Category: Discipleship

Enduring Persecution

Corrie Ten Boom was a middle aged woman living in Holland. She was single and lived with her elder father and older sister. They were a family of devout Christians. When their country was conquered by Nazi Germany in 1940, things began to change quickly. Their jewish neighbors began to be arrested and sent to die in German concentration camps. Seeing their plight, Corrie and her family decided they had to help them.

The Church

The first time Jesus Christ talked about the church was when he promised to build it upon a personal revelation of who he was. (Matthew 16:13-18) In their epistles, the apostles wrote in great detail about the church, what it was, how it was to function, its purpose, and its mission.

Gifts and Talents

In each of our lives, God has placed gifts and talents. You, and everyone around you, is unique in their own way. Some are talented at administration, some are gifted teachers, some are endowed with the ability and the means to be generous, some are gifted at giving exhortation and encouragement, others are talented musicians or singers. Some are fountains of wisdom and knowledge. These are just a few of the ways God has given us each a unique capacity to serve those around us. In examining the gifts and talents given by God, it is important to first acknowledge where they came from. A gift is something given to us by someone else. And the one who has given us our gifts and talents is God. (James 1:17, Ephesian 4:8, 1 Cor 2:11)By realizing the that gifts we possesses are from God, we may ask the question, why has he given us these gifts? The bible explains to us that God has made us stewards of his gifts so we can use them for the benefit of his kingdom.

Fruitfulness

During his ministry, Jesus shared different indicators that would serve to identify his disciples. “Bearing much fruit” was one of those indicators and is closely connected to his command to love another. Being fruitful is one of the most important indicators that we are disciples of Christ. In fact, without being fruitful, Christ warns we risk being thrown away and burnt. Seeing that being fruitful is an important pursuit for all Christ’s disciples, it is beneficial for us to have a good understanding of just what it is. So what is fruitfulness? How does it work? And how can be confident that we are fruitful?

The Love of God

Jesus told his disciples that their love for one another would be a mark by which all men would recognize them as his disciples. Knowing the great importance Jesus attached to love helps us understand why his apostles went into so much detail to explain the love of God in their writings. We have been blessed by scripture to have a full explanation of the qualities and characteristics of godly love. As an example to us, Jesus lived a perfect life demonstrating perfectly the love of God. (2 Peter 2:21) In a letter to the Corinthian Church, the Apostle Paul wrote one of the most well-known descriptions of love in all human history. The Corinthian church was beset by rivalries, jealousies, abuses, and mistreatments. To bring their shortcomings to their attention, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul penned the famous lines on the subject of love.

The Great Commandment

Jesus taught his disciples something revolutionary. All the commandments of the law and the prophets were based on a singular principle and basis: love. Love for God and love for our neighbor. This revolutionary revelation is so powerful that it completely reoriented the lives Christ’s disciples.

The Five Solas of the Reformation

Catholic monk named Martin Luther had posted on a church door a list of 95 reasons that men could not be forgiven their sins by paying money to the church. This was known as the 95 Theses. The document proved to be the flame that started Protestant Reformation. The Roman Catholic world, led by Pope Leo X and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, attempted to silence Martin Luther. Their attempt failed, and the Christian world divided between Roman Catholics and Protestants.  The reformers’ disagreements with the Roman Church were summed up by something we called the Five Solas of the Reformation (Five “Alones”).

The Authority of the Bible

Jesus concluded the sermon on the mount with a powerful illustration. He told his audience that if they would take his words and put them into practice, it would be like building their house upon a rock: a solid foundation on which their lives could securely stand. He also issued a stark warning: ignoring his words would bring disaster, ruin, and collapse. In his short illustration, Jesus established the importance of God’s word and its authority.