Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder

Between the resurrection and the ascension, Jesus could be seen, heard, touched.  Based on His cooking, I'm presuming He had taste and smell.  This is the body that Jesus took with Him into heaven.  Different, but a lot the same.  This probably tells us a little bit of what our resurrection and relocation to heaven might be/will be like.

Also, the angel attendants tell us He is coming back in the same way.  Probably visibly, with sound, touchable, etc.  The next time all the disciples saw Jesus was at their martyrdom, so this was a big moment.  

For us, let's pay attention to the age of the Holy Spirit that we are going to be introduced to.  Then, let's be ready for either our heavenly bodies, or for His heavenly body coming back.  We will probably be able to smell it coming.  bewithme.us to subscribe.

Today let’s listen to the LAST WORDS OF JESUS.  We probably should pay attention.  He’s in Jerusalem, after the resurrection.  He’s been around for 40 days and is leaving.  He said it was to our advantage that He leaves, but this is still very confusing for all of His followers.

He promises POWER.  This is a fine thing.  Who doesn’t want some extra-special power?  But let’s be careful here.  What is the source of this power?  Actually, that is the wrong question.  It is not WHAT is the source but WHO is the source of the power.  It is the Holy Spirit.  He has this infinite power that is practically manifested here when He comes upon these men and women. 

So this passage is not about a GENIE.  It not about unattached POWER.  It is about a PERSON of the Godhead.  It is about the just introduced Holy Spirit.  It is about a relationship we get to have with a PERSON, who comes indwelling with some POWER. 

So then, ACTS is about something: it is about Someone.  That is, Acts is about the Holy Spirit and His power in the new people of God.  Thanks for listening and discovering with me.  Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or Google Podcasts.

It is 33 AD.  Jesus has been around 40 days since the resurrection.  Dead people have arisen and joined the church.  Jesus has been telling everybody NOT TO GO ANYWHERE, something is going to happen here that you will want to be around for.  

He is setting up the Holy Spirit.  From this moment onward, everything will be different.  The LOCATION of the place of God is going to be different.  The mechanism of the working of God is going to be different.  The purposes are largely the same: for Him to build a kingdom.  But the HOW is changing.  The WHO is changing.  

First the WHO of the Godhead is transitioning.  The OT has been about the Father primarily.  The gospels have been about Jesus primarily.  Now it is the time for the Holy Spirit to shine.  

The HOW is also changing.  The Holy Spirit is going to come upon all of you in the church.  He is going to atomize Himself comparatively.  You is going from singular to PLURAL.  From a single person prophet and leader to more like EVERYBODY.

The PLACE is changing as well.  In just a few days, Jerusalem will become much less important as far as being a special place to find the dwelling of God.  If you want to find God from here on out, go find one of His followers.  The Holy Spirit will be inside of them!

Listen these 7 minutes. Subscribe and like and share and stack this podcast on your morning routines.  Be with me and brush your teeth with me, so to speak.  Buckle your seatbelts.  From this page onward, everything is going to be different!

The Old Testament is primarily about the character, activity, and interaction of the Person of the FATHER  with the people of God.
The Gospels are primarily about the character, activity and interaction of the Person of JESUS with the people of God.
The rest of the New Testament is primarily about the character, activity and interaction of the Person of the HOLY SPIRIT with the people of God.

Today Luke tells us to WAIT, but from here on out it is going to be go! go! go!

For those of you who have been listening, we've finished a chronological walk through Jesus' life in seasons 4, 1, 2 and 3.  What comes next?  What is the next moment in church history?  Who is the main player?  Luke writes to Theophilis and tells him:  It is the HOLY SPIRIT.

If the Good Lord gives me breath, and gives you ears and hearts, listen 7 minutes a day as we stop waiting and launch with the disciples and the Holy Spirit!  Please subscribe, so you can get this every day.  Or write me at [email protected] and I will put you on the list.  Or, put yourself on the list at bewithme.us.  You can also subscribe on Apple Podcasts, spotify, google podcasts, deezer, etc. I'm so very glad you are here.  I am so very glad I am here too.
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This is the Last Podcast of Be With Me, at least in the Gospels.  We have come full-circle in the chronological life of Jesus.  We started 19 months ago in Luke 7.  That was 575 episodes ago.  I was startled this morning in finding out our verse for the day was again Luke 7:1.  Nobody told me this was going to be my last podcast when I woke up! (If you really want to listen to that first published podcast, blast back to season 1, Episode 4.)

That starting point, though it was not at the beginning of the Gospel, it was at the beginning of the VIRUS.  The urgency and the unknowns of COVID are all over those early Podcasts.

This really is not a "Bible Study" per se, but is a "Jesus Study" by way of the Bible.  The purpose is for me to stay invisible, use the Bible, and have Jesus be the main focus.  "The Lord is my PORTION" says our verse in Lamentations.  We get Jesus.

I am filled with gratefulness for listeners near and far.  I don't just mean geographically.  I mean spiritually and relationally.  If you are far away from God's kingdom and you are feeling that tug to have Him be your portion, "to have MORE of Him," then you are the most welcome here.  Listen through with me.  Be With Me. Be with me to BE WITH HIM.  Start with Season 4, then continue chronologically to Seasons 1,2 and 3. Subscribe.  Download the episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Pandora, Player FM, Podcast Addict or iVoox.  Subscribe at bewithme.us.  Write at [email protected]

Jesus ends a very pesky section of Scripture with the the even peskier, "You therefore must be  PERFECT..." Rather than this leading us to pride,  Listen today as it leads us to our KNEES.

Perfect= mature, complete, not lacking any moral quality, fully developed.  It assumes not a magical end point, but more of a PROCESS of growth, a PROCESS of maturity, and a PROCESS of development.

So this section has some great topics to pick in which we may be not quite perfect as an endpoint.  They are anger, lust, marriage, truth telling, retaliation, and love.  Rather than discouragement in identifying your own imperfection in one of those categories, this must lead us to desperation.  I don't sense any pride in this passage.  I sense process that leads to desperation. 

Where do I find such people who understand this passage of "you must be perfect?"  Do I find them strutting around in pride? no.  I find them on their KNEES, in desperation, in process, in assessment, in grief and in training.  Join me for 7 minutes please.  Share this with the most imperfect person you know.  [email protected] to subscribe.

The Lord asks us to make COMMON GRACE a little more common.  It is one of His characteristics.  It is a way that He demonstrates Himself to the world.  It is a way that He uses to make it easier for people to enter into His kingdom.  

He reminds us that He uses creation in such a way: "He makes the sun rise on the evil."  He uses the blessings of this life in such a way: "He sends rain on the unjust."  He even allows some JOY and gladness in people that don't yet like Him very much.

At a certain moment in time, it is the prayer of the UNRIGHTEOUS person that has great power.  How about the prayer of, "Help me.  I receive You.  I need You.  I am a sinner. I trust You."  These are perhaps the most powerful prayers in the universe.  they come from unrighteous, enemies of God.  Exactly like He wants.  He especially likes to hear prayers from them I think.

For us, we are to love our enemies.  Why? Because God did.  It is His way to woo, win, and get them to repentance.  It should be our way too.  It is our way of making His COMMON GRACE, a bit more COMMON for the needful around us.

Loving neighbors might be easy.  Loving and seeking the highest good for my enemies definitely is not.  Why might I want to participate in this activity?

We are supposed to be involved in reflecting, resembling, and representing Jesus on this earth.  We are supposed to be bearing His image and here, doing what He did.  Why?  I'd say first, because He said so.  Second, because by bearing this family resemblance activity, we demonstrate we "get it" that He did the same for us.  He loved us when we were enemies.

The big reason, though, is that these Godly and godly kindnesses may lead to repentance.  It is the impossible thing that God has been doing for centuries.  By loving, we are demonstrating to His enemies the good news of reconciliation.  It is actually EVANGELICAL. 

Share this podcast with your worst enemy today.  Make a comment.  Like the podcast.  Subscribe fully.  bewithme.us

There is a lot to do as a Christian.  One thing the Lord asks us NOT to concern ourselves with is RETALIATION.  Self-Justice.  Now don't worry, HE'S GOT THIS.  There is going to be perfect, holy, justice sprinkled with mercy and love and wrath and punishment, etc.  But we always get this wrong.

So today, Jesus asks us to STAY OUT OF THE LANE OF RETALIATION.  This is His lane.  We have SO MANY other things that we can productively be concerned with.  The charge of the New Testament Christian is full of a million other things to be about: serve, love, bless, exhort, encourage, give, forgive, meet, show hospitality for one another.  That was my short list.  We have many "lanes" to stay in and occupy our time and heart and mental energy toward.  The point of today is, retaliation is not one of those things.  Let God be God.  Do our job in the meantime.

Thank you for being here.  Like this.  Comment about this after you listen on whatever provider you access this podcast.

Make a promise. Keep a promise.  Say yes, mean yes.  Say no, mean no.

Or, stick a few words in there that give support to your otherwise weak, untruthful words?!?!  Does saying, "I swear on the Bible", or "I swear on my mother's grave" prop up already weak words?  No.  Jesus is saying cut out the middle man.  Start with true words.  End with true actions.  Or, start with a no and mean it by actions.  

Let us be people of true words and actions consistent with those words.  
Let us be the most sincere of speakers in our city.
Let our words be our bond.  
Let our promises need no extras, as if "I really really do meant it this time".

Thanks for considering your promises by listening today.  Subscribe and share and help this podcast go out to all the liars out there. ;-)