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On Thursday, we identified ourselves with the Resurrection Power and with the completion of Jesus' work on Earth. Remembering that our Lord faced a severe "identity crisis" on that first Easter and the days following His resurrection, we will focus today, on identifying the blessed hope...
Identifying the "Blessed hope" borne of "Resurrection" in believers by Unbelievers...
As I mentioned earlier in this series, souls are won-over by Scripture-backed, Spirit-filled sermons. I am recalling once again the response of those of who heard a soul-stirring sermon of Apostle Peter on the "Day of Pentecost" ....
"...Brothers, what should we do?" (Acts 2:37 TLB).
We can well imagine a repentant, convicted prostrate spirit behind it all!
Now the decisive question is: Can the Blessed hope borne out of the Lord's Resurrection in us, empowering us to stay pure (see 1 John 3:2-3) in addition to helping us cope with adversities, arouse the curiosity of an unbeliever in the manner a powerful spirit-filled sermon does? The answer is an emphatic yes!
One doesn't have to go beyond the story of Acts 16:16-30 to arrive at this conclusion. There we see a Philippian jailer witnessing two Christian missionaries being the very definition of the word "stoic", even while being unjustly whipped. Historians state that at the time of receiving whip lashes, the pain is so intense that obscene language unconsciously flows out of the mouth of those at the receiving end of it all. Later on, even while being dumped into an unhygienic cell and having their feet cruelly fastened into stocks, the jailer observed that these two men were all grace and poise in the manner of their Master at the Cross.
More dramatic events symbolizing the thankful demeanor in times of trouble of this dynamic duo were to unfold before the Jailer: Their whole-hearted praising of God, by way of passionate singing, the earthquake, and an utterly selfless disposition of not wanting to capitalize on the opportunity of escaping which would have sealed the fate of the jailer at the hands of his superiors (as per the Roman Law... Every jailor was made responsible for his prisoner, under the same penalty to which the prisoner himself was exposed). The end result of it all? A similar conviction was wrought by the Holy Spirit and a consequent similar response was elicited like the one we saw as an offshoot of powerful preaching in Acts 2:37. If at that time it was "Brothers, what must we do (to be saved)?" (See Acts 2:37), then now it was... "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30 NLT)
Do I need to say more? Did Paul and Silas preach? Or did they perform miracles to draw the attention of the jailer? No way! The thankful way they demonstrated the blessed hope in them, even in the midst of severe, unjust suffering, aroused the curiosity of an unbeliever, and eventually won not only him but also his family members to the Lord (See Acts 16:33-34).
Mind you Christian, it is indeed a severe "Identity problem" with capital "I" so to speak, if the unbelievers who see you often have still not "identified" the "blessed hope" in you, which ought to influence all of your conduct!
Prayer: Father, enable me during my tough times to cast my anchor on the Blessed hope of eternal life which all Christians have because of the First Easter. Enable me thereby to be a shining witness to the unbelievers. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Please join us on Tuesday for the final part of this mini-series: "Of Easter and Identity Crisis, Part 5: Identifying the Times we are Living in..."
Suresh Manoharan
An unworthy servant
J and SM Ministries
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