What must I do to be saved

As I work my way through the book of Acts, I pause today on chapter 16:30-31, ". . . 'What must I do to be saved?' and they said, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved . . .'"


The Bible is full of ancient stories that can be hard to relate, poetry that is hard understand, and teachings that can be confusing and complicated.  But, every now and then the Bible gives us a moment of beautiful simplicity and clarity.  Acts 16:30-31 is one such moment.  My natural inclination is to take this straightforward answer "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved" and place it in the larger context of what it means to be a Christian and how you experience salvation.  There are a tremendous amount of healthy debates swirling around the blogosphere regarding salvation.  We will forever try to wrap our human minds around the ways of our holy God, and I'm not implying that we should stop.  I think we must continue to send our roots down deeper and deeper into our faith through careful Bible study and debate.  However, let us always return to this beautiful moment in Acts 16, when a desperate man approaches a Christian and says, "What must I do to be saved?" and the Christian's answer rings with clarity and simple truth.

May I never lose sight of the extraordinary accessibility that God has offered to humanity through faith in Jesus.

The Resistance

Matthew 1-4 Jesus' prep for ministry

Matthew 5-7 Jesus' teaching

Matthew 8-9 Jesus' miracles

Matthew 10-12 THE RESISTANCE

Matthew continues to unfold a more and more complex picture of Jesus and his time on Earth.  Chapters 10-12 of Matthew seem to all be focused on the resistance that Jesus and his followers experienced.  This is a new dimension to his ministry, and Jesus doesn't mince any words with his opposition.  His language in this section is bold and uncomfortable.  He tells his followers of the rejection they will encounter, he curses cities for their unbelief, and he calls the pharisees a brood of vipers.  The author seems to be illustrating that not everyone liked Jesus, and that he and his followers faced strong resistance. 

In Matthew 12:15 Jesus has so upset the religious leaders that they are now plotting to kill him. So the text says, "Jesus withdrew from that place.  A large crowd followed him and he healed all who were ill."  I think it is worth noting that in light of all the resistance, Jesus never lost his compassion for the sick and hurting.  I love how it says that he healed ALL who were ill.  It is almost as if the resistance from the religious elite only served to fuel his compassion even more for the marginalized masses.

As I follow Jesus I too will experience resistance.  May it fuel my compassion for those in need.

Chariots and Horses

Psalm 20:7, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God."

I imagine David wrote this line in the context of battle.  I imagine that he is outnumbered, and his opponents are charging down on him in their chariots.  He is rallying his band of mighty men and he shouts out, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God!"

Now the trick to this rallying cry working is genuine and total trust, because if you are on his team and you hear that you may be inclined to want to join the chariots and horses team.  It seems much more logical to trust in chariots and horses than in someone's name . . .

I think this verse of the Bible reads well to Christians and non-Christians alike.   The non-Christians are proud to trust in the proven methods of safety and security.  The Christians (hopefully) are proud to trust in the proven One.  All we can do is wait and see how the battle of this life turns out. . . .

Acts 11-14--Stories of Courage

I don't feel like the reputation of Christians today is one of courage and bravery.  But it ought to be.  The first Christians embraced a life of risk and faith, and the book of Acts is full of their inspiring stories.  These first Christians (Stephen, Peter, Paul, Barnabas, and countless others) were so moved by the message and mission of Jesus that they stopped at nothing to spread that message and share in that mission.
One of the clearest illustrations of this courage is in Acts 14.  Paul is sharing the gospel with the people of Lystra when the crowd turns on him, and he is dragged out of the city and stoned--seemingly to death.  But Paul recovers only to return to Lystra to strengthen the faith of the believers there.  To re-enter Lystra is a suicide mission, but Paul lives his life of the edge.  He stares danger in the face and lives to tell the story.
May I live as Paul did--so focused on the message and mission of Jesus that one day my life will tell a great story of courage as well.

The Compassion of Jesus

As I am reading through The Gospel of Matthew I see a pattern in the beginning chapters.  In 1-4 the preparation for ministry -- In 5-7 the teaching ministry -- In 8-9 the miraculous ministry.  In chapters 8-9 Jesus heals the sick, raises the dead, controls nature, casts out demons, and forgives sins. He heals some by touching them, others by being touched, and others simply by his words.  Some are healed because of their faith, others because of the faith of friends, and others there is no mention of faith at all. These chapters play like a highlight reel of Jesus' miracles on earth, and I think 9:36 provides a good summary, "When He saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless like sheep with out a shepherd."

When I look out at crowds of people I typically see "wealthy / poor / religious / secular / attractive / unattractive / cool / loser / sick / healthy / etc."  Do I see more variety than Jesus did, or am I merely seeing the masks that people wear?  I think when Jesus looked out on the crowds he saw people's hearts--he saw through their mask to their core.  He saw past the designer suite to the helpless soul inside; past the dirty, worn clothes to the harassed inner spirit.

All I can see are the masks, but I trust that the souls of humanity haven't changed much since Jesus' time.  I believe that just as many people are harassed and helpless today, but do I share in Jesus' compassion?  The next verse is 9:37, "the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few." If I share in His compassion, then I will labor alongside Him and bring hope to the harassed and helpless.

May compassion motivate me to labor with Him in the harvest.