Do you have a quote you live your life by or think of often?
Galatians 2:20 NLT – My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20 would be the main quote I try to remember and live by each day. It reminds me of three things.
1. It reminds me that my old self is gone, my new life in Christ is here, and that I need to allow Christ to live and love through me.
2. It reminds me of the hope I have in Christ. He is going to prepare a place for me and He is coming back.
3. It reminds me that Jesus did not hold anything back to save me. He gave His life for me. That is how much He loved me.
The same goes for you too. If you are trusting Jesus for your salvation, then your old life is gone and your new life is here. He can live and love others through you.
Over the years people have asked me what church I attend or what church do I point people to? Generally I do not say, especially online. But if someone asks to come along I will tell them.
My reason for this is that churches in different countries are not the same. If I say I belong to a particular denomination online, it may be very different in Australia to the USA, Asia, Africa or Europe.
My heart is to always point people to Jesus. Jesus is the way we find salvation. Jesus died on the cross for our sin. First and foremost we have to come to Him. Then I encourage people to read the Bible and learn to pray and find a local church.
I came to Jesus through some friends I worked with. They talked about Jesus and the Bible, prayed for me and gave me a tract to find salvation. Then they asked me to their church. I attended for about a year, but as it was a 30 minute drive, I found one closer to my home.
I have found in a smallish country town where I live this works best in my context. People will talk about God, the Bible, prayer and ask questions, but are reluctant to attend church at first. Walking in to a church in a small country town is a big statement. Everybody has a way of finding out.
So I do not really point people to a particular church, I point them to Jesus. I want people to be saved, discipled and to follow Him. Then I point them to the main church denominations in Australia. I encourage them to find a local one.
This is why I include an alphabetical list of denominations on my links page. I want people to find a church where Jesus is held up as Lord and Saviour, the Bible is preached, prayer happens and they can grow in their faith.
Another reason I do not recommend a particular church is one person might like a relaxed house church style and another might like a high church or liturgical style of worship. We are not all the same, we have different tastes, we have to find our own place in the church.
So this is why I do not talk about my church or push a particular denomination. My heart is to point people to Jesus, not a church.
I was reading the early church fathers recently and I saw two interesting things.
They told followers of Jesus to fast twice a week.
They told followers to pray the Lord’s Prayer three times a day.
I fast occasionally when I feel I have something on my heart to bring before the Lord. But I do not fast twice per week.
I do pray the Lord’s Prayer several times per day. It has become my practice over the last six months. Especially since I have been using prayer beads.
I do wonder how my life would change if I followed the prescription of the early church fathers and fasted and prayed as they suggested? How would your life change?
Prayer and Fasting
Do not have your fasts with the hypocrites. For they fast on Mondays and Thursdays; but you should fast on Wednesdays and Fridays. Neither are you to pray as the hypocrites, but as the Lord commanded in his gospel, “Pray in this way: Our Father who is in heaven, may your name be holy, may your kingdom come, may your will be done as in heaven, so also upon earth; give to us today our daily bread, and forgive us our debt as also we forgive our debtors, and do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one, because yours is the power and the glory forever.” Pray this way three times a day.
In those days: Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.
As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ – he is Lord of all – you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power.
He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.
They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and caused him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.
To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’
Second Reading
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians
Brothers and sisters, our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
Gospel
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John.
Glory to you, O Lord.
When Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’
He said to him a second time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’
He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.’ (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.)
And after saying this he said to him, ‘Follow me.’
I always like discussing my faith. In particular Jesus, the Bible, salvation, following Jesus, prayer, heaven, evangelism and discipleship.
My faith in Jesus is the most important thing in my life, so it feels normal to talk about it. In situations where I cannot talk about these things, I do not really feel I can be myself. It feels like I have to wear a mask.
So what do I like to discuss? My faith in Jesus and following Him.
PASSIONAustralia.blog 