Blessed be Your Name!

      Paul says, “No one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, ‘Jesus be cursed’.” (1 Cor.12:3) Do you get tired of hearing the Name of Jesus Christ trampled in the dirt like that? No one ever does that with Allah or Buddha or Confucius. I can only believe that Satan doesn’t care about these other names.

      I sometimes think that if an alien landed in Burlington and heard the name of Jesus, even in blasphemy, he would wonder, “Who is this Jesus?”; and he would inquire until he found out. Except for that curse, he might never hear the Name.

      And so is fulfilled (by ways we would never choose), the apostle Paul’s blessing, “What does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached.” (Phil.1:15-18).

Great News and Really Good Choices!

 

       “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”—an amazing announcement from an angel of the Lord, then an amazing choir in the night sky. (Luke 2:11) Nothing was commanded; perhaps nothing was expected of those shepherds. But they knew a promise— “You, Bethlehem Ephrathah…out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel.” (Micah 5:2)

       In that moment, Bethlehem became the centre of the universe, and those shepherds were spectators at the central event of the ages—the incarnation of the Son of Man. What would they do? After the first shiver of awe and joy, would they turn back to their sheep? They conferred—and without any compulsion, they decided— “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened.” (Luke 2:15) A Child had been born who was the Mighty God and the Prince of Peace. And they got to meet Him in the flesh.

       Thirty years later some Greeks in Jerusalem came to His disciples and said, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” We believe they DID see Him. (John 12:21)

       How can we bring this into our own day? How can we meet Jesus? He said, Himself, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29) The prime meeting place for us now is in the Scriptures. Sometimes we will see Him there, sometimes in prayer, sometimes in worship, sometimes through a godly speaker, sometimes most blessedly, in one of His own, standing right beside us. As the apostle Paul said, “I want to know Christ…becoming like him…” (Phil.3:10)