John Lennox on Bible Reading!
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
“Se Deus pôde fazer isso…” Anchor
Compilação
Depois do sábado, tendo começado o primeiro dia da semana, Maria Madalena e a outra Maria foram ver o sepulcro.
E eis que sobreveio um grande terremoto, pois um anjo do Senhor desceu dos céus e, chegando ao sepulcro, rolou a pedra da entrada e assentou-se sobre ela. Sua aparência era como um relâmpago, e suas vestes eram brancas como a neve. Os guardas tremeram de medo e ficaram como mortos.
O anjo disse às mulheres: “Não tenham medo! Sei que vocês estão procurando Jesus, que foi crucificado. Ele não está aqui; ressuscitou, como tinha dito. Venham ver o lugar onde Ele jazia. Vão depressa e digam aos discípulos dEle: ‘Ele ressuscitou dentre os mortos e está indo adiante de vocês para a Galileia.’ Lá vocês O verão. Notem que eu já os avisei.”
As mulheres saíram depressa do sepulcro, amedrontadas e cheias de alegria, e foram correndo anunciá-lo aos discípulos de Jesus. De repente, Jesus as encontrou e disse: “Salve!” Elas se aproximaram dEle, abraçaram-Lhe os pés e O adoraram. Então Jesus lhes disse: “Não tenham medo. Vão dizer a meus irmãos que se dirijam para a Galileia; lá eles me verão”
Enquanto as mulheres estavam a caminho, alguns dos guardas dirigiram-se à cidade e contaram aos chefes dos sacerdotes tudo o que havia acontecido. Quando os chefes dos sacerdotes se reuniram com os líderes religiosos, elaboraram um plano. Deram aos soldados grande soma de dinheiro, dizendo-lhes: “Vocês devem declarar o seguinte: ‘Os discípulos dele vieram durante a noite e furtaram o corpo, enquanto estávamos dormindo’. Se isso chegar aos ouvidos do governador, nós lhe daremos explicações e livraremos vocês de qualquer problema.” Assim, os soldados receberam o dinheiro e fizeram como tinham sido instruídos. E esta versão se divulgou entre os judeus até o dia de hoje.
Os onze discípulos foram para a Galileia, para o monte que Jesus lhes indicara. Quando O viram, O adoraram; mas alguns duvidaram. Então, Jesus aproximou-se deles e disse: Foi-Me dada toda a autoridade nos céus e na terra. Portanto, vão e façam discípulos de todas as nações, batizando-os em nome do Pai e do Filho e do Espírito Santo, ensinando-os a obedecer a tudo o que Eu lhes ordenei. E Eu estarei sempre com vocês, até o fim dos tempos.” —Mateus 28:1–20[1]
*
Cheguei à conclusão que há duas maneiras de se ver a história humana. Uma delas é se concentrar nas guerras, na violência, na privação, na dor, na tragédia e na morte. Por essa ótica, a Páscoa parece uma exceção de contos de fadas, uma assombrosa contradição no nome de Deus. Isso oferece um tipo de consolo, apesar de que, admito, quando meus amigos morrem, a dor é tal que qualquer esperança em uma vida após esta parece pequena e frágil.
Há outra maneira de ver o mundo. Se eu entender a Páscoa como ponto de partida, o fato incontrovertido que demonstra como Deus trata os que ama, então a história da humanidade se torna a contradição e a Páscoa é uma prévia da realidade maior. A esperança então flui como lava sob a crosta da vida diária.
Talvez isso descreva a mudança na perspectiva dos discípulos, quando, a portas trancadas, discutiam os incompreensíveis acontecimentos do Domingo de Páscoa. De certa forma, nada havia mudado: Roma ainda ocupava a Palestina, suas cabeças ainda estavam a prêmio a ser pago pelas autoridades religiosas, morte e maldade ainda reinavam no mundo. Aos poucos, entretanto, o choque do reconhecimento cedeu espaço à lenta contracorrente de alegria. Se Deus pôde fazer isso... —Phillip Yancey[2]
*
Lemos em Marcos: "Logo depois do nascer do sol, foram ao sepulcro "[3], referindo-se a um pequeno grupo de seguidores devotos que havia acompanhado a multidão a qual, gritando piadas e insultos, se dirigiu pelo caminho íngreme ao lugar chamado Calvário. Aqueles discípulos viram Seus inimigos pregar Seu precioso corpo a uma tosca cruz de madeira e O deixaram ali para morrer sobre o cinzento e solitário monte. Quão grande era a dor de seus corações feridos! Quão esmagados haviam sido seus espíritos! De repente, as luzes para eles haviam todas se apagado e as esperanças que nutriam para o futuro foram partidas. Quando se acabam as esperanças, o desespero se instala implacável.
Não lhes havia garantido que ressurgiria? E dito para Maria e Marta: “Eu sou a ressurreição e a vida"? Acaso não havia feito Lázaro ressuscitar quatro dias depois de morto? Quão facilmente Suas preciosas palavras caem em esquecimento quando nos precipitamos em densas trevas, na hora em que nossa fé é exposta, não vemos a mão do Pai nem discernimos Sua presença! Tendemos a esquecer de que do ventre da noite mais escura nasce a oportunidade para a fé brilhar.
Quão maravilhosas foram as surpresas reservadas para aqueles seguidores que traziam corações pesados e mentes confusas! Foram saudados por anjos que lhes anunciaram com exclusividade: “Não está aqui, já ressurgiu! Que reconforto lhes trouxe essa boa nova! Sussurrou-lhes paz! Doce paz! A noite de amargor e pranto terminara em uma manhã de júbilo. A maior das dores encontrou o mais grandioso regozijo na primeira manhã de Páscoa. Triunfamos na vitória da Sua ressurreição! Satanás para sempre é inimigo derrotado! —Mrs. Charles E. Cowman[4]
*
Aos quais também, depois de ter padecido, se apresentou vivo, com muitas e infalíveis provas, sendo visto por eles por espaço de quarenta dias, e falando do que respeita ao reino de Deus. —Atos 1:3[5]
*
E, quanto à Sua santidade divina, a Sua ressurreição provou, com grande poder, que Ele é o Filho de Deus. Por meio de Cristo, Deus me deu a honra de ser apóstolo no serviço de Cristo para levar pessoas de todas as nações a crerem em Cristo e a serem obedientes a ele. —Paulo, o apóstolo[6]
*
Ora, se morremos com Cristo, cremos que também com Ele viveremos. Pois sabemos que, tendo sido ressuscitado dos mortos, Cristo não pode morrer outra vez: a morte não tem mais domínio sobre Ele. Porque morrendo, Ele morreu para o pecado uma vez por todas; mas vivendo, vive para Deus. Da mesma forma, considerem-se mortos para o pecado, mas vivos para Deus em Cristo Jesus. — Paulo, o apóstolo [7]
*
Quero conhecer Cristo, o poder da Sua ressurreição e a participação em Seus sofrimentos, tornando-me como Ele em Sua morte para, de alguma forma, alcançar a ressurreição dentre os mortos. Não que eu já tenha obtido tudo isso ou tenha sido aperfeiçoado, mas prossigo para alcançá-lo, pois para isso também fui alcançado por Cristo Jesus. — Paulo, o apóstolo [8]
*
Bendito seja o Deus e Pai de nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo! Conforme a Sua grande misericórdia, Ele nos regenerou para uma esperança viva, por meio da ressurreição de Jesus Cristo dentre os mortos. —Simão Pedro, um dos Doze[9]
*
A Páscoa celebra a ressurreição de Jesus, o fato de Ele estar vivo, tendo derrotado a morte, o inferno e Satanás. Livrou-nos dos nossos pecados. Jesus viveu, amou e morreu por nós —cada um de nós— e está conosco hoje da mesma forma que estava com aqueles com quem conviveu na Terra, há dois mil anos
Ele está vivo! Por um curto período de tempo, Seus discípulos não entendiam o que estava acontecendo e apenas viam as circunstâncias em que se encontravam: Ele havia sido crucificado e não estava mais com eles. Mas isso durou pouco. A perplexidade, o medo e a incerteza passaram quando viram que Ele vivia, que Seu amor, verdade, compaixão, ensinamentos e ações ainda estavam com eles, mesmo em circunstâncias físicas diferentes. Ele continuava vivo e trabalhando por meio deles para mudar o mundo, espalhar Sua verdade, amor, redenção e salvação.
Ele continua tão vivo hoje, trabalhando por meio de você para realizar o mesmo. Não importam as circunstâncias em que você se encontra, as mudanças ocorridas ou quão difíceis as coisas possam estar, Ele vive em você. Seu poder, Sua unção e Seu Espírito estão com você. O poder para cumprir a grande incumbência dada aos Seus primeiros discípulos, e a todos que responderam ao chamado desde então, continua ativo. —Peter Amsterdam[10]
*
Eu sou a ressurreição e a vida. Aquele que crê em Mim, ainda que morra, viverá; e quem vive e crê em Mim, não morrerá eternamente. —Jesus[11]
Publicado no site Âncora, em março de 2013.
[1] NVI.
[2] O Jesus que eu nunca conheci Editora Vida, 2001).
[3] Marcos 16:2.
[4] Mananciais no Deserto, Volume 2 (Editora Betânia, 1977).
[5] ESV.
[6] Romanos 1:4–5, adaptado
[7] Romanos 6:8–11.
[8] Filipenses 3:10–12.
[9] 1 Pedro 1:3
[10] http://directors.tfionline.com/pt/post/ele-esta-vivo/.
[11] João 11:25–26.
Depois do sábado, tendo começado o primeiro dia da semana, Maria Madalena e a outra Maria foram ver o sepulcro.
E eis que sobreveio um grande terremoto, pois um anjo do Senhor desceu dos céus e, chegando ao sepulcro, rolou a pedra da entrada e assentou-se sobre ela. Sua aparência era como um relâmpago, e suas vestes eram brancas como a neve. Os guardas tremeram de medo e ficaram como mortos.
O anjo disse às mulheres: “Não tenham medo! Sei que vocês estão procurando Jesus, que foi crucificado. Ele não está aqui; ressuscitou, como tinha dito. Venham ver o lugar onde Ele jazia. Vão depressa e digam aos discípulos dEle: ‘Ele ressuscitou dentre os mortos e está indo adiante de vocês para a Galileia.’ Lá vocês O verão. Notem que eu já os avisei.”
As mulheres saíram depressa do sepulcro, amedrontadas e cheias de alegria, e foram correndo anunciá-lo aos discípulos de Jesus. De repente, Jesus as encontrou e disse: “Salve!” Elas se aproximaram dEle, abraçaram-Lhe os pés e O adoraram. Então Jesus lhes disse: “Não tenham medo. Vão dizer a meus irmãos que se dirijam para a Galileia; lá eles me verão”
Enquanto as mulheres estavam a caminho, alguns dos guardas dirigiram-se à cidade e contaram aos chefes dos sacerdotes tudo o que havia acontecido. Quando os chefes dos sacerdotes se reuniram com os líderes religiosos, elaboraram um plano. Deram aos soldados grande soma de dinheiro, dizendo-lhes: “Vocês devem declarar o seguinte: ‘Os discípulos dele vieram durante a noite e furtaram o corpo, enquanto estávamos dormindo’. Se isso chegar aos ouvidos do governador, nós lhe daremos explicações e livraremos vocês de qualquer problema.” Assim, os soldados receberam o dinheiro e fizeram como tinham sido instruídos. E esta versão se divulgou entre os judeus até o dia de hoje.
Os onze discípulos foram para a Galileia, para o monte que Jesus lhes indicara. Quando O viram, O adoraram; mas alguns duvidaram. Então, Jesus aproximou-se deles e disse: Foi-Me dada toda a autoridade nos céus e na terra. Portanto, vão e façam discípulos de todas as nações, batizando-os em nome do Pai e do Filho e do Espírito Santo, ensinando-os a obedecer a tudo o que Eu lhes ordenei. E Eu estarei sempre com vocês, até o fim dos tempos.” —Mateus 28:1–20[1]
*
Cheguei à conclusão que há duas maneiras de se ver a história humana. Uma delas é se concentrar nas guerras, na violência, na privação, na dor, na tragédia e na morte. Por essa ótica, a Páscoa parece uma exceção de contos de fadas, uma assombrosa contradição no nome de Deus. Isso oferece um tipo de consolo, apesar de que, admito, quando meus amigos morrem, a dor é tal que qualquer esperança em uma vida após esta parece pequena e frágil.
Há outra maneira de ver o mundo. Se eu entender a Páscoa como ponto de partida, o fato incontrovertido que demonstra como Deus trata os que ama, então a história da humanidade se torna a contradição e a Páscoa é uma prévia da realidade maior. A esperança então flui como lava sob a crosta da vida diária.
Talvez isso descreva a mudança na perspectiva dos discípulos, quando, a portas trancadas, discutiam os incompreensíveis acontecimentos do Domingo de Páscoa. De certa forma, nada havia mudado: Roma ainda ocupava a Palestina, suas cabeças ainda estavam a prêmio a ser pago pelas autoridades religiosas, morte e maldade ainda reinavam no mundo. Aos poucos, entretanto, o choque do reconhecimento cedeu espaço à lenta contracorrente de alegria. Se Deus pôde fazer isso... —Phillip Yancey[2]
*
Lemos em Marcos: "Logo depois do nascer do sol, foram ao sepulcro "[3], referindo-se a um pequeno grupo de seguidores devotos que havia acompanhado a multidão a qual, gritando piadas e insultos, se dirigiu pelo caminho íngreme ao lugar chamado Calvário. Aqueles discípulos viram Seus inimigos pregar Seu precioso corpo a uma tosca cruz de madeira e O deixaram ali para morrer sobre o cinzento e solitário monte. Quão grande era a dor de seus corações feridos! Quão esmagados haviam sido seus espíritos! De repente, as luzes para eles haviam todas se apagado e as esperanças que nutriam para o futuro foram partidas. Quando se acabam as esperanças, o desespero se instala implacável.
Não lhes havia garantido que ressurgiria? E dito para Maria e Marta: “Eu sou a ressurreição e a vida"? Acaso não havia feito Lázaro ressuscitar quatro dias depois de morto? Quão facilmente Suas preciosas palavras caem em esquecimento quando nos precipitamos em densas trevas, na hora em que nossa fé é exposta, não vemos a mão do Pai nem discernimos Sua presença! Tendemos a esquecer de que do ventre da noite mais escura nasce a oportunidade para a fé brilhar.
Quão maravilhosas foram as surpresas reservadas para aqueles seguidores que traziam corações pesados e mentes confusas! Foram saudados por anjos que lhes anunciaram com exclusividade: “Não está aqui, já ressurgiu! Que reconforto lhes trouxe essa boa nova! Sussurrou-lhes paz! Doce paz! A noite de amargor e pranto terminara em uma manhã de júbilo. A maior das dores encontrou o mais grandioso regozijo na primeira manhã de Páscoa. Triunfamos na vitória da Sua ressurreição! Satanás para sempre é inimigo derrotado! —Mrs. Charles E. Cowman[4]
*
Aos quais também, depois de ter padecido, se apresentou vivo, com muitas e infalíveis provas, sendo visto por eles por espaço de quarenta dias, e falando do que respeita ao reino de Deus. —Atos 1:3[5]
*
E, quanto à Sua santidade divina, a Sua ressurreição provou, com grande poder, que Ele é o Filho de Deus. Por meio de Cristo, Deus me deu a honra de ser apóstolo no serviço de Cristo para levar pessoas de todas as nações a crerem em Cristo e a serem obedientes a ele. —Paulo, o apóstolo[6]
*
Ora, se morremos com Cristo, cremos que também com Ele viveremos. Pois sabemos que, tendo sido ressuscitado dos mortos, Cristo não pode morrer outra vez: a morte não tem mais domínio sobre Ele. Porque morrendo, Ele morreu para o pecado uma vez por todas; mas vivendo, vive para Deus. Da mesma forma, considerem-se mortos para o pecado, mas vivos para Deus em Cristo Jesus. — Paulo, o apóstolo [7]
*
Quero conhecer Cristo, o poder da Sua ressurreição e a participação em Seus sofrimentos, tornando-me como Ele em Sua morte para, de alguma forma, alcançar a ressurreição dentre os mortos. Não que eu já tenha obtido tudo isso ou tenha sido aperfeiçoado, mas prossigo para alcançá-lo, pois para isso também fui alcançado por Cristo Jesus. — Paulo, o apóstolo [8]
*
Bendito seja o Deus e Pai de nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo! Conforme a Sua grande misericórdia, Ele nos regenerou para uma esperança viva, por meio da ressurreição de Jesus Cristo dentre os mortos. —Simão Pedro, um dos Doze[9]
*
A Páscoa celebra a ressurreição de Jesus, o fato de Ele estar vivo, tendo derrotado a morte, o inferno e Satanás. Livrou-nos dos nossos pecados. Jesus viveu, amou e morreu por nós —cada um de nós— e está conosco hoje da mesma forma que estava com aqueles com quem conviveu na Terra, há dois mil anos
Ele está vivo! Por um curto período de tempo, Seus discípulos não entendiam o que estava acontecendo e apenas viam as circunstâncias em que se encontravam: Ele havia sido crucificado e não estava mais com eles. Mas isso durou pouco. A perplexidade, o medo e a incerteza passaram quando viram que Ele vivia, que Seu amor, verdade, compaixão, ensinamentos e ações ainda estavam com eles, mesmo em circunstâncias físicas diferentes. Ele continuava vivo e trabalhando por meio deles para mudar o mundo, espalhar Sua verdade, amor, redenção e salvação.
Ele continua tão vivo hoje, trabalhando por meio de você para realizar o mesmo. Não importam as circunstâncias em que você se encontra, as mudanças ocorridas ou quão difíceis as coisas possam estar, Ele vive em você. Seu poder, Sua unção e Seu Espírito estão com você. O poder para cumprir a grande incumbência dada aos Seus primeiros discípulos, e a todos que responderam ao chamado desde então, continua ativo. —Peter Amsterdam[10]
*
Eu sou a ressurreição e a vida. Aquele que crê em Mim, ainda que morra, viverá; e quem vive e crê em Mim, não morrerá eternamente. —Jesus[11]
Publicado no site Âncora, em março de 2013.
[1] NVI.
[2] O Jesus que eu nunca conheci Editora Vida, 2001).
[3] Marcos 16:2.
[4] Mananciais no Deserto, Volume 2 (Editora Betânia, 1977).
[5] ESV.
[6] Romanos 1:4–5, adaptado
[7] Romanos 6:8–11.
[8] Filipenses 3:10–12.
[9] 1 Pedro 1:3
[10] http://directors.tfionline.com/pt/post/ele-esta-vivo/.
[11] João 11:25–26.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Prayers of Fellow Pilgrims- Anchor
A compilation
Download Audio (12MB)
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
—Jesus1
*
Good morning, Lord! What are You up to today? Can I be a part of it? Thank You. Amen.—Norman Grubb, missionary and author (1895–1993)
*
Lord, you are my lover,
My longing,
My flowing stream,
My sun,
And I, I am your reflection.
—Mechthild of Magdeburg, 13th century mystic
*
Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. All that I am and all that I possess You have given me: I surrender it all to You to be disposed of according to Your will. Give me only Your love and Your grace; with these I will be rich enough, and will desire nothing more. Amen.—St. Ignatius of Loyola, 16th century priest
*
Image of God
born of God’s breath
vessel of divine Love
after His likeness
dwelling of God
capacity for the infinite
eternally known
chosen of God
home of the Infinite Majesty
abiding in the Son
called from eternity
life in the Lord
temple of the Holy Spirit
branch of Christ
receptacle of the Most High
wellspring of Living Water
heir of the kingdom
the glory of God
abode of the Trinity.
God sings this litany
eternally in His Word.
This is who you are.
—Anonymous Trappist monk
*
I lift these hands, dear God, to You,
in praise and thanks for all You do.
You light the path through all my days
and bless me with Your loving ways...
I lift these hands dear God, to You,
in troubled hours when joys are few.
You bear me up on eagles’ wings and see
me through each test life brings.
I lift these hands, dear God, to You,
please grant me wisdom, patience, too.
Then fill my heart with love and caring,
precious gifts You've made for sharing.
—Emily Matthews
*
Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.—King David2
*
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.
—Author unknown, often attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi
*
Lord, make my life
A window for Your light
To shine through
And a mirror to reflect
Your love
To all I meet. Amen.
—Robert Schuller
*
Dear God, the little plans I tried to carry through have failed. I will not sorrow. I’ll pause a little while, dear God, and try again tomorrow.—John Fico
*
My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and will never leave me to face my perils alone.—Thomas Merton, 20th century Trappist monk, writer, and mystic
*
May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships
So that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
To turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.
Amen.
—A Franciscan benediction
*
Jesus, please help me to have love today for those I work with, for those I teach, for those I talk to. If I don’t accomplish another thing today, help me to have shown love to each person I encounter—a hug and touch for those who need affection, compassion for those who need to know I understand, patience for those who are confused and doubting, wisdom for those who need to share their heart but don’t know how, tolerance with those who seem not to be trying hard enough, prayer for those who are burdened, loving care and understanding for those who are sick, a helping hand to those who are struggling with some task.—Maria Fontaine
*
Jesus prays for His disciples
I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.
I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.
I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.
My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.3
Published on Anchor April 2013. Read by Bryan Clark.
Music by Michael Dooley.
1 KJV.
2 Psalm 61:1–4 KJV.
3 John 17:6–11, 13–18, 20–26 NIV.
Let's Spread the News!
by Peter Amsterdam
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God’s Word declares that this world, and our lives within it, are not all that there is; that this life is only a portion of our existence, and that our spirits continue to live after the death of our bodies. It also teaches that it’s only possible for us, as humans, to be in God’s presence in the afterlife if we are first reconciled with Him.
In His great love for the world, and each of us within it, God made it possible to bridge the gap between us and Him through Jesus, who gave His life for our sins. Because of this great act of love, our sins have been forgiven and we can live in God’s presence in the life to come. This is the profound truth that you and I, as Christians, believe. What a tremendous comfort to know that because of Jesus’ sacrifice we will live with God eternally in the life to come.
There is also a sad part of this, which is that not everyone has this information, and many people either don’t know, or don’t understand, that eternal life with God is available to them. Most of us didn’t know this either, until we heard it from another Christian, either personally or through written material or via the media. Because we were told and we believed, we inherited eternal life.
Just this morning I was thanking the Lord for my high school friend Chuck, who witnessed to me, who patiently answered my questions, and who kept the explanations simple enough that I could understand. He showed me some key Bible verses, which spoke powerfully to me. It wasn’t hard sell; he didn’t thump me over the head with his Bible and he didn’t try to explain all the theology involved. He showed interest, patience, concern, and understanding as he answered my questions and explained God’s deep love for me.
My life was completely changed because when I was searching, seeking for answers, someone took the time to witness to me. I imagine that my life might have taken a very different direction had Chuck not spoken to me about the Lord at that time in my life when I was spiritually hungry and open to hearing about Him. I will be forever grateful to Chuck for doing that.
I imagine that you have a similar story. Someone told you about Jesus. Maybe it was your parents, or perhaps you heard about salvation from a preacher, or someone witnessed to you at school, or on the street, or in a restaurant. Perhaps it was a friend, a relative, or someone at work, or someone sitting next to you on a bus, train, or plane. Most likely God used someone to tell you how much He loves you and to tell you about Jesus, who died for you. I bet you’re glad they did.
Something I’ve written about a fair bit over the last couple of years has been our example as Christians, and manifesting Jesus’ love and acceptance and compassion for others in our everyday lives, and drawing people to the Lord that way. And that’s important. The lives we lead, the love we show, the light of God’s Spirit within us, are often what pique the interest of others. But at some point, words of explanation also become necessary. There is a time for words to be spoken, for faith to be expressed verbally. It’s important to walk the walk of a Christian life, and it’s also important to talk about the Lord, salvation, and faith, to those with whom you connect.
People telling others about the Gospel is key to conveying the understanding that there is life beyond this life, and that because of God’s deep love for humanity, He has given us the gift, the opportunity, of living with Him forever. If Christians don’t do the “telling,” then people will miss the opportunity to hear this wonderful news.
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them?[1]
I know that many of you have witnessed to others throughout your life, and what I’m telling you isn’t new information. It is instead a reminder to continue to witness. No matter what our situation, the call to share this news is always before us. Jesus said:
As the Father has sent Me, even so I am sending you.[2] I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit.[3]
Each of us has received the free gift of salvation—free for us but costly for Jesus. He gave all of Himself to redeem humankind, but He depends on us Christians to share the message with others. And if we don’t, there is no guarantee they’ll hear it some other way.
The apostle Paul succinctly expressed how important sharing the Gospel with others is when he stated:
For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel![4]
Other translations of this verse say: “An obligation is laid on me” (NRS), “I amcompelled to preach” (NIV). Another expresses it like this: “Indeed, a compulsionweighs upon me to do that. How horrible it would be for me were I not to preach the gospel” (MIT).
We’ve been given the greatest gift anyone can be given. We’ve found the pearl of great price. We have the privilege of entrance to the kingdom of heaven. Multitudes are searching for what we already enjoy, whether they realize it or not. Because of God’s love and mercy we are privileged to know the truth, the purpose and meaning of life. We have connected with God and have been granted eternal life. Others are seeking for the answers and purpose that God, in His love, wants to give them.
People need the life-giving water of God—water which is flowing like a river from our innermost being.[5] How sad, how deeply regrettable it is, when those of us who are so richly blessed don’t share it with those who are desperately in need, when Jesus’ directive to share the good news with others is ignored.
TFI’s founder, David Berg, was passionate about the need for people to hear the message of God’s love and salvation. He often expressed that the Lord has called all Christians to witness to others. While most of us may not be full-time missionaries, it is nevertheless our duty to share the Gospel with others. I am very convicted by reading some of what he said about people’s need for salvation and our being duty-bound, as Christians, to share the good news with them.
David wrote:
Regardless of nationality, country, color, or creed, the heart of man is the same the world over, and his heartaches and sorrows and sins and pains and fear of death are the same. His longings, loves, and hunger for God and His truth, for joy and happiness and peace of mind, are God-created, and the same in men the world over.
Even though many people are really seeking genuine love, they seldom, if ever, find it. For there are never enough of God’s people who are willing to show them His real love.
“Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature” is not an option. It’s a commandment. The message is clear. There’s no denying it or excusing ourselves.
[Witnessing] is not just a nice thing to do when we feel like it or can find the time, but it is the God-given job and responsibility of all His true children.
As Jesus Himself said, “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few. Therefore,” He commanded, “pray ye the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest.”[6] His vast harvest of multitudes of frozen, cold, hungry people, wandering around in darkness without God. [7]
We have been given the privilege of being called out of that darkness into God’s marvelous light,[8] and it is incumbent on us to do what we can, when we can, to help others to connect to God through Jesus.
It most definitely can be difficult to do this with the busy lives we all lead. It’s hard to make or take the time for it. I’m saved because Chuck took time for me. You’re saved because someone put in time and effort to share the Gospel with you—someone who probably felt they didn’t have time either. Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross for you, and another Christian sacrificed time and effort to connect you with Him. As has been said, Christ alone can save this world, but Christ can’t save this world alone. Someone has to tell people about Jesus and salvation, and when God brings a person across your path, that someone is you.
When, where, how, and with whom we share the message will differ for each of us. But if we truly recognize the deep love and concern God has for each person, and that Jesus gave His life so they can possess eternal life, then we should feel compelled to tell those whom the Lord leads us to or brings across our path—even if it’s inconvenient, difficult, costly, or humbling.
We are directed by the Savior of our souls to present the opportunity to know Him to others. To bring the awareness of the great gift that was freely given to us to those who have not yet heard about it. Are we willing to do what is asked of us? Do we pray for souls, and then put feet to our prayers? Do we pray for laborers who will share the message with others, and are we willing to be those laborers ourselves? Do we pray for the Lord to bring those who are searching across our path? Do we ask the Holy Spirit to lead us to those who will respond to God’s love? Are we willing to give some of our time, effort, thought, prayer, and action toward the commission Jesus has given us? When faced with someone in need of eternal life, do we take action by sharing the message with them?
If we’re committed to doing what Jesus has asked of us, we will. If we realize the eternal effect it will have on someone’s life and future, we will. If we are trying to be like Jesus, we will. If we love our neighbors as ourselves, as Jesus taught us to, then we will be compelled to let them know how deeply God loves them, and to show them how they can enter the kingdom of heaven through believing in Jesus, His Son.
So let’s spread the news.
[1] Romans 10:13–14 NLT.
[2] John 20:21 ESV.
[3] John 15:16 ESV.
[4] 1 Corinthians 9:16 ESV.
[5] “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” John 7:38 NAU.
[6] Matthew 9:37–8 KJV.
[7] These five paragraphs are from Witnessing, #344, May 1975, paragraphs 6–7, 1, 3, 8.
[8] “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9 ESV.
Easter—Yesterday, Today, and Forever!
By Peter Amsterdam
As Easter approaches, I have been reflecting on Jesus’ resurrection and its significance. What did it mean to His original disciples—all of those who believed in Him during His lifetime on earth? And what does it mean to us today?
By the time Jesus ate the last Passover meal with His disciples, just hours before He was arrested, tried, and killed, they had come to understand that Jesus was the Messiah spoken of throughout the Scriptures (the Old Testament). Their understanding of His Messiahship, however, was different from our understanding today. We look at Jesus through the understanding that He is the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, that He died for our sins, took our punishment upon Himself through His crucifixion, and that He rose from the dead.
At the time of the Last Supper, Jesus hadn’t yet died and risen from the dead, and the disciples’ understanding of Jesus as the Messiah was rooted in the Jewish people’s interpretation of the Scriptures at the time.
The Jewish people in first-century Palestine believed and expected that God would send a Messiah, as was spoken about throughout the Old Testament. According to their interpretation of Scripture, this Messiah, the anointed one, was going to be an earthly king of Israel. This king would win decisive victories over the pagan oppressors of the Jewish people—whoduring Jesus’ lifetime were the Romans—and would bring true, God-given justice and peace to the whole world.[1] The expectation was that the king of the Jews would free the nation of Israel from oppression and domination by various other kingdoms, from which it had suffered for centuries. As they saw it, the kingdom to come was going to be an earthly one.
The disciples’ understanding of Jesus as the Messiah up until the time of His death was still based on this interpretation. They were expecting that Jesus would be the anointed king of physical Israel. This would have been the motivation behind the request of the brothers James and John (the sons of Zebedee) to be allowed to sit on Jesus’ right and left hand once He came into power. In other words, they wanted prominent positions when He came to rule Israel.
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to Him and said to Him, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And they said to Him, “Grant us to sit, one at Your right hand and one at Your left, in Your glory.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John.[2]
Even when Jesus was together with His disciples after His resurrection, they still asked when He was going to free Israel and restore the physical kingdom:
“Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”[3]
When Jesus told His disciples about His upcoming death, it was difficult for them to accept this, because there was no conception in the popular Jewish understanding of the role of the Messiah that the Messiah would be killed. We see Peter’s negative reaction—and presumably others felt similarly—in Matthew’s description:
[Jesus] strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that He was the Christ. From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a hindrance to Me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”[4]
The Greek word Christos, from which the term Christ is derived, means anointed, oranointed one, which is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew term mashiyach, meaninganointed, which the word messiah comes from. Jesus didn’t want to spread the news that He was the Messiah, at least not at that point, possibly because it would have brought Him into political conflict with the Roman government. The Romans were quick to stamp out any challenges to their authority, and undoubtedly would move against anyone who was advocating the overthrow of Roman rule or proclaiming himself to be king of a nation the Romans ruled.
While Jesus didn’t want the disciples to spread the news of who He was, He did inform them. Peter’s reaction to Jesus’ statement that He was going to go to Jerusalem to die was basically to tell Him that He was wrong. Why would a disciple tell Jesus that? Because, according to the Jewish perception, the Messiah was not going to die in Jerusalem—he was going to take over the physical kingdom of Israel and would rule and reign in righteousness, which in some way would affect the whole world.
Jesus’ response to Peter was, You are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man. He’s saying, “Peter, you are seeing it only in the physical realm, with the traditional expectations. You’re not seeing it the way God does. You don’t get it.”
Before Jesus’ time, as well as since, there have been individuals who either claimed to be or whose followers believed that they were the messiah spoken about in the (Old Testament) Scriptures. However, these people—who led rebellions against the foreign rulers of Israel—were killed, and nothing became of their so-called messiahship. They were, rightly, considered failed messiahs.
So, from the natural point of view, Peter’s response is understandable, as is James and John asking Jesus to let them hold positions of power in Jesus’ earthly kingdom. Their expectation was an earthly kingdom with an anointed king, the messiah.
The events of the days before the Passover added to this anticipation. Seeing the large crowd of those who had come to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover taking branches of palm trees and going to meet Jesus, crying out, Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel,[5] would have been exhilarating for the disciples! Jesus arrived in the capital city (as the Messiah was expected to do), and many were proclaiming Him as king. And why wouldn’t they? People had heard that He had recently raised His friend Lazarus from the dead. Throughout His ministry He had healed multitudes of sick people, He had fed thousands of people miraculously, He had spoken God’s word with authority. His arrival caused those who didn’t know who He was or what was going on to ask about it, and the crowds who were following Him said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”[6]
The expectation of many that Jesus was likely the Messiah was high.
However, to all appearances, everything soon went wrong. Within days Jesus was dead—unfairly accused and savagely killed in the most degrading manner, a manner which the Jews understood to mean that the person dying was cursed by God.[7] The Messiah was expected to bring the pagans to justice, not to suffer unjust violence at their hands. The hopes of those looking to Jesus as Messiah were crushed—Another failed messiah in their eyes.
You can imagine how devastating this shocking turn of events must have been for the disciples. The teacher they followed, their beloved Master, whom they were sure was the Messiah, was dead. They were confused and discouraged, as seen in the account of two of them who were walking to the village of Emmaus on the day of the resurrection. The risen Jesus drew near and started walking with them. When He asked about their conversation, they stood still and looked sad. In the course of telling their story, they said:
But we had hoped that He was the one to redeem Israel.[8]
Their hopes of Jesus being the Messiah had been dashed, and they were deeply saddened by His death.[9]
But then, the resurrection changed everything! God raised the so-called “failed” Messiah from the dead. There had been no Jewish expectation that the Messiah would be raised from the dead, so it wasn’t as if the disciples, or the Jewish people in general, were waiting to see whether Jesus would fulfill some biblical promise in that respect.
A short time before this, upon hearing that Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, the chief priests came to the conclusion that Jesus must die, saying:
“If we let Him go on like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” … Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them … “It is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.”[10]
During Jesus’ trial the high priest had asked Him if he was the Christ, the Messiah, and upon hearing Jesus’ affirmative answer, which included quotations from the book of Daniel about the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of God, the high priest and those with him decided that Jesus must die.[11] They accused Him of blasphemy, which by their law was punishable by death. The Jewish leaders rejected Him, did not believe He was the promised Messiah, and feared that if He lived, the Romans would take away their place in the temple and the nation as a whole.
Pontius Pilate, the Roman procurator, condemned Jesus to death on the basis of His claim of being a king. It seems he didn’t consider Jesus a threat, but due to the insistence of the crowd and the Jewish authorities, he chose to apply the law.[12]There could be no kings without the sanction of Rome, so under the Roman anti-sedition laws He was crucified. The plaque which Pilate hung on the cross said, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”[13]
Jesus was executed because the Jewish leaders rejected Him as the Messiah, and because the Romans said no unauthorized king could live. Yet the extraordinary and unexpected event of His resurrection reversed the verdicts of both the Jewish and the Roman courts.[14]
Despite Rome’s rules that would-be kings must die, and the Jewish leaders’ belief that Jesus was not the Messiah, God Himself overturned their judgments, validating Jesus as both King and Messiah by raising Him from the dead. God gave His stamp of approval.
This in turn validated all that Jesus taught about Himself and about God the Father, about the kingdom of God and salvation. The resurrection, which proved that Jesus was in fact the Messiah, coupled with the coming of the Holy Spirit, established a new understanding about God. The significance of the resurrection in Jesus’ day was that it validated that Jesus was who He said He was.
Before the resurrection, the disciples didn’t fully understand the things Jesus had told them about His death and resurrection. However, after He rose, during the forty days before He ascended into heaven, He explained the Scriptures to them and they then understood.
He presented Himself alive to them after His suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.[15]
Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself … They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?”[16]
The realization that through Jesus’ Incarnation, death, and resurrection, salvation was available to all, was the reason the apostles preached about the resurrected Christ throughout the book of Acts. It’s why the New Testament writers wrote about the significance of the resurrection, stating that it proved He was the Son of God, that we are born again, that we have assurance of our salvation and that without it our faith would be in vain.
[Jesus is] declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by His resurrection from the dead.[17]
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.[18]
He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom He has appointed; and of this He has given assurance to all by raising Him from the dead.[19]
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.[20]
If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.[21]
The resurrection was proof that God had indeed entered into the world in a new way, through His Incarnate Son. Fifty days later, after Jesus had ascended, the Holy Spirit also entered the world in a new way by dwelling within believers. These events motivated the disciples and the early church to spread that news throughout the world of their day. They shared the news that through Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross, humanity could become reconciled with God.
For the disciples then, and for us now, Easter is the bedrock of Christian faith and hope. The early disciples, while initially faced with crushed hopes due to their expectations, soon came to see that because Jesus arose, what He did, said, and promised are true. That carries down through history to us today. The risen Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, gave proof of His divinity, and proof that we can trust Him, by dying for our sins and by doing the impossible and rising from the dead.
Because He died for our sins and then rose from the dead, we know that all He said is true: that we have salvation, that we have eternal life, that the Holy Spirit dwells within us, that we have the promise of answered prayer, that He will lead and guide us when we ask Him to. The separation between us and God has been bridged. We are His children, who will live with Him forever, and we can bring others to Him through our witness.
Because He rose, as the firstfruits,[22] we too will be resurrected in due season. Because of the resurrection, we have the assurance of salvation, the ability to lead a Christ-infused life today, and the honor to live with God forever.
Let’s rejoice in the significance of Easter—yesterday, today, and forever. Happy Easter!
Notes
Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[1] N. T. Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003), 557.
[2] Mark 10:35–38, 41.
[3] Acts 1:6.
[4] Matthew 16:20–23.
[5] John 12:13.
[6] John 12:12–18, Matthew 21:6–11.
[7] Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith (Galatians 3:13–14).
[8] Luke 24:19–23.
[9] That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him.
And He said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad.
Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered Him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered Him up to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we had hoped that He was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened” (Luke 24:13–21).
[10] John 11:48–50.
[11] The high priest said to [Jesus], “I adjure You by the living God, tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard His blasphemy. What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death” (Matthew 26:63–66).
[12] Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar” (John 19:12).
[13] Matthew 27:37.
[14] N. T. Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003), 576.
[15] Acts 1:3.
[16] Luke 24:27,32.
[17] Romans 1:4.
[18] 1 Peter 1:3.
[19] Acts 17:30–31.
[20] Romans 10:9.
[21] 1 Corinthians 15:14 KJV.
[22] 1 Corinthians 15:20.
