It Must Be God

Leviticus 11
Acts 14

Food for Life:

Leviticus 11
"I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy... I am the Lord who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy" (11:44,45).

What does it mean to be holy as God is holy? Holiness is a state of being set apart, separate, unique, and different. Certainly we can see that God is the ultimate Holy One. He is other than - supernatural, God. So how are we to be holy? Through Leviticus we see instructions given from the Lord for the Israelites, His people, to be different than the pagan nations and people around them. Those who worshiped other gods ate and sacrificed the kinds of animals that the Israelites are instructed not to eat or touch....otherwise causing them to be unclean (which included staying away from animals that tended to carry more disease because of what they ate).This chapter while focusing on what animals to eat, is about holiness...about being different than those around them. And to take great care about how they approach God.

We can apply these principles to our lives in the way that we carry ourselves in this world. We live in this world but we aren't of this world. So, while all kinds of actions, attitudes, thoughts, and ideas swirl around us - those ungodly ones are those from which we are to set ourselves apart. And this begins within ourselves - by the Holy Spirit who has brought us to the Lord, given us new hearts, who has taken up residence within us, and empowers/enables/gives us the desire to 'be holy'. To be set apart, to be different. Can people around me, people around you, recognize that we are different?

Acts 14
13:52 - "And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit." Do those around us notice us for the joy and the Holy Spirit with whom we are filled? "Lord continually fill us with Your joy and with the Holy Spirit. Help us to position ourselves in such a way that this filling is possible. Thank You Lord."

As Paul and Barnabas spoke in the Jewish synagogue, "a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed" (14:1). And "the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers" (14:2). As a result, Paul and Barnabas spent more time and spoke boldly and as they did the Lord confirmed their message of His grace by enabling them to perform miraculous signs and wonders (14:3).

So, in the previous chapter we read how the Jews had rejected Jesus, which led to the opening up of the Message to go out to Gentiles, and as the Message continued to be preached, both Jews and Gentiles came to faith in Christ in great numbers ("Oh Lord, let that be again today!"). Still, their were those who fought against Paul and Barnabas (actually against the Lord...) to dissuade others from believing. God's response was to empower miraculous signs and wonders to be performed through Paul and Barnabas.

We live in a day and time in America where the climate for the spread of the Gospel seems to be much like it was during Paul and Barnabas' time! Many don't believe and many are being persuaded to reject Christ ( I don't hear of a great number being saved, unlike Paul's time). Will you pray with me that the Lord will move through His people with miraculous signs and wonders to confirm the Gospel Message in a America and throughout the world; that God's people will be so "filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit...holy" that others will see and believe? "At the same time Lord, that the humility of Jesus would reign so that people would not bow down to worship the created, but the Creator (14:11-15)." Jesus' return is imminent, this is the time for many to turn to Jesus and believe! "Lord, whatever it takes, spread Your message and confirm it in ways that people will see and say "it must be God" and turn and believe. Thank you Lord."