Jesus Commissions Disciples

God's Urgent Call
Calling of Prophets

Called to Witness

Acts 1:1-11 The Message

To the Ends of the World

1 1-5 Dear Theophilus, in the first volume of this book I wrote on everything that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he said good-bye to the apostles, the ones he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and was taken up to heaven. After his death, he presented himself alive to them in many different settings over a period of forty days. In face-to-face meetings, he talked to them about things concerning the kingdom of God. As they met and ate meals together, he told them that they were on no account to leave Jerusalem but “must wait for what the Father promised: the promise you heard from me. John baptized in water; you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit. And soon.”
6 When they were together for the last time they asked, “Master, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now? Is this the time?”
7-8 He told them, “You don’t get to know the time. Timing is the Father’s business. What you’ll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world.”
9-11 These were his last words. As they watched, he was taken up and disappeared in a cloud. They stood there, staring into the empty sky. Suddenly two men appeared—in white robes! They said, “You Galileans!—why do you just stand here looking up at an empty sky? This very Jesus who was taken up from among you to heaven will come as certainly—and mysteriously—as he left.”

For Reflection

As Christ has commissioned His disciples, He also calls us into service.  They ask as we sometimes do, “Master, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now?"  They expected Christ to do the work from which they would benefit.

Instead, Christ tells them that they are to spread the good news.  They, and now we, are to work for the Kingdom of God in the here and now and God will decide when the task is complete.

As the Holy Spirit has entered the souls of the Disciples, it will enter our souls and lead us to the work for which God made us.  Our role is clear. We are to witness to God's sovereignty and power. We are to show the world the veracity in a life lived in the hollow of the hands of God.

Pray

Pray that you will recognize the call for which you were made.  Pray that you will open your soul to the infinite possibility of service to the Lord.

David's Kingdom Restored

God's Urgent Call
Calling of Prophets

Amos's Call 

Amos 9:11-15 The Message 

Blessings Like Wine Pouring off the Mountains

11-12 “But also on that Judgment Day I will restore David’s house that has fallen to pieces. I’ll repair the holes in the roof, replace the broken windows, fix it up like new. David’s people will be strong again and seize what’s left of enemy Edom, plus everyone else under my sovereign judgment.” God’s Decree. He will do this.
13-15 “Yes indeed, it won’t be long now.” God’s Decree.
“Things are going to happen so fast your head will swim, one thing fast on the heels of the other. You won’t be able to keep up. Everything will be happening at once—and everywhere you look, blessings! Blessings like wine pouring off the mountains and hills. I’ll make everything right again for my people Israel:
“They’ll rebuild their ruined cities.
They’ll plant vineyards and drink good wine.
They’ll work their gardens and eat fresh vegetables.
And I’ll plant them, plant them on their own land.
They’ll never again be uprooted from the land I’ve given them.”
God, your God, says so.

For Reflection

Amos shows us the kind of life that is possible if one is God centered and follows Christ's example.  It is a doubtless expression of the will of God. It naturally flows as a result of transformed people who experience life in the image of God.

What is the cost of such a preposterously ambitious proposal? The cost is your life, given to the Glory of God.  The reward is to be more fully human and at one with the Holy Spirit.

The choice is yours. It's time to pay up.

Pray

Pray for opportunities to witness to the Holy Spirit which resides within you.  Pray for the courage to live as Christ has lived.  Pray and listen for God's whispered wisdom.

Let Justice Roll Down Like Waters

God's Urgent Call
Calling of Prophets

Amos's Call 

Amos 5:18-24 The Message

Time to Face Hard Reality, Not Fantasy

18-20 Woe to all of you who want God’s Judgment Day!
    Why would you want to see God, want him to come?
When God comes, it will be bad news before it’s good news,
    the worst of times, not the best of times.
Here’s what it’s like: A man runs from a lion
    right into the jaws of a bear.
A woman goes home after a hard day’s work
    and is raped by a neighbor.
At God’s coming we face hard reality, not fantasy—
    a black cloud with no silver lining.
21-24 “I can’t stand your religious meetings.
    I’m fed up with your conferences and conventions.
I want nothing to do with your religion projects,
    your pretentious slogans and goals.
I’m sick of your fund-raising schemes,
    your public relations and image making.
I’ve had all I can take of your noisy ego-music.
    When was the last time you sang to me?
Do you know what I want?
    I want justice—oceans of it.
I want fairness—rivers of it.
    That’s what I want. That’s all I want.

For Reflection

We sing God's Glory.  We assert God's sovereignty. We meet each Sabbath in God's name. We Pray for God's Blessing. We sing in tribute to God. Is God so insecure that God needs such adoration?

I think not! God doesn't need our praise or adoration.  Such prayers are for ourselves so that we remember who God is and define our commitment and relationship to God. God wants our collaboration in forming Gods Kingdom on Earth. Wants our action.  God wants us to foster justice.

Social justice and distributive justice is not a liberal agenda nor a nieve fantasy, anti-government, anti-economic growth, or any number of misdirected allegations from those who want to keep things just as they are.  It is a deep seated Christian imperative. Inspired by Jesus, social justice is a deeply spiritual practice.  How are you contributing to a fair and just world?

Pray

Pray prayers of worship to God so that you will remember your story of God's love. Pray prayers of thanksgiving and praise so that you will be centered in your faith.  Pray that you will glorify God through acts of justice, empowerment, and love.

Seek God and Live

God's Urgent Call
Calling of Prophets

Amos's Call 

Amos 5:10-15 The Message 

10-12 People hate this kind of talk.
    Raw truth is never popular.
But here it is, bluntly spoken:
    Because you run roughshod over the poor
    and take the bread right out of their mouths,
You’re never going to move into
    the luxury homes you have built.
You’re never going to drink wine
    from the expensive vineyards you’ve planted.
I know precisely the extent of your violations,
    the enormity of your sins. Appalling!
You bully right-living people,
    taking bribes right and left and kicking the poor when they’re down.
13 Justice is a lost cause. Evil is epidemic.
    Decent people throw up their hands.
Protest and rebuke are useless,
    a waste of breath.
14 Seek good and not evil—
    and live!
You talk about God, the God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
    being your best friend.
Well, live like it,
    and maybe it will happen.
15 Hate evil and love good,
    then work it out in the public square.
Maybe God, the God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
    will notice your remnant and be gracious.

For Reflection

"You can't handle the truth!"

Yes, the truth is hard for some.  The truth can violate your vision of who you are and what you are doing is of value.  No one wants to see himself or herself as a no-account. Some will respond to the criticism and repent,  but more will become defensive and reject the message that their folly is doomed to failure.

Amos recommends that we love God, trust God and respond to God's love for us by letting the Holy Spirit fill us with the capacity to do good.  If we find cultural facets that we find abhorrent, rather than whine and criticize and wish things were different, create a new culture by helping people find a way to live a life that is less unfair, less painful and filled with the common good. Be Creative, not Destructive.  Build up, not Teardown! Do the righteous thing.

Pray

Pray about what disturbs you so that God will lead you to develop your creative ability to do good things that hallow God's name.

Oracle Against Israel

God's Urgent Call
Calling of Prophets

Amos's Call 

Amos 1:1-2,3:12-15 The Message

1 The Message of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa, that he received on behalf of Israel. It came to him in visions during the time that Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam II son of Joash was king of Israel, two years before the big earthquake.

Swallowing the Same Old Lies

2 The Message:
God roars from Zion,
    shouts from Jerusalem!
The thunderclap voice withers the pastures tended by shepherds,
    shrivels Mount Carmel’s proud peak.
12 God’s Message:
“In the same way that a shepherd
    trying to save a lamb from a lion
Manages to recover
    just a pair of legs or the scrap of an ear,
So will little be saved of the Israelites
    who live in Samaria—
A couple of old chairs at most,
    the broken leg of a table.
13-15 “Listen and bring witness against Jacob’s family”—
    this is God’s Word, God-of-the-Angel-Armies!
“Note well! The day I make Israel pay for its sins,
    pay for the sin-altars of worship at Bethel,
The horned altars will all be dehorned
    and scattered around.
I’ll tear down the winter palace,
    smash the summer palace—all your fancy buildings.
The luxury homes will be demolished,
    all those pretentious houses.”
        God’s Decree.

For Reflection

Again God's people have turned against him.  Because of their disobedience and idolatry, they have sealed their fate.  Of what good is their power and wealth? It will not save them from the fruits of their folly.

How much do you depend upon your personal power? How much do you depend on God?

Pray

Pray that you will be dependent upon God.  Pray that your need to build security is based upon your trust in God. Pray that you will have the courage and wisdom to follow in the footsteps of Christ.

Hananiah Opposes a Prophetic Message

God's Urgent Call
Calling of Prophets

Amos's Call 

Jeremiah 28:12-16 The Message

12-14 Later, sometime after Hananiah had smashed the yoke from off his shoulders, Jeremiah received this Message from God: “Go back to Hananiah and tell him, ‘This is God’s Message: You smashed the wooden yoke-bars; now you’ve got iron yoke-bars. This is a Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel’s own God: I’ve put an iron yoke on all these nations. They’re harnessed to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. They’ll do just what he tells them. Why, I’m even putting him in charge of the wild animals.’”
15-16 So prophet Jeremiah told prophet Hananiah, “Hold it, Hananiah! God never sent you. You’ve talked the whole country into believing a pack of lies! And so God says, ‘You claim to be sent? I’ll send you all right—right off the face of the earth! Before the year is out, you’ll be dead because you fomented sedition against God.’”

For Reflection

At God's request, Jeremiah tells the people to submit to the awful rule of King Nebuchadnezzar so that they might avoid inhalation. They are asked to trust God. The bondage will only last a short time (70 Yrs.), and then they will again be free.

But the people became fearful and angry at such an unreasonable idea. Had it not been for Jeremiah's supporters, he would have been attacked and killed.

Hananiah then speaks for the people and invokes God's name urging the resistance to Babylon's aggression. Hananiah is a false prophet, and Jeremiah reveals his treacherous lies.

Pray

Pray for the wisdom to discern true from false prophets. Pray that you will trust in God no matter how unreasonable God's call may seem. Pray that you will remember that God has only your best interest as God's first interest.

Israel Exalted at Last

God's Urgent Call
Calling of Prophets

Ezekiels' Call 

Ezekiel 17:22-24 The Message

22-24 “‘God, the Master, says, I personally will take a shoot from the top of the towering cedar, a cutting from the crown of the tree, and plant it on a high and towering mountain, on the high mountain of Israel. It will grow, putting out branches and fruit—a majestic cedar. Birds of every sort and kind will live under it. They’ll build nests in the shade of its branches. All the trees of the field will recognize that I, God, made the great tree small and the small tree great, made the green tree turn dry and the dry tree sprout green branches. I, God, said it—and I did it.’”

For Reflection

The promise of God still stands as a pinnacle of hope for all humanity. God is the sovereign King of God's creation, majestic, powerful and full of grace. Rest in the shade of God.

Pray

Pray that your ears will soften to hear the word of God.  Pray that God's voice becomes your voice.  Pray confessions of sin and intercession in your journey toward repentance. Pray to seek the truth that lies in the birth, life, and death of Jesus Christ.