The Time is Now......

October Reading Plan: The Book of Acts
October Memory Verse: Isaiah 60:1-2
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17 ‘In the last days,’ God says,

    ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy.

    Your young men will see visions,

    and your old men will dream dreams.

18 In those days I will pour out my Spirit

    even on my servants—men and women alike—

    and they will prophesy.

19 And I will cause wonders in the heavens above

    and signs on the earth below—

    blood and fire and clouds of smoke.

20 The sun will become dark,

    and the moon will turn blood red

    before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives.

21 But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord

    will be saved.’

Acts 2:17-21

 We find ourselves smack dab in the middle of the book of Acts. Jesus has physically ascended into Heaven [Acts 1], and the disciples are left behind to build the church. 

Wow, what a task they have been given! Can you imagine? Jesus has been with you for the past 3 years. He has been your teacher, your leader, your mentor, and now....He is gone. 

Not only is He gone, but He has given these disciples very specific instructions in preaching the gospel to the world. 

What were these disciples feeling? Lost? Overwhelmed? Scared? Their leader had JUST been crucified, spat on, beaten. 

Well, if the disciples were afraid there are no signs of this. They immediately obeyed the instructions Jesus left them, and went about their ministry. 

We see in Chapter 2 that the Holy Spirit ascends on them, and they began teaching and preaching. 

I don't believe I have ever loved the scriptures more than I do this very day. This very time in my life. I am absolutely dumb-founded and in complete jaw-dropping awe of Jesus. 

He spent 3 years teaching these men, and now it is their turn. They are now the teachers, the preachers, and the leaders. With the Holy Spirit now living inside of them, they are able to do immeasurably more than they ever thought or imagined. 

Let's go to Chapter 3 for a minute. Hello, let's talk about Peter. Peter, who in the gospels before this book of Acts was hasty, lacking faith, in denial. Peter was a complete and utter goofball at times. 

Do you even recognize this same Peter? He is BOLD. He is CONFIDENT. He is SURE OF HIS CALL. He wastes NO TIME. 

What has changed in Peter?

He now has God living inside of Him! 

We see a WHOLE NEW PETER!

Y'all!! Are you getting what I am saying?

We have what PETER HAS! 

If you have received Jesus Christ as your Savior, you HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT INSIDE OF YOU!

Excuse me for SHOUTING, but it is worth a HUGE SHOUT!!!

Let me also just say for the record, just in case their are any doubters out there....

Who in their right mind would risk their life, preach to thousands of people that do NOT like the message of Christ, and be willing to be PERSECUTED--even death, for someone they did not believe in? 

They saw with their very own eyes, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ! If they had not seen this, they would NEVER have continued His ministry! Are you following me here?

Not only did they continue to passionately live out Jesus' ministry, they all DIED for Him. 

Let me step down from my pink soap box for a minute. I am getting winded. :)

Girls, we are His disciples!!! We are in this timeline of God's Creation for a specific purpose. He chose us for this day and this age to continue His ministry. 

We are believers because of the ministry of these very few men! Imagine what God can do through us, two thousand years later! Christianity is not a new thing. Jesus has been proven over and over and over. 

We have what the disciples didn't have---HISTORY to prove Jesus' existence. We have eye-witness testimony, historical documentation and artifacts, and the testimonies of millions that have come before us. 

What are we waiting for? The time is NOW. The season is RIPE. 

God has put us in this book of Acts for a very specific reason. To encourage us! To infuse us! To spur us on in our every day lives!

If you have a pulse, HE WANTS TO USE YOU. 

The time is now. 

Get FIRED UP FOR HIM. The world desperately needs to know Him. Your neighbor desperately needs to know Him. Your children desperately need to know Him. Your husband desperately needs to know Him. 

No one is exempt from the calling to be a disciple of Jesus. No one. 

"So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too." Acts 6:7

You may think that you are incapable of being a disciple, but you are wrong. Just ask Peter. You are not the same person that you were before receiving Jesus. 

"....for we have the mind of Christ." 1 Corinthians 2:16

"This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" 2 Corinthians 5:17

start spreading the news,

jill