6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spoke with tongues, and prophesied.
- Acts 19:6
Yesterday I saw a movie where Jesus appeared to this group of strangers to speak to them and show them and help them in where they've gone or done wrong. A couple at the brink of divorce, a runaway girl who was running away from an abusive stepfather, a lonely woman and a frustrated greedy businessman.
Jesus spoke to them and told them who he was, but they thought he was a crazy man with awesome cooking skills. These people, except for the businessman who because of his pride denied Jesus and then died in a car crash, where saved. They heard His voice and they believed. Jesus had come down to give them one more chance, when they were supposed to die without being able to repent. Jesus used a situation, a storm and a landslide, to speak to them. But for me that was not what touched me the most.
The businessman asked Jesus, why there were wars, hunger,suffering and so much evil in this world. Why Jesus doesn't answer prayers, why he ignored him, why when he was 14 he had broken his arm on a rock when he jumped off a cliff and could not become a baseball player, but instead did basketball....I loved the answer Jesus gave him when he asked about the hand, he just answered: I saved you, if I hadn't broken your hand, you would have broken your head instead and died at 14.
What touched me was the answer to the first part though. Of course he listens to our prayers, of course he sees all the suffering in this world. But just like he is a righteous God, he is also a Holy God. Our sin can't go unpunished, so Jesus had to die on a cross. He has given us forgiveness from sin, he has paid the debt, because we are still unable to pay such a high prize. But he did. It is DONE!
He has also put us here, he has given us all the instructions to be the light in a dark world. He has made us the salt of the world. We are supposed to not only preserve it but give it flavor. We have the power to bring down the Kingdom of Heaven. We have the power to bring peace to a world that knows a lot of suffering. We know the Good news. But then Jesus couldn't keep talking, it hurts him that we have all the tools, the POWER, and we lay asleep. We are blinded. We claim to be Christians, we claim to live a life of worship, to be living testimonies to the Word of God and the works he has done in our lives but are we really being it?
Our salt has lost its flavor, our light has dimmed, we are weak. Our armor is rusty. People of God, Its time to WAKE UP! We are coming to the end of a year, and a new is around the corner. God has given us all the tools, The army of the Heavens is fighting with us. Wake up! Our time has come to bring light to this world. The bring peace, His peace. To bring Love, to show it. God has put us here as ambassadors of His Kingdom. Wherever we go, we take His kingdom with us. Lets show it.
Today I want to encourage you, to be like the apostles. They were bold in their faith. The Holy Spirit of God was so much in them that wherever they went the sick were healed, people got saved, and became new disciples. Lets not be afraid to approach each other, to pray for our brothers and sisters. Let God take over and use you. He knows how to do it, let him use you.
I understood from this movie, that its not that God doesn't answer our prayers, its not because of Him that we lack so much, or that there is so much suffering. It's us. We don't seek for His presence in our lives. We don't stay quiet and listen to him. And when he speaks and we hear him, we prefer to pay attention to a world that is screaming at us, or just stay where we are instead of taking a stand and doing something about it. Instead of doing what God is showing us we should do. Instead of pleasing God.
Lets make this end of year and new year different. Lets make this new year a year of Amazing things, that everyone will be able to see how great our God is. That through our faith they will rethink their lack of faith. That through our testimony and most importantly through His testimony all who are to be saved will be saved. That God will use us in such great ways that we would just put our hands upon them, and the Holy Spirit will come upon them, they will speak in tongues and prophesy!!
Glory to God!!!
God bless you, and be a blessing to others!!
