Last night I was reading in the book of Acts and a verse jumped out at me, highlighted by the Holy Spirit.
Acts 5:19: But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, 20 Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.
The days following Pentecost was a really exciting time for the Church. The Holy Spirit was working powerfully through the Apostles, who were adding multitudes to the number of believers each day. The miracles were plentiful, and the people were in one accord, operating in the Unity of the Spirit.
Acts 5:12 At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all together in Solomon’s portico. 13 But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem.
14 And increasingly believers in the Lord, large numbers of men and women, were being added to their number, 15 to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any of them. 16 The people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together as well, bringing people who were sick or tormented with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.
Needless to say, the apostles were really shaking things up in Jerusalem. The religious elite (Sadducees) felt so threatened and angry that they had the apostles arrested. The Sadducees (a sect of Judaism) did not believe in the spiritual realm, the resurrection of the dead, or anything supernatural. The Sadducees (the political, wealthy elite) were very active in maintaining the Temple as the center of all life in Jerusalem.
The people feared these religious leaders because they could have them put out of the Synagogue. To be ‘put out of the Synagogue’ was more than being excluded from a Jewish house of worship. It meant to be condemned by the Jews as a heretic or a pagan. It meant to be shunned by your people and banned from society. Today that may not mean much. In the days of Jesus, it meant everything – being hated, excommunicated, loss of income, loss of family, open persecution, even death.
Because the apostles were speaking words of life and truth the Sadducees had them arrested and demanded that they NEVER preach the name of Jesus again. The TRUTH of Jesus Christ threatened their power, their riches, their religious “standing”. Whenever the words of truth are maligned, silenced, censored, watered down, or banned…you can best believe that the Satanic agenda is afoot. 😈
THE REAL MEANING OF “THIS LIFE”
The words of the angel of the Lord really stood out to me last night, as highlighted by the Holy Spirit. “Go, stand and speak in the Temple to the people ALL the WORDS of THIS LIFE. The angel broke the apostles out of jail so that they could go into the TEMPLE, the most popular area of Jerusalem, and SPEAK all the words of THIS LIFE. This sent me on a Divine Treasure hunt in an attempt to understand the significance of these words.
All the words of “THIS LIFE”. What “life” was the angel referring to? Eternal, Everlasting Life.
I truly believe the whole PURPOSE of THIS LIFE on earth is to find ETERNAL LIFE in our Savior Jesus. It is why we are here. The world has it all wrong when it comes to finding the real purpose and meaning of life. The world tells us that life is about seeking wealth, material possessions, pleasure, relationships, careers, fame.
According to the world, we are supposed is to pursue ANYTHING BUT our Lord Jesus Christ, the author of our salvation and eternal life (John 3:15-17). This explains why so many people are involved in the vain pursuit of worldly pleasures. The common understanding of the word “vain” is to have excessive pride in or admiration of one’s own appearance or achievements. HOWEVER, the Biblical meaning of the word “vanity or vain” is EMPTINESS, WORTHLESSNESS, LACKING IN REALITY. Hevel, the Hebrew for vanity suggests a wind or vapor. Man’s life is like a breath. Jesus HIMSELF instructed us not to bother storing up treasures on earth that quickly rusts and fades away, but rather, that we should spend our time storing up treasures in Heaven that will last FOREVER.
This explains why many people who have achieved all of these worldly things such as wealth, success or fame still feel a deep void inside.
Ecclesiastes 12:13: Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Micah 6:8: He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
Ecclesiastes 2:17: So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun (tfj: worldly pursuits) was grievous to me; because everything is futility [ki hakkol hevel] and striving after wind.
Matthew 12:19: Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
The angel of the Lord instructed the apostles to go to the most crowded place in Jerusalem and preach ALL THE WORDS OF THIS LIFE. These are the very “words” that got them arrested in the first place! Why would they do this? Because these are words that people NEED to hear. People NEED to KNOW that there is vanity in worldly pursuits. They need to understand that all they have spent their entire lives striving after will be GONE in an instant, the blink of an eye. People need to KNOW the TRUE MEANING of THIS LIFE.
Yes, the apostles were being asked to put themselves in a position of being PERSECUTED, but it was going to be sooo worth it! These are SOME OF THE TREASURES that we can store up IN HEAVEN that will last FOREVER!
In-fact, the apostle Paul declared that it was an HONOR to be considered worthy to suffer for the Name of Christ.
Philippians 1:29: For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
In Romans 8:17-18, Paul connects our sharing in the suffering of Christ with sharing in His glory. And then he expresses that the glory to come will far outweigh the current suffering. Our suffering here is somehow tied to the glory that will come later. 💕
The apostles LISTENED to the angel of the Lord and went into the Temple to preach the WORDS OF THIS LIFE. The council did not arrest them again but commanded them to stop preaching in the Name of Jesus. Of course, the COUNCIL (Jewish elite) were greatly angered when the apostles told them that they would NOT stop preaching in the Name of Jesus. The apostles told the council that they had to obey GOD rather than MAN.
Christianity requires us to obey the ruling civil authorities (Romans 13:1-2) UNLESS their rules contradict God’s commands. Whenever the government advocates something that is against Scripture, we are to disobey it. Our obligation is to follow God rather than man (Acts 5:29).
Acts 5:41: So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name (Jesus Christ).
Charles Spurgeon (the “prince of preachers”) had this to say about these passages in Scripture (Acts 5:12-42) .…
” In reviewing the whole story which we read just now, from the seventeenth verse to the end of the chapter, my first thought is that THE AGENTS EMPLOYED FOR SPREADING THE GOSPEL ARE MEN, AND NOT ANGELS. The angel of the Lord opened the prison door and set free the preachers but might not be a preacher himself. He might give the ministers their charge, but he had no charge to preach himself.
“Surely the angel who brought them out of prison was quite able to have gone and proclaimed the gospel, and so he might have brought many out of their prison spiritually. But no; it must not be. His commission permits him to say to the apostles, “Go and speak to the people,” but it does not permit him to join in their testimony.
” This divine choice of human instrumentality puts honour upon manhood. Those redeemed by the blood of Christ are men, and their redemption from sin by power is to be instrumentally accomplished by men. The great fight which began in the garden of Eden is to be waged by men even to the end. The conquest of the revolted world is to be achieved by men under the leadership of the all-glorious Son of man. Ye see your calling, brethren. I pray you, everyone, to preach the gospel in your vocation; but specially would I plead for zeal with those whose very vocation it is to preach the gospel. What a vocation is ours! What can be more honourable? What more responsible?
To rule empires is a trifle compared with speaking to the people all the words of this life. “ 😲😲😲
God’s magnificent angels recognize that GOD ALMIGHTY has bestowed this INCREDIBLE HONOR on weak, fallen mankind. The angels most certainly COULD preach the Gospel, but God uses MANKIND to do this work. Why?
God in HIS INFINITE WISDOM chose mankind because as fellow human beings we can understand each other’s WEAKNESS and SUFFERING. Who better to speak to the alcoholic than a former alcoholic who has conquered that sin? The person who survived child abuse often makes the best counselor. Wouldn’t an ex-prisoner who has found God have the best testimony to inspire current inmates? The former homosexual or transgender who overcame their own fallen human nature has the most meaningful testimony of HOPE, LOVE, and COMPASSION to share with those still suffering in that community.
“By humble, truth-speaking, earnest men the Lord turns the battle, and routs the forces of error, that the old Serpent may still feel the foot of the seed of the woman upon his head. He (Satan) thought he had made an easy prey of man; but it shall be by man that the enemy shall be driven back to his infernal den with defeat. By man came death, and by man came also the resurrection of the dead; which glorious fact is proclaimed by man, to the eternal shame of him that hath the power of death, that is, the devil.“
“To work by men must bring special glory to God. The weaker the instrument, the more honour to the worker. I like to think, whatever I may feel driven to believe from Scripture, that the great fight between good and evil will be so fought out that the Lord shall conquer by feeble men even to the end. The omnipotence of God will be glorified in the insignificance of the agents by whom he will achieve the everlasting triumph
“Dear friends, do you not think that the angels must often wonder at us? When they see men eager upon politics and negligent of souls, are they not astonished? Do they never say, “We wish the great Lord would let us go and speak to perishing souls. We would speak with all our hearts”? Do they not sometimes say to one another, “What are these men at? Do they disdain their high calling? God has given to them the great privilege of preaching and teaching his holy word, but they do not care to do it. They speak as if they were half asleep. “Where is their zeal for God, their love to men, their earnestness for Christ”? Brethren, these holy spirits must feel ashamed of us!”
Charles Spurgeon
God has bestowed one of His most significant honors on mankind, but do WE recognize this? No. Most of us go about our day completely unaware that God has given us this magnificent HONOR, one in which even the angels LONG to look into.
1 Peter 1:12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.
13 But to which of the angels has He (God/YHWH) ever said,
“Sit at My right hand,
Until I make Your enemies
A footstool for Your feet”?14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to provide service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
SO MANY people in this world are blindly walking “to and fro”, spending 100% of their time on distractions and vain, worldly pursuits.
1 Corinthians 7:35: And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction.
As defined by dictionary.com, “to distract” can mean:
- Draw away or divert, as the mind or attention
- Disturb or trouble greatly in mind; beset
- Provide a pleasant diversion for; amuse; entertain
- Separate or divide by dissension or strife.
Distractions sometimes come packaged as enticing opportunities, urgent obligations, hurtful criticism, unanticipated obstacles, sudden disputes, fruitless relationships, and emotional issues that keep us occupied.
No matter what form they come in, distractions are dangerous. They either delay the call on our lives from being carried out – or, worse, they prevent us from answering the call.
“I cannot help adding that the employment of men as soul-winners gives a tender joy to the heart of Jesus. It pleases the Lord Jesus Christ that God should use men; for He Himself is a man. God, as he is, blessed for ever, yet is he most truly man, delighting in humanity, and pleased to see men called to a work of so much glory and honour. He loves to bless men and to see them made a blessing. He delights to see the many brethren used in their measure in the same way as himself, the Firstborn. The Lord Jesus must take great pleasure in the attempts of his servants to seek and to save souls; for they are learning to be shepherds like Himself.“
Charles Spurgeon
Jesus Christ has given us human beings this amazing opportunity to share ALL THE Words of this LIFE WITH OTHERS. This is an HONOR. It does not matter whether we are black or white, rich or poor, old or young, college educated, or high school dropout….
God is calling ALL OF US to do His work, and in so-doing, store up REAL TREASURES in HEAVEN for ourselves!
If you are reading these pages, perhaps you might want to consider what God may be calling YOU to do. We do not have to be preachers, teachers, clergy, writers or have any other “special” titles to do the work of God. God wants us ALL to BLOOM where we are PLANTED. All of us have a TESTIMONY. All of us have a STORY.
My mother used to tell me…If everyone lit just one little candle, the world would be a MUCH BRIGHTER place! 🕯️
Please pray and see what God would have YOU do! 🙏🏻 The time is short! We are getting ever closer to that great and terrible day when Jesus will come for His Saints and judge this wicked world! Wouldn’t you like to “work” for something that will not vanish like a puff of smoke? Now is the time to make a difference! If you BELIEVE in Jesus Christ, the SON OF GOD (YHWH) as your personal Savior and Lord✝️, then Holy Spirit lives inside of you as your teacher and guide!
God’s HOLY ANGELS are here to HELP us in this important work – SPEAKING ALL THE WORDS OF THIS LIFE!
Maranatha!
