SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/3/2017
11:10 AM
My Worship Time
Focus: Christian Witness Is To The World
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: John
15:26-27
Message of the
verses: “26 "When the Helper
comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who
proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, 27 and you will testify
also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.”
Now when we look at these two verses we really don’t see per
say that Christians are to witness to the lost world, however as John MacArthur
writes “The immediate context of verses 26-27 makes that clear; both the
preceding passage (vv. 18-25) and the following section (16:1-11) discuss the
world and its hostility. This point may
seem trite and obvious, yet many Christians never confront the world with the
gospel.” Now as we read this last
sentence it should cause us to ask God to search our hearts to see if we are
guilty of not witnessing to others. Now
I am not trying to give anyone a guilty conscience but here is a verse that
will, I think, help us with this issue “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your
hearts, always being ready
to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that
is in you, yet with
gentleness and reverence (1 Peter 3:15).” Did
you get that? We are to be ready to tell
others about the hope that we have, that hope is the salvation that God has
granted to us through Jesus Christ, and we are to do this with “gentleness and
reverence.” We are not to make a pest of
ourselves as we witness for Jesus Christ, but we are to be ready to tell those
who God brings into our path the message of the gospel. Perhaps we should actually pray that God will
send someone into our lives to talk to them about their soul’s need, and be
ready to tell them the truth of the gospel.
We know that the world that is the world system hates
true Christianity yet we are to be a witness in the world, but not to become a
part of the world, even though we came out of that system when we became
saved. I want to quote John 3:36 at this
time: “"He who believes in the Son
has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the
wrath of God abides on him."”
Notice that as we look at this verse that John the Baptist who is
speaking here tells us that there are two kinds of people in this world, those
who believe in the Son for eternal life, and those who do not believe in the
Son for eternal life. There are not many
shades of people in the world, only black and white and I know that you realize
that I am using these two colors to demonstrate the spiritual condition of
people and not what we would call in our world today different races as
actually there is only one race on planet earth and that is the human race. As believers we are to be ready to confront
those who are in the world and stand up for Jesus Christ as God is leading us
to do. This world system which we are
talking about is headed up by Satan as he usurped it when he caused man to fall
into sin in the garden of Eden as seen in the 3rd chapter of
Genesis. John writes the following in 1
John 2:15-17 15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone
loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the
flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the
Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and also its
lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” As believers we are not to love the world and
we are not to be a part of the world, that is like we were before we were saved,
but we have to go into the world to tell others about Jesus Christ, and when we
walk around in this world we can be tempted to be like it but John tells us
that we are not to love the world or to become a part of it again, and yet we
are to be a witness to those who are in it.
All this sound a bit confusing and difficult, but as we look at our two
verses in the gospel of John we see the wonderful promise of the Holy Spirit
which comes from the Father and is given to believers when they are saved, and
Jesus says that the Holy Spirit is just like Him so we actually have the Spirit
of Christ living in us.
John MacArthur writes in conclusion: “Despite the world’s hostility, however,
Christians must confront the lost with compassion and gospel love. As Paul counseled his protégé Timothy, “24 The Lord’s bond-servant must not be
quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, 25 with gentleness correcting those who are in
opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge
of the truth,” We already looked at what
Peter tells us to do which is similar to what Paul told Timothy.
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: I see the
importance of the Holy Spirit being involved in my witnessing to others as He
is the One who works in the hearts of unbelievers and then leads me to give a
witness to them by giving me the words and the Scriptures to use when I talk to
someone about Christ.
My Steps of Faith for Today: I received a free Bible when I bought another
one to give to my daughter for a Christmas present and it is a devotional Bible
and is written in a way that one will read different passages each day and by
the end of the year will have read through the entire Bible. There are daily devotions written by John
MacArthur in the Bible and today’s was on blessing or blessed which in the Greek
is the word we get eulogy and he writes “When we bless God, it is with our
words of praise; when He blesses us, it is with deeds of kindness.” I wish to bless God with word of praise for
the kindnesses that He has given to me.
Memory verse for the week
(Romans 6:11) “Even so, consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God
in Christ Jesus.”
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Herodias” (Matthew 14:3).
Today’s Bible
question: “What Old Testament prophet
did Peter quote on the day of Pentecost?”
Answer in our next SD.
1/3/2017 11:49 AM
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