Life’s Biggest Battles

Five Smooth Stones for Parenting

How to prepare your kids to win life’s biggest battles

God has been in the business of helping children defeat the “evil giants” in their world for a long time.

1. Teach Them to Suffer Well

A Theology of Suffering:

• Life is hard, but God is good! • Life is unjust, but God is sovereign. • Old Testament Roots – Joseph (Genesis 37-50) • New Testament Command – 1 Peter 2:21-23

Application: Help your child grow through suffering. Life message: Suffering is Normal!

2. Teach Them to Work “Unto the Lord”

A Theology of Work:

• Work is a “calling”, not a job • All work is sacred. • Our work is to flow from God’s unique design and purpose for our lives. • Work is for one audience; the “audience of one.”

1• Old Testament Roots – Genesis 2:15 • New Testament Command – Colossians 3:23

Application: Help your child discover “God’s calling” for their life so they can impact their world and beyond.

Life Message: You Were Created to Work!

3. Teach Them to Manage Their Lives Wisely

A Theology of Stewardship:

• God owns everything. • God has entrusted us “things” to manager for Him (time, talent, treasure) • God expects a positive return on His investment. • God will hold you accountable. • God wants you to share in His joy. • Old Testament Roots – Genesis 1:26-28 • New Testament Command – Matthew 25:14-30

Application: Help your child become faithful in the “little things” – Luke 16:10

Life Message: Your Life is a Sacred Stewardship!

The Resolution Revolution

What would happen if the men and women of this generation fully resolved and committed themselves to live for what matters most? Women who reflect their full purpose and potiental. Women who embrace life with joy and fulfillment and are know for being faithful in each area of their lives. Women who understand that this involves discipline and self-sacrfifce, but that it can happen as they allow the Word of God to nurture them and the Spirit of God to take control of them and have His way.

This bible study will both stir and challenge you. Fasten your seat belt! God’s about to go to work – Alex & Stephen Kendrick

The Resolution Revolution

Resolution

• the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc.
• the mental state or quality of being resolved or resolute; firmness of purpose.

How many resolutions have we made over the years and actually kept? The biggest ones; loosing weight, saving money, or eating healthier. Fail enough times, and you don’t feel like trying again. Yet still every year we say our new years resolution again… mine always being loose weight! So important to me but never can get accomplished; why is that!?

If we think about it we make resolutions every single day. We choose to treat people a certain way, to stay committed to certain activities, to live a certain life, to be a certain kind of person, or not a certain kind of person. Ether way, you’ve made a decision.  These resolutions determine the life we end up living.  So when we make our next resolution be intentional about it!

1. This Resolution is with God.
2. This Resolution will impact the people you love.

This resolution is powered by the power of the Holy Spirit! Although the choices you make will impact others, you in no way have the right to blame or be frustrated in other people’s direction. This is about what you will do, what you will become by God’s grace from this day forward. This is the Resolution for one woman; YOU.

By no means are you promising to be perfect, rather you are making a commitment simple to begin 0 to journey forward in the direction that particular resolution is pointing you.  – Priscilla Shirer

Here are the 13 Resolutions.

The more you grow the more His power is able to flow through you, satisfying your heart and transforming your world. So no matter if you feel you do great in this area or that; push through to improve!

See All The Chapters 

The Spiritual Fitness Plan

The Fitness Plan:

Abundant Life Community Church, Orting, wa

Pastor Brad Grasley – listen online

Each week our Pastor is bringing in a specialist in some form of fitness. I am in children’s church week 1 so I missed the football sermon you can listen online its entitled The Game Plan.  This week he brought in a member and personal trainer Troy Nesby a personal trainer. Brad asked him how he preps his clients. Here is what he said.

1. Why are you here?? You need a specific goal. Not just loose weight, but why? so i can be skinner?? Why?… so I can be happy! Leaving the goal so broad as in loose weight is too big and by bringing that goal in to say I want to be 180 pounds because that is when I feel healthy.  Mine is I want to get in the best shape I possibly can before my brother’s wedding in June. When you meet that goal, it is very important to make another one!
2. Commitment level.  a number from 1 – 10 to how committed they are to getting this goal reached and he continues to remind you of this number in your workouts.

Three Phases

1. Foundation: this phase lets Troy know where you are at and what you are capable of. Then we build on that. Before we can begin to be strong we need to build that stable platform.; that strong foundation to build upon. Everyone is different and this phase has no timeline.
2. Results: This is where we come back to the commitment level and this is where it is tested!  Troy said this is the “I hate Troy” phase. He pushes you farther than you think your body can go. We are much stronger than we think  we are. Even when our body is tired we have more to give. There are usually two type of people in this phase. a.) Listen to your body and give up  b.) Tells your brain to push through the threshold.
3. Maintenance:  So now you are shape; now what? Some people will go back to their old ways and their old body will follow.  At this time you need to pick a new goal. So you are that 180 pounds, now you want to run a marathon or join a sports team. Keep looking forward.

Like any relationship we can’t just say it and it will happen we have to work at it.

Spiritual Fitness

We can apply everything just said to our spiritual walk.  Let’s start with:

1. Foundation: We need to lay a foundation. The end result quickly is not stable when that storm comes. read Luke 6:46. Pastor said as this; “why do you call me mom, but do not do what I say?” Our children know we are the boss, but they still try to run their own lives as well as ours. He spoke about his young 3-year-old daughter who thinks she is the boss and they had to get down deep and nail it into her that she is not the boss daddy and mommy are. We need that foundation set. We need to dig down deep and know God is our “boss” and we need to trust and listen to Him. Do not be like the foolish man looking for quick results. Two things come to mind with this one. The example Brad gave about working out for two weeks and expecting to hit that 50 pound weight goal. Also these pop up houses that they build so quickly so they can sell it but the quality is not what it appears to be. The foundation is flimsy. We cannot rush things especially our spiritual maturity.

The Wise and Foolish Builders

    ⁴⁶ “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? ⁴⁷ As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. ⁴⁸ They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well-built. ⁴⁹ But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

Convenient vs necessary

Doing the convenient thing is not always the right or healthier thing to do. We need to obey His voice. Dig into Him! Pray… but also listen. You cannot be heard unless you stop talking. Give them a minute or more to process and respond.  Stop and listen to the Lord; but also pay attention. Building a foundation takes time; spend the time to make it solid. Learn to trust your trainer who is Jesus.

      2. Results:  Do not just be in the race to get a participation award be there to win! to get that gold! Paul says there is a winner and a looser.

1 Corinthians 9

The Need for Self-Discipline

 ²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶ Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. ²⁷ No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Paul says I beat my body! He tells his body who is in charge and forges forward towards the prize. Our price is Jesus. Many people are not willing to work this hard. We need to make a decision to serve the Lord and be in submission. Brad told a story about an olympian Lindsey and snowboarder who was winning; so far ahead that on the last jump showboat and bit it! She lost her focus and in turn lost the race.  We need to tell our spirit to rise up and our emotions get in line. Tell our flesh to get in the back on the line! We need to be led by our spirit not our emotions. If you are being led by the spirit God will help you! We do not have to think thought of fear or let our bodies led us. Choose to be led by the Spirit.

God have us the Holy Spirit…. invite Him in! The Spirit is here to help and comfort us! Want all of God; father savior and helper; the holy Trinity. Walk hand in hand with God. He will hep you get the results you are looking for. Don’t check out press in!! Don’t let laziness win out!

3. Maintenance: If your goal is to be spiritually mature you will be setting yourself up for failure. You have to continue growing and learning. Get in sink with God, we are never done! This is a lifetime endeavor! If you have lost your focus or stalled out reestablish that foundation.

Confirming One’s Calling and Election

 ³ His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ⁴ Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. ⁸For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

Dedicated

 – Pastor Brad Grasley –

Click above to hear the Podcast.

Being Dedicated

Child dedications are NOT

• A recognition of God’s blessing
• A statement of trust in God
• A commitment to raise your children God’s way
• Claiming their promises future.

It is a covering over your children until the day comes where they can make the choice to be baptized. We cannot change their lives by dedicating them or christening them, only Jesus can change their lives and ours.

Let Jesus’ Story change our Lives.

Jesus came into this world so we could have a new life. Put the past behind us and be ready for a new life. Don’t get stuck focusing on what you were it will only keep you stuck. Give it to God.

Stop comparing yourself to others. Stop being hung up on what you THINK you are. HE knows who we were; that is why He sent Jesus to give us a clean slate. When you say you don’t know what I have done and who I was; God does!

Luke 2:22-24

(NIV)  Jesus Presented in the Temple

 ²² When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³ (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”^[a]), ²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

God’s asks us about two things when we are ready to dedicate

PRESENT:

(v.) To bring or introduce into the presence of some one, especially of a superior; to introduce formally; to offer for acquaintance; as, to present an envoy to the king; (with the reciprocal pronoun) to come into the presence of a superior. Easton’s Bible Dictionary

Who is more superior than God?!

Romans 12

A Living Sacrifice

 ¹ Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Lay ALL of ourselves down; not to die an earthly death like in the old testament, but to be a living sacrifice. Be willing to kill that sin – jealousy ect. This is WORSHIP.

Worship is not just songs and music. Being generous, giving time, reading the bible when you don’t want to, sacrifice the fight even when you are right, Killing those sinful thoughts these are all worship.

REMOVING POWER FROM THE FLESH

like in fasting as a simple option. Fasting shows we can have power over our flesh and still live.

WHAT YOU FUEL GROWS; WHAT YOU STARVE DIES. What are you feeding?

We need to fuel ourselves; read the bible, get in the word, look at your temptation and tell it NO you will not eat it, you will starve it out of your life!

CONSECRATED: to be Holy and set apart.

1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)

¹⁵ But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

Jesus is more than just the reason for THIS season. He is the reason for life EVERY season. When January comes around let Him still be what we value.

Separate yourself from sin. Jesus is the only one to worship. Not even our kids can be the example of our changed lives.  Be ready to share Jesus. Are you different from the world??

Romans 12 (MSG)

Place Your Life Before God

^1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Place your everyday life is God’s hands and God will give you the opportunity to share!

Authority Eph. 1-2

Ephesians 1

Praise for Spiritual Blessings in Christ

This chapter is all in need of being highlighted!!! Every word in the bible has being, but this book is speaking to me!

We know that we were thought of before creation and our life is already planned out by God. He wants us to come to Him and be adopted into the family by the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross. When we read the gospel we are included as the people. This is the reason we give thanks and remembering Him in our prayers.

This power that raised Jesus from the grave is the power that God is reaching out for us to take. How could we turn away the most powerful thing ever created?!

 ²¹ far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

Not just better than the rest FAR above all rule. Just like He doesn’t just provide He provides more than enough.

Ephesians 2

Made Alive in Christ

Just as Jesus died and was buried; we were dead and buried in our transgressions and sins. We were all in sin at one time or another following the world’s desires and thoughts. God loved us so much that He made us alive with Christ, raised us from the grave and seated Jesus and us in the heavenly realms

⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Jew and Gentile Reconciled Through Christ

¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

In these times the Jews and gentiles were separate and when Jesus died it brought them all closer because Jesus was now in us not just a blood line or birthright we were all invited in His family by His shed blood.

¹⁴ For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,

²² And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Matthew 14:13-36

What happened previously is very important I think so here it is.

 ⁶ On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much ⁷ that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. ⁸ Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” ⁹ The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted ¹⁰ and had John beheaded in the prison. ¹¹ His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. ¹² John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.

 So Matthew 14:13 begins with that Jesus hearing this news. He went out in a boat alone. While He was out thinking, and praying the crowds began to grow. When Jesus returned He saw the large crowd; he had compassion on them and healed their sick. As evening came the disciples told Jesus to send the people away to go buy some food. Jesus said they do not need to go away; you can feed them. Most of us know this story!! I am wondering if the death of John made Him not want to be alone.

¹⁷ “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

So Jesus said bring them to me. He looked up to heaven and blessed the food.

²⁰They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

Don’t you love that God provided so much from those two loafs and then they even had more than needed?!?! Ever feel like that when you don’t have two pennies to rub together God will still get the mortgage paid.

V 22: Immediately. I love how Jesus does not just wait around. He knows it needs to be done He does it. Only taking the time to pray on it, but nether weigh the good and bad; just do it!

Jesus sent the disciples out in the boat and went to dismiss the people and pray on the mountaintop. The boat came into a storm and God walked on the water to them. They thought He was a ghost.

²⁷ But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.

Yet they didn’t completely believe. Peter said if it is you have me to come to you on the water; all Jesus said was COME. He is sometimes quick to action and man of few words. Peter began to walk but saw the wind and was afraid because of this he began to sink and called out to Jesus to help him.

³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

This fear that Peter had is one we all deal with daily. The what if fear is a big one for me. I trust you God, but what if?!?!?! enter anything and that one is dangerous.

They got in the boat and the winds died down and the men said you truly are the son of God. This action again confirming He was who He claimed to be.  When they landed the spread the word of Jesus.

Mark 4:1-20

Jesus was teaching to a group of people so large he went out in a boat and the people were along the coast. He told the story of the birds scattering the seeds. Some landed on rock, thorns, and good soil. Obviously the good soil produced much vegetation. Later the twelve asked him what was up with the parables.

¹¹ He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables ¹² so that,

“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’^[a]”

Impressions that are not deep, will not last. This parable of the good seed, shows the manner in which the kingdom of God makes progress in the world. It grows gradually it is perfected in heaven!

These are the verses that went with the study.

¹¹ Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. Genesis 1:11

⁸ Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. JOshua 1:8

¹² The LORD said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching^[a] to see that my word is fulfilled.” Jerm. 1:12

²⁶ He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground.²⁷ Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. ²⁸ All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. ²⁹ As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” Mark 4:26-29

³⁸ “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her. Luke 1:38

²⁰ In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. Acts 19:20

1 Corinthians 12

The variety of use of spiritual gifts are shown. (1-11) In the human body every member has its place and use. (12-26) This is applied to the church of Christ. (27-30) And there is something more excellent than spiritual gifts. (31)

This chapter speaks on our spiritual gifts and how you cannot call on Jesus without the Holy Spirit.  No man has them merely for himself. The more he pours out the more it will come back to benefit him as well. These gifts are meant to help us understand the mysteries of the gospel.

¹¹ All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

 No matter what gift you were given remember who gave it to you and do not squander it. The Holy Spirit gave these gifts to us each specifically; He did not just pick them out of a hat. Each gift and each person has a purpose to expand His Kingdom.

Unity and Diversity in the Body

These verses talk about how just as the body has different parts to make a whole, so does Christ. We were all baptized by one Spirit to make one body; the church.

¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?

What a silly way to look at it. The bible makes me laugh sometimes! We as a body cannot all be the same; if you were all like me I would not be extraordinary and vise versa!! Be YOU and be you with purpose.

We should not find the weakest link and extract it; we need to love every part, every person equally.

²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

 I love that !! How opposite the world lives! This kick them when they are down attitude does no one good not even the kicker who gets that momentarily upper hand. It always comes crumbling down when our foundation is not good. When it’s not of Christ it is not strong enough to survive this world.

How blessed the Christian church, if all the members did their duty! Instead of coveting the highest stations, or the most splendid gifts, let us leave the appointment of his instruments to God, and those in whom he works by his providence. Remember, those will not be approved hereafter who seek the chief places, but those who are most faithful to the trust placed in them, and most diligent in their Master’s work. – Matthew Henry

Acts 9

The conversion of Saul. (1-9) Saul converted preaches Christ. (10-22) Saul is persecuted at Damascus, and goes to Jerusalem. (23-31) Cure of Eneas. (32-35) Dorcas raised to life. (36-43)

In the beginning of Acts 9 we are back with Saul and he is still on a warpath. God decided to put a stop to that a light struck from heaven and a voice asked Saul, “why do you persecute me?” Saul asked if this was the Lord! Who else can strike you down from heaven? The voice replied :

 “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁶ “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

When Saul stood up the people traveling with him were amazed. Saul could not see he was blind and did not eat for three days.

In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision. He told him to go to restore Saul’s sight. Ananias was leery because he had heard what Saul had been doing; arresting anyone who spoke of Jesus.

 ¹⁵ But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. ¹⁶ I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

After this Ananias went to Saul and blessed him, and Saul was baptized.

 ²⁰ At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. ²¹ All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” ²² Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.

At once! He just went right to work! Could you imagine all the people were so confused! Wasn’t this man just arresting people for this and now he is doing it? This only made Saul push stronger to prove Jesus was the Messiah. This of course turned into a conspiracy to kill Saul…. they always lead to killing someone! Saul being too smart for this found out about the plan.

²⁵ But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.

Now in Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples but they were scared too of his past and didn’t believe he had changed.  We do this often I feel!! Hard to believe sometimes that someone has changed. Barnabas stood up for him and brought him in front of the apostles and told his story. Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.

the Hellenistic Jews,^[a] but they tried to kill him. ³⁰When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

He just cant seem to find a home where people are not trying to kill him.

Aeneas and Dorcas

³² As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people who lived in Lydda.³³ There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years.

Peter told him of the Lord and healed him the people were amazed.

Tabitha or Dorcas was a person who always helped the poor, but had died the people went to Peter to help her.

⁴⁰ Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. ⁴¹ He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. ⁴² This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.

Wow amazing what the power of Christ can do!!!

Acts 5

The death of Ananias and Sapphira. (1-11) The power which accompanied the preaching of the gospel. (12-16) The apostles imprisoned, but set free by an angel. (17-25) The apostles testify to Christ before the council. (26-33) The advice of Gamaliel, The council let the apostles go. (34-42)

At the end of the last chapter it was all unicorns, and rainbows! How quick things can go south…

Ananias and Sapphira sold some property and kept some money for themselves; we think why would that matter I would keep it all!!! In the last chapter they were all taking care of each other and what they sold the money went to the apostles. Ananias’ only kept a bit for himself and he did bring the rest to the apostles….

I think that we do this a lot now with sin. We only do “this” at least we are not doing “this” and I gave “this” much at least I gave anything at all. We always have an excuse or reason or someone worse to compare ourselves too. If it is wrong and we know it and still do it …. why do we do it? Greed, selfishness?

Of course Peter is there to say something; that Peter always has his two cents! He tells Ananias that this land was God’s even selling it didn’t mean that the money was to be his and that the Devil was in his spirit. In my mind I think HARSH; but if we are not giving a 100% of our heart does that not hurt God!? Maybe like Eve may have thought…”its only one fruit from this tree…cant God share? Is He threatened?!”

“The crime of Ananias was not his retaining part of the price of the land; he might have kept it all, had he pleased; but his endeavoring to impose upon the apostles with an awful lie, from a desire to make a vain show, joined with covetousness. “ Matthew Henry

So lets see Ananias’ reaction to these words from Peter.

⁵ When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.

Wow….  Now it doesn’t say God struck him down. It says when HE heard this, HE fell down and died… His wife didn’t know anything about this came in three hours later and Peter asked her confronted her about the sin. Then he very bluntly I might add that the men who buried your husband are coming they can escort you out as well!! I guess not all men of God are polite. Now what do you think she did?

¹⁰ At that moment she fell down at his feet and died.

Worse ending to an already sad story…. do not try to keep things from God since He already knows everything!

The Apostles Heal Many

^{15 …}people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. ¹⁶ Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.

The Apostles Persecuted

Now enters JEALOUSY…. I believe to be one of the deadly sins in my life. The high priests had enough of this… were they jealous people were not coming to them for healing? Whatever their reason they arrested Peter and John. As we learned God’s plan cannot be stopped.

 ¹⁹ But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. ²⁰ “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.”

He uses our worst times to save other people. See the man can’t keep me down!! Our God is greater!! Our God is stronger our God is greater than any other!!! So Peter and JOhn did as they were told. The high priests saw they were not there and had them brought to them to question why they were teaching in Jesus’ name even though told not to do it and our friend Peter replied…

²⁹ Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! ³⁰The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. ³¹ God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. ³² We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Again reminding them that they killed Jesus… The priests were so angry they were going to put them to death, but  a Pharisee named Gamaliel spoke to save them.

….Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. ³⁹ But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

How true is that!! So the high priests ordered them to not speak of Jesus and sent them away.

 ⁴¹ The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. ⁴²

That is a crazy sentence… rejoicing and worthy of suffering disgrace! Anyway that God can use us we need to feel joyful and lucky. The job will get done with or without us; I would rather be part of God’s work than standing on the sideline.