Confidence

“Now when they saw the confidence of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13

The follower of the Jesus is born again into the confidence and boldness of the Son of God. The caricature of a shoulder-forward, head down, shy and anemic Christian is not the picture the scriptures paint of an adopted child, ripped out of darkness. In fact, the natural reaction to a loved, cared for, forgiven and energy packed child is one of giddy joy, an uplifted head, a rascally smile and a adventures to be had.

The fishermen of Galilee had a northern-Israel, uneducated accent, empty pockets, no formal training and probably some rough edges to them; but alive on their insides, were experiential memories of their own hands giving out a pieces of fish to thousands and demons fleeing for cover at the sound of their voice. They had reoccurring sentences spoken from a bold man that reverberated inside of them, like “I will never be leave or forsake you” and “even greater works shall you do because I go to the Father.” And they also had the indelibly imprinted memory of their resurrected leader elevating off the ground and ascending into the clouds after giving them a commission. Since that day, their gaze was up, rather than on the dirt and their inadequacies.

Being with Jesus then and being with Jesus now is dangerous. Dangerous because His words mixed with our believing that these words are actually true may cause a person to act as if they are actually loved, free and unafraid. Being with Jesus can influence a person to live without a ceiling and dare to walk upon problems instead of bearing them. Being with Jesus today for 5 minutes just might awaken ideas and inspire the confidence we need to see ourselves the way He already does.

- Matt Peterson

Jesus Is The Word Of God

John 1 tells us that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” As we read on we learn in verse three that “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”

What does it mean that Jesus is the “Word” of God and that all created things were made through Him? Let’s start by asking, what is a word? A word is “a sound or a combination of sounds, or its representation in writing or printing, that symbolizes and communicates a meaning…”

A word whether spoken or written is a vehicle of communication. It is the bridge taking one person’s thoughts, ideas, feelings or intentions and communicating them to another.

The Hebrews believed that words were not just empty sounds, but that words were actually “things.” The word they use for “speak”, “lo-davar” comes from the same root as the word they use for object. They believed that words had the power to create reality.

When you look at words from this perspective, it makes sense that God created the whole universe through Jesus Christ, who is the Creative Word of God.

Look at the following scriptures: Colossians 1: 15-16 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”

Hebrews 1:1-4 “God who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image (exact image, stamp, character) of His person (substance), and upholding all things by the word of His power…“

Jesus is the perfect communication of God’s heart to mankind. He is the thought of God made manifest. There is no separation or division between what we see in Jesus and what exists in the mind and heart of God the Father.

Meditate on this and next time we’ll explore this idea a little bit further.

- Stephen Roach