Acts chapter nine gives the account of how Apostle Paul got saved and his life transformed. Acts 9v4 makes us know that we are not alone; to be a Christian is to be Christ. In verse one, we read Saul bringing threats against disciples of Christ and in verse four Lord Jesus appeared to him saying why is he persecuting Jesus? What is the difference in both these verses? Saul wasn’t persecuting Jesus. Technically, he was persecuting disciples. But how come Jesus would say that he was being persecuted. Because, every true Christian is Jesus Christ. The scriptures says He is in us and we in Him (1John 4v13) and so, Jesus Christ and we are one. We see that every Christian represent Jesus Christ. Every true Christian presents Jesus again to the world. We represent Jesus and that is the reason why whenever Christians are persecuted, Jesus says you are persecuting Him. It is a great privilege Jesus gave to us to represent Him on this earth. In our pain, disappointment, broken expectations etc. we represent Him. People are watching us how we handle situations. So, understanding this, when you speak, you are introducing Him formally, before you introduce yourself. When you dress, you introduce Him formally, before you introduce yourself. When you fight, you introduce Him formally, before you introduce yourself etc. Nobody will go to the Bible to look for a Christian. They will look at the Christian who are live today. Someone is looking out for Christ in you. And if you are broken when they are broken, if you tell lies when they tell lies then who are you representing to the world? Apostle Edmonds shared his experience that more than 20 years ago he heard Martin Luther king saying ‘I have a dream that one day my daughters will be walking free in America, should be able to go to any shop, should be able to study in any university, should be able to mingle in the society” and that dream came true with much sacrifice. He admired that life because it brought communal changes and he wanted to be great like him. When he thought that, a voice spoke to him saying, “If you receive my Son Jesus, you will be greater than these men”. Apostle Edmonds thought how it could be because the Christians around him weren’t greater than these men. The Christians he saw next to him were the Jesus he saw and they weren’t great. And he argued with that voice and disagreeing to it. For a week he was in the hangover between that voice and his thoughts. Then he said “let me try” and said ‘yes’ to the Lord. As soon as he said ‘Yes’, he was transformed and eyes opened. He realized how he was leading his life, how he was talking to his loved ones, used his talents etc. He repented and cried for three days. Jesus came into his heart and changed his life. From that moment, he started to think, walk and do things differently. He came to himself. The reason he told this story is to explain the point that he saw Christians around him and argued with that voice that Christians are not greater than those men who brought communal changes. Why? Because he did not go to the Bible to search for it. He saw the Christians around him. So, the point is you show who Jesus is. Don’t misrepresent Jesus. He trusts us to represent Him. Live the life of a true star not the one hanging on the tree. Live a life of true tree not Christmas tree you decorate. Be the real person God wants you to be. When people celebrate Christmas, Jesus is seen in the way they celebrate. You put all the lights for decorating but you the true light. You have to shine. You shine by living the life of the light. Jesus is the light. We are the Christmas tree (John 15v5) . We are decorated by the fruits of the Holy Spirit. We are the fruit-bearing part of the vine. When the wise men saw the star, did they worship the star? No. When they followed the star, they weren’t distracted by the star. The star showed them the person. Let your celebration show the person “Jesus”. Always do something different on Christmas day every year. When you celebrate, you are supposed to reveal the person. If you are celebrating Jesus, you are supposed to reveal the person. (Message by Apostle Edmonds, extracted by PR) LIVE Sunday Worship Service @ Love Embassy of All Nations, Viveknagar Bangalore India. Where Jesus meets your need by His word. Worship with us: LOVE EMBASSY OF ALL NATIONS, Viveknagar, Bangalore Sunday First Service 7.30am - English Second Service 9.30am - Tamil Saturday joint service 3.00pm PHD (Prayer, Healing and Deliverance) Note: There is no PHD service every last Saturday of the month, and every first Sunday of the month is our healing service commemorated by Holy Communion. For more information: Call: +91-8147908731 Email us: [email protected]
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Love Embassy of All NationsMinistering God's love in a hurting world... DONATE TODAY
Archives
July 2020
Categories |