Filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit

My Personal Devotional, Friday 2-6-15 (Home)  

Scripture reading:        Lev 1-3            Acts 13

S.  Acts 13:50-52 Then the Jewish leaders stirred up both the influential religious women and the leaders of the city, and they incited a mob against Paul and Barnabas and ran them out of town.  But they shook off the dust of their feet against them and went to the city of Iconium.  And the believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. NLT

O.  Paul and Barnabas had preached Jesus to the Jews and to some Gentiles who had either converted to Judaism or were sympathizers.  The next Sabbath a much larger crowd showed up.  But now the Jewish leaders rose up against Paul and Barnabas and stirred up influential people to run them out of town.  But they left something significant behind them after these few weeks; a group of believers filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.  First there was high interest, followed by persecution, but some believed… and finally they left behind a group of new believers in Jesus, filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. 

A.  Sometimes that’s the way it works.  When in 1989 we felt led of the Lord to open a work in the city of Lujan, called by some “the Vatican of Argentina,” we didn’t expect to be welcomed.  We found a gymnasium, 3 walls, no front wall, with a high roof for sale.  Pastor Jose Pichiur and I looked it over, realized that is was only a half block from the city’s central plaza and right there and then by faith we dedicated it to the Lord as His.  Then we discovered that, like most of the city choice properties, this one, too, was owned by the Roman Catholic priests.  Miraculously, although we told them clearly of our intentions to start an evangelical church in that building, they were anxious for our $50,000 which our generous AG donors supplied. 

However, the day we started our first crusade under the roof of this open building, the atmosphere changed.  After our publicity campaign and before opening our first service, an inspector from the municipality showed up to tell us that we could not worship there.  We were less than five blocks from the famous great Cathedral to the Virgin of Lujan.  We had purchased within the “sacred area”.  He told us it was illegal to hold evangelical services there.  I rushed to city hall only a half block away and found an official who encouraged me to continue with no problem, since the RC church had broken their own rules.  They had erected another RC church within the sacred area, so “If they can do it, so can you.” 

Then minutes before we were planning to start the evangelistic campaign with Missionary Evangelists David and Doris Godwin, two fierce looking fellows showed up and wanted to talk with me privately.  They claimed that they were leaders of an organization to protect their city from invading non-RC religious cults and that they were authorized to purchase the building back.  When I told them that it was impossible, they started with serious threats and insinuated there would be bombs and bullets if we kept on preaching.  They looked pretty tough and I was still trembling inside when I stepped inside to start the first service.  I don’t know what the Lord did with those fellows, but we never heard from them again. J

Many months later we left that city with their own Argentine pastors, Walter and Rebeca Diaz, with the front of the building completed (See photo under construction below) and with a group of believers in Jesus filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.  Now on March 22, 2015, in about 6 weeks, I have been invited to preach for their 26^th anniversary... and again we will all be filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

P.  Lord Jesus, thank You for Your wonderful combination of joy and the Holy Spirit, for I have noticed that the two seem to go together.  Your Holy Spirit filled people are often full of joy even when there is opposition and things do not seem to be going well.  I think of our many pastors in Argentina that are struggling against the enemy of the souls of men, attempting to establish a beach head in a new area.  I pray that as they walk in Your will, stepping ahead against heavy odds, You would encourage them.  And as they continue faithfully in their labor of love, often in spite of setbacks, I pray You would fill them with heavenly joy and with Your Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Lujan church front under construction with team from 1st AG  Pheonix, Arizona

Ralph