We don't see much persecution in the U.S. today. But it is happening in many places in the world. And it was a serious problem for the early church as we see in the book of Acts in the New Testament. So we will look at the persecution that the early Christians were enduring and how it affected the church growth at that time.
In the fourth chapter of Acts, Peter had just healed a lame man and it caused quite a stir. The Jewish leaders placed Peter and John into jail overnight and challenged them the next day. Peter explained that Jesus was the one who provided the power of healing. This infuriated the leaders who said:
"What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name. So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus."
So what was the result of this "severe threat"? "And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. So when they heard that, they raised their voices to God with one accord and said, 'Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them......grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word."
In Acts chapter 5 we see a similar situation. In this case, the Jewish leaders become more antagonistic and beat the apostles. "...and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go."
So how did this severe persecution affect the Christians? "So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ."
Persecution did not deter the growth of the church at all. Praise God! And we may one day see persecution in our country. If that be the case, we can learn from the early Christians to be strong and keep on keeping on.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week.
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Thursday, April 14, 2016
The Church
In the last blog entry we talked about why Jesus came to earth, that is, Jesus came to earth to seek and save the lost. Without Jesus we are lost, we don't have eternal life with God. The emphasis is primarily on the individual as we look at the teaching of the New Testament. But there is teaching also about the collective, the coming together as a church; so we will look at that briefly.
In Matthew 16:18, Jesus was talking to Peter and the rest of the apostles saying, "...upon this rock I will build My church." His plan was to build His church, sometime in the future, upon the rock foundation of Jesus being the Son of God. He could have started the church right then, but we see that His plan was to lay the ground work, then leave the actual formation of the church to the apostles after He left the earth.
The word "church" comes from the original Greek word "Ekklesia" which simply means a gathering, a group of people; in this case a group of Christians.
And we see the first church being formed in Jerusalem as people first became Christians, as recorded in Acts chapter 2. The last verse of chapter 2 says, "And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." It was His church and He does the adding. But from the beginning we see that the church is formed as people became Christians.
We will note that the term church is used in two different ways in the New Testament. It is used in the over all sense, meaning all Christians are part of His church. And it is used in a local sense to reference a particular group of Christians meeting together in a local place. Paul, in writing to the Ephesian church in Ephesians 5, said "Husbands love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it." We see in this passage that Christ loved the church so much that He died for it. And if He felt that strongly about the church, certainly we should value it highly....and be a part of it, both in becoming a Christian and in participating in a local sense, in a local church.
Hebrews 10:24-25 teaches us, "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another...." We serve God by coming together as a group; but we also serve and help one another in doing so.
The church is good.....it is His....and we need to be a part, an active part. Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
In Matthew 16:18, Jesus was talking to Peter and the rest of the apostles saying, "...upon this rock I will build My church." His plan was to build His church, sometime in the future, upon the rock foundation of Jesus being the Son of God. He could have started the church right then, but we see that His plan was to lay the ground work, then leave the actual formation of the church to the apostles after He left the earth.
The word "church" comes from the original Greek word "Ekklesia" which simply means a gathering, a group of people; in this case a group of Christians.
And we see the first church being formed in Jerusalem as people first became Christians, as recorded in Acts chapter 2. The last verse of chapter 2 says, "And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." It was His church and He does the adding. But from the beginning we see that the church is formed as people became Christians.
We will note that the term church is used in two different ways in the New Testament. It is used in the over all sense, meaning all Christians are part of His church. And it is used in a local sense to reference a particular group of Christians meeting together in a local place. Paul, in writing to the Ephesian church in Ephesians 5, said "Husbands love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it." We see in this passage that Christ loved the church so much that He died for it. And if He felt that strongly about the church, certainly we should value it highly....and be a part of it, both in becoming a Christian and in participating in a local sense, in a local church.
Hebrews 10:24-25 teaches us, "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another...." We serve God by coming together as a group; but we also serve and help one another in doing so.
The church is good.....it is His....and we need to be a part, an active part. Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Why Did Jesus Come to Earth?
There are perhaps many reasons why Jesus came to the earth. It could be said that He fulfilled all Scripture, all prophesies; or He completed God's plan for man, a plan made before the Creation of the world. I would suggest that the teaching shows that Jesus' coming was for one main purpose:
Jesus came into the world to save man from his sins. We all know the verse in John 3:16-17, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."
Luke 19:10 puts it this way: "...the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." People then, and people now, are lost without Jesus. Sin causes man to be separated from God and being a follower of Jesus is the only solution.
We might ask where sin came from in the first place. We see the answer in many places, one being Romans 5:12, where it is putting the initial blame on Adam, the first man. "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin...." But the solution is given in this passage as well, in verse 17: "For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ." Sin began with Adam, but is solved by the coming of Jesus Christ, who died for us, giving us His grace which cleanses us of our sins....if only we follow Him.
Romans 3:23 says, "...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."
And Paul said to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:15, "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief."
Thanks for reading. Feel the love.
Jesus came into the world to save man from his sins. We all know the verse in John 3:16-17, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."
Luke 19:10 puts it this way: "...the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." People then, and people now, are lost without Jesus. Sin causes man to be separated from God and being a follower of Jesus is the only solution.
We might ask where sin came from in the first place. We see the answer in many places, one being Romans 5:12, where it is putting the initial blame on Adam, the first man. "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin...." But the solution is given in this passage as well, in verse 17: "For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ." Sin began with Adam, but is solved by the coming of Jesus Christ, who died for us, giving us His grace which cleanses us of our sins....if only we follow Him.
Romans 3:23 says, "...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."
And Paul said to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:15, "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief."
Thanks for reading. Feel the love.
Thursday, March 31, 2016
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is a very complicated subject, one that we cannot know or understand all about since He is the Spirit of God. But we know a lot of what He did and does....so we can examine a few of these things.
When Jesus was still on the earth, teaching His apostles and getting them ready for the time that He would no longer be with them, He gave them these words: "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." (John 14). Elsewhere, the Holy Spirit is described as the "Comforter"; and they needed a comforter because they would be lost without Jesus. He had been their everything for 3 years.
We learn more of the work of the Spirit in Acts 1, where Jesus is just about to leave: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses of Me....." The power of the Spirit would give them the ability to work many miracles, and also to be able to pass on this ability through the "laying on of hands."
But we should note that there was a specific purpose for the miracles to be performed. These miracles are called "signs" in John 20:30-31: "And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name." The stated purpose of the miracles was to cause people to believe. It wasn't to heal all people, though many were healed.
We know that it was not Jesus' intention to heal all people, nor the purpose of the miracles. And we know that because later Paul would have a "thorn in the flesh" for which he would ask God to remove. But the answer was "My faith is sufficient for you." And in 2 Timothy 4:20, Paul mentions that he left Trophimus sick in Miletus. Trophimus was important to Paul; so why didn't he just heal him? The answer is that this was not the purpose of miracles. Miracles were available to these early Christians to confirm the Word, to prove that what they were teaching was true, to establish faith among those who witnessed the miracles.
The writer knows that this is complicated stuff. Feel free to let me know that further teaching is needed and we will get that done. The work of the Spirit is important!
Thanks for reading. I hope your week is great.
When Jesus was still on the earth, teaching His apostles and getting them ready for the time that He would no longer be with them, He gave them these words: "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." (John 14). Elsewhere, the Holy Spirit is described as the "Comforter"; and they needed a comforter because they would be lost without Jesus. He had been their everything for 3 years.
We learn more of the work of the Spirit in Acts 1, where Jesus is just about to leave: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses of Me....." The power of the Spirit would give them the ability to work many miracles, and also to be able to pass on this ability through the "laying on of hands."
But we should note that there was a specific purpose for the miracles to be performed. These miracles are called "signs" in John 20:30-31: "And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name." The stated purpose of the miracles was to cause people to believe. It wasn't to heal all people, though many were healed.
We know that it was not Jesus' intention to heal all people, nor the purpose of the miracles. And we know that because later Paul would have a "thorn in the flesh" for which he would ask God to remove. But the answer was "My faith is sufficient for you." And in 2 Timothy 4:20, Paul mentions that he left Trophimus sick in Miletus. Trophimus was important to Paul; so why didn't he just heal him? The answer is that this was not the purpose of miracles. Miracles were available to these early Christians to confirm the Word, to prove that what they were teaching was true, to establish faith among those who witnessed the miracles.
The writer knows that this is complicated stuff. Feel free to let me know that further teaching is needed and we will get that done. The work of the Spirit is important!
Thanks for reading. I hope your week is great.
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Peter's Second Sermon
In the last blog entry, we discussed the first sermon that Peter preached after Jesus had left them and gone back to heaven. In that speech, Peter was asked by the Jewish people, who realized that they were guilty in having Jesus killed, "What shall we do?" The apostle's answer was "Repent and be baptized....for the remission of sins."
In this second sermon, given in Acts chapter 3, after healing a lame man, Peter says, "Men Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?" He explains to them that it is by the power of God that Jesus triumphed over death, just as it was the power of God that healed this lame man.
Using different words, but the same main thought, Peter proceeds to tell the people that they need to be converted: "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord...."
In Acts 2, the apostles say, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
In Acts 3, Peter says, "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord."
This isn't two differing instructions; it is just the same process being stated in two different ways. This is a common way of teaching that is found in the New Testament. Many times we must look at a number of passages to get the whole lesson about a subject.
We see the term "repent" used in both of these passages. Repent simply means to "change." It isn't enough to say we are sorry, to confess. The Lord expects us to change our behavior, to repent.
And to be baptized is a part of the conversion process, as it says in Acts 2, to be baptized for the remission, or forgiveness, of sins.
Acts chapters 1-3 are wonderful reading.....and very enlightening.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
In this second sermon, given in Acts chapter 3, after healing a lame man, Peter says, "Men Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?" He explains to them that it is by the power of God that Jesus triumphed over death, just as it was the power of God that healed this lame man.
Using different words, but the same main thought, Peter proceeds to tell the people that they need to be converted: "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord...."
In Acts 2, the apostles say, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
In Acts 3, Peter says, "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord."
This isn't two differing instructions; it is just the same process being stated in two different ways. This is a common way of teaching that is found in the New Testament. Many times we must look at a number of passages to get the whole lesson about a subject.
We see the term "repent" used in both of these passages. Repent simply means to "change." It isn't enough to say we are sorry, to confess. The Lord expects us to change our behavior, to repent.
And to be baptized is a part of the conversion process, as it says in Acts 2, to be baptized for the remission, or forgiveness, of sins.
Acts chapters 1-3 are wonderful reading.....and very enlightening.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Great Sermons
The greatest sermon of all time has to be the Sermon on the Mount as given by Jesus and recorded in Matthew chapters 5-7. I won't focus on that at this time; for one reason, it is filled with so much teaching that I could never adequately cover that.
Perhaps the second greatest sermon is the first sermon that Peter gave, as recorded in Acts chapter 2. This on stands out because it occurs just after Jesus has ascended into heaven and left the apostles to carry on without Him. In this sermon, Peter, standing with the other apostles, explains to this large gathering of Jews in Jerusalem that they have just killed the Savior. He explains to them that this was the very Savior, Messiah, that had been foretold about by their prophets of old, people like Joel and king David, people that they respected and revered. And when the people realized what wrong they had done, they asked, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Peter said, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." These people were sorrowful and needed to change their lives and to follow the teachings of Jesus, as explained by these apostles.
This gospel sermon should be studied by all who are seeking to find God, who need Jesus and His salvation. It applies just as much to us today as it did to these Jews.
How one might rank the various sermons of the New Testament could be up for question. But it is possible that the third most significant lesson follows in the next chapter of Acts, Acts 3. I won't try to cover that in this lesson but will likely do so in a future blog entry. This is an interesting lesson that would benefit any reader.
If a person wanted to do a little reading in the Bible, something that wouldn't take a lot of time but would be understandable and meaningful, it would be good to read the last chapter of Luke and the first 3 chapters of the book of Acts. These chapters flow together, all having been written by the same man, Luke, and cover a major time in human history, as well as a critical time in the beginnings of Christianity. This is powerful stuff!
Thanks for reading. Sign on as a follower of this blog to show your support and to receive automatic receipt of this blog each week through your email. Thanks! And feel the love....
Perhaps the second greatest sermon is the first sermon that Peter gave, as recorded in Acts chapter 2. This on stands out because it occurs just after Jesus has ascended into heaven and left the apostles to carry on without Him. In this sermon, Peter, standing with the other apostles, explains to this large gathering of Jews in Jerusalem that they have just killed the Savior. He explains to them that this was the very Savior, Messiah, that had been foretold about by their prophets of old, people like Joel and king David, people that they respected and revered. And when the people realized what wrong they had done, they asked, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Peter said, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." These people were sorrowful and needed to change their lives and to follow the teachings of Jesus, as explained by these apostles.
This gospel sermon should be studied by all who are seeking to find God, who need Jesus and His salvation. It applies just as much to us today as it did to these Jews.
How one might rank the various sermons of the New Testament could be up for question. But it is possible that the third most significant lesson follows in the next chapter of Acts, Acts 3. I won't try to cover that in this lesson but will likely do so in a future blog entry. This is an interesting lesson that would benefit any reader.
If a person wanted to do a little reading in the Bible, something that wouldn't take a lot of time but would be understandable and meaningful, it would be good to read the last chapter of Luke and the first 3 chapters of the book of Acts. These chapters flow together, all having been written by the same man, Luke, and cover a major time in human history, as well as a critical time in the beginnings of Christianity. This is powerful stuff!
Thanks for reading. Sign on as a follower of this blog to show your support and to receive automatic receipt of this blog each week through your email. Thanks! And feel the love....
Friday, February 26, 2016
JESUS
The subject for this article is simply Jesus. The point of it is to say that Jesus is what, or rather who, that matters. The teaching about Jesus in the New Testament, and really throughout the whole Bible, is to tell us that it is Jesus that matters. In this short treatise we will consider a few verses that stress His importance to our belief in God....and to our eternal life. After all, we do want to live forever, and Jesus is the answer.
Jesus was talking to His closest friends, the apostles, as recorded in John 14: " 'Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, you may be also. And where I go, you know, and the way you know.' Thomas said to Him, 'Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?' Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.' "
This is a bold statement by our Lord. It requires an emphasis on Jesus. Let's look at what He said about Himself in Matthew 28: "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." We might ask who gave Him "all authority?" The answer is the Father; no question. And there is no question that Jesus has all authority everywhere, in heaven and on the earth.
Then there is the famous, often quoted, verse in John 3: "....whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."
Jesus is the only answer for salvation; there is no other way. And He is the "Way" for all who are true followers. Most of the world goes along living their lives with the assumption that there is a "better place" waiting for all of us. The Bible simply does not teach that. There is only a better place for those who have given their lives over to Jesus; not to "spirituality," not to "religion," not to the church. The better place as told in the Bible, and by Jesus Himself, is waiting for those who are followers of Him. This then, is our challenge. We must commit our lives to Jesus.
Thanks for reading. Have a great, God-filled week!
Jesus was talking to His closest friends, the apostles, as recorded in John 14: " 'Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, you may be also. And where I go, you know, and the way you know.' Thomas said to Him, 'Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?' Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.' "
This is a bold statement by our Lord. It requires an emphasis on Jesus. Let's look at what He said about Himself in Matthew 28: "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." We might ask who gave Him "all authority?" The answer is the Father; no question. And there is no question that Jesus has all authority everywhere, in heaven and on the earth.
Then there is the famous, often quoted, verse in John 3: "....whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."
Jesus is the only answer for salvation; there is no other way. And He is the "Way" for all who are true followers. Most of the world goes along living their lives with the assumption that there is a "better place" waiting for all of us. The Bible simply does not teach that. There is only a better place for those who have given their lives over to Jesus; not to "spirituality," not to "religion," not to the church. The better place as told in the Bible, and by Jesus Himself, is waiting for those who are followers of Him. This then, is our challenge. We must commit our lives to Jesus.
Thanks for reading. Have a great, God-filled week!
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