Fasting Day 3

Today: READ Acts 1

 1 Corinthians 15:12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is without foundation, and so is your faith.

Redeemer Drama in Nuevo Laredo 2013

Acts 1 opens up with the reminder of all Jesus did on earth after His resurrection and before His ascension. It is important to never forget the importance of His resurrection, because without it, what we are doing is meaningless. Without it, Jesus was just a crazy man.

“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” - C.S. Lewis 

Let’s focus on a small portion of Acts 1:

The Holy Spirit Promised
4 While He was together[a] with them, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. “This,” He said, “is what you heard from Me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 So when they had come together, they asked Him, “Lord, are You restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by His own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends[b] of the earth.”
a. Acts 1:4 Or He was eating, or He was lodging
b. Acts 1:8 Lit the end 

Jesus did not come to conquer lands, but conquer hearts. We aren't going into Mexico to eradicate the cartels by force.The disciples were still confused about this, which is evident by their question of “restoring the kingdom to Israel.” They thought He was coming to restore Israel in the political sense, something that would not happen for over 1900 years from this point in the bible! Jesus pretty much says not to worry about this part, but to just rest in the fact that they will receive POWER when the Holy Spirit comes on them. At the time, I wonder what the disciples were thinking was going to happen. They couldn't do a google search for “gifts of the holy spirit” to figure it out. They just had to wait on the Holy Spirit and the promises of Jesus. They would go on to heal the sick, raise the dead, escape prison without the use of force, and most importantly, lead countless people to a saving knowledge of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Something that was really on my mind after the first mission trip I went on to El Salvador was how when we went to Mexico, I wanted to see more of God’s moving in those miraculous ways of the Spirit. That longing was satisfied ten-fold, but God also reminded me of something- and that is the fact that He is more concerned with saving souls! Luke 15:7 says that “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who don’t need repentance.”

Benito enters into a relationship with Jesus. And the angels rejoice.

The original call was to the disciples, but you will soon see and hear the amazing things that God is going to do with the Carr St Wrecking Crew that is going to Mexico to tear down the strongholds of the devil. We will each receive POWER when the Holy Spirit comes on us! We will be His witnesses to far off lands. We will see people healed. We will see joy restored. We will see the Spirit flow like an untamable river. We will see the Spirit work through our lack of Spanish, through the weakness of our dramas, and at the end of the day, will only be able to give God the glory for all we will see! We aren't building fame for ourselves, we are building Glory to our God, Who deserves it all! Who deserves all of us!

2 Corinthians 12:9-11 says: 9 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. 10 So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, catastrophes, persecutions, and in pressures, because of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 

 In our weakness, God is going to do great things on this trip! Remember as you are fasting, that in your weakness, God is strong. In your hunger, God can satisfy. Rely on Him fully, and you will want for nothing. Seek God with your whole heart, and you will find Him!

God- thank you for using our weakness to magnify Your strength! This week, continue to tune our hearts, let us be your instruments that sing Your song for all to hear. We are all instruments in Your orchestra Lord and You are our only audience, Let us hold Your promises close and watch as You plan unfolds, All for your glory and praise, playing the song that You composed! 

 Instrument idea paraphrased from the song “Instruments of Mercy” by a group called Beautiful Eulogy, who release all their music for free. If you want, check them out here:

http://www.humblebeast.com/downloads/beautiful-eulogy-instruments-of-mercy-download/