Author: Ron Moore

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 of the earth.” After He had said this, He was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took Him out of their sight. While He was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen Him going into heaven.” Acts 1:8-11 HCSB

State highway crews may have earned a reputation of not working. It often seems that in a crew of highway workers, a small group are working while others seem to be standing idly by. I have often thought they should be more productive because our tax dollars are paying their salary.

Jesus Christ promised the Holy Spirit would give the disciples the power to be His witnesses to people in Jerusalem, in all Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. That same promise exists today for each believer. The Holy Spirit came when Jesus left. Jesus was limited by the human body but now the Holy Spirit can be in every believer around the world. The two angels basically said, “Stop standing around gazing into heaven and get to work!”

Challenge: Instead of praying for the Holy Spirit to come into your life, yield to to Him and follow His wisdom and direction for your life. You are empowered to be His witness. Are you just standing around gazing at the sky? Get to work and do what God has empowered you to do through the Holy Spirit.

“This ,” He said, “is what you heard from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Acts 1:4-5 HCSB

One receives the Holy Spirit when he receives Jesus Christ as Savior. The Spirit marks the beginning of the Christian experience. One cannot be a Christian without the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9). Believers are joined to Christ by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17). Those who believe are adopted as children of God (Romans 8:14-17 and Galatians 4:6-7). One cannot be a part of the body of Christ without the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13).

The Holy Spirit brings power to our lives. Believers through the power of the Holy Spirit have the power to change and become like Christ (Galatians 3:3 and Philippians 1:6). When a person receives Christ as Lord, he immediately begins a personal relationship with God.

The Holy Spirit unites the community of believers (Ephesians 2:19-22). The Holy Spirit is within all believers and works through believers to accomplish God’s will and direction (1 Corinthians 12:11 and Ephesians 4:4).

Challenge: Thank God for the gift of the Holy Spirit in your life to help guide you and give you direction as you face life’s struggles. Listen to the song Holy Spirit on Youtube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=SS5S8Unvm48

While He was together with them, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. Acts 1:4 HCSB

Mega stores are some of my least favorite places to shop. First, I usually have to park a long way from the door and then when I get inside, I usually have to fight the crowds in narrow aisles to walk a long way to find what I want to purchase. Then I return to the front of the store to find that they have 24 checkout lines but only 2 are open. I wonder why they built 24 checkouts if they never use all of them. So, I wait in line to check out to save a few pennies. This is not exactly my idea of a fun shopping trip. We live in a world where we go, go, go. I hate to wait at the traffic light and I often get frustrated at a person who drives too slow.

Jesus specifically tells His disciples to wait. Too many times we want to get started and run ahead of God’s perfect timing. Waiting is sometimes a part of God’s plan. We need to be patient and listen for God’s direction in our lives before we move into action. God’s timing and power is vital to our success in any endeavor. Without God we will fail in the task. I have heard the joke of the person who prayed, “Lord, please give me patience and hurry up.”

Challenge: As the old saying goes, “Stop and smell the roses.” Do not get in such a hurry that you miss what God has for you to do. Wait on Him for direction and power. Thank Him for watching over you and giving you wisdom and power to accomplish His will in your life.

After He had suffered, He also presented Himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during 40 days and speaking about the kingdom of God. Acts 1:3 HCSB

I recently encountered a young man who claimed to be an atheist. He did not believe in God. I offered to give him a book if he would agree to read it. The book was Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell. Christian Book Distributors says of the book, “Among important books in the defense of Christianity, this one has few equals. Using secular evidences and other historical sources, Josh McDowell’s faith-building book is a must read for every Christian.” I challenged the young man by saying, “If I am wrong and you are right, then the only thing it has cost you is a little time to read a book, but if I am right and you are wrong, then failing to read the book and accept God’s gift of forgiveness and salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ will cost you eternity in heaven.” I gave him the book, but I am not sure if he read it.

Jesus presented Himself alive to His disciples for 40 days and spoke about the kingdom of God. This was designed to provide convincing proof to His disciples that He was who He said He was, the Son of God, and that He had conquered death. We often want proof that Jesus is alive. There is convincing evidence in the Bible and other historical sources that Jesus died and rose again from the dead.

Challenge: Read the book Evidence That Demands a Verdict or New Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell. Believe that Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and rose again to life. Thank Jesus for giving of Himself so you might be forgiven and have eternal life.

I wrote the first narrative, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day He was taken up, after He had given orders through the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen. Acts 1:1-2 HCSB

The Star Wars sequel trilogy consists of episodes 7, 8, and 9 and follows after the Return of the Jedi produced in 1983. The first installment of the trilogy, Star Wars: The Force Awakens began pre-production in 2012 and was released in December 2015. Unlike previous trilogies whose films were released approximately three years apart, the sequel films are planned to be released approximately two years apart. As a Star Wars fan, I hope to be able to see the sequel trilogy.

The book of Acts is written by Luke and is the sequel to his first book, the Gospel of Luke. In the first book Luke tells of the activities and teachings of Jesus. In his sequel, Luke explains what has taken place since Jesus ascended into heaven. The apostles were to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came to them. The Holy Spirit would empower them to live their lives for Jesus and to be a witness of His saving grace.

Challenge: Read Luke and the sequel, Acts. All who believe in Jesus are promised the Holy Spirit. As a believer, the Holy Spirit lives within you to help guide you and provide direction in life, to convict you of what is right and wrong, and to empower you to be a witness of the hope that you have through Jesus Christ. Thank God for the Holy Spirit. Your life story is the continuation of the story that began with the first apostles. Pass it on so the story never ends.

For this reason I speak to them in parables, because looking they do not see, and hearing they do not listen or understand. Matthew 13:13 HCSB

A parable is a brief story or illustration used to make an analogy and convey a message. I have several sermons where I use an object to teach a spiritual principle. In one sermon I use several different lights. In another I use a collection of watches. As the old saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” People remember about 60% of what is taught if an object lesson or some type of visual is used in addition to lecture.

Jesus is explaining to His disciples why He taught with parables. Often the disciples did not understand what Jesus was teaching and would later ask Him to explain what was meant by His teachings. Jesus explained that He used parables so people could better understand what He was teaching. This particular verse is a play on words that means they see but do not grasp what they have really seen. They hear but do not grasp the significance of what they have heard.

Challenge: Use parables or stories to teach spiritual principles to your children. Watch for teachable moments when you can teach a spiritual truth to your child. If you are a Bible teacher, use visuals and parables to teach your lesson. In so doing, you will be a much more effective Bible study leader.

Anyone who has ears should listen! Matthew 13:9 HCSB

Back in the 1970’s and 1980’s just about everyone was putting a CB radio in his or her car. This was before cell phones. I can remember putting one in my green Oldsmobile. The antenna was on the back and I ran the cord to the CB unit mounted under the dash. A person could talk to others on the highway as he traveled along. Each person would select a “handle” or name. My handle was “Kentucky Wonder” because I was from Kentucky and I was tall and thin like a Kentucky Wonder green bean. There was certain lingo that was used with a CB radio. One of the favorite phrases to ask was, “Do you have your ears on?” which meant, “Do you have your CB radio on and are you listening?”

Jesus told the people “Anyone who has ears should listen!” He was not talking about their physical ears with which people hear sounds; rather He was talking about a deeper type of listening that results in spiritual understanding. If one earnestly seeks God’s will and wants to know Him, he will have “spiritual hearing” to be able to listen and learn from God’s Word.

Challenge: Do you have your “spiritual ears” on? Are you listening for God’s small voice to speak to you and give you wisdom and direction? Listen to God and He will give you understanding of some of the deepest spiritual principles.

As he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on rocky ground, where there wasn’t much soil, and they sprang up quickly since the soil wasn’t deep. But when the sun came up they were scorched, and since they had no root, they withered. Others fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them. Still others fell on good ground and produced a crop: some 100, some 60, and some 30 times what was sown. Matthew 13:4-8 HCSB

As a teenager I was a member of the Future Farmers of America. I served as the chaplain and on the parliamentary procedure team. I also competed at the state fair judging cows. One activity I really enjoyed was having my own garden and learning how to plant, cultivate, fertilize, and harvest vegetables. I learned the importance of preparing the soil before planting. Soil that is hard and has not been cultivated will not produce very good vegetables. It is also important to water and fertilize the soil so the plants get the proper nourishment to grow.

The people would have been very familiar with planting and harvesting crops. Jesus used this familiar experience to teach an important spiritual principle. The different types of soils represented the lives of different people. Some hear the Gospel but never respond like the seed that falls on hard ground. Others hear the Gospel and receive it but they don’t have any real roots, and when hard times come they are not strong enough to withstand the temptations of our world. The thorns represent the evil people of the world that too often lead people astray and keep them from becoming all that God intended. The good soil represents those who receive the Gospel and then grow in their relationship with Christ and impact the world.

Challenge: If Christ were to assign a soil to you as representative of your life, which soil would He say you are most like? Pray that you will be one who produces a crop 100 times more than what was sown.

Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat down, while the whole crowd stood on the shore. The He told them many things in parables, saying: “Consider the sower who went out to sow.” Matthew 13:2-3 HCSB

I recently had the privilege to teach a class of teenagers. The lesson was on the sin offering and the guilt offering that God required of the Israelites. To illustrate the need to be clean and pure like God, I presented the group with two forks, one that was clean and one that was dirty. I then asked them which fork they would like to use to eat with. Of course they selected the clean fork. I used the forks as a way to illustrate that God desires for us to be spiritually clean and pure just like He is. We must be clean and pure if we want to spend time with Him in heaven. Our sins make us unclean and we need an offering or sacrifice as a way of paying the price for our sins. Because Jesus is our unblemished sacrifice, we no longer need to sacrifice a goat to pay the price for our sins. Through Jesus we are made clean and pure. No matter how hard we try to be good, we cannot be good enough to be clean and pure in God’s eyes. It is only through Jesus Christ that we can have a
right relationship with God.

Jesus constantly used parables to make a point and teach people spiritual principles. A parable is a brief story for the purpose of making or illustrating a point. Many teachers could learn a few things from observing how Jesus taught. Instead of lecturing, He often used parables to illustrate His main teaching points.

Challenge: Use stories to illustrate what you are trying to teach. Stories and parables can be very effective in teaching your children spiritual principles. Thank God for the many different parables and stories in the Bible that help you understand what Jesus was trying to teach.

On that day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. Matthew 13:1 HCSB

Each year my family goes to the beach for vacation. We all enjoy the beautiful white sandy beaches, the waves rolling in the beach, the seagulls flying overhead, and the sand crabs scurrying to find their hole in the sand. There is nothing much more relaxing than time at the beach. One of my favorite activities is to get up early to walk the beach as the sun rises. It is a great time to think, reflect, and talk to God.

I have read this passage many times but had failed to notice this verse about Jesus going and sitting by the sea. I have always just passed on over it and read about the large crowd that gathered around him and the parable that He told. I believe Jesus needed some time to think, reflect, and talk to God. I can just imagine Jesus sitting on the shore of the Sea of Galilee looking out across the blue water with its gentle waves. He may have even picked up a pebble and tossed it into the sea to see how many times it would skip across the water.

Challenge: Just as Jesus needed some time to think, reflect, and talk to God, we all need to take time each day to spend some time with God in prayer and reading our Bible. Take some time to just get away from the hustle and bustle of life to spend time talking to God and listening to His voice of direction and encouragement.