Reflections from July 9, 2010

Jesus had sent out seventy workers to spread the gospel, and they were sharing in the joy of Jesus and the works that they had experienced. Jesus expressed they should rejoice because their names are written in heaven, and He went on to say in Luke 10:23-24, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it."

How wonderful it is that we have had the opportunity to know and worship Jesus and He gives us grace free of charge. Many people think they can buy it, (give money to the church) or work for it (do good things in His name), but all we can do is accept it. Some day, we'll see with our eyes and hear with our ears the very voices of God the Father and God the Son. What a glorious day that will be.

In Luke 11:23 we read, "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me, scatters."

Jesus had just been accused of casting out demons in the name of Beelzebub; a ridiculous accusation. Jesus explained how that would cause the house of Satan to be divided, and thus a house divided will fall. He went on to explain how we have the power and authority to cast out demons in His name, that the name of Jesus is stronger than any demon, and they are bound to obey His name. You can choose to be with Jesus or not, and as Chuck Smith states in his commentary:

There is no neutral ground. "What do you think of Christ?" "Well, I don't know, I think He is a good man. He was a pretty good philosopher." "Are you for Him?" "No, I am neutral." "No, you're not." Jesus said, "If you're not with Me, you're against Me. If you're not gathering, you're scattering."

Two types of people: the builders, and the destroyers. Those who gather, those who scatter. If you're not gathering, you're scattering. You can't be neutral concerning Jesus Christ. He was a radical, you can't be neutral concerning a radical. You've got to have an opinion. You've got to form a decision. And not to be for Him is to be against Him.

Blessings to all