured victory over death and a home in heaven with the Maker of heaven and earth.

Scripture for the weekend: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (NKJV)                                                                                                                                                                                                       Thought for the weekend: “The infallible proofs of His resurrection and victory over death were critical to the birth of the church, as His disciples were about to give their lives in Christ’s service (Mark 16:14; 1 Cor. 15:5-7)” – Dr. David Jeremiah (from his Study Bible)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
 
 
By His grace,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
Steve

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