Shalom Aleichem...
Reflections is a weekly Christian Teaching Ministry. Each week we will talk about the Bible and lessons we can put to use in our daily life. We will try to, on a weekly basis, provide to you stories, thoughts, and just easy ways to live your life on a straight path.
THIS WEEK'S TEACHING....November 23, 2020
As we continue our look at God and our faith, I will tell you all that God has given His church a mission, God has given each of us a command to go and share the Gospel. This teaching is titled...
Hope in the Mission of the Church
Throughout the history of the church there have been many who have laid down their lives for Jesus and the message of the gospel.
Even today, there will be people who will suffer persecution for their faith in Christ. There will be those who are mistreated, imprisoned, tortured, raped, beaten, starved or killed today because they believe Jesus is Lord, Savior, Messiah.
From the days of the early church, all of Jesus disciples except John who died of old age were killed or martyred for their faith. The twelve apostles were just ordinary working men. There was nothing special or spectacular about them. Yet Jesus sent them out with a mission to reach the world.
Mission is a response to the command Jesus gave to His disciples and to each of us in Matthew 28:18-19,
Jesus told His disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
The first group of the disciples were in many ways, the beginning of the church. Jesus took these ordinary men and formed them into the foundation of His church. Jesus gave to them and us the most extraordinary task imaginable: sharing the truth of who Jesus was and is to the entire world.
Telling people the truth about sin, the forgiveness that is possible through accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior.
The disciples spread out across the known world to follow the command of Jesus to share the Gospel, minister to others and evangelize.
The disciples went far and wide with the message of the risen Christ. People heard about Jesus, placed their trust in Him and the church grew.
But as the early church grew, so did the suffering that many would endure for following Jesus. Jesus the only way, the only truth, the only life, the only hope, the only way to Heaven.
The disciples themselves suffered for their faith and in most cases each of them died because of their testimony that Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation.
Church history and other sources record the death of the disciples:
Simon Peter and The Apostle Paul were both martyred in Rome about 66 AD, during the persecution under Emperor Nero.
The Apostle Paul was beheaded.
Peter was crucified, upside down at his request, because he did not feel he was worthy to die in the same way as Jesus.
Andrew, the brother of Peter, went to the area the modern world called the Soviet Union. Christians there claim Andrew was the first to take the message of the gospel to them. Andrew also preached in Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey, and Greece. Andrew went to Patras in western Greece in 69AD, there the Roman proconsul Aegeates debated religion with him. Aegeates tried to convince Andrew to forsake Christianity, so that he would not have to torture and execute him. But, when that didn’t work, he decided to give Andrew the full treatment. Andrew was scourged, and then tied rather than nailed to a cross, so that he would suffer for a longer time before dying. Andrew lived for two days, during which he preached to the people who walked past the cross he was crucified on.
Thomas was active in the area east of Syria. Church history and tradition records Thomas preaching as far east as India where the Marthoma Christians honor him as their founder. They claim that Thomas was killed there when he was when pierced with the spears of four soldiers.
Philip had a powerful ministry in Carthage in North Africa and then in Asia Minor, where it is recorded that the wife of a Roman proconsul was converted. But, the Roman proconsul was not happy that his wife had turned to Jesus so in retaliation the proconsul had Philip arrested in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis.
Philip was scourged, thrown into prison, and then crucified in 54 AD.
Matthew, former tax collector and writer of a Gospel, ministered in Persia and Ethiopia. Matthew was martyred in Ethiopia - stabbed in the back by a swordsman sent by King Hertacus, after he criticized the king’s morals.
Bartholomew had widespread missionary travels attributed to him. He went to India with Thomas and while he was there he translated the Gospel of Matthew for the local church. Bartholomew went back to Armenia, then on to Ethiopia and Southern Arabia where it would seem he really upset a group of idol worshippers. Tradition states that the idolaters beat Bartholomew, then he was skinned alive, then crucified, then to make sure he was really dead he was also beheaded.
James, the son of Alpheus, is one of at least three James referred to in the New Testament. James ministered in Syria, was elected by his fellow believers to head the churches of Jerusalem, and was one of the longest-lived apostles, perhaps exceeded only by John. The Jewish historian Josephus reported that at the age of 94, James the son of Alpheus was beaten and stoned by persecutors, and then they killed him by hitting him in the head with a club.
James the son of Zebedee, Acts 12:1-19 says that James was killed with a sword. The newly-appointed governor of Judea, Herod Agrippa, decided to ingratiate himself with the Romans by persecuting leaders of the new sect. After James was arrested and led to place of execution, his unnamed accuser was moved by his courage. He not only repented and converted on the spot, but asked to be executed alongside James. The Roman executioners obliged, and both men were beheaded simultaneously.
Simon the Zealot ministered in Persia, preached in Mauritania on the west coast of Africa, and then came to England, where tradition says he was crucified in 74 AD.
Matthais was the apostle chosen to replace Judas. He went to Syria with Andrew and to death by burning.
John is the only one of the original 12 disciples who died a natural death from old age. He was the leader of the church in the Ephesus area and is said to have taken care of Mary the mother of Jesus in his home. During Domitian’s persecution in the middle 90’s, he was exiled to the island of Patmos, where he wrote Revelation, the last book of the New Testament. John passed away peacefully in Patmos in his old age, sometime around 100 AD.
Each of the early disciples were willing to suffer for Jesus. Throughout the centuries there have been so many others who have been willing to suffer for the sake of the Gospel.
Today, the modern persecution of Christians is worldwide. Statistics from The Christian Organization, Open Doors, states approximately 215 million Christians experience high, very high, or extreme persecution.
According to Open Doors researchers, 1 in 12 Christians live in a place where Christianity is “illegal, forbidden, or punished”.
North Korea has been in the news a lot recently, but what you never see in a newspaper or reported on the TV is what Open Doors has discovered: “More than 50,000 Christians in prison or labor camps”
Here is another fact from Open Doors that you won’t hear about in the media: “Every day six women are raped, sexually harassed, or forced into marriage to a Muslim under threat of death due to their Christian faith” This number is low, it includes only reported incidents. It also points to the double persecution—for both their gender and religion—that Christian women still face in much of the world.
Persecution still exists. People are still killed because of their faith in Jesus. But there is Hope found here, because God’s church continues to grow. Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”
Today, the disciples of Jesus, His Church, continue to share the truth of who Jesus is, how people can be saved from their sin, how people can be assured of a place in Heaven.
Every day in every country there are people who are being saved by the power of the Gospel, every day people are repenting from sin and turning to Him. Jesus is continuing to build His church.
In this country we may not face the problems that our brothers and sisters in other lands face. We may face opposition, we may be accused of being narrow minded, we may encounter people who think we are weird or strange, we may be worried about what our friends, family, neighbours or work colleagues will think or say if we share the Gospel with them.
Each of us must share the Gospel as Jesus has commanded us to.
The minster Oswald Chambers said this, “God holds us accountable every time we refuse to submit to His plans, and He sees our refusal as wilful disobedience. Our natural life must not rule— God must rule in us. To refuse to follow puts a stumbling block in the growth of our spiritual life. There are areas of self-will in our lives where our pride pours contempt on the throne of God and says, “I won’t submit.”
Don’t refuse to follow the mission God has given you. You are called to be a participant in the Mission Jesus has given to His Church, to go into all the world with the Gospel, the Good News, that Jesus Christ is the only way of Salvation.
You may not be called to be a missionary in another country, but God has given you a mission field, your workplace, your neighbors, your friends, even your families inside your own home.
What are you doing in the mission field God has given you?
Are you using every opportunity to witness for Christ?
In 1 Timothy chapter 5, The Apostle Paul describes the church as people dedicated to doing whatever it takes to reach out and help others.
Paul says we have a responsibility, as the church, to serve and help others.
Caring for each other as well as those outside of the church is the quickest way to see Jesus change lives.
God gives each of us skills, abilities and opportunities to serve Him and each other.
In Timothy’s church, for example, the women ran a widows ministry (1 Timothy 5:16), and elders directed church affairs while others were devoted just to teaching and preaching (1 Timothy 5:17).
In the Bible, church is always a reference to people, not a place. The church is the body of believers that live out the Gospel in their words and actions. The church is at its best when people inside the building take Jesus’ message outside the building and serve those they meet.
Church is not somewhere Christians go, but something Christians are.
Family, you and I, we are the church. We, as the church, are the hands and feet of Jesus wherever we live, wherever we work, wherever we are.
When was the last time you helped someone on the corner with their sign...."Need Help...Please."?
Read Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Go and make disciples. This is a command from Jesus to you and I.
Jesus did not say go sit in a building for an hour and a half on a Sunday morning and wait for the unsaved to wander in. We, as the embodiment of church, are commanded to go OUT after the “lost”.
God has called us to serve Him. We have a God given mission, a God given responsibility to go and lead other people to Christ.
As we close this teaching, I want to remind you that love is at the core of our faith.
God loved us so much that He was willing to send His Son to die for us. God continues to love us and we are to love Him. We express our love for God by serving Him and by serving others.
Galatians 6:10 says “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
One of the tests of us being the Church comes in what others think of our actions, our witness when we are not within the 4 walls of C4.
We will never change the world by going to church, we will only change the world by being the church.
God has given His church a mission, God has given each of us a command to go and share the Gospel.
Fulfilling the mission God has given to each of us, as part of His Church, requires more from each and every one of us than just watching live stream once a week, or, when the shut down is lifted here in Hawaii, sitting on seats, singing and listening to a sermon on Saturday or Sunday.
We will never change the world by going to church, we will only change the world by being the church.
May each of us choose to show the world the true meaning of being a disciple of Jesus and part of His church.
May each of us do what God has called us to do.
May we all be willing to go into the world and share the Good News that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior.
I love you all:)
DID YOU EVER WONDER???
Our relationship with Jesus…
Love, Grace, & Faith… so sweet,
Knowing that He died to save us
We kneel humbly at His feet.
On this earth much strife and turmoil,
Seeking peace when there’s no peace,
When we give our heart to Jesus,
Only then will searching cease.
Do you know Him, really know Him?
Do you go to Him in prayer?
What a blessing… What a treasure…
When you know that He is there.
On Calvary He died to save us,
From our sins to set us free,
Do accept His gift of mercy
He gave His all for you and me.
Please dear Lord our steps do ‘order’
All through life we need Your care,
Guide our steps… alone we falter…
As we seek Your will in prayer.
Our relationship with Jesus
Love, Grace, & Faith… so sweet,
When we know Him as our Savior
Then, in Him, we are completed.
BOOKS OF THE BIBLE...A TEACHING
This week, we continue to look at the religions of the world....Sikhism
Traditional Sikh men are recognizable by their starched, symmetrical turbans and full beards. Because Sikhs are not to cut their hair, older men’s beards and hair are piled on top of the head, under the turban. A few Hindus and some types of Muslims also wear turbans, though of a different style. This led to a tragic case of mistaken identity in the first reprisal killing after September 11, 2001, when an enraged American murdered a Sikh store owner in Phoenix, assuming anyone wearing a turban was Muslim.
The Sikh religion is unique in attempting to synthesize one religion out of two very different ones. Nanak, its founder, was born into a Hindu family during the late fifteenth century in the Punjab region of northwest India. This was during the period of the Moghul Empire, when a Muslim minority ruled over the Hindu majority.
Besides his Hindu upbringing, Nanak was highly influenced by a Muslim teacher. He apparently had a contemplative personality and spent much time reflecting on religion. At about age thirty, he claimed to receive a revelation from God while meditating. He was called to be a prophet of the true religion and preach the message of the essential unity of Islam and Hinduism.
For the next several decades, Nanak wandered India, teaching his concepts and organizing communities wherever people accepted his message. These followers were called Sikhs, a Punjabi word meaning “disciple.” Nanak taught that there is only one God, called The True Name. Hindu polytheism, he said, just sees many different facets of this one God. Also similar to Islam, he believed in the duality of the universe, the reality of both the material and spiritual worlds. The earth was created by God; humans are the pinnacle of that creation. From Hinduism, Nanak retained the concepts of karma and reincarnation and taught that The True Name would eventually free humans from the cycle of rebirths. He also taught very simple forms of worship, rejecting most of the rituals of both religions.
Despite rejection and occasional persecution, Nanak was a pacifist and never retaliated or sought revenge. He was given the title Guru Nanak. To Hindus, a guru is a teacher or guide, but to Sikhs, the word means “leader.” Guru Nanak continued to teach, compose hymns, and organize the Sikh community until his death in 1552. He was followed by nine more gurus. The first three continued to promote his nonviolent emphasis, but as the Sikh community grew and its teaching became more widely known, they faced increasing opposition from the Muslim rulers of northern India. Many Sikh gurus were imprisoned and executed.
Beginning with the fifth leader, Guru Arjan, the Sikhs became more militant, taking up arms and defending themselves against persecutors. Guru Arjan also compiled the writings of the previous gurus into the Granth, the Sikh scriptures.
The Sikhs became excellent warriors, calling themselves Singhs, which means “lion” in Punjabi (most Sikhs have the last name Singh). The Muslim rulers continued to target Sikh leadership, however, and since the assassination of the tenth guru, Gobind Singh, in 1708, the Sikhs have looked to the Granth for leadership rather than a human guru. When the British colonized India, they employed the Sikhs as soldiers and policemen, vocations in which they continue to predominate in modern, independent India.
Sikh worship consists primarily of prayers and hymns. There are no priests, and anyone with knowledge can lead worship. Corporate gatherings are held in the gurdwara, which has characteristics of both Muslim and Hindu worship spaces. Like a mosque, the main worship room has no furniture, just mats or carpets on the floor, and the scriptures are prominently displayed on an ornate stand. Although there are no idols, large portraits of the ten gurus hang on the walls. An integral part of corporate worship is the communal meal at the end. Even non-Sikhs visiting a gurdwara are encouraged to accept their hospitality and join in the meal. Many gurdwaras also have sleeping facilities any traveler is welcome to use.
Sikhs, like other Indians, have migrated all over the world. Gurdwaras can be found in most major European and North American cities. And though they can be found throughout India, most Sikhs continue to live in Punjab, the country’s breadbasket. The geographic center of the Sikh religion is the Golden Temple, a magnificent building in Amritsar, Punjab’s principle city. Although Sikhism rejects the Hindu concept of caste, Sikhs still tend toward certain vocations. In addition to soldiering and policing, they are most often found in occupations related to transportation (e.g., airline pilots, railroad engineers, taxi drivers).
As mentioned, most Sikhs have the family name Singh and belong to mainstream Sikhism. The religion has, however, produced two small splinter groups. Udasis are ascetic holy men who wander the villages and cities, wearing only a simple cloth and carrying their begging bowl for sustenance. Sahajdaris focus more on the pacifist teachings of the early gurus. They also are generally clean-shaven rather than bearded.
Conversion is rare, but a few Europeans and North Americans, attracted to the religion’s simplicity, have converted. Sikhs number about nineteen million, making them a small minority in today’s India. In fact, the country now has more Christians than Sikhs. This has produced a nationalist movement among the Sikh community who believe the state of Punjab should become an independent country. Some of these nationalists have adopted terrorist tactics, attacking government buildings and installations.
The 2002 movie Bend It Like Beckham concerns a Sikh family that has immigrated to the United Kingdom. The British-born daughter struggles between her traditional parents and the Western culture in which she has grown up. The father, consistent with Sikh vocational preferences, is an airline pilot. The movie features Keira Knightley and Jonathan Rhys Meyers, but the director and most of the other actors, including the main character, are Sikhs.
HAVE A SAFE AND BLESSED WEEK:)
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