Peter Question
You will hear a weather alert test every Tuesday morning on the station: ‘This is a test, it’s only a test.’ They test just to check the equipment and keep us on our toes, reminding us of our responsibility to help you be aware.
In John 1:38 the first words that Jesus spoke to the disciples (paraphrased) ‘What do you want?’ In Luke the first words ever recorded of Jesus: ‘Why are you searching for me?’
That’s still pretty much the questions He asks of us today. I don’t know how many newsletters I’ve used the verbal exchange between Peter and Jesus where Jesus asked Peter, ‘Who do you say I am?’ (Mathew 16:15, Mark 8:29, Luke 9:20) That’s still being asked of us today… who do we say He is? All those questions by Jesus were tests.
The answers to those keep us ‘on our toes’, remind us of our responsibility to answer them correctly. The answers are either empowering or deflating to our walk with Christ. Jesus indicated he only did what he saw the Father doing, did what he perceived the Father to be. We must do the same, so what we perceive Him to be and the things that we believe He does is important to what we experience of Him. Our interpretation of who he is makes a huge difference in our lives.
Our salvation, forgiveness, reconciliation, all eternity requires each person to answer Jesus’ questions. There is no other suggestion on how to find Life on this earth and eternal life (at least eternal life with a dreamed of location), other than getting the answer to those questions right.
Likewise, there’s no other suggestion on how to overcome trouble/chaos. Believers will experience trouble; His question to you is how are you going to overcome the post-fall prophesies in Genesis 3? The language of the Bible is loaded with what I’d call reciprocals. Those are teachings that say this is the truth and if true the opposite of (or reciprocal of) is true by default. Here it’s legal to say that if Jesus is the only way to overcome chaos, the reciprocal is then there will be chaos without him. (Just take a look around the world today with attempt after attempt to declare God is dead.)
Others may offer a different way, but according to Scripture, Jesus is The Way. Peace and Rest- those are His alone to give. The Word would like to give Peace to the world, but the world doesn’t seem to be willing to listen. So often when I watch the evening news I’m saddened by much of it and I’m just as saddened by people’s anger and the hatred generated by being ‘without Christ’. Chaos is the default for much of the world today.
We’re seeing a harvest from years of ‘there is no God’. Without God we only have calamity, anger and frustration as a default. We need a ‘reboot’, a revival of the miracle of Christ Jesus. He alone is the Answer: the reciprocal of if He is the Answer, without Jesus there really is no answer. Similarly, ‘he who hungers and thirsts shall be satisfied.’ The reciprocal of that: he who does not hunger and thirst will not be satisfied. (Mathew 5:6)
In some ways the Days of Noah were not specific to just terrible sin; they were also associated with people’s foolishness, simply some day to day living absent God. Yet, God was hidden in plain sight. Noah saw Him, they saw Noah, but not one saw Noah’s God. Noah’s world was not exactly Sodom and Gomorrah, but through the people’s foolishness and greed that was close enough for a reboot.
The last days will be as Noah’s: people living, moving and not having ‘their being’ in the Gospel. One day in Noah’s world it began to rain; it will rain again in ours. We understand that this radio station’s ministry is not going to change the world. However, we are sent to encourage listeners for as long as we can to those that will hear. We share the Gospel with those that have ‘ears to hear’. While not changing the world, we might help encourage and change your ‘little’ world. WBVN is not the whole Gospel, it’s simply a part of the Gospel.
One thing that I have all the confidence in the world in is: we will see one of two things in our lifetime. Either we will usher in a New Heaven and New Earth or we will see a Revival of the Church of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is alive. It moves. It has seasons but it never fails.
It’s amazing how the old and new testaments, over thousands of years and dozens of authors, unite in One Gospel message. It would be impossible to create that union in human terms. What I’ve thought for a few years now is that if you condensed the Gospel into a few scriptures, to a few words, I’d nominate the discussion written in Chapter 15 of the book of John. In some sense it’s a Cliff Notes, a condensation, a simplification, of how to experience the whole Gospel Life. It shouts of the Old message and the New. In those scriptures, if we could simply do those teachings of Jesus a whole world of biblical success opens up for us. “I am the vine.” There are gems of wisdom in those Scriptures. The wisdom of following what Jesus taught in that chapter brings the possibility of a new and prosperous life.
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; and so shall ye be my disciples. Even as the Father hath loved me, I also have loved you: abide ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. (John 15:4-11)
If we could practice that it would mean such a difference. I remember a secular song back in the 80’s that said ‘take your chances, take your shot, ’cause 50/50’s all you got.’ But with the Gospel it’s better than that, the Gospel isn’t iffy, it’s specific. The Gospel works for you. It’s Life and Life more abundantly than any other way. I know it’s common and easy to do, but using the world’s solutions, its physical and emotional temptations, to settle for that is pretty sad with the Gospel just a ‘reach’ away. With the Gospel we can experience more, expect more. The physical and the emotional highs the world offers is not the way to experience Life to the full. Jesus Christ is. His is not a 50/50 proposition!
It’s important that we not only hear the words of the Gospel, study the words of the Gospel….it’s necessary that we trust and believe in a Life and a Life more abundantly is the Gospel. Literally, believing the Gospel is to have life superior, excessive abundant Life, more than just abundantly. The Greek word expresses it even more aggressively, it promises Life above abundance. Try it, you’ll like it.