They Had Been With Jesus

In Acts we read of how the church was formed and about the many souls that were added there unto daily. In Chapter 2 we can read about the day of Pentocost and marvel at how their speach was turned into a universal language, so to say. But we aren't the only ones who marvel at this. These things were very new and unusual to the Jews. Some of the things that were taking place in the early church days really disturbed the preists and government of Isreal. They watched Peter and the other apostles very closely. Obviousely, the Jewish rulers, (priests, Sadducees, and the captain of the temple) had had enough when the lame man was healed upon Peter's command of "In the Name of Jesus christ of Nazareth rise up and walk." The Bible tells us that they were, " grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead." Instead of celebrating with the lame man for his new found freedome to walk, run, and move as he pleased, they arested the apostles and put them in prison.

The next morning they were brought before the high preists, rulers, elders, and scribes. They asked the men, "By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?" After Peter gave his answer (Acts 4:8-12) they "perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus."

When I read that last line I stopped to think about what it really meant. It was so evident that these men were unlearned and ignorant, and very clear that these men were not the ones doing the talking, but Jesus. That is amazing! This is a very good picture of how Christ should shine through us every day. We shouldn't waste our time trying to make ourselves more elequent in speech and graceful in our wittnessing. I have done this very thing. I have tried to find ways that will make my writing sound better and more interesting by using adjatives in creative ways and going about a differant aproach to tell the story. Instead I should be spending time with Jesus, for that is how God will be able to talk through me. If I am sensative to the Holy Spirit then He will give me the words to write and say with no help from me. After all, every time I try to do something on my own I am always going to fail. Only the things done through Christ will make a differance in this life.

My desire, and the desire of every Christian, should be to have a testemony like Peter and the other apostles. When others hear us speak, sing, or read our writings, they should be able to say, "and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus."

How the Cross Became Commonplace

The Cross.

How do those words make you feel? Do they make you cringe at the remembrance of what Christ went through for you, or do those words seem commonplace . . . to no affect? If you are a Christian, bought by the blood of Jesus Christ, they should greatly affect you. They should make you feel grateful for the GREAT sacrifice Jesus paid so that you could go to heaven and be saved from the torture of hells’ everlasting fire.

Christ paid the Ultimate Sacrifice. He was beaten until he was unrecognizable, whipped severely, speared in the side, had thorns drove into his head, mocked, and nailed to the cross to die . . . just for us! Because of the cross we are able to talk to Jesus any time we want without going having to go through a priest. Because of the cross we do not have to sacrifice animals as atonement for our sins. The cross has changed our life forever. Never has there ever been such a great sacrifice made for us.

So why is the cross so commonplace? Why does it not bring tears to our eyes every time we hear the words? The cross is no longer treated as something sacred or holy. I’ve seen women dressed in very immodest clothes, showing their bosom, yet they hang a cross around their neck. To them it is just a symbol. I think that is very disrespectful. In no way am I trying to imply that we should worship the cross, but I do believe that we should respect it. The death of Christ is no little matter and we shouldn't treat it as such. If that is so, why are Christians not moved when they hear about Jesus’ crucifixion?

People don’t want to face the gruesome facts. The crucifixion is not a pretty picture. It is not easy to hear the account of his death, even for me. It is bloody, painful, and unpleasant. The picture you see on this post does not show just how bloody he was. When I hear all that he went through I feel deeply ashamed. Ashamed for not thanking him enough and for not doing everything he asks of me. The cross makes people see their selfishness. None of that is fun. Everyone would rather hear the stories of the great miracles he performed or the story of victory in the time of Moses. So we put aside the greatest story in the Bible.

It is not talked about any more. The cross is not preached near as much as it should be. Preachers may mention it in their messages, but how often do they preach solely on Jesus’ crucifixion? Sadly, I can count the times I remember hearing sermons that dealt with the gruesome details of his death on one hand. (I know I have heard more since I was raised in church all my life, but I only remember the ones preached within the last few years.) I can’t begin to count the sermons I’ve heard on prayer and grace. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:1-2, “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” It must be important if Paul said that he didn’t care to deal with anything but Christ’s crucifixion!

But we can’t just point our finger at the preachers. We are just as guilty. How often do we talk of what Jesus did for us? I think most of us aren’t even as thankful as we should be. The least we can do is meditate and give thanks for his great sacrifice. By keeping it on our mind we will be more apt to bring it into our conversations.

The message is this. There is nothing commonplace about the cross. When Christians don’t take time to consider this life saving truth, we have lost our focus. It should always be on our mind. If my brother or dad were to die such a horrible death I don’t think I could ever treat the matter as something of little importance.

Jesus gave his all for us! When was the last time we genuinely thanked him?