Calgary Word of Faith Church

This week's reading in Acts 15-16 is filled with many twists and turns as Paul and Silas continue on their missionary journey. Chapter 16 begins by casually mentioning a disciple named Timothy whose mother was a Jew and his father was a Greek. Timothy became Paul's faithful helper and though he was young, Paul later said that he could find no one like Timothy who served with a sincere heart and pure motive. There is a wealth of wisdom that can be gleaned from this chapter. Th...ey were on their way to prayer meeting when a young slave girl kept following them and shouting loudly "These men are the servants of the Most High God! They announce to you the way of salvation!" This sounded good, right? She did this for several days until Paul confronted the spirit that was in her in the name of Jesus, and she was immediately set free. This caused her owners to lose money, so they literally dragged Paul and Silas before the court making false accusations against them! As a result, they were thoroughly beaten with rods and thrown into prison. LESSON 1. Although what the slave girl was saying "sounded good," she was not speaking by the Holy Spirit, but by a demon. This took spiritual discernment on Paul's part and he dealt with it accordingly. We must be discerning as well in this day. There is a lot of teaching that sounds good, but the spirit behind it isn't of God. LESSON 2. We can be serving God, and things don't go right. But Paul and Silas had been on their way to prayer meeting, and just decided to hold their own prayer meeting right there in the jail, bloody and beaten. Just the location had changed! They sang and prayed and the prisoners were listening. When things go wrong for us while we're serving God, what are people hearing? Are we praying and praising? That changed everything because SUDDENLY there was a great earthquake and everyone was freed of their shackles. LESSON 3. Their prayers and praise not only broke their own chains, but the chains of others! It not only prevented the jailer's suicide, but resulted in household salvation! What a turnaround! The way we react to persecution and false accusations, will affect others. Our praise and prayer in the face of difficult situations can bring deliverance to others.

November 15 Morning Service

Passive Trust or Active Faith ? Many believers have what I call a Passive Trust in God. They believe that God is in complete control of their lives and they ...believe that He has a plan for them which they are not sure of, but often includes things that they think come from Him since He is in control. They trust Him in everything which means they accept and even embrace everything that comes into their lives, believing it is all somehow of God and will ultimately work out for their good and for God’s plan. Some believers have what I call Active Faith. They believe that God has revealed His will, that His revealed will IS His will, and that they can base their life on His revealed will. They believe that they must respond to God’s specific promises with a confession of faith and/or an action of faith, believing that when they respond with faith to His promises, God will move with His power to bring His promises to pass. These believers do not believe or accept that everything that happens is from God or good for them. They believe that they can enter into the will of God by obedience to His revealed will and through faith in His revealed promises. I fall into the group of believers who have an Active Faith. I believe in laying hold of God’s specific promises, promises revealed especially through His Word, no matter what I see or feel or what others say. I don’t believe that everything that happens in my life is God sovereignly at work in hidden ways I don’t understand. I believe that God’s will can be known and understood and that His will can be entered into through obedience and through faith. I agree with the language of Peter who said, Nevertheless, at Thy Word, I Will! I believe in emulating Abraham who, although he and Sarah were past child bearing years, grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and who, did not stagger at the promise of God through unbelief. I believe, as Jesus taught, that when we pray, we should believe. I agree with James who said to ask in faith and said of the double minded man who doubted, Let not that man think he will receive anything of God. I don’t want to be of those who Jesus marveled at because of their unbelief. I don’t want to be like Israel who failed to enter into God’s promise, because of unbelief. I want to be like the centurian of whom Jesus said, I have not found such faith in all of Israel! I want to be like the woman with the issue of blood who didn’t stay home saying, Well, I will just trust God that whatever happens to me, it must be His will, but said, Today I will touch the garment of Jesus of Nazareth and I WILL be made whole! And then went, touched, and was made whole! I encourage you to Locate the will of God and then Lay hold of His will through faith and obedience. Don’t look in the rear view mirror to locate the will of God for your life. Look into the mirror of the Word of God! Locate God’s will. Lay Hold of His promises by Faith. Live in Obedience to His instructions.