Tag Archives: Christ Follower

Christ Followers

Eastertide

May 28, 2019

Scripture Reading: Acts 16:16-34

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, ‘Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.’ The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ They answered, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’ They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God. –Acts 16:25-34

I was six years old when at the end of worship, I walked down the aisle of my church and told Dr. Keller, my minister, that I wanted to become a Christian. He very seriously took my hand and asked me if I believed that Jesus was the Christ and did, I accept him as my Savior, and I said yes, and he welcomed me into the church. Dr. Keller was an ordained minister who taught history at Phillip University located some 50 miles from my little hometown. His service at my church was his avocation. He was my friend. I did not know he was a history professor. At the age of six, I doubt that I even knew what a professor was. We shared a common interest in history. Later, I heard my parents talking that some in the church thought I was too young to make the “confession of faith” and be baptized and had raised the issue with Dr. Keller. He assured them he had no doubt about my sincerity and about my understanding of what I was doing. I was baptized the following Sunday. This is when I learned there are no other requirements to be a follower of Christ and because of this experience, I am a bit of a radical on that subject. It seems to me the only entity capable of knowing who believes on the Lord Jesus is the Lord Jesus.

‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ They answered, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’

That was over sixty years ago, and my faith understanding has grown from claiming a personal relationship with Jesus to understanding I am part of a group of Christ followers who have signed on to work toward a world ruled by the love Jesus taught and modeled. It is my relationship with Christ that enables my work toward building the Kingdom of God. I rarely use the word “believe” as it has grown to be a bit wishy-washy in my thinking. I trust that the love of God is the way, the truth, and the life* and strive to understand what that means and discover the best way I can live it.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for welcoming me into your loving care and presence and for modeling a way of being to help me through my life’s journey. Help me be a conduit of your love. Amen.

*From John 14:6

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Loving like Jesus

Eastertide

May 5, 2019

Scripture Reading: John 21:1-19

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.” John 21:15-17

I have always wondered what Jesus meant by the first question in the above scripture. Is he asking Simon if Simon loves Jesus more than Simon loves any of the disciples or is, he asking if Simon loves Jesus more than the other disciples love Jesus? I do not know what difference it makes but the statement’s ambiguity has always bothered me. Perhaps Jesus is asking both questions at once. Perhaps John, like me occasionally, writes a tongue twisted sentence that does not clearly get at what was intended or the translator missed the intent.

In either case, the question creates consideration of how we set priorities of love in our journey of faith as Christ follower. If we love Jesus, we are to love him, all his followers, and all his potential followers which eliminates any possibility of establishing priorities regarding who we love. Our culture values competition and hierarchies of worth, both of which are alien to Jesus’ way of being. We cannot interpret Jesus only through our cultural lenses. We must learn to differentiate that which is of God and that which is of the world and turn away from those things within the world that are not supportive of our loving God and loving one another.

Prayer: Lord, clear away the film in my minds eye that keeps me from seeing and doing your ways. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Conduits of Light

Living in the Spirit
May 31, 2018

Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:5-12

For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. –2 Corinthians 4:5-6

When we profess to represent Jesus Christ, we best know him well. How would we feel if someone spoke on our behalf saying things we never addressed and supporting things we never championed in a manner alien to our ways of being?

Jesus even faced his demons immediately following his baptism*. The same ones with which we all must deal: greed, pride, and lust for power. Paul had a life-changing encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus which apparently drove him into the desert** for three years of study/contemplation on what had happened before he started his ministry and he was already a well-trained Hebrew scholar.

If we want to let Christ’s light shine through us, we first need to clean our windows. They not only cannot be crusted in the dirt and dust of our lives, but they also must not reflect through stickers of our own designs.

Prayer:
Lord, the light of your love is shining
In the midst of the darkness, shining
Jesus, Light of the world, shine upon us
Set us free by the truth you now bring us
Shine on me, shine on me
Shine, Jesus, shine 

As we gaze on your kingly brightness
So our faces display your likeness
Ever changing from glory to glory
Mirrored here may our lives tell your story
Shine on me, shine on me***. Amen.

*Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13
**Gal. 1:18 Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him for fifteen days;
***First and last verse of Shine Jesus Shine lyrics © Mechanical Copyright Protection Society Ltd

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.