These Men Have Been with Jesus
The more someone is with Jesus, the more that person becomes like Christ in purity, justice, holiness and love. In turn, their pure walk produces in them a great boldness for God.
The more someone is with Jesus, the more that person becomes like Christ in purity, justice, holiness and love. In turn, their pure walk produces in them a great boldness for God.
It is one thing to suffer through times of darkness when we bring it on ourselves through a lifestyle of sinful behaviors. In that case, we should expect arrows to come. For the upright in heart, however, endlessly suffering in the dark is troubling to the soul.
You remember the story of Elijah. On Mount Carmel, he faced 850 false prophets in a life-or-death showdown over whose God would prevail. He simply called on the Lord, and supernatural fire fell from heaven.
If you’ve been a Christian for some time, you have known Jesus’s healing and restoring power through your griefs and losses. When you faced the end of your world as you knew it, Jesus opened your eyes to a new world beginning, and it blessed you.
I know all about the restraining hand of the Lord. He allows his children to go only so far but no further. In my early days of ministry, he restrained me when I was ready to quit during times of awful discouragement. At times, I felt overwhelmed by all the financial responsibilities. I felt like a failure as a husband and father as well. I would get so low about my overwhelming obligations that I thought my faith would shatter completely.
First Corinthians 12 is all about the gifts of the Holy Spirit operating within the body of Christ. In this glowing chapter, the apostle Paul laid out how vital it is for Christ’s body to operate in his gifts, functioning as one body. To fulfill our calling, the church needs evangelists, teachers, preachers and people with gifts of prophecy, healing, miracles, tongues, administration and helping.
From Adam to this present day, God has been searching for a people who will entrust their lives totally to him. He desires a body of faithful believers who give him their complete trust and confidence and commit themselves wholly to his keeping.
Christ distinguished between the world’s way of doing things and his way. As his followers, we are to be different from the world, loving, serving and forgiving; and we can be sure this will offend a darkened world.
It is clear the Lord loves his church and desires to bless it. So why does Revelation 2 present such a fearsome picture of Christ as he appears to his people?