A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope,
encouragement and exhortation.
Friday, November
30, 2018
Yesterday
morning we passed this large farm near New Holland PA.
Click on
photo to enlarge
"Defying
Caesar, Declaring Christ"
Message
summary: Whenever necessary may
we boldly defy the decrees of Caesar and
always faithfully declare Jesus Christ
to be our Redeemer.
Listen
to our message
on your audio player.
"We must obey God rather than men!" (Acts 5:29). "They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus" (Acts 17:7). Today genuine believers all around the world are in various ways and to some extent defying Caesar (who represents the world system) and declaring another king, one called Jesus. I hope that includes you. But I especially want to consider those who are paying a heavy price for it. Today some will suffer for that stand, others will be imprisoned, tortured and yes, some will die. The first daily text sets a pattern for the church regarding our primary allegiance. The early disciples had heard Jesus proclaim the Great Commission: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). It wasn't long into the
church's history that this command
was put to the test. The authorities
charged the disciples, "We gave
you strict orders not to teach in
this name" (Acts 5:28). Their
response sets a pattern for
obedience for all devoted believers,
"We must
obey God rather than men!" (Acts
5:29).
The second daily text is a summary of the charges against the young believers in Thessalonica after the church was established in their city. Paul and his associates, Silas and Timothy, had faithfully declared the Word of God, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead and that this Jesus is the Christ (v. 3). Although some believed, others opposed them. This led to persecution and Paul's expulsion. But the little church survived and the New Testament has two letters written to these believers; 1 and 2 Thessalonians. "Caesar's decrees" in today's text were initially specific decrees made by the Roman emperor, but I feel they represent all of man's decrees that mandate disobedience to Christ. Defying Caesar's decrees wherever and whenever they violate God's decrees remains the call to the faithful church. The early disciples' courageous and unambiguous declaration must remain the declaration of earnest Christians throughout all ages, "There is another king, one called Jesus". The Greek word used for "another" is interesting. The word "heteros" means "another of a different kind." Indeed, Jesus said,
"I am not of this world". And
He says of His followers, "They
are not of the world". Paul
reminded the Philippians and
therefore we are reminded today that
"Our citizenship is in heaven"
(3:20).
The Gospel message is hindered and restricted in many lands and here in America there is an increase in opposition to those who boldly declare Jesus and the teachings of Scripture. In doing so the "decrees of Caesar" may very well be defied, for in many ways taking a stand for Christ defies the decrees of the modern Caesar. This is especially true concerning a number of "hot button" issues such as the Bible's teaching concerning our origins, sexual morality, abortion and the exclusivity of salvation through Jesus Christ. Today let us, with renewed resolve, praise and live daily for this King Jesus. Whenever necessary may we boldly defy the decrees of Caesar and always faithfully declare Jesus Christ to be our Redeemer. If you have not already acknowledged that Jesus is King do so today. If you, like me, are a servant of King Jesus, let us serve Him faithfully and when necessary let us be willing to defy Caesar's decrees to avoid compromising God's truth. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Brooksyne visiting with
some of the employees at Val-Co
yesterday. Four countries
represented here: U.S., Vietnam,
Puerto Rico, Africa.
We
passed this scene of buggies parked
for an Amish wedding yesterday near
Paradise PA. The horses are in the
large tent.
Click
on photo to enlarge
Our neighbor sent us
this photo of a barn-raising
taking place in Lebanon County
yesterday (Thursday). It's
actually a chicken-house raising.
Their daughter and her husband
just lost their chicken house to a
fire and the community came
together within weeks to rebuild.
Thankfully, there were no chickens
present when the fire broke out.
Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental Resources
"What
A Beautiful Name" Video
The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
Finally today:
Wednesday we shared
this photo of a meadow in northern Lebanon
County and identified the
animals as
what we thought were an
interesting type of brown-faced
sheep. Yesterday Stephen Linde,
a young agricultural engineer
from the Penn State University,
kindly
informed us that these were
likely actually goats, a variety grown for
meat known as Boer goats.
Click on photo
to enlarge
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