Good Morning Friends,
If you are going to be a witness to a life in Jesus, you must know the basics of our faith and today’s lectionary selection gives a great start in understanding the key elements of what to share. People are confused about what is important so here are a few suggestions. First you can point to some prophecies Jesus fulfilled connecting the Christian and Jewish faith. Someone counted 365 Jewish prophecies fulfilled by Jesus. Knowing them and sharing them might bring a more consistent story when people are called to testify. So, our case must be credible. But it is also about what we internalize, know, and affirm in our own lives too. So, we must wonder even with the treasure of the Holy Spirit and Scripture active in us, Will Our Personal Stories Encourage Others To Believe?
Scripture: “My brothers, you descendants of Abraham’s family, and others who fear God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent. Because the residents of Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize him or understand the words of the prophets that are read every sabbath, they fulfilled those words by condemning him. Even though they found no cause for a sentence of death, they asked Pilate to have him killed. When they had carried out everything that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead; and for many days he appeared to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and they are now his witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what God promised to our ancestors he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you.’
Acts 13:26-33 (NRSV)
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.” 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, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:1-6 (NRSV)
So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
John 20:25 (NRSV)
Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their faces he was despised, and we held him of no account. Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people. They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain. When you make his life an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days; through him the will of the Lord shall prosper. Out of his anguish he shall see light; he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge. The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Isaiah 53 (NRSV)
“I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.” I will tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, with trembling.
Psalm 2: 6-11 (NRSV)
Message: Many believers are trying to evangelize the world and make disciples. That is wonderful, but too many are unprepared to share the Good News with those who have interest, much less for those who do not. Like a medieval trebuchet our efforts are put under pressure but may not be on target with what is needed. We pathetically throw our message into the air and hope it lands on a desired target. So, if you had the opportunity to share the Gospel with a captive audience who had invited you to do so, what would you share? Would you have the right target in mind? Would you make sure to take aim? So, here are a few items to target that are designed to encourage. First, begin with the reality that it is God’s love of us that prompted a work in history to help us realize we are loved. Then share how this is connected to the fulfilled Biblical prophecies centered around Jesus and how Hebrew scripture, such as Isaiah 53, predict his life. Next share how consistent this is with Judaism even though many Jews did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah. It is important to note, though ironic, that Jesus’ enemies fulfilled the very prophecies that scripture predicted. Finally, it is important, in fact crucial to note, that Jesus’ death and resurrection was verified by more than 500 eyewitnesses, many of whom were willing to give their life rather than deny that it had happened. The main idea though is to show why believing in Jesus is necessary to be right with God now in our lives. And that brings us to a consideration of the connection of love and justification. Now, justification is a legal term, but also a spiritual one, signifying acquittal and the declaring of a person to be righteous. We tend to distrust this process as legalistic for the scales of justice here are not measured blindly but with discernment as to privileged class. We want evidence like Thomas. But our hesitation was not shared by the biblical writers. In their day, it was accepted that a wealthy and important citizen would not be treated in a law court in the same way as a servant. Nobody expected strict justice in human tribunals, but the biblical writers were sure that God is portrayed as a God of true justice. Throughout the Bible justice is a category of fundamental importance. Accordingly, it is not surprising that salvation is often viewed in legal terms. The basic question in all religion is, “How can sinful people be just before God?” And God’s answer is basically, “My World. My Rules.” And God allows for a process whereby a person is declared to be right before God though belief in Jesus. Sure, we should be upright and good, but justification does not point to qualities like these. That is rather the content of sanctification. Justification points to the acquittal of one who is tried before God. Throughout Biblical history a good deal of attention is brought to this subject with the conclusion that we cannot bring about our justification by our own efforts. Therefore, we need Jesus to be not just Holy History but to be part of our history too. The Son of God is to vouch for us, and we need to witness to this. There is a lot of scripture to back it up but know this: we are justified by grace through Christ’s faith in us. It is that simple. And I bet you have a story about how this faith is related to your personal experience of God. This you should share with others in the love of Christ.
And So, the key is to encourage others in a spiritual way so that their souls entertain the question with their maker. Personal stories of witness can help but they have to be honest and real. There is much at stake in what is communicated. It is serious business so approach the challenge as an encourager of the faith. William Arthur Ward once said, “Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. But encourage me, and I will not forget you.” I think he got that right when it comes to witnessing the faith. We need to be in the encouragement and remembrance business as Christians. In fact, they both are essential for faith to blossom. Throughout the Bible we see instructions to encourage one another and verses that are meant to encourage us. And we see instructions for remembering Jesus. But nothing is more powerful boost to our confidence than both offered face to face and linked to our personal experiences. That is where we have a one up on the virtual world. God wants us to encourage each other because it helps to create a spiritual family and gives both the recipient and benefactor spiritual strength that is to be remembered and shared in a way that is palatable. If we do not encourage others, discouragement is likely to result. So, if we are to help others grow, we need to be optimistic and positive and present. The goal of discipline for a maturing Christian is difficult. It must have a focus on the soul and to do everything in love, but also address the gap in behavior that keeps a person from bearing fruit. The answer needs to come from within. The hope is that if we are active and strategic encouragers in the first place perhaps, we might avoid discipline all together and still mature. But it is not a perfect world. The reality is that children, even children of God are not expected to be as good an encourager as someone more mature in the faith. When spiritual children hopefully grow to maturity, they can encourage others including us as well. Our future depends on this sustainable reality. So, even before the pandemic is over, we are to make an affirmation, spend quality time, give, and receive gifts, offer acts of service, in the hopes of soon being more of a physical presence in the life of others with stories to share. And somehow this testimony will be enough when combined with the love of God. Friends, encouragement brings meaning to life and lifts our burdens. It means not being afraid. Here encouragement manages the pains of life. Encouragement helps us to feel the love of God and others. How we do it varies from person to person. But the beauty is that the more we do it the better we get at it. So strategically encourage another person today to remember they are loved by God. Their endorphins are depending on it. Perhaps even their life as well. Give people hope. Help weave their story into Holy History. For me, each devotional I share is like another thread in the tapestry of my life. Hopefully, you will be encouraged enough to read enough to see the bigger picture.
Pray we believe in a resurrected and ascended Christ who was sent in love and rules in mercy. Pray we believe King Jesus has gone to prepare not only a place for us but also a defense. Pray Jesus prepare us for life in this world as well as the next. Pray we believe we have been forgiven by the grace of God through our faith in Christ, the Son of God and can testify to this in the events of our own lives. Pray we are freed in the love of the Holy Spirit to serve in ways that glorify God. Pray we remember this love in the context of families of faith. Pray we have been justified so that we might share the good news with the conviction that the judge of all judges will acquit those who are in the family of God. Pray we realize that encouragement that lasts must connect with the Good News of the Gospel as well as our own lives. Pray therefor our encouragement during the pandemic leads people to God. Pray we remember God’s work in our past. Pray this helps us to get perspective to do God’s will in the present. Pray we care enough about others to tell them about Jesus. Pray we help others realize that Jesus is greater than any trouble we face. Pray our encouragement is sincere. Pray our encouragement is truthful. Pray our encouragement is strategic. Pray we celebrate our relationships and shared victories with a Spirit of praise that honors God for making it all possible. Pray we realize the power of presence and the power in specific praise has a foundation in Christ. Pray we believe in a way that spills over into the lives of others. Pray when we encounter sceptics, we invite them to come and see. Pray we get the facts and help others get the facts too. Pray we encounter Jesus with our fears and have them relieved. Pray we approach our doubts with wisdom and a heart that seeks the truth. Pray we catch the thrill and are inspired to speak of our lives with Christ passionately. Pray we share stories of God’s love in our lives and the promise this love continues forever.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 