Water, Water: Where Would We Be Without Water?

Water. In a word, it’s ubiquitous. Scientists say 71 percent of the Earth is covered by water. And you and I are mostly water, too. The bodies of men are made up of 60-65 percent water; women are 50-55 percent water. No wonder wives sometimes think their husbands are all wet! 

We typically take water for granted even though we use it so much. Except when a water main breaks and suddenly we don’t have it. We drink it, bathe and shower in it, use it in cooking, wash dishes with it, swim in it, spray lawns and plants with it, mix it with lemons and sugar to make lemonade. We freeze it to cool our beverages and heat it to make coffee and tea.

 

Water’s our friend – until it isn’t. Horrendous floods in Texas, North Carolina and other parts of the country proved that. Hurricanes and blizzards (frozen water) aren’t fun. Riptides near the shore can ruin any beach experience. Good or bad, one thing about water is certain: It’s everywhere.

 

Recently I was reminded that water figures prominently in the Bible. My wife and I were reading Water from the Rock, a new devotional book by our friend, Betsy Zbinden. She observed, “Throughout Scripture we see how God used water in the life of His people to show His almighty power and control over the universe.”

 

We don’t have to read far to find water mentioned in the Bible. It’s introduced in the Creation account. Genesis 1:2 says, “…the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” Then in the sixth verse we’re told, “And God said, ‘Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.’”

 

That’s barely ‘scratching the surface’ of what the Scriptures say about water. In Genesis 6 and 7 we read about the global flood God caused to destroy humankind that had become extremely wicked, sparing only Noah, his wife, three sons and their wives.

 

Moving forward, water played an important part in God’s deliverance of Israel from captivity in Egypt. He used Moses to turn water in the Nile River into blood, demanding that Pharaoh free the Israelites from four centuries of slavery. Then, once the Egyptian king relented, God parted the waters of the Red Sea enabling the Israelites to escape the pursuing Egyptian army. While they wandered in the wilderness, the Lord provided water for them from a rock.

 

There are too many other instances of God’s use of water in dealing with His people to include here, but it’s important to know water also played a key role in Jesus’ earthly ministry. While heralding the imminent coming of the Messiah – “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him” (Matthew 3:3) – John the Baptist was baptizing people in the Jordan River as they repented of their sins.

 

Jesus’ first miracle, recounted in John 2:1-11, was turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana when all the other wine had been consumed. (And it was better than the finest wine the host had purchased.)

 

Then, breaking cultural taboos, Jesus spoke compassionate, life-changing words to a Samaritan woman who had gone to a well at midday to obtain water, avoiding the judgmental stares of other women from Sychar. After asking, “Will you give me a drink?”, He told the startled woman, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water” (John 4:7-10). Her testimony after this encounter led to many in her town coming to faith in Christ.

 

This essentially summarizes the heart of the Gospel. While people throughout history have depended upon water for their physical well-being, Jesus came to offer “living water” to ensure our eternal destiny.

 

We see an example of this in John 5:1-14, as Jesus was passing an invalid who for years had lain near a pool called Bethesda that people believed could bring healing if the water became agitated. “Do you want to get well?” Jesus asked him. The man replied, “Sir, I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” Then Jesus gave him a simple command: “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” The man was cured immediately, picked up his mat and walked, causing much conversation and amazement among those who witnessed this miracle.

 

Later, when Jesus and His disciples saw a man blind from birth, water again came into play. After spitting on the ground to make mud, Jesus put it on the man’s eyes and directed him, “Go. Wash in the Pool of Siloam.” The man did as he was told and went home able to see for the first time in his life. This also provoked great discussion, including among the Pharisees, who investigated to learn how this miracle came about and who was responsible.

 

Near the close of this story, we discover the main point wasn’t Jesus using water as part of His miracle; He was presenting a deeper truth. Approaching the man afterward, Jesus asked, “‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ ‘Who is He, sir?’ the man asked. ‘Tell me that I may believe in Him.’ Jesus said, ‘You have now seen Him; in fact, He is the one speaking with you.’ Then the man said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped Him” (John 9:35-38).

 

Perhaps most startling of all was a night Jesus’ disciples were all in a boat heading for Capernaum when, “A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. But He said to them, ‘It is I; don’t be afraid’” (John 6:18-20). Similar accounts are given in Matthew 14 and Mark 6. 

 

Another time Jesus and the disciples were at sea when a furious squall came up, nearly capsizing the boat. Terrified, the disciples pleaded with Jesus – who had been sleeping – to do something. He simply commanded the waters, “Quiet! Be still!” and instantly it was completely calm. Understandably, the disciples asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!” (Mark 4:35-41).

 

Twice Jesus intervened after His disciples had spent an entire night on the water, fishing without catching anything. The stories are told in Luke 5 and John 21. He spoke just a few words and suddenly they had so many fish in their nets they couldn’t haul them into the boat.

 

The wonder of water! An average person can survive without water for approximately 3-5 days. Largely made up of water ourselves, we’re dependent upon water to live. In a far more profound way, the key to life spiritually is to drink of the “living water” – the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

 

As He declared on the final day of the Feast of Tabernacles in Judea, where many people had gathered, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him” (John 9:37-38). Feeling thirsty?

A Faithful Life – and a Legacy That Will Endure

American Christianity said farewell to an iconic Bible teacher and theologian last week. John MacArthur, who pastored his church in California for more than 50 years, passed from this life at the age of 86 and went on to his eternal reward. Over that span he preached more than 3,000 sermons and authored hundreds of books.

 

Sometimes controversial but always steadfast in his trust in the inerrancy and timeless relevance of the Bible, MacArthur was known for his verse-by-verse exposition of the Scriptures and bold stance on foundational biblical principles and doctrines. While some might have differed with some of his interpretations, MacArthur left a solid legacy of unwavering confidence in the Word of God, touching countless lives through his preaching, radio programs, and writings.

 

In 2 Timothy 4:3 the apostle Paul warned, “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” We’re living in such a time, but MacArthur wasn’t among those teachers. He was a champion of biblical truth, letting Scripture interpret Scripture rather than shaping the message from the pulpit to fit the prevailing culture.

 

I met MacArthur once at a CBMC conference where he was the week-long Bible teacher. One of his messages pointed me to a life-changing understanding of my relationship with Jesus Christ. He was speaking about how to study the Scriptures effectively, suggesting one way for grasping what a book of the Bible says is to read it repeatedly. He suggested 1 John in the New Testament as a good start, since it consists of only five chapters and can easily be read daily over the course of a month.

 

That’s what I did. Every day for 30 days I read through 1 John, a simple book that offers a clear, concise synopsis of the Gospel. Its teachings gradually became more and more familiar, but I kept stumbling over two seemingly contradictory verses.

 

The verses were 1 John 2:7-8, “Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in [Christ] and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.” 

 

It troubled me that the apostle John was saying in one verse this was an old command “which you have had since the beginning,” but in the very next verse was declaring it’s “a new command.” If one of these verses had appeared at the start of the book and the other at the end, I might have concluded John was addressing different things. But as a writer, I questioned how this close follower of Christ could be saying two apparently opposite things in consecutive verses. I thought, ‘Come on, John, is it old or is it new?!’ 

 

I was in a small group Bible study at the time, and we’d been memorizing specific Bible verses. One was Galatians 2:20, which says, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” The other was 2 Corinthians 5:17, which declares, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

 

These verses also bothered me. While believing they were true, I wasn’t experiencing them in my life. I was still being defeated by some of the same temptations and sins I’d always wrestled with. Jesus didn’t seem to be living in me. And I didn’t feel like a new creation. In my mind I was the same old sinful mess I’d always been.

 

Over time, however, pondering these passages and others, I came to a startling realization. I’d been trying to live the so-called ‘Christian life’ in my own strength, maybe asking God for a little boost from time to time. I was way off base. God wanted me to recognize that living the Christian life isn’t difficult – it’s impossible. That is, without the power of Christ at work in me through His Spirit. 

 

This is why Jesus told His disciples, “…apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). The apostle Paul had learned this lesson well, but also observed, “I can do everything through [Christ] who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

 

Getting back to the two verses in 1 John that had confounded me, they affirmed for me this truth. Admittedly, the context for those words concerns loving one another as believers. However, God used them to help me understand that all of His commands, starting with the Ten Commandments, have been given to mankind from the beginning. As we read the Old Testament, as well as the New Testament, we see even the most faithful have had a terrible time obeying God’s requirements.

 

So, the apostle John was stating the command to “love your neighbor as yourself,” originally found in Leviticus 19:18, is an “old command.” However, through the power of Christ living in us, it is now also a “new command.” That is, we might not be able to love our neighbor as we should – as well as many other things. But by allowing Jesus to work in and through us, we can do what we’re commanded to do.

After years of struggling, praying and then telling God, ‘I can’t!’ His response to me, in essence, was ‘I know, My child, but I can do it through you – if you’ll let Me.’ And I have John MacArthur to thank for putting me on the path to discovering this foundational truth. 

What Makes a Marriage Work Long-Term?

When I was a lot younger, I would see news articles about couples celebrating their 50^th anniversaries and marvel. As a newspaper editor, I even wrote about some of them myself. But I would often wonder, ‘How do folks stay married that long?’

 

Well, surprise! Last year my wife and I joined that elite and increasingly rare company, and now we’ve started our second half-century together. How can that be? We’re not that old! 

Despite spending more than five decades together, we’re not ‘experts.’ We’re imperfect people and have had our share of struggles, just as everyone does – health, financial, family. Thankfully, they’ve ultimately served to strengthen our relationship, and by trusting in God and His grace, our marriage has survived and thrived.

 

There are many reasons why “golden anniversary” couples are so uncommon. People are getting married much later in life – if they marry at all. If folks get married in their late 20s, early 30s or even after that, their likelihood of arriving at the big 5-0 diminishes considerably. Just do the math.

 

But an even greater reason for not seeing marital longevity is too often married couples bail in the face of difficulties, rather than determining to work through them together. It’s said, ‘Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,’ but too often folks think it’s easier to quit and get a divorce than weather the challenges that can forge strong marital bonds.

 

There’s no ‘secret sauce’ to making the union between a man and a woman succeed, but I think a good formula is found in a Bible passage that’s often included in wedding ceremonies but not always taken seriously. It’s 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, which says:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails….”

 

These words are easy to recite during the rite in which a man and a woman become husband and wife. But they are very difficult to live out. Because in our ‘Me, me, me,’ self-focused world, this passage exhorts us to put the needs and interests of the other person first.

 

Being patient means setting aside our agendas and timing when things don’t seem to be going our way. Kindness is directed toward the other person, often sacrificially; it’s needed even when we might not want to extend it. Envy, boasting, pride, rudeness and self-seeking – all involve putting oneself ahead of the other, which doesn’t serve to honor or uplift the marriage partner. 

 

We might be able to justify anger, but a reasonable husband or wife learns to control how it’s expressed, constructively or destructively. And just as it’s wise to avoid becoming hysterical, it’s also good to refrain from being historical. Harboring resentment and withholding forgiveness over past wrongs serves no good purpose.

 

Focusing on truth and rejecting evil in any of its myriad forms are foundational for a healthy marital relationship. And love in its truest form seeks to protect, maintains trust, has high hopes for the other person, and determines to persevere. That’s why the words “in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer” are included in many wedding vows. The covenant of marriage is the commitment to stay with one another no matter what. Love, in spite of adversity, is to be permanent, unfailing.

 

When we reflect on the passage in 1 Corinthians 13, we see these qualities best exhibited in the life, death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. John 3:16 familiarly reminds us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” And as He looked toward the cross, Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). 

 

Can you imagine a greater love than what we see demonstrated by the Father and the Son? “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

 

Many places in the Scriptures describe the relationship between the Lord and His Church ias a marriage, with the universal body of believers being His bride. Jesus’ first miracle took place at a wedding (John 2:1-11), and the culmination of His work also involves a wedding: “Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride [the Church] has made herself ready…. ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’” (Revelation 19:7,9).

What’s our takeaway? Marriage is hard work. It’s sacrificial. But the rewards for persevering and learning to love unconditionally are priceless – and eternal. 

Pros and Cons of ‘Professionals’ and ‘Amateurs’

The line between “professional” and “amateur” seems to be blurring, possibly on the brink of obliteration. Especially in the world of sports.

 

For example, we once looked upon the Summer and Winter Olympics as events in which athletes took part for the glory of representing their countries and competing with the best in their sports. Along with what ABC’s Wide World of Sports once called, “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.” Except for travel expenses, room and board, and incidentals during their time at the events, the athletes competed as amateurs. Simply for the joy of it.

 

Now athletes arrive as paid professionals, competing not only for medals but also for prize winnings and a shot at lucrative product endorsement deals. They’ve already been paid for their time invested in training, so the once-hallowed term of “amateur” has virtually disappeared from the Olympic vocabulary.

 

The same is happening in college sports. With NIL (Name Image and Likeness) and now revenue-sharing with their respective colleges and universities, athletes in numerous sports are receiving substantial compensation for their participation. The simple privilege of competing for ‘dear ole alma mater’ is being overshadowed by dollar signs. To paraphrase Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz,” ‘Toto, we’re not in amateur land anymore.’

 

This isn’t to begrudge these talented athletes the right to be compensated for the many hours they spend training and practicing. Things have come a long way from when it had been forbidden to even buy a recruit an unauthorized hamburger, or offer financial assistance if a family emergency occurred. What I wonder about is the whole notion of amateurs vs. professionals. As someone has observed, “Remember – amateurs built the Ark. Professionals built the Titanic.”

Particularly in the spiritual realm, we tend to exalt the ‘paid professionals’ and minimize the amateurs, those sometimes classified as ‘lay people.’ For years I was like many who regarded those holding titles like pastor, priest, minister, ‘the reverend,’ and missionaries as the elites in Christianity, the ‘Special Ops’ forces in God’s army. By comparison, everybody else was simply to hang their heads and mumble, “Well, I’m just a layman.”

 

In truth, however, the Bible never makes such a distinction. Yes, in the Old Testament we find the priests who were assigned duties as religious intermediaries, performing the daily and festival sacrifices. But even then, it was mostly common folks who were charged with much of God’s special work. 

 

Once sold into slavery by his own brothers, Joseph – a nobody – rose to prominence in Egypt and was instrumental in helping what would become known as the nation of Israel survive a severe famine. Then Moses, who survived the Egyptian pharaoh’s edict to kill all the male Jewish infants, was chosen by God to lead the Israelites out of slavery and into the Promised Land.

 

David wasn’t a stellar student in Hebrew school; he was a lowly shepherd boy. And yet the Lord handpicked him to become king of Israel. Many of the Old Testament prophets, like Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah and Jeremiah, were ordinary individuals divinely selected to speak on behalf of the Lord.

 

Then in the New Testament, among Jesus’ personally selected disciples were fishermen, craftsmen, a despised tax collector, and even a political activist. Not a Pharisee, Sadducee, or religious leader in the bunch. All ‘amateurs,’ not ‘paid professionals.’ Yet those were the people the Lord called to carry on His work following His ascension to heaven, to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).

 

Why is this important? Because in the Scriptures we don’t see God entrusting His eternal work of reconciling men, women and children to Himself only to people with credentials from seminaries and theological institutions. When the apostle Paul wrote, “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building” (1 Corinthians 3:9), he wasn’t addressing religious leaders. He was exhorting people who carried out their everyday lives in ordinary, everyday ways.

 

We see this shown clearly in the book of Acts when the ‘nothing special’ disciples were being used by the Lord to touch lives in amazing ways. Acts 4:13 tells us, “When [the people] saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they marveled and took note that these men had been with Jesus.” These ‘regular guys’ had one special thing in common: They'd been with Jesus.

 

This should be encouraging for each of us, knowing the Lord doesn’t use only people we’d regard as ‘paid professionals’ to carry out His mission. In fact, most of the time He doesn’t. We might hear powerful sermons on Sunday, watch stirring videos and read inspiring books by pastors and preachers. But most of the time the ones God desires to reach with the Gospel are folks that we ‘amateurs’ uniquely encounter during the process of everyday living.

 

When Paul wrote, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20), he had in mind men and women just like you and me. People who, by virtue of having become “new creations in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17) can boldly tell of having been with Jesus in life-transforming ways.

As one wag quipped, “Pastors, missionaries and other vocational Christian workers are paid to be good. The rest of us are good for nothing.” (Ha-ha.) But that’s good. Because much of God’s best work through the ages has been done through amateurs. And it’s no different today. 

Prescription for Reading: Read. Extract. Apply. Do.

The ability to read is greatly underrated. It’s like receiving a gift that continues to keep giving. It’s like being entrusted with a key that opens an infinite number of treasures. As a boy I became an avid reader, taking me on adventures with teen inventor Tom Swift, solving mysteries with the Hardy Boys, traveling to distant lands through books like Treasure Island, Hans Brinker and Ivanhoe, and enjoying sports exploits with the likes of Chip Hilton and Mel Martin. 

I also devoured books about American history, nature, science fiction, mystery, and a host of other topics. My younger days would have been impoverished without being able to read and learn about so many intriguing topics. For this reason, I believe literacy should receive paramount attention in our society. Gaining the capacity to read can provide a pathway out of poverty and into prosperity.

However, the power of reading involves more than being able to recognize letters, words and even comprehend sentences. Because we can read many things but if we don’t put into use the information we acquire, we’ve gained little. 

 

Recently during a discussion a friend suggested an acronym that illustrates this point. It’s READ: Read. Extract. Apply. Do. He explained that when we read something, we should seek not only to recognize words and meanings, or even for intellectual understanding, but also for application – striving to put what we have read into action.

 

For instance, when we buy a new kitchen appliance it comes with directions for use. We might read them, but if we don’t follow what they say we should do, we could damage the product – or worse. When we rented a cabin to attend a family function, the owners had left a list of instructions we needed to take care of before we left. Reading the list would have been of no use if we hadn’t followed up on what it said.

 

We could cite many other examples, but the wisdom of ‘Read – Extract – Apply – Do’ is particularly vital as we read the Scriptures. In fact, the apostle James gave this admonition to followers of Jesus as he taught how they should conduct their everyday lives: 

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:22-25).

 

While He never used the READ acronym, Jesus Christ was clearly a strong advocate of it in principle. He found it particularly applicable for responding to accusations leveled at him by the Pharisees, Sadducees and other religious leaders who opposed His ministry. On numerous occasions He would chide His hearers, “Have you not read…?” 

 

For instance, in rebuking the Pharisees for complaining when they saw His hungry disciples picking heads of grain on the Sabbath day, He said, “‘Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.’ Then He said, ‘The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath’” (Luke 6:3-5). 

 

Another time the Pharisees were challenging Jesus on His views about divorce. He responded, “Haven’t you read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate” (Matthew 19:4).

 

One day the Sadducees, another group of religious leaders, were attempting to trick Jesus with a question about people being resurrected of the dead. Jesus replied, “…have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Mark 12:26).

 

And speaking to the chief priests, teachers of the law and elders who confronted him about His teachings, Jesus gave a parable about a vineyard owner and then concluded, “Haven’t you read this scripture: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” (Mark 12:10).

 

In each instance, Jesus knew the religious had literally read the words from the scrolls that were so fastidiously stored in the synagogues and temples. They had read what the Scriptures said, and perhaps even worked to extract their meaning. Their fault came in failure to properly apply and put into action what they were saying.

 

The same can be said for us today. It’s said that while many homes across the United States have at least one copy of the Bible, only about nine percent of professing Christians actually read the Bible on a regular basis. As for how many of those are diligent to apply and do what they read, we can only assume it’s less than nine percent.

 

The Scriptures assure us that salvation – receiving God’s forgiveness for our sins and being assured of eternal life – is solely a gift of His grace and mercy. At the same time, we’re instructed to live out what we read in God’s Word. As the apostle Paul urged believers in ancient Philippi, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed…continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). In other words, as James the apostle said, don’t just read and listen to the Word of God. Do what it says to do!

Our Incredible Potential for Influence

Social media and the Internet have had a phenomenal impact on society, including the emergence of folks known as “influencers.” These are people who’ve taken it upon themselves to create podcasts, blogs, random videos, and vlogs (video blogs) on practically any topic.

 

Some expound upon political beliefs and preferences; others offer commentary and insights about sports, cooking, fashion, social trends, spiritual matters, and about anything else you can imagine. Some seek to entertain, while others are dead serious that the information, insights and wisdom they share will change the world. All the more power to them!

 

But we don’t have to be highly tech-savvy to have a meaningful effect on our own ‘spheres of influence.’ We don’t need the most advanced cameras and microphones, lighting and streaming skills to make a difference in the world around us. In fact, the impact we have individually can multiply exponentially without a lot of effort.

 

Consider Jesus’ disciples after His resurrection and ascension to heaven. Initially there were only 11 of them. Judas Iscariot, the betrayer, had recognized the error of his ways, but instead of repenting and seeking forgiveness, decided to hang himself instead.

 

So, Jesus’ ‘dirty dozen’ had been reduced by one. Yet His final instructions were simple and direct: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

 

“Make disciples of all nations”? How were 11 guys, earnest and well-intended, but with little social standing, to accomplish such a mission? We even read in Acts 4:13, “When [the people] saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they marveled and took note that these men had been with Jesus.” It’s true – the disciples weren’t scholars or recognized as extraordinary. They were fishermen, tradesmen, a despised tax collector and a political activist.

 

Nevertheless, 2,000 years later, countless millions, even billions, around the world have committed their lives to Jesus Christ and worship the God of the Bible, Creator of the heavens and the earth. How could such an unlikely bunch have such influence spanning the globe and the centuries? ‘Social media’ back then was strictly word of mouth, one person speaking to another person. Kind of like a satisfied customer telling a friend about a product or service they’ve enjoyed.

 

There’s no mystery how what began with just 11 faithful men and a handful of other followers became a worldwide movement that continues to grow today. One of the keys is that serving as a fruitful witness for Christ isn’t done in one’s own strength. It wasn’t the case then, and it’s not now. When Jesus promised, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age,” He meant literally being with them – and with us today – through His Holy Spirit.

 

On the day of Pentecost, during the Jewish celebration called the Festival of Weeks (or the Festival of the Harvest), God’s Spirit came upon each of the men in an astounding, powerful way. “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” But these weren’t random utterances. The passage also tells us, “there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven…a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language” (Acts 2:4,6). Only God can do that.

 

One of the disciples, Peter, began addressing the crowd, explaining Jesus was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah. Despite not being a polished speaker, “With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’ Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day” (Acts 2:40-41).

 

Talk about influence! However, it was because of obedience, not eloquence, doing what Jesus had instructed the disciples to do: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Faithful to do what the Lord had asked, and empowered by His Spirit, they launched a spiritual movement that will last for eternity.

 

What does this say for us today? We might not be great orators either; we might never have darkened the doors of a seminary or school of theology. But if we’re followers of Christ, we have a story to tell, whether to a friend, neighbor, coworker, or even someone we encounter in a public place.

 

We have the power of God’s Spirit within us, as well as what the apostle Paul referred to as “beautiful feet” – feet that can take us wherever God chooses for us to serve as what 2 Corinthians 5:20 calls, “Christ’s ambassadors.” And while we sometimes hear about huge evangelistic crusades where hundreds or thousands of lives are touched, often the saving work of Christ takes place between two people.

 

Paul wrote, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent?... How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news” (Romans 10:14-15).

 

The term “preach” here doesn’t meaning speaking behind a pulpit or podium on Sunday mornings, but simply expressing – whether to one person, a small group or a crowd – the Good News of Jesus Christ. We don’t need special credentials or formal ordination, just willingness to share with others what the Lord has done for us and what He can do for them. Like the disciples, we can talk about being with Jesus.

Today’s so-called ‘influencers’ of our world are expounding on various topics, some frivolous and some of considerable importance. But through the power of Christ, we can be the greatest influencers of all – for all of time and eternity.  “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35). 

Freedom: One of the Greatest Gifts We Can Receive

We’re one year away from the United States’ semiquincentennial. What’s that? It means next year our nation will mark 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It’s been nearly one-quarter of a millennium since that landmark document declared “The Colonies” independent from England and the rule of King George III. Should be quite a celebration coming up.

 

But this year’s observance is hardly insignificant. Every Independence Day serves as an opportunity to celebrate the many freedoms we can enjoy as Americans. Starting with the Declaration, followed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, citizens of our country are free in ways we often take for granted. In ways that billions around the world could only dream about.

The opening of the Declaration of Independence sets the stage with the statement, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Declaring that all men “are created” and “endowed by their Creator” is a direct acknowledgement of God, even though today many choose to disregard and reinterpret what this means.

 

In the amendments to the Constitution, also known as the Bill of Rights, we find freedoms of religion, speech, the press, peaceful assembly, bearing arms, and a variety of other specifically stated rights and protections. Many of these rights are absent in many societies around the world, such as Communist-governed nations, countries under Islamic rule, and dictatorships.

 

So, we should rightfully celebrate these freedoms and rights every year, no just wait for a special anniversary. But this notion of freedom isn’t an American concept, or one devised by any society. Its basis – especially as understood by the Founding Fathers and the documents that helped form our nation – is found in the Bible, from its opening chapters. 

 

After the acts of creation, which culminated in creating the first man and woman, God said to Adam and Eve, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden [of Eden]; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil…” (Exodus 2:16-17). The first couple, however, were not content with such broad freedom; they focused on the restriction, the one limitation to their freedom – the tree and its forbidden fruit. And humankind has been suffering the consequences of this ever since.

 

In Exodus we read the account of the Israelites being freed after 400 years of slavery in Egypt. Later we read about the rebellious people of Israel being taken captive by other empires, then freed by God’s sovereign edict. But nowhere do we find a greater emphasis on freedom that in the life of Jesus Christ.

 

Whether we want to admit it or not, from birth we are in bondage to sin – spiritual slavery. It takes many forms, but the impact is separation from God and the inability to become all that He desires for us to be. Romans 3:10 declares, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.” Romans 3:23 adds, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” 

 

What’s this got to do with freedom? The apostle Paul explained, “When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. [But] what benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!” (Romans 6:20-21).

 

Sounds dismal if we stop right there. But there’s good news. This ‘slavery to sin’ doesn’t have to be a life sentence. In the days leading up to His crucifixion, Jesus Christ told His followers, “A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:35-36).

 

Jesus’ death on the cross paid in full the cost of our sins, offering us access to eternal life through His Spirit and an everlasting relationship with God. As Paul wrote, “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:22-23).

 

Much more could be written about this – and has been. But as we celebrate Independence Day and the freedoms we have been given in our nation, let’s keep them in perspective with the far greater freedom we’re offered in Christ. As Paul expressed it, “It is for freedom that Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery [to sin]” (Galatians 5:1).

Nearly 250 years ago, a new nation was birthed with the declaration of its independence from England and the reign of its king. Through Christ, we each can declare our own independence from sin – through spiritual rebirth – relying on His power and guidance so we can worship the true King and become the people God wants us to be. Now and forever.