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Acts 2:42-47
Fairy tales always end the same way: "And they lived happily ever after." But we all know that this doesn't happen in real life. Our happily-ever-afters only last so long. Think back to the time in your life when you were the happiest. Maybe it was the first months of your marriage. Maybe it was that one year in college when you and your roommate were best friends. Maybe it was a trip overseas, or the first job you loved. Those are our happily-ever-afters, and we can't help but look back on them with a smile and a little bit of wistfulness. If only we could go back.... But the good days can't last forever. They only last long enough to let us know how good life can be and to give us hope when our days grow dark.
Leah T.
Acts 2:42-47
Coincidentally at the time of the Tucson assassination attempt on Congresswoman Giffords, a report was released by Stanford University on heroism. The report is significant because of the number of individuals who acted heroically in front of the Safeway Store. The study found that 20% of all Americans have acted heroically. A heroic action was defined as someone who helped during a dangerous emergency, has taken a stand against injustice, or sacrificed for a stranger. In reviewing the report, Stanford University Professor Philip Zimbardo said, "At a very deep psychological level, we all need and want heroes to inspire us. Heroes are really the soul of a nation. They represent what is best in human nature."
With the conception of the church after the resurrection of Jesus, many came to follow the teachings of the apostles. This was a courageous act in a time of religious persecution of Christians. But as Luke recounts, "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship." Their devotion to the apostles was a heroic act. The same devotion, the same heroism, should be expected of us today.
Ron L.
1 Peter 2:19-25
Persecution of Christians is as alive and well today as it was when Peter wrote these words. It has been estimated that more Christians were martyred for their faith in the twentieth century than in all previous centuries combined. It is estimated by the World Evangelical Alliance that over 200 million Christians in 60 nations are denied basic human rights to some degree because of their faith. Even in the small east African nation of Eritrea, it is estimated that between 2,000 and 3,000 Christians are imprisoned (http://www.worldevangelicals.org/commissions/rlc/rlc_article.htm?id=2488).
In this Easter season, it is important to remember that as Christ suffered, his followers still suffer today in many parts of the world. It is up to those of us who enjoy religious liberty to pray and advocate for those who do not. "For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly" (v. 19).
Craig K.
John 10:1-10
In the mid 1800s, Gustave Dore wore a book on his observations of life in London. The book was titled, London: A Pilgrimage. The heart of the book was to make the world aware of the appalling conditions under which most Londoners had to live, especially the lower class workers who performed manual labor in the factories. Dore opens chapter XIV with this sentence, "Before six in the morning, while the mantle of night still lies over the sloppy streets, and the air stings the limbs to the marrow; the shadow of men and boys may be seen, black objects against the deep gloom, gliding out of the side-streets to the main thoroughfares. They are the vanguard of the army of Labour...."
Jesus said, "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." But there are so many oppressed individuals throughout the world that do not know the abundant life. They are like Dore's description, "black objects against the deep gloom." Even in our own prosperity, if we are besieged by family problems, health problems, or problems at work we too can be like "black objects against the deep gloom."
It is our calling as Christians, through service and words, to transform the black objects against the deep gloom to brilliant individuals showcased in the light of the day.
Ron L.
John 10:1-10
Bethany is too stubborn to follow the rules. She likes to find a different way to do everything, no matter how much she has to go out of her way. Instead of keeping a hide-a-key under the front door mat, she always leaves the back bedroom window slightly ajar so that she can climb through if she gets locked out. If she doesn't have the ingredients a recipe calls for, she refuses to go to the store; she just substitutes whatever she happens to have on hand. Sometimes, her creativity can be helpful: When she's volunteering with an organization with a low budget, her resourcefulness is invaluable. But other times, stubbornness only gets in her way. Bethany's greatest challenge is learning that sometimes following the rules is a good thing.
Leah T.
Fairy tales always end the same way: "And they lived happily ever after." But we all know that this doesn't happen in real life. Our happily-ever-afters only last so long. Think back to the time in your life when you were the happiest. Maybe it was the first months of your marriage. Maybe it was that one year in college when you and your roommate were best friends. Maybe it was a trip overseas, or the first job you loved. Those are our happily-ever-afters, and we can't help but look back on them with a smile and a little bit of wistfulness. If only we could go back.... But the good days can't last forever. They only last long enough to let us know how good life can be and to give us hope when our days grow dark.
Leah T.
Acts 2:42-47
Coincidentally at the time of the Tucson assassination attempt on Congresswoman Giffords, a report was released by Stanford University on heroism. The report is significant because of the number of individuals who acted heroically in front of the Safeway Store. The study found that 20% of all Americans have acted heroically. A heroic action was defined as someone who helped during a dangerous emergency, has taken a stand against injustice, or sacrificed for a stranger. In reviewing the report, Stanford University Professor Philip Zimbardo said, "At a very deep psychological level, we all need and want heroes to inspire us. Heroes are really the soul of a nation. They represent what is best in human nature."
With the conception of the church after the resurrection of Jesus, many came to follow the teachings of the apostles. This was a courageous act in a time of religious persecution of Christians. But as Luke recounts, "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship." Their devotion to the apostles was a heroic act. The same devotion, the same heroism, should be expected of us today.
Ron L.
1 Peter 2:19-25
Persecution of Christians is as alive and well today as it was when Peter wrote these words. It has been estimated that more Christians were martyred for their faith in the twentieth century than in all previous centuries combined. It is estimated by the World Evangelical Alliance that over 200 million Christians in 60 nations are denied basic human rights to some degree because of their faith. Even in the small east African nation of Eritrea, it is estimated that between 2,000 and 3,000 Christians are imprisoned (http://www.worldevangelicals.org/commissions/rlc/rlc_article.htm?id=2488).
In this Easter season, it is important to remember that as Christ suffered, his followers still suffer today in many parts of the world. It is up to those of us who enjoy religious liberty to pray and advocate for those who do not. "For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly" (v. 19).
Craig K.
John 10:1-10
In the mid 1800s, Gustave Dore wore a book on his observations of life in London. The book was titled, London: A Pilgrimage. The heart of the book was to make the world aware of the appalling conditions under which most Londoners had to live, especially the lower class workers who performed manual labor in the factories. Dore opens chapter XIV with this sentence, "Before six in the morning, while the mantle of night still lies over the sloppy streets, and the air stings the limbs to the marrow; the shadow of men and boys may be seen, black objects against the deep gloom, gliding out of the side-streets to the main thoroughfares. They are the vanguard of the army of Labour...."
Jesus said, "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." But there are so many oppressed individuals throughout the world that do not know the abundant life. They are like Dore's description, "black objects against the deep gloom." Even in our own prosperity, if we are besieged by family problems, health problems, or problems at work we too can be like "black objects against the deep gloom."
It is our calling as Christians, through service and words, to transform the black objects against the deep gloom to brilliant individuals showcased in the light of the day.
Ron L.
John 10:1-10
Bethany is too stubborn to follow the rules. She likes to find a different way to do everything, no matter how much she has to go out of her way. Instead of keeping a hide-a-key under the front door mat, she always leaves the back bedroom window slightly ajar so that she can climb through if she gets locked out. If she doesn't have the ingredients a recipe calls for, she refuses to go to the store; she just substitutes whatever she happens to have on hand. Sometimes, her creativity can be helpful: When she's volunteering with an organization with a low budget, her resourcefulness is invaluable. But other times, stubbornness only gets in her way. Bethany's greatest challenge is learning that sometimes following the rules is a good thing.
Leah T.
