Bold Believers
Acts 5.12-16
Now many signs and wonders were done among the people through the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico. None of the rest dared to join them, but the people held them in high esteem. Yet more than ever believers were added to the Lord, great numbers of both men and women, so that they even carried the sick into the streets, and laid them on cots and mats, in order that Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as they came by. A great number of people would also gather from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all cured.
It's difficult to imagine God's Church being as bold and miraculous as it was in the book of Acts. This is discouraging. Thankfully, God has given us a model as to what the Church should look like. Acts provides many powerful examples of how bold believers should act.
We see that the early Church performed “many signs and wonders among the people through the apostles.” While television is full of falsified, cheap gimmicks of people being miraculously healed if only they bought a holy leaf or water, there are signs and wonders that God still performs today. He miraculously heals the terminal patient. He fills missionaries in foreign nations or who are among foreign tongues with the language necessary to preach the Gospel. He sends us angels to protect us from physical harm. Most important and miraculous, though, is that He changes hearts. What is it we see emphasized all throughout Acts whenever miraculous events occur? It is that “more than ever believers were added to the Lord.”
That is the ultimate goal of bold believers—they spread the Gospel. God ultimately heals, saves people from physical death, releases “those tormented by unclean spirits” for the purpose of saving them or using their healing to save someone else. Some would say that this means God has ulterior motives—that this means God is not merely saving out of the goodness of His own heart. To this we must say that God surely does have ulterior motives, just as we do. But his ulterior motives are ultimately for the good of His children. He uses bold believers to heal the sick and save the lost, who are then saved and heal the sick, who are then saved and heal the sick, etc. It is a wonderful fractal; it is a repetitive cycle of God redeeming His people. We should be honored to be part of such a ministry.
Christ wants us to be bold believers. He does not wish us to be merely passive, putting on fake smiles and merely being “nice.” This is something I myself must work on, as most of us must do. We are God's Church, and He calls us to be bold. Like the early apostles in Acts, may we too heal the sick, cast out demons, and preach the Gospel boldly. If you haven't been doing that, begin to do so today. Ask God for the strength and guidance to be bold for Him. Amen.
With love in Christ,
Austin Aldrich
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Jesus Bridged the Gap
Jesus Bridged the Gap
Job 9.30-35
30 Even if I washed myself with soap and my hands with washing soda, 31 you would plunge me into a slime pit so that even my clothes would detest me. 32 "He is not a man like me that I might answer him, that we might confront each other in court. 33 If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both, 34 someone to remove God's rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more. 35 Then I would speak up without fear of him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot.
Colossians 1.21-22
21Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation…”
A repetitive theme in the Old Testament is Man’s separation from God. From Genesis 3 onwards, we see sin separating Man from the fellowship of His Maker. While God presented Himself to the nation of Israel during the Old Testament, the sacrificial offerings were not enough to completely connect Man to God. It was as if there were a great, impassable gulf between Man and His Maker, larger than any canyon or ocean, higher than any mountain, with no hope in sight. Job, after recognizing his own humanity, wished that “there [was] someone to arbitrate between [Job and his friends], to lay His hand upon [them], someone to remove God’s rod from [Job], so that His terror would frighten [him] no more.”
Christ came to fulfill Job’s wish. Christ came to bridge the gap between man and God. The Cross is that bridge to the eternal. Through His sacrifice, Christ “has reconciled [us] by His physical body through death.” All the wrath we deserve was poured out and paid for by Christ. There is no need for further reconciliation. No act that you could do, no kind enough words, no goodness you could measure would be enough to fulfill that bridge to God. It’s already been taken care of. You owe God nothing, and He isn’t asking for you to pay anything. He merely asks that you follow Him. He asks that you walk across that bridge of faith, often scary from the wild heights below, to reach Him upon your physical death. Then Mankind will be complete; He will have reached His pinnacle. He will be restored to His original purpose—perfect fellowship with God in order to bring glory to God.
Have you bridged the gap, beloved? Have you ever allowed Jesus to take away your sins? The process of salvation is very simple: “[i]f you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10.9). Confess your sins to Jesus today. Ask Him to enter into your heart. Allow Him to bridge the gap. Amen.
With love in Christ,
Austin Aldrich
Job 9.30-35
30 Even if I washed myself with soap and my hands with washing soda, 31 you would plunge me into a slime pit so that even my clothes would detest me. 32 "He is not a man like me that I might answer him, that we might confront each other in court. 33 If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both, 34 someone to remove God's rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more. 35 Then I would speak up without fear of him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot.
Colossians 1.21-22
21Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation…”
A repetitive theme in the Old Testament is Man’s separation from God. From Genesis 3 onwards, we see sin separating Man from the fellowship of His Maker. While God presented Himself to the nation of Israel during the Old Testament, the sacrificial offerings were not enough to completely connect Man to God. It was as if there were a great, impassable gulf between Man and His Maker, larger than any canyon or ocean, higher than any mountain, with no hope in sight. Job, after recognizing his own humanity, wished that “there [was] someone to arbitrate between [Job and his friends], to lay His hand upon [them], someone to remove God’s rod from [Job], so that His terror would frighten [him] no more.”
Christ came to fulfill Job’s wish. Christ came to bridge the gap between man and God. The Cross is that bridge to the eternal. Through His sacrifice, Christ “has reconciled [us] by His physical body through death.” All the wrath we deserve was poured out and paid for by Christ. There is no need for further reconciliation. No act that you could do, no kind enough words, no goodness you could measure would be enough to fulfill that bridge to God. It’s already been taken care of. You owe God nothing, and He isn’t asking for you to pay anything. He merely asks that you follow Him. He asks that you walk across that bridge of faith, often scary from the wild heights below, to reach Him upon your physical death. Then Mankind will be complete; He will have reached His pinnacle. He will be restored to His original purpose—perfect fellowship with God in order to bring glory to God.
Have you bridged the gap, beloved? Have you ever allowed Jesus to take away your sins? The process of salvation is very simple: “[i]f you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10.9). Confess your sins to Jesus today. Ask Him to enter into your heart. Allow Him to bridge the gap. Amen.
With love in Christ,
Austin Aldrich
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Where He Leads, Will You Follow?
Where He Leads, Will You Follow?
Genesis 12.1-5
1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." 4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.
Most people cannot imagine a 75 year old man leaving his home country and heading out into barbaric, treacherous, unknown regions of the earth. Yet that is exactly what we are told happened to Abram in Genesis 12. God calls Abram to “leave [his] country, [his] people and [his] father’s household” to “go to the land [the LORD] will show [him].” What faith Abram must have mustered to carry out God’s plan! Even with the Lord’s promise of protection and blessing, Abram still must have dealt with fear, doubt, and anxiety.
But the Lord calls us as well, just as He called Abram. He calls us out of our places of comfort and safety into the unknown. The Lord has raised up missionaries to the ends of the earth, he has placed men and women in the line of fire for the sake of the Gospel or for a man’s country or family. He has called us to feed the hungry and poor, to adopt the orphans, and to preach the gospel when He tells us. This is no doubt the hardest part about Christianity. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristippus stated that all organisms tend to pursue pleasure and avoid pain.
And yet Christ often calls us to pain. Abraham experienced many trials and temptations along his journey. We do as well. But God calls us to follow Him, wherever and whenever He leads. I do not pretend to be the sort of person who can yet say he does this enough. Nevertheless, we need to be working on obeying the Lord. Obedience is not an option; it is a command. When our Lord leads us, we better follow. I often think about all the missed opportunities I’ve had that could have helped someone else. Just think of how much the Lord could work in the world if we would only obey Him. If we would only follow where He lead us.
We can begin to do that today. We can begin to live by the Holy Spirit’s call. We can begin to live as Abraham did. What is it God is calling you to do today? Obey His voice. Follow Him. Where He leads, will you follow? Amen.
With love in Christ,
Austin Aldrich
Genesis 12.1-5
1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." 4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.
Most people cannot imagine a 75 year old man leaving his home country and heading out into barbaric, treacherous, unknown regions of the earth. Yet that is exactly what we are told happened to Abram in Genesis 12. God calls Abram to “leave [his] country, [his] people and [his] father’s household” to “go to the land [the LORD] will show [him].” What faith Abram must have mustered to carry out God’s plan! Even with the Lord’s promise of protection and blessing, Abram still must have dealt with fear, doubt, and anxiety.
But the Lord calls us as well, just as He called Abram. He calls us out of our places of comfort and safety into the unknown. The Lord has raised up missionaries to the ends of the earth, he has placed men and women in the line of fire for the sake of the Gospel or for a man’s country or family. He has called us to feed the hungry and poor, to adopt the orphans, and to preach the gospel when He tells us. This is no doubt the hardest part about Christianity. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristippus stated that all organisms tend to pursue pleasure and avoid pain.
And yet Christ often calls us to pain. Abraham experienced many trials and temptations along his journey. We do as well. But God calls us to follow Him, wherever and whenever He leads. I do not pretend to be the sort of person who can yet say he does this enough. Nevertheless, we need to be working on obeying the Lord. Obedience is not an option; it is a command. When our Lord leads us, we better follow. I often think about all the missed opportunities I’ve had that could have helped someone else. Just think of how much the Lord could work in the world if we would only obey Him. If we would only follow where He lead us.
We can begin to do that today. We can begin to live by the Holy Spirit’s call. We can begin to live as Abraham did. What is it God is calling you to do today? Obey His voice. Follow Him. Where He leads, will you follow? Amen.
With love in Christ,
Austin Aldrich
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Under God’s Control
Under God’s Control
Job 38.3-11
3 Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. 4 "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. 5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? 6 On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone- 7 while the morning stars sang together and all the angels [a] shouted for joy? 8 "Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, 9 when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, 10 when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, 11 when I said, 'This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt'?
There’s a lot of talk about the various “doomsday scenarios” these days. Global warming, terrorism, nuclear wars, widespread pandemics, earthquakes, and the list goes on. We are told that it is only a matter of time, be it 2012 or some impending date, that we are all goners. This is a very frightening fear tactic used by Satan to make people act out of emotion and panic instead of logic and common sense. When Satan employs fear, he can strike at us through our temporary vulnerability. While our fears are not necessarily doomsday scenarios, we must admit there are things we worry about. Perhaps it’s how we’ll meet the bills, how we’ll find a job, how we’ll deal with that troubled loved one in our lives. It is in times like these that we must calm ourselves and rely on this simple but steady premise: God is in control of everything.
He shows us the earth is under His control here in Job 38. He explains to Job that He “laid the earth’s foundation,” he “marked off its dimensions”, he “fixed limits for [the sea] and set its doors and bars in place.” Beloved, if God cared enough to setup the earth, and if He controls nature, what makes you think He cannot handle any scenario we face? Only illogical, emotionally-driven fear by the devil would make us believe otherwise. We must remember that our problems are under His control. There is nothing God cannot handle. He and He alone can tell the ocean and tell our problems that “[t]his far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt.”
In times of trouble and worry and doubt, remember God controls it all. The whole universe is His symphony, wonderfully composed. There are those who would play the foul notes and attempt to ruin God’s plan, but He has already figured out a solution ahead of time. Just as the Father sent Christ as the redemption of Israel and the world, so too does He have plans for us when things go wrong. Remember this as you go throughout your day. Amen.
With love in Christ,
Austin Aldrich
Job 38.3-11
3 Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. 4 "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. 5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? 6 On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone- 7 while the morning stars sang together and all the angels [a] shouted for joy? 8 "Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, 9 when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, 10 when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, 11 when I said, 'This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt'?
There’s a lot of talk about the various “doomsday scenarios” these days. Global warming, terrorism, nuclear wars, widespread pandemics, earthquakes, and the list goes on. We are told that it is only a matter of time, be it 2012 or some impending date, that we are all goners. This is a very frightening fear tactic used by Satan to make people act out of emotion and panic instead of logic and common sense. When Satan employs fear, he can strike at us through our temporary vulnerability. While our fears are not necessarily doomsday scenarios, we must admit there are things we worry about. Perhaps it’s how we’ll meet the bills, how we’ll find a job, how we’ll deal with that troubled loved one in our lives. It is in times like these that we must calm ourselves and rely on this simple but steady premise: God is in control of everything.
He shows us the earth is under His control here in Job 38. He explains to Job that He “laid the earth’s foundation,” he “marked off its dimensions”, he “fixed limits for [the sea] and set its doors and bars in place.” Beloved, if God cared enough to setup the earth, and if He controls nature, what makes you think He cannot handle any scenario we face? Only illogical, emotionally-driven fear by the devil would make us believe otherwise. We must remember that our problems are under His control. There is nothing God cannot handle. He and He alone can tell the ocean and tell our problems that “[t]his far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt.”
In times of trouble and worry and doubt, remember God controls it all. The whole universe is His symphony, wonderfully composed. There are those who would play the foul notes and attempt to ruin God’s plan, but He has already figured out a solution ahead of time. Just as the Father sent Christ as the redemption of Israel and the world, so too does He have plans for us when things go wrong. Remember this as you go throughout your day. Amen.
With love in Christ,
Austin Aldrich
Sunday, February 14, 2010
No Need to Worry
No Need to Worry
Matthew 6.25-27; 33-34
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
As the snow covered the ground around my house Friday, I watched the birds huddling up in a bush under the eves of my house. A few would eat at the feeder while the others waited out of the weather. It was certainly no weather for flying, but the birds knew exactly what to do. They did not worry about the weather; the merely waited it out.
This reminds me of our Lord’s instructions on worrying found here in Matthew. We are told to ‘not worry about [our lives].” He shows us how the “birds of the air. . .do not sow or reap or store away in barns,” but are fed by our heavenly Father. It becomes much easier to avoid worry when we stop to consider the birds. God always provides them a place with shelter and food. And yet we worry He will not provide for us. We feel the unquenchable desire to worry over our needs, forgetting that God has already met them.
I do not mean to say that we shall always have physical safety, or that our bank accounts will always be overflowing. God never promises anything of the sort. There is a very dangerous sort of preaching these days that says that if we just follow God, He will bless us with stuff. He does not promise stuff; He promises life in Him. He has given eternal life, which is enough for us to cease worrying. If we really stop and think about it, what do we really have to fear if we are saved? Physical death is a mere passing between worlds. Trials and temptations will end, and our Lord will be there while and after they occur. That is why the scripture is so powerful that says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8.31b). If God is our Shepherd, why do we need to worry? The Psalmist echoes this in Psalm 23 when he says “[e]ven though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23.4ab). Because God is our Shepherd, there is no need to fear. He is with us wherever we go.
I hope you will not fill your heart with worry. Whether it be tests or work or family or trials or temptations, know that Jesus goes with you. Just as He feeds the birds of the air, so too He will feed you exactly what you need when you need it. We cannot always comprehend God’s plans, but we know that He will be there with us as they occur. There’s nothing to worry about! Amen.
With love in Christ,
Austin Aldrich
Matthew 6.25-27; 33-34
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
As the snow covered the ground around my house Friday, I watched the birds huddling up in a bush under the eves of my house. A few would eat at the feeder while the others waited out of the weather. It was certainly no weather for flying, but the birds knew exactly what to do. They did not worry about the weather; the merely waited it out.
This reminds me of our Lord’s instructions on worrying found here in Matthew. We are told to ‘not worry about [our lives].” He shows us how the “birds of the air. . .do not sow or reap or store away in barns,” but are fed by our heavenly Father. It becomes much easier to avoid worry when we stop to consider the birds. God always provides them a place with shelter and food. And yet we worry He will not provide for us. We feel the unquenchable desire to worry over our needs, forgetting that God has already met them.
I do not mean to say that we shall always have physical safety, or that our bank accounts will always be overflowing. God never promises anything of the sort. There is a very dangerous sort of preaching these days that says that if we just follow God, He will bless us with stuff. He does not promise stuff; He promises life in Him. He has given eternal life, which is enough for us to cease worrying. If we really stop and think about it, what do we really have to fear if we are saved? Physical death is a mere passing between worlds. Trials and temptations will end, and our Lord will be there while and after they occur. That is why the scripture is so powerful that says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8.31b). If God is our Shepherd, why do we need to worry? The Psalmist echoes this in Psalm 23 when he says “[e]ven though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23.4ab). Because God is our Shepherd, there is no need to fear. He is with us wherever we go.
I hope you will not fill your heart with worry. Whether it be tests or work or family or trials or temptations, know that Jesus goes with you. Just as He feeds the birds of the air, so too He will feed you exactly what you need when you need it. We cannot always comprehend God’s plans, but we know that He will be there with us as they occur. There’s nothing to worry about! Amen.
With love in Christ,
Austin Aldrich
Thursday, February 11, 2010
An Attitude of Caring
An Attitude of Caring
1 John 3.16-20
16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
3 John 1.5-8
5Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you. 6They have told the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. 7It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. 8We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth.
The second and third letters John wrote were addressed to a traveling teacher named Gaius. While we do not know much about Gaius, we know that he was a friend of John’s who spent his ministry traveling among the churches, teaching them. These itinerant teachers were somewhat similar to a professor or author on a lecture circuit. The churches they visited would usually provide them a place to stay while they were there. This was a generous form of hospitality. In some ways, this tradition is carried on with the concept of a parsonage.
One of the points of John’s letter to Gaius was to encourage him for all his work. He also mentions a man named Diotrephes, who was refusing to show hospitality to “the brothers.” The contrast John draws here is significant because it reflects a major attribute of the Christian church: hospitality. The churches who were hospitable to Gaius were following the words of John’s first letter to “love not with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” John warns the first century believers that “the love of God” is not in him who “has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him.” Therefore, Christians are to love others and to “lay down [their] lives for [their] brothers.”
John’s instructions are no less applicable now than they were 2,000 years ago. It is the duty of the Church to show hospitality to other believers and to the unsaved. Many churches are already outpouring their blessings in rich generosity. I read the other day of a local church who opened its doors to the homeless during a snow storm. That is exactly the sort of hospitality to which Christ commands us.
It is often said that the lost remain lost because they see the Church as hypocritical and unconcerned about them. In this, I am afraid, they sometimes speak the truth. This is why it is so critical that we, too, show the hospitality so common in the First Century Church. As believers in Christ, let us show the love of Christ to all liberally. May we outpour all the things God has blessed us with to others we see in need. I am confident and encouraged that we can and that we are doing this. Let us continue to give more. Amen.
With love in Christ,
Austin Aldrich
1 John 3.16-20
16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
3 John 1.5-8
5Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you. 6They have told the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. 7It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. 8We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth.
The second and third letters John wrote were addressed to a traveling teacher named Gaius. While we do not know much about Gaius, we know that he was a friend of John’s who spent his ministry traveling among the churches, teaching them. These itinerant teachers were somewhat similar to a professor or author on a lecture circuit. The churches they visited would usually provide them a place to stay while they were there. This was a generous form of hospitality. In some ways, this tradition is carried on with the concept of a parsonage.
One of the points of John’s letter to Gaius was to encourage him for all his work. He also mentions a man named Diotrephes, who was refusing to show hospitality to “the brothers.” The contrast John draws here is significant because it reflects a major attribute of the Christian church: hospitality. The churches who were hospitable to Gaius were following the words of John’s first letter to “love not with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” John warns the first century believers that “the love of God” is not in him who “has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him.” Therefore, Christians are to love others and to “lay down [their] lives for [their] brothers.”
John’s instructions are no less applicable now than they were 2,000 years ago. It is the duty of the Church to show hospitality to other believers and to the unsaved. Many churches are already outpouring their blessings in rich generosity. I read the other day of a local church who opened its doors to the homeless during a snow storm. That is exactly the sort of hospitality to which Christ commands us.
It is often said that the lost remain lost because they see the Church as hypocritical and unconcerned about them. In this, I am afraid, they sometimes speak the truth. This is why it is so critical that we, too, show the hospitality so common in the First Century Church. As believers in Christ, let us show the love of Christ to all liberally. May we outpour all the things God has blessed us with to others we see in need. I am confident and encouraged that we can and that we are doing this. Let us continue to give more. Amen.
With love in Christ,
Austin Aldrich
Sunday, February 7, 2010
A Heart Like His
A Heart Like His
Ephesians 5.1-2
1Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
In Genesis 1 we are told that we are made in the image of God: “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1.27). As we well know, sin distorted that image. Through Christ, however, we are called to be imitators of Christ. Ephesians tells us to “[b]e imitators of God.” We are to “live a life of love, just as Christ loved us.”
This means that our hearts must be like Christ’s heart. The once-stylish bracelets proclaiming, “What Would Jesus Do?” really asks, “How can our lives imitate Christ?” This is a question we ought ask ourselves every day. Are the things that we say, the actions we take, the attitude we have both in ourselves and towards others, reflective of God?
It takes discipline to begin to think in this way. It is a total mindshift. We must learn to process and filter the thoughts of our hearts before we speak. Is what I’m about to say/do reflective of Christ? Beloved, sadly it is often not. We need heart transplants: we need the heart of Christ. We need to consciously shift our human nature to a godly one. Instead of complaining about someone under the guise of, “I’m just trying to help them,” we should instead help them in the way Jesus would help them—pray and act towards them in a way that builds them up, not tears them down. It is the same in every scenario of life. When we force our hearts to be like Christ’s, we are “[being] imitators of God.” We begin to “live a life of love.” We begin to be like Christ.
If there is an absence of love in your life, if your heart is not like Jesus’, you need to come to Him today and begin a heart transformation. Your heart will not change overnight, but with discipline and a continuously steady and renewing focus on Christ, God will begin to sculpt your heart until it is in His image. Amen.
With love in Christ,
Austin Aldrich
Ephesians 5.1-2
1Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
In Genesis 1 we are told that we are made in the image of God: “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1.27). As we well know, sin distorted that image. Through Christ, however, we are called to be imitators of Christ. Ephesians tells us to “[b]e imitators of God.” We are to “live a life of love, just as Christ loved us.”
This means that our hearts must be like Christ’s heart. The once-stylish bracelets proclaiming, “What Would Jesus Do?” really asks, “How can our lives imitate Christ?” This is a question we ought ask ourselves every day. Are the things that we say, the actions we take, the attitude we have both in ourselves and towards others, reflective of God?
It takes discipline to begin to think in this way. It is a total mindshift. We must learn to process and filter the thoughts of our hearts before we speak. Is what I’m about to say/do reflective of Christ? Beloved, sadly it is often not. We need heart transplants: we need the heart of Christ. We need to consciously shift our human nature to a godly one. Instead of complaining about someone under the guise of, “I’m just trying to help them,” we should instead help them in the way Jesus would help them—pray and act towards them in a way that builds them up, not tears them down. It is the same in every scenario of life. When we force our hearts to be like Christ’s, we are “[being] imitators of God.” We begin to “live a life of love.” We begin to be like Christ.
If there is an absence of love in your life, if your heart is not like Jesus’, you need to come to Him today and begin a heart transformation. Your heart will not change overnight, but with discipline and a continuously steady and renewing focus on Christ, God will begin to sculpt your heart until it is in His image. Amen.
With love in Christ,
Austin Aldrich
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