Perhaps there are many who claim a faith in Jesus our Lord and God – and, they also go to a church where they, in a community setting, worship God and listen to a minister talk about some Bible truths. However, they remain as individuals – in spirit – they rarely ever, go out of their way, to help others know Jesus. In many cases, their actions and words during the week, may not even reflect their claimed love for Christ.

Yet, I cannot expressed the truth about this issue, any better, than the writer of the letter to the Jews (Hebrews); in regard to the text, set for today’s reading and meditation.

Hebrews 6:1-12 (NIV): “Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so.

It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.

Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case – the things that have to do with salvation. God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”

There are some great truths in the above words, and these words are especially relevant to today’s study: … “God is not unjust; he will not forget … the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”

We demonstrate our love for God by our efforts, to help His people. Now, this message is fairly clear, isn’t it?

In what ways, do you communicate and confirm the actions and words of Jesus, to others?

Selwyn writes: “Our text for today tells us that Jesus’ followers are His witnesses. What does being a witness involve?

One preacher describes it like this: “It means that Jesus is on trial again before the world and everyone of His followers is called on as a defence witness. Suppose we refuse to say a word on His behalf. Then by our silence, we join the prosecution, for He said: “He or she who is not with me is against me.” Or suppose when called we talk about ourselves and our achievements instead of talking about Him. Or suppose we mumble and apologise and contradict ourselves. We let Him down – and badly. And in the process we let ourselves down’ (paraphrased).”

We spend a very short time (70 to 80, or so years), here on this earth – we don’t have much time to share our faith with others. Consequently, we should use every available second to live, in a way that gives praise and glory to God. Our life should reflect God’s love in all that we do – that is, to be an honest and faithful witness for our Lord and God.

One statement, in today’s study has really started me thinking, and that was: “We cut ourselves off from His cross if we do not take up ours (and follow Him).”

Perhaps, a different way to think about this; is that a person who can cut themselves off from His cross was never one of His flock, in the first place.

What do you think?

It’s important to realise that while we might miss an opportunity to share our faith with someone – God is still in control; and the final destination of any one person does not depend on our actions – it’s all between the person and God. The experience Selwyn had – was primarily a lesson for Selwyn’s benefit – and that is, don’t disobey a spiritual prompting.

In his introduction, Selwyn writes: “George Barna, a Christian researcher, once said that seven out of ten Christians who share their faith with others come away feeling they have failed. The fear of failure is one of the chief reasons why people fail to share their faith.”

God’s strength shines through our weaknesses – we share our faith in an imperfect way; God takes our words and turns them into a perfect message of truth.

My conversion started with the following words, spoken to me by a person I was just getting to know. I was talking to him about certain traumatic events in my life, he said: “They probably happened because Jesus loves you.”  The words: “Jesus loves you.” Invaded my spirit, and set me free – in a rather dramatic way. After I had given my life to Jesus, I went back – a few weeks later, and thanked my friend for saying such powerful words – however, he had forgotten that he had said them. The point I’m making, is that Jesus can use your words and empower them to change people’s lives.

I’ve found the verse from Peter’s first letter to be great advice, 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV): “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone … for the hope that you have.”

Your view?

The key verses for today’s study are, Mark 5:18-20 (NIV): ” … As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he (God) has had mercy on you.” So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis (ten cities, located in the area), how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.”

There are times when we sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to His word; and, there are other times when we go and tell people how God has shown mercy, to us. We need to be open to the promptings of God, so that we can discern when it is the right time for each activity.

In today’s study, Selwyn talks about the discipline of sharing our faith with others. He writes: “We should discipline ourselves to share by deed and word what we have found as we have prayed and read the Word.”

In Romans 10:11-15 (NIV), we read: ‘As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and non-Jews – the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” ‘

We are all sent out into this world to tell people about the love of Jesus through our actions and our words – our actions speak of love and our words speak of God’s mercy. It’s God Himself who gives you the opportunities to share Christ with others – it is not essential to have been trained in a bible college to work in His harvest field. It is His Spirit within you – expressing His presence through your life that others will see that you have been set free from the bondage of evil.

What do you think about this?

The most impressive thing that is always experienced during these long, dark nights – is that our God never leaves our side – He is always close to us, encouraging us to persevere.

I think Selwyn’s introduction holds a lot of relevance for me, at this moment, because it reflects some aspects of what I’ve been going through over the past six weeks.

He writes: “Whatever our talents, they have been given to us not simply for us to enjoy them but so we can serve others.

Yet service can sometimes feel onerous and hard – that is why it is seen as a discipline. If it is not regarded as a discipline then we will serve occasionally or do only those things which please or satisfy us. If the latter, then service becomes self-service.

… [I've just changed a few words of the  quote, used by Selwyn; as taken from Dallas Willard's book, The Spirit of the Disciplines.] ‘(We serve others as an act of love to glorify God.) You may also serve another to train yourself away from arrogance, possessiveness, envy, resentment or covetousness. In this case, our service is undertaken as a discipline for the spiritual life.’ “

As Selwyn says in his conclusion: every follower of Jesus is expected to serve others – there are no exceptions.

John 13:12-17 (NIV): ‘When Jesus had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” ‘

Our Lord and God, set an example for us to follow – it does not matter who we are or what position we hold – we are all expected to humbly, serve others. The option to sit on the sidelines and do nothing, is an option which is not available to us.

Do you agree?

He writes: ” … let us be quite clear what we are saying about this issue of busyness and activity. In themselves ,work and activity do not constitute a problem – they become a problem when we use them as an escape route to evade responsibility.” He goes onto say: ” … (we reason we need to ask) the Holy Spirit to show us what is going on in our hearts is because only God can cut through the layers of our personality and show us what is motivating us in that part of our being which is just below the level of awareness.”

In Hebrews 4:12-13 (NIV), we read: ” … For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

I believe, as I’ve also said many times before, that we don’t have to stumble blindly through these issues, by ourselves. God loves us, so much, that He is always bringing to our attention, those aspects of our lives that He wants us to change – so that we might become more like Jesus. Do you agree?

” … Attendance to home and family responsibilities and relationships is of prime importance, and I would go so far as to say that they take precedence over every other activity – preaching, evangelising and church meetings included. No one can have a successful ministry unless they are prepared to deal with important issues that arise from time to time in family life.

What we must remember is this: any work in the name of Christ but from a wrong motive will be burned up on that day when our life’s work will be examined before the judgment seat of Jesus.”

In summary, Selwyn is saying that if the motive for some Christian activity is to avoid dealing with a serious family issue; then we will not be blessed by God.

In Mark 7:6-13 (NIV), we read: “Jesus replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God) – then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.” “

As in the above case where some Jews were using religious traditions to avoid their responsibilities; we too, might use our self-serving motives to undertake religious-services, so as to avoid being Christ-like to family and close friends.  It’s important that we always take this sort of issue – regarding our motives, to God, in prayer and to seek His guidance.

I like the verse (1) from Psalm 127, which Selwyn used for the key verse for today’s study.

“Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labour in vain.”

It’s a very re-assuring verse because it tells us that God is in control and that His will prevails. There are no surprises for God – everything that happens has been seen by God before He created time, which is also controlled by His laws of physics. I think that this is one aspect of God’s greatness that is beyond our comprehension.

In today’s study, Selwyn talks about those people who escape from reality by being extremely active and always busy. He writes: ” … busyness and activity are not bad in themselves; they become troublesome when we use them as an escape route to avoid facing up to an important issue that needs attention. … No amount of Christian work can justify inaction in urgent and important matters that relate to family and home.”

The prayer for today, is an excellent summary: “Father, I am coming to see that effective living is a matter of priorities. Help me to put things in their proper order – God first, family next, and church work third. In Jesus’ name I ask it. Amen.”

In Matthew 22:37, we read: ‘Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” … ‘

The first aspect of our spiritual life which must be given the highest priority – is to love God.

I think what Selwyn has written is fairly straight forward – and I’ve no additional comments.

What did you think of today’s study?

***

Last night, I had a dream (about Jesus); and, it was so vivid I got up out of bed at around 3 am, and started to read the Bible. I was taken to a number of different passages, but these verses from Pslam 107, I found to be very encouraging (verses 1-22, NIV) : “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story – those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness, prisoners suffering in iron chains, because they rebelled against God’s commands and despised the plans of the Most High. So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains. Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron.

Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities. They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind. Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy.”

It does not matter – what sort of distress we are suffering; our Lord and our God – loves us, and will rescue us.

The best bit, I thought was: “Christians know exactly who they are – they are the children of the living God and joint heirs with Jesus to all that God owns. You see, those who understand that their true greatness comes, not from things or earthly attachments, but from their relationship with God have no need of superior attitudes. … You are meant to live with your feet on the earth and the Spirit of God in your heart, walking straight up to the task that God has called you to do.”

The issue is that while on a knowledge level, many Christians are aware of the verses in the Bible which tell them that they are God’s children; this knowledge hasn’t been fully actioned – in the way they live their lives. Yet, this is how we demonstrate our love for Jesus – in the way we follow Him. Knowing what the right path is to eternal life, is one thing; actually moving our feet in that direction is the real challenge. Do you agree?