<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Acts 2;40-42<div><br></div><div><b>40. &nbsp;And he testified with many other words and exhorted them saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”</b></div><div><b>41. &nbsp;So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.</b></div><div><b>42. &nbsp;And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>Peter, with his exhortation to, <i>“Save yourselves from&nbsp;</i><i>this crooked generation” &nbsp;</i>is not simply condemning the hypocritical corruption of the Jewish religious leaders, nor the prideful, violence and sensuality of the&nbsp;Hellenists&nbsp;(Greeks and Roman’s). &nbsp;He is referring to that deadly,&nbsp;poisonous growth that came into<span>&nbsp;the&nbsp;garden of Eden, Adam’s choosing to disobey the Word of Life and</span><span>&nbsp;joining</span><span>&nbsp;Satan’s rebellion against God. &nbsp;This is the root of all&nbsp;evil, growing death&nbsp;in us, inherited from Adam.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>We too,&nbsp;as Adam’s children&nbsp;are born into&nbsp;that generation. &nbsp;We too, by our fallen nature foolishly&nbsp;claim&nbsp;the place of God, reserving the right to withhold honor and obedience to our Creator, Redeemer, and&nbsp;Sanctifier.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>To “<i>receive his word” </i>is not a work of man. &nbsp;It is the Holy Spirit confirming the truth of the Gospel in our hearts, minds, souls, and spirits. &nbsp;To receive the Gospel is all God’s doing in us. &nbsp;The only ‘power’ sinful man has is to reject the Word of Truth and Life. &nbsp;If we are&nbsp;believing, that is God’s doing. &nbsp;If we reject and disbelieve, that is our own doing. &nbsp;God gets all the glory and credit for our salvation. &nbsp;We get all the blame for our damnation.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Baptism is new-birth into the holy, life-giving&nbsp;generation of Christ. &nbsp;Being born-anew is a disavowing and renunciation of our original birth, and is the workmanship of God. &nbsp;<i>“But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become the children of God;&nbsp; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God”. </i>(John 1;12&amp;13)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Receiving the Word of God, believing in the name of Jesus is not a&nbsp;decision, like deciding to buy something at the store, or deciding to enroll in a class, or open a letter. &nbsp;Receiving Christ is like a helpless dead man (who is not breathing and whose heart is not beating, covered with wounds and filth both inside and out), who is found by the Great Physician, who breathes into him the breath of Life,&nbsp;his heart begins to beat and he begins to breathe, and he lives. &nbsp;</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><i>“And you he made alive, when you were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.” </i>(Ephesians 1&amp;2)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Those who receive the word, who believe in his name,&nbsp;are the people who <i>“devote themselves to the Apostles teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread </i>(the Lord’s Supper) <i>and the prayers.” &nbsp;</i></span></div><div><span><i><br></i></span></div><div><span>I pray you,&nbsp;God’s new-born children, find the delight God has for us in this new Life. (Remember, our old nature continues to resist, reject, and ignore this new Life.)&nbsp; Being a believer is not a static condition, like possessing a library card. &nbsp;It is living in the library, studying&nbsp;and&nbsp;soaking in all the truth of our new Life. &nbsp;It is an active on-goin&nbsp;consuming of the spiritual feast God has prepared for us in his Word, the&nbsp;fellowship of Believers, and&nbsp;Holy Communion. &nbsp;This feast produces in us a prayer life which itself bears much fruit.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, in Christ you have given us an active new and different life. &nbsp;Grant us courage to live it. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Love, Dad/Baba/Eric</span></div><div><span>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</span></div><div><span>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.”</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><b><br></b><br><br><a href="https://overview.mail.yahoo.com/?.src=iOS" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Acts 2;40-42
40.  And he testified with many other words and exhorted them saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”41.  So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.42.  And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Peter, with his exhortation to, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation”  is not simply condemning the hypocritical corruption of the Jewish religious leaders, nor the prideful, violence and sensuality of the Hellenists (Greeks and Roman’s).  He is referring to that deadly, poisonous growth that came into the garden of Eden, Adam’s choosing to disobey the Word of Life and joining Satan’s rebellion against God.  This is the root of all evil, growing death in us, inherited from Adam.
We too, as Adam’s children are born into that generation.  We too, by our fallen nature foolishly claim the place of God, reserving the right to withhold honor and obedience to our Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier.
To “receive his word” is not a work of man.  It is the Holy Spirit confirming the truth of the Gospel in our hearts, minds, souls, and spirits.  To receive the Gospel is all God’s doing in us.  The only ‘power’ sinful man has is to reject the Word of Truth and Life.  If we are believing, that is God’s doing.  If we reject and disbelieve, that is our own doing.  God gets all the glory and credit for our salvation.  We get all the blame for our damnation.
Baptism is new-birth into the holy, life-giving generation of Christ.  Being born-anew is a disavowing and renunciation of our original birth, and is the workmanship of God.  “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become the children of God;  who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God”. (John 1;12&13)
Receiving the Word of God, believing in the name of Jesus is not a decision, like deciding to buy something at the store, or deciding to enroll in a class, or open a letter.  Receiving Christ is like a helpless dead man (who is not breathing and whose heart is not beating, covered with wounds and filth both inside and out), who is found by the Great Physician, who breathes into him the breath of Life, his heart begins to beat and he begins to breathe, and he lives.  
“And you he made alive, when you were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.” (Ephesians 1&2)
Those who receive the word, who believe in his name, are the people who “devote themselves to the Apostles teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread (the Lord’s Supper) and the prayers.”  
I pray you, God’s new-born children, find the delight God has for us in this new Life. (Remember, our old nature continues to resist, reject, and ignore this new Life.)  Being a believer is not a static condition, like possessing a library card.  It is living in the library, studying and soaking in all the truth of our new Life.  It is an active on-goin consuming of the spiritual feast God has prepared for us in his Word, the fellowship of Believers, and Holy Communion.  This feast produces in us a prayer life which itself bears much fruit.
Prayer:  Merciful Father, in Christ you have given us an active new and different life.  Grant us courage to live it.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love, Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.”





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