Loyal
1Cor 13:13; But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.
I'm an old guy. I've been going to church over 50 years. I've been saved almost 50 years. I've had to move around because of jobs and different things over the years,
so I've gone to a number of different churches. But to tell the truth, it seems like the church has moved around a little bit too.
In the 70's there was a popular song... it said.. "What the world needs now, is love sweet love"... the next line said.. "it's the only thing that there's just too little of".
I don't think this is true any longer. The church has gotten much better at teaching about love. But what I find many in the church don't have these days... is hope.
These are tumultuous times. People are scared. Even many Christians it seems. There is a church I drive by on the way home from "my church" every week.
I have thought about attending there a few times. As I was driving by some people were leaving early. I pulled into the parking lot and asked them "How was church this week?"
It turns out these people weren't saved. They weren't Christians, but they were looking for something. Looking for an answer. They didn't really know even what they were
looking for. But there was a teenager in the group. She said "The people in this church don't have any hope". Her (parents?) looked at her and nodded. One said to me...
"They are just as afraid of everything going on in the world as we are, the answer isn't here".
... wow...
It left me speechless for a minute. By the time I thought of an answer, they were already gone.
But they had a point... many in the church today have lost hope. They have faith, they have love... but they have little, or no, hope.
Oh they hope Jesus is coming back, they hope they are going to heaven, but they have no hope for the current world situation, or even their own personal situation.
We as Christians should have hope. When the vice of the world squeezes us... faith, love ...and.. HOPE should be oozing out of us. If we say we are Christians and we say we have
"the answer". Shouldn't there be some evidence of this?
..................
Matt 12:17; This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:
Matt 12:18; "BEHOLD, MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN; MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL is WELL-PLEASED; I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM, AND HE SHALL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES.
Matt 12:19; "HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT; NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS.
Matt 12:20; "A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF, AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT, UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY.
Matt 12:21; "AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE."
Most of us here on TalkJesus are Gentiles (we aren't Israelites of Jewish descent). But do we have 'hope" in Jesus? Do we believe He is greater than any thing in the world?
Why don't we act like it?
Ephesian 6 talks about putting on the armor of God. But it leaves out any mention of "hope" in putting on the armor. However if you jump over the 1st Thessalonians.
1Thes 5:8; But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.
1Thes 5:9; For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Part of our helmet.. is hope. It's something we have to "put on" (like armor) when we are getting ready for battle. For those who don't know it, the battle is already here.
... to be continued ...
I'm an old guy. I've been going to church over 50 years. I've been saved almost 50 years. I've had to move around because of jobs and different things over the years,
so I've gone to a number of different churches. But to tell the truth, it seems like the church has moved around a little bit too.
In the 70's there was a popular song... it said.. "What the world needs now, is love sweet love"... the next line said.. "it's the only thing that there's just too little of".
I don't think this is true any longer. The church has gotten much better at teaching about love. But what I find many in the church don't have these days... is hope.
These are tumultuous times. People are scared. Even many Christians it seems. There is a church I drive by on the way home from "my church" every week.
I have thought about attending there a few times. As I was driving by some people were leaving early. I pulled into the parking lot and asked them "How was church this week?"
It turns out these people weren't saved. They weren't Christians, but they were looking for something. Looking for an answer. They didn't really know even what they were
looking for. But there was a teenager in the group. She said "The people in this church don't have any hope". Her (parents?) looked at her and nodded. One said to me...
"They are just as afraid of everything going on in the world as we are, the answer isn't here".
... wow...
It left me speechless for a minute. By the time I thought of an answer, they were already gone.
But they had a point... many in the church today have lost hope. They have faith, they have love... but they have little, or no, hope.
Oh they hope Jesus is coming back, they hope they are going to heaven, but they have no hope for the current world situation, or even their own personal situation.
We as Christians should have hope. When the vice of the world squeezes us... faith, love ...and.. HOPE should be oozing out of us. If we say we are Christians and we say we have
"the answer". Shouldn't there be some evidence of this?
..................
Matt 12:17; This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:
Matt 12:18; "BEHOLD, MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN; MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL is WELL-PLEASED; I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM, AND HE SHALL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES.
Matt 12:19; "HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT; NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS.
Matt 12:20; "A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF, AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT, UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY.
Matt 12:21; "AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE."
Most of us here on TalkJesus are Gentiles (we aren't Israelites of Jewish descent). But do we have 'hope" in Jesus? Do we believe He is greater than any thing in the world?
Why don't we act like it?
Ephesian 6 talks about putting on the armor of God. But it leaves out any mention of "hope" in putting on the armor. However if you jump over the 1st Thessalonians.
1Thes 5:8; But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.
1Thes 5:9; For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Part of our helmet.. is hope. It's something we have to "put on" (like armor) when we are getting ready for battle. For those who don't know it, the battle is already here.
... to be continued ...
