Empowered For Obedience

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In the 40 days between His resurrection and His ascension, we read that Jesus was with His disciples “giving instructions through the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:2). 

I think this word “instructions” in the NIV is too soft. The other translations say things like:

  • commandments (NKJV) 
  • orders (NASB & NET) 
  • instructed and commanded (AMPC) 

The Greek word Luke uses in Acts 1:2 is entellomai and it is a word that carries weight. Throughout the New Testament this word is used to identify…

  • …the words of God (Matthew 4:6, 15:4; Luke 4:10; Acts 13:47; Hebrews 9:20) 
  • …the words of Moses (Matthew 19:7; Mark 10:3; John 8:5) 
  • …the words of Jesus (Matthew 17:9, 28:20; Mark 11:6; John 14:31; 15:14, 17; Acts 1:2, 13:47) 
  • …the words of recognized leaders (Mark 13:34; Hebrews 11:22) 

(Check out all of the above Scriptures by clicking here.)

In the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) this word is used seven times. Five of these times link together the words “command” and “covenant” (Deuteronomy 4:13; Joshua 23:16; Judges 2:20; Psalm 111:9–10; Jeremiah 11:3–4). The other two times express God’s strong promise-keeping power that is awe-inspiring (Psalm 90:11, 91:11). 

In other words, these aren’t just any words, but they carry an awesome authority with them. These are binding commands. They are not merely wise counsel or suggestions for godly living. They are indispensable to the Christian life. 

Luke points out that Jesus gave these commands “through the Holy Spirit” because it is only through the Holy Spirit that you and I can understand them, apply them, and be empowered to obey them. 

Jesus uses the same word entellomai in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:20) as well as in Acts 1:2. Clearly, the Scripture is telling us that we are powerless to understand and powerless to obey without the Holy Spirit’s daily empowerment. Jesus would never give us commands that we were unable to carry out, which is why He gives us instructions through the Spirit, and then the Spirit gives us the power to joyfully obey those commands. 

Don’t ever think that you are on your own in trying to figure out what Jesus said, and how you are going to live it out.

I discuss the role of the Holy Spirit in a Christian’s life in much greater detail in my series called We Are: Pentecostal. 

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Getting Uncomfortable With Staying Comfortable

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We as a Church are underperforming. How do I know this? Look at the way the world treats Christians; specifically, look at what’s NOT happening. 

  • By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Jesus said this right after He served His disciples by washing their feet. Is this happening today: Do people know you are a Christian by the way you put your love into servant-hearted action, or do they just know what you are against? 
  • “Be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15). When was the last time someone saw your hope-filled life in such contrast to everyone else’s response that they said, “How can I have what you have?” 

(Find all of the Scriptures I’ve used in this post by clicking here.)

Peter said our adversary prowls like a lion. He is perfectly willing to bide his time, picking the strategy that works best. One of his favorite strategies is lies—sometimes half-truths or out-of-context truths. 

…Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short. … The dragon was enraged with the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus (Revelation 12:12, 17). 

Lies are his native tongue. He lied to Adam and Eve right in the beginning (Genesis 3:1, 4-5), and he still lies now (Revelation 12:10). Jesus contrasted this with the truth that He came to proclaim (John 8:42-45). 

The devil has learned that with many people, outright attacks drive them TO God. We see this in the oldest book of the Bible (Job 1:6f, 20-22), and in modern times (churches were filled after the 9-11 terrorist attacks). 

What the devil would rather do is lie to you to keep you comfortable. In The Screwtape Letters, Screwtape implores Wormwood to keep his patient indifferent and comfortable. Indeed, we all have a comfort zone and we love to stay in it. 

King Saul went from 3000 men to 600 men, from a full armory to only two swords, from defeating the Ammonites to being hemmed in by the Philistines. King Saul was enjoying life as the king, hanging out with his friends, sitting under a pomegranate tree, far away from his enemies. Life was good for Saul, life was familiar and comfortable. Saul was living in his comfort zone. But the comfort zone is a lousy place to live. 

In the comfort zone you only tell stories, but never live an adventure. In the comfort zone, you only hear about what God has done for others, but you never experience Him move in miraculous ways for yourself. 

God has given us all gifts so that we can live as overcomers and bring Him glory, but we settle for living only in our comfort zone. Our comfort zones are always way smaller than our gift zones, and the devil is perfectly happy to see us stay there.

Moses was comfortable in the desert, but God sent him in His power (Exodus 3:11, 14). 

David was comfortable in the pasture, but God equipped him to lead a whole nation (2 Samuel 7:18; Psalm 78:70-71). 

Jeremiah was comfortable being an anonymous priest, but God gave him words to prophesy to a wayward nation (Jeremiah 1:4-8). 

Saul was comfortable as a Pharisee, but God sent him to tell the world the Jesus is the Messiah (Acts 8:3; 1 Timothy 1:16). 

What lies have kept you in your comfort zone? 

  • Maybe a parent said, “You’ll never amount to anything.” 
  • Maybe a teacher said, “You’re slow.” 
  • Maybe a classmate said, “You’re weird.” 
  • Maybe the devil said, “You cannot make a difference in the world.” 

You need to silence those lies with God’s truth: 

  • God created me on purpose and for a purpose—Psalm 139:13-17 
  • He has given me all the gifts I need to soar—2 Peter 1:3-4 
  • He wants to help me, if I will trust Him—Isaiah 41:10, 13-14 

Charles Spurgeon said, “The extent of power God can infuse into a person is immeasurable; when divine strength is granted, human weakness ceases to be a hindrance.” 

So, friends, it’s time to get uncomfortable with staying comfortable. It’s time to stretch and soar out of your comfort zone and into more of your gift zone! 

How do you discover your gifts? That’s what we are going to unpack in this series over the next few weeks, I hope you will continue to follow along. And you can catch up on anything you may have missed in our series called Living in Your Gift Zone by clicking here. 

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When Shepherds And Sheep Talk

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on AppleSpotify, or Audible. 

In John 10:1-18, Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd, and He refers to those who follow Him as His sheep. 

Anyone who has ever seen a shepherd interact with his sheep knows that the sheep are listening for their shepherd’s voice to give them direction, but they will ignore or run away from a stranger’s voice. 

(You may want to check out this video clip where I talk about how shepherds individualize their care for their sheep.)

This requires two-way communication. The shepherd must speak tenderly and convincingly, and the sheep must remain tuned in to their shepherd’s voice with an ear to follow. 

This requires proximity. The shepherd cannot speak from a distance without raising his voice, and sheep will never be attracted to someone who yells at them. 

This requires consistency. The shepherd needs to continually speak life-giving words, and the sheep need to consistently obey the shepherd’s words in order to reap the benefits. 

This requires discernment. The sheep have to be able to know the difference between their shepherd’s voice and a stranger’s voice. The shepherd needs to speak “words of eternal life” (see John 6:68-69). 

This requires patience. A shepherd’s directions really “get through” the first time, so the message needs to be patiently, lovingly, and creatively repeated. 

This requires abiding. The shepherd needs to show himself trustworthy, and the sheep need to show themselves faithful in their abiding with their shepherd. 

Jesus is the good and perfect Shepherd. There is no one else to whom I should be trusting, abiding with, listening to, and obeying. 

The Good Shepherd will call some of His sheep to serve as His under-shepherds for other sheep. Those under-shepherds bring the Good Shepherd glory by shepherding just as Jesus models for them. 

When shepherds and sheep remain in constant communication, there is a vitality and maturity that is readily apparent. And when the communication breaks down, the health of the sheep quickly deteriorates. 

If you have been called to be an under-shepherd, please check out my books Shepherd Leadership and When Sheep Bite that will give you practical, biblical guidelines for you to thrive in this beautiful ministry. 

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The Hour, The Power, And The Procedure

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on AppleSpotify, or Audible. 

If you’re going through a dark time in your life right now, I’ve got a word of encouragement for you. Well, actually three words of encouragement!

Check out this episode of The Podcast. 

Here are the Scriptures I reference in this video—John 13:1-5, 18:4-11; Matthew 26:51-54; John 17:11-12; Psalm 23:4 

You may also want to check out a couple of related blog posts:

My book When Sheep Bite is for pastors who are going through challenging times in their ministries.

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Oh, The Silliness!

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Jesus had just been taken from the high priest Caiaphas to the praetorium where the Roman governor Pontius Pilate presided. And then I read one of the most ridiculous statements in this whole crucifixion scenario. 

In order for you to grasp the full impact of this outrageous request, let me take you back in time a few hours. 

Jesus was arrested by the temple guards without there being any formal charges filed against Him. He was taken to the home of the former high priest for an off-the-record interview to attempt to get Jesus to stumble in something He said so that they would have official charges to lodge against Him. 

The Sanhedrin was then convened in the middle of the night. Witnesses were brought in not really to testify as to what they saw or heard, but because the Sanhedrin was “looking for evidence” (Mark 14:55). In the meantime, the Sanhedrin asked Jesus to answer non-existent charges without having any legal representation of His own. They even resorted to physical violence to try to coerce Him to say something incriminating. 

The Sanhedrin eventually reached a non-unanimous decision, without any corroborating testimony, to ask Pilate for the death sentence. 

Now here comes the silly statement—“Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover” (John 18:28). 

To avoid ceremonial uncleanness?! 

In their blind fury and rabid self-righteousness, these men broke both mosaic law and their own rules of order. Doing things like: 

  • not securing charges first before arresting Jesus 
  • physically abusing Jesus without a conviction or even a proper trial 
  • meeting at night instead of during the day 
  • not calling in witnesses one at a time 
  • not getting corroborating testimony from two or three witnesses 
  • not allowing Jesus to have a legal advocate 
  • not getting a unanimous guilty decision before asking for the death sentence 

(Check out these passages to read all about the actions of the Sanhedrin on this night.)

After all that, they’re concerned about being ceremonially clean for the Passover? Oh, the silliness! 

Then I began to wonder: Am I guilty of this same folly? 

Do I keep my own set of rules? Do I justify bending God’s rules because of what I think are special circumstances? Am I self-righteous? Do I really think that I can do things the way that I want to do them and that God will put His stamp of approval on that?  

Isn’t it far better to simply follow God’s ways, to listen to the Holy Spirit speaking to my conscience, and then to repent if I begin to deviate from the truth? 

I need to always deal with my own self-righteousness first—to take care of the plank in my own eye before I point out the speck in someone else’s eye. Or else, I am being just as silly as those religious leaders were! 

You may also be interested in these related blog posts: 

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Don’t Take Advice From Armchair Quarterbacks

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There are some know-it-alls who want to tell pastoral leaders how they should have done things differently. Much like the “armchair quarterbacks” that seem to know all the right calls a team should make, even though they have virtually no experience. 

Pastor, pay very little attention to those armchair quarterbacks that would speak into your life!

Check out this short clip from my time on the Leading From Alignment podcast.

To put the quote that Jim shared from When Sheep Bite into context, here is the full passage—

     Jesus is our perfect example of a Shepherd Leader. His example was to lay it all on the line, regardless of how the sheep were behaving or misbehaving: “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep” (John 10:11). By contrast, Jesus warns us that those who are not willing to put their lives on the line for the sheep are worse than armchair pastors—Jesus calls them mere hired hands: “The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep” (John 10:12-13). 

     If I am called to be a shepherd leader, attacks will come from both sheep and wolves. It’s what I do in those hard times that shows whether I am truly called or merely acting as an armchair shepherd. 

Please check out both When Sheep Bite and Shepherd Leadership. And get in touch with me if you would like someone to talk to. 

You can check out the full conversation I had with John Opalewski and Jim Wiegand on their Leading From Alignment podcast here.

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The Serenity Prayer

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I am a big fan of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). They are founded on biblical principles. I would paraphrase two of the most important ones as: (1) We need a Savior to set us free and (2) We need friends to lean on. James 5:16 says this as succinctly as any verse: “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” 

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this blog post by clicking here.) 

AA says: “Often times, a person with substance use disorder may have a need for control that can prevent them from achieving peace of mind. They may feel frustrated that they cannot control the actions of other people and turn to substances like alcohol to control their feelings, even though the control that alcohol provides is a farce. The Serenity Prayer is a gentle reminder that letting go and accepting a loss of control can help put an end to the substance abuse cycle.” 

In light of our series called Is That in the Bible? let’s ask, is the serenity prayer in the Bible. 

No, it’s not, but still there are some very important principles we shouldn’t miss from this prayer. 

The full prayer is—

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. 
Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever and ever in the next. Amen.


Should Christians pray a prayer like this? Biblically, there is nothing wrong with Christians praying prayers that have been written by men or women, provided that they don’t contradict the words God has spoken to us. 

Remember James 5:16 that we looked at earlier? The Personalized Promise Bible has a prayer for that verse: 

If I have stumbled in any way, I do not need to fret over it—I can rest in full confidence that the Lord loves me and forgives all of my shortcomings. I also know that sin is a hindrance to my healing. Therefore, if there is any sin in my life I repent of it. I confess my sins to trusted brothers and sisters in Christ, gaining strength and praying in agreement with them so that I will be healed. 

And then they cross-reference about 10 more biblical passages that support this prayer—Psalm 103:1-5; Isaiah 53:4-5; 1 Peter 2:24; Matthew 9:22, 29; 18:19, 20; Mark 11:22-26; 16:18; Hebrews 12:1-3; Galatians 6:1-2. 

In a similar fashion, I see several passages of Scripture that are woven into the serenity prayer. 

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.” Proverbs 1:2-3 describes the help God’s wisdom gives us for daily living. 

“Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time.” Jesus taught us to pray each day for our daily bread (Matthew 6:8, 11). 

“Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace.” Jesus also taught us to pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven” (Matthew 6:10), and He also prayed a very similar prayer Himself when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Yet not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39). 

“Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will.” Jesus promised us both trouble in this world and His overcoming power to stand strong in that trouble (John 16:33). 

“That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever and ever in the next. Amen.” Jesus promises eternal rewards that vastly outweigh the trouble we may face in this life (Luke 12:32; Matthew 25:21, 34). 

The bottom line: The Bible is not just a Book to read through but a Book to pray through. ALL Scripture is for ALL servants of God. ALL Scripture is applicable to ALL the circumstances we will ever face in life.  

If something like the serenity prayer—or any other man-made prayer—is based on Scripture and helps give voice to your prayers, use them! But use them as guides to help you begin to form your own prayers from biblical passages you are reading for yourself.

Check out some of the other topics we have covered in this Is That in the Bible? series here.  

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Unity Is Not Conformity

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Unity is not conformity nor is it mimicry. The Holy Spirit unites Christians in their message of hope to the world, but He does this by empowering each of our unique testimonies to our culture. 

This is a message I shared with the congregation at Country Chapel during their week-long revival meetings.

The Scriptures I reference in this message are—2 Chronicles 18:1-13; Romans 12:2; Mark 12:28-31; John 12:49-50; John 8:34-36; 2 Corinthians 3:16-18; Acts 15:1-35; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:1-11.

I have previously shared a whole series of messages about how the Holy Spirit empowers Christians for ministry:

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Blessing The Blesser

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We’ve made it to the top step after a long climb. We’ve arrived! But arrived for what? Not for taking it easy, but for serving.  

Jesus was at the top, and consider what He did with that position:

  • He laid aside His prerogatives as God to serve us—Philippians 2:6-8 
  • He demonstrated this by becoming a servant of the servants—John 13:3-5 
  • He said, “For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as One who serves.” (Luke 22:27) 

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.) 

We strive for the top not to be served, but to serve. This is why the final Song of Ascent addresses those at the top as “servants of the Lord” (Psalm 134:1). 

The first duty of the servants is to praise (2x in vv. 1, 2). The KJV actually renders this word “bless,” which I believe is a good way for us to think about this. The word means: 

  1. praise God with a reverential mind and 
  2. celebrate God on bended knee 

In other words, both our heart and our body need to be in a posture of a praising servant. In the Septuagint, the word used for praise / bless is eulogeo, which means to say good words. In putting the two parts of the definition together, it mean we aren’t grumbling about our service (like “I have to do this”), but we are thankfully and worshipfully serving (as in “I get to do this!”). 

These servants are called to “minister…in the house of the Lord [and] in the sanctuary” (134:1-2), just as the priests in the tabernacle (1 Chronicles 9:33; Leviticus 6:13; 24:2, 4). 

This blessing and serving is itself a blessing which unlocks even more blessing. The final words of the final Song of Ascent is a prayer request (notice the word “may” in v. 3). 

The word bless in this final is the same word translated praise in vv. 1-2, except here the form of the verb means “to be shown divine favor”! 

We don’t get blessed by God because we have blessed God, but we bless God because He has already blessed us. I don’t command His blessing, but I bless Him in recognition of the blessing that continually flows from Him to me. 

To word minister as in v. 1 means to: 

  • endure all hardships 
  • continue until the task is done 
  • cause or help others to stand too 

God loves to bless people who love to bless people! 

As long as we’re here, keep blessing and serving others as your act of worship to God. Say good words to people about God and say good words to God about people. Lift up your hands, fall on your knees, sing out loud, or worship quietly in your heart. But keep on serving like Jesus. All of this blesses God. 

Your final and eternal reward in the Heavenly Zion is coming and it is beyond compare—

It will be good for those servants whose Master finds them watching when He comes. Truly I tell you, He will dress Himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose Master finds them ready, even if He comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. (Luke 12:37-38) 

In blessing others, we are blessing the God who has already blessed us and who longs to bless us for all of eternity! 

If you’ve missed any of the messages looking at the fifteen Songs of Ascent, you can find them all here. 

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Persecution From Religious Leaders

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The religious leaders who should have known God’s Word the best were the ones who wanted Jeremiah killed for speaking God’s Word boldly. 

     The priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord. Yet when Jeremiah finished speaking everything that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, “You must die!” … Then the priests and the prophets spoke to the officials and to all the people, saying, “A death sentence for this man! For he has prophesied against this city, just as you have heard with your own ears!” (Jeremiah 26:7-8, 11) 

They did this to Jesus. The religious leaders shouted louder and louder, “Crucify Him!” 

They will do this to me. Jesus said, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12). And He said, “Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On My account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles” (Matthew 10:17-18). 

When—not if—this persecution comes, I want to be able to stand before the religious and civil leaders of my time and be able to hear what Jesus heard from Pontius Pilate: “I find no basis for a charge against this Man” (John 18:38; 19:4, 6). 

Holy Spirit, help me to speak only what You tell me to speak and do only what You tell me to do (Matthew 10:19-20). Help me to respond quickly to any wrong thinking, speaking, or action that You point out so that I may just as quickly repent of that. I want my life to point others to Jesus, even as I face persecution. 

(I discuss the persecution flowchart above in more detail in this post.) 

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