When Something Is About To Happen

December 4, 2014

When Something Is About To Happen

I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!”

Mark 13: 37

                   

"I'll tell you what keeps me coming to this church." The man who spoke was punching the air with his finger, pronouncing every word with force and the dozen or so other people in the room turned to listen. "I'll tell you," he said, "what keeps me coming to this church," and every head turned in his direction. "It's strange, I know, but I get the feeling here, like nowhere else, that something is about to happen."

The feeling that something is about to happen. The earliest Christians would have recognized this instantly as one of the truest marks of the church. They were convinced they stood on the edge of history, and that something was about to happen. For the world, time just moved on, but for the early Christian community, something was about to happen.

Because something was about to happen, every word they uttered, every deed they did, every prayer they prayed was shaped by faith in the coming of Christ. Today, those who trust in the promise of God's coming kingdom are also able to see advance signs of its coming all around them.

Every time Christians recite the creed, "He will come to judge the quick and the dead," we proclaim our hope that frail human justice, the kind one can get with a good lawyer and a full checkbook, is not all the justice life holds. Every time we bring clothing for the One Stop Center or food for those in need, we do so not because we are so naive as to think that a few used garments and a shelf of soup and cereal are going to end human need. We do so because we live today in the light of God's tomorrow, when all will be clothed in garments of light and the banquet table of the kingdom will hold a feast. Every time we speak words of forgiveness in circumstances of bitterness, words of love in situations of hatred, we are using, in the present, a language which the whole creation will learn to speak in God's tomorrow.

 "I get the feeling here, like nowhere else, that something is about to happen." That’s the way I want to live. How about you?

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

Is Jesus Your Lord?

December 3, 2014

Is Jesus Your Lord?

God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us 

should be faithful to him.

James 4:5b

The vast majority of new churches that have been established within the last generation have pretty much broken with the past. New church architecture shuns chancels, altars, any use of liturgical signs and colors, and many minimize, if not eliminate the cross. I can appreciate their efforts to shape their structures and the Gospel to reach new generations. Even so, it is a shame they are throwing out the baby with the bath water.

For many, the practice of liturgical seasons seems antiquated, and not applicable to the new high-tech generation. I certainly agree that a traditionalistic approach to liturgy is as exciting as watching paint dry. But when appropriately used to shine light on Jesus, it can be as enriching to the soul as twenty thousand young people gathered for a Passion conference. At the very least, including the Seasons of the Christian Year into your devotional practices can help keep you grounded in the essentials of our faith. The oldest confession of faith is simply, “Jesus is Lord.” This was never intended to be an abstract theological proposition; rather, it is a highly personal affirmation of what I understand is the core of my being. I like the simplicity of the statement because Jesus is either the Lord of my life, or he is not. There is no in-between. Immediately, when I say, “Jesus is Lord,” the Holy Spirit prompts me to a gut-check: “Have I submitted all the priorities of my life to the Lordship of Jesus?”

When I am mindful of this confession of faith, my approach to Advent and Christmas remains Christ-centered, and I am able to rightly judge between the allures of secular culture, and remain faithful to the One who has so generously placed His spirit within me.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

Your Own Divine Revelation

December 2, 2014

Your Own Divine Revelation

Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

Matthew 16:15

When Jesus was in Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” The town had a Roman name because it had a temple built to the Roman god, the Emperor. Jesus asked that question as he was surrounded by idols to the Roman gods. Jesus’ question and Peter’s answer are meaningful to the followers of Jesus today from two perspectives.

First, our relationship with God is inherently personal. Each of us has the responsibility of responding to the message of Christ, and committing our lives to him fully and without reservation. No other person can make this decision for us. In making our decision, we ultimately are responsible for responding to Jesus’ question, “But who do you say I am?” I have been blessed to have studied under great teachers and pastors. I’ve had good friends to encourage me along my journey. Even so, Jesus doesn’t ask me who Brennan Manning or Fred Craddock says that he is; he asks me, “Who do you say I am?”

Jesus’ question is almost a Catch-22, since the question is beyond any human’s capacity to correctly answer. As soon as “Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” Jesus made it clear that Peter’s response was one of divine revelation: “Jesus came back, “God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am” (Matthew 16: 17 MSG).

As you journey through life, seeking to make the life in Christ your way of life, you can rest in the sure knowledge that God will take all the bits and pieces of information you have received about Jesus, and transform them into a divine revelation for you. Just as God authored Peter’s confession, so also will God reveal to you the rock of our salvation: Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

Almost Out Of Hope

December 1, 2014

Almost Out Of Hope

And he will stand to lead his flock with the Lord’s strength,

in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.

Micah 5:2-5

We are now in the Christian season of Advent. This English word comes from a Latin word meaning “coming” and designates the four Sundays before Christmas during which Christians reflect on the meaning of the second coming of Christ, and prepare for the Christmas season (Twelve days from Christmas to the Epiphany, January 6). The first and the final coming of Christ are connected because it is through our belief in the first coming of Jesus – his birth and his life, death and resurrection – that gives us faith and hope in his promised coming again in final victory.

The Old Testament Prophet Micah pronounced God’s promise that He would send Jesus who “shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.” (Micah 5:4) This promise of God came to Micah during one of the worst times in the history of Israel. Like Israel, today we are living through a very difficult time, and like Micah’s Israel we may be almost out of hope. The Season of Advent stands over and against the enemies of hope.

For the next month we will be surrounded by signs of hope. Even though the celebration of Christmas has become very secularized as our culture tries to turn our Joy to the World into just a winter festival, for the fully devoted followers of Jesus, we see signs of hope in every cluster of mistletoe, every wreath and all the lights adorning homes and businesses.

God’s promise is that Jesus, our Messiah, is our strength, our security and our peace. Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Let us rejoice in all the signs of his presence with us throughout this Advent Season.

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child!

    She will give birth to a son,

and they will call him Immanuel,

    which means ‘God is with us.’”

                                                            Matthew 1:23

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.