Showing posts with label Act like Jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Act like Jesus. Show all posts

Monday, 10 June 2024

Is the Jesus of History the Christ of Faith?

We’re in a good place whenever we honestly ask, “Is the Jesus of history the Christ of Faith?” Let’s look at both today. Study the links and decide for yourself. Holy Spirit will help you. He is drawing you here already.

Whenever we reach the point Thomas did when he saw Jesus on the cross but refused to believe He rose again until he saw the nail prints in His hands and the spear wound in His side, we're in a good place. Thomas was saying, “Unless the Jesus of history is the Christ of faith, I won’t believe”. And Jesus met him and showed him His hands and side.

Jesus of History Christ of Faith

Who was the Jesus of history?

He only did what he saw the Father do (John 6:38) and he only said what he heard the Father speak (John 12:49-50). Jesus was led by compassion (Matthew 14:14). He healed the sick (Mark 1:41) and honoured His mother (John 2:1-11, John 19:25-27) Forgiving Sinners (Luke 7:36-50), Jesus demonstrates compassion by forgiving a sinful woman who anoints his feet with oil, emphasizing mercy and grace over judgment.

Jesus is considered the most remarkable figure in history, central to our civilization. The timeline divides into 'BC' before him and 'AD' after him. He forgave sins, spoke of judging the world, and emphasized the importance of one's response to him in this life. C. S. Lewis argued that based on Jesus' claims, he couldn't be just a great moral teacher but must be either the Son of God, insane, or evil.

Regarding his character, even non-Christians often see Jesus as the epitome of selflessness. Dostoevsky described him as incomparable and perfect, with teachings considered the purest and best ever spoken. C. S. Lewis concluded that Jesus couldn't have been insane or evil, leading him to accept Jesus as God.

The evidence for Jesus' physical resurrection is strong, with over 500 eyewitnesses seeing him after his supposed death. The transformation of the disciples and the rapid growth of the Christian church are attributed to this event. The resurrection is seen as the living truth by many, with Lord Darling highlighting the overwhelming evidence supporting it.

Who is the Christ of Faith?

Jesus' purpose in coming was to sacrifice himself for humanity, described as giving his life as a ransom for many. His death on the cross, one of the cruelest forms of execution, is depicted vividly. Jesus' sacrifice is believed to be an act of love to free humanity from sin, with the word 'ransom' symbolizing his payment to set us free from bondage.

Jesus' death is seen as an act of love, where he bore the sins of humanity out of compassion. This act of sacrifice is described as a ransom paid by his blood on the cross to liberate all who believe in him.

Jesus lived (Flavius Josephus "Antiquities of the Jews," Book 18, Chapter 3, Paragraph 3). And He died (Tacitus "Annals," Book 15, Chapter 44). He rose again ( Pliny the Younger's Epistles, Book 10, Letter 96). His first followers all died because of what they said happen - that they saw the risen Lord. Who dies for a good person? Link to Why do we know Jesus Rose From the Dead

More Videos, Podcasts, and Blog Posts on Jesus

Who is Jesus? - Theology

What difference does Jesus mean to me?

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7 Reasons Why I Know that Jesus Rose From the Dead

Did Jesus really die and rise again? Paul tells us if He didn’t, our faith is worthless and we are still in our sins (1 Corinthians 15:14-17) so it is an important question to settle in our for our faith.

Trevor H. Lund is the founder of Live LIGHT Academy at https://livelight.ca and the Chief Storyteller at https://revtrev.com. Subscribe and set notifications on YouTube at https://revtrev.com/tv and visit https://revtrev.com/radio to subscribe to his podcast wherever you listen.

Jesus Rose

Here are 7 Reasons Why I Know that Jesus Rose From the Dead

1. Eyewitness Accounts

Emphasizing the significance of eyewitness testimonies, various individuals and groups claimed to have seen Jesus alive after his crucifixion. These accounts are documented in the New Testament, with appearances to Mary Magdalene, the disciples, and over 500 people at once. See John 20:11-18, Matthew 28:9-10, Luke 24:13-35, John 20:19-23, John 20:24-29, John 21:1-14, Matthew 28:16-20, 1 Corinthians 15:6-7

2. Empty Tomb

The discovery of Jesus' empty tomb is another critical point. The tomb was found empty by women, whose testimonies were not highly regarded at that time. This detail adds credibility to the story, as it would be unlikely to fabricate such information. See Matthew 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-12 , John 20:1-10

3. Transformation of the Disciples

Initially fearful and in hiding after Jesus' death, his disciples became bold proclaimers of his resurrection after claiming to have seen him alive. This transformation from fear to courage, even in the face of persecution and martyrdom, supports the truth of their claims. See: John 20:19 vs Acts 4:13 and see below.

4. Early Christian Writings

Early Christian creeds and writings referencing the resurrection, some dating back to shortly after Jesus' death, suggest that belief in the resurrection was foundational to early Christian faith. This indicates that the belief was not a later development but an integral part of early Christianity. See: Justin Martyr "Dialogue with Trypho", Chapter 108. Tertullian "On the Resurrection of the Flesh", Chapter 48. Origen commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Book 2, Chapter 24.

5. Historical Impact

The rapid growth of Christianity from a small group to a major religious movement within a few centuries is used to argue for the authenticity of the resurrection. Such a significant impact is believed to be difficult to explain without an extraordinary event like the resurrection. There are reasons that Rome made it possible, but why Christianity and not the cult of Mithras? It had even more advantages in the same time period of Roman history.

6. Disciples Zeal

All (but maybe 1 - who was tortured and persecuted*) died because they told people Jesus rose from the dead.

  • Peter: Crucified upside down in Rome, around AD 64-68 during the persecution under Emperor Nero.
  • Andrew: Crucified on an X-shaped cross in Patras, Greece, around AD 60-70.
  • James, son of Zebedee: Beheaded in Jerusalem around AD 44 by Herod Agrippa I.
  • John*: Died of natural causes in Ephesus around AD 95-100, although there are some traditions that suggest he was martyred.
  • Philip: Martyred in Hierapolis, Phrygia (modern-day Turkey) by hanging or crucifixion around AD 80.
  • Bartholomew: Flayed alive and then either crucified or beheaded in Armenia or India.
  • Matthew: Killed by a sword in Ethiopia or Persia.
  • Thomas: Speared to death in Mylapore, India, around AD 72.
  • James, son of Alphaeus: Stoned and clubbed to death in Egypt or Jerusalem.
  • Thaddaeus (Jude): Martyred with arrows in Beirut or Edessa.
  • Simon the Zealot: Crucified in Persia or Samaria.
  • Matthias: Stoned and beheaded in Jerusalem.

Who dies for a good person or to sustain a lie? But this makes sense if they saw Jesus after his death.

7. The difference it’s made in my own life.

So far I’ve stuck with historical, researchable topics, but this reason is my most personal. I’ve confessed with my mouth “Jesus the Lord” and believed in my heart that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9) and I am saved… not only that I know one day I’ll be with Him forever, in a new glorious body and enjoy Him forever, but also from and through the crap that this life can be in the meantime.

Do you have another reason you believe Jesus rose from the dead? Tell me in the comments.

Check out other topics on Jesus

Who is Jesus? - Theology

What difference does Jesus mean to me?

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Monday, 20 May 2024

Why Good Works Matter EVEN MORE Today

Why do good works matter even more today? Jesus said,  "In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." What does good works look like in the day-to-day of every day? Why is so critical we get it right NOW? Let's see if we can have God's input on these questions and more.

This is a message spoken in 2021 as we were tentatively coming out of the pandemic.

Trevor H Lund is the founder of Live LIGHT Academy at https://livelight.ca and the Chief Storyteller at https://revtrev.com Subscribe and set notifications on https://revtrev.com/tv for past videos and live casts and https://revtrev.com/radio to subscribe to his podcast wherever you listen.

good works matter

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Why GOOD WORKS Matter EVEN More Today Notes

All of us in life emphasize different things at different times.

I want to show you that emphasis matters. Here’s a sentence where each word emphasized makes a different meaning of the sentence.

I didn’t say we should kill him.

I didn’t say we should kill him.

I didn’t say we should kill him.

I didn’t say we should kill him.

I didn’t say we should kill him.

I didn’t say we should kill him.

I didn’t say we should kill him.

Problem

Emphasis matters and in the church in the pandemic, we’ve emphasized the obvious.

But we’ve de-emphasized the significant.

We’ve emphasized meeting together and how to do that safely.

We’ve de-emphasized the reason we shouldn’t stop meeting together.

Pastor Shawn did a wonderful job a few weeks ago know now to remind us about WHY it’s important we still do community. But did we really catch it?

The WHY we meet together is so that we can motivate one another towards love and good works.

Hebrews 10:23-24 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.

Why is this so important?

Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Does this really matter?

I made a statement in an online meeting in the past couple of weeks. It was kind of in the middle of rant. I was lamenting how NO ONE is lamenting the loss of our ability to serve one another in love.

I heard myself saying, “If a church can’t learn how to DO service during the pandemic, if all they are concerned about is HAVING a service during the pandemic, then I don’t think they should open their doors AFTER the pandemic.”

“If a church can’t learn how to DO service during the pandemic, if all they are concerned about is HAVING a service during the pandemic, then I don’t think they should open their doors AFTER the pandemic.”

Does this matter? We can’t miss this.

We can’t put off doing acts of love and good works until all this is past. We can’t put off being Christian until we can once again be comfortable being Christian.

I know this from history. This isn’t the first pandemic the church has faced. There was one that happened in even more trying times.

The Story

There was civil unrest in Alexandria in 248 and the mob took out their frustration with a brutal anti-Christian rampage. Dionysius had just been named the Bishop in Alexandria less than a year before. Emperor Decius began a formal persecution of Christians and in 250 and Dionysius had to leave the city. He returned after the formal persecution ended but in 252 an outbreak of plague ravaged Alexandria.

Dionysius 190 - 265 AD Alexandria

During plague time, the pagans “Pushed the sufferers away and fled from their dearest, throwing them into the roads before they were dead and treating unburied corpses as dirt.” Dionysius’s flock, however, heeded his call to take the opposite approach. “Most our brother Christians showed unbounded love and loyalty, never sparing themselves and thinking only of one another. Heedless of danger, they took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them in Christ, and with them departed this life serenely happy; for they were infected by others with the disease, drawing on themselves the sickness of their neighbours and accepting their pains.” It is noteworthy that Dionysius’ policy towards the stricken had results he could hardly have guessed. Historian Rodney Stark believes that the care offered by Christians may have cut the mortality rate by two-thirds or more and eventually led to a large number of conversions to this merciful creed. That, in turn, further secured Christianity’s place in society and history. Thus his church, under his direction, prospered in the face of an almost unspeakable calamity. By This Sign pp 33 - 34

We don’t live in a time or place where people are thrown into the streets.

We do live in a time where people are ignored and suffer in silence.

We live in a time where families who don’t have the tools to cope are imploding.

We live in a time when people who like to be alone have REALLY alone and I’m hearing it’s TOO MUCH.

We live in a time where businesses are failing and unemployment is not getting better and credit card debt is out of control.

We live in a time where health care workers can’t get away from the sickness and people making minimum wage are on the front lines serving whatever customers they have.

We can’t sit back and wait for it end.

Christ did not call us to hang on until the rapture.

People need the peace that we’ve been promised.

And we’ve been stuck on the questions:

  • How can we safely gather together?
  • How can we lay hands on the sick when we have to keep social distance?
  • When will our rights be respected?

And Holy Spirit wants us to ask:

  • How do I show to acts of love and good works?
  • How do I let my light shine before people so they glorify God?

Listen…

You need to know the benefit we get as we serve others. We don’t serve others to get this benefit. We serve others because it pleases God when we serve one another in love. But you know, when you bless others you are blessed, when you refresh others you are refreshed. If you’re limited in your thinking because you don’t think you can bless and refresh others now, you need to watch this video clip from Simon Sinek on Service

{Show video - see above}

We don’t know the blessing we miss out on because we don’t extend ourselves to bless others.

We need to stop looking at the problems and start realizing God-in-us is the solution.

What if?

What if we got focused on the things that matter to God? Yes, we need to gather together - however we can gather together - BUT WE GATHER to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.

What if it’s not about US as the church having an event, but it’s about you and me BEING the church in the day-to-day of our everyday?

What if people we connect with see us as the light of the world, that city on a hill, those people of peace who know how to really love?

A church that motivates one another to acts of love and good works is a bride who has made herself ready.

Imagine

Are you motivated to acts of love and good works?

Do you motivate others to acts of love and good works?

What would it be like to do acts of love and good works even in a pandemic?

Solution

HOW TO ALWAYS DO GOOD WORKS TOOL

A - Accept Holy Spirit’s Role - Philippians 1:6
L - Love Always - 1 Corinthians 16:14
W - Walk in the Light - John 16:13
A - Act like Jesus - Colossians 3:17
Y - Yearn to Flow - Ephesians 5:2
S - Surrender - 1 Peter 3:15

Let’s unpack this

A - Accept Holy Spirit’s Role

Philippians 1:6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Am I doing good works in my own strength? Holy Spirit leads you Romans 8:14 , teaches you John 16:13, enables you Philippians 2:13 and empowers you accomplish every good work prompted by faith 2 Thessalonians 1:11

Hint - Don’t do acts of love and good works in your own strength and ability

L - Love Always

1 Corinthians 16:14 And do everything with love.

Am I really doing this out of love? Are you trying to compete or doing this because you deserve the attention?

Hint: If you’re doing it for any other reason than love, rethink your motivation before proceeding.

W - Walk in the Light

John 16:13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.

Where is Holy Spirit leading me to serve? Coffee in cars, conversations over the fence, other…

Hint - As long as it depends on you, live at peace with all people. Don’t make others uncomfortable - ask.

A - Act like Jesus

Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

How do I show Jesus and His love in…my phone calls, text messages, video calls, social media posts and in every interaction with everyone I meet, however I meet them?

Hint - Be authentic. This is not plastic Christianity. You cannot fake acts of love and good works.

Y - Yearn to Flow

Ephesians 5:2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ.

Do I leave everyone a little more…happy, joyful, at peace, interested in Jesus?

Hint - Be so filled with Jesus He leaks out. Get so in love with Jesus people see Him when they see you.

S - Surrender

1 Peter 3:15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.

What if I’m not ready to ALWAYS do Good Works? Confession is agreeing with God not obeying Him is sin. Repentance is changing your mind and behaviour to start obeying Him. Grace is Holy Spirit empowering you to do the things you can’t do on your own.

Hint - Ask for Holy Spirit’s help to start doing acts of love and good works today.

Challenge

1 Chronicles 12:32 (CEB) from Issachar, those who understood the times and what Israel should do

Will you be a person of Issachar? Will you understand the times and know what to do? Will you do acts of love and good works today? Will people see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven?

Jesus did not give us power and authority so we could sit in a pew and wait for the rapture - Bill Johnson

Good works matter Even more today

How will do acts of love and good works this week?

Can I pray for you?

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