Blogpress test.

I'm going to try posting a blog from Blogpress on my iPad...let's see how well it works. This is just a summary of last week as an intern at Under1.



This week has brought a lot of changes. I've learned so many things in such a short period of time. These changes have taught me some great things about ministry and responsibility. I'm not only learning, but I'm also doing what God has called me to do and that is the greatest feeling I can ever experience.
The first learning experience I had was moving in. That's when it kicked in that I was making a huge step. I realized that this ministry is going to require me to step up and take on more responsibilities. I know that these responsibilities will challenge me mentally, physically, and spiritually but the end result is something I am looking forward to.
The first day at the office was great. I was really excited about being apart of what goes on behind the scenes at Under1. The areas of ministry that no ones sees are often times more important than the ones that take place in the spotlight. I don't think I did anything extremely important, but I know that the phone calls, e-mails, copies, or whatever will be a part of something greater.
I learned to 'draw circles in the sand'. In other words, I learned that I need to pray fervently and seriously. I need to pray expecting a response from God, even if it's not the one I prefer or expect. I also learned that the first step is to ask.
Open door ministry was great. Serving people was awesome. I was surprised to see so many teenagers volunteering. Many of them were there to get community service hours, but Steve brought up the point that it's a great opportunity to invite some of these students to Under1. I'm excited to serve at ODM.
Sunday was a big day for me. I had to preach for the first time. It was much more difficult than I expected. I'll have to work on my public speaking skills. I've realized that I'm a better writer than speaker. I'm usually the type to get straight to the point so I need to focus on elaborating the areas that introduce and reinforce my points.
Overall this week has been crazy. Again I feel like I'm at a point where I'm doing more and getting less recognition. This is a good thing because He must become greater and I must become less. This week I've had less free time, less money at the end of the week, less sleep, less things to boast about, but I've given more honor to the name of Jesus Christ and that is greatest accomplishment I can ever hope to achieve.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Acts 7

Acts 7:54-60 (NIV84)

"54 When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”  57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.  59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep."

There are two things that really stick out to me here.

1. Verse 57.  They refused to hear the message that Stephen was preaching.  Revival isn't easy, and revival certainly won't be accepted by all people. Some people will accept the Truth and others might not, but we shouldn't let rejection stop us from preaching the gospel.  Stephen knew he was going to get stoned by the people, but he didn't even let death stop him from spreading the gospel.


2. Stephen forgave them.  It's important that during times of persecution and rejection that we don't hate our persecutors or those who rejected us.  Our number one desire shouldn't be revenge but it should be the redemption of our enemies.

Anyways, kind of short tonight but thanks for reading!

-JDWayt

Acts 6

Acts 6 is a short chapter, therefore, this will be a short blog.

Acts 6:1-7 (NIV84)

"1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”  5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.  7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith."


Basically there was a conflict in how the food was being distributed in the early church.  The apostles decided that it wouldn't make any sense to take time out of preaching the gospel to do grunt work.  So they appointed seven men to make sure the situation was handled properly.

There are a few points that I really got out of all this.

1. Leaders can't do everything.  Although the apostles were doing miraculous things, they still couldn't be two places at once.  They had to appoint people to do a seemingly small job to make sure that the word of God was still being spread.

It's the same way at Under1.  As an intern I'm given easy tasks like setting up chairs, inputting lyrics into Pro Presenter, taking bottles back, pretty much grunt work.  But it wouldn't make sense for Bryan to sacrifice his time and energy into those things if it takes away from him spreading the gospel.  So, whenever I'm given a task, I have to make sure it's done well.  The smoother things go on the grunt work end, the easier it is to preach the gospel.

2. Out of that small ministry came Stephen.  Stephen was recognized as being full of the Spirit and wisdom.  Stephen had a heart for God and he was willing to take a behind-the-scenes role for the kingdom. Who would have thought that a man who was in charge of making sure widows were fed would be the first martyr?  Sometimes it's hard to remember that even the little things matter.  And if we are faithful with the little things, than God can trust us with big things.

well that's it tonight, thanks for reading

-JDWayt

Acts 5 (Part 2)

Ok so this Acts blog is coming along nicely.



Acts 5:38-39 (NIV84)

"38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” "

This is pretty amazing.  The events that took place in the book of Acts happened almost two thousand years ago.  Here we are many many years later and we're still telling people about Jesus.

I think this can also give us hope.  If our intentions for revival are to glorify God, then we can be sure that things are going to work out.  If they are about ourselves, than we are destined to fail.

Acts 5:41-42 (NIV84)

"41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. "

The apostles rejoiced in their suffering.   They rejoiced because  they were becoming less and He was becoming more.

Anyways, tonight's post was kind of short.  It was actually supposed to be a part of last night's.

Thanks for reading!
-JDWayt

Acts 5 (part 1)

ok  so I have quite a bit for Acts 5 as well.

Acts 5:1-11 (NIV84)


"1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet.  3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.”  5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.  7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?” “Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”   9 Peter said to her, “How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”  10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events. "

Ok so I know it's a lot of verses but bare with me.  The reason God struck down Ananias and Sapphira was because they lacked integrity.  Revival requires integrity.  I've said it before but it's worth saying again.  Revival isn't about a growth in numbers or a growth in fame or a growth in finances.  Although those things usually are associated with revival, the only thing that matters is how much of it is focused on Jesus.

Integrity is important.  We need to be people who are willing to prove our integrity.  I think the biggest part of integrity is honesty.  I heard a saying once that stuck with me.  "It's better to confess than it is to admit."  It would have been better for Ananias and Sapphira to confess that they had held on to some of the money.


Acts 5:12-16 (NIV84)

"12 The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed."

Verse 13 really sticks out to me there.  Everyone liked what they said, but no one wanted to join them.  The people wanted to wanted to follow but they didn't want to be persecuted like Peter and John.

This is a good lesson on leadership.  People get excited when a good leader is in charge, people like putting their trust in a good leader.  But the funny thing about being a leader is that you get the most crap and most recognition. People either loved or hated the apostles.

We should remember to encourage our leader for everything that they do.


Well my tablet is doing that thing again lol.  Here are the sections I will write on tomorrow.  I've really enjoyed Acts so far!

Thanks for reading,
-JDWayt

Tomorrow:

Acts 5:38-39 (NIV84)

Acts 5:41-42 (NIV84)

Acts 4 (part2)

Ok so I'm going to finish Acts 4 tonight so here it goes.

Acts 4:13-21 (NIV84)
"13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. 14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. 15 So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. 16 “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it. 17 But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name.”  18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. 20 For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”  21 After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old."

3.  The change that happened in Peter and John was bold and visible. They're change was so bold that the Sanhedrin were surprised that the apostles were uneducated.  Peter's speeches  made it look like he devoted his entire life to studying this new way of thinking. In reality Peter was changed from the inside out by the Holy Spirit living inside of him.  They were surprised that an ordinary man was changed by and extraordinary God.  Peter was an ordinary, uneducated coward.  But he became one of the most extraordinary people in the Bible, noted for his boldness and wisdom.  When God changes ordinary people, the world is astonished.

4. When the Sanhedrin told Peter and John to quit talking about Jesus, they refused.  They were so full of God that they couldn't hold it in.  

Jerimiah 20:9 (NIV84)
"9 But if I say, “I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,”  his word is in my heart like a fire,  a fire shut up in my bones.  I am weary of holding it in;  indeed, I cannot."

I think Peter and John felt like Jerimiah did.  Peter and John had an unrelenting passion to preach the name of Jesus Christ.

I want that same unrelenting passion.

Acts 4:23-31 (NIV84)

"23 On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: “ ‘Why do the nations rage  and the peoples plot in vain?   26 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together  against the Lord  and against his Anointed One.’ 27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”  31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly."

5.  When the people found out that they faced opposition they prayed for boldness.

When I face opposition the first thing I usually pray for is justice.  I want God to eliminate my obstacles so everything becomes easy for me.  Really the thing I should be praying for is strength and boldness to face my opposition.

6. Their provision was spiritual.

This is what I was talking about earlier that provision is different than prosperity. God didn't bless them with a bunch of material things that would make it easier to spread the gospel, He gave them boldness.  Usually when I ask for provision from God I ask for material things.  But when I lack something spiritually, ironically, I don't usually turn to God for that.  I guess I need to trust God for spiritual provision as well as physical provision.


That's it again tonight, Thanks for reading.

-JDWayt

Acts 4 (part1)

Ok so there are a few things that strike me as interesting in Acts 4.  So this post will be a bit random and probably won't flow as well as some of the others.

I'll just go in order.

Acts 4:1-4 (NIV84)
"1 The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. 2 They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3 They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. 4 But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand."

1. Even though things didn't turn out so great for Peter and John, the Kingdom benefited greatly.

 Sometimes, as we're doing the things we're called to do, we can be in some discouraging situations.  Peter and John were thrown in jail for preaching the gospel, which is pretty discouraging.  In fact, it's possible that they didn't even see the five thousand people give their lives to Christ.  Sometimes in ministry we can feel like what we are doing isn't good for anything, but sometimes we don't get to see the response.  Maybe the thing we did changed one person's life forever, and if it did, than it was worth it.

Acts 4:5-12 (NIV84)
"5 The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. 6 Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest's family. 7 They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”  8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 He is “ ‘the stone you builders rejected,  which has become the capstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”"

2. All credit was given to Jesus Christ.

Mattie Montgomery was a guest speaker at an event we had a couple of months ago.  Before he gave his message, there was a meet and greet in one of the rooms at the church. He was talking about what it's like to be in a band.  One of things he said really stuck with me.  He said that he has to let everything that's said about him pass through one ear and out the other, even the good things.  He made the point that it's easy to lest the negative things go but the good things that people say we take to heart, but that can lead to pride if we're not careful.

It would have been easy for Peter and John to claim that it was their own power that healed that man.  But instead they gave all credit to Jesus.

Well my tablet won't let me copy and paste any more from my Bible app so I'll have to finish Acts 4 tomorrow :p

Thanks for reading!
-JDWayt