Tag Archives: John Baptist

The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. – Proverbs 28:1

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Christ in the House of His Parents by John Eve...

Christ in the House of His Parents by John Everett Millais, 1849-50 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
– Proverbs 28:1

One of my greatest inspirations of boldness is John the Baptist. He was not someone that the world considered special. He dressed strangely and ate strange food. He didn’t have any special gifting. He preached about God’s kingdom, boldly carrying out what his King had called Him to do. John the Baptist didn’t care what people said or what they thought. It didn’t matter how uncool it was, how undesirable it was, or how bad people hated him. He was even thrown in jail for what he said and later beheaded because of his boldness.

Another one of my Bible heroes is the Apostle Paul who wrote these words in his letter to the Romans: For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile (Romans 1:16). But that kind of boldness can’t happen until you know who you are and you know your place in Christ. This world is hurt and it’s dying. We need voices in the wilderness right now. We need voices to step up and start proclaiming the gospel of Christ with the boldness of John the Baptist and the Apostle Paul did.

Stay strong. If your family, friends and associates hate you for your beliefs, it doesn’t matter. Persecution will come. Just rely on Christ. Have peace knowing that he’s with you. Christ is a hundred percent more important than your family, friends and neighbours. He’s the only reason we live.

 

 

 

 

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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Our Inheritance With Christ Jesus

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Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglica...

Our Inheritance With Christ Jesus

 

 

 

 

 

Matthew 11:11, “Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding, he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

 

 

 

 

 

MATTHEW 11:2-19, LUKE 7:18-35

Much of the Old Testament deals with future events and the coming Messiah and His Kingdom. Not only was John the Baptist the voice of God to his generation, he was also the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy. He did not merely prophesy about the coming Messiah and the New Covenant, as the Old Testament prophets did, but he actually prepared the way for the hearts of the people to receive Jesus by bearing witness to the Light.

Although John the Baptist was the greatest of the Old Testament prophets, he was not a born again “new creature in Christ”. When Jesus was raised from the dead, He enabled us to be “born of the Spirit” and become children of God, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ. We were enabled to become “partakers of the divine nature” and full-fledged sons of God. John operated under the Old Covenant when none of these promises were yet in effect. Jesus established a new order, “the Kingdom of God,” in which these promises became effective. God saw John and all of the Old Testament prophets through the law.

The new birth is essential for entering into the Kingdom of God. Our spiritual man became dead unto (separated from) God through sin. Just as we didn’t accomplish our physical birth, we cannot produce this spiritual rebirth. We are totally incapable of saving ourselves; therefore, we need a Saviour. We simply believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and we are saved.

Salvation is not a reformation, but rather a regeneration, a new birth, a new creation, that can only be accomplished by a creative miracle of the Holy Spirit. Because of the new birth, He sees us through Jesus. Celebrate Life!

 

 

 

 

 

 

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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They’re ordinary people Who love God from the heart

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Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglica...

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They’re ordinary people Who love God from the heart

Steve was just an ordinary guy. He quietly served in a church I attended years ago. He helped prepare communion, shoveled the church sidewalks in the winter, and mowed the lawn in the summer. He spent time with teenage boys who had no fathers in the home. I often heard him telling people at church in his quiet way how good the Lord was to him. During prayer meeting he didn’t talk much about himself but would ask us to pray for those he was telling about Jesus’ forgiveness and love.

A verse in John 10 about John the Baptist makes me think of Steve. People said of him: “John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man [Jesus] were true” (v.41). John didn’t perform miracles as Jesus did. He didn’t talk about himself but came to “bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe” (1:7). He said of Jesus, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (1:29). My friend Steve bore witness of that Light as well.

Our aim, as followers of Jesus, is to do the same—to “bear witness of the Light.” We’re just ordinary people, serving God in our little corner of the world. With our quiet deeds and words, let’s point others to the Light! —Anne Cetas

Just what do Christians look like?

What sets their lives apart?

They’re ordinary people

Who love God from the heart. —D. De Haan

Christians are ordinary people who are committed to the extraordinary person of Christ.

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