Preaching the kingdom of God with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

 

Saturday, September 16, 2023


Psalm 38

1 Kings 9:15-28

Acts 28:17-31


Observance: Ninian of Galloway, bishop and missionary (d. 432)


Preaching the kingdom of God with all confidence, no man forbidding him.


So ends the Gospel of the Holy Spirit; the book of the Acts of the Apostles; the life of Paul. Would Paul have written this himself it may have had even fewer personal details. Because, what use is the knowledge of his younger years? What benefit would we gain from knowing his end, grisly or otherwise? Anything good in Paul’s life was but a reflection of the ultimate Good to whom he gave his life.


What is to be our legacy? What will be on our headstone? “Beloved mother”; “Father of many” – would that we were more like Paul, remembered only for a single-minded determination to preach Christ crucified and to make Him known.


If we are called to be a mother, let it be a beloved mother, known as such because of the love shown to us by the Lord which we then show in our love to our children. If God blesses us as a father of many, then may those many remember us for our love for our Heavenly Father. Whether to be a Christian is in season or out of season, let us be known for being a Christian.


There was a bishop who was given a placard as a gift, and he kept it on his desk every day. It read: “If you were arrested today for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” May our burning, consuming love for the Lord Jesus Christ rush out of our souls in such a torrent that there would never even be a doubt.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Monday, September 12, 2022

  Monday, September 12, 2022 Psalm 33 Habakkuk 1:1-11 Ephesians 1:1-14 In Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. The lectionary has taken us from the beloved disciple to one of the most beloved of Paul's epistles: Ephesians. Paul must have loved this church very much: we get a sense of his fondness for them and their shared sense of purpose and worship just from the introduction. In what is likely just an introduction to a letter in the style of the ancient Roman world, Paul has managed to squeeze in the entire, wondrous story of God's work of redemption. Paul has framed it the way it ought to be framed: in a pastoral, encouraging tone. He has three main points here (remember, Paul proceeds logically to build up an argument, unlike John who circles around his main point). First: God intended to save us before the world was formed. Think back to the first l
Read more

“Short time or long – I pray to God not only you but all who are listening become like I am, except for these chains.”

  Monday, September 11, 2023 Psalms 28; 29 1 Kings 7:51-8:21 Acts 26:19-32 Observance: Deiniol, bishop (d. 384) “ Short time or long – I pray to God not only you but all who are listening become like I am, except for these chains.” The great many blessings of being under the protection of the blood of the Lamb fill our hearts with joy and peace. To have the Almighty Creator of the universe, the One who sits above the flood, filling the temple of our being with the cloud of His presence is what it truly means to be human. Every day is filled with adventure; every night turns to the rest of the victor. Certainly there are chains: sometimes they are physical chains, the suffering of being a Christian among people who do not love the Lord. Sometimes they are spiritual; the attacks of the powers of the air who try to distract us from the One we love. But they always fall away. Our Rock of Ages always frees us; always brings us out of the pit of despair. A won
Read more

Monday, September 19

  Monday, September 19 Psalm 45 Nahum 1:15-2:9 Ephesians 4:17-28 ...be renewed in the spirit of your minds... It is far too easy to read some of these Pauline lists of virtues and vices and feel like we have gone back to the dark days before the Reformation. The idea that if we behave ourselves then we can call ourselves “good people” is pagan, not Christian. Paul feels very strongly about how Christians behave, he “affirms and insists” upon it. But it is because of what has already happened that we should mind our step, not because of where we are going. Christ's resurrection is many things, but one aspect relevant for Paul's teaching this morning is that it demonstrates to us the radical new reality in which we now live. We too have passed (spiritually) from death to life; therefore, we experience a “renewal of our minds”. Instead of treading water until we die, we live lives. Everything now makes sense: God has spoken, so we have logic. God made us in His im
Read more