Category: The Gospel

Has Jesus Called You?

Jesus personally calls every disciple, just as he did Philip.

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come, follow me.” John 1:43 (NLT)

In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul wrote these encouraging words.

For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. Romans 8:29–30 (NLT)

Christianity is not a religion devised by men as a way to reach God. It is a relationship initiated by God who came looking for us.

God knows each of us by name and chose us before he even created the world.

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. Ephesians 1:4–5 (NLT)

At some point, he calls each of his chosen ones to belong to his family. This is when eternity intersects our historical timeline.

I recently attended a funeral of a dear friend at which a song was played that touched the hearts of many there. The chorus was repeated over and over again: “God is watching us from a distance.” It seemed to bring comfort to those present, probably because it is nice to consider that God cares, but the theology was poor. If God is watching us from a distance, it is because we don’t know him. God is not distant. He is very much present in the lives of those he called.

One of the most recurrent phrases in the Bible spoken by God to us is: “I am with you.” One the titles given to our Lord by the angel who appeared to Mary was Immanuel, which means God with us. (Matthew 1:23) But God is not with everyone. He remains at a distance from those who do not acknowledge and receive him. He does not know them in a saving way at all.

Jesus uttered these sobering words about the last judgment when he will separate those who know him from those who do not.

But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’ Matthew 7:23 (NLT)

How can we move from being one of the “not known” into the group with whom God dwells and knows by name? Most people do not even care, but if we do, it is a good sign.

If we feel drawn to Jesus, it is because God is at work in our lives.

For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. John 6:44 (NLT)

If we are being drawn by God, it is because he called us to be his son or daughter. Our responsibility is to respond to that call. Those who respond prove that they are among the chosen. Jesus said that many are called, but few are chosen. This is because not all who hear the gospel are able to receive it, only those in whom the Holy Spirit is at work. Have you heard the Lord calling you to become his follower, or are you content to know him from a distance, which amounts to not knowing him at all?

Prayer

Jesus, I want to be among those who know you and are known by you. I feel the tug of the Holy Spirit upon my heart; so, I come to you now, asking you to come into my life and reveal yourself to me. Open the eyes of my heart that I might see you for who you truly are. I want to be your follower. Forgive my sins and send your Holy Spirit to live inside of me. Thank you that you promised that you will never turn away anyone who comes to you. Amen.

Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never send away. John 6:37 (NET)
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Who Is Running the Show?

As we watch the world in which we live apparently spinning out of control, we face a huge question. Is Jesus really who the Bible says he is? Is he truly the resurrected Lord who has authority over everything, or is he merely a religious symbol or a peaceful refuge to whom we can escape when our emotional tanks are running on empty? The Gospel of John supplies us with an answer in the very first chapter.

Before the world began, the Word was there. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was there with God in the beginning. 3 Everything was made through him, and nothing was made without him. 4 In him there was life, and that life was a light for the people of the world. 5 The light shines in the darkness,♦ and the darkness has not defeated it. John 1:1-5 (ETRV)

Jesus, the Word of God, the Logos, the Son of God, the Creator of the all things. By creation rights, he has complete authority over what he made. It all belongs to him.

The author of Hebrews makes the amazing claim that everything and everyone that exists is being constantly upheld or sustained by the Creator. He did not “wind of the clock” and walk away. The clock cannot run without his continuing input of life and energy.

And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power... Hebrews 1:3 (NASB)

This means that, in agreement with the Second Law of Thermodynamics or entropy, the heavens and earth require a continual input of energy from an outside source to keep it going. This is provided by the Source of Life itself, Jesus the Creator God.

This is the second reason he is in control of all things. He not only has the right of ownership as the Creator; he also controls through being the continual Sustainer of everything. Without his second-by-second input, everything will fall apart.

Lastly, after his resurrection from the dead, Jesus was declared to be the Lord of Lords.

and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 1:4 (NLT)

Jesus’ lordship is qualitatively different from his role as Creator and Sustainer. He was the first two things before becoming a human being. His lordship as the risen Son of God, the promised Messianic King, is directly related to his humanity. As the risen human/divine King of Israel in the line of David, he has been made the Lord of Lords.

Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7  Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8  he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 9  Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11  and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:6-11 (NLT)

When Jesus walked this earth during his public ministry, he was never a victim of the plots and attempts on his life by his enemies. Not until it was the absolutely perfect time for him to be offered as the Lamb of God for our sins did he allow himself to be taken and crucified. But this was also part of the plan.

But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. 24  But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip. Acts 2:23-24 (NLT)

Therefore, his control was and is absolute because he is the Creator -Sustainer – Redeemer – Lord. Nothing can happen without his permission, and all things ultimately work for his glory and according to the counsel of his will. (Romans 8:28, Ephesians 1:11)

No matter what is happening in the world in which we live, we should remind ourselves that Jesus “has this.” It is his world. He created it. He sustains it. He oversees everything. His kingdom shall prevail. He shall be glorified. There is no doubt about it. Therefore, we can be at rest. He is.

“Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10 (NASB95)
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Be Appropriately Provocative

Paul concluded his personal testimony by relating how God commissioned him to take the gospel to the Gentiles, which angered his Jewish listeners, who regarded the Gentiles as being relatively worthless, like dogs. They still thought that Israel was the center of God’s plan to redeem the world, not realizing that their rejection of their Messiah would remove them from the equation. (Matthew 21:43) The New Covenant would bring all peoples to God – Jew, Gentile, slave, and free. (Galatians 3:26-29)

Here is what Paul said.

I saw a vision of Jesus saying to me, ‘Hurry! Leave Jerusalem, for the people here won’t accept your testimony about me.’ ...‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!’” 22  The crowd listened until Paul said that word. Then they all began to shout, “Away with such a fellow! He isn’t fit to live!” 23  They yelled, threw off their coats, and tossed handfuls of dust into the air. Acts 22:18-23 (NLT)

Why did Paul say what he knew would anger his listeners? Didn’t he understand that we should gently lead people to receive the gospel? Was he led by the Spirit or just being inflammatory? Let’s assume he was led by the Spirit. So why would God lead the apostle to be so provocative?

Paul addressed one of the major sins blocking Jews from receiving the gospel – the racist assumption that Jews were superior to the Gentiles because of God’s choice of that nation to husband the scriptures and provide a line for the birth of the Messiah. They falsely believed that God did not plan to include the Gentiles in the blessings of Abraham, even though the Bible plainly said he would. (Isaiah 49:6) In their pride and arrogance, the Jews hated the idea of non-Jews being included in God’s kingdom.

Paul knew his statement would anger his listeners, but he said it anyway to confront them with the sin that was dragging them to hell.

In today’s politically correct world, Christians are warned that we must “color inside the lines” and not say certain things – or face the consequences.

What are the egregious sins of those who hate the gospel today? Abortion, homosexuality, and transgenderism immediately come to mind. If we call out these sins, we will surely set off an explosion of hatred and persecution, and yet these sins, and others like them, must be confronted if our listeners have any hope of repentance and forgiveness from God.

Christians are called to be unafraid of being appropriately provocative by speaking truth to our culture in a loving way, regardless of the consequences. It’s part of the cost of discipleship and is one of the reasons we need to be led by and baptized in the Holy Spirit.

 

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Pray for Boldness

After being threatened and commanded to keep quiet about Jesus, the disciples met and spoke the following prayer.

And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. 30  Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31  After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness. Acts 4:29-31 (NLT)

When we face threats and intimidation, it is time to pray for courage and boldness.

Someone once said that there are no “closed” countries, only intimidated disciples. Satan will try to intimidate us into submission to fear with the threat of violence or some other form of persecution. What if those first believers had kept quiet after this warning from the Jewish leaders?  We don’t know how the Spirit would have handled that, but thankfully they refused to buckle to the pressure. Their boldness eventually cost almost all of them their lives. Jesus knew this would happen, but he called them to be his witnesses nevertheless. He is calling you and me as well. Will we be faithful to this challenge? We can start by praying for boldness to preach the gospel and witness to the truth. Jesus also wants us to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, which provides us with strength and power to do the job.

And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now...8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:4-5,8 (NKJV)
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How Much Will This Cost?

Paul continued his personal testimony by explaining how God called him to put his new faith in Christ into action.

“Then he [Ananias] told me, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and hear him speak. 15  For you are to be his witness, telling everyone what you have seen and heard. 16  What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.’ Acts 22:14-16 (NLT)

Hearing and understanding the gospel will result in obedience to the Lord, or I am merely a consumer of religious stories.

Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name. Romans 1:5 (NLT)

Consumer Christianity has mass marketed a version of Christianity that only requires faith without obedience. Sadly, this is not real faith. It is fantasy posing as faith.

But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” 19 You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. 20 But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called the friend of God. 24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. James 2:18–24 (NASB95)

Disciples are called to formally and publicly declare our allegiance to Christ through water baptism and to be a witness to others of the truth of the gospel for a lifetime.

If we correctly share the gospel, our hearers will know that following Christ is like signing a blank check, which the Lord will fill in and cash as he sees fit.

Paul was warned that he would face hardship and suffering as Christ’s servant and messenger. This did not stop him from making an immediate surrender to the Lord and the call God. When we share the gospel we should make certain that our hearers understand the enormous price tag associated with being a disciple.

If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:26 (NLT)
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What Is the Point?

Paul continued his testimony to the Jews in Jerusalem who were seeking to kill him by relating what his encounter with Christ years earlier meant to him. When Jesus addressed Paul after knocking him from his horse on the road to Damascus, the future apostle asked a revealing question.

“I asked, ‘What should I do, Lord?’ “And the Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything you are to do.’ Acts 22:10 (NLT)

It is all well and good to have a religious experience like Paul’s. Plenty of celebrities bandy about the name of God in their award acceptance speeches, but a bigger question is, “What difference has our relationship with God made in our lives?” Sadly, many who profess to be Christians live as though they are not. If our professions of faith have made little or no difference in how we live day to day, we have to ask ourselves, “What’s the point?”

If the gospel never properly impacted my life, perhaps it is because it was never properly presented to me.

We live in a consumer-oriented world in which we receive appeals from various people and companies to purchase or use their products, based on what it will do for us. If I first heard the “gospel” as a sales pitch instead of a call to surrender to the Lord of lords, perhaps I see Jesus more as a benevolent genie or fairy godmother than as the Lord of my life.

That was not the case with Paul. His encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus profoundly altered the course of his life. From the very beginning, Paul understood that this person who so overpowered him was the “Lord,” who has the right to command our lives from this moment forward. He understood that following Christ potentially could cost him everything, but that it would be worth it to serve the him.

The point of the gospel and a good testimony is that we now recognize that Jesus is the Lord .

In fact, the essence of the gospel is in these three words – Jesus is Lord.

When we share our testimonies, we should include how we, as did Paul, came to this realization. Knowing that Jesus is Lord is vastly different from knowing him as savior. Being forgiven makes no demands upon us, but when we surrender to Jesus the Lord, are lives are no longer our own. Perhaps this is a good time for each of us to consider if this is actually our story. If not, now is the time to make Jesus our Lord, too.

Prayer

Jesus, I never completely realized that your being the Lord means that my life belongs to you. I surrender to you every aspect of my life from this day forward. Help me to faithfully love and serve you. Amen.

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Share How God Showed Up

Paul continued his testimony by introducing the supernatural part of his story.

As I was on the road, approaching Damascus about noon, a very bright light from heaven suddenly shone down around me. 7  I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8  “‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked. “And the voice replied, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, the one you are persecuting.’ Acts 22:6-8 (NLT)

Our testimony is about how God intersected our lives.

Unless God intervenes, all of us are headed for hell. We don’t need any help to pull that off. That was certainly the case with Paul. He was “hell bent” on persecuting Christians in an attempt to stamp out what had become known as “the Way.” As the chief enemy of the faith, he was perhaps the most unlikely of all people to have an encounter with the risen Christ, which is exactly the point. Later he wrote the following.

This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. 16  But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. 1 Timothy 1:15-16 (NLT)

A good testimony invites people to consider that God is real, cares about us, and can communicate effectively.

Most people are unaware that this sort of thing can happen, and, even if they know it can, they do not believe it will happen to them personally.

If we convince our hearers that they are candidates for divine intervention, just as we were, perhaps they will seek God for themselves.

God does not turn away any sincere seeker. If our listeners will honestly turn to God and ask him for help, the Lord will not turn his back on them.

However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. John 6:37 (NLT)
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The Importance of Sharing Our “Back Story”

Paul continued his testimony by telling his Jewish listeners that he previously opposed the gospel, just as they were doing at that time. This let them know that he understood their motives.

And I persecuted the followers of the Way, hounding some to death, arresting both men and women and throwing them in prison. 5  The high priest and the whole council of elders can testify that this is so. For I received letters from them to our Jewish brothers in Damascus, authorizing me to bring the Christians from there to Jerusalem, in chains, to be punished. Acts 22:4-5 (NLT)

If people are meeting us for the first time, they have no context for understanding how Christ has impacted our lives. It can be helpful for us to relate what we were like before we became followers of Christ. This is especially important if we are speaking to someone with whom we share a common background. Our listeners can profit from knowing that we were not always as we are today.

Sharing our “back story” is another way for us to establish common ground with our listeners and sets the stage for relating how Christ intersected and transformed our lives.

People may argue with our doctrine and conclusions, but they cannot deny our personal story. This sets us up to share the gospel as the “how” and “why” for this transformation.

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I am just like you…

Paul was in Jerusalem when hostile Jews attacked and falsely accused him. In order to quell a riot, Roman soldiers took him into custody. On his way to the military outpost, the commander granted Paul permission to speak to the crowd.

Paul provides us with a model for sharing our personal testimonies.

Then Paul said, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. As his student, I was carefully trained in our Jewish laws and customs. I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did, just like all of you today. Acts 22:3 (NLT)

The first thing Paul did was identify with his persecutors, who thought that he had turned his back on his God and nation. Most people do not understand what motivates Christians to follow Jesus. Hopefully they noticed something different about us after we professed faith in Christ, but sometimes being different is viewed suspiciously.

If I find myself conversing with someone who admits to being a Roman Catholic, I will usually mention that I, too, was once a Catholic. This communicates that I understand them and what they believe, while simultaneously arousing curiosity as to why I no longer identify as one.

If we want to increase our chance of being heard, we might try showing our listeners that we understand them.

Since Paul was addressing Jews, he first established that he was one, too, and understood their issues. Not only was Paul Jewish, he also had been a man of stature in the community, having studied under the finest teachers. In other words,

Paul told his audience that he was one of them.

Secondly, Paul complimented them on their zeal, however misplaced. As mentioned in a previous article, if we can find common ground with our listeners, it helps a lot. It is rarely a good idea to launch an attack on those whom we are trying to lead to Christ. Even though his antagonists hated him, Paul found something for which to praise them: their zeal for Jewish beliefs.

We can also look for something we can acknowledge as being good in our listeners in an effort to establish solidarity prior to sharing the gospel.

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What is the Worst Response to the Gospel?

After Paul addressed a crowd in Athens, his listeners responded in three ways. Which do you think was the very worst?

When they heard Paul speak about the resurrection of the dead, some laughed in contempt, but others said, “We want to hear more about this later.” 33  That ended Paul’s discussion with them, 34  but some joined him and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the council, a woman named Damaris, and others with them. Acts 17:32-34 (NLT)

Lack of interest is the worst response to the gospel. Far better that a person be hostile than be indifferent.

Jesus warned in Revelation:

I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! 16  But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! Revelation 3:15-16 (NLT)

Even though Jesus spoke these words to the church, the principle still applies. If people actively resist the gospel, it is because they are seriously listening and do not like what they hear. There is hope for such a person. Perhaps the Holy Spirit will bring them around as they continue to ponder the implications of the gospel. The “lukewarm” disinterested person, however, will probably not give the gospel a second thought. He does not think he is rejecting the message, just saving it for later consideration, which quite probably will never happen. Procrastination is not a virtue when it comes to the gospel. The “hot” response is most to be desired. These people “get it” and respond positively right away.  The next time someone becomes hostile to the message, we should give thanks to God. At least we were heard.

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