Protect Them

Posted on by korgrocker

“Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.”
John 17:11-12 NLT

Jesus continues His High Priestly Prayer with a focus on His disciples. He prayed for their protection by the power of His name. But there were many in the religious society of their day that hated them, and we can see through the early chapters of Acts the abuse they suffered for sharing the Good News about Jesus and His death and resurrection. In Acts 12 we read about how Herod Agrippa had one of the Apostles, James, the brother of John, killed, and he then arrested and imprisoned Peter, presumably with the intention of killing him too. So what was the protection Jesus was referring to, if not the life of His disciples?

Under the Old Covenant, we see how God protected His people from physical harm. There is an amazing story in Daniel 3 about the three Jewish exiles, Shadrach, Meshach, and Adebnego were saved from a very hot furnace. We read in Daniel 3:27, “Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke!” In Daniel 6 we read about how God saved Daniel from becoming supper for a pride of lions. He said, “My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty” (Daniel 6:22).

In the New Covenant, God’s protection is for our spirits from any attack of the enemy. Jesus said, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). 2 Timothy 3:12, “Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution“. Paul wrote about our spiritual resources in Ephesians 6. In this, his last epistle, Paul was facing death, and yet he could write, “Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen” (2 Timothy 4:18).

We pilgrims have no need to be anxious about our future. Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29). Jesus prayed for His disciples’ protection and I have no doubts that, with the exception of Judas Iscariot, they are all in His presence today.

Dear Father God. Thank You that once we are in Your hands we are there forever. Please continue to lead and guide us in Your truth. Amen.


The Message

Posted on by korgrocker

“I have revealed you to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.”
John 17:6-8 NLT

In these last hours Jesus had the assurance that all His hard work and loving commitment during the preceding three years had not been wasted. His disciples knew who He was and what His mission was about. But the disciples didn’t just know about Jesus, they believed in Him. There is an important distinction. Many people in this world know a lot about God, but they don’t believe in Him. As a young Christian, I used to work next to an atheistic humanist who had been brought up as a Roman Catholic. He knew a lot of Scriptures, and he used to torment me with difficult verses that he perceived as a contradiction to the Christian message. But even the devil knows Scripture, as Jesus found out during His temptation in the wilderness. Our minds can be full of useful information about God but until we believe it and it infuses our very souls, it is a wasted resource.

Jesus came to this world with a message, a message rich in God’s love and grace, a message that would provide a “way back to God from the dark paths of sin”, quoting lyrics written by an old hymn writer. The Gospel message is truly good news for all mankind, but it is not enough to know it. It has to be believed and applied in people’s lives. Romans 10:9-10, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved“. Peter’s Acts 2 sermon included these verses, “ … Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God” (Acts 2:38-39). Both these passages of Scripture cannot be read and forgotten because they articulate the message that Jesus brought. But neither can they just  be recited as an assurance that the person is now a believer. The key is “believing in your heart”. Jesus’ message is a call to action, to a life of repentance and sanctification. 

Jesus passed on His message to His disciples, but not with the expectation that it would stay there, a private information source for their own benefit. It was always about passing on the message to others, and for them to then do the same. Jesus’ message is for all mankind. Mark’s Gospel records Jesus’ words about His message, “And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16). In Matthew 28 Jesus said, “Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). He indicated that there will be an “end” one day. Earlier Jesus said, “And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). 

We pilgrims have a message to proclaim, the Good News about Jesus and bearing in mind the profound statement we find in John 14:6, “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me”. There is no other message by which we can be saved. There will be many who claim otherwise, but we pilgrims continue with Jesus’ message of salvation, interlaced with our own personal testimonies of what Jesus has done for us. What else can we do? As Jesus said on His Palm Sunday ride into Jerusalem,  “ … If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!” (Luke 19:40). God chose to use ordinary men and women to do His work in spreading the Gospel. A risky strategy? Yes, humanly speaking. But God is patient – he has all the time in the world. 

Dear Father God. You entrusted Your precious message of salvation to us pilgrims and as we reach out proclaiming this message to those around us we pray that You bring in the fruit of new Kingdom life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Glory

Posted on by korgrocker

“I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.”
John 17:4-5 NLT

“Glory” is not a word often used in secular language. It might perhaps be associated with an outstanding sportsperson, or used to describe a beautiful sunset. But in that latter natural phenomenon, seen in our created world, we perhaps get a hint of the glory of God. In the spiritual world that we have yet to experience in all its fullness, the glory we will see will be breathtaking in its beauty. Words are incapable of describing the glory of God though, because how can a mind limited by its humanity ever be able to describe the fullness of God in all His glory? 

The glory of God is all of who He is. His attributes, His character, His love and grace, His … the list is endless. And we will spend eternity in His presence never fully able to plumb the depths of God’s glory. But in the here and now, no human being will ever be able to see God’s glory. That demands a capability totally beyond us. But that didn’t stop Moses from asking. Exodus 33:18, “Then Moses said, “Please, show me Your glory!””. God’s response was, “ … “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you. …  But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live”” (Exodus 33:19-20). 

How could God ever reveal His glory but at the same time, emphasise its magnitude and importance in a way so significant that human beings can get a glimpse of it? In the Old Testament, this often happened with fire and smoke, earthquakes and other natural phenomenon. Today we have to look a bit harder, but God’s glory can still be found. This morning I watched the sun rise and the colours, the different shades of pink, were breathtaking and moved me to praise our wonderful Creator God. As an aside, I always feel sorry for atheists, because they see such beauty but have no one to thank for it. They get a glimpse of God’s glory but fail to understand what it portrays. 

Jesus prayed that His Father would “bring [Him] into the glory [they] shared before the world began”. How could a human being pray such a prayer, unless He was also divine. And there is now in Heaven a Human Being, sharing in the glory of God. One day we too will find ourselves in, what the Christians of a bygone era called, “glory”. If that doesn’t bring some excitement to this war-torn world, then nothing will. 

Dear Father God. We sing the hymn, “Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son, endless is the victory, thou o’er death hast won”. Our words cannot fully express the glory for which You are due, but please accept our feeble attempts. Amen.

The Hour Has Come

Posted on by korgrocker

“After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him.””
John 17:1-2 NLT

John 17 is often referred to as Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer. He started off by touching base with His Heavenly Father, by saying that “The hour has come …” Jesus was saying our loud something that both He and His Father knew, that very soon He would be arrested and the final events of His earthly life unfurled. This chapter records Jesus’ longest prayer and it starts with the request for His Father to glorify Him. What does that mean, other than Jesus returning glory back to His Father by His submission and humility, His willingness to see through His mission, His sinless life and the defeat of the forces of darkness for ever through the cross? Jesus said to Philip earlier that whoever has seen Him has seen the Father (John 14:9), and so in a way, albeit limited by their humanity, God’s glory was to be seen to all who met Jesus. Then Jesus prayed about the authority given to Him by His Father. We of course remember what Jesus said to Thomas in John 14:6, “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me“. That profound statement is a decisive and eternal statement that focuses all faiths and beliefs down to one single point that is the gateway to eternal life, Jesus Himself. So when Jesus said that He grants eternal life to all those given to Him by His Father, He clearly stated that this was not just a one off, but an eternal ministry, started during His time here on earth, and continuing right up to today and beyond by the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. Some of Jesus’ last post-resurrection words can be found in Matthew 28:18, the Great Commission, “Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth“. 

We pilgrims obey the command, “Go and make …” continuing the work Jesus started, honoured to be included in His mission of salvation through grace, and reassured by, ” … I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b). Jesus’ time as a human being on Planet Earth was just about up but for us pilgrims the “end of the age” is still before us. Thankfully, through His Spirit, Jesus is indeed still with us. 

But there will come a time too when we pilgrims can say our hour has come. This may be the end of a ministry, or the end of our lives, but we too can in our individual ways give glory to God. I was privileged to be able to share the last hours with a dear Christian friend, who was facing into a death blighted by cancer. But He never complained and he faced his last hours in a way that gave glory to God.

Jesus, through His life, gave glory to His Heavenly Father, and through it to Himself also.

Father God. We too give You all the glory today, through our lives submitted and committed to Jesus. Amen.

Trials and Sorrows

Posted on by korgrocker

“But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
John 16:32-33 NLT

Jesus said to His disciples that in this world they will “have many trials and sorrows”. And it didn’t take long before this prophetic warning came into fruition. Acts 5:40, “ … They called in the apostles and had them flogged …”. Acts 7:59, “As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit“. Acts 8:1, ” …  A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem …”. Acts 12:2, “He had the apostle James (John’s brother) killed with a sword“. As we read the accounts of the first years of the early church we do indeed find that Jesus was correct in what He said. But what was there about these early Apostles and disciples that drove them on in spite of all the opposition they faced? Jesus followed His prophecy with the words, “But take heart, because I have overcome the world”. The men who had been with Jesus, and many others in those early years, were empowered by Holy Spirit and nothing was going to stop them from spreading the Good News about Jesus. The documented accounts of Paul and what he faced into on his missionary journeys came under the category of “many trials and sorrows“, and we can read all about them in 2 Corinthians 11. But Paul gave us a glimpse of his relationship with God when he wrote, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love” (Romans 8:38). Through the power of Holy Spirit in his life Paul was able to put to one side the “trials and sorrows” and instead consider his life unimportant compared with his mission for Christ. He knew that one day his spirit would join his Saviour in Heaven.

What is the source of the opposition to believers who are going about their lives doing the Lord’s work? One would think that the love and grace of God is indeed Good News, and His message would be welcomed by everyone rather than having to face into the alternative destination after death. But we can trace the source of the opposition back through the clouds of evil, sin and wickedness to the devil himself. He will do anything to persuade Christians to deny their faith and it must be an immense source of frustration to him to find that Christ’s followers do the opposite by continuing to share the message of hope. You see, he cannot offer eternal life with our wonderful God. All he can offer is an eternity of misery , of “weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth”, as Jesus so succinctly put it. 

What does all this mean for us pilgrims? Someone once commented that if we don’t experience opposition in our Christian lives then our witness must be ineffective. Here in Western culture, there is a general acceptance of any faith or ideology, with governmental pressure and equality laws attempting to keep a lid on any attempts to proselytise others. But even this has limits. We can stand in our High Streets with a placard displaying the Gospel message, but do the same outside an abortion clinic and an arrest will soon follow. Doing the same outside a registry office when a same-sex marriage is taking place will invite the “trials and sorrows” that Jesus warned us about. But we have the knowledge that Jesus has “overcome the world”. Paul wrote, “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us” (Philippians 3:14).

We pilgrims are on a journey to our promised land, the “Glory” spoken of by the saints of old. We are in it for the long haul, but nothing will stop us from sharing our faith with other seekers after truth. Will it?

Father God. You never said that being a believer would be easy, but the reward of hearing the words “Well done” on the other side of the Great Divide is enough for us. Please continue to help us on our journey of faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I Am Not Alone

Posted on by korgrocker

“But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
John 16:32-33 NLT

Jesus was talking to His disciples after they all had left the Upper Room, where the momentous events of the Last Supper and Jesus washing His disciples feet had taken place. They were on their way to the Garden of Gethsemane, which was located on the Mount of Olives, about half a mile outside Jerusalem’s city wall. This was a favourite place for Jesus and His disciples. Luke 22:39, “Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives“. Jesus knew what was coming because it was in the Garden that His arrest would take place, and he warned the eleven remaining disciples that they would all do a runner and leave Him on His own to face the soldiers. But this could surely not be the case, because Peter and the others said otherwise. Matthew recorded, “Peter declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.” … “No!” Peter insisted. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the other disciples vowed the same” (Matthew 26:33, 35). Of course, such a heroic last stand by the disciples was not in God’s plan, because dead disciples would have been no use in the propagation of the Gospel and the establishment of the early church. 

Matthew’s Gospel records that a token resistance commenced. “But one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear. “Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword. Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly?…  But this is all happening to fulfil the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures.” At that point, all the disciples deserted him and fled” (Matthew 26:51-53, 56). And Jesus was arrested, a lonely figure facing a terrible few hours, being unjustly and falsely accused, tried by a kangaroo court, convicted through lies and executed by the Roman authorities.

But Jesus said to His disciples, “Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me”. The presence of God has greatly helped many men and women over the years ever since. The first martyr, Stephen, told his audience, just before he was stoned to death, “ …Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honour at God’s right hand!” (Acts 7:56). Today, we pilgrims are never alone. Every time we pray three other People join us – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Whatever our circumstances are, we can lift our eyes to Heaven and feel the presence of God. Just as Jesus was not alone on that fateful evening, neither are we. God will stand with us through our circumstances. The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you” (Deuteronomy 31:8). That promise made so many years ago still reverberates through the lives of believers today. 

So, dear fellow pilgrim, what are you facing into today? A medical condition? A crisis at work? A marriage or relationship breakdown? Whatever it is, you are not alone. Matthew finished his Gospel with these words, “ … And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b). Notice that Jesus didn’t say “sometimes”. He said “always”. He will always be with us as we walk on in our journeys of faith.

Thank You God that You will never leave us or forsake us. Security in You trumps anything the world can provide. Amen.

Dearly Loved

Posted on by korgrocker

“I have spoken of these matters in figures of speech, but soon I will stop speaking figuratively and will tell you plainly all about the Father. Then you will ask in my name. I’m not saying I will ask the Father on your behalf, for the Father himself loves you dearly because you love me and believe that I came from God.
John 16:25-27 NLT

We pilgrims know and understand that God loves us. In fact, Jesus said that we are dearly loved by His Father because we love His Son and believe that He came from God. But in a sense we also know that God loves everyone. The Scripture John 3:16, “For God so loved the world …..” paints a picture of a God who mercifully loves His creation even though most do not reciprocate that love. Sometimes we wonder why God “loves” those who are so evil and who reject Him so forcefully, but instead of punishing those who do wrong on the spot, He allows them to continue their lives, giving them an opportunity to repent and turn to Him. We speak about “common grace”, as illustrated by Jesus in Matthew 5:45b, ” ….For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike“. God’s love is not conditional on a response from human beings, but He allows sinful man (and woman) to continue their lives and finally enter the place they have chosen for their spell in eternity.

God created man in His image (Genesis 1:27) and with that the ability to love. Human beings possess what is termed as free will, the ability to make choices. And loving somebody is a choice we can make. But the downside of having free will is the ability to hate. Love and hate are emotions and responses that we find embedded deep within our world cultures, and we know that there is an enemy lurking behind everyone ready to influence good and bad choices (mostly bad) to suit his evil agendas. But Jesus came to this world saying counter-cultural things like “love your enemy” (Matthew 5:43-44), overturning established thinking and founding a Kingdom aligned to God’s will.

So, the question for everyone, including us pilgrims, is “do you love Jesus and believe He is God’s Son”? The answer to that question will determine a person’s future beyond the grave.

Dear Father, thank You for Your love and for Jesus, who was the outworking of that love for all mankind. Amen.

Jesus Figuratively

Posted on by korgrocker

“I have spoken of these matters in figures of speech, but soon I will stop speaking figuratively and will tell you plainly all about the Father. Then you will ask in my name. I’m not saying I will ask the Father on your behalf, for the Father himself loves you dearly because you love me and believe that I came from God.”
John 16:25-27 NLT

Why did Jesus use parables or figurative language when He spoke to those around Him? Apart from the fact that this was a common form of communication in those days, and has been used in one form or another ever since, the use of illustrations in the way that Jesus did somehow made events and situations easier to remember. Even humorous examples today, using figurative language, like, “That comment landed like a lead balloon” or “He’s as useful as a chocolate teapot” somehow convey a meaning far beyond what would otherwise be recorded as “That was an inappropriate comment”, or “He’s useless”. A good example in book form is The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan, a book rich in hidden meanings and allegorical language. 

Jesus often used parables to illustrate a point that He was making. Although there are about thirty five parables in the Gospels, a good example is the Parable of the Soils (or Sower), that we find in Matthew 13. Jesus was surrounded by a crowd of people so He borrowed a boat and taught the people who were standing on the shore. In Matthew 13:3, we read, “He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one: “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds“. And He ended the parable, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand” (Matthew 13:9). ‭‭And that really illustrates the point of figurative language and messages in the form of parables. Those with spiritual “ears” would understand, but those who had little interest or just didn’t “get it” would miss the point. 

The disciples asked Jesus why He used parables and we find His answer in Matthew 13:11-12, “He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them“. Imagine today, if we asked someone to read the Parable of the Soils, someone who had had no previous church or Biblical exposure and was without any understanding of spiritual matters. How would they respond? Some would understand but many wouldn’t. There are sadly many around us in our societies who lack spiritual ears, so what would they make of this Parable? If they have the listening ears that Jesus referred to then they would understand. The Holy Spirit works in amazing and enlightening ways, but many would cast aside what they had read and instead would move on to deal with, what they would consider, more important matters. 

Jesus had used figurative language to describe His person and work. Examples would include His seven “I Am” statements comparing Himself to bread, light, a gate, a shepherd, resurrection and life, the way, the truth and the life and a vine. These figures of speech were hard for the disciples to understand while Jesus was with them. In Mark 4, Jesus quoted a verse from Isaiah 6:9-10, “And he said, “Yes, go, and say to this people, ‘Listen carefully, but do not understand. Watch closely, but learn nothing.’ Harden the hearts of these people. Plug their ears and shut their eyes. That way, they will not see with their eyes, nor hear with their ears, nor understand with their hearts and turn to me for healing“. 

But although puzzled, even confused, at the time, there was going to come a time when the disciples would understand these allegories, and the figurative language. This time arrived following His death, burial and resurrection and with the coming of the Holy Spirit. Today, we pilgrims are those who understand the parables because we have Holy Spirit within us, the One who leads us into all truth. So before we reach for the keyboard so that we can consult Mr Google, instead we should go to the Source of the parables Himself, our Lord and Master Jesus. 

Dear Father God, the Source of all truth. Through Jesus You alone are the One who can bring spiritual light into our secular world. We are so grateful. Amen.

Robbing the Joy

Posted on by korgrocker

“So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy. At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name. You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.”
John 16:22-24 NLT

We need to start with a definition of joy. Most people use it as a synonym for happiness but there is a difference. Both joy and happiness are emotional experiences, but it is the root of this experience, the context of where it comes from, that matters. Jesus wasn’t referring to a source of happiness that comes from a pleasurable activity. He was referring to a joy that comes from the relationship the disciples had with Himself and their Heavenly Father. And such a relationship produces a joy that is impervious to the trials and sorrows we experience in this world. The Psalmist, David, wrote, “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever” (Psalm 16:11).

Jesus referred to “abundant joy” in our verses today. John 10:10 reads, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly“. The word “abundant”, describing joy and life, truly describes a counter-cultural experience far beyond anything our secular world can find. A joy that even in some way is detached from society around us. A joy that never left the early Christians as they faced martyrdom in the Roman amphitheaters, prisons and on crosses of torture. A joy that even today seems to elevate us pilgrims above the trials and tribulations of life. A joy that James wrote about in James 1:2, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy”. Paul also wrote about this joy in Romans 5:3, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.”

What is there that could rob us pilgrims of this joy, the abundant joy experienced by those early Christians, and available to all believers everywhere? Our enemy the devil will soon put his finger on any weak point that would bring us down. But even though he is still the god of this world, he was defeated by Jesus Christ at Calvary. The devil’s days are numbered and one day he will find himself in a place of total darkness, created for him and his demonic angels. But in the meantime, we remember the words of Paul about Jesus, “In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross” (Colossians 2:15).

We pilgrims are living in the light of Jesus’ victory. Through Him we continue to live a life of joy, and one day our joy will be complete in Jesus’ presence. And we remember the words in Nehemiah 8:10b, “ … Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”

Dear Lord Jesus. Thank You for Your sacrifice at Calvary, giving us the opportunity to live a life of joy. Amen.


‭‭

You Must Testify

Posted on by korgrocker

“But I will send you the Advocate —the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me. And you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry.”
John 15:26-27 NLT

The word “testify” appears twice in these verses, once associated with the Holy Spirit and the other time with Jesus and His disciples. Everything they needed to know about Jesus after He had gone would be revealed to them by the Holy Spirit, who would “come” to them “from the Father”. But just a few short years before, something happened on the shores of the Galilean Sea that would have far reaching consequences, not just for those concerned, but for the world ever since. Those early disciples are long dead but their legacy lives on in successive generations of believers. Mark 1:16-17, “One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!””. Just a little further along the shore Jesus found James and John and we read, “He called them at once, and they also followed him, leaving their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired men” (Mark 1:20). Did those four men have any clue about would happen over the next three years or so‭‭? Their world was turned upside down but they never turned away from Jesus. But here was their Master saying to them and the others, “you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry.” 

And testify about Jesus they did. On the same day that the Spirit fell on those gathered in that Upper Room, on the first Day of Pentecost, Peter testified about Jesus, “People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know” (Acts 2:22). And Peter’s last recorded words were, “Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen” (2 Peter 3:18). The last verse in the Bible was spoken by the Apostle John, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people” (Revelation 22:21). Those early disciples, who had “been with [Jesus] from the beginning of [His] ministry” never stopped testifying about Jesus, fulfilling Jesus’ wishes in these last hours of His life.

We pilgrims, by extension, must also testify about Jesus. The Holy Spirit dwells within all truly born again believers and they too benefit from His testimony about Jesus. At every opportunity we must share how Jesus gave His life to save everyone, and in the process we testify how that made a difference to us. In John 1:4-7, we read, “The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony”. John the Baptist was the first testifier about Jesus. He realised who the Light was and he testified about Jesus “so that everyone might believe”. 

Paul wrote, “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. … But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke”” (2 Corinthians 4:7, 13). We faith-filled pilgrims may feel totally inadequate for the task of testifying but regardless we must speak the words of Jesus at every opportunity. Why? Because Jesus asked us to.

Lord Jesus. Because of Your grace and love what else can we do other than speak out our testimony of faith. Please lead us to the people You want to hear it. In Jesus’ name. Amen.