Doing The Stuff

It's time to get busy working for Jesus.

 

Video: Doing the Stuff 

There are too many people in the church that are very content to be consumers, they come and take in the show and enjoy the music and preaching but they never contribute to the work of the church.

Many of us talk about the work and train to do the work but we never actually get to work, in the Bible there are plenty of examples of God's people working for him and very little discussion or training about the work, it makes me wonder how we got off course.

Jesus saw how desperate the world around him was and it moved him deeply and his heart was broken that there were so few workers for such a large amount of work that needs to be done. Jesus saw the field that needed to be harvested and asked his disciples to pray for more workers.

Work

Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Matthew 9:37-38 He said to His disciples, "The harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into His fields." John 17:4 I brought glory to You here on earth by completing the work You gave Me to do. 1 Corinthians 15:58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. Ephesians 2:10 For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. Colossians 3:23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Contents

The idea of working for God for the rest of your days on this planet is talked about all over the Bible and especially the New Testament.

Jesus has asked us to join in the work of helping with the harvest and praying for other people to join us in the work. What an honor and privilege to be chosen for such a highly important work.

RELATED ARTICLES

Will You Join Jesus In His Work? (pastorrick.com)

Doing The Works Of Jesus (desiringgod.org)

This Is My Story

Do you need God to change the direction of your story?

Big Daddy Weave - "This Is My Story" 

If I told you my story
You would hear Hope that wouldn't let go
And if I told you my story
You would hear Love that never gave up
And if I told you my story
You would hear Life, but it wasn't mine

If I should speak then let it be
Of the grace that is greater than all my sin
Of when justice was served and where mercy wins
Of the kindness of Jesus that draws me in
Oh to tell you my story is to tell of Him

If I told you my story
You would hear victory over the enemy
And if I told you my story
You would hear freedom that was won for me
And if I told you my story
You would hear Life overcome the grave

If I should speak then let it be
Of the grace that is greater than all my sin
Of when justice was served and where mercy wins
Of the kindness of Jesus that draws me in
Oh to tell you my story is to tell of Him

This is my story, this is my song
Praising my savior all the day long
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my savior all the day long

For the grace that is greater than all my sin
Of when justice was served and where mercy wins
Of the kindness of Jesus that draws me in
Oh to tell you my story is to tell
For the grace that is greater than all my sin
Of when justice was served and where mercy wins
Of the kindness of Jesus that draws me in
Oh to tell you my story is to tell of Him
Oh to tell you my story is to tell of Him

This is my story, this is my song
Praising my savior all the day long 

Proclaim His Greatness
1 Chronicles 16:8-9 Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.

My story is a story of:

✔  Hope
✔  Love
✔  Life
✔  Victory
✔  Freedom

It is an amazing story that should have never happened, you have to realize that I didn't do anything to deserve the story, it is only through God's grace that my story has a new twist in the plot.

The story didn't look good when it started but God has taken all of the broken pieces that I made of my life and made me a new creation.

You can Find Peace With God today and he will turn your story around.

Come And See

Jesus invites us to come and check him out.

 

John 1:38-46  Jesus looked around and saw them following. "What do you want?" He asked them. They replied, "Rabbi" (which means "Teacher"), "where are You staying?"  39  "Come and see," He said. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon when they went with Him to the place where He was staying, and they remained with Him the rest of the day.

40  Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus.  41  Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, "We have found the Messiah" (which means "Christ").

42  Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, "Your name is Simon, son of John--but you will be called Cephas" (which means "Peter").

43  The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Come, follow Me."  44  Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter's hometown.

45  Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, "We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth."  46  "Nazareth!" exclaimed Nathanael. "Can anything good come from Nazareth?"

"Come and see for yourself," Philip replied.

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Two men took the initiative and start following Jesus and it doesn't take long for him to realize that he has company. Have you ever been followed by a couple of rough looking men that you don't know? Would you walk faster and try and get away?

Jesus is a very kind and inviting person and he decides to break the ice with these two guys by asking a question. In the previous post we looked at the question that Jesus asked. The disciples make it clear that they are anxious to spend time with Jesus and they want more than just a few minutes on the road with him. (What Do You Want From Jesus?)

"Come and see" is the invitation that Andrew and John received from Jesus. The offer is the same one that we have today. He doesn't force himself of us but if we take a step toward him he will invite us to come closer and check him out and make an informed decision about who he is. His response to the disciples revealed nothing and it didn't promise anything, it only invited an opportunity to begin a relationship. Do you desire to be in the presence of God?

It didn't take long for Andrew to be fully convinced that he had found the Messiah and he wanted to share the awesome news with his brother Simon. That's the same response that most new followers of Christ have, they cannot keep it to themselves and hide it under a bushel, they seek to tell their family and friends so they may be brought to the Saviour. That is the thrust of mission work today. We do not wait for them to come to us, but we go for them and seek them out, and tell them that a Saviour is found.

Jesus invites Philip to "come follow me," Philip must have made up his mind about Jesus very quickly. We see another immediate reaction reaction, Philip's reaction was the same as Andrew's, he wants to find his brother right away and share the good news."

"Come and see," is the reply that Philip gives when Nathanael shows that he is skeptical that somebody that comes from the region of Galilee or the town of Nazareth could possibly be the Messiah. Philip didn't try to convince him, he didn't give him any apologetics or try to reason with Nathanael, he just wanted to show him Jesus.

So we should beg the people around us to lay aside their prejudices against religion, since there are so many definitions for the term Christian, we should be cautious about asking them to be one. We should just ask them to "come and see" Jesus for themselves.

John 7:52 They replied, "Are you from Galilee, too? Search the Scriptures and see for yourself, no prophet ever comes from Galilee!"

"Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Nathanael may have been skeptical or prejudiced but he certainly was not proud like the religious leaders that couldn't believe that the Messiah would come from Nazareth or from the region of Galilee. As soon as Jesus met  Nathanael he confirmed that Nathanael was a man of good character.

Jesus knows each one of us but do we know him? Do we know more about our definition of a Christian than we know about Jesus? A Muslim, a Jehovahs Witness, a Mormon or any other religious group, don't need to be convinced to become a Christian. They need to be shown Jesus for who he really is.

If we seek to know him then we will have a better chance of becoming like him. If we show Jesus to the people around us then we will overcome the prejudice that people have toward Christianity. After all of the history of messing things up, they can easily say, "Christian, can anything good come from that?"

Philippians 3:8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

We don't need to show anybody a lot of knowledge or doctrine. We need to invite the people around us to learn about Jesus by inviting the to "Come and see."

A Dangerous Silence

Four realities the Christ follower must accept.

Proverbs 24:11-12 Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.

If you say, “Surely we did not know this,” Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?

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Did you ever read a part of scripture and think to yourself "where did that come from" or "I didn't know that was in there?" That happened to me this past Sunday morning.

We had a guest speaker at Exciting Idlewild Baptist Church,  Tom Eliff, president of the International Mission Board as our guest speaker and this scripture from Proverbs came as a surprise to me.

Here is the outline of his sermon with my notes filled in for each point:

There is a compelling reality you must face

Hell is real and lost people are being led away in mass. We don't like to think about it is a reality that thousands are headed to an eternity of dark, loneliness in agony.

There are critical responsibilities you must accept

We should be on a rescue mission, if we really understand what we have been saved from then how can we be so laid back about telling others.

There are calloused reactions you must avoid

You can't fool God and say that you didn't know about the situation, we should not neglect our responsibility by being indifferent.

There is a certain reckoning you must anticipate

We will be held responsible for the work that we did here for God's kingdom.

The passage in Proverbs sounds like it should be in the New Testament, it reminds me of this passage from Paul that he wrote to the church in Corinth:

2 Corinthians 5:10-11  For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.  Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too.

Jesus commissioned us to go tell the world, it's not a suggestion, it's a command and like most commands there is an accountability for our actions. We will be judged on what we did with what we know, it is very clear in this passage in Corinthians that we have a duty to our God and to the people around us. Some of them do not know about the dangers and there are others that have heard about the danger but they have decided to ignore the warning and they need to be told again and again so that maybe they will change their mind.

I need to be true to my mission and be willing to tell others more often than I do about the dangers that are waiting for them.

Help me Lord to be on fire about working for you.

Quick, Share The Gospel!

Men of the Bible Series - Paul was ready to share.

Acts 25:23-27  So the next day Agrippa and Bernice arrived at the auditorium with great pomp, accompanied by military officers and prominent men of the city. Festus ordered that Paul be brought in. 24 Then Festus said, “King Agrippa and all who are here, this is the man whose death is demanded by all the Jews, both here and in Jerusalem. 25 But in my opinion he has done nothing deserving death. However, since he appealed his case to the emperor, I have decided to send him to Rome.

26 “But what shall I write the emperor? For there is no clear charge against him. So I have brought him before all of you, and especially you, King Agrippa, so that after we examine him, I might have something to write. 27 For it makes no sense to send a prisoner to the emperor without specifying the charges against him!”

Acts 26:22-31  I teach nothing except what the prophets and Moses said would happen 23 that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, and in this way announce God’s light to Jews and Gentiles alike.”

24 Suddenly, Festus shouted, “Paul, you are insane. Too much study has made you crazy!” 25 But Paul replied, “I am not insane, Most Excellent Festus. What I am saying is the sober truth. 26 And King Agrippa knows about these things. I speak boldly, for I am sure these events are all familiar to him, for they were not done in a corner! 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do”

28 Agrippa interrupted him. “Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian so quickly?” 29 Paul replied, “Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that both you and everyone here in this audience might become the same as I am, except for these chains.”

30 Then the king, the governor, Bernice, and all the others stood and left. 31 As they went out, they talked it over and agreed, “This man hasn’t done anything to deserve death or imprisonment.”

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Agrippa II - Born AD 27/28, son of Agrippa I, was the seventh and last king of the family of Herod the Great. He was married to one of his three sisters, Bernice.

What a big show, just think of the ceremony as King Agrippa walks in with his sister/wife, all of the important people are there as they are accompanied by the military. It is a big day today, what an audience, it is so full of people that Paul will get to share the gospel with.

Paul gives his quick testimony about the good news of Jesus and tries to wrap it up by asking Agrippa if he believes. We can only speculate that Agrippa never turned from his ways to be a Christ follower, all we know is that he scoffs at Paul for assuming that there was any chance that he could be persuaded with such a quick testimony. According to Paul, King Agrippa knew a lot about the prophets and about the current events surrounding Jesus, and yet he was still not convinced.

Our lives and those around us are so busy and the opportunity to plant a seed will probably come and go so quick that I have to be ready to share the gospel quickly. 

You might like to read: Men of the Bible blog series.

Choose The Narrow Way

There aren't very many people on this path.

 Matthew 7:13-14  "You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.  14  But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.

Jeremiah 6:16  This is what the LORD says: "Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, 'No, that's not the road we want!'

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The path that has the least least amount of traffic on it is the narrow path that leads to heaven. Don't think to yourself that the path needs to be improved, there isn't any reason to make it wider, after all it is more than adequate for the amount of traffic that is using it.

The path is well known, there are a lot of signs pointing out where the path is, it is on all of the good maps, the problem isn't that the path is hidden or hard to find. The problem is that so few make the choice to use this path, this path isn't always safe, it isn't very comfortable, it doesn't have all of the best places to pull over and rest.

Even less people decide to stay on the narrow path for very long. It doesn't take too long before the wider paths that are paved and have bright lights on them tempt the traveler to take a cross road. These well traveled ways are a temptation that is hard to resist, they are so easy, they don't require very much effort or thought, just follow that guy right in front of you.

Luke 13:24  "Work hard to enter the narrow door to God's Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail.

This pilgrim needs to be determined to stay on the narrow path, but I shouldn't go it alone, I need to invite other people to come along with me as I travel.

Help me to remain faithful to you Lord, increase my urgency to pull somebody off of those big paths.

You might like to read: Commands of Jesus blog series.

Related articles

• Seek First God's Kingdom (devotionsfordisciples.com)

Obedient Christ Followers

Being light and salt should produce disciples.

Matthew 5:13  "You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

14  "You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15  No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16  In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Matthew 28:19  Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20  Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

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Our number one job while we are here on this planet is to make disciples, no that's not something that the pastor or the church leaders are supposed to do, that's the job of every Christ follower without exceptions.

It is a sad state that the church is in today, despite a hand full off mega-churches, overall the church is downsizing. We are not making that many converts and the ones that we do get have a high dropout rate. Those that say that they are Southern Baptist number in the millions, but so what if only 37 percent are present on any given Sunday.

We have lost our effectiveness, most of us are not doing a very good job of being salty or being light, how much growth would God's kingdom have if the early church and the disciples were as effective as we are today?

Everything that I say and do needs to shine out so that God will be glorified, help me Lord to be a shining city on a hill, help me to encourage my church family to grow as a true Christ following disciple.

John 8:12  Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life."

Dust In The Wind

All we are is dust in the wind.

1 Peter 4:1  So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. 2  You won't spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God.

3  You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.

4  Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. 5  But remember that they will have to face God, who will judge everyone, both the living and the dead. 6  That is why the Good News was preached to those who are now dead—so although they were destined to die like all people, they now live forever with God in the Spirit.

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Dust in the wind, that was the title of the hit song by the group Kansas, and the year was 1977. The title of the song describes the way our earthly desires should look to the Christ follower.

Everybody is born with the desire to satisfy themselves, chasing after our own desires has a price tag, when I are so busy worrying about me then I tend to forget about what God wants me to do.

It is easy to say you are a Christ follower but if you look just like the rest of the world, throwing wild parties with drug and alcohol use, giving in to lust and immorality as a part of our everyday lives, then how will the world know that you are a Christ follower? Your old friends will not be able to understand what in the world happened to you but you can be sure that they will ask and then you will have an opportunity to share with them why you are different.

1 Peter 3:15  You must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.

Christ died to give me peace, hope and joy. All of these things can be found in him so why do we spend so much time looking for it in other places?

Jesus help me to always be satisfied in you, help me to rest in your peace, hope and joy instead of looking for it in the world.

What’s The Difference?

Do you look like God's kid?

1 Peter 3:8-17  Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. 9  Don't repay evil for evil. Don't retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it.

10,11  For the Scriptures say:

"If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, Keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

12  The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil."

13  Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good?

14  But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don't worry or be afraid of their threats. 15  Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. 16  But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.

17  Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!

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Sometimes when I miss an opportunity to say something that will open up a conversation about Jesus, it is easy to say that my live is a testimony and that the way that I live is showing people the gospel, but is it really doing that? Do they seem amazed or say "Wow!"

This scripture gives us a great list of qualities that we are supposed to have incorporated into our lives, but I am wondering just how well we are doing, are we really looking much different than the rest of the world?

Verses one and fifteen talk about the way that I live should be so different that unbelievers should be aware that something is different in my lifestyle, my way of life should speak up for me, and they should be curious enough to ask me why I live this way. The fact that nobody is asking me why I am different makes me wonder if I am really living for God in the world in a way that causes me to stand out or am I just another nice guy.

I need to live so that people will see my good life and they will be able to tell it is because I belong to Jesus (verse 16).

Help us to be serious about living for you Lord. Help us to realize that we can talk the gospel all we want but if we don't look different from the rest of the world then they won't see any value in having a relationship with you.

Got Courage?

scripture

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John 18:1 After saying these things, Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley with his disciples and entered a grove of olive trees.

2 Judas, the betrayer, knew this place, because Jesus had often gone there with his disciples. 3 The leading priests and Pharisees had given Judas a contingent of Roman soldiers and Temple guards to accompany him. Now with blazing torches, lanterns, and weapons, they arrived at the olive grove.

4 Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward to meet them. "Who are you looking for?" he asked.

5 "Jesus the Nazarene," they replied. "I AM he," Jesus said. (Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.)

6 As Jesus said "I AM he," they all drew back and fell to the ground! 7 Once more he asked them, "Who are you looking for?" And again they replied, "Jesus the Nazarene." 8 "I told you that I AM he," Jesus said. "And since I am the one you want, let these others go." 9 He did this to fulfill his own statement: "I did not lose a single one of those you have given me."

10 Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest's slave. 11 But Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?"

12 So the soldiers, their commanding officer, and the Temple guards arrested Jesus and tied him up. 13 First they took him to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest at that time. 14 Caiaphas was the one who had told the other Jewish leaders, "It's better that one man should die for the people."

15 Simon Peter followed Jesus, as did another of the disciples. That other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, so he was allowed to enter the high priest's courtyard with Jesus. 16 Peter had to stay outside the gate. Then the disciple who knew the high priest spoke to the woman watching at the gate, and she let Peter in. 17 The woman asked Peter, "You're not one of that man's disciples, are you?" "No," he said, "I am not."

18 Because it was cold, the household servants and the guards had made a charcoal fire. They stood around it, warming themselves, and Peter stood with them, warming himself.

19 Inside, the high priest began asking Jesus about his followers and what he had been teaching them. 20 Jesus replied, "Everyone knows what I teach. I have preached regularly in the synagogues and the Temple, where the people gather. I have not spoken in secret. 21 Why are you asking me this question? Ask those who heard me. They know what I said."

22 Then one of the Temple guards standing nearby slapped Jesus across the face. "Is that the way to answer the high priest?" he demanded.

23 Jesus replied, "If I said anything wrong, you must prove it. But if I'm speaking the truth, why are you beating me?" 24 Then Annas bound Jesus and sent him to Caiaphas, the high priest.

25 Meanwhile, as Simon Peter was standing by the fire, they asked him again, "You're not one of his disciples, are you?" He denied it, saying, "No, I am not."

26 But one of the household slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, "Didn't I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?" 27 Again Peter denied it. And immediately a rooster crowed.

observation

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Last night we were in the garden, you know the one outside of Jerusalem that we always went to, Jesus liked to go there and pray and relax, but tonight the peace and quiet there was turned into confusion and chaos. We were relaxing in the garden, some of us were already asleep when all of a sudden there was a lot of noise and the light of torches and lanterns piercing the night, who were these people and what did they want?

Jesus calmly went over to them and asked them who they were after, when they said that they were there to arrest Jesus I was shocked, they had already tried to take him in plenty of times before but he always got out of the situation. Jesus message wasn't accepted by everybody and we lived each day knowing that adversity could pop up at any moment, had they finally gotten the upper hand and caught Jesus off guard, fear went through all of us as we thought of the idea of living without him.

And then just as we began to think that Jesus was surprised by any of this and was powerless to save himself, there was a supernatural power that caused the whole group to stumble backwards and fall down, it looked to me like that was a good time to leave the scene as quickly as possible but Jesus just stood there and waited for them to recover and stand back up.

We were all scared and didn't know what to do, Peter reacted impulsively like he did so much of the time, out of fear he drew his sword and attacked the closest person that he could reach. Poor Peter he hasn't ever been a military man and you could tell by the way he swung that sword. The only target that he could hit was a servants ear, which didn't even last very long because Jesus showed us again that he was still in charge of this situation when he picked the ear up and reattached it.

Jesus told Peter that he was not going to resist, he said that he was not here to do his own will but instead he was going to be obedient to the Father, he had told us many times that this is why he had come to earth.

After the violence that took place, it is a wonder that we weren't all arrested and brought up on charges, but instead the soldiers were ordered to tie up Jesus and they got out of there as fast as they could. They were a little shook up after being thrown to the ground and witnessing an ear being put back onto the servant's head.

Simons fear didn't stop after we left the garden and when I made the arrangements for him to come inside the gate at the High Priest house he was confronted by the gate keeper, the woman asked Peter, "You're not one of that man's disciples, are you?" Why she didn't ask me the same question, we will never know, but I wasn't going to bring it up.

I don't know for sure what Peter was thinking but I know I was still concerned that the religious leaders were going to turn to us and have us arrested too. We knew that they hated Jesus and we were told many times that they would hate us and that we would suffer and may be killed for our beliefs. Are we doing the right thing? Am I really convinced that he is the Son of God? Maybe I am wrong.

After Peter was inside the courtyard he was confronted two more times and asked if he was one of Jesus disciples and two more times he told them that he didn't even have any idea who Jesus was. Did he realize that he had done exactly what Jesus said that he would do? Peter seemed so bold and courageous at times but at other times he was just as fearful as the rest of us.

After Jesus was taken away and I began to calm down, I realized that Jesus told God that he didn't lose any of us, he protected us every time there was an uprising that seemed to put us in danger. Even when they were eager to kill him their anger wasn't turned toward us, in retrospect it seems that we were never in any real danger, he really did protect us.

I didn't want to be a coward, I wanted to be as bold as Peter was when he told Jesus that he would never deny him and yet I am just as terrified and cowardly as Peter had been. I didn't admit to the girl at the gate that I am Jesus disciple, I stood there and watched Peter get questioned again and again and didn't offer him any support. Will I ever be strong and fearless for Jesus?

Matthew 10:28 "Don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul.

Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.

application

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Those of us that live in America make it out to be so difficult to admit our faith in Jesus, we are so timid about it when there is so little opposition, nobody is going to throw us on a cross or feed us to the lions and yet we are so nervous. I want to be as bold as Peter turns out to be after Jesus resurrection, after all the doubts about Jesus true identity are cleared up, what a difference in Peter after he sees the ultimate proof of Jesus identity. His death and resurrection were the best evidence we could possibly ask for.

prayer

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I want to eager to share your good news and bold enough to do it Lord. Help us to live for you in word and in deed so that the world will be drawn to you.

Show Them Jesus

scripture

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John 11:39 "Roll the stone aside," Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man's sister, protested, "Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible."

40 Jesus responded, "Didn't I tell you that you would see God's glory if you believe?" 41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, "Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me." 43 Then Jesus shouted, "Lazarus, come out!" 44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in grave clothes, his face wrapped in a head cloth. Jesus told them, "Unwrap him and let him go!"

45 Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen. 46 But some went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the leading priests and Pharisees called the high council together. "What are we going to do?" they asked each other. "This man certainly performs many miraculous signs. 48 If we allow him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in him. Then the Roman army will come and destroy both our Temple and our nation."

49 Caiaphas, who was high priest at that time, said, "You don't know what you're talking about! 50 You don't realize that it's better for you that one man should die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed."

51 He did not say this on his own; as high priest at that time he was led to prophesy that Jesus would die for the entire nation. 52 And not only for that nation, but to bring together and unite all the children of God scattered around the world.

53 So from that time on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus' death. 54 As a result, Jesus stopped his public ministry among the people and left Jerusalem. He went to a place near the wilderness, to the village of Ephraim, and stayed there with his disciples.

55 It was now almost time for the Jewish Passover celebration, and many people from all over the country arrived in Jerusalem several days early so they could go through the purification ceremony before Passover began. 56 They kept looking for Jesus, but as they stood around in the Temple, they said to each other, "What do you think? He won't come for Passover, will he?" 57 Meanwhile, the leading priests and Pharisees had publicly ordered that anyone seeing Jesus must report it immediately so they could arrest him.
observation

Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen

observation

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Well who wouldn't believe! This guy was gone for four days when Jesus told him to get up out of that grave, everybody knew he was dead, but now he is stumbling around with these grave clothes on that he isn't gonna need any more. I think that everybody standing there must have been in shock and awe, they just stood there as Lazarus was trying to walk out of the tomb with his face covered and his whole body wrapped, and so finally Jesus had to tell them to do the obvious, "Unwrap him and let him go!"

If we allow him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in him How anybody could not believe that Jesus is the Messiah after witnessing this event? What are we gonna do? If we allow this Jesus to continue then we are gonna be out of work.

There were such a great number of miracles and there was his teaching that was far beyond what an unlearned man from Nazareth could possibly know, signs that people will read and there is only one thing that they could conclude after taking in all this information. This guy has to be the Messiah!

It is really weird, the Pharisees have witnessed so many miraculous works and they can see that those works are pointing to the obvious fact that Jesus is the Messiah, they know that if Jesus continues that everyone will be convinced, but they still choose to ignore what they see.

You don't know what you're talking about!No Caiaphas, you are the one that doesn't know what you are saying, it was God's plan all along that "one man should die for the people." What an awesome gift that has become available to us through this one man:

Romans 5:15 But there is a great difference between Adam's sin and God's gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ.

16 And the result of God's gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man's sin. For Adam's sin led to condemnation, but God's free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins.

17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

application

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We need to show Jesus to people so that they will see the evidence and they too will believe, if we can draw people into the church for a peek at who Jesus is then they will believe. Our church needs to be a place where the unchurched can feel comfortable enough to come around and check out Jesus and come to believe in him.

prayer

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Help us to do church in new ways that will allow the unchurched people to come around in a natural, comfortable situation so that they can check you out and decide for themselves who you are.

Can I Get A Witness

Scripture

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Luke 2:8-40  But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."

Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

Observations

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Testify:
Angels - Good news is for everyone, the Savior is here
Simeon - The Savior is for all people
Anna - The Redeemer

There was a lot of excitement back then that has been lost through the ages. It is difficult to be excited about a Savior as we live our cushy lives in America. A Savior isn't on our minds when we don't experience oppression.

Application

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I need to be excited about our Savior and what he has done for me. I need not be ashamed to testify with excitement.

Prayer

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Stir up excitement in me to testify and share the good news.