One story — His story

Several people have said to me, “I don’t have faith like you do” as if faith is totally unobtainable, yet the Bible says, “Faith comes through hearing and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)

The Word of the Lord is powerful and effective. Acts 4:4 records instances like this: “But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.”

Even more astonishing is that at that time, the New Testament did not exist! The only Scriptures available to preach and teach the redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ were the books of the Old Testament. How then could this be the ‘word of Christ’ when it was written before Jesus was born and His coming was still a promise?

Here is a clue: after Jesus rose from the dead, He walked alongside two disciples who did not recognize Him. The Bible says, 

“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself . . . . Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.’” (Luke 24:27, 44–47)

The NT says that redemption’s story in the OT points to Jesus. Right from the beginning, Jesus is promised as the one who will conquer Satan (see Genesis 3:15) and the rest of the Scriptures, including the prophets, also point ahead to Him.

Remembering that the NT had not yet been written, these verses add to that evidence:

• “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me (Jesus), yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” (John 5:39–40)
• “Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture (from Isaiah) he told him the good news about Jesus.” (Acts 8:35)
• “To him (Jesus) all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (Acts 10:43)
• “And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures (OT), explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.’” (Acts 17:2–3)
• “Then I (Jesus) said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’” (Hebrews 10:7)

Being a detail person, seeing the big picture in the Bible has been such a blessing. The story of mankind can be summed up in four major stages: creation, the fall into sin, redemption promised and fulfilled, consummation when Christ returns. We are well into the third stage and eagerly waiting for the final one!

^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, these passages and Your words fill me with great anticipation, but also with a better understanding. When I read the OT, I now look for You. You show me Yourself in the promises concerning ‘Messiah’ but I also see shadows of You in the lives of people like Joseph and David, and in the way God works with rebellious Israel to deliver and restore them. The redemption story is not completed yet and my hope is that thousands will hear a word about You and be granted the faith to believe and be saved. Thank You for this marvelous book and for Your amazing work to deliver us from sin and take us to our eternal home with You.

The greatest ministry . . .

Yesterday I was praying and lamenting that I’m not doing anything visible toward building the kingdom of God. The next thought was, “But prayer builds the kingdom of God . . .” and I started to think that my lament could be just a complaint; prayer is unseen, hard work. Any form of ministry seems more rewarding.

But God keeps nudging me. I’m blessed this morning by a definition from today’s reading: “Prayer is the purest exercise of the faculties God has given us — an exercise that links our faculties with our Maker in order to work out His intentions.”

Working out the intentions of God is a lofty idea, yet it means total surrender. The example of Jesus Christ consistently reveals what prayer is all about . . .  

Then (Jesus) said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’ (Hebrews 10:7)

In Gethsemane and before going to the cross, Jesus spoke to His disciples, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” And going a little farther He fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” Then He found the disciples sleeping and said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” For the second time, He prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” Again, He found them sleeping, so left them and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. (Matthew 26:38–44)

On another occasion, He said, “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.” (John 5:30)

People often say that Jesus changed the world because He is God, forgetting that He is God in human flesh, God who did not cling to the power of being God but became a man and relied on the Father, just as the Father also expects His children to rely on Him. That means total surrender. It means that God can do things through us to accomplish His will on earth. He does it by putting His will into a surrendered heart so that all our prayers are His prayers, and certain to be answered . . .

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7) The J. B. Phillips version says, “If you live your life in me and my words live in your hearts, you can ask for whatever you like and it will come true for you.” In other words, when I do what He says and live as He wants me to live, then He will do what I say.

A second thought is that prayer is the current ministry of Jesus Christ. He died, rose again, and is at the right hand of God, interceding for us. (Romans 8:34) How could I think anything else could be more important than what Jesus is doing?

Yet I know the real reason for hesitation. Prayer is spiritual warfare. The powers of evil do not want me surrendered to God saying, “Not my will, but thine be done” and be aligned with the Almighty in prayer. They will do anything to discourage prayer and to sidetrack me into sin or selfishness. Prayer is war.

Because of that, it is a lonely business. Many others are less inclined to pray for those involved in the ministry of prayer, for they too are subject to this continual effort to stop any sort of prayer support.

I’ve heard it said that prayer is the most difficult yet the most important task. Even though the rest of me resists and makes excuses, my heart says yes. If God gives me nothing else to do, this one thing I must do — pray.