"And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common." Acts 4:32

Berkshire Hills Baptist Church |
190 Pleasant Street - Route 102, Lee, MA 01238
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"And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common." Acts 4:32 ![]() Warning; if you love Jesus, but don’t love His church – these blessings can never be yours. The early church (that is the gathering of Christians in a local area) of Jerusalem experienced great blessings and persecutions, setting the precedent for all future assemblies. In common they had this - they believed (had faith) and in this, they were of one heart and mind. "14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled" Hebrews 12:14 ![]() In order to remember and take hold of God’s grace, we need a dose of old fashioned diligence. It is not bad to have cell phones, ipods, and kindles; but all this technology sometimes gives us a false sense of accomplishment. Its ‘instant’ nature may also make it hard to discipline ourselves. However, in God’s kingdom – it takes discipline and diligence to following God’s path. We must continually strive, even when our flesh becomes tired and no longer wants to read God’s word or pray. "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" Hebrews 12:14 ![]() We are to follow after God’s holiness; as believers in Christ, we are to be holy because He is holy (1 Peter 1:16). Since we are to imitate God in all His ways, let’s live in His holiness. This does not mean we look down on the spirituality of other people; instead, it means we think others better than ourselves in all our ways while striving to obey Him. We ought not live holy because it is our duty; instead, we ought to live holy because of what He has done for us. C.T. Studd says, “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.” "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots." Luke 23:34 ![]() Even while hanging on the cross in payment for the sins of the world and even in the middle of the agony and suffering He was experiencing, Jesus thought about others before He thought about Himself. Jesus thought about His enemies: The Roman guards, the religious leaders, and the people had rejected Christ to die on the old rugged cross; instead of divine retaliation, He asked the Father, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” [Luke 23:34] He also thought about "Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 2:1 ![]() Soldiers: here are our marching orders as end time saints! Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus; He is our life and source of strength. God not only gives strength, but he enables us to perform what He has called us to do. Paul praised the Lord that he “hath enabled” him, and put him in the ministry (1 Timothy 1:12). Then he used the same greek work for “enabled” when he asked us to be strong in Christ. |
AuthorPastor Doug Mann Archives
October 2014
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"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." 2 Peter 3:18 Copyrights: All photographs used in individual blog posts have the proper credits given at the bottom of each posting as per the terms and conditions of Weebly. Web Administrator.
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