Religious Studies

Too Good To Not Believe

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve (Matthew 10:1-8)

Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew, the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

The trial you face today could be a test from God

Biblical history proves that God often uses hardship to test His chosen. But sometimes it is difficult for Christians to tell whether their trial is a test from God.

Aside from the hardships that come naturally on your Christian journey, there are also more than a few tricky situations that God uses to test your commitment and resiliency. Hence, as you navigate this narrow path, it is important that you understand that not every trial you face is designed to destroy you. The Bible says, ..” the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” (Hebrews 12:6).

For example, Job 1: 1-3 states, “There once was a man named Job, who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. He had seven sons and three daughters. He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants. He was, in fact, the richest person in that entire area.”

Bible Gateway, NKJV

Still yet, God allows Satan to visit terrible trials upon Job to test him. And in a short period, Job’s lost all his livestock, then a desert wind blows down his house, killing all of his ten children. And when Job keeps his faith in God, Satan double down and afflicts him with painful sores all over his body. Unable to help her husband, Job’s wife urges him to curse God and die. Instead, Job stays true to his commitment to God.

And in the end, “the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before” ( Job 42:10)…He lived for another 140 years.

The Tomb is empty–He’s alive

John 20:1-18 New International Version (NIV)
The Empty Tomb
20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

 

Are all sins equal in the eyes of God?

James 2:10-11 (NIV)

10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

Source: What to do with Katie // Are All Sins Equal? | Chris Fabry Live | Moody Radio

Who do you say Jesus is?

Who do you say Jesus is?
It is important that Christians know who Jesus is. It’s not enough or acceptable for us to learn to walk in His footsteps. We must try to establish a personal relationship with Him. Because only then we’ll get to know Him and the power of His might.

The disciples were His brethren for a long time; they saw the miracles. But when Jesus challenged the group to see if it knew who He was, everybody failed except Peter.

The Bible says Jesus went to the territory near the town of Caesarea Philippi. While there, He asked his disciples. “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
“Some say John the Baptist,” they answered. “Others say, Elijah, while others say Jeremiah or some other prophet.”
“What about you?” He asked them. “Who do you think I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

That exchange tells me that up to that moment, those men were still skeptical about Jesus. They were just going through the motion for the benefits.

What benefits? You might ask. There are a lot of advantages to gain from embracing Christ. Politicians do it to attract a certain voting block. Business people do it to enhance their status.

But embracing Jesus for vain reasons is a recipe for disaster. It’s like building a house on sand. When the wind of tribulation blows, we need a good solid foundation to withstand the test of time. That’s why it is so important that we seek to know the Lord better. And strengthen our relationship with Him.