In these troubling times, it’s heartwarming to hear stories of human goodness. Here’s a link to a heartwarming tale of a stray dog finding a loving home in the US.
The Bible said, “The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain,” says the LORD.” (Isaiah 65:25)
Let’s learn from this story of a stray dog. Many are struggling and may be falling into depression. All it took was a chance encounter with a stranger who was willing to extend a helping hand. The rest is up to us. If you responded positively to that opportunity, your chances of bettering yourself are now possible. However, never abuse a gracious offer. They only offer you a hand, not their entire person.
Depression is the fear of being alone in your misery, but that’s never true. Scripture states, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel” (which means, God with us – Matthew 1:23).” That’s Jesus Christ.
In the Book of Revelation, the Bible proclaims, “And I heard a resounding voice from the throne declaring, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God has come to man. He will reside among them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them as their God.’” (Revelation 21:3)
The Jerusalem temple, the visible manifestation of the First Heaven and First Earth, has ceased to exist. This aligns with Jesus Christ’s teachings in Scripture, as it has passed away. For reference, check out Matthew 24:1-35.
Paul, in his letter to the church of Corinth, declared, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they have become a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
The New Creation has been a constant presence since the arrival of Christ Jesus, marking the inauguration of God’s kingdom. (For Scripture references, see Luke 17:20-21 and Matthew 12:28.) Its fullness becomes a complete reality with the destruction of the Old Covenant Jewish temple. Jesus declared, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2:19) Clearly, the temple about to be destroyed was the Jerusalem temple. Christ Jesus, along with His church, constitutes the New Temple (Ephesians 2:19-22 and Ephesians 5:23), which He established by His resurrection.
Though it is sad that the organized church has mangled the image of God’s church. Often times, it becomes a stumbling block for people to believe the Gospel. Nevertheless, never be afraid to be alone, especially if you are truly a Christian.
Regardless of what happens, God promises never to abandon or forsake us. As it says in Hebrews 13:5, “Keep your life free from love of money and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”
Scripture also warns that “the love of money brings trouble” (1 Timothy 6:10). Instead, seek God’s blessings, as it says in Proverbs 10:22, “The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.”
There is hope in humanity, after all. God’s goodness shines through in the hearts of those who are always ready to care and help. However, they must embrace the Gospel. Ephesians 2:8-9 emphasizes, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. It is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Share the Gospel, but do not imposed rules, regulations, or practices that are not explicitly taught in Scripture. The Bible intended God’s church to be a community, not an organization.
Peter, in the words of Acts 3:6, declared, “I possess neither silver nor gold, but in the name of Jesus Christ, I offer you what I have.” Share this article freely, for you freely receive. Take note, underlines and highlights are clickable links for definitions or Bible references. Stay updated by heading to our about page and subscribe directly to receive notifications in your inbox. Blessing!
Jesus performed two feeding miracles. On both occasions, the crowd was gathered with Him in a desolate place: the feeding of the five thousand Jews and the feeding of the four thousand Gentiles (Matthew 15:32-39; Mark 8:1-10). The miracle of feeding the five thousand is mentioned in all four gospels of the New Testament, while only Matthew and Mark record the feeding of the four thousand Gentiles (see Matthew 15:29-38).
“Jesus went on from there and walked beside the Sea of Galilee. And He went up on the mountain and sat down there. And great crowds came to Him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at His feet, and He healed them, so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel. Then Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with Me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” And the disciples said to Him, “Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?” And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, He took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks He broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.”
Take note of Matthew 15:31 in bold letters. After Jesus fed the four thousand, the crowd recognized that His deeds were from the God of Israel. This indicates that the crowd consisted of Gentiles. In contrast, after the feeding of the five thousand, the crowd acknowledged the significance of Jesus’ sign and said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” This statement, found in John 6:14, clearly references the Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 18:15-18). Hence, Paul said “For Jews, demand signs, and Greeks seek wisdom.” (1Co 1:22)
In Matthew 15:33 again in bold letters, the disciples might seem to have forgotten Jesus’ earlier miraculous feeding of the five thousand. However, that’s unlikely. All of Israel was eagerly anticipating the arrival of the promised Prophet of God. But this was not just any prophet, but the one foretold by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15: “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—you shall listen to Him.” Like Moses, Christ Jesus, the Great Prophet of God, would lead them in a second and final exodus.
If the disciples knew that Christ could perform miraculous feedings at any time, why did they still doubt? Like many Jews of their time, the disciples didn’t expect that the same grace would be offered to the Gentiles. This misunderstanding was detrimental if the disciples were to remain faithful to God’s work. The same applies to our present context. The preaching and teaching of the Gospel cannot be separated from theology. The doctrine of salvation (soteriology), the doctrine of the church (ecclesiology), the doctrine of Christ Jesus (Christology), the doctrine of the last things (eschatology), etc.
Modern Christianity dislike doctrines. They thought its divisive and complex. But the Gospel of Jesus Christ can only be truthfully understood along with the Bible’s doctrines. The doctrines of the Scripture is the unified message of the Gospel and Christ Jesus.
Fast forward to Paul’s ministry. He undoubtedly faced similar challenges from the Jews, who struggled to believe in Christ Jesus. Ironically, their strong bias for Jewish prominence caused them to rely heavily on the Mosaic Law, which became a barrier to accepting God’s grace. This theme is clearly outlined in Paul’s letters to the Romans and the Galatians.
“I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. But it is not as though the word of God has failed.For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.” (Rom 9:1-8)
Paul argued similarly in Galatians, saying: “Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” (Gal 3:21-29)
The Jewish people have no justification for being intolerant towards the Gospel. The Old Testament clearly teaches that salvation is available to everyone who believes, regardless of race or ethnicity.
To prove my point, click to see Genesis 12:1-3; 18:17-18; 22:17-18; three times God reiterated to Abraham that His salvation is for everyone. It is important to note, that Paul’s comprehension of the Gospel cannot be belitted. Apart from being a Pharisee trained in the OT Scripture (Acts 22:3), he received the Gospel through a revelation from Christ Jesus (Gal 1:11-12). So he authoritatively explains in Galatians 3:8-9
“And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.”
And again, in Galatians 3:11-14, Paul said:
“Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.”
Doubtless then, that the Gospel is sufficient for everyone who believes. Sadly though, the Jews opted to reject God’s grace and seek their own righteousness (Rom 10:1-4). Presently, a lot of Christians rightly teach that “salvation is by grace alone, through faith in Christ alone”. But they seem to have not learned from the mistakes of the Jews. Once baptized, Christians would be subjected to regulations and rules; like church membership, weekly attendance, etc.
Christ Jesus offers a simplified Christianity. But men, like the Old Covenant Jews, have to complicate it. Isn’t that the reason why Christianity comes in different denominations and forms?
In conclusion, Paul wrote: “If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings?” (Col 2:20-22)
Christ Jesus offered a simplified Christianity, let us therefore keep Christianity simple.
Peter, in the words of Acts 3:6, declared, “I possess neither silver nor gold, but in the name of Jesus Christ, I offer you what I have.” Share freely, for you freely receive. Stay updated by heading to our about page and subscribe directly to receive notifications in your inbox. Blessing!
Unlearning Tradition, Relearning Scripture 