- Joined
- Apr 25, 2006
- Messages
- 17,520
21 February 2008
Word on the Web
John 15 v 18-25
"If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as it loves its own. But I have chosen you out of the world, so you don't belong to it. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: A servant is not greater than his master. If people did wrong to me, they will do wrong to you, too. And if they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours, too. They will do all this to you on account of me, because they do not know the One who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me also hates my Father.
I did works among them that no one else has ever done. If I had not done these works, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen what I have done, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this happened so that what is written in their law would be true: 'They hated me for no reason.'
As far as Jesus' followers were concerned the "world" was Jerusalem and Galilee: a world which thought of itself as God's people. However, this world had rejected Jesus' teaching, and saw him as a threat.
Today, much of our "world" - the whole earth, has also rejected Jesus. Materialism, power, and personal achievement, are the gods of this age. But there is a sense that, particularly in the UK, people haven't so much rejected Jesus, as simply don't know who he is. They have had no teaching about him, have never been to church, have never met any Christians, or at least any Christians who have explained their faith to them. We can often meet ambivalence from those around us, where people say "You believe what you want, but don't force it on me!". However, Jesus also warns us that we will meet hostility when we share our faith.
There is a challenge to following Jesus, to changing the centre of people's universes from themselves (which is generally what the world teaches) to Jesus being the centre. We need his help to meet these challenges, to be authentic witnesses to his truth.
Lord, please help us when we are challenged by others about our faith in you. And please re-focus us when we sense that you are no longer our centre - that other people, our desires or even our possessions are pushing you out. Amen.
Written by Debbie Orriss
Word on the Web
John 15 v 18-25
"If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as it loves its own. But I have chosen you out of the world, so you don't belong to it. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: A servant is not greater than his master. If people did wrong to me, they will do wrong to you, too. And if they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours, too. They will do all this to you on account of me, because they do not know the One who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me also hates my Father.
I did works among them that no one else has ever done. If I had not done these works, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen what I have done, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this happened so that what is written in their law would be true: 'They hated me for no reason.'
As far as Jesus' followers were concerned the "world" was Jerusalem and Galilee: a world which thought of itself as God's people. However, this world had rejected Jesus' teaching, and saw him as a threat.
Today, much of our "world" - the whole earth, has also rejected Jesus. Materialism, power, and personal achievement, are the gods of this age. But there is a sense that, particularly in the UK, people haven't so much rejected Jesus, as simply don't know who he is. They have had no teaching about him, have never been to church, have never met any Christians, or at least any Christians who have explained their faith to them. We can often meet ambivalence from those around us, where people say "You believe what you want, but don't force it on me!". However, Jesus also warns us that we will meet hostility when we share our faith.
There is a challenge to following Jesus, to changing the centre of people's universes from themselves (which is generally what the world teaches) to Jesus being the centre. We need his help to meet these challenges, to be authentic witnesses to his truth.
Lord, please help us when we are challenged by others about our faith in you. And please re-focus us when we sense that you are no longer our centre - that other people, our desires or even our possessions are pushing you out. Amen.
Written by Debbie Orriss
