“Who do you say I am?” Jesus asks of Peter.
He replies, “I…uh, I believe. . .you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Maybe he wasn’t that hesitant, but if he was, you can hardly fault Peter. How many times do you call a callous-handed nail bender from a one-camel town the Son of God? You remember the drawings with the question, What’s wrong with this picture? We would look closely for something that didn’t fit—an astronaut on the moon with a pay phone in the background. God doesn’t chum with common folk or snooze in fishing boats. But Colossians 2:9 says He did, “For in Christ there is all of God in a human body.” All God, all man. Don’t we need a God-man Savior? Nothing compares to what Philippians 3:8 says is “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord!”
From Next Door Savior
Acts 14
Paul and Barnabas in Iconium
The same thing happened in Iconium.[a] Paul and Barnabas went to the Jewish synagogue and preached with such power that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers. 2 Some of the Jews, however, spurned God’s message and poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas. 3 But the apostles stayed there a long time, preaching boldly about the grace of the Lord. And the Lord proved their message was true by giving them power to do miraculous signs and wonders. 4 But the people of the town were divided in their opinion about them. Some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles.
5 Then a mob of Gentiles and Jews, along with their leaders, decided to attack and stone them. 6 When the apostles learned of it, they fled to the region of Lycaonia—to the towns of Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding area. 7 And there they preached the Good News.
Paul and Barnabas in Lystra and Derbe
8 While they were at Lystra, Paul and Barnabas came upon a man with crippled feet. He had been that way from birth, so he had never walked. He was sitting 9 and listening as Paul preached. Looking straight at him, Paul realized he had faith to be healed. 10 So Paul called to him in a loud voice, “Stand up!” And the man jumped to his feet and started walking.
11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in their local dialect, “These men are gods in human form!” 12 They decided that Barnabas was the Greek god Zeus and that Paul was Hermes, since he was the chief speaker. 13 Now the temple of Zeus was located just outside the town. So the priest of the temple and the crowd brought bulls and wreaths of flowers to the town gates, and they prepared to offer sacrifices to the apostles.
14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard what was happening, they tore their clothing in dismay and ran out among the people, shouting, 15 “Friends,[b] why are you doing this? We are merely human beings—just like you! We have come to bring you the Good News that you should turn from these worthless things and turn to the living God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. 16 In the past he permitted all the nations to go their own ways, 17 but he never left them without evidence of himself and his goodness. For instance, he sends you rain and good crops and gives you food and joyful hearts.” 18 But even with these words, Paul and Barnabas could scarcely restrain the people from sacrificing to them.
19 Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowds to their side. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of town, thinking he was dead. 20 But as the believers[c] gathered around him, he got up and went back into the town. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.
Paul and Barnabas Return to Antioch of Syria
21 After preaching the Good News in Derbe and making many disciples, Paul and Barnabas returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch of Pisidia, 22 where they strengthened the believers. They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God. 23 Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. 24 Then they traveled back through Pisidia to Pamphylia. 25 They preached the word in Perga, then went down to Attalia.
26 Finally, they returned by ship to Antioch of Syria, where their journey had begun. The believers there had entrusted them to the grace of God to do the work they had now completed. 27 Upon arriving in Antioch, they called the church together and reported everything God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles, too. 28 And they stayed there with the believers for a long time.
Footnotes:
14:1 Iconium, as well as Lystra and Derbe (14:6), were towns in what is now Turkey.
14:15 Greek Men.
14:20 Greek disciples; also in 14:22, 28.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, January 01, 2016
Read: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
The Hope of the Resurrection
And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died[a] so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.
15 We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.[b] 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died[c] will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words.
Footnotes:
4:13 Greek those who have fallen asleep; also in 4:14.
4:15 Greek those who have fallen asleep.
4:16 Greek the dead in Christ.
INSIGHT:
Part of Paul’s purpose in writing to the Thessalonians was to answer questions they had apparently sent to him, perhaps through Timothy (1 Thess. 3:6). It is helpful to remember that during the first century Scripture was still being written, so followers of Christ had incomplete information about many topics. In this case, the concern is what happens to believers who die before the Lord’s return. Paul answers that believers who have died will be resurrected first (vv. 14–16). Then those who are still alive will be “caught up together with them” to meet Christ in the air (v. 17).
This Could Be the Year
By Joe Stowell
We who are still alive and are left will . . . meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 1 Thessalonians 4:17
My dad was a pastor, and on the first Sunday of each new year he preached about the return of Christ, often quoting from 1 Thessalonians 4. His point was always the same: “This could be the year that Jesus will return. Are you ready to meet Him?” I’ll never forget hearing that sermon at age 6, thinking, If that’s true, I’m not sure I will be among those He’s coming for.
I felt certain that my parents would be going to heaven, and I wanted to go too. So, when my dad came home after church, I asked how I could be sure. He opened the Bible, read some verses to me, and talked to me about my need for a Savior. It didn’t take much to convince me of my sins. That day, my dad led me to Christ. I will be forever grateful to him for planting these truths in my heart.
In an increasingly chaotic world, what a hopeful thought that this could be the year Jesus returns. More comforting still is the anticipation that all who trust Him for salvation will be gathered together, relieved from this world’s suffering, sorrow, and fear. Best of all, we’ll be with the Lord forever!
Lord, keep me always mindful of Your inevitable return. Thanks for the assurance that this world is not all we have but that a blessed eternity awaits all who trust in You.
Perhaps today! Dr. M. R. De Haan
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, January 01, 2016
Let Us Keep to the Point
"…my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death." —Philippians 1:20
My Utmost for His Highest. “…my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed….” We will all feel very much ashamed if we do not yield to Jesus the areas of our lives He has asked us to yield to Him. It’s as if Paul were saying, “My determined purpose is to be my utmost for His highest— my best for His glory.” To reach that level of determination is a matter of the will, not of debate or of reasoning. It is absolute and irrevocable surrender of the will at that point. An undue amount of thought and consideration for ourselves is what keeps us from making that decision, although we cover it up with the pretense that it is others we are considering. When we think seriously about what it will cost others if we obey the call of Jesus, we tell God He doesn’t know what our obedience will mean. Keep to the point— He does know. Shut out every other thought and keep yourself before God in this one thing only— my utmost for His highest. I am determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and Him alone.
My Unstoppable Determination for His Holiness. “Whether it means life or death-it makes no difference!” (see Philippians 1:21). Paul was determined that nothing would stop him from doing exactly what God wanted. But before we choose to follow God’s will, a crisis must develop in our lives. This happens because we tend to be unresponsive to God’s gentler nudges. He brings us to the place where He asks us to be our utmost for Him and we begin to debate. He then providentially produces a crisis where we have to decide— for or against. That moment becomes a great crossroads in our lives. If a crisis has come to you on any front, surrender your will to Jesus absolutely and irrevocably.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
The measure of the worth of our public activity for God is the private profound communion we have with Him.… We have to pitch our tents where we shall always have quiet times with God, however noisy our times with the world may be. My Utmost for His Highest, January 6, 736 R
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, January 01, 2016
Why Your Work For God Really Matters - #7560
If you're going to be a great coach in sports, you've got to be a great motivator. The team rises to the level of the coach's motivation. Now, when your team is an entire nation that is under heavy attack, the coach had better be one incredible motivator.
The nation was Great Britain. The time was the beginning of World War II, when the team seemed like it was losing badly and the coach was Prime Minister Winston Churchill. He may have been the most inspiring leader of the 20th Century as he motivated his nation to make tremendous sacrifices and win a seemingly unwinnable victory.
In those early days of the war, he desperately needed the cooperation of the leaders of Britain's coal industry. Their extra sacrificial efforts would be critical to keeping the war effort going. The way he did it was masterful. Churchill asked those industry and union leaders to picture the parade at the end of the war. Look at the proud British sailors who kept the sea lanes open, and there are the soldiers who valiantly fought the land war, and those airmen who heroically won the battle for the skies, followed by the coal miners of Britain whose work made those victories possible. Churchill said, "They will not be in military uniform, but they will have won a place in the victory parade."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Why Your Work For God Really Matters."
The ultimate war, the one with the most at stake, is still raging. It's the war between the forces of Christ and the forces of darkness for the lives of the people Jesus Christ died for. The battle has never been more intense, especially as it approaches its climactic stages. Here's the question: "Will there be a place for you in the great victory parade of King Jesus?"
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 1 Samuel 30. David has just won a mighty victory. He has left behind 200 men who are just too exhausted to go to that battle, so he has assigned them to guard the supplies. Some of those who had just fought the battle don't think that those 200 should share in the spoils of the victory. This is what the Bible says, "The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike."
There's an exciting Biblical principle here. God considers those who fight the battle and those who support them as equal contributors and equal shareholders in the victory. In Philippians 4, Paul urged those believers to support his ministry so "my fruit will be credited to your account." In the accounting of God, every person Paul reached for Christ, his supporters reached for Christ. Can't you just imagine getting to heaven and God showing you your account, and you're asking, "But, Lord, where did all these names come from? I don't even know these people." I can imagine the Lord saying, "They were reached by such and such a ministry or through your church and you helped. You reached those people, too. Would you like to meet them now?"
You may feel like your part in the Lord's work is pretty insignificant. You say, "All I do is volunteer some time, I just drive, I just pray regularly, I give some money, I just cook, all I do is just kind of work behind the scenes." Listen to God's words: "The share of the man who stayed with the supplies (in other words, who worked in that unglamorous, no-glory role) is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike." Now you may feel your work is insignificant, but Jesus doesn't. He promises an eternal reward even for a cup of cold water given in His name!
So don't minimize the eternal value of the work you do for Jesus, of your part in the greatest battle of all, the battle for people's never dying souls. You may not have worn the uniform of a soldier, but I believe there is going to be a place of honor for you in that parade. For anyone who contributed to the war. I hope to see you in King Jesus' Victory Parade.