Epaggelia

Everybody loves the change in weather and cooler fall temps, but no one wants the sun to stop shining! We need light, it’s essential. Yes it’s fierce at times and even dangerous if we don’t take precautions. But without light from the sun, two terrible things would befall us all. Our food would stop growing and we would gradually grow sick. Secondly, our society would be instantly very dangerous and fall into frightening rates of violent crime. Many people do not realize it, but just as physical light is taken for granted, there is great benefit from spiritual light. Spiritual light is from the one and only living God, who provides wisdom and strength to protect us from a dark evil that invades every human soul, it’s the very nature of sin. However, God gives light and reveals what is wrong and dangerous in our life. Without God as our Light, and His word as a lamp, we would be hopelessly groping for safety and strength to do what is right. Isaiah called God our permanent source of light and His splendor would shine on us, (Isa. 60:19-20). When John the Immersionist publicly introduced Jesus to the crowds, he called Him, “light” and a “lamb”, (Jn. 1:3-5, 36). Why? Because the truth would be proven and revealed in The Revelation, “Now I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God, the All-Powerful, and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God lights it up, and its lamp is the Lamb.” Can anyone get enough of this kind of light? Have you got just a glimmer? (Rev. 21:22-23)

God knows how much we need His light. If you do not enjoy this kind of light, it is most likely because you have not entered into Christ. He is the only true light for all humanity, read of this claim by Himself in John 8:12. We are promised entrance into the resurrected body of Jesus Christ by faith right now, if we will take his command of baptism seriously. This means we must trust & obey Him in baptism for the specific purpose He assigns to baptism, read Acts 2:38 & Romans 6:1-7 for yourself and see if you are not enlightened?

For many of us, those are strange words. But they are real descriptive of how God looks on a true Christian. Jesus said “if anyone would follow me, they must deny themselves, pick up their cross and follow me daily”, (Lk 9:23) Following Jesus every day means we are refusing to call this world home, because Jesus never did. Jesus was a transient teacher and when he ended up in front of the governor Pilate, he said “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews.” (John 18:36) The disciples of Jesus never fought their enemies, they prayed for them and loved them. Today, our enemies still need Jesus. Enemies come in many different forms, so-called friends that tempt us into abusing drink or drugs are actually enemies. Co-workers that tempt us to take home products or money from work are not helping us, they are hurting us. Even family members that demand we take trips away from church on Sundays, are not loving, they are actually ignorant of God’s love. “Enemies against God” is a phrase that describes you and I at one point in our life, before we became a Christian. Before Christ, we were exiles from God’s promises, love and wisdom. We were aliens from His Kingdom and spiritually set against His law of love and faith. But after we became His disciples and put on Jesus Christ, we became exiles of this world and gained a citizenship in Heaven. We should love our enemies no matter how ignorant they are of God’s love and His wisdom in our life. With God ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE, so let us journey together.