Post by Cindy on Jun 23, 2015 13:54:54 GMT -5
Have you ever thought about the first Christians? When someone chose to follow Jesus, to become a believer in Jesus in those days, it was very much like ending the life the had before. Most of the first Christians were Jew's of course, although we rarely think of that these days. For a Jew to decide that Jesus was in fact the Messiah, meant that they would lose their families: parents, spouse, children, siblings, and friends as well. The only way they could keep any of those people in their life at all would be if they could immediately convince them that Jesus was the Messiah too, and if they did, while the ones who believed them would then stay in their life, they too would lose everyone else who didn't believe. Not only did they lose those people, they also lost being able to fellowship in their synagogue. That may not seem important to us, but for them it was their life, their everyday life. While we get up, eat breakfast and go to work, they got up, went to the synagogue, ate and went to work. Then after work, they cleaned up, ate and went back to the synagogue. The synagogue was where they worshiped God, but was also where they gathered to talk and discuss the days events. So you see, it was very much a part of their daily life, and a part they would greatly miss. They didn't go because they "had" to, they went because they wanted to. (by the way, when a person was excommunicated from the synagogue, that meant that they couldn't even speak to any other member unless they were at least 6 feet away from them, which made certain that no one could say anything personal to them.)
Anyone who confessed Jesus as Lord however, could no longer go and fellowship with those who they had known since birth. They could no longer see or speak to anyone in their family or anyone who attended the synagogue, which was just about everyone. (unless they wanted to yell at them from 6 feet away) This is part of what Jesus was talking about when He said that those who were thinking of following Him should first count the cost. He was well aware that this is what would happen to them. In fact, in many Jewish families today, it still happens when a member decides that Jesus is the Messiah.
Of course we know that things got so bad after a short time that Christians were being jailed and murdered, men, women and even children. Again, Jesus knew this would happen as well which is one reason He tells us that “whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” (Matthew 16:25) Being a Christian wasn't easy back then. You had to really, truly believe to be willing to give up everything that mattered for Him!
New believers were being added to the church daily, but this wasn't easy on the believers either. They never knew if the new person was a true believer or a spy sent to infiltrate their ranks to bring more of them to persecution. So they were very, very careful about who they admitted to their fellowship. They would go out and witness to others, and even disciple them for quite some time, until they were as sure as any human can be that the person had truly been saved and was one of them before they would allow that person to join them in fellowship. How did they judge? They judged by the way the person lived their life every day, just as Jesus told us to. They waited to see if the person would confess to others that they believed in Jesus and be cast out of the synagogue; then they waited to see what kind of fruit the person showed in their life after that, because obviously any spy would pretend to be cast out of the synagogue too. One of the biggest things they looked for was love. Did the person show love to their enemies, to those who cast them out of the synagogue, to those who had been friends all their life but who were now calling them names and throwing things at them? Did the person have peace in their heart over their new circumstances or were they stressed out, angry, etc? Were they hungry to hear more about the Lord and to know the Words He spoke? Did they then apply what they learned to their life? They looked at all of the fruit in the person's life.
All those who belonged to the fellowship of the first Christians, spent their time very differently then we do, and yet also in much the same ways. Their days normally consisted of getting up, eating, then joining each other to worship and pray, then going to work. After work, they'd go to their homes and clean up and eat, and then again join their Christian family for more instruction, worship and prayer, after which they'd go home and go to bed. Sometimes instead of eating at home and then joining together for fellowship, they'd eat together. On their way to and from work, as well as when they were at work, they would witness to everyone they could about Jesus. Of course they did that even more on the days they didn't have to work. Their life was much like it had been before they met Jesus, only now they had a new family to share their life with. They also believed with every part of their being that Jesus would be returning at any moment and they lived like they expected Him to show up every time they went around the corner. Everything they said and did was done to assure that Jesus would be pleased with them when He next returned.
While the spies could certainly fake being believers for a short time, it wasn't something they could live 24/7 for any length of time. So they were usually able to prevent them from finding where they gathered to meet. Jesus said that those who believed in Him would be persecuted. He didn't say they might be, but that they would be. He didn't say they should go out and look for it or try to be persecuted, but that if they lived the way they were supposed to that it would happen. He gave them and us something to hope for too, saying that we would receive 100 times more then we lose for His sake, and receive eternal life as well when He returns. Really makes me stop and think. Am I living my life the way the Jesus tells us to?
Knowing this should give us cause to reflect on our own life and salvation. Would the members of the early church welcome us into their fellowship? Would they be able to tell for sure that we were really saved? Would we fit in? Would we enjoy being with them?
“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” (Matthew 19:29–30)
“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.” (Matthew 16:25–27)
“For I have come to turn “ ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:35–39)
““If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26–33)
“Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)
“If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26)
Anyone who confessed Jesus as Lord however, could no longer go and fellowship with those who they had known since birth. They could no longer see or speak to anyone in their family or anyone who attended the synagogue, which was just about everyone. (unless they wanted to yell at them from 6 feet away) This is part of what Jesus was talking about when He said that those who were thinking of following Him should first count the cost. He was well aware that this is what would happen to them. In fact, in many Jewish families today, it still happens when a member decides that Jesus is the Messiah.
Of course we know that things got so bad after a short time that Christians were being jailed and murdered, men, women and even children. Again, Jesus knew this would happen as well which is one reason He tells us that “whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” (Matthew 16:25) Being a Christian wasn't easy back then. You had to really, truly believe to be willing to give up everything that mattered for Him!
New believers were being added to the church daily, but this wasn't easy on the believers either. They never knew if the new person was a true believer or a spy sent to infiltrate their ranks to bring more of them to persecution. So they were very, very careful about who they admitted to their fellowship. They would go out and witness to others, and even disciple them for quite some time, until they were as sure as any human can be that the person had truly been saved and was one of them before they would allow that person to join them in fellowship. How did they judge? They judged by the way the person lived their life every day, just as Jesus told us to. They waited to see if the person would confess to others that they believed in Jesus and be cast out of the synagogue; then they waited to see what kind of fruit the person showed in their life after that, because obviously any spy would pretend to be cast out of the synagogue too. One of the biggest things they looked for was love. Did the person show love to their enemies, to those who cast them out of the synagogue, to those who had been friends all their life but who were now calling them names and throwing things at them? Did the person have peace in their heart over their new circumstances or were they stressed out, angry, etc? Were they hungry to hear more about the Lord and to know the Words He spoke? Did they then apply what they learned to their life? They looked at all of the fruit in the person's life.
All those who belonged to the fellowship of the first Christians, spent their time very differently then we do, and yet also in much the same ways. Their days normally consisted of getting up, eating, then joining each other to worship and pray, then going to work. After work, they'd go to their homes and clean up and eat, and then again join their Christian family for more instruction, worship and prayer, after which they'd go home and go to bed. Sometimes instead of eating at home and then joining together for fellowship, they'd eat together. On their way to and from work, as well as when they were at work, they would witness to everyone they could about Jesus. Of course they did that even more on the days they didn't have to work. Their life was much like it had been before they met Jesus, only now they had a new family to share their life with. They also believed with every part of their being that Jesus would be returning at any moment and they lived like they expected Him to show up every time they went around the corner. Everything they said and did was done to assure that Jesus would be pleased with them when He next returned.
While the spies could certainly fake being believers for a short time, it wasn't something they could live 24/7 for any length of time. So they were usually able to prevent them from finding where they gathered to meet. Jesus said that those who believed in Him would be persecuted. He didn't say they might be, but that they would be. He didn't say they should go out and look for it or try to be persecuted, but that if they lived the way they were supposed to that it would happen. He gave them and us something to hope for too, saying that we would receive 100 times more then we lose for His sake, and receive eternal life as well when He returns. Really makes me stop and think. Am I living my life the way the Jesus tells us to?
Knowing this should give us cause to reflect on our own life and salvation. Would the members of the early church welcome us into their fellowship? Would they be able to tell for sure that we were really saved? Would we fit in? Would we enjoy being with them?
“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” (Matthew 19:29–30)
“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.” (Matthew 16:25–27)
“For I have come to turn “ ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:35–39)
““If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26–33)
“Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)
“If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26)
!!
