When We Have A False Conception Of The Messiahs Work This Will Lead To Rivalry Among Members Of The Household Of Faith Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. (John 16:13) Holy Spirit Rain Down - youtube/watch?v=_54ECo6s2M8 It is so interesting to see that even within Jesus’ family there was sibling rivalry. In John 7:5 the Bible highlights the fact that the brothers of Jesus had a problem believing in Him. Can you imagine that... Jesus said that He came to His own and His own received Him not. I am sure some of us can identify with this situation. Sometimes the people who give us the most resistance are not our co-workers, neighbours or classmates. Sometimes the ones that give us the most resistance are those who worship with us under the same roof in the sanctuary. Somehow, if we are not careful, we will allow the enemy to come in our midst and cause confusion. If we are not careful, we will allow the enemy to sow seeds of discord among the members of our church family and cause serious rivalry to occur. The writer of the lesson highlights one fundamental way to combat this problem. Each member of the church would have to develop a closer walk with God for this problem to stop. Only when each of us allows the Holy Spirit to take full control of every single area of our lives will we be able to work together in harmony. You see my friend, its our knowledge of the scriptures that will reduce the rivalry. It is not the types of church programmes that will remove the issue among the brethren. Only when we allow the Holy Spirit to help us to understand the mission of the church will we be able work in harmony with each other. It is the Holy Spirit who will harmonize our different view and allow us to be effective witnesses for Jesus. Jesus faced the same challenges with His siblings that we are facing in our own congregation today. I pray that we will continue to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us into the path of righteousness so that we can continue to be like Jesus. Jesus spoke with supreme, personal authority, and yet he always made the impression upon the people that he spoke by the authority of his Father. He placed himself on a level with the eternal throne. The glory of God fell directly upon him, and was shed upon those who would receive the light, and who would become light-bearers to others. While many of the people believed on him, his own brethren, connected with him by ties of relationship, were unbelieving, and thought he was beside himself in thus claiming divine authority, and in placing himself before the Pharisees as a reprover of their sins. His brethren knew that they were seeking to find occasion against him, and they felt that in the words he had spoken, he had given occasion enough. They must make some determined effort to prevent him from uttering words that would not only involve him in difficulty, but bring down upon his family the denunciations of the Pharisees. While he was speaking these decided words against those who were unbelieving, his disciples brought in the message that his mother and his brethren were without, and desired to speak with him. He knew what was in their hearts. He knew that they did not understand his character or mission, or realize that he came forth from the bosom of the Father. They did not realize that he was born to bear witness unto the truth, and did not understand his words of calm authority, that came forth from his lips with an earnestness proportionate to their reality and importance. After hearing the message that his mother and his brethren were without, and desired to see him, he asked: “Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hands toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. He had come to earth as man’s substitute and surety, and those who would receive him by faith, believing that he was the Sent of God, were more closely related to him than were those who were united to him by the ties of human relationship. Such would not perish, but have everlasting life. They would become one with him, as he was one with the Father. His mother, as a believer and doer of his words, was more nearly and savingly related to him because of this fact than because of her natural relationship in the flesh. Those who were his brethren in a natural way, would not be the least benefited by their relationship to him, unless they accepted him as their personal Saviour. But how precious are the words of Christ to those who believe! What cause of rejoicing should they be to every soul who is linked to Christ by saving faith! What a support Christ would have found in his earthly relatives if they had believed in him as in one from heaven, and had co-operated with him in doing the work of God. But the inspired word declares, “Neither did his brethren believe on him.” Christ had stated a sad fact in his experience when in Nazareth he said, “No prophet is accepted in his own country.”(Signs of the Times October 1, 1896, - Ellen G. White)
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 13:20:54 +0000
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