Discipling the Undisciplined no. 403

". . . whoever calls on the name of Adonai will be saved."

Happy Tuesday! I pray that today’s posting will bless your journey with King Jesus in helping expand your relationship with Him. I pray that your walk this week is a blessed one that reflects His light in your life. May His blessings of peace, mercy, and forgiveness permeate each part of your daily walk. Today, we are going to continue the study of the gospel according to Luke and the acts of the apostles of Jesus.

“Then Kefa stood up with the Eleven and raised his voice to address them: ‘You Judeans, and all of you staying here in Yerushalayim! Let me tell you what this means! Listen carefully to me!

These people aren’t drunk, as you suppose — it’s only nine in the morning. No, this is what was spoken about through the prophet Yo’el: ‘ Adonai says:

In the Last Days,

I will pour out from my Spirit upon everyone.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

your young men will see visions,

your old men will dream dreams.

Even on my slaves, both men and women,

will I pour out from my Spirit in those days;

and they will prophesy.

I will perform miracles in the sky above

and signs on the earth below —

blood, fire and thick smoke.

The sun will become dark

and the moon blood

before the great and fearful Day of Adonai comes.

And then, whoever calls on the name of Adonai will be saved’” (Acts of Emissaries of Yeshua (Act) 2:14-21).

Peter addresses the crowd that thinks the disciples are drunk. And Peter tells the crowd that this is the outpouring of the Ruach HaKodesh, the Spirit. And then Peter quotes lengthily from the third chapter of the scroll of the prophet Joel. Peter begins by explaining what is going on as it was explained, “After this, I will pour out my Spirit on all humanity. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions; and also on male and female slaves in those days I will pour out my Spirit” (Yo'el(Jol) 3:1-2). The Spirit is going to be outpoured on everyone, all humanity, just like it is being outpoured on the disciples. And people will prophecy and dream dreams and see visions. Whether they are free or enslaved, the Spirit will fall upon them all as a great equalizer among all people. All people will be gifted the prophetic vision.

Peter ends this introduction of his first recorded sermon by finishing up that third chapter of Joel that continues, “'I will show wonders in the sky and on earth — blood, fire and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the coming of the great and terrible Day of Adonai. At that time, whoever calls on the name of Adonai will be saved. For in Mount Tziyon and Yerushalayim there will be those who escape, as Adonai has promised; among the survivors will be those whom Adonai has called” (Yo'el(Jol) 3:3-5). When the Spirit is poured out and folks are getting prophetic visions, “. . . whoever calls on the name of Adonai will be saved.” There are going to be some scary things described by Joel, “. . . blood, fire, and columns of smoke”. BUT anyone who calls out to God will be saved. God loves us all enough to save every one of us who asks to be saved. And He doesn’t care if we are enslaved. He doesn’t care if we are free. He doesn’t worry about whether our technology is correct. He isn’t concerned about what we are wearing. He isn’t truly concerned with any of the markers we think are going to save us. Because we can’t save ourselves, only God can save us.

So, we don’t need to be afraid that God will exclude us. We don’t need to be worried that we haven’t done enough. Because we are never going to have done anything close enough to earning our salvation on our own. That is why salvation is a gift from God. It is not a gift that we somehow earn by attending enough church services. It is not a gift we somehow earn by reading enough of the Bible. It is not a gift we somehow earn by giving enough to the community. It is not a gift we earn by making sure we fast when we are supposed to fast. It is not a gift we somehow earn by living a righteous life. It is a gift that God bestows on each of us when we ask. We simply need to call on Him. We simply need to trust Him. We simply need to believe Him.

We need to believe that when we call on Him, He is going to be there for us. And for a lot of us who don’t talk to God nearly enough, that is a difficult first step. Especially in a culture of self-reliance and independence, relying on and trusting someone else, even God, is a moral weakness. Trusting in God and not ourselves or our country is not normal in our society. BUT that is what God wants us to do, trust in Him. He wants us to call out to Him. He wants us to talk to Him. He wants us to trust Him for our salvation. And for a lot of us that is the most difficult step of this whole process.

Trusting in God and not in my own labors was definitely a tough step for me. I thought that if I just learned enough. I thought that if I just had enough willpower. I thought that if I just had the right system. I thought that any of those things was going to be enough to change me. And they could change me, BUT not the way a relationship with God has changed me. I used to be worried. I used to be afraid. I used to be frightened by these people with worldly power. I used to be truly concerned about these worldly systems bringing about destruction and violence. And did I ever put my trust in finding a way I could make those things change, and they never did. What had to change was me. And the only person that was going to help that change occur in a meaningful and useful way was God in communion, relationship with me.

I had to trust God when I stepped out from behind this computer and joined a prayer group. I had to trust God when I stepped out from behind this computer and started attending church services. I had to trust God when I found churches with flags, guns, and nationalism. I had to trust God when I was banned from attending a church. I had to trust God when I didn’t think any church was ever going to accept me. I had to trust God when I was back behind this computer as well. There is a lot of trust in God that isn’t always going to work out the way I planned. My plan isn’t to have so much concern and struggle with being a disciple of Jesus. BUT I don’t get to make the plan. I get to trust that even though I don’t understand the plan, I trust the person in control of that plan. And I choose to trust Him over myself in those matters.

He is right here with you. Our Father, not somewhere far away, BUT always near us, always with us. His Kingdom come and His Will be done.

Live free. Be a blessing. Grace and Shalom to your home.