Listening to the Word

Nehemiah 13; Malachi 1, 2; Acts 4   “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.” Acts 4:31-33 Are we tired of playing church? Do we long for the reality of God’s presence, anointing, unity, and power? Prayer from a place of being broken, desperate and faith-filled was all that the early Church knew. They had no other place to go, but the presence of the Lord! When persecution and opposition confronted their witness, they went back to the presence of the Lord together. They sought God’s face for new empowerment, new prophetic insight, new love for one another, and new levels of faith for their provision and protection. Grace, mu

Nehemiah 11-12; Psalms 1; Acts 3 “…’Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.’…He jumped to his feet and began to walk…’By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.’” Acts 3:6, 8, 16 We can only give to others what we already have.   What do we have to give to those around us who are in addictions, loneliness, sickness, trauma, and pain? Peter and John had the name of Jesus. We often give silver and gold, or our time and compassion. Peter and John gave the living presence of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is by faith in the name of Jesus that people are healed, restored, freed, and empowered today.   Do we know Jesus in all those ways so we, too, can share his name with others? Are we walking through our day with confidence in the name of Jesus for both our

  Nehemiah 9-10; Acts 2   “…’Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’ The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.” Acts 2:38, 39 The gift of the Holy Spirit is for those who have repented of their sin and now consecrate their lives to God. The person of the Holy Spirit releases prophetic anointing in our lives which transforms everything we do. “…I will pour out my Spirit in those days and they will prophesy.” (Acts 2:18) When we are led by the Holy Spirit, witnessing bears fruit, preaching bears fruit, service bears fruit, and discipleship bears fruit that remains. The Lord is not limited by age or distance but is calling us from every generation and every people group around the world to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that is the key to multiplication. God’s first command was t

Nehemiah 7-8; Acts 1   “’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.’…They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty).” Acts 1:8, 14, 15 Peter had experienced the stirring up of his affections for Christ when Jesus asked three times if he loved him. Jesus instructed his disciples to wait for the gift of the Father before going out to witness to others what they had received from Christ. Peter led a ten-day prayer meeting in Jerusalem, waiting on the Father. It’s not easy to wait on the Lord before we go out to bear witness. But without the empowering of the Holy Spirit our witnessing will lack impact or lasting fruit. The passion Peter felt for Christ translated into prayer, then power and proclamatio

  Nehemiah 5-6; Psalms 146; Luke 24 “When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight…Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.” Luke 24:30, 31, 35 Jesus gave his disciples the symbols of his body and blood in the Passover meal. Then, days later he used the same symbols to reveal himself to two others of his disciples who were not present at that Passover meal. Why did Jesus choose to reveal his divinity to these disciples in the “breaking of bread”? John would later quote Jesus as saying, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). ” If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever…” (John 6:51). Jesus wanted these disciples, and us, to know that what we need to live comes from him. Today, what we need to live comes from Jesus. He is our life. Feeding on this living bread satisfies

Nehemiah 3-4; Luke 23 “…’Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome and fight for your brothers,’…’The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. Whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!’” Nehemiah 4:14, 19, 20 It’s human nature to focus on the problems and opposition in both our lives and the mission-call of God. Nehemiah’s responsibility as a leader was to refocus the attention of God’s people on the Lord. “Remember the Lord who is great and awesome and fight…(Nehemiah 4:14).” Where is our focus today? What refocusing words is the Lord asking us to encourage others with today? Nehemiah used a trumpet call to gather the builders when they were attacked. Today, we use emails and conference calls to blow a trumpet and gather God’s people to pray and resist the enemy. Our faith-filled response combined with God’s intervention is still how the Lord works today. “Lord G