Their Inheritance
Despair seized the hearts of the twelve close friends of Jesus. They later fell asleep in sorrow, but at the moment they stood around Jesus, and listened, as he continued to pray.
That prayer was like the reading of a last will and testament. Jesus outlined what he had given to the people who had received his message and believed his words. He prayed not only this first generation of disciples but all who would believe in him through their message. Their message has of course, become our scripture and it is their message that you are reading now.
It could be summed up in the one word, ‘same.’
The same mission – to go into the world and teach all people
The same dedication – to be set apart for a purpose
The same message – that Jesus Christ is from God.
The same glory as Christ – that of humble obedient servants of God
The same gift to give to the world – the friendship with God that is eternal life
The same destination – to be with Jesus where he is
The same suffering – the world would hate them and persecute them
The same protection – the power of the name of God
The same unity – God in Christ and Christ in them
They were yours, said Jesus to his Father, and you gave them to me, and whatever is mine is yours, and whatever is yours is mine.
Unity had been explained earlier by Jesus when he said to the disciples, “I am the vine and you are the branches.” A vine can have many branches, each leading a distinct path, but the unity of the branches is that they all share the same nurture from the stem which feeds them. Jesus will spiritually be present in the life of each believer and they will be strengthened and nurtured by this presence.
This unity of being ‘in Jesus’ and Jesus being in them is the unity which Jesus prays for and which he says will convince the world that God was in Christ. for the purpose of reconciling people to himself.
Modern day disciples sometimes mourn that we are different groups with different names, but we have one Lord, he is Jesus who is called, ‘The Anointed One’. We have one God, the Father who is over all and in all, we have one faith, and we are all one baptized in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost.
The Gospel of John, chapter 17 verses 1 – 25
The letter of Paul to the Ephesisian believers, chapter 4 verses 3 to 6.
The letter of Paul to the Corinthian believers, chapter 5, verse 19
That prayer was like the reading of a last will and testament. Jesus outlined what he had given to the people who had received his message and believed his words. He prayed not only this first generation of disciples but all who would believe in him through their message. Their message has of course, become our scripture and it is their message that you are reading now.
It could be summed up in the one word, ‘same.’
The same mission – to go into the world and teach all people
The same dedication – to be set apart for a purpose
The same message – that Jesus Christ is from God.
The same glory as Christ – that of humble obedient servants of God
The same gift to give to the world – the friendship with God that is eternal life
The same destination – to be with Jesus where he is
The same suffering – the world would hate them and persecute them
The same protection – the power of the name of God
The same unity – God in Christ and Christ in them
They were yours, said Jesus to his Father, and you gave them to me, and whatever is mine is yours, and whatever is yours is mine.
Unity had been explained earlier by Jesus when he said to the disciples, “I am the vine and you are the branches.” A vine can have many branches, each leading a distinct path, but the unity of the branches is that they all share the same nurture from the stem which feeds them. Jesus will spiritually be present in the life of each believer and they will be strengthened and nurtured by this presence.
This unity of being ‘in Jesus’ and Jesus being in them is the unity which Jesus prays for and which he says will convince the world that God was in Christ. for the purpose of reconciling people to himself.
Modern day disciples sometimes mourn that we are different groups with different names, but we have one Lord, he is Jesus who is called, ‘The Anointed One’. We have one God, the Father who is over all and in all, we have one faith, and we are all one baptized in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost.
The Gospel of John, chapter 17 verses 1 – 25
The letter of Paul to the Ephesisian believers, chapter 4 verses 3 to 6.
The letter of Paul to the Corinthian believers, chapter 5, verse 19
posted by Jessie Coates at 9:47 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home