Emphasis Preaching Journal

Acts 10:44-48
The lesson reminds us that in an era of globalization with the leveling/flattening of old divisions and hierarchies (see Thomas Friedman, The World Is Flat), Christian faith is strategically positioned. The Holy Spirit’s work in overcoming ethnic differences in a harmony in the Body of Christ is in step with the times. And the Spirit can indeed change the world. It sets us on fire, St. Augustine says: “We are inflamed, by Thy Gift we are kindled; and are carried upwards; we glow inwardly, and go forwards. We ascend Thy ways that be in our heart, and sing a song of degrees; we glow inwardly with Thy fire, with Thy good fire, and we go...”

On fire, glowing with God: this is what work the Holy Spirit does in our lives. Jerry Bridges, evangelical author and staff member of the Navigators, has written on the topic: “The Holy Spirit opens the inner recesses of our hearts and enables us to see the moral cesspools hidden there.” 

Famed Reformed theologian of the last century Karl Barth called the Holy Spirit “the awakening power” (Church Dogmatics, Vol. IV/1, p. 643). The Spirit is a little like an alarm clock, waking us up and opening our eyes to see and do the things of God. And one of the beautiful things we are led to see is that differences between people really don’t matter.
Mark E.


1 John 5:1-6
What John talks about here is more than just an intellectual acknowledgement. It would make no more sense than to accept my wife or children intellectually without love.

This passage implies that we are all brothers and sisters in the Lord ? all believers in Christ, that is.

We show that we love God by loving his children. How do we feel as parents if our children don’t share some love for each other? It hurts, just as it hurts God when we don’t love his other children.

We show love to our parents by obeying their wishes. It would really make us wonder if one of our children said, “We love you, but we don’t have to do all the stupid things you want us to do to prove it.” Obedience is one of the signs of love. I should add “trying with all our spirit to be obedient” since only one succeeded in being totally obedient, and he died on a cross. As it says, he came not just by water (baptism) but by his blood shed for us. If we believe in Christ, he will put his love in our hearts.

How many times have I pleaded with the Lord to give me just the right words I needed to help someone? Sometimes those words came when I was looking for other words, but they were just the right words so I knew the Lord had supplied them.

How do we know who are God’s children? That can be difficult sometimes. When I was in the mission field, there were many Hindus and Buddhists. Were they children of God? We saw many converted to Christ. Did they become children of God only after their baptism? We knew some in Nepal who said they believed all that we told them ? but if they came out of the closet and were baptized their family would disown them, and they were torn because they loved their family also.

What if a child or adult dies in an auto accident on the way to baptism? Are they lost?

These are difficult questions. Instead of analyzing them, we should leave them in the hands of that God of love who called us to share the message of Jesus with them and let God handle it.

An atheist has dug his own grave, but some who call themselves agnostics are still searching and may be accepted as long as they search in the right places. God’s love can turn them around, and then they will be genuine children of God and our brothers and sisters.

So one of the most important commands of our Lord is to preach the word and bring others to him. That is the most important way we can show God’s love for others, and our love for him.
Bob O.


1 John 5:1-6
“But he that loves God, loves his precepts.” And what are the precepts of God? “A new commandment give I unto you, that he love one another.” Let none excuse himself by another love, for another love; so and so only is it with this love: as the love itself is compacted into one, so all that hang by it doth it make one, and as fire melts them down into one. It is gold: the lump is molten and becomes some one thing. But unless the fervor of charity be applied, of many there can be no melting down into one. “That we love God,” by this “know we that we love the sons of God.”

(Augustine, “Homily X, The Epistle of St. John,” The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers [Vol. VII], pp. 521-522)
Frank R.


1 John 5:1-6
In the 1980s Donner Atwood told the story about a father during days of World War II and the Blitz that took place in England. A dad was holding the hand of his young son as they ran from a building that had been struck by a bomb. In the front yard was a shell hole. Seeking shelter as quickly as possible, the father jumped into the hole and held up his arms for his son to follow. The boy could not see his dad and was absolutely terrified. He heard his father’s voice telling him to jump, but the boy replied “I can’t see you!” The father, looking up against the sky tinted red by the burning buildings, called to the silhouette of his son: “But I can see you. Jump!” The boy jumped, because he trusted his father.

Atwood observed: “The Christian faith enables us to face life or meet death, not because we can see, but with the certainty that we are seen; not that we know all the answers, but that we are known.”

(Craig Brian Larson, ed., Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching [Baker Books, 1993], p. 80)
Derl K.


John 15:9-17
Love begets love (especially when it is God’s love). Loving one another comes easy because of God’s love. John Calvin nicely testifies to the power of this love to change lives: “But now if our hearts, if they are not softened by the inestimable sweetness of Divine love, must be harder than stone or iron” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. XVIII/1, p. 116).

Medieval mystic Catherine of Siena says God’s love is like medicine, healing us of our selfishness and sin: “Immeasurable love! By revealing this you have given me a bittersweet medicine so that I might rise up once and for all from the sickness of foolish indifference and run to you with concern and eager longing” (In Her Words, p. 201).

Filled with this love, we can do no other than love others, Martin Luther says: “After all, it is only natural for to do this [love one another], and it should be done spontaneously. For it is natural -- and everybody must admit this -- that everyone would like to be shown love, fidelity, and help...” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 24, p. 253). Elsewhere he claims that we are just empty cups into which God pours so much love that the love just spills out on to others (Luther’s Works, Vol. 31, pp. 365-366).
Mark E.