Jesus, The One and Only

Posts tagged ‘Messiah’

“Keep Your Guard Up”

a thankful heart

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“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught…” (Col. 2:6-7 NIV)

Here are a few tips to “protect yourselves from being lured away by “empty deceit”” (Col. 2:8 HCSB)

  1. Remember how you received Christ! (1) This was done by God’s grace!  Nothing we could ever do could prove our worth to Christ!  We can only receive God’s grace as a gift and be willing to receive it as that only! “We must not believe any teaching or philosophy that replaces God’s grace with our performance.” (2)
  2. Continue to live in Christ! This means to continue to remain close to Christ and retaining focus on Him!  Any other focus can lead to deceptive doctrine, even if the focus is a biblical concept. (3)
  3. Grow deep roots in Christ!  Spiritually we have difficulty growing up until we’ve grown down.  We form deep roots by knowing the basics of our faith. (4)  Our roots keep us grounded in the Truth!
  4. Grow up in Christ!  After we’ve grown roots, we’re ready to grow up!  Hebrews 6:1 strongly exhort us to a progression in Christ: “therefore, leaving the elementary message about the Messiah, let us go on to maturity.” (5)

“Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.” (Col. 2:7 MSG)

 One of the easiest ways to continue in this walk on a daily basis is having a true heart full of gratitude!!!  Be thankful for the gift that keeps on giving :)

Vicky

(1-5) Paul, 90 Days on His Journey of Faith / Beth Moore / B & H Publishing

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“Noticeable Differences”

Read Acts 9:10-25

“All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” (vs. 21 NIV)

“Many years ago when a grown man was born again on the dusty road to Damascus, a light came on that no one was able to turn off.  We will soon discover many who tried.  The Lord told Ananias to look for Saul praying at a certain house. (1)

“Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.  Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized…” (vs. 17-18)

Saul mentions in Gal. 1:14-16 “I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being.”

Why do you think Saul mentions that his immediate response was not to consult any human being?  I believe a true conversion took place in Saul.  I believe he was very zealous from the traditions taught by “human beings” but because of the experience something completely transformed him and he wanted to know, search out what was happening – asking great questions like — Why was this so different? “He first came to Damascus to profane the name of Christ.  Now he returned to preach the name of Christ.” (2)

Acts 9:22 states “Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.”

  • Saul grew more and more powerful – “when the Spirit of God fell on him, he became the spiritual heavy-weight champion of the world.” (3)
  • Proving that Jesus is the Messiah – “proved or proving – translated means ‘to cause to come together, to bring together…’ ‘Saul [knit together to] the Jews that Jesus is the Christ.  What did he knit together?  The old with the new! He knit the teachings of the Old Testament Law and Prophets with their fulfillment in Jesus Christ.” (4)

“The proof was there!  All they needed to do was believe! Unlike the Gentiles, the Jews knew Scripture.  They just hadn’t recognized the One about whom the Scriptures were written.’  ‘The chief priests expected him to return with prisoners.  Instead, only one prisoner returned; a prisoner of Jesus Christ!” (5)

How about you?  How’s your belief system working for you?  Maybe you’ve heard of the Jesus everyone talks about at church/Christmas/Easter or other times…but have you taken that step of faith to believe “He is the Christ … the Messiah”?

Vicky

“Therefore if any person is [engrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17 AMP)

(1-5) Paul, 90 Days in His Journey of Faith/Beth Moore/B & H Publishing

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