Spring 2023 has sprung in Broken Arrow, OK

Friday, January 3, 2014

Rising Hopes...

The comparisons between John the Baptist’s ministry and ours as the church today, continue to come out.  Yesterday I mentioned how John gave the people a reason to start making a way for Christ in their hearts.  His words and his actions built up their hope and expectancy for a better way of life for them.  As Luke 3:6 states, John demonstrated how “All people will see the salvation that God gives.” (God’s Word ©)  He brought the hope that only Jesus could give to the people around him… and we can do the same!  Just as the Pastor mentioned on Wednesday night, “nothing compares with God’s message of hope!”  

Psalm 98:2 echoes Luke’s gospel by saying “The Lord has made his salvation known.  He has uncovered his righteousness for the nations to see… before the nations he revealed his righteousness.”  Today He is revealing His righteousness through us in our homes, in our neighborhoods and everywhere we may traverse!
In Isaiah 42:16 it was prophesied of the Lord that “I will lead the blind on unfamiliar roads.  I will lead them over unfamiliar paths.  I will turn darkness into light in front of them.” (God’s Word ©)  If you and I are a living and breathing image of the Gospel, then you can insert your name in that verse and boldly say (in my case) Jim will lead them over unfamiliar roads…”
Does that sound a little too fantastic for some of you to fathom?  I believe it is exactly what our loving heavenly Father expects of us.  Just remember that it is not you who is actually doing the leading but “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27), and it is not to be done in your strength but you “living for God in the power Christ gives you.” (Romans 6:11)
As my Personal Evangelism Class instructor taught us in Bible School, our love for Christ should naturally flow through our lives into everything we say and do, thereby touching all that we come into contact with on a daily basis.  In order for us to lead though, the touch of Christ from our lives will need to be more consistent in the lives of those we reach out to.  A good friend of mine recently testified of how the Lord had used him to miraculously turn another man’s way of thinking and acting.  My friend John, who is normally an outgoing and engaging individual, began to reach out to a recently handicapped neighbor by visiting him and doing some shopping and other errands for him.  John’s neighbor was not the friendliest individual in the world and at one point responded to John’s loving actions with some very discouraging and ugly words.
This was the last straw for my friend, but as he began to walk away from the situation, the Lord spoke to him and specifically told him to be his neighbor’s friend and to love him despite what was said.  Well, to make a long story short, John responded in obedience to the Lord and even though it was hard, he continued to reach out to his neighbor.  One day, soon afterwards, John invited his unfriendly friend to go to church with him, and to John’s surprise the other gentleman said yes!  When the alter call came at the end of that service, the individual who had been so mean to John walked down the aisle and gave his heart to Jesus!  On the way home that night, the neighbor told John that he was the only friend that he had and that no one had stuck with him like John had before in his life!
To this gentleman who had lost a leg due to diabetes, and was dealing with his wife’s recent diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, his world was in a tremendous downhill skid!  To him my friend was the Gospel in action.  John was the only Jesus that this man had ever seen and he led him down unfamiliar paths that his neighbor had never walked before!
Luke 3:8 tells us how “People’s hopes were rising…” (God’s Word ©) as they listened to and watched John the Baptist.  My friend’s neighbor’s hopes were also rising as he listened to and watched a Christian in action “Being the Gospel” before him.  His expanding expectations opened up the door of his heart to receive the answer to all his needs!
Think about the effect that your life is having on those around you this weekend.  Are your actions causing the hopes and expectations of something better in their lives to rise in them as you live the Gospel before them?  I pray that mine are… and yours as well!  Have a great weekend.  Stay in tune to His Word and keep asking yourself… What am I expecting today?”

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