SCRIP-BITS

Acts 10:38.      How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
 
Oh Friends, the Lord has blessed us with another beautiful day on this bountiful earth! Praise and bless His Holy Name! Yeh, that’s something we ought to do, because it’s not everyone who was up and about yesterday that are up and about today. So if you’re one of the lucky, blessed ones; not one of those reading their names in the obits, please convey some thanks and praise to our heavenly Father for it. Now here’s a Gaelic Prayer of Peace that I got when I attended the St.Augustine Anglican Church last Sunday in J.A. It says, very wisely and comfortingly: ‘Deep peace of the running waves to you. Deep peace of the flowing air to you. Deep peace of the smiling stars to you. Deep peace of the watching shepherds to you. Deep peace of the Son of Peace to you.’ Yes my Friends, I wish that deep peace to all of us today, and sincerely pray that our world will enjoy more peace today than it did yesterday, that war and strife will be less today, than they were yesterday, and our children’s children will enjoy a much more peaceful earthly journey than our generation has done. I pray this in the blessed name of Jesus. Amen. Now let’s engage our Bit for the last time today. And I sense a smile from those of you who don’t like to use a Bit for more than one day, but sometimes the Bits are just so full of wonderful truths and promises that we just have to keep at them until we exhaust all the wisdom they can provide. And this has certainly been one of those. ‘How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.’ Wow Friends! Doesn’t that just say plenty? It sure does: God anointing Jesus with His Holy Spirit; Jesus going about healing and doing good; and God being with Him while He did that. And it’s that last part; ‘for God was with him,’ that I want to look at today. And we’ll do so by first looking at a very important passage of scripture. It’s the eye opening conversation between Nicodemus, a Pharisee, and Jesus. ‘The same (Nicodemus) came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles (signs) that thou doest, except God be with him.’ (John 3:2) Now Friends, that’s a statement that both astounds and confuses me. It is indeed a truthful statement, for Jesus could not have done all those miracles without God’s help. So why then didn’t many more people believe in Him eh, especially when the Jewish nation was undergoing such horrendous oppression under Roman rule? I guess the Jews had been looking so long and hard for a war mongering Messiah, that when a peace-LOVING one came, they just could not fathom or accept it, plus the ruling class was genuinely afraid they’d lose their preferred status, and would do anything to protect it. But here’s Jesus’ answer to Nicodemus. And this is where it gets real interesting. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again (or from above), he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus (obviously confused) saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth (wishes); and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.’ (John 3:3-8) Yes mih breddren, that’s the overwhelming importance of the Holy Spirit! Unless we have it, we can’t enter heaven. And we can only get it by being born again, believing and accepting with unswerving faith that Jesus is and was the Messiah, who died to pay for our sins. Notice that Jesus Himself was baptized and born again of the Holy Spirit. (Mark 1:9-11) And as Jesus later said unto a group in the temple: ‘I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.’ (John 8:24) Oh Friends, I surely hope that all of us, who say we believe, do indeed truly believe, so that we don’t die in our sins, for that would be a terrible outcome of this earthly life. At the same time, we should also be concentrating on getting others to truly believe so that they don’t die in their sins, for that was Jesus’ last directive to His disciples, (Matt. 28:19-20) and consequently to us. And we’ll end with the definitive words of Jesus on the topic. ‘When ye have lifted up (crucified) the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.’ (John 8:28-29) And all God’s people declared a loud ‘Amen!’ Yes my fellow believers, our God is always with us when we’re doing His will. Let’s never forget that. So let’s ponder today, whether we’re truly doing His will, and if not, try to bring ourselves in line with it, so that we might continually enjoy His awesome company, just like Jesus did. Much LOVE!…only if we sincerely seek the Lord…will we find Him…