What Changed?

Acts 2:14

"But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:"

There was something very different about the Apostle Peter in the verse above. Something changed in the life of Peter from this verse compared to previous verses. You find that Peter was previously dressed indecently while fishing. You can hear Peter cursing as he sat at the heathen's fire. You can see him sleeping when he should have been praying at the Garden of Gethsemane. You can hear Jesus rebuking Peter and telling Satan to get behind Him in a previous conversation. You can see Jesus rebuking Peter and the rest of the disciples for squabbling about who was the greatest.

Peace in Troubled Times

John 14:27

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

The closer we get to the LORD's coming, the more troublesome times will become. There is no doubt that we live in troubled days. Wars are breaking out everywhere to the point that one wonders about their own safety in their own country. Countries all over the world are crumbling, and then you look at your own country and wonder about its stability. There is no doubt that one could be troubled about the times in which they live.

Sitting With the Enemy

Luke 22:55

"And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them."

Throughout my lifetime, I have watched many strong men who once stood firm for the old paths waver in their later years. These men were men who once preached on national platforms of conferences that promoted the old paths. Yet, I have watched them change throughout the years to the degree that you would never know that they once stood strongly for the old paths.

Staying Focused in the Midst of Blessing

Luke 12:31

"But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you."

Jesus tells the story of a farmer who was rich. One year his harvest was much better than normal. Because of the great harvest, this man decided to build more barns and lay up his harvest to the point that he thought he would have no more cares in his life. This farmer was foolish in the fact that he had no power over the harvest. He became so confident that the harvest was because of what he did that he thought he could do it again. As I look at this parable and Jesus' response throughout the rest of the chapter, I find several lessons that will help to keep us from entering into the foolishness of this farmer.

Prayer that Changes

Mark 11:24

"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."

If you have been saved for any length of time, then you have heard of people whose prayer lives were able to make great changes. The disciples saw this first hand with Jesus Christ. Jesus cursed a fig tree because it had no fruit on it, and the next day when they passed the same tree Peter noticed that the tree had withered up and died. That impressed Peter so much that he reminded the Saviour of His words, as if Jesus didn't know this would happen. Jesus then used this opportunity to teach His disciples how to pray so that they also could have a prayer life that changes situations.

Save Your Piece of Mind

Proverbs 29:11

"A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards."

A person says, "I'm just going to give you a piece of my mind." This is what a person does when they are upset and want to unload their feelings. They want to tell the person with whom they are upset just how angry they are about them and what they did. I often say that you better be careful about giving a piece of your mind because you might not have a mind left after you are done.

Traditions vs. Commandments

Matthew 15:3

"But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?"

It is amazing how powerful traditions are to many. The scribes and Pharisees were caught up in the traditions of men so much that they ignored the commandments of God. They saw the disciples of Christ eat bread without washing their hands, and they thought that Jesus should rebuke His disciples for doing so. Instead, Jesus took the opportunity to teach the importance of traditions and commandments. Let me show you several things you must learn from Jesus' response.

Overcoming the World

1 John 5:4

"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."

The greatest battle that has ever been fought and is continuing to be fought is the Christian's battle over the world. There have been great battles fought throughout history, but this battle will be ongoing until the LORD's return. The difference between the Christian's battle with the world and other battles throughout history is that the Christian's battle is a spiritual battle; it is a battle that is unseen.

Out of Darkness Unto Light

1 Peter 2:9

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:"

God says about the Christian, "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid." (Matthew 5:14) God says in the verse above that He has called us "out of darkness into his marvellous light." When the Christian got saved, they were called out of the darkness of Satan's power, immorality, powerless living, no hope and eternal punishment. When a person gets saved, they are saved to eternal life, a relationship with God, a blessed hope, an empowered life and a life of purpose.

The Conflict Problem

James 4:1

"From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?"

Conflict is a part of life which everyone will have to endure. Countries have conflicts with each other. Christians have conflicts with each other. Churches will oftentimes have conflict amongst its members. Sadly, marriages and families will often endure conflict. Anytime you have sinful people, you are going to have conflict.