-
There Are People Who Sacrificially Preached The Message That We Now Freely Received
It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. Acts 12: 1-2, NIV The early Christians experienced great persecution in the past. After Stephen’s death, Acts 12 recorded how James, one of Jesus’ disciples died. King Herod put him to death with a sword. This must’ve been difficult for the remaining disciples. Imagine one of your friends, whom you spent most of your days with, died for the gospel that you also preached. By this time around, James faithfully ended his life with Jesus in his heart.…
-
Paul Patiently Dealt With The Disciples According To God’s Ways
When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. Acts 9:26, NIV When Saul went to Jerusalem years after encountering Jesus in Damascus, the disciples were hesitant to welcome him. Before Saul met Jesus, he persecuted Christians and threatened their lives. He put them in prison, and many of them suffered because of him. This must’ve been why the disciples in Jerusalem found it hard to accept him. I would have probably felt the same way if I had worn their shoes. Fear would possibly dominate my heart, especially when I recall the…
-
Obeying God’s Will Won’t Always Be Easy
After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. But his followers took him and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall. Acts 9: 23-25, NIV Saul, also known as Paul, was not a stranger to persecution. When he started to preach the gospel, he slowly experienced the things that he used to do to the early Christians. He was once the persecutor, but now he was persecuted. Following Jesus wasn’t easy for him. He went through…
-
Saul Unknowingly Persecuted Jesus
As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. Acts 9:3-5, NIV Saul was breathing out murderous threats against the early Christians. He was full of zeal with his beliefs in Judaism to the point of hurting those people who followed Jesus. He was one of the Pharisees who greatly persecuted those who believed in Jesus as the Messiah. He never really realized who he was persecuting until he encountered…
-
Day 11 – 1 John 2:6
Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did. 1 John 2:6, NIV Christians and called to follow the ways of Jesus. If you claim yourself as God’s child, then you are called to live as Jesus did. He never wasted His time doing nothing. Instead, He honors the Father in all His ways and only does things that please His name. He never condemned those who are weak. Instead, He chose to love and sacrificed Himself to save us. Jesus never lived as a ruler. Instead, He chose to lead His people by showing them how to serve others. He remained humble and pure despite all the…
