31

Jump Start # 1069

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1069

Matthew 13:31-32 “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

 

In a series of kingdom parables found in Matthew, Jesus gives us various descriptions of what the God’s kingdom is like. It is very unique and different than any other kingdom. Our verse today describes the expanding progress of the kingdom. It started very small and insignificant. It is smaller than all other seeds. God’s kingdom didn’t start large and flashy. Such a small start had incredible odds against it. The one thing going in it’s favor is that God was behind it. After the resurrection and ascension of Christ, there were 12 apostles and a little more than 100 followers. This was the start. New. Small. Scared. Many business started out small. Many businesses folded up and died small. God’s kingdom grew. It went into all the world. By the time we get to Revelation, the number of God’s people cannot be counted. They come from all nations and every language. The presence of God’s kingdom is everywhere today. That’s impressive. We are on the upside of the kingdom. We benefit from this massive kingdom that is worldwide.

 

The kingdom is composed of disciples, people. The church is people. The kingdom, the church is the saved in Christ. The kingdom is not made up of congregations, but of individuals. Congregations come and go, the kingdom continues to grow. Not all congregations grow large. Not all congregations make it. I read a leadership article recently that was entitled, “Ten reasons small churches tend to stay small.” I want to share the author’s “Ten Reasons.”

 

1. Wanting to stay small

2. A quick turnover of preachers

3. Domination by a few strong members

4. Not trusting the leaders

5. Inferiority complex

6. No plan.

7. Bad health

8. Lousy fellowship

9. A state of neglect permeates the church

10. No prayer

 

The majority of my preaching has been with large congregations. I with one now. We are busy, growing and planning all the time. It takes tons of energy, resources, money and drive to keep us focused, going and growing for the Lord. It’s definitely not for the lazy. However, I have preached a lot with small congregations.  There is a perception that in large congregations you get lost and no one knows everyone. Not true. It is interesting that God never talks about the size of the congregations. Other than the first few pages of Acts, we do not know how large the N.T. churches were. The problems at Corinth, Ephesus, Laodicea had nothing to do with their size, but rather, their hearts and their faith. We are consumed with size. We look and dwell upon numbers. The number one question I am asked all the time when I preach at another place is, “How large is the church back home?” Why does “large” matter? Wouldn’t a better question be, “How strong is the church back home?” Or, “How faithful to God is the church back home?” However, in other ways, God does deal with the size of congregations. He expects each Christian to grow. Be strong are the words found in Ephesians. Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus is how Peter ends his first letter. All living things grow. I have flowers popping up. Puppies become dogs. Boys become men. Seedlings become plants. All living things grow. That is how God designed it. The same is true spiritually. We are intended to grow, first personally and internally, and then externally and numerically.

 

Some congregations do not grow because they do not have a pool of people to draw from. Many rural congregations were once large years ago, but the kids grew up and moved to the cities, farmers farmed more acres and the influx of people to invite, teach and convert just wasn’t there. Some congregations will have to face reality and decide if they can continue on or if they should close their doors and unite with a nearby congregation. Those are tough decisions. It is not a sign of God’s kingdom failing. The kingdom is people, not congregations. Congregations come and go. God’s people, will serve Him where ever they are. There are too many examples today, of small struggling congregations that meet with just a handful of people. They must use all the money that they can scrape together to just heat and cool the building. Each funeral reminds them that they are dwindling. Some do not want to face reality. Some are holding on for a knight in shinny armor to save them. This is especially sad, when in a driving distance, two or three small congregations are holding on for all that they can. Would it be better to sell some of the buildings and merge? Would that make more sense and give them a chance to make a greater impact in the community? The death of a congregation is hard to witness. It’s sad.

 

This week, in our Jump Starts, we will look at some of these ten reasons. I will add a few of my own to the list. The purpose is not to discourage some of our readers, but to give hope. The intention is be realistic and definite. There are reasons why living things grow. There are reasons why living things die. This is true of people, animals, plants, and congregations. Those divine principles have a lot to do with what is going on. Many do not like to think about these things until it is too late. Like a marriage, some live in denial that there are serious problems, until one moves out. By then, it’s nearly too late. The problems should have been explored long ago. You can’t wait until your boat is going over the waterfall to pray for oars. It’s too late. It’s time some took a serious look at what is happening at the home congregations. What is the health of the church? Are we growing? Are we stagnate? Are we dying? It is measured not just in the number of new faces each week, but in the spirit, atmosphere, enthusiasm, love and connection with each other. It’s measured in what is going on outside the church building. It’s measured in the choices and the faith of the members. And, as a warning to those in large congregations, it is easy to take for granted the way you are. Basketball tourneys remind us that the big dogs often fall. The health of a church has nothing to do with the attendance numbers. A church can be large and sick. It can be large and weak in faith. The health of a church, like the health of a Christian, is tied directly to faith in Christ. That’s where it’s at.

 

Lest we forget, the congregation is a composite of all the members. Laodicea, in Revelation 3, was lukewarm, because the members were lukewarm. A strong church comes from strong members. A growing church comes from growing members. A friendly church comes from friendly members. One is connected to the other. I must do my part to make the church the way it ought to be. If I remain lukewarm, dead and indifferent, I drag the church down. I keep us from reaching our potential. We could be more, if I was more. Do we get that? I wonder sometimes. We want the church to be everything, while we are nothing. Doesn’t work that way.

 

More tomorrow…

 

Roger

 

28

Jump Start # 1068

Posted on March 28, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1068

James 5:16 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”

  Billy is a dear friend of mine. We have a great bond and I love him dearly. Billy has cancer. He then got another form of cancer. The church family has prayed and prayed for Billy. Everyone loves Billy. He has that kind spirit that just lifts all of us up. We found out this week that Billy’s cancer is now in remission. His reports are great. Everyone is ecstatic. We love good news. We especially love good news about our Billy.

 

Our verse today reminds us that prayer works. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. The accomplishment came by God. But it came about because a righteous man effectively prayed for it.

 

The context has a spiritual flavor to it. The verse begins with the confessing of sin to one another. It continues with praying for one another so that you will be healed. Healing is not always health issues. Here, it is spiritual issues. The confessing of sins and the praying and the healing are all tied together. One Christian friend is helping another. The problem is faith and sin. The faith is thin and the sin is great. Their love, relationship and bond in Christ, leads one to confess his sins. He admits. He fesses up. He drops the excuses, the cover-ups, and the shallow reasons to justify wrong. He admits. He admits to his friend, which leads him to admit to God. If we confess our sins, John reminds us, he is faithful to forgive. The confessing is not a power thing or one having control over another. The confessing isn’t what our Catholic friends do with their priest. This is two Christians who care about each other. God forgives. But forgiveness follows admitting our sins. One confesses. The other prays for him. He prays for his forgiveness. He prays for his honesty. He prays for strength for future battles. The prays help. The prayers build and encourage. Healing takes place. Healing from the pain that sin has caused. Healing of forgiveness from God. Healing from wrong choices.

 

James tags a spiritual principle to this situation. Effective prayer of a righteous man works. Effective prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much. Biblical history shows that. The prayers of Moses. The prayers of Elijah. The prayers of David. God hears. God is moved by His people seeking Him.

 

There are all kinds of prayers. There are big prayers and little prayers. There are prayers in church and prayers at home in the closet. There are prayers for self and there are prayers for others. There are prayers about physical things and there are prayers about spiritual things. So many prayers. So many needs calling for prayer.

 

I have found that there are two things that need to follow prayer. Saying a prayer to God is not the end. Something follows. Sometimes we forget these things.

 

  First, after the amen comes our action. For instance, we pray to God for the church to grow. Great idea. After the amen, it’s time to go share the word. God gives the increase, but we must sow the seed. We pray for the sick. After the amen, we need to go visit them and encourage them. We pray for the elders. After the amen, we need to encourage them face to face. Our part doesn’t end with the amen. After the amen, we need to act like we prayed. We need to do our part. We need to get busy. God doesn’t magically do things for us while we stay at home watching TV. He’ll work with us and through us, but without us, how serious is our prayer? Our actions following the amen show how serious we are.

 

Second, after the amen comes a prayer of thankfulness. God answers prayers. God heals. That’s what our verse says. We rejoice. We have a party. Good things have happened. We need to thank God. Without God, those things would never have been Without God, what a mess we would be in. It easy to think to pray when things are not right. But when they become right, we sometimes forget to thank God. Remember the ten lepers that Jesus healed? Only one, a Samaritan at that, returned to thank Jesus. The Lord asked, ‘where are the nine?” They got the mercy they wanted. They failed to thank. Don’t do the same. After the amen comes a prayer of thankfulness.

 

Prayer is a powerful and important aspect of our faith. Become a person of prayer. Pray often. Then remember what follows your prayers!

 

Roger

 

27

Jump Start # 1067

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1067

Acts 5:38-39 “So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overcome them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.”

  Gamaliel was a well known and respected Jewish rabbi. His influence was huge and many sent their sons to be trained by him. The apostle Paul was one who had been taught by Gamaliel. Our verse today reflects some of his wisdom and advise. Peter and John had been in and out of trouble with the Jewish hierarchy in Jerusalem. They had been arrested for preaching that Jesus was the Christ. They were arrested and then released with a stern warning to hush up about those things and not to preach any more. Immediately, they preached. They were arrested again. Peter responded that we must obey God rather than man. The situation was getting out of hand and Peter was stubborn. Actually, Peter had conviction and was standing upon those.  The Pharisees were resolved to put an end to this. Their conclusion was to kill Peter. It seems that taking life didn’t bother the Jews.

 

Gamaliel thought otherwise. His words, our verse today, offers a kind resolution to this heated situation. Let them alone. Play it out. Watch. If they are not from God, this will fade out. He gave other examples of uprisings that quickly withered away. This is how he sees this “Jesus movement.” Give it time, it will get old, and it will go away. On the other hand, if they are from God, there is no stopping them. With God on their side, they will succeed. Gamaliel gives a hint that Peter and John might possibly be right.

 

On paper, what Gamaliel said makes sense. In reality, it’s not true. His theory is that false ideas will not last. They will be overthrown. Possibly, intending to imply that God would be the one that puts an end to that which is false. The problem with Gamaliel’s theory is that it isn’t true. There have been false religions around for a long, long time. Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism are three well known systems that worship a different god, have a different concept of Jesus and reject the New Testament. Those religions have existed for hundreds of years and they have huge followings. Putting Gamaliel’s ideas to the test, one could conclude that they must be from God because they have not been overthrown and it certainly doesn’t look like they will be overthrown any time in the near future. Are they from God? No. Are they acceptable? No. Are they part of the Biblical teachings? No.

 

The spirit of Gamaliel is alive today. It’s found in the theme of tolerance. It’s often expressed as, “I don’t agree with what he believes, but I don’t want to judge.” Or, “I wouldn’t do that, but I’m not one to say that he is wrong.” Let it alone. That was Gamaliel’s words. Leave Peter and John and their teaching alone. If it is not from God, it will go away. If it is from God, you cannot stop it.

 

Tolerance seems to be the way to go for most folks today. They certainly do not want to point fingers and tell anyone that what they are doing isn’t the Bible way. Just let it alone. Let them alone.

 

Now, there is some problems with the “letting them alone” thinking.

 

First, false things do not go away. Sorry, Mr. Gamaliel, you’re wrong. False things tend to hang around. Ignorance isn’t bliss. Ignorance is blind. The Bible way is to teach. Teach folks what the Bible does say. Teach so that they will know. Truth drives out error. Truth defeats error.

 

Second, allowing false ideas to exist, only gets more people confused and in a mess. Stepping back and just watching what will happen doesn’t help people. The more false things they believe, the deeper in trouble they get and the farther from God they go. Some die, many die, in error. They die, hoping for things that will never be. They die convinced that they are right, when they are not right.

 

Third, falsehoods seem to get worse with each generation. One generation sticks it’s big toe into error. The generation that follows, jumps right in. Consider the example of atheistic evolution. A few generations back it was being tested and considered. Theories were being put out concerning it. Not everyone in the scientific community was buying into it. There were many in Darwin’s time that couldn’t see his conclusions. But now, a few generations later, the thought on the street is that evolution has been proven. It hasn’t. It’s no more closer than it was generations ago. In fact, there are more problems and questions than before. But with each generation, error sinks a population deeper and deeper.

 

Leave them alone? Not good advice. We don’t practice that at home. When the kids believe something that is not true, we straighten them out. When they hear things from their friends, parents don’t take the approach, let’s just ride this out and see where it goes. Your sixteen year old daughter comes home from school and says that she wants to move in with her boy friend. He’s convinced her that marriage is just a piece of paper and that love is all that matters. As a parent do you say, “leave them alone. If this is not from God it will be overthrown. But if it is from God, there is no stopping it.” Is that the approach? NO. You have a little talk with the daughter and you have a REAL serious talk with Mr. boy friend. Tolerance is not peace. Tolerance is actually cowardice. Tolerance is closing your eyes and not getting involved. Tolerance assumes wrong and crooked views are just as good as right views. Tolerance believes everyone is right and no one is wrong. Tolerance is doing nothing. Because of tolerance, error fills the world. Because of tolerance the voice of God is silent today. Can’t offend those who disagree. Can’t offend those who differ. Can’t offend those who may get upset. So society silences God. His name is removed. His presence is stilled. Those in error are given a platform.

 

This was never the pattern of God. When Elijah confronted the false prophets of Baal, the messengers of error, he didn’t allow them to stick around and do their own work. He gave them a platform to prove themselves. When they failed, they were removed. When Paul witnessed all the false idols in Ephesus, he didn’t take the tolerance path. He didn’t say, “Let them alone.” He preached the one true God of the Bible.

 

The solution to error is not tolerance, it is teaching. Letting alone, doesn’t solve anything. It’s really not even being nice. Nice is to help someone see what is right. Nice is helping them out of the darkness of wrong and error. Nice is making a difference. Tolerance is based upon the concept that there is no absolute right answer. Everyone is right and no one is wrong. A person doesn’t get that after reading the Bible. God’s way is the only way. God is right. Always.

Those who want to drink the Kool-aide of error and dance to the moon to their delight will surround themselves with those who applaud them and are proud of them. They are deceived and confused. Error seems so right in the darkness of confusion. The light of truth exposes error. Truth never has anything to fear.

Help others see what is right, by standing for what is right and teaching what is right. That is the hope of God. That is our duty and our calling.

Roger

 

26

Jump Start # 1066

Posted on March 26, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1066

John 20:26 “After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, ‘Peace be with you.’”

  Doubting Thomas—that’s what we call him. That’s the label he has been given for all these years. As we noted yesterday in our Jump Start, all the apostles were doubters. The report from Mary was not believed. The words from the two on the road to Emmaus was not believed. Jesus appeared, but Thomas was missing.  When he heard, he said that he would not believe until he touched Jesus. Thus, doubting Thomas.

 

Doubt plays with our minds. It makes us second guess our decisions. Doubt can chip away at our convictions. In the church building on a Sunday, we can seem so sure. But during the week, sitting in a college class room, or listening to the rant of a co-worker, or reading the blog of someone who has had a bad experience, suddenly doubt creeps in. Doubt comes in different levels. Some doubt is nothing more than questioning our judgment or decision. We look back on conversations and wonder if we handled the situation correctly. Other times, doubt is massive, like a giant iceberg, just waiting to crush our hopes and dreams. I’ve  heard some question their salvation. Some wonder if they will go to Heaven. I’m teaching a Tuesday morning class, one of the lessons in a few weeks is entitled, “Sometimes I don’t think I’m going to make it to Heaven.”  Why do we think such thoughts? Doubt. Fear. Faith not as strong as it ought to be. Others, doubt that God can or will forgive them. The sins have been many. The damage done has been enormous. The relationships and trusts destroyed have been huge. Doubt clings to such pain. They wonder if God will ever forgive. They doubt it. Some doubt that God loves them. Tragedy in their life has made them feel like that they are caught in the crosshairs of God. Surely, God wouldn’t allow such sorrow if He really loved them. That’s doubt speaking.

 

Doubt begins with questions. Sometimes they are our own questions. We wonder. We fear. Other times, they are the questions of others. Someone says something and that puts a question mark in our life. We are not sure. Those questions can quickly turn into doubt. Those questions replace convictions.

 

Thomas had questions. He wasn’t sure. He had heard reports about the resurrected Christ. These came first, from Mary, then the two men on the country road, and finally the rest of the apostles. They too, now claimed that they saw the resurrected Savior.

Notice the actions of Thomas. He wasn’t denying the reports. He was wanting confirmation himself.

1. First, he wanted to believe. Our verse tells us that “after eight days” Thomas was with the disciples. He hadn’t given up. He didn’t go back to his old life. He was with the apostles. An interesting thought, what was Jesus doing for those eight days after the resurrection? We may have an opinion, but the Bible doesn’t tell us. Eight days later makes this the next Sunday. Jesus rose on a Sunday morning. Now, it was the next Sunday. Why did He not appear the next day? Why, on a Monday, did the Lord not show Himself to Thomas?  Could this have been a faith builder for Thomas? Where was Thomas? With the rest of the apostles. What do you think they talked about? What would you have talked about had you been Thomas? Don’t you think he quizzed the apostles. Don’t you think he asked them hard questions about Jesus. Don’t you think he was starting to see things. Was Mary with them? Were the two from Emmaus there as well? Thomas was seeking the answer.

 

It’s ok to have questions. It’s ok to want proof. It’s ok to say, “I don’t see what you are saying.” It’s ok, to investigate and look thoroughly. That’s Thomas. He wanted to believe. The problem I have is with the person who says, “I’m not sure I believe that,” and then his next steps are staying away from God’s people, staying away from God’s word, and feeding his doubts with negative and false information. The person who says, “I’m not sure I can accept creation,” but then only reads atheistic articles is feeding his doubts. He is demonstrating that he does not want to believe. Thomas wasn’t like this. We don’t find him eight days later, in a bar, with a loose woman on his arm, saying, “Yeah, I have trouble believing those things.” Really? His actions shows that he wouldn’t want to believe. Thomas wasn’t like that. He was with the disciples for eight days.

 

Do you have questions? Don’t stop worshipping because of that. Don’t stop reading God’s word. Find the answers. Talk to God’s people. Search the Scriptures.

2. Thomas put himself in the position to believe. The Lord spoke directly to Thomas when He appeared. He didn’t rebuke Thomas. He didn’t say that he was no longer fit to be an apostle. He didn’t say that He was deeply disappointed in him. The Lord said “reach” and touch Me. The text never tells us that Thomas did. His response was, “My Lord and my God.” Thomas wasn’t missing this time. He was there. Had he remained away, his doubts may have increased. They didn’t. He was there. He saw. For eight days he has been with those who witnessed Jesus. For eight days, he heard the telling stories about Jesus in their midst. For eight days, he was with not critics of Jesus, but those who loved Jesus. He put himself in the position to believe. This shows us that Thomas wanted to believe. This step determines whether we conquer our doubts or whether the doubts get the best of us. Putting ourselves in a position to believe is important. Do you want to believe? Do you want proof? Or, are you looking for a reason to exit? The answer to that question determines what one does with their doubts.

3. Thomas chose to believe. He saw. He knew. He confessed. He proclaimed. He didn’t ask Jesus to walk on water one more time, just to be sure. He didn’t ask Jesus to let him witness one more healing. Belief is a choice. Thomas chose to believe based upon what he saw. Some choose to disbelieve. Even though evidence is there, some close their eyes to that. To believe means to acknowledge, to accept, and to become.

Jesus would say, “blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” They would believe the words of Thomas and Peter and John and the rest of the apostles. They would believe what was written down. In days of turmoil and doubt, those strong convictions built upon by incredible faith in God would with stand all darts that Satan hurls at us.

One of the greatest doubts we have is about the next life. Things can go well until a loved one is taken away by death. Where are they? Is that it? Fears, doubts, and everything we said we believe now come to the front. It was one year ago today, that God’s family lost a beloved friend and faithful worker, Marty Pickup. This is a tough day for his family. What makes a difference for them, and all of us who face similar things, is our faith. Questions come. Doubts arise. Faith shines. Faith holds firm. Faith conquers. God promised. That’s enough. God is good. That never changes. Hope drives out fear. The Scriptures are sure and certain. We build our faith and hope, not upon wishes, and fantasies, but upon the solid word of God. Because God said, we know. Because God said, we believe. We stand with Thomas, saying, “My Lord and my God.”

 

Thomas wasn’t much of a doubter. He had questions. We all do. Thomas is a powerful example of what to do with those questions.

 

Are you feeding your faith or feeding your doubts? Thomas got his answers. Have you? What are you doing about it?

 

Roger

 

25

Jump Start # 1065

Posted on March 25, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1065

Mark 16:9-11 “Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons. She went and reported to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping. When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it. After that, He appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking along on their way to the country. They went away and reported it to the others, but they did not believe them either.”

 

Mark gives us a sad picture of what was taking place the days after the death of Jesus. The apostles were together. They were weeping and mourning. It seems that their world had ended. Then reports came in. First, from Mary Magdalene and then the two men walking on the road to Emmaus, they had seen Jesus. He was alive. They couldn’t believe it. There are several lessons here.

 

First, the credibility of this text. Most Bibles will footnote this section of Mark, or off set it in brackets, with a note that these verses are not in the oldest manuscripts (MSS). The oldest manuscripts are as close to the originals as we can get. There are many places where the oldest manuscripts are missing things. This has cause some to wonder if people later added things to the Bible. Those manuscripts are OLD. For centuries they were not housed in climate controlled glass cases. They were handled, read, copied and passed around. Those manuscripts were scrolls. It makes sense that the last pages would be the first to go. Later in this chapter Mark records Jesus’ words about baptism. Tossing this page out as something that was added later, removes the call to be baptized. There are plenty of other verses that show the necessity of baptism. There is plenty of other textual evidence that supports these verses. The evidence is there. These verses belong.

 

Second, Jesus first appeared to Mary. In the first century world, a woman’s word wasn’t very credible. In court, a woman’s word wasn’t enough to convict. If someone was making all of this up, they would have had Jesus seen by prominent people, who would have been men. The fact that Jesus first appeared to a woman shows the authenticity of the story. Mary doesn’t matter. What Mary says doesn’t count. It does to God. It says this, because this is the way it happened.

 

Third, the pitiful apostles were all doubters. We give Thomas a lot of grief, calling him, “Doubting Thomas,” but the whole lot were doubters. Jesus had stated that He would be raised. Now two independent reports, from two different places, attest to that. They wouldn’t believe. Doubt and fear go together. Those two can blind us to what is so obvious and before us. Doubt closes our minds. Doubt gives up. Doubt refuses to see proof. For the apostles, their world was over. The lessons about the coming kingdom, the prophecies about the son of man sitting on David’s throne—gone. Over. Jesus was dead and in their minds He remained in the grave. Hope was vanished. What would they do now? Go back to their old lives? What about all those miracles? What about all those lessons? What was the point? They heard Him forgive sins? Wasn’t He God? Were the Jews right? How could He die? Doubt and fear can take us into a really dark hole. It’s hard to climb out. Some never do. With doubts come questions. The “why’s” and “how come’s” follow doubt. If those are not answered seriously, the towel is usually thrown in. People give up. They are overcome with doubt. I see this today with some people. Our jobs are not to suppress questions, but to answer them. We need to give real answers to real questions. Some people have hard hitting questions. We may be afraid of their questions. It could be our own doubts coming out. Let them ask. Let them ask anything. Find the Bible answers. Be honest. God would not leave the apostles in doubt. Soon after this, Jesus showed Himself to the apostles. Thomas wasn’t there. We are not told why. His love and doubts might have forced him to be alone. He missed Jesus. Tomorrow we will follow what Thomas did.

 

Fourth, the apostles were in the position that their audiences would be. Witnesses came to the apostles with reports of seeing the resurrected Jesus. At this point, all the apostles had was their word. Witnesses reported. They had to believe. They couldn’t. Weeks later, these same apostles become the witnesses. They will tell the world about the resurrected Christ. The world will have to believe their reports. The apostles learned and experienced what it was like to have nothing but the reports of others. Today, that’s where we are. We believe, not because we saw, but because we believe the reports of witnesses. We believe what John said when he wrote that they seen, heard, and touched with their hands the Word of life. Believing credible witnesses. Believing the New Testament account. That’s where our faith is. That’s exactly what the apostles had to deal with.

 

I believe. What powerful words those are. In the early days of the church, some would be given a chance to deny those words. When they didn’t they were tossed to the lions or tied to a stake and set afire. Even in death, they refused to change their minds. The pain of torture was not greater than the conviction of their hearts. I believe. I believe when others are shouting a different story. I believe when the tide of public thought puts me in the minority. I believe when others accuse me of being narrow. I believe.

 

Powerful words, I believe. I believe changes me. I believe influences my choices. I believe defines me. I believe.

 

Roger