Gtcotr/ws081419
It
can be successfully argued that the single most important thing in the universe
is family … specifically God’s family. It was in His ultimate pursuit of family
that God created the heavens and the earth. It was for the salvation of family
that God sacrificed Jesus and watched Him die. The only thing God will have
left to show for all of His efforts on planet earth is family. God loves and
serves and forgives and delivers and saves His family.
The
most amazing thing in all the world to me is that I get to choose if I am going
to be a member of the family of God. It is the personal choice of every person.
Some people get more encouragement and greater opportunities to make their
decision while others my get no encouragement and fewer opportunities. However,
it is a personal decision that must be made in this life by those who have
reached the age of accountability and are of sound mind and judgement.
It
is God’s job to speak to each heart on a spiritual level and where there is a
willingness, He further prepares that heart to receive the witness of Christ.
It is the job of the Church and every Born-Again Believer to be that witness.
There is no one whom the Lord will not save if they will believe and receive
Jesus as the Lord of their lives. Perhaps we often spend too much time on the
easy ones and not enough time on those who need more encourgement in order to
say yes.
It
is sad to imagine that some people will spend their eternity in hell because
the Church or we as Believers in Jesus did not do more to reach them. But I
firmly believe that will be the case for so many. This is what compels us to do
more.
When
asked by Queen Isabella of Spain why he dared to venture into the unknown thus
putting his life in danger of such peril and perhaps death, Christopher
Columbus replied: “The fact that the Gospel must be
preached to so many in such a short time, this is what convinces me to go!”
God
wants family and He needs our help. Unfortunately, not everyone is willing to
help and then, at times when others do get Born-Again into the family of God,
some who are “already Christians” don’t want to treat them like family. This is
the second shame …
Jesus
reached out to sinners and spent a great amount of His time with people who
were strong, aggressive, decisive, opinionated, influencers in their circles.
Jesus reached out to the poor and needy, but He also challenged the community
leaders of the day. Many, from all walks of life believed and followed Him.
Some of the most wealthy and influential leaders in Jerusalem were followers
and servants of Jesus, even on the day of His crucifixion. Jesus was not afraid
of bad people … He loved sinners.
Once
when Jesus was teaching the multitudes, casting out demons and healing the sick
in Capernaum, His mother and brothers decided it was time for an intervention.
They came and stood outside and someone told Jesus that His family was outside
wishing to speak with Him. Jesus took this time to teach a great truth … He
said:
Matthew 12:48c “Who are My brothers?”
Good
question … hold that thought while we turn our attention to the book of Acts
where we will continue our study of this powerful letter given to us by the
hand of God. “Who is my brother?”
By
the time we get to Acts 9, the Church in Jerusalem has grown to thousands;
deacons have been ordained; Stephen has been stoned to death by a religious mob
which included a young Jewish zealot named Saul from the city of Tarsus; and
the Church was undergoing so much persecution that Believers in Jesus had been
scattered throughout Judea and Samaria in fear of their lives.
Even
under great persecution the Church was growing in numbers and influence. The
ultra-religious leaders in Jerusalem were committed to stopping the growth of
this new-found faith in Jesus. One man, Saul of Tarsus, was especially
embittered. He threatened murder against the disciples of the Lord and asked to
be deputized by the High Priest with the authority to track down, arrest and
imprison any Believer in Jesus. The High Priest gave Saul letters and sent him
to Damascus to bind anyone, man or woman, who was following the teachings of
Jesus, and bring them bound to Jerusalem to stand trial.
You
can read Acts 9:1-9 for this account but suffice it to say that Jesus had a
different plan and Saul was walking right into the hands of God. When Saul drew
near Damascus, Jesus appeared to him and spoke to him. This blinded Saul and
changed his life forever. Those with Saul led him on into the city of Damascus
and there blind Saul sat in darkness and fasted and prayed to God for three
days. Let’s pick up here and begin reading from:
Acts 9 NKJV
10 ¶ Now there was a certain
disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision,
“Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”
11 So the Lord said to him,
“Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas
for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying.
12 “And in a vision he has
seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he
might receive his sight.”
13 Then Ananias answered,
“Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your
saints in Jerusalem.
14 “And here he has authority
from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”
15 But the Lord said to him,
“Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings,
and the children of Israel.
16 “For I will show him how
many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
17 And Ananias went his way
and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the
Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you
may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
18 Immediately there fell
from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he
arose and was baptized.
19 So when he had received
food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at
Damascus.
20 Immediately he preached
the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.
Who
is my brother? Note the first words Ananias spoke when he entered the house …
he said: “Brother Saul …”
How
could Ananias make such a statement when he knew for certain that Saul had done
so much harm and committed such horrible acts against other Believers in Jesus?
Because Saul of Tarsus had accepted Christ and was now a Born-Again Believer
and as such, a part of the family of God. Saul wasn’t perfect and he had a
horrible past … but in spite of his horrible past, Saul had a great future.
It
seems to me that we are completely out of our control and that it is well above
our opinion-based decisions as to whom we are related. Those who are born again,
despite their age, stage or station of life, own a piece of our life … we are
family … and family means everything to God!
Since
family is the most important thing in the universe and since God is only
working to establish and enjoy His family for all eternity, it seems that we
might not want to sabotage His efforts or postpone His joy by acting as though
we are better than our brothers and sisters who are poor or uneducated or have
been hateful or sinful or liars or cheats or thieves or adulterers and who have
now been Born-Again into our family.
In
Matthew 12, Jesus not only asked the question, “Who is my brother?”, but He
also answered it in the next verse:
Matthew 12:50 “For whoever
does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
This
evening I hope Acts 9 teaches us to embrace our family members, especially
those who are brand new and have not yet learned to walk and talk like a
Christian. It is our duty to be of great assistance and acceptance of those who
get Born-Again. They become partly our responsibility because we are family.
Any new child born into a family should be cared for by those older brothers
and sisters in the family … this is the will and the way of God.
