I wanted to follow-up and encourage you on what our emphasis has been as we move into 2017. We have basically laid out our vision and it is rooted in the Apostle Paul’s prayer found in Ephesians 3:14-19. Our desire, goal, and pursuit, as individuals and a church, into the new year is to “Know Christ, His love, and experience the Biblical realities of walking in the fullness of God.”
Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ
Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ
New Testament
It might seem a bit odd to have an unsaved king be an example of living out the Christian life. I have not discovered a book titled, “The Christian Life” written by King Herod. Yet, in today’s scripture, we find this wicked ruler illustrating the reality of the Christian life. He does so, not by his personal experience of walking with Christ for he lacked faith in Him. He does so by showing us what occurs in the inner life of a Christian – conflict.
A reading from the first chapter of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress followed by Jonathan Sole giving some Biblical lessons based on the reading.
As one reads today’s scripture and enters the scene between Jesus and His disciples, it isn’t difficult to determine why the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray.” It isn’t that they had never prayed. But look when their request occurred. It was right after they heard Jesus pray. It makes perfect sense to ask, “Lord, teach us to pray” after hearing Him pray.
The Christian life is filled with many spiritual dangers. Not a day goes by we are not confronted with spiritual foes seeking our destruction. It is an unwise and ill-prepared Christian who simply rushes into each day oblivious to this reality. And the evil tactics of our foes are many, subtle, well-crafted, and easily trip us up.
Today’s nugget isn’t for everyone. If you are a person who has it all together, experience no spiritual struggles, are quite content on where you are spiritually, are oblivious to spiritual warfare, go through your life relatively problem-free and don’t have any concerns over sin, don’t grieve over spiritual inconsistencies in your life and are satisfied with your time in the Word, prayer, and the other things of God, then this nugget isn’t for you.