Welcome!
Passage: Heb 2, Prov 20
14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for[f] the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Heb 2, NIV 84)
Jesus left heaven and came in to the world to save the world
He took the sins upon Him to save us from sin; he became a curse for us
Finally, He took death upon Him to save us from eternal death
He became the atonement, the propitiation for our sins
He practically came down to the place of need and identified with the recipients of His message. He became one of them
If some of you are doing something like that, God bless you
Jesus was/is authentic. He did what said. He loved us practically
One of the most serious complaints against Christians today, is the lack of Authenticity; Christians who preach one thing and practice another
We have become experts in throwing dirt at others while failing to focus on Christ, whom we call our author and finisher
Innocent Christians fail to detect the intentions behind the false humility of some of these leaders. Jesus Christ never acted humility; He rather proved it!
Humility of Jesus can be seen in the fact that He gave all the glory to the Father. He never did one thing, on His own. He is our role model
Whatever Jesus did/preached was in agreement with the father
Jesus spent a whole night in prayer, before selecting the twelve. That shows His dependency on the Father. He knew the seriousness of the process
Jesus did not ask the disciples to give Him a resume/bio-data; He was able to discern/know them more than they knew themselves.
24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. 25 He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man. (John 2:24-25, NIV 84)-emphasis added
This gift is missing in most leaders today. Peter was able to discern that Ananias and Saphira had done something wrong. That rarely happens today
God is looking for authentic Christians, authentic leaders
May God help you and me to be one
God bless you
BG
Prayer: Lord, make me an authentic Christian, instead of blaming others for not being authentic.
Proverbs for today: Proverbs 20 (verses below, from NIV 84)
14 “It’s no good, it’s no good!” says the buyer; then off he goes and boasts about his purchase.
15 Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.
18 Make plans by seeking advice; if you wage war, obtain guidance.
20 If a man curses his father or mother, his lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness.
21 An inheritance quickly gained at the beginning will not be blessed at the end.
30 Blows and wounds cleanse away evil, and beatings purge the inmost being.