I loved our sermon today at church. So if you have time to read Acts 3-4, I would encourage you to do that. The scripture reading was in regards to Peter and the disciples being told to stop preaching Jesus. And they basically told the religious leaders and government officials that they could not stop testifying to what they had seen and heard. The sermon was about being bold.
Here were a few thoughts that I was frantically writing down:
1) If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
2) Be Bold in your faith! But boldness is not something we can manufacture and fake. So then how do we become bold?
*Keep company with Christ. What has your encounter been with the Risen Christ? And when days get hard, and nights are long, and faith feels like climbing a really difficult mountain that has no end in sight...do what the Israelites didn't do over and over again, REMEMBER your encounter with the Risen Christ. REMEMBER.
*Lean on the Power of the Holy Spirit. We have the Spirit of God IN us! I mean, if we grasped the magnitude of that truth, who or what would we fear!?
Christ's disciples had a desire for others to know him.
A great story our pastor told today was about an old member of our congregation, David Chan. (Side note, love him. He was a cardiologist at Children's Hospital and performed heart surgery on my brother, and helped us with Zachary when he was an infant and his legs kept turning blue. So yes, I have a heart full of love and gratitude for David Chan. And he loves Jesus. But I digress.) Something David said years ago was, "If Meijer were selling prime rib for $3/lb we would be telling EVERYONE we knew about this awesome sale! Why are we not doing that with Jesus."
Jesus' disciples wanted others to know who Jesus was; they wanted others to have an encounter with the Risen Christ as well. And I know you have that desire too!
So continue to give of yourself to others, for Jesus. Pray boldly and with confidence. And be bold, for the Lord is with you wherever you go.
2) Be Bold in your faith! But boldness is not something we can manufacture and fake. So then how do we become bold?
*Keep company with Christ. What has your encounter been with the Risen Christ? And when days get hard, and nights are long, and faith feels like climbing a really difficult mountain that has no end in sight...do what the Israelites didn't do over and over again, REMEMBER your encounter with the Risen Christ. REMEMBER.
*Lean on the Power of the Holy Spirit. We have the Spirit of God IN us! I mean, if we grasped the magnitude of that truth, who or what would we fear!?
Christ's disciples had a desire for others to know him.
A great story our pastor told today was about an old member of our congregation, David Chan. (Side note, love him. He was a cardiologist at Children's Hospital and performed heart surgery on my brother, and helped us with Zachary when he was an infant and his legs kept turning blue. So yes, I have a heart full of love and gratitude for David Chan. And he loves Jesus. But I digress.) Something David said years ago was, "If Meijer were selling prime rib for $3/lb we would be telling EVERYONE we knew about this awesome sale! Why are we not doing that with Jesus."
Jesus' disciples wanted others to know who Jesus was; they wanted others to have an encounter with the Risen Christ as well. And I know you have that desire too!
So continue to give of yourself to others, for Jesus. Pray boldly and with confidence. And be bold, for the Lord is with you wherever you go.
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