April 21 - Acts 8.1-25
The holy spirit working through philip: part 1
Curt McFarland
Isn’t it a given that most of us, nearly all of us, would rather avoid pain? Sometimes we can’t avoid it … we go through the pain of surgery hoping for a healthier life on the other side of it. Working out, running, school, can be painful. We count the cost and believe the benefit outweighs the pain.
But what if simply believing something caused us pain. We could lie about what we believe, but what if what we believe makes lying difficult. That was exactly the situation the first Christians found themselves in. They were targeted and singled out for abuse simply because they believed in Jesus. They could have denied they were Christians … but what would have been the point. Their whole lives had changed. Sooner or later others would see the difference and know. Believing in Jesus hasn’t cost me extreme pain … yet. But what if it did? What would I do then? What would you do?
In Christ,
Curt McFarland
But what if simply believing something caused us pain. We could lie about what we believe, but what if what we believe makes lying difficult. That was exactly the situation the first Christians found themselves in. They were targeted and singled out for abuse simply because they believed in Jesus. They could have denied they were Christians … but what would have been the point. Their whole lives had changed. Sooner or later others would see the difference and know. Believing in Jesus hasn’t cost me extreme pain … yet. But what if it did? What would I do then? What would you do?
In Christ,
Curt McFarland