Saturday October 14th, 2023
« Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach »
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled.
And they realized that they had been with Jesus.
14 And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it
There are occasional followers of Jesus Christ and there are those who are permanent as well.
The occasional followers of Jesus Christ typically opt not to live completely according to the Lord’s standards choosing what and when to obey.
They chose a life of partial obedience to the word of God.
Once, when Jesus was teaching these standards, the Bible says in John 6:66 CEV
« Because of what Jesus said, many of his disciples turned their backs on him and stopped following him »
To be with Jesus means to live by His teachings. He once lamented in Luke 6:46 AMB
« “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not practice what I tell you? »
He said further in John 8:31-32
« ….. 31 So Jesus said to those who believed in him, “If you obey my teaching, you are really my disciples; 32 you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” »
Two things are clear in our Bible reading of today: One, if you have been with Jesus indeed, boldness will be your trademark.
The Bible says in Romans 8:15 CEV
« God’s Spirit doesn’t make us slaves who are afraid of Him. Instead, we become His children and call Him our Father »
When a so-called child of God is living in fear, we must check whether he or she has been with Jesus indeed.
Two, someone who has been with Jesus lives a daily miraculous life. This is another trademark of genuine followers of Jesus Christ as we read in the text today. The Bible says in Acts 4:14 CW
« But since the members of the Council could see the man who had been healed from his infirmities standing right there with Peter and John, there was nothing the council could say to oppose the disciples »
I have taught in the School Disciples that what our Master Jesus did, we can do also, and even more, according to His promise.
When this happens, we become genuine ambassadors of Christ on earth.
As Christ’s ambassadors, we shall bring the whole world to their knees, saying “Jesus is Lord”.
We are light and salt indeed if we choose to be with Jesus, living according to His standards, as written in the Bible.
The blessings of being with Jesus include learning from Him and when we do so, we shall find rest for our souls, according to Matthew 11:29.
If you are yet to give your life to Christ, make up your mind, not only to come to Jesus today, but also to stay put.
Don’t be an occasional or casual follower of Christ.
Application : Make up your mind today to live the rest of your life for and with Jesus and you will be blessed indeed.
Author: Bishop Enoch. A. Adeboye.
Edited by Naomie
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