A Good Work
The work has begun in you once you receive Christ through God's grace. That work is the Holy Spirit working through you to shape you to be more Christ like as the days pass. The time when that work will be complete is upon the Second Coming of Christ. This is what Paul is talking about in Philippians 1:6. He knows that God has started something good in the church (the people in the church) and that work will be completed upon Christ's return.
PLEASE SEE THE LOGOS AND LINKS BELOW TO SHARE VIA EMAIL, TWITTER, FACEBOOK, PINTEREST AND GOOGLE PLUS. THANKS!
Further Development of the Church
Peter met with the members of the church and told them about the Gentiles (non Jewish people) who had received the word of God. The brothers and sisters accused Peter of not being a faithful Christian Jew because he ate with Gentiles and they were uncircumcised at that. Peter tells them of the vision he had that allowed him to see that God had no distinction or partiality when it came to who could receive the word of God. Through this the church members were able to understand that everyone, including Gentiles, could receive the word of God. No partiality (Acts 11:1-18).
The Church in Antioch (which was far away) was growing. While there Barnabus and Saul met with other believers and taught for a year and it was also there at Antioch where the disciples were first called Christians. A prophet named Agaubus warned of a great famine that was coming to all the earth. he disciples determined to send relief to the brothers in Judea and they sent that relief by Barnabus and Saul., Everyone pitched in according to their ability (Acts 11:19-30).
From this chapter I have pulled out that when it comes to the word of God and the life and resurrection of Christ, there is no partiality. It does not matter what you look like. You can receive the word of God regardless of the outside. The word will stick based on the inside. I also learned that this was the the first recorded relief effort from one group of people helping another group of people. That takes love and concern and selfless care for others. We need that when there is a national or worldwide disaster. We need that kind of selfless giving on weekdays, weekends and holidays. We need that more often. Love takes no days off.
PLEASE SEE THE LOGOS AND LINKS BELOW TO SHARE VIA EMAIL, TWITTER, FACEBOOK, PINTEREST AND GOOGLE PLUS. THANKS!
Remember Why
John 19's focus is on Jesus and his crucifixion. I cannot say that there is a parable or words of wisdom from Jesus. I cannot say that he performed another miracle. This chapter is a huge reminder. This is a reminder of the prophecies coming true and of why Jesus died.
In John 19:24, we see a prophecy fulfilled from Psalm 22:18. When Jesus was on the cross soldiers gambled for his clothing. How is it possible a reference from generation before could come true?
In John 19:36-37, we see another prophecy fulfilled from Psalm 34:20. Once again, how is it possible a reference from generation before could come true? God's power is bigger than we can even fully explain.
Jesus's death on a cross was the ultimate example of God's grace for us. Remember John 3:16 and "for God so loved the world?" If God not love us then He would not have come down in Heavenly human form to reunite us with Him. Think about it this way, for all that we did wrong and all that we still will do, God still loves us. God didn't send Jesus just for 5 or 6 people who lived at that time. Jesus's sacrificial death was for all of us who accept him as the son of God and want to receive that redemption. The next time someone upsets you or breaks your heart, think of the God sized forgiveness in the size of Jesus.
PLEASE SEE THE LOGOS AND LINKS BELOW TO SHARE VIA EMAIL, TWITTER, FACEBOOK, PINTEREST AND GOOGLE PLUS. THANKS!
Keep the Commandments Out of Love
We can think of following Christ out of obligation. Or maybe you were raised that way and your parents made you go to church when you were a kid. I have even heard people claim to be certain walks of faith based on pleasing their parents. But, what about your relationship with Jesus? I mean, we don't date or marry people (typically) if the purpose is to make your parents happy. So, why would we pretend to follow Jesus with no to low commitment?
Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." That is not "if you wanna make other people happy, then pretend to follow me." How can we overlook the love Jesus had for with the intent to unite us with God if we follow Jesus and just treat it like Jesus' sacrifice doesn't matter? It DOES matter. The life of Jesus is what caused the split between BC and AD. His life mattered. His death and resurrection mattered as well.
Keeping his commandments takes action. Even inaction is an action. It is an action of defiance. But our actions should be focused on keeping the commands of Jesus. That doesn't mean that if we just do what Jesus said that we are saved. Look at it like this, if you love Jesus and you understand what his purpose was for you and me, then why wouldn't you follow his commands? If you are in a relationship or married then it is safe to say that you love (or at least are loving) the person you are with. In that, aren't there things that you would do to show that love to that person? Make their favorite food, watch their favorite movie with them, tell them you love them and spend time with them. Granted, we can't take Jesus out to eat, but we can spend time with him and read the word in order to understand what he wants from us. He wants our pride wiped away and our humility and selfless love for him and others, especially those that are less fortunate. Do as Jesus did for the sake of love for him.
PLEASE SEE THE LOGOS AND LINKS BELOW TO SHARE VIA EMAIL, TWITTER, FACEBOOK, PINTEREST AND GOOGLE PLUS. THANKS!
The Narrow Door
Jesus was asked a question regarding how many people will be saved. Jesus answers this person, not with an exact number, but how someone should approach being saved. Jesus saw that many would think that they had picked the right way, but the "narrow door" was not the option that was chosen (See Luke 13:22-30).
The Narrow Door does not provide a lot of options to walk through. It takes hard work to enter through it. This is not in regard to physical size of the one trying to walk through the door, but in regard to the hard work that it takes to get through that door. It does not leave space for other religions, gods and deities. The narrow door does not leave space for our old life and our past ways (see Isaiah 43:18-19).
The answer Jesus gave also focuses on the salvation of yourself. He does not give an actual number as to how many people will be saved, but he draws the attention from others to just the individual. We are not to be concerned with everyone else's salvation and figuring out if they are saved or not. That doesn't mean you can't share the gospel still and talk about how God has worked in your life, but we are not the judge to determine who is going to heaven and who is not.
Jesus wants us to work hard to enter through that narrow door. He doesn't want us to get prideful and think that we have it down pat. We don't. We are imperfect people who need Christ moment by moment. In a real world example, how important is the gym, eating healthy, being well read or well traveled to you? In comparison, how important is your walk with Christ and seeking to understand his teachings? Make sense?
PLEASE SEE THE LOGOS AND LINKS BELOW TO SHARE VIA EMAIL, TWITTER, FACEBOOK, PINTREST AND GOOGLE PLUS. THANKS!
Sharing the Word
I used to be afraid to talk to people about Jesus. I wouldn't even talk to other Christians about Jesus. I just didn't know a whole lot. I only knew that he died for my sins (and yours), was the Son of God and was a carpenter. I didn't know much more. I only had some basic information and facts. I had no in depth understanding about Jesus and his life.
The more I understood (through reading and studying) the more likely I was to share my story and how God was working through me and guiding me. The more I saw how God was using me for His purposes the more I was falling in line with wanting to and executing His will to the best of my abilities. The pressure to have every answer to every question decreased.
I know we have covered one of Christ's commands to go and make disciple of all nations, but I haven't covered the fear that can prohibit the sharing. But we must know that just like in 2 Timothy 1:7, God did not give us a "spirit of fear..." Paul is telling Timothy not to be fearful about the gift God entrusted to him. So, why would Jesus give us a command and then not equip us with what we need to carry out that command?
Max Lucado has a great quote on faith and fear.
Just hitting share on Google+ and twitter and texting weekly does a lot for sharing the word. This site allows me to look at the stats of each post and see how many (not who) people look at each post each day. I noticed that the views were down for yesterday's post when usually by the time I looked (around 5pm) they would have reach their maximum for the day. Then I realized that I never "shared" the post. Ha!! Here I am sharing The Word and I didn't even "share" The Word. After a few hours after sharing the post on two Gmail accounts and Twitter, the views went up 41%. I don't do this for the stats, I do this to aid in teaching scripture to those who need reminders, to water an already planted seed and to share with those that do not know Jesus yet.
Isn't time you told someone about Jesus? Here is an article I read with more support in your sharing- http://www.unlockingthebible.org/afraid-to-share-your-faith/
PLEASE SEE THE LOGOS AND LINKS BELOW TO SHARE THIS VIA EMAIL, TWITTER, FACEBOOK, PINTEREST, AND GOOGLE PLUS. THANKS.
