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| https://www.gotquestions.org/effective-witness |
Now
when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were
uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had
been with Jesus. Acts 4:13 (ESV)
A young girl, recently graduated from high school,
used this verse in a message she gave during our worship service this past
Sunday. The thought resonated with me, “And
they recognized they had been with Jesus.”
Peter
and John had been placed under arrest. “Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John
and Alexander and the rest of the high-priestly family” (v. 6) had gathered
with the other powers- that-be. Their purpose was to hear the case against
Peter and John. Their ‘crime’ was of healing, “teaching, and proclaiming to the
people about the resurrection of the dead.”(v. 2)
When
our youthful speaker read this, the thoughts came to me. “Do people today
recognize that we have been with Jesus?” “Do people see Jesus in me?”
How
can people recognize that we belong to Jesus in our fast-paced, hurry-it-up,
look-at-me world? The Apostle Paul, in
writing to the Galatians, gives us a list of qualities that show Christ in us.
We
are to:
*show
LOVE to one another even if we don’t agree with that person on something. If we
don’t like his or her behavior, Jesus still commands us to love that person.
*be
filled with JOY even when we are unhappy. Joy comes from having Christ in our
hearts, while happiness comes from our outward circumstance.
r
*be
PEACE lovers and practitioners in all our relationships with others. This means
we are not confrontational, unless Jesus allows us to be.
*show PATIENCE with one another. Patience is a
learned response that comes as we grow in the LORD.
*show KINDNESS to one another. When we have to
wait in line for a cashier to get to our purchases and her register is not
working as it should. We need to extend kindness and be as patient as we can be
in this scene.
*show GOODNESS to those around us who are in
need. By sending a greeting card to someone who is ill or has suffered a loss,
we show a kindness that they will remember.
*show FAITHFULNESS. As followers of Christ,
are to stand by our word. A Christian should follow through on all he or she
says they will do.
*show GENTLENESS to those in our world. A
gentle word calms the soul and stems any anger another person may have in their
hearts.
*show SELF-CONTROL. I believe Paul placed this
virtue at the end of his list because, to me, it seems to be the culmination of
all the other virtues he highlights.
In
case you think I have it all together, I struggle with a few of these and
especially that last one.
Wonderful post and powerful thoughts...I do wonder if others can see Christ living in me. Sometimes I doubt it...I also have my moments where I struggle...after all, we ARE still human and encased in this flesh. So thankful that God is patient with us and continues to teach us by His example. Thank you for sharing this today. Such a good reminder. This should apply when we are "online" as well as in person!
ReplyDeletePam; You make a very valid point about when we are online as well as in person. Yes, we are still human. Yesterday,I shared with the mother of the young girl who gave us the message last week. When I told her how I applied the Fruit of the Spirit to the lesson, her eyes lit up. She agreed with what I said. Peace and Blessings to you and yours.
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