Showing posts with label proclaim. Show all posts
Showing posts with label proclaim. Show all posts

Monday 15 February 2016

Priest, scribes and others with authority

John Bunyan
John Bunyan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

For the orderly functioning of life we need to have some order and functions. Our world is divided by different hierarchical posts.

In the world of the churches there are also several posts and in many denominations those in such positions often think they are higher than others and people have to listen to them and have to do what church dictates to them.

In Christianity we can see that at the beginning it was part of Judaism.
Jesus was a respected rabbi and considered by his followers as the sent one from God who had received the authority from the Most High in heaven.

When Jesus was gone the apostles were given special Holy Spirit powers to exercise authority as well. An outstanding example was the drama with Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11) who told lies to the Apostles, but Peter said, “You have not lied to men but to God” (verse 4).

In today’s reading of the 11th chapter of Mark we read
“as he (Jesus) was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and elders came to him and they said to him,
‘By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?’” (verses 27-28).
Priest and scribes were considered as the highly placed ones having authority to dictate to the people. According to them no one was supposed to teach unless they gave them authority. This is one reason why John the Baptist went into the wilderness to preach. It was this exercise of authority that saw the disciples thrown into prison when they taught in the temple (Acts 4:1-3) although later, such was the prestige of the Apostles, created by their miracles, that dramatic scenes unfolded. (Acts 5:12,13,17-20), but “none of the rest dared join them”.

History shows that as the early believers evolved into large established churches these churches too began to exercise an attitude of authority climaxing in the power of the Pope and the cardinal system. In the Middle Ages, if you were not appointment by church authorities to minister in a church, you had no authority to preach.

Some, such as John Bunyan, were put in prison for doing so.

When we look at the gospels we can find examples where it is made clear by Jesus that his followers will have to take up tasks. He also sent them out into the world, something which is too often forgotten today.

We read at the end of Mark’s Gospel, Jesus said,
 “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved …” (16:15,16).
That authority is given to everyone, so we all have the responsibility to share our faith.

Paul challenges us when he expresses this responsibility in the bluntest terms,
 “Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:16).
- based on the Today's thought “Who gave you this authority?” (February 15) by the Christadelphian

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Thursday 20 June 2013

Learn how to go out into the world and proclaim the Good News of the coming Kingdom

Charles Spurgeon said:
If you read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the word of God, the qualities of that word will be displayed in you.
By the non-trinitarian Baptists Spurgeon was a treasured guide. His words, from the time when he saw the only One God could bring the congregation to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the word of God, so that the qualities of that word would be displayed in the congregation.

He taught  the sin-pardoning God in Christ Jesus. For Spurgeon it was clear that we should come to the knowledge that Jesus was the man send by God to save us by a gift of grace.
Saint George Preca has been likened as a succe...
Saint George Preca has been likened as a successor to Saint Paul's evangelical work on the island of Malta. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This is grace upon grace. Observe that if we climb on high, the position may be dangerous; but if the Lord sets us there it is safe.
He may raise us to great usefulness, to eminent experience, to success in service, to leadership among workers, to a father’s place among the little ones.
If He does not do this, He may set us on high by near fellowship, clear insight, holy triumph, and gracious anticipation of eternal glory.
For the non-trinitarian baptist as the same for us Christadelphians we learned from Spurgeon how to go out into the world and give enough attention onto the preaching of the Gospel.

We should feel the same as the apostle Paul who felt it a great privilege to be allowed to preach the gospel. For us it is a privilege to be long to the chosen ones, to be a child of God but also a worker for God.

The Apostle Paul did not look upon his calling as a drudgery, but he entered upon it with intense delight. Yet while Paul was thus thankful for his office, his success in it greatly humbled him. The fuller a vessel becomes, the deeper it sinks in the water.

Today we still can use many of Spurgeons teachings to inspire us and remember his works:
If you seek humility, try hard work; if you would know your nothingness, attempt some great thing for Jesus. If you would feel how utterly powerless you are apart from the living God, attempt especially the great work of proclaiming the unsearchable riches of Christ, and you will know, as you never knew before, what a weak unworthy thing you are.
Although the apostle thus knew and confessed his weakness, he was never perplexed as to the subject of his ministry. We should find an example in the apostle Paul, who always wanted to do the work for the Only One god, first as Saul, thinking the followers of Christ where worng, but than after he got more insigth given him by Christ, he became a speaker for Christ. We too should be such an ardent speaker in the name of Christ, and show the world that Jesus did not preach an other Gospel than the many prophets before him. Jesus was that fulfilment of the words of the prophets and the fulfilment of the Word of God having become into the flesh (John 1:1)

Jesus was not another one who claimed to be God. No he clearly indicated the Father was grater than him and that he could not do anything without his Father, the Only One God. We too, can not do anything without God the Father, who is in heaven. Like Jesus and the apostle Paul we should know that and be thankfull that God has drawn us near to Him and does allow us to work for HIm.

From his first sermon to his last, Paul preached Christ, and nothing but Christ. He lifted up the cross, and extolled the Son of God who bled thereon. Follow his example in all your personal efforts to spread the glad tidings of salvation, and let “Christ and Him crucified” be your ever recurring theme. . .

Only because God wanted to accept the Peace offering of Christ we can be saved for ever. By the acceptance of the Ransom we have no debts any-more and can trust the Good News of the coming Kingdom. This marvellous Good News we should proclaim all over the world, with gladness and full of grace.

If there is anyone who should be opposed to strife and bloodshed it is the man that names the name of Christ. Spurgeon considered the spirit of war to be absolutely foreign to the spirit of Christianity….
Modern conservative, fundamentalist, and evangelical Christians, all of whom might claim him as one of their own, have much to learn from Spurgeon, not only for his example of an uncompromising and successful Christian minister, but also for his consistent opposition to war and Christian war fever.--Laurence M. Vance [extended quotes and citations]
Spurgeon near the end of his life.
Spurgeon near the end of his life. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Our kingdom is not of this world; else would God’s servants fight with sword and spear. Ours is a spiritual kingdom, and the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but spiritual, and mighty through God, to the pulling down of strongholds.

We as Christians should bring the message of peace, which Jesus brought into the world, and should let others know the Word of God, without forcing it on them with violence but with the word of love, the arrow of the cupid. Our war should be a continuous war of bringing peacefully the message Jesus proclaimed. We should display the work of God's Word in us. We should have become transformed so much by the Word of God that we can attract others with our righteousness.

We should not hesitate and wait until tomorrow but stand up in a hurry, before the End Times will surprise many, so that more people shall recognise when Jesus will return to the earth, and find us worthy followers of him, worthy to enter the Kingdom of God.
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Please do read also:

  1. Self-development, self-control, meditation, beliefs and spirituality
  2. Church sent into the world 
  3. If we, in our prosperity, neglect religious instruction and authority 
  4. Are Christadelphians so Old Fashioned? 
  5. Our relationship with God, Jesus and eachother 
  6. God’s design in the creation of the world 
  7. God’s reward 
  8. God’s promises 
  9. God is one 
  10. God of gods 
  11. God’s salvation 
  12. Creator and Blogger God 3 Lesson and solution
  13. Creator and Blogger God 4 Expounding voice
  14. Creator and Blogger God 5 Things to tell
  15. Statutes given unto us
  16. Bible in the first place #2/3
  17. Missional hermeneutics 1/5
  18. Missional hermeneutics 3/5
  19. Missional hermeneutics 4/5
  20. Missional hermeneutics 5/5
  21. Breathing to teach
  22. Blogging for Jesus...

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Saturday 11 April 2009

Risen With Him

RISEN WITH HIM

“If you then are risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God.” - Col. 3:1

      Soon the whole Western world will celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. Such a celebration will call for inspiring music, altars decked with lilies, and sermons from pulpits proclaiming the victory of life over death. The pageantry of Easter attracts millions to their respective churches. Unfortunately, a day or two later, all will be more or less forgotten by most in their renewed pursuit of the various needs, wants, and ambitions of this present life.

      Nevertheless, to every true believer, the death and resurrection of our Lord is a very fundamental truth, for it holds a promise of eternal life. “As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). Christ’s resurrection is therefore the guarantee of our resurrection. The Apostle Paul, in this connection, prayed that the eyes of our understanding be enlightened in order that we might understand and appreciate the superlative height and glory to which we are called, a call to glory, honor and immortality (Romans 2:7).

      The resurrection of our Lord, then, is significant to us, for it is a reminder of the glorious hope, based on precious promises, of one day living and reigning with the Lord in His Kingdom and being with Him for all eternity. This should stimulate us to set our affections on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. It should cause us to focus our eyes of faith steadily on this lovely vision, being the  goal of our lives, despite the afflictions, setbacks, disappointments, and losses, which befall all the children of God.

      What does it mean to be “risen with Christ?”  This means that we are now dead to self, and are alive as new creatures in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17). We are walking in a newness of life (Rom. 6:4). Col. 1:12, 13 tell us, “Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves.”

      This,  then,  is the Easter message to us who are  following  in the footsteps of our beloved Master.  Remembering  His  resurrection increases our faith and brightens our hope, and thus the things of this earth become dim in our sight and unattractive to us. Thus inspired, we seek first and foremost the Kingdom of God and its righteousness. We redeem the time that God has allocated us and remind ourselves of the Apostle Peter’s words, “What manner of  persons ought you to be in all conduct and godliness?” (2 Pet. 3:11), seeing that we are risen with Christ and are seeking to lay up all our treasures in heaven and are no longer concerned for the things of this earth.  

      Let us also remember that one of the first instructions that the angel gave the women who had come to the tomb was to go and tell others the Good News that He was no longer dead, but risen (Matthew 28:7). What a great and wonderful message it was for them to share this “good news” with the others.

      The Risen Lord tells His disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them…and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). This command is still in effect today and thus it is still appropriate for us to carry this wondrous message near and far. The joy, which the knowledge of the Risen Lord brings to our hearts, will be greatly increased if we share these glad tidings with others. Yes, our Master is still saying to His disciples, you and me, “Go…and tell.”  Are we doing this for Him? If we have been slack in sharing the Good News, why not make a fresh start, beginning with this Easter Sunday? There could be no better time.
                                                                                           G. Boccaccio
So Send I You
“…As the Father hath sent Me, so send I you.” - John 20:21

                        So send I you to bind the bruised and broken,
                        O’er wand’ring souls to work, to weep, to wake,
                        To beat the burdens of a world so weary,
                        So send I you to know My love alone.
                          So send I you to hearts made hard by hatred,
                        To eyes made blind because they will not see,
                        To spend, though it be blood, to spend and spare not
                        So send I you ~ to taste of Calvary.
                                                                            E. Margaret Clarkson

From
Christian Millennial Fellowship's
New Creation Magazine
A Herald of Christ's Kingdom

Wednesday 26 November 2008

Why did Christ not reveal the exact time of his second coming?

SOMETHING TO CHEW ON

Why did Christ not reveal the exact time of his second coming? We may find the answer to this question in three places, the first of which, though not the most reliable, is simple logic. We are Christians, but at the same time we are human beings and it is our tendency to procrastinate when we feel that this can be done without great loss or damage. God is the Creator. He made us. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and He knows that many of His followers would put off the needful preparation until the last minute if they knew exactly when Christ is coming. The danger inherent in this course of action is abundantly clear, for in our weak, human nature this would be too great a temptation for many of us.

  In his instruction, Christ made it very clear that one of the reasons his followers should watch and be alert is the fact that they do not know the hour when their Lord will come. To impress this on the minds of his disciples, Christ gave the illustration of the householder and the thief. “But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would not have suffered his house to be broken up” (Matt. 24:43).

  In one respect, there is a great difference between the coming of the thief and the coming of Christ. The thief hopes that the householder will be unprepared. Our Lord desires us to be watching and ready for his appearing. “Therefore be ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man comes.” It is hardly possible to be alert and ready at all times for the appearance of a thief. It is possible however, to always be ready for the coming of the Saviour, and this is what Christ has commanded. It is his desire that his followers be ready at all times - not because they are fearful, not because they dread his appearing, not just because he has a reward for them, but because they love him and wish to be with him.

  We are not to know the definite time for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the last days or for the coming of Christ. The times and the seasons God has put in His own power. Why has He not given us this knowledge? because we would not make a right use of it if He did. A condition of things would result from this knowledge among us that would greatly retard the work of God in preparing a people to stand in the great day that is to come. We are not to be engrossed with speculations in regard to the times and the seasons which God has not revealed. Jesus has told his disciples to “watch,” but not for definite time. His followers are to be in the position of those who are listening for the orders of their Captain; they are to watch, wait, pray, and work, as they approach the time for the coming of the Lord; but no one will be able to predict just when that time will come; “for of that day and hour knoweth no man.” We will not be able to say that he will come in one, two, or five years, neither are we to put off his coming by stating that it may not be for many years.

  Now let us look at our third proposition, the reason why the Lord has not already come and why we are not already in his  kingdom.

  Christ spoke to his disciples of two servants. One he called a faithful and wise servant. The other was characterized as an evil servant. The faithful servant was following his master’s instructions. He was doing the work that had been committed to him. Of the other servant Christ said, “But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My Lord delays his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looks not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 24:48-51).

  What is the sin of the evil servant? Certainly it was wrong for him to smite his fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunken. But these were the results of his downfall, not the cause. The greatest sin of the evil servant was the disregard of his master’s desires and commands; the inclination to do what was pleasing to himself on the theory that the master would not return soon and that there would be time to change his course of action before he returned. Notice that the evil servant did not proclaim to his fellow servants that the coming of his lord was delayed. This he said in his heart. This was his philosophy and his motivation, but he kept it covered up as much as possible. The inference is strong that this servant was a hypocrite. He pretended to be that which he was not.

  It is easy to see the sins of the evil servant. Perhaps it is not so easy to apply the lesson in the 21st century. Let us ponder the words of the servant of the Lord as we consider the reasons why our Saviour has not already returned to this earth to take up his kingdom. Had the purpose of God been carried out by His people in giving to the world the message of mercy, Christ, because of this, may have possibly come to the earth by now, and the saints would have received their welcome into the city of God.

  Perhaps the most important question that any Christian can ask himself is this: Am I ready for the Lord to come? If your answer, or my answer, to that question is not an unqualified yes, then there is no time to lose. God wants us in His kingdom. This is why He was willing to send His Son to die on Calvary. Too many of us may be like the boy who wanted to live with Jesus - but not just yet! As the story has it, two farmer lads walking barefoot on the dusty road met the new minister. Thinking to give them some food for thought, the minister greeted them and then asked, “Do you boys want to go and live with Jesus?” One answered in the affirmative, but the other dug his toe in the soft sand and shook his head. “You really don’t want to go and live with Jesus?” the minister inquired with a tone of disbelief. “No, sir.” “Do you mean to tell me you want to die and not be raised to live forever with Jesus?” “Oh no!” said the lad “I didn’t know you were talking about when I die. I thought you were making up a load to go to him today.”

  We may smile at this simple story, but we should be sure that our own experience and attitude could not be described in a similar, though more sophisticated, manner.

  Perhaps the second most important question that the Christian can ask himself is this: What am I doing to hasten the coming of the Lord? Were all who profess His name bearing fruit to His glory, how quickly the world would be sown with the seed of the gospel and God’s number would be made up. Watching, waiting, and working - this is what God expects of us in these last moments of earth’s history. We should be “looking eagerly for the coming of the Day of the Lord” (2 Peter 3:12).

 John Aldersly