This week's daily Bible reading guides us through the book of Acts. This, along with the four Gospels, is one of the most important books of the New Testament. And while that might sound odd to say that some Bible books are more important than others ("They should ALL be important to us."), the truth is that the teaching in the epistles depends on the stories in the Gospels and Acts. Without the story of Christ, the teachings of Christ are robbed of most (maybe all) of their power.

And that's where we can see the great value of the book of Acts. It starts with these words: "In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen." Two things stand out about that introduction: 1) That the apostles were commissioned to carry the Gospel and Jesus' teachings into the world. It was now in their hands. But perhaps even more important for us to realize is that 2) the work they did was Jesus' work.

The book of Acts is not a departure from the stories of Jesus' life; it is a continuation of his story. While the Gospels told the story of Jesus' work on the earth, Acts tells the story of Jesus' work over all the earth. The power in the book of Acts is the same power at work in the Gospels: the divine power of Jesus that could not be stopped by persecution, could not be overcome by darkness, and could not be contained by death.

So as you read the book of Acts in the coming weeks, remember that its power is the same power that's been in the story all along. The power in the Story is that it all points us to Jesus, "the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Mt. 16:16)

- Dan Lankford, minister

Everything that we do for God should be done with excellence.

I have been reminded of this recently in studying about Israel's priests. God's commandments for them set a lofty precedent. The way they behaved, the way they taught the law, and particularly the way that they served in worship were all supposed to be of the highest level of moral and practical excellence. When they did not give their best, God condemned them strongly (cf. Mal. 1:6-14).

This is an easy lesson for us to learn from God's instructions for the priests: If he wanted excellence in worship from them, then he surely wants the same from us. So put thought effort into what you do in worship. If you will lead in a service, think deliberately about what job you will do, why you are doing it, and how you can do it best. Pray for God to help give you the right heart and the right abilities to glorify him. Learn from those who do things well, and imitate their skills. Above all, come with a mind set on rendering the quality of service which God deserves.

And even if you are not leading in worship, plan to give your best to God. Sing well, pray sincerely, eat his Supper with joyful gratitude, and have his word on your heart so that you can engage with it even more in Bible class. There are myriad ways that we can improve on our service to him. As he expected excellence from the priests who stood in his presence, we should serve with excellence as we stand in his presence every time we worship him.

- Dan Lankford, minister

Here’s something you can take to the bank: When God’s creatures do God’s will, they receive God’s blessings. This was true of Creation. When God spoke (“let there be light,” etc.) and the universe obeyed, the narrative says, “It was very good.” And when God’s people followed his laws and lived by his wisdom during the time of David & Solomon, he blessed them with riches and power and influence. And when the church lived for Christ in the first century in spite of all the persecution they faced, he blessed them with love for one another, with peace in the midst of suffering, and with growth across the whole known world.

When God’s creatures do God’s will, they receive God’s blessings.

Let’s be clear: that’s not the same message as the Prosperity Gospel. That message says that if you do God’s will, he will give you good health and abundant wealth. It is self-serving religion for those who are seeking blessings. True spirituality is different.

First, the promises are not the same as the Prosperity Gospel. Look back at the examples mentioned above; God’s blessings come in many forms. It’s not all about health and wealth.

Second, and even more importantly, true spirituality is for those who are seeking God himself—not just his blessings. For those who find satisfaction just in knowing him, they will need no other blessing than that. But it is the nature of the God whom we serve that once we are satisfied to enjoy his love and do his will, he will open his hand with abundant blessings. You can count on it.

- Dan Lankford, minister

In a popular book from the 1990’s, one Christian author imagined the scenario as a saint enters Heaven. He said, “You'll see faces that are waiting for you. You'll hear your name spoken by those who love you. And, maybe, just maybe--in the back, behind the crowds--the One who would rather die than live without you will remove his heavenly robe and… applaud.” And isn’t that a nice vision of entering Heaven? That the divine council of spiritual beings, the saints who’ve gone before, and even Jesus will welcome you with applause and congratulations?

However… for people who truly get what the Bible is all about, I don’t think that’s what we should be looking forward to.

It’s true that the apostle Paul said that the Lord would give him a crown on the day he finished the course of this life (2 Tim. 4:8). And Jesus said that the Lord will welcome his servants with the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Mt. 25:21-23) However, neither of those really points to the glory of the recipient. Both are about the glory of the giver.

Brother Kelley’s Monday-night lesson on pride helped me remember that even when the twenty-four elders—the apostles and the tribes of Israel—stand before the throne of God in Heaven, “They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ‘Worthy are you, our Lord and God!’” (Rev. 4:10) And for those whose greatest ambition is to love the Lord with all of our hearts, our souls, our minds, and our strength; our hope is not that the heavenly hosts will applaud us in glory. We know that they will be praising God.

That’s what we look forward to. On the day that God brings you into his glory, don’t expect the praise of heavenly realm to be directed at you. Let’s humbly realize that when we step into the light of glory, all things will praise God. Because it was his power and his grace and his love that got us there.
 
“Let the treasures of the trial form within me as I go. And at the end of this long passage, let me leave them at Your throne.”

- Dan Lankford, minister

Next week's VBS theme—Fully Rely On God—points us to some of God's most reassuring promises. It is the promise that God cares about us and always gives us just what we need. If we rely on him, we will be blessed in what ways he knows are best. Every time. And there are several examples of this and promises spoken about it.

• In Exodus 16, the Hebrew people learned that they had to fully rely on God for bread in the wilderness. He gave them manna—bread from heaven—every day that they needed it until they arrived in the promised land.
• At our Sunday morning service, brother Reggie quoted these words from the Psalmist: "I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing." (Psa. 37:25-26)
• When David courageously stood up to the giant warrior who had defied the armies of God, he made it abundantly clear that his faith with in God. He was not relying on himself, but on God, who had the power to overthrow a lion, a bear, and an uncircumcised Philistine by David's hand (1 Sam. 17, esp. vv. 34-37 & 45-47).
• In his Mountain Message, Jesus told us not to be anxious about the things of this life, but rather, we should fully rely on God who always provides his people with all that we need (Matt. 6:25-34).
• Rich Christians are told not to rely on their riches for hope and security, but rather to set our hope on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy (1 Tim. 6:17).

God gives different things at different times for our different needs. And the common factor in all of them is that we can depend on him. The God who never sleeps nor slumbers, who cannot lie, and whose generosity is infinite... he can be relied upon to give us all that we need at just the time we need it.

See you next week for more reminders of the deep power in these promises!

- Dan Lankford, minister

Last Monday's Courier Journal (Louisville's local paper) included a story (you can click here to find it in the Indianapolis Star) about a woman in her 50's, named Kim, who had been adopted to the U.S. as a toddler from a South Korean orphanage. You really should click the link and read the story, because it's a great one. But here's the short version:

When she was 5, little Kim got separated from her family in a crowded Seoul marketplace. With no birth certificate and no way to reconnect with her parents, the police assumed she was an orphan (there were many of those during that time; it was the Korean War era) and sent her to an orphanage. A family from Ohio adopted her, and she lived in the States her whole life since then. But then, in 2018, she took a trip to South Korea and a DNA test reconnected her with her birth parents—now in their 80's—who had continued to look for her all those years, never giving up hope that they would be reunited.

The story is touching, and for Christians, it has some really wonderful parallels to the hope that we have in an eternal Father God who never stops looking for his lost children.

The story adds a small ripple to Jesus' story about a lost son who was found. That son wandered away deliberately, and yet his father apparently never gave up hope that he would return. But in the story from South Korea, a child found herself separated from her parents by accident—through innocent ignorance, wandering away from them because she knew no better. And I think there must be a parallel in that to God's story as well: that there are those who are away from him and know no better (notice how many times the apostles talk about the "ignorance" of unbelievers). But God does not give up hope for them (cf. 2 Peter 3:9). And that reminds us of two things:

1) That would should be grateful that we serve a good God who doesn't give up, who continues to invite his wayward children to himself, and who is always willing to grant repentance and forgiveness through the power of Jesus Christ. He is a truly good God.

2) That we should continue to teach lost people about Jesus. They need him. They need to be reconciled to their father. Many are like the lady in the story: they know little-to-nothing about the Father they are looking for, but their hearts have a void that longs to be filled with knowing Him. Let's do our part to bring God's lost children back to their Father who has never given up on them, no matter how long they've been lost.

- Dan Lankford, minister

Understanding YHWH God presents a challenge to all imperfect, finite creatures. Our sinful imperfection makes us incapable of understanding the full depths of his holiness, and the limits of time and space in which we live make it impossible for us to fully understand a God who is eternal, all-present, and all-knowing. But this is the Bible's description of YHWH. Other gods may have some similar elements of his nature, but YHWH is alone in his infinite, holy splendor. "For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God..." (Deut. 10:17)

Seeing this helps to understand why so many of us—even believers—find ourselves thinking, "I can't believe that God would..." We may struggle with the depths of God's love & grace. We may struggle with the fierceness of his wrath. We may struggle with the length of his patience. We may struggle with the immutability of truth in him. We may struggle with believing in his supernatural powers. People struggle often and and seriously with God's personality, will, power, and word.

In light of this, there are two responses we must continually offer—one toward God himself and one toward our fellow man. First, we must accept God as he describes himself in the word. Doing this may exceed our faculties of pure logic at times, which is why it depends on faith. And understanding that helps us with our response toward mankind: be patient with others who struggle. Stay convicted in the truth about who God is, but be patient in helping non-believers or troubled believers understand him better.

The righteousness that leads to eternity is an outgrowth of God's own perfect nature. Believing in him as he has revealed himself is a foundation to all saving faith.

- Dan Lankford, minister

Yesterday's Bible reading (Num. 13-14) covered one of the most important stories in Israel's history. The story of their 40 years of wilderness wandering is a key to understanding their national identity: they are a people to whom God has promised rest, but instead of receiving his promises, they ignore his word and make a choice that keeps them in the wilderness. It's an important story about them, and it has an important lesson for us as Christians when we knowingly choose sin over God's ways. Think about it this way:

God sets us free from sin and destruction when we pass through the waters (baptism), just like he did for Israel when they passed through the waters (the Red Sea). In that, he promises peace when we live by his will, just as he promised peace to Israel if they would live by his will and just enter the land. But just like they willingly chose to reject his will and remain in the wilderness, when we willingly sin, we choose to remain in the wilderness of sin instead of entering the land of peace that God has promised us.

It's a simple object lesson, and a powerful reminder: when you know God's will, do God's will. His ways will lead us to peace with him. Sin will only leave us wandering, miserable, and empty-handed. So when it takes courage, when it's difficult, and when it's costly... do the right thing. Stay true to the will of God.

"See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God... And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it." (Hebrews 3:12, 3:18-4:1)

- Dan Lankford, minister

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:

“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

Dress for action like a man;

I will question you, and you make it known to me.”

•••••••••

“Do you give the horse his might?

Do you clothe his neck with a mane?

Do you make him leap like the locust?

His majestic snorting is terrifying.

He paws in the valley and exults in his strength;

he goes out to meet the weapons.

He laughs at fear and is not dismayed;

he does not turn back from the sword.

Upon him rattle the quiver,

the flashing spear, and the javelin.

With fierceness and rage he swallows the ground;

he cannot stand still at the sound of the trumpet.

When the trumpet sounds, he says ‘Aha!’

He smells the battle from afar,

the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.”

- Job 38:1-3, 39:19-25

Sunday morning, there were mass shootings in two mosques in New Zealand. It was yet another example of violence perpetuated by one who's heart was filled with hatred. Like a handful of similar events in recent years, these events somewhat take us by surprise when they happen in free, western, peaceful nations.

It is difficult (and probably somewhat unnecessary) to find anything new to say about events like this. Each time they happen, we are confronted by the the same kind of violence that has existed since Genesis 4, when Cain killed his innocent brother, Abel. Each time, believers see through the secular world's confused attempts to explain evil without believing in a divine power. Each time, we feel sympathy for the families of those who died, we mourn for any who died while in rebellion against Christ, and we remember that it was not God's original plan for us to die—that happened when we chose to sin against him.

And each time we see an event like this, we are reminded that God has made a place for us where "the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Rev. 21:3-5)

- Dan Lankford, minister