Transformation of mind

Acts of Paul in Ephesus

Hi friends, so basically every Wednesday we have a fellowship gathering at a friend's places where all students of Christian faith from our college gather. 

So this week it so happened that the  message nearly moved my heart because the day before I was looking into so many books on wattpad that was trying to tell so much about our God. Our true God.

And it's actually feels so nice that our christians do such work and in turn try as much as they could to tell people of other faith or the ones who don't believe in deity.  I seriously have no strength to tell such people when they just assort to bad language telling our God is evil or Bad mouthing our Holy God.

That actually kind of had some impact on me and I prayed for them. It really breaks heart reading comments of such people. Because even if our Christian friends try to answer them, they misinterpret the verses and often don't accept what the Bible tells us about.

Yeah! Back to the point. So I was telling God spoke to me through his word within 24 hours. Is not our God quick to listen to our silly doubts? And also clarify them!

The scripture we meditated on was Acts of Apostles Chapter 19. And I recommend do read it before you look into the further study. Frankly speaking when this portion was selected I didn't know what would come out of it. Because most often we love to read psalms or proverbs or the gospels and my favourite book is Philippians. What's yours?

1) Acts 19: 1-7
Here we see Paul who arrived in Ephesus and found some believers who did not hear what the holy spirit was. And they have taken the baptism of Repentance through John the Baptist. But yet again they have taken Baptism again in the name of Lord Jesus. And that's when they received the Holy Spirit and could speak in tongues and prophesied. 
These disciples we can compare them to Today's Nominal Christians.

If you know the meaning of Nominal. It just means Name for sake Christians who just know about Christ but have no experience with Him. The disciples were from the time of Jesus. They might have heard his sermons. And have seen him doing miracles. The same way even nowadays Christians know the Bible and Jesus. They can speak a lot about him and his love. But they have no personal experience! They do not have a relationship Christ wants with each and every believer.

This personal experience can be compared with the baptism taken by the disciples in the name of Jesus. Unless they have that intimate relationship with Christ, they cannot experience the real taste of God's goodness. A nominal Christian can only become a believer if u had a personal experience. This personal experience is the real touch and encounter with the Holy Spirit.

2)Acts 19: 8-10
Here we see some people who became obstinate and refused to believe what God is trying to speak through his apostle Paul. What did those people do?? They have publicly abused the ways and the name of the Lord. And do you think they did not know the gospel? No!  They have heard the gospel from Paul through whom there was a huge revival in Rome and Asia. Do you think that every person who hears the gospel is touched by it and get saved?! Absolutely no. There are many head believers we can call them. People who only read the Bible as book of History and know the verses too. These people tend to put the blame on God for a child who is suffering from a cancer, or a natural calamity that has occured some where. Do you think God caused and created them? We live in a fractured fallen world. This earth was not how God wanted it to be. We are fallen. We are destroying our own earth for our selfish needs like cutting trees to build skyscrapers and pollute our land with burning fuels,  using air conditioners. These cause many cancerous diseases. Poor child she did nothing to get sick. Who did? Not God but man's behaviour against the environment. These cause Global warming. NOT God!! What we sow, so we reap ! The logic behind this is just that.

What Paul did to them really astonished me. What do we do? We try to argue and discuss lengthy sessions. Yet what do they gain out of it? Nothing! Their hearts have become hard. So Paul just left them!

Our Jesus is a gentle saviour. If you refuse him and tell him," I don't need a God like you, Am happy the way I am! I am the master of my own decisions and philosophy!" Then Jesus leaves them. Because just as it is said " Many are called, but few are Chosen"

Once anyone refuses the gospel then God will not force that person to believe in Him! You can read Romans 1: 18-31 for a more clear view. But we can look into verse 28 here, it's written God gave them over to a depraved mind so they do not attain the knowledge of God. They read the Bible too..but they read it find out faults in it and to shake ot weaken the believers.  But not all believers are weak. There was a point in the life of Billy Graham when he was busy in preaching and bringing out a revival in the USA where he doubted the existence or we can say doubted his belief. This happened because his close friend and a fellow pastor resigned from the church and stated publicly that he was no more a believer of Christ. Guys that man was a preacher who brought about revival along with Billy Graham. Yet Billy Graham didn't  lose his  faith.

Guys this is just the first part of this chapter study. Then second part is interesting too.
Any doubts , opinions and corrections are welcome. This word helped me and I do nothing but just remeber them in my prayers and removed the sadness. He truly gives unspeakable joy to the mourning. I literally had tears when I heard this. Because the people are foolish at heart and yet they think themselves as wise and in the end they will perish.I don't want that to happen. So let's just pray for them. Leave them like how Paul did, maybe he might have prayed for them. We don't know.

Stay Blessed

Shirley 😊