Today’s Scrip-Bit   26 July 2023 Acts 1:8b.

26 Jul 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Acts 1:8b.     … and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

And then it was Wednesday, that restorative, second wind day! And it looks like it’s going to be a hot one in my area, for all my computer says about it is ‘HEAT!’ But whatever comes our way, we’re ready and able for it because we have the ONE and ONLY Jesus in our lives, through whom we can do and face anything! Wow! Which other faith can say that eh? NONE! And that’s why we must be careful to live our lives, without giving the heathen cause to cast nasty and blasphemous aspersions at Christ Jesus, our Lord and Saviour.

Oh, we’ll never live perfect lives, because we’re not perfectly made, and whatever we say or do, somebody will take umbrage at it, and refuse to come to Jesus for the awesome solace and refuge that He provides, but once we can truly say that we’ve tried, we’ve done our best, that’s all Jesus is looking for from us. It’s all in the sincere trying my fellow believers, and sadly that’s exactly where we’re falling down; not enough of us are trying hard enough to spread the good news gospel of Jesus, both in word and deed. 

We’ve gotten so accustomed to the good things and the easy life that our world now provides that we’ve fallen prey to Satan’s deceits and lies and are just resting on our laurels, not making a sincere effort to win souls for Christ. But please, let’s remember that as His followers, we are His face down here on earth, and telling others about Him, and living the way He desires is one of our main responsibilities. We can’t remind us enough of the Great Commission Jesus gave to His disciples before He returned to heaven. 

‘All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:18-20) Now friends, that was a very important moment in the annals of our faith, and it’s become even more important today as evil and ungodliness sweep our world. 

And I just LOVE how the scholars explain its importance. ‘The Great Commission brings the first Gospel (that of Matthew) to a grand finale. Christianity is not represented here as the mere reverential devotion of disappointed men who honour their martyred leader. Here is a far different scene. The triumphant, living Lord sends forth His ambassadors to proclaim His gospel throughout all the world. The Great commission is not just and order but a pronouncement of victory by the risen Saviour through His disciples. All power or authority is now in the hands of Christ, in heaven and on earth. On the basis of that power and authority the Christian disciple is to carry out the Great Commission of the church.’ 

Wow! And it was so important that Christ reiterated it just before His ascension when He instructed the disciples to remain in Jerusalem: ‘But ye shall receive power, after (when) the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’ (Acts 1:8) 

And now I hope we all see the great importance of our position as followers, ambassadors and agents of Christ on this evil earth! It’s not a request of Jesus, but an order that we get out into the world and teach others about Him and all the good and wonderful news He’s brought to mankind. That is, if we are His sincere followers. And I can’t help but say this because it’s true; not enough of us are making a sincere effort to follow the directives of Christ’s order. 

Yes, it is not always easy to live the way He desires, and sometimes it will call for some sacrifice, but look at how Christ sacrificed His sinless life for our sinful ones nuh, just think about all the ‘sufferation’ He bore for us, what’s a li’l pain here and there for Him eh? We should be glad to bear a li’l pain in His name, for that’s when we grow in Christian maturity. We don’t grow when times are good, only when they are tough. 

But how many of us are truly interested in growing in Christian maturity eh, especially when it takes some pain? Not very many. We all talk a good talk, but when it comes time to walk that talk, it’s a horse of a different colour, we’re not so mouthy and brave then. But yuh know what, many of us see the Christian life through rose-coloured glasses, all joy and gladness, salvation and everlasting life, and because Jesus LOVES us so much, He won’t cause us any pain. 

However, that’s a sad and sorrowful approach to Christianity, for remember Jesus’ requirements for being His disciple. ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) That means that Christianity is not always wine and roses, or a Sunday walk in the park, but very often it’s tough sledding against a persistent and evil enemy called Satan, who is trying to undo all the good that Christ has done! 

Oh my people, I do hope that I’m making some headway in convincing us of the great importance of our talk and behaviour as disciples of Christ. Remember we are all the unbelievers might ever see of him, and if we don’t reflect and mirror Him properly, then they will just turn away from His wonderful invitation. Now we don’t want to be responsible for people turning away from Christ, but for them turning to Him. So please, let’s wake up nuh man, time is running out, every day we’re a day closer to death and to Christ’s return and we need to make hay while the sun still shines, to get out into harvest and reap the great harvest of unbelievers that are there to be reaped. That’s our bounden duty! 

And for those of us who are trying our best to do just that, let’s go home declaring (yesss!) our Wednesday Wail letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus! Altogether now! ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

Then there’s this added bonus. (smile) If we endure to the end with Jesus, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Wow! Hope to see you at the end enjoying that even more glorious future! Much LOVE!

…working for Jesus carries many responsibilities…but the rewards are very worthwhile… 

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 November 2016 Matthew 28:19.

22 Nov 2016 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Matthew 28:19.   Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Ah friends, I don’t know who decided that we need eight hours of sleep per night nuh, but it obviously does not apply to me. Why am I saying that? Because last night, after a busy day, I decided to go to bed fairly early, around 11 p.m and get a good night’s rest.

But lo and behold, when I got up at 6 this morning, my ole back was a mess. I was stepping around gingerly, like an old man. (smile) I had to go and find my back brace and put it on, something I have not done in ages. 

The sad part is that I know I can’t lie in bed for such long periods, but it never reverberated in my brain, (smile) until I got up. This getting old is something else yes! 

But yuh know what? If that is my biggest problem for today, then I’m certainly giving much thanks, since it’s something I can handle. Anyway, let’s get the day started with our Tuesday Mantra, to renew our faith and trust. 

As one now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world.  Amen!’ 

Yes friends, we have it all! Glory Hallelujah! We are LOVED unconditionally by Almighty God, the Creator and Controller of the universe, and we have a most wonderful friendship with His Son, Jesus Christ, who selflessly laid down His sinless life to pay for our abominable sins. 

Wow! It couldn’t get any better than that nuh mih people! And all we have to do is to share His LOVE with the rest of the world; tell them about His wonderful gospel, the faithful promise of salvation and eternal life, if they make Him their Lord and Saviour too. 

But unfortunately, that isn’t as easy to do as it sounds, because we get a lot of resistance, resentment and lack of interest from the masses, who, under the evil influence of the prince of darkness, are more into the flimsy, worthless things of the world, rather than the everlasting things of God. 

That doesn’t mean we have to stop trying. In fact it ought to make us try harder, as we follow Jesus’ directive in our Bit, what is known as the Great Commission. ‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.’ 

Ah mih people, proselytizing, evangelizing, converting and baptizing are to be our earthly tasks. And we need to take them seriously, though not to the point that we make a nuisance or a fool of ourselves. 

And here is a very important scripture that directly relates to Jesus’ directive. Before our Bit Jesus said to His disciples: ‘All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth.’ (Matt.28:18) That means Christ indeed had the authority to give the order that He then gave. 

Now our Bit was only the first part of the Great Commission, hear the rest of it. ‘Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always(s), even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:20)

Yuh see my fellow believers, even when Jesus gives us a task to do, He doesn’t leave us all alone to do it. He promises to be always with us, and we all know that He is ever faithful to keep His promises. 

So why aren’t we doing better than we are eh? Why are people leaving the church in droves and walking to the beat of the world eh? I don’t know. What I do know is that we’re not doing such a bang up job for Jesus, and we definitely need to come up higher. 

Now listen to some interesting info from the scholars on the subject. ’28:18-20. The Great Commission brings the first Gospel to its grand finale. Christianity is not represented here as the mere reverential devotion of disappointed men who honour their martyred leader. 

Here is a far different scene. The triumphant, living Lord sends forth His ambassadors to proclaim His gospel throughout all the world. The Great Commission is not just an order but a pronouncement of victory (mundus regium Christi) by the risen Saviour through His disciples. 

All power or authority  (Gr. exousia) is now in the hands of Christ, in heaven and on the earth. On the basis of that authority and power the Christian disciple is to carry out the Great Commission of the church. 

Go ye, though a participle, conveys the force of a command: “Go.” In other words the idea expressed is that you must go and make disciples. Teach all nations can be translated “disciple all nations.” Thus the converting influence of the gospel is indicated here. 

The “all nations” clearly indicates that the commission to the church is a worldwide one, encompassing the entire missionary effort. The church is not to be merely “missionary-minded.” The church is the vehicle of Christ’s mission to the world.’ 

Ah friends, the scholars really give it to us there! From what they say, Christ’s church is not doing as well or as much as it should, else we’d be having more converts than backsliders. 

Anyhow, the church, though one body, is made up of many individuals, and it all begins with each of us. So today, please let’s take a serious look at how the Great Commission is being enacted in our own lives; if we are doing our best to enforce it. 

And as always, whatever answer we come up with, let’s turn to our heavenly Father and ask Him to help us do better, because we can always do better. And He never refuses a sincere plea for help. Much LOVE!

…discipleship means living our lives as Christ’s ambassador…and a worthy one at that…