“They went to the chief priests and elders and said, ‘We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul.'” – Acts 23:14

Anybody who says being a Christian is a ticket to an easy life free of problems is a liar! Such a person is either intentionally deceitful or utterly ignorant of both theology and history. Don’t believe false prosperity gospels!

Christ calls His followers (all of them) to unpopular obedience to Him. We are His ambassadors. Since His own people killed Him, as His ambassadors we should expect some opposition. This isn’t said to be discouraging but to prepare each follower of Christ for the challenges of our lifelong journey of faith.

The grace we enjoy, the union with Christ we celebrate, and the eternal life we look forward to comes with a responsibility. Fulfilling our disciple-making, gospel-proclaiming responsibility is always filled with joy, but it can also be hard, difficult, exhausting, painful, and dangerous work. Rather than avoid or lament this reality, we must learn to look forward to it!

It’s in these storms that we most richly come to know and rely on Christ’s sustaining grace, being strengthened by the presence of our suffering Savior Who is with us every step of the way!

“The heart of man plans his way,
but the Lord establishes his steps.”
– Proverbs 16:9

2020 has certainly reminded us that while our plans might be great plans, we don’t control the world! Fortunately God is a sovereign God who providentially rules the universe down to the tiniest detail. We can trust that He works all things for the good of those who love Him. We can also trust that He is all-knowing, all-wise, all-powerful, and all-good.

Thus we can cope during strange and painful times in the certain knowledge that while we may not understand the why’s or the how’s, we can rest in God’s sovereignty. This brings us back to our ever-changing plans. Planning is helpful and we should be people who plan. But we must also understand that as followers of Christ we serve a sovereign God who may confirm our plans or redirect us completely at a moment’s notice. We must learn to be OK with that reality. When we do, we truly yield control of our lives to the One Who can be trusted with that control. It’s then that we learn to walk in His way, allowing Him to establish our path rather than foolishly insisting on making our own way.

“Help us, O God of our salvation,
for the glory of your name;
deliver us, and atone for our sins,
for your name’s sake!”
– Psalm 79:9

And He has!!! This ancient prayer was answered when God sent forth His eternal Son, the second person of the Godhead, Jesus the Christ, into this world. Jesus was born into this world, adding a human body and nature to His eternal divinity. He lived the perfect sin-free life we can’t and died as an innocent sacrifice to atone for all our sin past, present, and future.

Jesus died and rose from the dead, demonstrating that God accepted His sacrifice. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is sufficient to cover the sins of everyone who believe in Him. His atoning work glorified God and delivered His followers from slavery to sin, divine wrath and righteous condemnation, death, and eternal damnation.

This ancient prayer was answered through Jesus Christ – have you committed your life to Him to receive that glorious salvation for yourself?

“He chose David his servant
and took him from the sheepfolds;
from following the nursing ewes he brought him
to shepherd Jacob his people,
Israel his inheritance.”
– Psalm 78:70-71

God chooses whom He chooses and He empowers those He chooses. David was the youngest of many sons, a humble shepherd, a nobody in the eyes of the world. Yet God saw within David a heart of faith which would make for a great king. God raised David up and used him in mighty ways we read about and celebrate 3000 years later.

Every follower of Christ has good works already prepared for him or her to do, regardless of age, health, wealth, status, or ability (Ephesians 2:10). Have no doubt that God will empower you to do whatever He’s called you to do. Focus instead on having that heart of faithful obedience, a pliable heart willing to follow wherever God leads.

Devote yourself to serving God, discerning where He would have you serve and trying out possibilities until you find the works He’s prepared for you. Serve well and do not doubt the eternal impact of your service! And stay near to God so that you know when He is calling you to different works of service that already await!

“Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.” – Acts 20:26-27

As Paul considered his uncertain future and said farewell to his beloved friends in Ephesus, he reminds us of the great weight of responsibility that every follower of Christ bears toward other people. We who know the truth of the Gospel and enjoy the blessings of Christ in us have a responsibility to share the full Gospel (not just the popular parts) with others.

Along with the great blessings of God’s grace, we’re called to share the bad news of human sin and the good news of God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We’re responsible for proclaiming the sacrificial death and victorious resurrection of Christ to those we encounter. We’re equipped to share what we have learned of Scripture (and perhaps more importantly, our love of Scripture) to others, that our faith may continue to spread through the rising generations.

This responsibility isn’t meant to frighten us (perfect love casts out fear), but should motivate us to stay focused on the work of God’s Kingdom every day of our lives. There are people In our lives we need to reach and people in our lives we need to teach. There are people we need to encourage and people we need to admonish. We all have a role to play in making disciples and there is accountability for failure to play that role, just as there is reward for faithful service. Let us boldly declare the whole counsel of God!