Know It 2

1 Corinthians 15:12-14

When I worked for the newspaper there was a desk and chair that no one was allowed to use. They belonged to a columnist who had stopped writing his column years before and was in such poor health he would never return to work. I could understand the demonstration of respect being offered, but I thought it was rather pointless to have a desk and chair for no purpose.

Is the same true of our faith? What do some people believe? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then what happened with Jesus? If Jesus did not rise from the dead, what does that say of our worship and our faith?

It was true in the time of Paul and it is true today. There are many people who believe that religion is something foolish people do to keep themselves busy. There are those who believe that Christianity is a centuries-old hoax, a foolish myth that is perpetuated to take money from others. There are those who refuse to believe in the miracles of God and the love of Christ.

And if they are correct then our faith is as useless as a desk no one will ever use. If there is no God and Jesus did not do what the Bible says, then we are wasting our time gathering to worship.

And it seems that throughout history there has never been a bit of evidence to prove undeniably that it did happen. Nor is there anything to prove it did not. It is always a matter of faith and belief. We can ask the question – did it happen? But we will never have a definitive answer.

The questions to ask are – do you believe it happened? Do you believe in Jesus Christ? And, if you do, what are you going to do about it?

One of the problems can be that many people don’t think about what they believe. We attend church, we listen politely as the message is given, and we go home. Where is our commitment to drawing nearer to God? What can we do to know more about the background of the Bible and more about what was being preached?

Never let others tell you what to believe. Decide for yourself what you believe and be able to stand up for it.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Write down what you believe about Jesus in just five sentences.

Know It 1

Hebrews 2:1-4


I know it frustrates my wife but I have the ability to completely tune out whatever does not interest me. We sit together watching television and if there is a commercial or program that does not interest me it doesn’t enter my thoughts. Then Peggy will make a comment about what was just said and I have absolutely no idea what she is talking about.

What a wonderful gift to have when it comes to commercials. Unfortunately, many people use the same technique with God’s message.

What is the first instruction in today’s reading? What might happen if we do not pay attention? What fear is involved in hearing this message?

Where did the author get this message of salvation (verse 3)? How do we know it is important?

A close reading of the second half of verse 3 lets us know that the writer of Hebrews was not among the first followers of Jesus. The message of salvation that Jesus said was confirmed by those who heard him. The author has heard the message from someone other than Jesus.

Yet it is clear that the good news of Christ is an exciting and important message. It was spoken by angels, told by Jesus, and confirmed by God who has displayed signs and wonders to help confirm it. The author knows it is something we should not ignore.

We know the story of Jesus and the words of salvation are good news. We know they are valuable to hear and valuable to share. But at the same time so many people allow their faith to become so dull and lifeless. They have lost that excitement and urgency in knowing who Jesus is.

We must work to keep the message of God – whether we read it in the Bible, hear it in worship, or talk about it with others – exciting and new and important to us. We should not let it go in one ear and out the other, and we should be eager not only to hear the message but to share it too.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Are you excited about salvation? Do you need to give the message more attention?

Believe It 5

Friday, August 31

Acts 8:34-38

This passage is from the Book of Acts, as were the previous two. There are still other passages in Acts that talk of someone, or many, being baptized. Why do you think that is?

Today’s reading is the conclusion of Philip’s encounter with an Ethiopian official. Philip is one of the twelve disciples and has been sent by an angel to a desert place south of Jerusalem where he encounters and teaches the treasurer of the Ethiopian queen.

What does the official ask? What opportunity does this give Philip? What does the official then request? What do they do?

An interesting way to look at this story is to ask, “Who is in charge?” The easy answer is “God.” But specifically, it can be argued that in this entire situation with Philip and the official, it is the official who is in charge. He was reading scripture. He asked the questions. He suggested the baptism.

God is certainly at work, and Philip does his part, but the official is the one who is pursuing spiritual depth by reading Isaiah and by confessing his ignorance. He seeks guidance through questions, and when he has learned, he determines that he will be baptized.

The Book of Acts is about the beginnings of the Christian church, and at that time there was great passion to follow the teachings of Christ. This passion was marked by baptism. That is why there are so many accounts of baptism in Acts.

The story is a story of passion, of people eagerly seeking the presence of God. And when they experience God, they are baptized. Is God any less at work now than He was then? No. Should we be seeking God as passionately as the first believers did? Yes.

The question is, will we? Will we be like the official and seek a deeper faith? Will we take the initiative to draw closer to God, and will we ask, “What prevents me from being baptized?”

DAILY CHALLENGE: What can you do to deepen your faith?

Believe It 4

Thursday, August 30

Acts 10:44-48

The random actions of the Holy Spirit are not limited to times and places. The Holy Spirit is also random in the selection of people. How often have we seen individuals turn themselves over to God and we have said “I can’t believe God called him!”

In Acts 2 Peter was preaching to the Jews. In Acts 10 Peter is preaching to a group who has gathered with a centurion named Cornelius. What happened? What was particularly unusual about this? How did the circumcised (Jews) know the Holy Spirit was working?

What did Peter want to do? What did he do?

The Jews were the chosen people of God. He made a covenant, an agreement with them going back to the days of Abraham. Because they were the chosen people of God, God sent Jesus to offer salvation to the Jews. Some accepted it; some rejected it. Then Jesus spread his message among the Gentiles – the non-Jews.

The early church followed the same path. The first believers were those Jews who had accepted the message of Jesus. But then, mostly through Paul, the message began to spread to all people everywhere.

Naturally, this caused some division – a type of “we were here first” attitude among believers. Sound familiar?

Peter preached to a crowd of Jews and non-Jews, and suddenly the Holy Spirit was working among the non-Jews. To mark this sudden change, this alteration of their lives, they were baptized. A new life was beginning.

What about at your church? Does your congregation or do you as an individual welcome the ability of the Holy Spirit to change the lives of strangers? Can you celebrate a change in someone who is not like you? Do you see all of us as sinners saved by grace, or do you rank some sins as worse than others with those people being pushed out of your church?

DAILY CHALLENGE: Think of someone in your church who you feel is least likely to be used by the Holy Spirit. Pray that the Spirit will work in that person.

Believe It 3

Wednesday, August 29

Acts 2:36-38

The Spirit of God is a mysterious thing which can move unpredictably in unexpected places and in unexpected ways. Many who hear the gospel message are brought to their knees the first time. Even as a lifelong Christian believer there are times when a Bible passage or a message or a song moves me to tears, even though I have heard it all before.

In today’s reading Peter has taken the opportunity of the Pentecost experience to preach. The Holy Spirit descended on the disciples and gave them power to speak in different tongues. Now Peter stands up and preaches (Acts 2:14-36). This is not a story they know and have heard before.

How does Peter conclude? How does this sermon affect the hearers? What does Peter instruct?

Those hearing the message were smitten with the truth of Jesus Christ. In hearing this they were moved emotionally to respond in some way. Their lives MUST change; the old was gone, the new was here.

The first thing they were told to do was to be baptized. This ritual was a two-fold act for these people. It not only symbolized a cleansing, it also marked a new beginning. This action would not be an empty ritual, but would be something full of meaning to these people. They were ready to believe in Jesus.

And now, what about us? Are we ready to truly embrace the message of Christ? Are we ready for the old to fall away? Are we ready to commit ourselves to a new relationship with the Messiah in Christ Jesus?

So often our worship and our walk of faith can become old and tiresome, habitual and empty. The message has never changed. What needs to change is our attitude, and our ability to listen and hear.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Can you hear the familiar story of Jesus with a new attitude, as if hearing it for the first time?