So, why is it called Good Friday? My wife and I were visiting some neighbors in our building, ones that we have grown close to and have been building a relationship with. Our relationship with them has grown to where we call upon them with cultural questions regarding different celebrations and such. They have also invited us to be at the wedding celebration of their son in May. We are very fortunate to know them. We have shared with them that we are followers of Jesus, to which they have said they also worship Jesus, along with their other gods. We have given a New Testament Bible in their language, but have not had the best opportunity to share the Gospel in full with them.
This weekend we are in the middle of the Hindu festival called Holi. Tomorrow people will be celebrating by throwing colored dry and wet paint at each other. It coincides with Easter, in which we celebrate the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The wife asked if we had any other celebrations like Holi in America, and I said that this weekend we celebrate Easter and we color hard boiled eggs in bright colors. We color eggs, you color people, so it is similar. She responded by saying, "Oh, today is Good Friday!" She then asked a question I had never even thought of : "It is called Good Friday because Jesus came back to life this day, right?"
Only the Holy Spirit took over in answering, because the response came from me immediately. I said, "Jesus was crucified and died on Good Friday. God raised Jesus to new life on the third day, Easter Sunday." Then she said, "I always had it in my mind that Good Friday was the day that Jesus came back to life, because it is called Good. Why would it be called Good Friday if Jesus was crucified on that day?" (What a perfect lead in to share the good news!) I said to her, "The reason it is good is that when Jesus was crucified, He took upon himself the punishment for the sins of all people of the world, and made a way for us to escape the coming judgement that all people will face one day. The even better news is that on the third day, Sunday, He was risen to new life so that we could also have new life." After this, we saw that she was deep in thought and contemplating the new way of thinking about Jesus and His sacrifice.
A large gospel seed was planted today. Pray with us that this family begins to realize the truth about Jesus. Pray they will realize that He is not just another god, but the Only God. Pray that the Bible we gave them at Christmas is a light among the dark idols in their home, and that the simple mention of the name of Jesus brings them a peace they have never felt before.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Authority
As believers in Christ, we have to know that we have authority to do the things that Jesus has commanded us to do. Matthew 28:18-20 says that all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Jesus, and he then turned and gave all disciples the authority to go and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything Jesus has commanded. We have this authority as believers and disciples of Christ. In 1 Peter 2:9, we are told that we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that we may declare the praises of him who called us out of darkness into His wonderful light. WE, ALL BELIEVERS AND DISCIPLES OF CHRIST, are the priests of Christianity. We have authority to do the things Jesus has commanded in His name!
I recently finished a two day training in a village outside of our city with about 125 believers, 90% of which are brand new believers (within the last 3 months) and part of our training is to empower every new believer and let them know that they have the authority to do these things. Since God is our Everlasting Rock, we should trust in Him forever (Isaiah 26:4). And since all scripture is God-breathed and good for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16), then we should also trust the Bible.
The area we are in, many are Hindu, and their whole lives they have been brought up to think that the Hindu priests are the only ones who are able to talk to the gods for them. Even when they become believers, they still think that the leaders or pastors or teachers that they listen to are the only ones that can pray for them and ask God for healing or help in their situations. After re-instating the above facts of their authority from God during our training, they still came to me and my interpreter, who is a pastor, for prayers for themselves, their husbands, children, animals, homes, etc. It saddened me to realize that they are still locked into thinking that they cannot possibly communicate with the Heavenly Father, even though they are believers. While it says in scripture we should ask for our elders to pray over us in the name of the Lord (James 5:14), we must also know that we are able to communicate and pray directly with God because of the sacrifice Jesus made to allow us to be in right relationship with God. It may take a long time to help these people understand what they are able to do with the new life they have been risen to. This is the reason we train new beleivers instead of just telling them to attend a church.
Please pray for these new believers that they understand that God wants to hear from them. He wants them to cry out to Him and rely on Him, not just pastors and leaders of the church. 37 of these new believers were baptized yesterday after we left. HALLELUIA! They have taken the first step of obedience in their committment to follow Jesus.
I recently finished a two day training in a village outside of our city with about 125 believers, 90% of which are brand new believers (within the last 3 months) and part of our training is to empower every new believer and let them know that they have the authority to do these things. Since God is our Everlasting Rock, we should trust in Him forever (Isaiah 26:4). And since all scripture is God-breathed and good for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16), then we should also trust the Bible.
The area we are in, many are Hindu, and their whole lives they have been brought up to think that the Hindu priests are the only ones who are able to talk to the gods for them. Even when they become believers, they still think that the leaders or pastors or teachers that they listen to are the only ones that can pray for them and ask God for healing or help in their situations. After re-instating the above facts of their authority from God during our training, they still came to me and my interpreter, who is a pastor, for prayers for themselves, their husbands, children, animals, homes, etc. It saddened me to realize that they are still locked into thinking that they cannot possibly communicate with the Heavenly Father, even though they are believers. While it says in scripture we should ask for our elders to pray over us in the name of the Lord (James 5:14), we must also know that we are able to communicate and pray directly with God because of the sacrifice Jesus made to allow us to be in right relationship with God. It may take a long time to help these people understand what they are able to do with the new life they have been risen to. This is the reason we train new beleivers instead of just telling them to attend a church.
Please pray for these new believers that they understand that God wants to hear from them. He wants them to cry out to Him and rely on Him, not just pastors and leaders of the church. 37 of these new believers were baptized yesterday after we left. HALLELUIA! They have taken the first step of obedience in their committment to follow Jesus.
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