"After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body. Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight." John 19:38-39
It is not until the aftermath of Jesus' traumatic sacrifice that we are introduced to Joseph of Arimathea. We are told in Mark's account that he was a prominent member of the council. Though previously introduced, we are also made aware of Nicodemus who himself is a member of the council. There are two other very interesting things that that this duo has in common. One is that they both wanted to take responsibility for the body of Jesus after his death. The other is that they are "secret disciples," Nicodemus having previously come to Jesus under cover of darkness.
The question must be asked, can one truly be a disciple of the Lord in secret? It is true that both of these men are described as lovers of God. It is true that they ultimately acted in the service of the Lord. It is also true, however, that during Christ's ministry, they kept their feelings for him to themselves and did nothing to support his mission. Scriptures reveal that fear was what caused them to remain hidden.
Beloved, we are not in the same place, time, circumstance or culture as these men but so many of us share "secret discipleship" with them. This condition involves internal acknowledgement and perhaps even love for the Savior but little to no external acknowledgement outside the occasional worship attendance and little to no works of service in his name. The "secret disciples" do not share their faith or the gospel out of fear of being ridiculed, ostracized or perhaps fired. Invitations to worship and bible studies are not extended to acquaintances and friends may not even realize that Christianity is part of their lives. Traits like these must beg the question whether a person is a Christian at all.
It is true that Jesus warned his followers that the Christian life would potentially be unpopular among the masses, but he encouraged that we live the Christian life and proclaim the gospel boldly. Most notably, Jesus said in Mark 8:38, "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” I don't know about you, church, but I want to be claimed by the Lord so I am sure to claim him every day.
Increasing in faith,
Lee
Showing posts with label loyalty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label loyalty. Show all posts
Friday, January 31, 2020
Monday, June 30, 2014
Are You a Secret Disciple? 6/30/2014
"After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body. Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight." John 19:38-39
It is not until the aftermath of Jesus' traumatic sacrifice that we are introduced to Joseph of Arimathea. We are told in Mark's account that he was a prominent member of the council. Though previously introduced, we are also made aware of Nicodemus who himself is a member of the council. There are two other very interesting things that that this duo has in common. One is that they both wanted to take responsibility for the body of Jesus after his death. The other is that they are "secret disciples," Nicodemus having previously come to Jesus under cover of darkness.
The question must be asked, can one truly be a disciple of the Lord in secret? It is true that both of these men are described as lovers of God. It is true that they ultimately acted in the service of the Lord. It is also true, however, that during Christ's ministry, they kept their feelings for him to themselves and did nothing to support his mission. Scriptures reveal that fear was what caused them to remain hidden.
Beloved, we are not in the same place, time, circumstance or culture as these men but so many of us share "secret discipleship" with them. This condition involves internal acknowledgement and perhaps even love for the Savior but little to no external acknowledgement outside the occasional worship attendance and little to no works of service in his name. The "secret disciples" do not share their faith or the gospel out of fear of being ridiculed, ostracized or perhaps fired. Invitations to worship and bible studies are not extended to acquaintances and friends may not even realize that Christianity is part of their lives. Traits like these must beg the question whether a person is a Christian at all.
It is true that Jesus warned his followers that the Christian life would potentially be unpopular among the masses, but he encouraged that we live the Christian life and proclaim the gospel boldly. Most notably, Jesus said in Mark 8:38, "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” I don't know about you church but I want to be claimed by the Lord so I am sure to claim him every day.
One,
Lee
It is not until the aftermath of Jesus' traumatic sacrifice that we are introduced to Joseph of Arimathea. We are told in Mark's account that he was a prominent member of the council. Though previously introduced, we are also made aware of Nicodemus who himself is a member of the council. There are two other very interesting things that that this duo has in common. One is that they both wanted to take responsibility for the body of Jesus after his death. The other is that they are "secret disciples," Nicodemus having previously come to Jesus under cover of darkness.
The question must be asked, can one truly be a disciple of the Lord in secret? It is true that both of these men are described as lovers of God. It is true that they ultimately acted in the service of the Lord. It is also true, however, that during Christ's ministry, they kept their feelings for him to themselves and did nothing to support his mission. Scriptures reveal that fear was what caused them to remain hidden.
Beloved, we are not in the same place, time, circumstance or culture as these men but so many of us share "secret discipleship" with them. This condition involves internal acknowledgement and perhaps even love for the Savior but little to no external acknowledgement outside the occasional worship attendance and little to no works of service in his name. The "secret disciples" do not share their faith or the gospel out of fear of being ridiculed, ostracized or perhaps fired. Invitations to worship and bible studies are not extended to acquaintances and friends may not even realize that Christianity is part of their lives. Traits like these must beg the question whether a person is a Christian at all.
It is true that Jesus warned his followers that the Christian life would potentially be unpopular among the masses, but he encouraged that we live the Christian life and proclaim the gospel boldly. Most notably, Jesus said in Mark 8:38, "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” I don't know about you church but I want to be claimed by the Lord so I am sure to claim him every day.
One,
Lee
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
We Are Family 5/13/2014
"While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. Someone said to Him, 'Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.' But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, 'Who is My mother and who are My brothers?' And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, 'Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.'” Matthew 12:46-50
Jesus' fame had now grown so much that wherever he went, a crowd gathered. It is easy to imagine how controversial some of the things he said were because they still are today. In this case, his adversaries challenged him at nearly every word, even accusing him of being possessed by Satan, yet the crowds still came. This caused his own family to think that he had literally lost his mind (Mark 3:21) so they went to retrieve him.
Beloved, do members of your blood family think you have lost your mind because of your faith in Christ? Just as there were those who stood against Jesus and his teaching, there are those who stand against us for our adherence to it. Today, however, you are encouraged to take heart. Jesus famously said, “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you," John 15:18. In other words, we are in good company.
Further, this common love of our common Savior and our common performance of his word makes us a family whose bond is stronger than blood. Jesus triumphantly declared that all who believe are in fact, his family. And if we are his family, we are most assuredly children of the living God.
This is not to say that our blood families are to be disregarded. There are ample Scriptures that address the fact that we are to honor mother and father and love brothers and sisters. We are even to love our enemies. We are uniquely positioned to invite them into the family and have an obligation to do so. It is, however, of primary importance that we seek, obtain and maintain membership ourselves in the spiritual family. Let us earnestly desire to be counted among the Savior's brothers, sisters and mothers.
One,
Lee
Jesus' fame had now grown so much that wherever he went, a crowd gathered. It is easy to imagine how controversial some of the things he said were because they still are today. In this case, his adversaries challenged him at nearly every word, even accusing him of being possessed by Satan, yet the crowds still came. This caused his own family to think that he had literally lost his mind (Mark 3:21) so they went to retrieve him.
Beloved, do members of your blood family think you have lost your mind because of your faith in Christ? Just as there were those who stood against Jesus and his teaching, there are those who stand against us for our adherence to it. Today, however, you are encouraged to take heart. Jesus famously said, “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you," John 15:18. In other words, we are in good company.
Further, this common love of our common Savior and our common performance of his word makes us a family whose bond is stronger than blood. Jesus triumphantly declared that all who believe are in fact, his family. And if we are his family, we are most assuredly children of the living God.
This is not to say that our blood families are to be disregarded. There are ample Scriptures that address the fact that we are to honor mother and father and love brothers and sisters. We are even to love our enemies. We are uniquely positioned to invite them into the family and have an obligation to do so. It is, however, of primary importance that we seek, obtain and maintain membership ourselves in the spiritual family. Let us earnestly desire to be counted among the Savior's brothers, sisters and mothers.
One,
Lee
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)