A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope,
encouragement and exhortation.
Daily
Encouragement on
Monday, June 3,
2019
Flowers
centered in the leftover wire wheels at Brooksyne's
Uncle's cabin at Mountain Top, Arkansas. Flowers and car
parts give expression to both the lady and man of the
house.
"Power
To Proclaim"
Message
summary:
Today the power to
proclaim is still
available and so
needed. Let us be
filled with the Holy
Spirit, bear a
faithful witness for
Christ, and proclaim
in word and deed His
glorious message of
love and redemption!
Listen to our message on your audio player.
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
We visited with a young couple at lunch following our church service yesterday. Josh and Katie will soon leave the states for missionary service in a restricted area. Josh is a Penn State trained engineer and has worked in the secular world for the last seven years since his graduation. He plans to use his engineering background to gain entry and Katie will use her nursing background as they seek to provide a service while letting their light shine for Christ. They are following the call of Jesus Christ in our daily text to be His witnesses.
Yesterday
churches around the
world celebrated
Pentecost Sunday,
considered by many
to be the birth of
the church. Years
ago we were in a
small church and, at
the suggestion of a
senior member, we
sang "Happy
Birthday" to the
church, something
neither Brooksyne
nor I ever recall
doing before in our
church backgrounds!
Before Jesus ascended into heaven He promised the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and stated very clearly the purpose of the coming of the Holy Spirit in our daily verse. It can be summed up in the phrase, power to proclaim.
Some 726,000 days have passed since the initial outpouring when God's Holy Spirit fell upon the 120 who gathered in the Upper Room just fifty days after the Resurrection and ten days following the Ascension. What a marvelous day that was and today, like then, the Holy Spirit continues to empower men and women, young and old to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth.
Today, most of you are back at your workplace, having left the spiritual comfort zone of your church and home to enter the mission field God has called you to. That's how we should view work. Many of you are surrounded by people who curse and blaspheme God. Increasingly, people may mock and revile you because of your stand for Christ. These are the very people that God has empowered you to be a witness to and to proclaim his message in part by showing in every way the teaching about God our Savior is attractive! (see Titus 2:10)
God has called you to be a witness (Gr. "martus"). Now this will certainly include the verbal defense and explanation of our faith when opportunities arise. However it really involves all that we are; Christ's character being formed and demonstrated in our lives.
It is God's plan to continue to fill His people with the Holy Spirit even as He did in the book of Acts. Peter preached a powerful sermon following the initial outpouring in Acts 2 and 3,000 people were saved! We need the power of the Holy Spirit today. In examining Peter's sermon we note that God gave Peter power to proclaim the Gospel message and he demonstrates four characteristics we need in our witness:
Listen to our message on your audio player.
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
We visited with a young couple at lunch following our church service yesterday. Josh and Katie will soon leave the states for missionary service in a restricted area. Josh is a Penn State trained engineer and has worked in the secular world for the last seven years since his graduation. He plans to use his engineering background to gain entry and Katie will use her nursing background as they seek to provide a service while letting their light shine for Christ. They are following the call of Jesus Christ in our daily text to be His witnesses.
Yesterday
churches around the
world celebrated
Pentecost Sunday,
considered by many
to be the birth of
the church. Years
ago we were in a
small church and, at
the suggestion of a
senior member, we
sang "Happy
Birthday" to the
church, something
neither Brooksyne
nor I ever recall
doing before in our
church backgrounds!Before Jesus ascended into heaven He promised the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and stated very clearly the purpose of the coming of the Holy Spirit in our daily verse. It can be summed up in the phrase, power to proclaim.
Some 726,000 days have passed since the initial outpouring when God's Holy Spirit fell upon the 120 who gathered in the Upper Room just fifty days after the Resurrection and ten days following the Ascension. What a marvelous day that was and today, like then, the Holy Spirit continues to empower men and women, young and old to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth.
Today, most of you are back at your workplace, having left the spiritual comfort zone of your church and home to enter the mission field God has called you to. That's how we should view work. Many of you are surrounded by people who curse and blaspheme God. Increasingly, people may mock and revile you because of your stand for Christ. These are the very people that God has empowered you to be a witness to and to proclaim his message in part by showing in every way the teaching about God our Savior is attractive! (see Titus 2:10)
God has called you to be a witness (Gr. "martus"). Now this will certainly include the verbal defense and explanation of our faith when opportunities arise. However it really involves all that we are; Christ's character being formed and demonstrated in our lives.
It is God's plan to continue to fill His people with the Holy Spirit even as He did in the book of Acts. Peter preached a powerful sermon following the initial outpouring in Acts 2 and 3,000 people were saved! We need the power of the Holy Spirit today. In examining Peter's sermon we note that God gave Peter power to proclaim the Gospel message and he demonstrates four characteristics we need in our witness:
1) The
power to proclaim
follows the Lord's
strength to stand
up (Acts
2:14).
2) The
power to proclaim
results in the
Scriptures being
opened and
exposited. Notice
Peter's use of
Scripture in his
sermon (Acts
2:17-21, 25-28
and 34,35).
3) The
power to proclaim
comes from a life
centered on Jesus
(Acts
4:13).
4) The
power to proclaim
must include the
foundational
message of the
Gospel. Peter
stuck to the
basics. In Acts
the main things
are the plain
things (Believe,
repent, be
baptized, be
filled with the
Spirit, walk with
Jesus). Let this
be true in your
own life and
witness. (Acts
2:42)
Today the
power to proclaim is
still available and
so needed. Let us
all be filled with
the Holy Spirit,
bear a faithful
witness for Christ,
and proclaim in word
and deed His
glorious message of
love and redemption!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father, I'm so
thankful that
when Jesus
departed from
the earth and
ascended into
heaven You did
not leave us
comfortless or
without
guidance.
Instead Your
Holy Spirit
empowers us so
that we can
effectively
proclaim the
gospel of
Jesus Christ
through
Scriptural
teaching and
through our
godly example.
Help us to be
faithful in
our walk and
grace-filled
in our talk in
the mission
field You've
appointed us
to. In Jesus'
name we pray.
Amen.Today
we share some
photos from
Brooksyne's
trip she
returned from
last week to
Texas,
Oklahoma and
Arkansas.
Brooksyne
and Ester at
the Alamo in
San Antonio,
TX.
Goats
are fun to
watch wherever
they live!
These
are in New
Braunfels,
Texas next
door to
Brooksyne's
sister's
place.
This
old tractor
resting but
waiting for
someone to
lovingly
restore it on
Mountain Top
Road (Google
map) in
rural
Arkansas, near
Brooksyne's
uncle's cabin.
Ester
sits low in
this old Ford
truck at the
Route 66
Historical
Village,
Tulsa,
Oklahoma just
up the street
from
Brooksyne's
Daniel Webster
High School.
Tornado
damage in
Sapulpa,
Oklahoma about
four miles
from the motel
where
Brooksyne
stayed in West
Tulsa.
Today's
Suggested
Music and
Supplemental Resources
Finally today:
This plaque has a
very personal message for
Brooksyne's Uncle Carroll.
Several years ago he had a
terrible run-in with his
bull and it really messed up
the right side of his face
and eye. After plastic
surgery his skin was
restored though the eye has
some permanent damage.
Brooksyne found this plaque
awhile back and took it with
her to present it to Carroll
at their family reunion in
Arkansas. He and others
found it to be an amusing
but also realistic message
of the danger of a fierce
bull. He is going to hang it
in his cabin on the mountain
as a reminder.
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
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