SCRIPTURE: Acts 25:13-22
“About a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive.” (Acts 25:19)
It’s interesting to hear someone else describe what we believe.
I have to admit, it sounds ludicrous to me.
How do people hear what we believe, how do they describe it?
How do you hear what others believe – like Scientologists, or Hindus, or New Agers?
I’m reminded by an article by Neil Macdonald, a CBC Reporter, on Scientology.
“Scientologists believe Earth was formerly called Teegeeack and was populated with aliens by a dark lord named Xenu, who stuffed them into volcanoes and destroyed them with hydrogen bombs. The spirits of these aliens subsequently attached themselves to humans, but they can be shaken free by a series of very expensive counselling courses offered by, of course, Scientology. Such courses can easily eat up life savings, and have.”
“Tens of millions of Americans take other such stories as the literal truth: Mormons with their belief in extraterrestrial life and the supernatural qualities of their undergarments; Christians with their talking snake and virgin birth; Muslims with their flying horse and human ascension to heaven; the Raelians with their group sex, spaceships and swastikas. The list is infinite. But in a democracy, the state must regard all such ideas as equally valid.”
There we are, listed with other ‘crazy’ religious people, believing a virgin born Messiah rose from the dead.
The point of this is not to say that we are crazy, but to stay humble with our beliefs.
Recognize how hard it is for others to accept what we consider normal.
And don’t worry about sounding crazy, there is so much more to this world than scientists have discovered.
Yesterday’s ‘crazy’ can become tomorrow’s science.
I believe that Jesus died and came back to life, and I believe the hope of the world hinges on this.
I get that people may laugh at me, but hey, better to have hope than hopelessness.
Talk about crazy, what about people who live with optimism in a God-less, hopeless world.
I may be dreaming about the future, but they are dreaming in the present.
I think we’re all ‘crazy’, which is one more reason to put our hope in God and Jesus and a better world to come!
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, they may say that I’m a dreamer (or crazy), but I’m not the only one. I hope one day they’ll join us, and the world will be as one!
Observations/Application
A prisoner and yet no charges. Only ideas. Beliefs. He is alive! Jesus Christ is alive. And Agrippa wanted to hear. Ears that hear is needed to accept Christ Jesus as the risen Saviour. The ears must be open as well as the heart – not just to listen to a new idea but to discern the Truth and accept the Truth and believe.
Listen to Him. Hear His voice saying This is the Way. Follow me.
I heard the voice of Jesus say, Come unto Me and rest;
Lay down, thou weary one, lay down Thy head upon My breast.
I came to Jesus as I was, weary and worn and sad;
I found in Him a resting place, and He has made me glad.
I heard the voice of Jesus say, Behold, I freely give
The living water; thirsty one, stoop down, and drink, and live.
I came to Jesus, and I drank of that life giving stream;
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived, and now I live in Him.
I heard the voice of Jesus say, I am this dark world’s Light;
Look unto Me, thy morn shall rise, and all thy day be bright.
I looked to Jesus, and I found in Him my Star, my Sun;
And in that light of life I’ll walk, till traveling days are done.