"Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive." (Acts 25:19, NIV)
This is what humanist hate. You cannot kill God, you cannot kill righteousness, you cannot kill, "the Words of God." He just keeps coming back to them, loving them, offering forgiveness to them, yet rebuking them, judging, yes, judging them, "He who rejects Me and does not receive My words, has one who judges him; the Word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day" (John 12:48).
Festus, a humanist government official, did not grasp exactly what he was dealing with here. It seemed to him to be some group of fanatics, people whom society marginalizes, mostly as crazies, and who pays little attention to. He disparaged the Jews, "....about their own religion," but he really apparently did not know much about that to which the Book of Acts refers to 10 times as, "The Way." All this political appointee knew was that the dispute was, "....about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive."
There are people putting a "gospel" out there today which has little to do with, "claimed was alive." They are what one writer referred to as the "new evangelists" who could not give to him one Scripture for their "gospel." Today's text, however, is fundamental Gospel, the "heart," if you will, of the Gospel. "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied." Without this, "Dead man named Jesus,..alive," we have nothing. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "By this gospel you are saved....Otherwise, you have believed in vain....I passed on to you...that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.., and that He appeared...."
I pray for you and me today that if the world around us has nothing to say about us, at least they will say that our lives are based upon, "....a dead man named Jesus who [Woody and you] claim[] to be alive." This is the definition of "Presence," right here in this 96 year old house, right there, wherever that may be, Right-Now-Presence, Right-Here-Presence, Right-There-Presence. The Living Triune God promises, "never, no positively never, will I leave you; never will I forsake you", not when you leave the church service, not when you leave your "quiet time," not when you are in your office, plant, school. He Who was once, "a dead Man named Jesus," is now the Living, "Man Named Jesus," with, beside, in you, now, Eternally, GLORIOUSLY.
Father, in Jesus' Name, I rejoice that your were, "a dead Man Named Jesus," and now are my Alive, "Man named Jesus." Amen.
*************
* Please pray with us for all the needs of our Fall Mission, October 28-November 15
* "The Holocaust's Unlearned Lessons" (Carolyn Glick) at: jhs58.blogspot.com
This is what humanist hate. You cannot kill God, you cannot kill righteousness, you cannot kill, "the Words of God." He just keeps coming back to them, loving them, offering forgiveness to them, yet rebuking them, judging, yes, judging them, "He who rejects Me and does not receive My words, has one who judges him; the Word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day" (John 12:48).
Festus, a humanist government official, did not grasp exactly what he was dealing with here. It seemed to him to be some group of fanatics, people whom society marginalizes, mostly as crazies, and who pays little attention to. He disparaged the Jews, "....about their own religion," but he really apparently did not know much about that to which the Book of Acts refers to 10 times as, "The Way." All this political appointee knew was that the dispute was, "....about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive."
There are people putting a "gospel" out there today which has little to do with, "claimed was alive." They are what one writer referred to as the "new evangelists" who could not give to him one Scripture for their "gospel." Today's text, however, is fundamental Gospel, the "heart," if you will, of the Gospel. "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied." Without this, "Dead man named Jesus,..alive," we have nothing. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "By this gospel you are saved....Otherwise, you have believed in vain....I passed on to you...that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.., and that He appeared...."
I pray for you and me today that if the world around us has nothing to say about us, at least they will say that our lives are based upon, "....a dead man named Jesus who [Woody and you] claim[] to be alive." This is the definition of "Presence," right here in this 96 year old house, right there, wherever that may be, Right-Now-Presence, Right-Here-Presence, Right-There-Presence. The Living Triune God promises, "never, no positively never, will I leave you; never will I forsake you", not when you leave the church service, not when you leave your "quiet time," not when you are in your office, plant, school. He Who was once, "a dead Man named Jesus," is now the Living, "Man Named Jesus," with, beside, in you, now, Eternally, GLORIOUSLY.
Father, in Jesus' Name, I rejoice that your were, "a dead Man Named Jesus," and now are my Alive, "Man named Jesus." Amen.
*************
* Please pray with us for all the needs of our Fall Mission, October 28-November 15
* "The Holocaust's Unlearned Lessons" (Carolyn Glick) at: jhs58.blogspot.com
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2
