"Movin' Up .. Steppin' Out"

"Movin' Up .. Steppin' Out"

"Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance ..."  Paul went on to explain to the Ephesians that they should believe on Him who came after John, that is, on Christ Jesus.  "When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.  And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them, and they spake with tongues and prophesied."  (Acts 19:4-6)  Growth in the Lord is becoming an issue for the Church, and it's a wonderful issue!  We must "become" and we must "go forth!"  It's called: "Movin' Up .. Steppin' Out!"  

"Have ye received the Holy Ghost

since ye believed?"

(Acts 19:2)

The "Movin' up" part is getting "ALL" that the Lord Jesus Christ has for us.  We can have gifts of the Spirit, and the seven Spirits that are before the throne (Isaiah 11:2): Counsel, Might, Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, the fear of the Lord, and the Spirit of the Lord; but all of this comes from receiving the Holy Ghost, as the initial evidence (Acts 2:38).  When we receive the Holy Ghost and speak with tongues as the Spirit of God gives utterance, we can then seek the gifts of the Spirit in I Corinthians 12.  We will "move up" to becoming effectual ministers of God's Word in the earth today.   

How then were we baptized?  We must be very sure that we were baptized in the "Name" of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The people in Ephesians (Acts 19) were "rebaptized," because they realized they were baptized incorrectly.  This happened in the Bible, and it happens today!  It is not the water or the preacher that washes away our sins; it is what is said over us  ...  the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ has all power to wash away sins, and "Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."  (Colossians 3:17) 

The most important act of salvation, "baptism," must be done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  No one in the Bible was ever baptized any other way than in "the name of Jesus Christ."  Please read Acts 2:38, Acts 8, Acts 10, Acts 19.  The Church began in the Book of Acts; that is where we go to find out how to be saved.  And, it's so wonderful to be filled with the Holy Ghost and then to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!  It will be the JOY of your entire life!  The trees will be greener, the sky bluer, the flowers prettier, the air fresher; it is astonishing and awesome that when we take care of the "inlook;" the "outlook" becomes so very beautiful!

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit

comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in

Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and

to the ends of the earth."

(Acts 1:8)

Now comes the "Steppin' out" part!  We get "saved up" to "step out!"  Your home can be a Church; your coffee table can be an altar; You can be a minister for the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Wherever you are, in Norway, Australia, Latvia, India, Germany, Italy, or an island out in the ocean  ... it can be a chapel for the work of the Lord!  "The Lord is nigh unto those of a broken heart and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."  The broken hearts and contrite spirits are all around us  ...

Lord, Jesus; I offer You my hands, my feet, my voice, my mind, my God-given abilities for the salvation of Your creation.  Please anoint all that I give, all that I am, all that I do, and bring many multitudes into Your kingdom.  In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen.  

                                                     

                                                              

"And Jesus, when he came out, saw much

people and was moved with compassion

toward them, because they were as sheep not

having a shepherd; and he began to teach

them many things."

(Mark 6:34)

Sheep, without a Shepherd  ...  a statement that keeps the Lord God of the universe awake and without rest!  He is totally dependent upon "us" to reach the world with the Gospel.  We can do it; we can bring hope to the suffering we see on every side.  Every nation has trouble these days; there is a rumbling of planet earth, from coast to coast, nation to nation, because the Lord God Almighty is coming back, and He is not willing that "any" be lost or perish! 

It's time to exercise our faith, move into the deep, become our destiny, rise to the occasion, and "shine" like the lights we are!  We're just doing what we were created to do: "Movin' Up  .. Steppin' Out!" 

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)