Times of Refreshing
Bible Reading: Acts 3:1-26; 4:1-4
If you are needing some words of encouragement. Take some time right now to read these words from the book of Acts. You may also listen at the bottom of this page. May you be refreshed by God Himself. I pray with love, Pastor Buck
RESTORATION has to do with many areas of life. Today we will look at the restoration aspects of Healing and Lending & Repaying.
Healing:
Mark 8:25 Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.
Luke 6:10 And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.
Acts 3:6-11 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God. 10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. 11 Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed.
Lending & Repaying
Psalm 37:21 The wicked borrows and does not repay, But the righteous shows mercy and gives.
Deuteronomy 15:6 For the LORD your God will bless you just as He promised you; you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you.
Deuteronomy 28:13 And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.
Luke 14:12-15 Jesus said, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. 13 "But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. 14 "And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just." 15 Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!"
RECONCILIATION takes place in a Horizontal and Vertical direction but both require God the Holy Spirit to fully accomplish true reconciliation.
Horizontal Reconciliation means healing and forgiveness between our earthly horizontal relationships one to another. Looking to the left and the the right to all human beings here on earth.
Matthew 5:21-24 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' 22 "But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 "leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
Matthew 18:19-22 "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." 21 Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
Vertical Reconciliation means us as a human looking up to God, to our Lord Jesus Christ and acknowledging we are sinners in need of a savior and receive His forgiveness. We then become Righteous or Right Standing before God. He makes us made pure, holy and righteous in His sight.
Lamentations 5:21 Turn us back to You, O LORD, and we will be restored; Renew our days as of old,
Romans 10:9-11 If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."
John 3:14-18 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 "that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
At the Intersection is our Mediator - When both our Vertical and Horizontal relationships are in order, it is very interesting to note that when you put them together it forms a Cross with Jesus Christ at the intersection point.
Hebrews 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
1Timothy 2:1-5 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.
REFRESHMENT The ultimate moment of refreshment in life is being forgiving by Jesus for our sin. Having our iniquities completely washed away and our conscience made perfectly clear to truly love God, freely serving Him.
Acts 3:19-21 is says, Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.
Act 4:1-4 - Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, (who said there is no resurrection); came upon them, 2 being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
We read here that with Peter’s second sermon 5,000 men are completely refreshed by being led to believe in Jesus Christ as their Messiah.
It is my prayer today that you are supernaturally Restored, Reconciled, and Refreshed by God the Holy Spirit, through the finished work on the cross of Jesus Christ, to the glory of God our Father.
Blessings and grace be upon you!
Pastor Buck
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