There was Church division in Corinth…some followed Apollos, some Peter, and some Paul. All three were Godly men…all three were preaching the Gospel. So where could there be the disagreement? Apollos was an Alexandrian Jew that was converted to Christianity and tutored by Aquila and Priscilla in areas of the faith he was ignorant of. While Peter was one of the original twelve Disciples that had witnessed firsthand the work of Jesus. Finally there was Paul, a Jew and persecutor of the Christians until that fateful day on the road to Damascus when the Lord confronted him. All three were passionate about the Lord and the desire to evangelize. But they all came from different backgrounds and different life experiences, and their preaching styles showed it. Thus Paul exhorted the Believers to be joined together in Christ and the Gospel, not divided apart by man and subtle nuances.
Tag: jesus christ our lord
Exodus 4: 11-12 ” The Lord said to him, ‘Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.’ “
Moses had many excuses of why he wasn’t the person to go to the Pharaoh and demand release of the Hebrew children. But the Lord countered with an airtight defense of why Moses was just the right man for the job. We want to argue with God, but speaking from very personal experience…you’ll never win. We can object all we want, but God desires obedience exclusively. For if He calls you to something, He can and will give you whatever skill is needed to accomplish that task. With God, arguing will get you nowhere…obedience on the other hand, will move His Kingdom forward.
Colossians 2:2-3 ” My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. “
Do you know Jesus? No really, do you know Jesus? For in that perfect comprehension of just who Jesus is and what He’s done for you, comes the unveiling of hidden things. In it we’re able to recognize and discern truth from distorted truth. In knowing Jesus, comes the revelation of God’s wisdom…His divine insight and knowledge of once concealed things. I’ll ask you again, do you know Jesus?
Revelation 15: 14 ” I looked, an there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one ‘like a son of man’ with a crown of gold on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand.”
There is coming a great and mighty day when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to judge the Nations. He will swing His sickle, for the harvest is ripe. The Son of Man will return on the clouds…the reaper prepared for the harvest…the sickle in His hand.
Hebrews 2:9 ” But we see Jesus, Who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.”
Jesus died for you. He experienced the stark reality of dying… for you. In II Corinthians 5:15 it says that Jesus died for all…and that includes you. Have you ever given thought to the profound notion that the Savior of the world died for you…just you? No matter where you are in life…no matter where your walk is right now…remember, Jesus loves you enough to have suffered unspeakable horror and death… just for you.
John 18: 36 ” Jesus said, ‘ My Kingdom is not of this world.’ “
This everlasting Kingdom was setup by God and given to His Son, Christ Jesus. And as Believers, this Kingdom dwells within our hearts. And in this, comes the rub. For like this everlasting Kingdom, we too are in the world, but not of it. Our lives here on earth are transitory, but at the same time filled with the repercussions of living in a fallen, broken world. So what are we to do? We walk this earth as aliens and foreigners longing for home, but also recognizing we are to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Our citizenship may not be of this world, but while we’re here… we’re to be about our Father’s business.
Proverbs 24: 23 ” These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judging is not good…”
In Leviticus 19:15 it states, ” Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.” We tend to have our own very personal prejudices and biases…comfortable preferences that have been ingrained in us by our culture, family, and past experiences. But that doesn’t mean they are fair or just. All our decisions must be based on God’s decrees and Laws, rather than our feelings.
Acts 28:31 ” Boldly and without hindrance he preached the Kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Paul was under house arrest in Rome and confined for 2 years in a little house under constant guard by the Roman soldiers. He could have had quite a pity party…but he instead chose to use his situation for good. Yes, he was confined in one spot…but his spirit was free, for the Kingdom of God was within his heart. He could have been intimidated by the soldiers, but he chose not to have restrictions and limitations placed on God’s Word that he preached. Paul’s fearless teaching to all who wandered into that house…including the soldiers listening, was a way of him saying, “What can man do to me? My physical body may be incarcerated, but my soul is free.”
Acts 18: 9-10 ” One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: ‘ Do not be afraid; Keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.’ “
Satan would like us to think we’re out there working for the Lord alone…like the Lone Ranger, isolated and unaided by others. Satan would like us to be fearful in talking to others about the Lord…not wanting to offend…wanting rather, to be “politically correct”, even if it goes against the Word of God. Satan would like us to keep quiet, not rocking the boat of this modern liberal society. Satan doesn’t care if we read the Bible or pray…just as long as we don’t do it in public. But Satan also knows the power of the spoken Word, and what a transformation could take place… if Christians weren’t silent.
Colossians 2:12 ” …having been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through your faith in the power of God, Who raised Him from the dead.”
The act of water baptism is full of symbolism and meaning. For those watching, it’s a public declaration of the person’s inner decision. For the person being baptized, it’s a time of newness of soul and spirit. In Romans 6:4 it says, ” We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Therefore, within the action of water baptism, our old self dies, and our new self emerges out of the water.
Safetypinlove 