It’s Sunday but God is working !!

Just got back from our church’s baptism, our biggest one ever ! What a joy today to be in God’s house, enjoy some fantastic food after the service from all our great cooks and then see eight precious people baptized afterwards. The entire day I couldn’t help but think that there’s no question that God is at work at Nittany Baptist !  It’s been easy to think otherwise during the “dry times” or when you stand for what the Bible says and people leave over such petty things.

So how do we REALLY guage that God is at work in a church or how about in our own life?  Do we measure that by the size of our church, the feeling we get or don’t get reading our Bible or attending a service? How about the music or the charisma or lack thereof in the pastor, perhaps the friendliness of the people?   The energy or enthusiasm in me or my church? Certainly all these things can be indicators to some extent.  But how do we REALLY know God’s at work?

I think we saw it today and what we saw mirrors what they saw centuries ago in a fledgling church in Jerusalem.  Acts 2 was when the church had its start and when Peter preached that incredible sermon, yes he was used of the Spirit, but so too were those who heeded what he preached.  The crux of the matter was that they heard the Word and it was obeyed !  “Then they that gladly received His Word were baptized and the same day there were added unto them (the church) about three thousand souls.” !! (Acts 2:41).    Seems to imply here not ALL heeded what Peter preached but obviously MANY did.  And their obedience was IMMEDIATE (“the SAME day”).  I said it today in my sermon, that procrastination is the “kissing cousin” of disobedience.   God works when we simply obey what He says, period !

And certainly not to throw cold water on the day (pun intended) – eight is a far cry from 3,000 but I rejoice even when one follows God in obedience to His Word.  That’s when you know God is at work in YOU.  Is He?   Has His Word made it’s mark in your heart recently?  DO it, without delay.    Congrats to all those who did this today, even those unseen who made spiritual decisions upon hearing God’s Word. Kudos to those “older” Christians who regularly heed the Truth and ARE growing in our church.  In a world where much is wrong and sometimes we add to that, rejoice with me that God is at work in you as you heed His Word, keep up the great work He has begun or to echo the words of Paul, “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in YOU will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”  (Phil.1:6)