Reflections | Sunday, 13th April 2014

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Taken from: www.awmi.net/bible/luk_23_18

Luke 23:18

And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this [man], and release unto us Barabbas:
 

What happened to Barabbas is a picture of what happens when a person becomes born again. Barabbas was guilty; Jesus was innocent. Yet Jesus suffered the death that Barabbas should have experienced, and Barabbas went free.

Likewise, we were all guilty (Ro 3:23) and condemned to death (Ro 6:23), yet Jesus suffered our punishment so that we might go free (2Co 5:21). Just as Barabbas didn't ask for this substitution, so "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Ro 5:8).

Barabbas was freed, but he had to choose whether or not to accept this new start and remain free or go back to his old ways and come under the judgment of Rome again. Likewise, we have all been freed through the substitutionary death of Jesus, but we have to choose whether to accept our freedom by putting faith in Jesus or reject it by denying Him.

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Reflections | Sunday, 6th April 2014

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The Wonder Years

Taken from: http://www.creflodollarministries.org/BibleStudy/Articles.aspx?id=73
 

Jesus' ministry—the most dynamic and revolutionary outreach ever known to humanity—spanned a total of three and a half years. What caused His ministry to be extraordinarily life–changing in such a short span of time? Some say it was because He was God incarnate. However, Jesus did not come to earth functioning as God. He was born and lived His life on this planet as a man who operated in the power of God (Philippians 2:6–8, AMP).

Luke 3:21–22 says that after Jesus' baptism, "…the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased." In essence God was saying to Jesus, "I know You are a man, but now I am empowering You to act as My Son." Had Jesus already been functioning as God, there would not have been a need for the Holy Spirit to come on Him. God had to anoint Jesus in His humanity.

For 30 years, Jesus grew into the knowledge of the written Word. Once the process was complete, He received power from heaven—the power to perform signs and wonders. Prior to this, He had not performed any miracles. Ironically, Jesus' first miracle wasn't walking on water or feeding thousands of people; instead, it was the "small thing" of turning water into wine at a wedding celebration (John 2:1–11).

Other miracles soon followed. Matthew 4:23 says, "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people." The Gospel of Mark mentions miracles of healing performed in the lives of lepers, epileptics and those possessed by demons (Mark 5:1–20; Mark 5:21–42). Jesus also raised people from the dead. As a matter of fact, one of the most memorable miracles is the one performed in Bethany when He raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:17–44). Four days had passed since Lazarus' death; however, when the burden–removing, yoke–destroying power of God showed up, the grave couldn't hold him!

If you are born again, the same anointing on Jesus' life is available to you. You have the power to cast out demons, heal the sick and raise the dead (John 14:12). However, to operate as He did, you must do the same things Jesus did when He was on earth.

Jesus' "wonder years" can be attributed to two things: the anointing on His life and His commitment to spending time in the presence of God. If you do not spend time with God and His Word, you will never see signs and wonders take place in your life. Jesus said, "…I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things" (John 8:28). When did the Father teach Him? When He spent time in the Father's presence.

Jesus' life is evidence of what happens when a person is continually connected to God's presence. Jesus is your example. By following Him, you will begin to experience your own "wonder years!" 

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