An Undiluted Message
Scripture: Acts 13:44-45
"The following week almost the entire city turned out to hear them preach the word of the Lord.45 But when some of the Jews saw the crowds, they were jealous; so they slandered Paul and argued against whatever he said."
Observations:
As Paul and Barnabas set out on a journey to spread the message of Christ in new places many accepted it and many rejected it. It became a defining line in the religious world. While many abandoned their religious system and embraced Christ, still other clung to their religious beliefs and opposed God's message. In fact, opposition soon turned ugly when Paul faced personal attacks from the religious leaders who refused to accept his teaching. There was a clear cut response to the message of Christ that left no room for middle ground.
Application:
The message of Christ is a polarizing one. It has the power to both draw us to God's grace and drive us further from depending on how we choose to respond to it. It forces us to either cling to our own understanding of God or abandon our own efforts to earn His acceptance. It challenges us to either believe and surrender or to pretend it never happened. One thing's for sure, there is no such thing as a non response to the message of Jesus. When we share it in its full strength it will always produce a reaction-both good and bad. Because we are often afraid of rejection we tend to water down the message or not share it at all. As a result we also rarely experience the positive response often seen in the New Testament where "entire cities" are impacted by our message. What might happen if we began sharing the message of Christ undiluted?
Prayer:
Father, give us a fresh dose of the message of Christ in it's full strength. Let it affect us, get inside of us, and compel us to share it with others without fear. Help us to live and proclaim the message of Christ undiluted. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
"The following week almost the entire city turned out to hear them preach the word of the Lord.45 But when some of the Jews saw the crowds, they were jealous; so they slandered Paul and argued against whatever he said."
Observations:
As Paul and Barnabas set out on a journey to spread the message of Christ in new places many accepted it and many rejected it. It became a defining line in the religious world. While many abandoned their religious system and embraced Christ, still other clung to their religious beliefs and opposed God's message. In fact, opposition soon turned ugly when Paul faced personal attacks from the religious leaders who refused to accept his teaching. There was a clear cut response to the message of Christ that left no room for middle ground.
Application:
The message of Christ is a polarizing one. It has the power to both draw us to God's grace and drive us further from depending on how we choose to respond to it. It forces us to either cling to our own understanding of God or abandon our own efforts to earn His acceptance. It challenges us to either believe and surrender or to pretend it never happened. One thing's for sure, there is no such thing as a non response to the message of Jesus. When we share it in its full strength it will always produce a reaction-both good and bad. Because we are often afraid of rejection we tend to water down the message or not share it at all. As a result we also rarely experience the positive response often seen in the New Testament where "entire cities" are impacted by our message. What might happen if we began sharing the message of Christ undiluted?
Prayer:
Father, give us a fresh dose of the message of Christ in it's full strength. Let it affect us, get inside of us, and compel us to share it with others without fear. Help us to live and proclaim the message of Christ undiluted. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
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