And Now, Here Is The Rest Of The Story

  God’s story of His dealing with Israel, out of whom would come the Messiah, is found in the Old Testament.
God’s story through the virgin birth, life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus, is found in the first four books of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. 
God’s story through His twelve chosen men, Apostles, is found in the Book of Acts. 
God’s story through His Church, is found in the letters from Romans to Revelation as these are written to Christians.

  This brings us to the “rest of the story.“  It starts in the city of Jerusalem, where Jesus had told the Apostles to wait there until they received the power of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus had told the Apostles that it was necessary for Him to go back to Heaven, so He could send them the Holy Spirit.  (John 16:7)  The fulfillment begins in Acts the second chapter.  God is about to create something entirely new, by the Holy Spirit, through the Apostles.  They, the Apostles, are filled, overwhelmed, immersed with the Holy Spirit.  The proof of which is seen in the Apostles being able to speak in foreign languages, because each person, from various countries, understood in their own native language.  Peter and the other Apostles stood up, and for the first time in history, spoke God’s Divine message for salvation. This is the first Gospel message ever spoken.  First, because now ever thing is complete: God had sent the Messiah,  Jesus lived, died and resurrected from the dead, He ascended being seated at God’s right hand, and then, Jesus sent back the Holy Spirit.  The task of the Holy Spirit is to guide the Apostles in Divine Truth.  The message that Peter spoke that day is Bible Based, taken from the Book of Joel, the second chapter, it is Christ Crowned (exalted), and People Pointed at (application.)  “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”  Acts 2:16  NIV
 
  What is the result of such a message?  “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”  Acts 2:37  NIV
Do for what?  Why, do for the forgiveness of their sin in crucifying Jesus.  Do to get back in the good graces of God. They had killed His Son.  What must they do?  “Repent and be baptized…for the forgiveness of  your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  Acts 2:38  NIV
Read on: “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.”   Acts 2:41 NIV   Here, for the first time in history, the Church is created.  The obedient believers in Jesus are the Church.

  Pentecost is the birthday of the Church.  Pentecost is the purpose and fulfillment of all that God was seeking to accomplish for mankind.  You can’t have the ‘rest of the story’ without the Church.  This is the end result of all that God planned to do for mankind, to make possible their salvation.  The last verse of the second chapter reads: “And the lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”  Acts 2:41  NIV

  Now, it is our story.  We must heed the Great Commission as recorded in Matthew 28:18-20 going out into the world with the message of the Apostles.  We must show and tell the world about Jesus.   

  A young boy was struggling out in the water.   He cried for help.  A stranger passing by heard his cry and went to him bringing him into shore safely.  The boy thanked him and asked, “What can I do to show my gratitude to you for saving my life?  The man said, “Prove to the world that you were worth saving.”

Going Home

  As you read this, I should be in my home town, Owosso, Michigan, staying with my sister, Patricia Dennis.  We are enjoying remembering.  One of the tasks she wants me to help her with, is to go through old pictures.  We will decide what to keep and what to throw away.  There are places that we want to see.  The author, James Oliver Curwood, has a castle there in his honor.  We will go through that again.  Shiawassee hill, we will drive down.  It is where in the winter time, we would slid down with our sleds.   We will check out the house where all four of we children were born and raised.  Mother never did go to the hospital to have her children.  We played in the street in front of the house, until the street lights came on and then we had to go in the house.  Short ways from the house is the field grounds, where in the winter time, the city hosed an area with water and built a little building with a wood burner in it.  Here we ice skated and warmed ourselves, when needed.  We will see the church building wherein I was baptized when I was 15 years of age and in 1946, I was ordained (set apart) for the church related ministry.  We will go to the town cemetery and view the Smith plot where our parents, two brothers, and other families members are buried.  We will visit with family and friends, who have had a great influence on my life.  I like being in my home town, with my sister, remembering these things in my past.  I always get excited to go home.

  This makes me think about my deceased wife, Jo, and my Heavenly Home.    As we get older, memories are about all that we have left.  We need to so live that our memories will be good. 
Someone has said, “Loved ones are like flowers in a garden.  They are beautiful while they last, but they don’t last forever. And so, God gives us the gift of memory so we can keep the beauty.”   Hang on to the memories, cherish them. 

  Remember what Jesus promised to His followers: “Do not let your hearts be troubled: Trust in God, trust also in me.  In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”    John 14:1-3  NIV
This is one of my favorite scriptures.  What hope is ours as we believe that Jesus is busy getting our home ready for us in Heaven.  

  What will Heaven be like?  I love the song, “I Can Only Imagine.”  Nothing in my imperfect mind and speech can adequately do justice to that Heavenly Home.     
Allow John to fill our minds with His words: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the  throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.  They will be his people, and God himself  will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”   Revelation 21:1-4    NIV

  I am excited and I am preparing to go Home, aren’t you?    But, you must remember to make reservations.

Christian Mothers

  Mothers come in various sizes: skinny, filled-out, and ‘oops’.  They are found everywhere: in maternity wards, over ironing boards, teaching three-year olds “Jesus Loves Me”, up and around while the rest of the family is down with the flu, cutting out stone coupons, championing causes, turning right out of the left lane, kissing where it hurts, perspiring over new math, changing her husband’s mind, looking daggers at 
the umpire who has just called her little one out on strikes, popping corn at the school festival, on her knees with an open Bible, taking away privileges, giving back privileges, pushing piano practice, and sitting in a pew crying while her little girl is being married.
 
  Mothers worry about everything: the war, her daughter’s first date, bike riding in the street, her first gray hair, the baby’s fever, first day at school, her husband’s cholesterol level, her son’s solo drive in the family car, report cards, warmed-over suppers, mistreated children, and too much violence on TV.

  A mother is: happiness with tears in its eyes, love with a firm paddle in its hand, joy watching dad and the kids devour chicken and noodles, sacrifice taking the neck and wings and leaving the breast and drumsticks, foresight stashing away a little extra for college, faith singing in the choir, herding primaries, serving the church dinner, keeping up the pledge, making a call, and sending a box to the missionaries.  

  Being a mother is such a demanding task that God has entrusted it only to females.  There is no experience so costly, so rewarding, so aging, and so exciting as being a mother.
The day can be a fabulous flop complete with a dented fender, a collapsed cake, a six-stitch cut, and upset bowl of chocolate ice cream on the new carpet, daughter emerging from the bathroom with a new hair shade, and the husband coming home and asking, “what have you been doing today?”  

  But, when all is quiet, when dad is home and the baths are over and the homework is done and the prayers are said, Mother takes that one last peek into every bed, and seeing the sweet innocent faces asleep, says guiltily: :How could I have screamed at her today?  How could I have spanked him?”
  And full of faith, hope and love she looks out the window, through misty eyes at the night sky and prays:

     Thank you, Father, thank you for the privilege of being a Mother.
     By your grace and wisdom help me to teach them to love you as I do.
     In the Name of your child, Jesus Christ, I ask. Amen
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