Not to Loud, We are in Church

I always find it interesting that so many believers can burst forth with excitement and emotion over a new product on the market, sporting or social events but in a church service be stoic and show little to know emotion. ACTS 2:5-13 reveals that the early church was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke to the people the "wonderful works of God." There was so much excitement that those from other parts of the world thought that they were jacked up on wine. Unfortunately the same holds true today, but instead of the world shouting the loudest, more times than not it's believers criticizing other believers.

Think about it, when did a new product, a sporting or social event ever have the ability to turn a person from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God? Yet when a believer expresses their extreme gratitude for "wonderful works of God" in their life, they are labeled a fanatic, to emotional or drawing attention to themselves. Somehow, someone has determined that shouting, clapping or lifting hands in a church service is disrespectful to the LORD and a church building has become a holy sacred shrine. The Apostle Paul tells us in I Corinthians 6:19 that a believers body is the temple of the Holy Spirit not a brick and mortar building.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem just days before He would be put to death, Luke 19:37-40 reveals that as Jesus drew near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise GOD with a LOUD VOICE for all the mighty works that they had seen. But the religious leaders, not to different from today, did not like what the multitude was doing or saying and wanted Jesus to rebuke His disciples, but Jesus answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out."

Rejoicing and praising the LORD with a loud voice is powerful. It has brought down impenetrable walls of a city (Joshua 6), it has been used to defeat an army of enemies (II Chronicles 20) and it has been used to turn a seemingly bad situation around to save souls (Acts 16). In Peter 2:9 the word praises means virtue, excellence, manliness. Why won't believers act more like David the King when he brought the Ark of God to the City of David. David was not acting out of order or being disrespectful to the LORD as he danced with all of his might before the Ark of God, (although that is what his wife thought). On the contrary David was acting virtuous, excellent and manly. (I Samuel 4:9, I Corinthians 16:13)

So let us no longer be silent, but proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light, because we were once not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. PTL...

Let's Get Happy

Do you know anyone who would like to live from day to day eating their food with gladness and simplicity of heart? Well Acts 2:46 tells us that the early church lived this way. When we look at the depth of this we see that gladness means; Rejoicing that displaces worry and gloom and fills the mind with joy. Simplicity of heart means; Having a satisfied, sincere, thankful and pure heart desiring the things of God and not the things of the world.

Unfortunately many believers today look at the early church and somehow think that their world was problem and trial free, that life was just simple and carefree. This kind of thinking is far from the truth. The early church faced more opposition than believers in the USA have ever faced, yet they had gladness and simplicity of heart. The main reason for this kind of lifestyle is because they took their Christianity very seriously. When they confessed the Lordship of Jesus Christ, they understood that all of their rights, opinions and views were freely forfeited to Christ their King! The Apostle Paul reveals this very thing to the church at Corinth, "For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."
(I Corinthians 6:20) We must keep in mind that the first converts were Jews. This means that they would face disfellowship by the religious leaders and family members who feared the religious leaders (See John 9)

On the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) Peter preached Christ and exhorted the people to "Be saved from this perverse generation". Today the world is still very much perverse but God's Word still stands as a guiding light to truth. Jesus said, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you FREE." (John 8:31-32). Paul tells us, "So then FAITH comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17) Gladness and simplicity of heart comes to anyone whose foundation is the Word of God and BELIEVES! This is not a general or unspecifed faith in Christ, but a directed faith the Jesus perfectly reveals the Father's will in actions, attitudes, words and commands and God's will has not changed. What they experienced in the early church should be experienced today! All it takes is faith.