Simply Sharing What You’ve Seen

PRAY OVER THIS

“And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.” Acts 10:39-42

 

PONDER THIS

Imagine a courtroom seeking the historical facts of something and countless witnesses are brought in who say, “We all saw the same thing. We all experienced the same thing.” This is what we see in this passage. “We ate with Him. We actually touched Him and handled Him.”

Some skeptics may still write this off as a widely coordinated lie. But this was not an easy lie to tell; it cost many of them their lives. Many of these eyewitnesses died. Peter was crucified upside down. Some people will live for a lie, but no man will willingly die for a lie. These people died for their faith. The only reason they were able to do so was because they knew Jesus Christ had come out of that grave. The testimony of the saints through the ages hinges on the truth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. A Christian with a vibrant testimony is never at the mercy of a skeptic with an argument. We simply share what we have witnessed in Christ just as the disciples did.

What have you witnessed regarding Jesus that you need to share?

What are some of the things the disciples witnessed that amaze you?

PRACTICE THIS

Share your testimony about Jesus with another person.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Lion and the Lamb

“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; and in his name the Gentiles will hope.” (Matthew 12:18–21, quoting Isaiah 42)

The Father’s very soul exults with joy over the servant-like meekness and compassion of his Son.

When a reed is bent and about to break, the Servant will tenderly hold it upright until it heals. When a wick is smoldering and has scarcely any heat left, the Servant will not pinch it off, but cup his hand and blow gently until it burns again.

Thus the Father cries, “Behold, my Servant in whom my soul delights!” The worth and beauty of the Son come not just from his majesty, nor just from his meekness, but from the way these mingle in perfect proportion.

When the angel cries out in Revelation 5:2, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” the answer comes back, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals” (Revelation 5:5).

God loves the strength of the Lion of Judah. This is why he is worthy in God’s eyes to open the scrolls of history and unfold the last days.

But the picture is not complete. How did the Lion conquer? The next verse describes his appearance: “And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain” (Revelation 5:6). Jesus is worthy of the Father’s delight not only as the Lion of Judah, but also as the slain Lamb.

This is the peculiar glory of Jesus Christ, God’s incarnate Son — the stunning mingling of majesty and meekness.

John Piper 

Bible Study

Isaiah 61:1-2

The Year of the LORD’s Favor

    [1] The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,

        because the LORD has anointed me

    to bring good news to the poor;

        he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

    to proclaim liberty to the captives,

        and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 

    [2] to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor,

        and the day of vengeance of our God;

        to comfort all who mourn;

John 3:34-36

[34] For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. [35] The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. [36] Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

Acts 10:38

[38] how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

Acts 4:29-31

[29] And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, [30] while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” [31] And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

Finding Unity Within Diversity

PRAY OVER THIS

“For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.” Romans 12:4-5

 

PONDER THIS

What goes into assembling a jury for a trial? Typically, the desire is to assemble a group of people who can come together to give a verdict on the decision in question. That’s what our Lord did when He took the apostles. These apostles had been with our Lord for three years: They lived with Him. They walked with Him. They were companions. They ate together. They fellow shipped together.

They were not the type of jury you would expect. John was a young man. He was a visionary. He was sort of a philosopher type. Simon Peter was the opposite of John, a big, hardworking fisherman. Then there was Simon the Zealot. He was a political activist. And then there was Matthew the tax collector. Matthew had sold out to the Roman government. Many thought of him as a turncoat.

Can you imagine having Simon and Matthew on the same jury and trying to ask them to reach a unanimous verdict about anything? All these men had different backgrounds, viewpoints, ideals, and ideas but they all agreed on one thing: what they witnessed in Christ. We are to function the same way today as the Church.

What are some of the differences between you and some others in your congregation? How do you overcome those differences in Christ?

How have you seen God work through differences to bring Himself glory?

PRACTICE THIS

Think about someone in your church you struggle relating to. Pray Christ’s blessing on that person and seek unity in Christ.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Church Growth God’s Way

It is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. (Romans 9:8)

Picture the Old Testament Abraham as a pastor. The Lord says, “I will bless you and prosper your ministry.” But the church is barren and bears no children.

What does Abraham do? He begins to despair of supernatural intervention. He is getting old. His wife remains barren. So he decides to bring about God’s promised son without supernatural intervention. He has sex with Hagar his wife’s handmaid (Genesis 16:4). However, the result is not a “child of the promise,” but a “child of the flesh,” Ishmael.

God stuns Abraham by saying, “I will give you a son by her [your wife Sarah]” (Genesis 17:16). So Abraham cries out to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” (Genesis 17:18). He wants the work of his own natural, human effort to be the fulfillment of God’s promise. But God says, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son” (Genesis 17:19).

But Sarah is 90 years old. She has been barren all her life, and she has already passed through menopause (Genesis 18:11). Abraham is 100. The only hope for a child of promise is stunning, supernatural intervention.

That is what it means to be a “child of the promise” — to be born “not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13). The only children that count for children of God in this world are supernaturally begotten children of promise. In Galatians 4:28 Paul says, “You [Christians], like Isaac, are children of promise.” You are “born according to the Spirit,” not according to the flesh (Galatians 4:29).

Think of Abraham as a pastor again. His church is not growing the way he believes God promised. He is weary of waiting for supernatural intervention. He turns to the “Hagar” of mere human devices, and decides he can “attract people” without the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit.

However, it will not be a church of Isaacs, but Ishmaelites — children of the flesh, not children of God. God save us from this kind of fatal success. By all means work. But always look to the Lord for the decisive, supernatural work. “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord” (Proverbs 21:31).

John Piper 

Bible Study

1 Corinthians 12:20

[20] As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

1 Corinthians 6:15

[15] Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!

1 Corinthians 12:27

[27] Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

Colossians 3:15

[15] And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

Do You Want to Be a Giant for God?

PRAY OVER THIS

“And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” 

Ephesians 1:22-23

 

PONDER THIS

There’s no such thing as saying yes to Christ and no to the Church. It is the nature of the Christian to love. The Church and Christ are not identical, but they are inseparable, like a head and a body. You cannot love Jesus without loving what Jesus loves.

I have been to California and seen the giant Sequoia. That tree is as tall as a twenty-story building with a seventy-foot circumference. It’s giant! You would think a tree that big would have a tremendously deep taproot that would go down, down, down to keep it standing so tall and for so long. But you know what I discovered? Those trees don’t have deep taproots at all. Their roots grow very close to the surface, and the experts say the reason they have survived and grown so tall and for so long is that they grow only in groves—their roots all intertwine. When the winds come, they hold one another up.

Do you desire to be a giant for God? What would it look like to be so in the fellowship of the Church where we’re intertwined, where we love one another and care for one another so deeply that when the winds of life come, we stand strong? When you love Jesus, you’re going to love His Church.

When have you seen the Church come together in a time of difficulty?

What are some things that make it difficult for you to connect with the people in your church? How can you surrender those things to God?

PRACTICE THIS

Find a way to connect to someone in your church that you don’t know well. Consider meeting for coffee or sending a card.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers