This Week With Jesus

We’re all familiar with the idea of laws. We know the Ten Commandments, and we understand all of the rules that have been built on top of them. They spell out what how we ought to live, but they really provide no recourse. That recourse came from Jesus, when He took on Himself the penalty of the sins of the entire world, then and in the future. But now that we have received grace from Jesus, are we done with the law? The growing feeling among people is that with the belief in, and grace of Jesus, that being in the grace of God means that they don't have to do some of the things. that God has told us to do. In fact, while we may not admit how we lessen their priority in our day-to-day life, as adults, some may not even remember the 10 commandments! Rather, we should see how the law has pointed to Jesus all along, revealing His character, and helping us see our need for His grace, by which he empowers us to live for Him, for without the law we would not even know how deeply in troub

 

Refer Luke 7:22 Anxiety and worry are crippling issues for many people. In this age of technology, it is easier than ever before to compare ourselves to one another, which can lead to a lot of thoughts of inadequacy, insecurity and worthlessness. "The two listeners" in their book called God Calling, describe this feeling as below: How can you be "joyful when days were rain-packed, nights tortured by chronic insomnia, when poverty and almost insupportable worry were our daily portion, when prayer went unanswered and God's face was veiled, and fresh calamities came upon us...... Disheartened, one of us would gladly have ceased the struggle and passed onto a another and happier life".  In truth many, if not all, some of us go through such times and feelings.  What do we do about it? Pastor David Jacobs has this to say and suggest- Consider  Philippians 4 verses 6 and 7 -  6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let

  He Hears AND He Answers 

Today is the 12th of March 2024 .  Today, at 12 am, 2020, 4 years ago, the world officially went on to face a pandemic, of proportions unknown by these three generations which are present here today. The pandemic called Covid.  Worse than the Spanish flu, it went on to claim  7,004,732 lives as of March 2024. That is more than 7 Million!  To give you an idea of the depth of the tragedy, o n November 5, 2020 , Neapolitans woke up to discover a provocative white marble sculpture placed at the center of their most important square, Piazza del Plebiscito (Plebiscite Square): a chained baby lying down in a fetal position. Naked, with closed eyes and looking tired, the baby’s name is Homeless. Appropriate for this time of COVID lockdowns, the sculpture is called “Look Down” and invites each passerby to stop and look down at the human condition, chained by the health emergency and by the economic crisis heightened and exasperated by the ongoing pandemic. (Sage Journals) And yet, here we are.

  A sailing boat is an ideal example of a partnership between man and God. Even the law recognizes and divides actions into two parts - act of man and act of God. When God works for us to provide various blessings, it is through a combination of actions - act of God combined with an action of man. Unlike the law it does not separate but combines. Much like a sailboat which sails when a sail is hoisted by man to use the wind sent by God. In our earthly life, we have been destined to work the ground with labor to eat and live. Every action of ours, unless supported by God is useless. A farmer tills the ground, breaks his back to plant but unless the right weather conditions exist, he won't get a crop. Likewise, a factory worker will flourish when demand for that product is high which will happen if economic and natural forces are positive, both of which depend on nature which depends on God. Yet, we try and solve our own problems, find our own solutions. How much more foolish can we

In the year 2000, Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book called the tipping point. According to the book summary "The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behaviors, crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire. Just as a single sick person can start an epidemic of the flu, so too can a small but precisely targeted push cause a change in mindset, a fashion trend, the popularity of a new product, or a drop in the crime rate. Or a powerful faith in Christ .  You and I can discuss Christ, God and the Gospels because Christianity itself went through a tipping point  when Christianity was rocket-propelled from a dynamic new religion to an official state sponsored religion and can be traced exactly to the day, it was 28th October 312 AD .  To reach that tipping point were the efforts of Jesus’ disciples, who along with the apostle Paul were on fire with the new Gospel to the point that all but a few of the 12 apostles died natural deaths. The majority were