In His Hands

On Wednesday night as we concluded out Bible Study on Daniel, our attention was drawn to Revelation 1: 1-20. In reading through it we discover that John was shown a "revelation" of the future. This was not only John's future, but ours. Similar to the visions of Daniel, for instance in Daniel 12:1-4, Daniel was shown by an angel what would be not only in his future, but also in ours. The book of Revelation is absolutely fascinating. Not as a script to satisfy our selfish curiosity, but as a declaration of a victorious king! There is absolutely nothing like the grand language of Revelation 22:6-21 which illustrates the ultimate and triumphant victory of King Jesus! As we read through chapter one, we noticed that "the One" John saw had a face that John recognized. (Revelation 1:13), it was the Christ that He had known while on the earth, but now, in all His Glory! What is so striking to me about this One among the lampstands was not just His statement in Revelation 1:17-20, but specifically His revelation of the mystery in Revelation 1:20. In the hands of Christ are His Churches! That is His body! With all of heaven opened to the apostle, there stood Jesus with His Church! With His Church in His right hand and in His left, Jesus stands triumphant. Here is the fulfillment of what He said to Peter, "You are Peter, but upon this ROCK I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). If you are having a struggle today or the problems you've been handed refuse to go away month after month and year after year, you can be encouraged through this great declaration, Jesus is building His Church and He has it ALL in His hands.

Outreach Samaritan Style

John 4:7 and John 4:42 are the reference bookends for the story of Jesus and the woman at the well. Jesus deliberately went through Samaria and found this woman who was drawing water from the well. I notice several things in this story that I wanted to highlight. I had the privilege of preaching at Bethel this morning and I was able to use portions of this story to illustrate the truth concerning Isaiah 12:3. I want to describe here more of what I observe from this great interchange between Jesus and the woman at the well that basically says a lot about outreach, even the process of outreach. First, Jesus went out of his way to go to Samaria. That is exactly what we should do if we want others to know the Good News. Second, he engaged her in conversation where she was. She was drawing water from a well, so He asked her to get him a drink of water. The resulting conversation led to her new life. For the believer to see genuine results from outreach, having gone out of his way, we must find a way to talk to them about where they are at right now. She was drawing water, so that's what Jesus spoke to her about. She asked him doctrinal questions. She even challenged him concerning His beliefs. We should likewise be prepared for that. The pluralism of this culture is so ingrained in the minds of people that I've even heard church members say they are not sure if truth is relative or absolute. Oh, it is absolute and the truth is found in Jesus. (John 14:6) ….back to the woman and Jesus. Having answered her questions He took it to another level (John 4:13-14) by letting her know that what He has to share was of eternal value, compared to regular water that had temporal value. This is another area where we can take instruction concerning evangelism, outreach, witnessing, or sharing the Gospel (whatever label you prefer) We have the best news in the world (Romans 5:1, Romans 8:1, Romans 10:9-10) When we talk to others about Christ, we have to find ways that help them understand the grand distinction between following what this world has to offer (which is temporal) and what Jesus has to offer (life everlasting, the abundant life today). What follows in this story is the woman who can't believe what Jesus told her (you are right in saying you don't have a husband, in fact you've had five husbands)! This is the crucial piece that I think we ignore…..The power of God. Unfortunately, too many people think that this was special because Jesus was Jesus and He could do miracles but we can't. Nothing could be further from the truth. It was Jesus who said "Greater works than these shall you do because I go to My Father" (John 14:12-14). In fact, Jesus told the disciples to wait for the promise of the Father before going out to the worldwide ministry He called for in Matthew 28:19-20. God can and will use us as we get the Gospel to those who have never heard and believe that He will provide all the equipment that we need.

From here, the woman at the well began to publish widely what Jesus did for her (John 4:29-30). The Good News of Jesus turned the woman into an evangelist. Here is another point about outreach. Those who put themselves in the place for God to use them (going on an outreach, volunteering for a new ministry, missions) WILL be used by God and those converts turn into evangelists! They have networks that we don't have and they can reach people that we will never reach. The Church must stay focused on outreach to be healthy.

It is not a coincidence that John gives the discourse of Jesus at this point (John 4:35) on the fields being white unto harvest (John 4:34-38). God has not made a mistake! He has entrusted this good news to His Church. We are the ones who must be faithful to the Gospel mandate. He has provided all the resources that we need (Acts 2:4, 10:44-46) to do His work.

What follows in this discourse is absolutely amazing. The Samaritan convert told what God had done for her….the people she told believed it! (John 4:39) and then they began to follow Jesus themselves. Consider THEIR TESTIMONY….

Not the words of Jesus….

Not the words of the Samaritan convert….

The words of those who believed the report of the Samaritan…

So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. ⁴¹ And many more believed ^zbecause of his word. ⁴² They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, ^aand we know that this is indeed ^bthe Savior ^cof the world."

The hearers had moved from confession, to belief, to true knowledge (Romans 8:16) If we dare to do the hard work of outreach we WILL SEE RESULTS.

Those results will produce more results. The good news is, those results will be long-lasting. Jesus told Peter "I will build My Church" (Matthew 16:18)

There is a Church to build! There is a Gospel to preach! The harvest is white, the laborers ARE few….pray for the Lord of the Harvest to thrust workers into His harvest field.(Luke 10:2)

Intentional outreach that brings life and hope to those who have no hope, enable the believer to enjoy what Isaiah could only dream about (Isaiah 12:3)

 

His Love Endures Forever

His Love Endures Forever

There is no one like our God! He loves us! His mercies are new every morning and His faithfulness endures forever! The Psalmists understood the power of giving thanks. As the media and merchants of our land bypass Thanksgiving to focus on the revenue generating season of Christmas, let's remember that the Godly give thanks! It's more than just saying thanks. It's reflecting on the solid reality of what we have in Christ. Consider

Galatians 5:1–15 (ESV)

Christ Has Set Us Free

5 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

² Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. ³ I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. ⁴ You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. ⁵ For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. ⁶ For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

⁷ You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? ⁸ This persuasion is not from him who calls you. ⁹ A little leaven leavens the whole lump. ¹⁰ I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view than mine, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. ¹¹ But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. ¹² I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!

¹³ For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. ¹⁴ For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." ¹⁵ But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

 

This passage reminds us that the alternative to thanksgiving is the unworkable world of legalism. Legalism is NOT BIBLICAL. It's His Grace! It's His Mercy! It's His Favor that has brought us these rich blessings.

Let's Give Thanks!