Wednesday's Whisper

Acts 1:1-3

1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,

² Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:

³ To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

Good morning, and a Wonderful Wednesday to you!

The above verses were read as the minister began his sermon last night at the Summit 2015 meeting in Pigeon Forge, TN, with focus being on the "Passion of Christ." A great message, provocative by all accounts. 

Another verse that was quoted came from the book of Matthew:

Matthew 19:14

But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

The disciples of Jesus did not want the children to get close to Jesus, but that's not how the story ends. Jesus wanted the children close to Him, and He wanted to touch them (and He did). Throughout the sermon last night, the pastor from rural Mississippi told of how he had become stirred to reach out to other ethnic groups other than his own. He shared with us stories of new converts going to rougher sections of their city and passing out sandwiches. He also told of using buses to bring the underprivileged to their church to hear about Jesus. 

Is this type of passionate outreach comfortable? No, no, a thousand times No! But we are not called to be comfortable. We have been called to be like Jesus Christ. A true Christian feels like Christ, loves like Christ, and acts like Christ. 

The passion of Christ - what did He really love? His purpose was to seek and save that which was lost. In the book of Acts we read that every where he went he was doing good (Acts 10:38). He stopped a funeral procession; He healed the sick; He raised the dead. He was always touching someone and leaving them much better than the way He found them.

My soul was stirred last night to truly seek after God to be an extension of His passion like never before. To love as He loves, and to care as He cares. I pray for a rebirth in me to be more like my Father.

Once again, a chorus from the past comes to mind:

To be like Jesus

To be like Jesus

On earth I long

To be like Him

All through life's journey

From earth to glory

I only ask to be like Him

May I never forget that the Spirit of Christ dwells in me, a power to live a victorious life in Jesus. How can His Spirit reside in me and it not provoke me to act as He did?

I pray that we all hear the whisper of Jesus today to move up a little bit higher, or to stretch out a little bit further - to let others know about our great and mighty Lord Jesus Christ.

Have a Wonderful Wednesday, serving THE Wonderful!!

Until tomorrow, Lord willing, when we meet again..........