TNT CHRISTIAN EXPLOSION

Paul's Return to JerusalemI was looking at Acts 21 and found it interesting that the journey of Paul went full circle. He starts early in the book as one who was the enemy of the Jews who were proclaiming Christ and was ordered to persecute them. Now in Chapter 21, Paul is being accepted by the Christian Jews but is in need of protection from other Jews fortaking the message to the gentiles. He is further accused of telling Jews who lived among the gentiles not to follow the laws and customs of Moses. This triggered the reply of Paul's full testimony and calling starting with a call to leave Jerusalem quickly even though he was a zealous Jew, because they would not accept his testimony there. His statement that God them sent him far away to the gentiles angered the crowd to a murderous rage.


Often the crowds in our life decide who we are and the way we should go. They struggle to silence our testimonies that say we are no longer who we were and are no longer doing the wrong things we once done. But, the principle aspect of being born again is that of change - repentence is no longer going in the direction you were going before but changing to a new positive direction. This is the true rebirth when old things have past away and all things have become new in Christ Jesus.

Running the RaceAt church today, we watched a short video that showed a high school boy with cerebral palsy. Though he was physically limited and fell at times when running, he was determined to run for the high school cross country team. Despite several falls he eventually completed the race. Many people were in tears by the end of the video to see the young teen so determined and persistent to finish the race. 

We as Christians are running a similar race. We are continuously falling down, offending God in the things we think, do, and say--glorifying our flesh and not our Lord and Saviour. However, we are able to get back up again thanks to the blood of Jesus Christ! When we decide to let Christ into our hearts and wash our hearts in his blood, Gods angels rejoice and celebrate our arrival to his Kingdom. In Hebrews chapter 12, it reads: "wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witness, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us looking to Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith."