December 7 - Philip in Samaria

Read: Acts 8:4-8

Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. (Acts 8:5 ESV)

After Stephen's brutal murder Christians came under very heavy persecution in Jerusalem. Saul rose up among the Pharisees and led the charge, arresting people in droves and dragging them off to prison and death. In many ways the death of Stephen was a catalyst for the spread of Christianity.

Philip, like many others, fled from the persecutors. He travelled to Samaria and began to preach the Gospel. Lives were being impacted by the truth of his message, because lives are always changed by the power of the Gospel.

But what if Philip had not preached in Samaria? What if he had merely tried to blend in to their culture, avoiding persecution and confrontation altogether?

Philip, like Stephen, like Jesus, and like so many since—simply refused to stay silent about the hopeful message of the Gospel. Philip preached the truth of the Word of God and it changed a city. Where will God use you to declare and demonstrate His love for those around you?

October 3 - Not A Secret

John 18:19-24

Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. (John 18:20 ESV) </blockquote>

Christianity is not a mystery. It isn't a secret. There aren't any special mysterious rituals or incantations. And it isn't something that some elite few are attempting to keep for themselves.

Jesus taught publicly and openly. He lived a public life. He died a public death. He didn't start an upstart mystery religion in the back of his parents' home.

Jesus wanted his message to be public. He wanted it to be prominent. He still does. The message of the Hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is life-altering. It changes people. It is not a secret!

September 10 - Now They Know

John 17:6-9

Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. (John 17:7 ESV)

Jesus lived out a life of demonstrative teaching. Everything he did and said was an intentional part of his leading and guiding his followers into a closer relationship with him. All of it was designed to draw them closer to Christ and closer to the Father.

I think a good question we can ask ourselves is "what do people know about God by looking at my life?" The possible answers to that question say a lot about how we are going through this life. It says a lot about how we are communicating Christ to those around us.

Jesus wants you and I to be his messenger. As the disciples learned to look to the Father through the Son, so will people look to the Son through those he has saved. So, think about the people in your life. Because of you, what do they now know?

April 29 - Fruit Trees

Read: Matthew 7:15-20

Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. (Matthew 7:20 ESV)

All of my favorite fruits are quite frankly very easy to recognize. Strawberries are small, a deep shade of red, and distinctly shaped. Pineapples are characterized by their outer husk and pointy greenery. Watermelons are quickly noted for their green and often striped rind and round oblong shape. But the kind of vegetation a fruit comes from is not always so easy to identify unless you're an expert. The fruit itself is the key component.

The people who follow Jesus should be easily recognizable. We should readily, easily, and naturally demonstrate the kind of fruit that makes this a reality. Jesus said it himself. People are recognized for who they truly are by the kind of fruit their lives produce.

What kind of fruit are you demonstrating to an onlooking world? It's an important question. For way too long the American Christian community has been far too content simply answering the questions of life with grande theological responses. We spend too much time in our heads, or none at all. What our unchurched friends, family, and neighbors truly need to see is the evidence of Christian fruit.

March 19 - Regular People

Luke 10:1-12

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. (Luke 10:1 ESV)

Jesus selected seventy-two people from among those following him. Wait, what? What about those twelve apostle guys? Well, yeah. He had those guys too. There was probably some overlap. But Jesus took thirty-six pairs of followers and commissioned them to go ahead of him. They went into the towns and villages and healed the sick, cast out demons, and preached the powerful approach of the Kingdom of Heaven. In other words, they did what Jesus did.

It's a really cool and powerful example to me. Jesus picked regular people. Not the religious types he frequently had conflict with. He then sent them into the places that he himself was planning to go and had them begin to do the very thing he was planning to do when he eventually got there. That's pretty incredible.

Jesus picks regular people. He uses regular folks. It's easy in America to point to super mega sized churches and their leaders as the modern rockstars of the faith. No doubt about it, many of them are doing astounding things in their communities. But I love the idea that Jesus held a massive schoolyard pick one day and chose seventy-two regular dudes to go do what he was about to do.

That all has a pretty clear implication to me about what we should be up to. We should be going to places and taking about Jesus. We should share his message, his love, and his power in those places. We should pray for the sick. We should believe Jesus to make the difference. We should preach the Kingdom of Heaven. We should believe Jesus to invite them to be a part.