Christianoi

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

Galatians 

October 24, 2024

Christianoi

But we refused to give in to them for a single moment. We wanted to preserve the truth of the gospel message for you.

Galatians 2:5

Read: Galatians 2:1-5

We live in a hyphenated culture. Seldom is someone referred to by just one defining characteristic. People are referred to as African-Americans or Asian-Americans or Italian-Americans. We also divide ourselves into sub-groups based on schools and universities, states, and regions. For instance, I may be a legal resident of North Carolina, but I proudly live in Western North Carolina!

As seriously as some people take these divisions, they pale in comparison to how the Jews in the first century marked their identity through male circumcision. This national, religious, and cultural identity ran so deep that the Jews who had accepted Jesus as their Messiah expected all the male followers of Jesus to be circumcised. This was a huge point of contention between the Apostle Paul and those leaders in the Christian movement who tried to require Gentile believers to comply with male circumcision and the Law of Moses. (These leaders were known as Judaizers.)

At one time, the followers of Jesus were known as Christianoi, People of Christ. Over the centuries, we have become Roman Catholics, Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists, Pentecostals, and Anglicans, etc. This puts us in a dilemma. On one hand, the way churches are organized creates a temptation to think we are right and others, those not in our church, are wrong. This creates disunity in the Body of Christ. On the other hand, our churches in their present form are all we have. How can we respond to this dilemma?

The most important thing is to keep our eyes on Jesus. Although Paul loved his heritage as a Jew, he made it very clear that the only thing that truly mattered to him was Jesus. (See Philippians 3) He was even more emphatic in what he told the Galatians. Not only was his old life gone, but his old identity was also dead. He had a new identity as a follower of Christ. (Galatians 2:20)

My Takeaway: The Jews set themselves apart from others through their mono-theistic faith in the Creator God, their male circumcision, and their dietary laws. Today, Christianoi, the People of Christ, are set apart by their belief in justification by grace through faith in Christ Jesus.

Sē’lah                                                                                         

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(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.

 

Copyright © 2024 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Go!

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

Galatians 

October 23, 2024

Go!

All they knew was that people were saying, “The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!”

Galatians 1:23

Read: Galatians 1:18-24

After proclaiming the Gospel in Galatia, Paul had moved on to continue his work. After he left, other Christians who took exception to Paul not requiring Gentile converts to keep the Law of Moses had moved into that area. The issue of Paul’s credentials, his authority to lead the church, had been called into question. However, by that time, Paul had been completely accepted by the church leaders in Jerusalem, and he had been commissioned as an evangelist to the Gentiles. His authority was undeniable, yet he never relied on that ecclesiastical authority in making his case to the Galatians. As the adage goes, the proof of the pudding is in the tasting. Paul reported that the Christians in Jerusalem knew that people were saying, “The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!” And they praised God because of me” (Galatians 1:23-24).

Paul isn’t teaching us that clergy credentials don’t matter. He is teaching us that while they certainly have their purpose and place, there is something else that is more important. Is there fruit? Is the person’s ministry making disciples for Jesus Christ? Can you see evidence that they are building for the Kingdom of God?

My Takeaway: Methodist Circuit Riders were dispatched by John Wesley to America and charged to have no other business than to save souls and to spread scriptural holiness across the land. These mighty men and women of God bore much fruit for the Kingdom of God. I pray such zeal for making fully-devoted disciples of Jesus will return to our churches.

Sē’lah                                                                                         

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(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.

 

Copyright © 2024 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Jesus Laid Hold of Me

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

Galatians 

October 22, 2024

Jesus Laid Hold of Me

I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.

Galatians 1:12

Read: Galatians 1: 10-17

Paul asserts he received his message through a “direct revelation from Jesus Christ.” This isn’t just a personal biographical statement. Paul is affirming what Jesus taught Peter in Matthew 16. Jesus had asked his disciples “who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus then told Peter he didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. God in Heaven revealed to Peter that Jesus was the Messiah. (Matthew 16:13-18)

In his letter to the Romans, Paul makes clear that this divine revelation was not limited to just Peter and Paul. This is how Paul expressed this truth in Romans 8: 16:

“For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.” 

John Wesley’s Aldersgate experience, where he felt his heart strangely warmed and received the assurance his sins had been forgiven, is another example of divine revelation.

My Takeaway: God wants all his children to experience His divine revelations as He reveals the truth of Jesus Christ to us.

“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” (Philippians 2:13)

We can always be sure of God’s leading through His Holy Spirit because His leading is ALWAYS in perfect alignment with Holy Scripture.

Sē’lah                                                                                         

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(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.

 

Copyright © 2024 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Good News

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

Galatians 

October 21, 2024

The Good News

This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead.

Galatians 1:1

Read: Galatians 1: 1-9

A few years ago, a president of a leading seminary made the news when she stated that the literal resurrection of Jesus was not a crucial element of the Christian faith. Her statement was not at all surprising in our current age when many Christian leaders are seeking to be culturally relevant by accommodating Christian doctrine to cultural beliefs. Our reading of Galatians will provide us with an opportunity to check our bearings and make sure we are aligning our faith with Jesus, and Jesus alone.

Paul was writing to a church that had gotten sidetracked from the foundation in Christ he had first laid for them. To help them recover their bearings, Paul repeatedly used two terms: Good News, or Gospel, and apostle. It will be helpful to get a clear understanding of what Paul meant by these terms.

The Good News is the announcement that God has won victory over sin and death through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah. The good news about the Good News is that all people, everywhere, may partake in God’s victory over sin and death through their faith that Jesus is the Risen Son of God. When people accept Jesus as God’s Messiah, they are adopted into God’s own family.

The word apostle means a person who is appointed to proclaim the Good News. At the time of Paul, the title apostle was reserved for those people who had personally been with Jesus when He was on earth. Some people accused Paul of not being an apostle because Paul was not one of Jesus’ followers before Jesus was crucified. Others suggested Paul was only a ‘junior’ apostle, because he was sent by the real apostles like Peter and John. Paul makes the point in chapter one that he is qualified to be an apostle because Jesus himself appointed him to proclaim the Good News.

My Takeaway: Like Paul, Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) modeled Christocentric spirituality.

“Write what you will, I shall not relish it unless it tells of Jesus. Talk or argue about what you will, I shall not listen if you exclude the name of Jesus. Jesus to me is honey in the mouth, music in the ear, a song in the heart.”

– Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermon XV on the Song of Songs

(Song of Solomon)

Sē’lah                                                                                         

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

(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.

Copyright © 2024 by Alex M. Knight

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

 

Looking Ahead

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John 

October 18, 2024

Looking Ahead

Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance

John 20:1 

When you are reading this, Easter  is six months away (April 20, 2025), but let’s project ahead to Easter Sunday. Once again, we will join our congregations in proclaiming the wonderful and timeless affirmation that will open worship services in thousands of churches around the world.

 He is Risen!

He is Risen indeed!

Too often, this powerful affirmation is left echoing in sanctuaries without any impact on our world. Why? Because it is one thing to announce Jesus is Risen, with your friends, in the safety of a sanctuary; it is another to make the truth of this powerful affirmation your way of life.

As followers of Jesus, we are seeking to make the Life in Christ our way of life. In the devotional experience, Everyman’s Way to the Cross, which follows the fourteen Stations of the Cross, Christ speaks these words at Station Fourteen:

“So ends my mortal life. But now another life begins for Mary, and for Mary Magdalene, for Peter and for John, and you. My work as a man is done. My work within and through My church must now commence. I look to you. Day in, day out, from this time forth, be My disciple, servant, saint.”

In that meditation Jesus reminds us that his life was not complete until he crowned it by his death. Our life is not complete unless we crown it by our life in Christ.  Jesus has promised us: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” With this assurance, Jesus commands us: “Go now!  Take up your cross and take my life as your life and complete your way.”

My Takeaway:         JESUS IS WAITING FOR OUR RESPONSE

 

NOTE: I hope and pray you have been blessed in reading these meditations on the Gospel of John, as much as I have in writing them. I do love this Gospel.

Beginning Monday, October 21, 2024, I will begin a series on Saint Paul’s letter to the Galatians. I will follow that with meditations in the seasons of Advent and Christmas.

Sē’lah                                                                                         

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(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.

 

Copyright © 2024 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

 

incurvatus in se

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John 

October 17, 2024

incurvatus in se

Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?”

John  21:21

The conversation between Jesus and Peter ended with Jesus telling Peter “by what kind of death he would glorify God” (John 21:19). Peter’s response reveals the brokenness of our human nature: “Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?” (John 21:21). Jesus had just helped Peter deal with his broken past and reaffirmed that Peter was still the leader of the disciples, yet Peter’s thoughts immediately turned inward as he sought to compare his standing with Jesus with that of the beloved disciple, John. This is what St. Augustine meant when he taught how original sin is manifested in our lives. Augustine said we are incurvatus in se (curved in on ourselves.)

This passage also reveals how our individual brokenness can corrupt our communities: “So the rumor spread among the community of believers that this disciple wouldn’t die” (John 21:23a). Earlier I noted that John appeared to end his Gospel at Chapter 20, and that Chapter 21 seems like an epilogue. Perhaps John felt as though he needed to add the very personal and intimate conversation on the beach between Jesus and Peter to quiet this rumor.

If for no other reason, John’s ending of his Gospel emphasizes the truth the Apostle Paul asserted, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8). Yes, and Christ arose from the grave while we were still sinners. Yes, and Christ ascended to heaven while we were yet sinners.

My Takeaway: Even so, let us rejoice in the complete faithfulness of Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior: “Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us” (Romans 8:34).

 Sē’lah                                                                                         

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(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.

 

Copyright © 2024 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

 

Grace, From Start to Finish

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John 

October 16, 2024

Grace, From Start to Finish

“Simon son of John, do you love me?”

“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”

“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.

John  21:16

I am drawn to the conversation between Jesus and Peter in John 21:15-19. There are nuances in the dialog, and clearly the three questions by Jesus relate to Peter’s three denials of Jesus. This conversation allowed Peter to confront his failures and to realize that his failures did not disqualify him as a disciple. (In a previous appearance by Jesus, John 20:21, Peter is included in Jesus’ commissioning of the disciples: “As the father sent me, so I am sending you.”)

In the conversation with Peter, Jesus revealed the foundation for all Christian service. Whether you are the preacher, the musician, the greeter, the usher, the teacher, the server in the food line, the bell ringer for the Salvation Army, whatever your service may be, the foundation for your service is a love for Jesus. Even though you have failed Jesus countless times, Jesus wants you to find your love for him, and then he gives you a chance to express your love for him. Your expressions of love will be healing for your hurts and failures. These expressions are not ways to earn forgiveness – nothing can ever do that. Our relationship with Jesus is built on GRACE, from start to finish. Our expressions of love are offered in joy because we are forgiven; our service is not what we have to do, but what we get to do.

My Takeaway: Because you love Jesus, what do you get to do today as an expression of that love?

“I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love. Amen”

Jude 1: 1a-2

Sē’lah                                                                                         

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(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.

 

Copyright © 2024 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.