Do you proclaim that Jesus is the only way to heaven?
19 Jun 26
Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year One
Readings:
Nehemiah 9
Nehemiah 10
Nehemiah 11
Acts 4:1-22
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
Do you proclaim that Jesus is the only way to heaven?
The apostles are faithful to their calling because “they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead” (Acts 4:2). This message infuriates the Sadducees, who do not believe in a bodily resurrection. For this reason, Peter was arrested to appear before the Sanhedrin, which is made up of the Jewish Supreme Court. Nonetheless, Peter boldly proclaims Jesus’ death and resurrection (Acts 4:10). Moreover, he heralds that Jesus is the only way to the Father. “Nor is there salvation in any other,” declares the apostle, “for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Employment Point: Trumpet the message that believing on Jesus’ death and resurrection is the only way to heaven.
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Reflections
We definitely should trumpet this message but we should also be reminded to do it with gentleness and respect. Because love is at the core of our teachings, we should not speak or act in a way that makes others feel small.
“They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the Lord their God.”
Nehemiah 9:3 NIV
- how much time do we dedicate to the Lord. Back in those days, it was a moment of confession and regrets due to the numerous things that their ancestors had done that incurred the wrath of God. They spent time just to want to make it right with God. That was their first priority.
- We may not have such issues now but the amount of time we spent each day with the Lord speaks on how much we have put Him as our priority in life. For the ones who are working, it may be difficult to spend more time with Him but perhaps then, how much of those available time are we spending for the Lord or learning His word. Are we conscientious and intentional on the study of His word or are we at a place where we felt like we already knew everything? That is indeed a dangerous place to be.
- Thank You Lord for Your reminder to us that learning never stops. Even the scholars do not fully understand the word and what more us. Help us to stay humble and be open to learning and persevere in our study of the Word so we can grew closer to You Lord.
In Nehemiah 9, he spent a huge chunk of time relaying the message that the Lord has been telling them. He reiterated how each and every generation had been unfaithful and does wick things and how they ended up in this state. Yet during all these times when their hearts were hardened and even built idols for themselves, he praised God for His faithfulness, His grace and His mercy. That He still loves them and did not wipe them out but only gave them to the hands of the enemies to lord over them. If He were to punish them all, there is not a single chance that they will be able to escape.
“all these now join their fellow Israelites the nobles, and bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the Lord our Lord. The people of Israel, including the Levites, are to bring their contributions of grain, new wine and olive oil to the storerooms, where the articles for the sanctuary and for the ministering priests, the gatekeepers and the musicians are also kept. “We will not neglect the house of our God.””Nehemiah 10:29, 39 NIV
- the Lord would be so pleased, for this generation of people to gather together as one body, and promised to follow the Law of God and not to neglect the house of God.
- We too, as servants of Christ, ought to bring people together for Christ’s sake.
“They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.”Acts 4:7-10 NIV
“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”
Acts 4:13 NIV
- the word of God has also specifically mentioned that we will not have to worry about what to say for the Holy Spirit will put words in our mouth.
- Perhaps there were also times where you find yourself talking about things or writing about things, which does not seemed to be spoken or written by yourself. These are all inspiration from the Holy Spirit and not from ourselves. Do not take the credit which does not belong. Give the Lord the glory He deserves
“Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.””
Acts 4:18-20 NIV
- No one would have the ability to stop the spreading of the gospel. One could not help but talk about the love of Christ.
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The Service of Passionate Devotion
BY OSWALD CHAMBERS
June 19
…do you love Me?…Tend My sheep. —John 21:16
Jesus did not say to make converts to your way of thinking, but He said to look after His sheep, to see that they get nourished in the knowledge of Him. We consider what we do in the way of Christian work as service, yet Jesus Christ calls service to be what we are to Him, not what we do for Him. Discipleship is based solely on devotion to Jesus Christ, not on following after a particular belief or doctrine. “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate…, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26). In this verse, there is no argument and no pressure from Jesus to follow Him; He is simply saying, in effect, “If you want to be My disciple, you must be devoted solely to Me.” A person touched by the Spirit of God suddenly says, “Now I see who Jesus is!”— that is the source of devotion.
Today we have substituted doctrinal belief for personal belief, and that is why so many people are devoted to causes and so few are devoted to Jesus Christ. People do not really want to be devoted to Jesus, but only to the cause He started. Jesus Christ is deeply offensive to the educated minds of today, to those who only want Him to be their Friend, and who are unwilling to accept Him in any other way. Our Lord’s primary obedience was to the will of His Father, not to the needs of people— the saving of people was the natural outcome of His obedience to the Father. If I am devoted solely to the cause of humanity, I will soon be exhausted and come to the point where my love will waver and stumble. But if I love Jesus Christ personally and passionately, I can serve humanity, even though people may treat me like a “doormat.” The secret of a disciple’s life is devotion to Jesus Christ, and the characteristic of that life is its seeming insignificance and its meekness. Yet it is like a grain of wheat that “falls into the ground and dies”— it will spring up and change the entire landscape (John 12:24).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
Am I getting nobler, better, more helpful, more humble, as I get older? Am I exhibiting the life that men take knowledge of as having been with Jesus, or am I getting more self-assertive, more deliberately determined to have my own way? It is a great thing to tell yourself the truth.
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Reflections
I read this devotional having been in full time ministry for a year. I think it really gave me a fresh perspective compared to what I think I know a year before.
Firstly like what Oswald said, people are mainly devoted to causes. Think of it this way. If we are only devoted to causes, we don’t exactly need to be Christians to be doing that. Anyone, even a pre-believer can be devoted to a cause, perhaps for humanitarian reasons or other humanity reasons maybe.
So then, the question becomes, why this and not that? This is something we need to ask ourselves when we have any intention to join or start any ministry. What is our true intentions? Is it because we are answering a call to ministry or are we joining because we want to simply do something?
When people tell me they want to join missions because they want to give back to society, the next question I usually ask is but why this mission and not another one. Sometimes, they themselves are not sure, they just want to explore and sometimes we find that they are not so ready when we talk about missions. Not ready to serve, to step out of their comfort zone, to learn or relearn, etc. More often than not, we find people, especially those we had been on one or two missions, having a mentality that they already know what missions is all about. I can promise you, they don’t. These are the kind of people who will be wary and need careful discernment if they are suitable to come onboard. So we lay down ground rules and say what is expected and hear from them. If they are still open good. If they hold back and not so certain, then maybe not.
Ultimately, we all need to realise that there are countless causes out there. We will not be able to answer to all of them. So even in our own church, there would be multiple opportunities to serve-be it on the frontline or at the back. May it local or even overseas. Yes, missions happen at home as well. It does not necessarily mean we need to go overseas. It’s about having the missional mindset, not the going out of country mindset. So sometimes, I do challenge people whether they have considered locally. In fact, I have joined a non-Christian organisation and saw for myself, the heart of service more than any Christian missions I have been to.
The right heart and a servant heart is important for anyone who wants to serve. You may think why are we making it so difficult? It is not. It is in fact the basis or the foundation for anyone who is committed in serving. Jesus does not need workers. He needs people who are devoted to Him, just like a church who needs followers of Christ and not followers of pastors.
Let’s pray:
Father, please give us teachable hearts to grow in intimacy with You. Grant us humility and open hearts to serve in all situations without complaints, with full reverence of You O Lord, and to be able to give our all in service in You. It doesn’t matter what we are supposed to do, for it is You that we are serving. Help us to serve in unity and a common purpose for You and Your people, answering the call to serve and not to be served. In Jesus’s name we ask and pray. Amen 🙏🏻
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