What Does It Take to Make You Cry?

Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation                                              Acts 1:3

What Does It Take to Make You Cry?

by Robert T. Cooper

Some people are tough and some are tender. Some cry over sunsets, kittens and babies. Others don’t shed a tear even when physically abused. Some cry in empathy at nearly every TV show or movie. I cry in some, but I confess that The Passion of the Christ had me weeping over what my sin caused my Lord to suffer.

In truth, I had heard and even told verbal descriptions of Christ’s suffering on several occasions over the years. You can find various descriptions of the sufferings of Jesus from His prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane all the way through His being pierced in the side with a spear. The brutality was fierce. In fact, while the portrayal in The Passion film was the most graphic to date, even it was not fully authentic. The truth was simply too gruesome to show in its entirety.

Isaiah wrote, “And with His stripes we are healed.” This did not mean that Jesus’ suffering would result in physical healing for believers. Rather it means that in Jesus’ shed blood and death on the cross He would take our sin on Himself, dying in our place, that if we will repent of our sin and place our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we will have forgiveness of sin and eternal life.

When I was a teenager, Jesus Christ, Superstar created quite an uproar. It first came out as a double LP record album. One of the criticisms against it was that the recording ended with the Crucifixion. So when the rock opera is staged, it is done in a way that hints at the Resurrection.

For us as believers, the Resurrection shows God’s Power over sin, death and hell. It shows that Christ is indeed the firstfruit from the dead. It shows that we too have hope in resurrection, that we too will rise. Since there was an “after the suffering” for Jesus, there will be an “after the suffering” for us as well.

Now, back to the question in the title, or perhaps a better question. As you reflect on the suffering that Jesus endured on account of your sin, what feelings do you experience?

How Long Have You Been a Disciple of Jesus?

Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation                                              Acts 1:2

How Long Have You Been a Disciple of Jesus?

by Robert T. Cooper

It may have been decades since you placed your faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It may have been mere hours. I became a disciple 53 years ago, as of this writing. Some have followed Jesus longer, some shorter.

The Apostles Jesus had chosen followed Him while He was alive on Earth for 3½ years. After the Resurrection, until the Ascension, Jesus appeared to the Apostles over a period of 40 days. All during the 3½ years and all during the 40 days, Jesus was giving instructions to the Apostles. A majority of those instructions also apply to us as disciples of Jesus. We find out about those instructions in the pages of the New Testament. It is important to absorb the New Testament into our hearts and lives so that we will live out those instructions, not as a set of legalistic rules, but as a natural way of life.

One interesting thing is that Jesus gave those instructions to the Apostles through the Holy Spirit. Even though Jesus is God the Son, this is one aspect of His earthly ministry that He performed in the manner that you and I have to perform our ministries. We have to pay attention to the direction and promptings of the Holy Spirit. As we pray and as we meditate on the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit helps to adjust our thinking to the way God wants us to think. He helps us to make the right decisions. We can trust Him.

In summary, here are the three points:

1.      Jesus gave instructions. They are in the New Testament. Pay attention to them.

2.      Jesus had to pay attention to the Holy Spirit to do His earthly ministry. You need to pay attention to the Holy Spirit to do your ministry too.

3.      Jesus gave instructions to the apostles. A majority of those instructions apply to you. Since you are His chosen person to do His ministry today, He will see to it that you have all the instructions you need.

There are some advantages to having been a follower of Jesus for a longer period of time, but you have been in the faith quite long enough for everything Jesus has for you to do today. By the way, the word “disciple” means “learner.” In the comments section, leave me a note about some instruction you have learned lately.

Ending Up at the Place You’re Supposed to Be

Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation                                              Acts 1:2

Ending Up at the Place You’re Supposed to Be

by Robert T. Cooper

Musicians joke that Beethoven would write several possible endings to a composition, not be able to decide which was best, and so would use them all! I was always amazed that Dickens could write two totally different endings for Great Expectations. But then, several authors have done that. Several movies have been released in versions with different endings.

When Luke came to the end of the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, following Jesus’ resurrection He made appearances for forty days “until the day he was taken up to heaven” (Acts 1:2). No alternative ending. Jesus went to a particular place. He sat down at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, and He stayed there.

Jesus makes a couple of later appearances in the book of Acts. He appears in Acts 7 standing at the right hand of God. He also appears in Acts 9 in a light from heaven.

Jesus is at God the Father’s right hand in order to help us with our prayers. We often don’t know how to pray as we ought. So Jesus takes our prayers and straightens them out for us so that God the Father receives them as they should have been prayed.

Jesus is also an advocate for us with God the Father. Face it, we often need someone to speak to the Father on our behalf. Sometimes we don’t even realize we need someone to do so. But Jesus knows, and He is right there on the job. He delights in caring for us so.

Finally, Jesus is at the place from which He will return when He comes back, as Acts 1:11 expresses it.

So for the final section of His earthly life, Jesus did what the Father assigned Him to do, and ended up at the place He was supposed to be.

What about you and me? We are in a section of our earthly lives. For all we know, it might be the final section. Are we doing what the Father assigned us to do? Are we making a point of ending up at the place we are supposed to be? Unlike Beethoven or Dickens or the movies, we don’t get a second chance.

Ways to Show Your Love for God

Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation                                              Acts 1:1

Ways to Show Your Love for God

by Robert T. Cooper

It’s in just about every movie. The couple find themselves very close to one another. They lock eyes. The background music becomes romantic strings. The couple’s lips touch ever so briefly. Suddenly they are locked in a passionate embrace. From there everything goes X-rated. That is what Hollywood calls love. It is that sort of dysfunctional schlock that fills everything from children’s movies to chick flicks. It is also the subject matter of, oh say, 98% of all pop/rock/country songs. But it isn’t really love. And it isn’t going to help you know how to show your love for God.

The book of Acts is dedicated to Theophilus. This name means “Lover of God.” The Gospel of Luke was also dedicated to Theophilus. Since in Bible days names and nicknames were given to describe the character (or at least to hopefully influence the developing character) of the person. I’ve always wished we knew a little more about Theophilus in addition to the name. All we can do is guess. There aren’t even any useful traditions.

On the other hand, we can fruitfully think about us. If you or I were to earn the nickname, “Lover of God,” the people around us would need to see certain actions in our lives. They would need to see more than that we had strong feelings about God. They would need to see us living out our devotion to God. Let me suggest three ways to show your love for God.

1.      People who are in love devote time to the One they love. They want to listen to the voice of their Beloved for hours on end. They want to read the love letters of their Beloved for hours on end. They want to write love letters to their Beloved. They simply sit and stare, contemplating the features of their Beloved. They whisper in the ear of their Beloved sweet nothings, mostly words of praise for the beauty and the character and the remarkable accomplishments of their Beloved.

2.      People who are in love sacrifice their own agendas in order to do what their Beloved wants to do. They go where their Beloved wants to go. They learn to be interested in the things that interest their Beloved and give up those things that do not interest their Beloved. They sacrifice time with old friends in order to be with the Beloved and the Beloved’s friends.

3.      People who are in love sacrifice expenditures on themselves in order to lavish gifts on the Beloved, tokens of affection, things that will please and honor the Beloved. And should the Beloved present a token in return, that token is received with pride; if it can be worn, it is worn with pride for all to see what the Beloved has done.

I get up early to spend time with the Lord. I’m not very good at journaling, but I try to do some. I go through phases when I am better at meditating for awhile, and then not as good for awhile; but I keep surrounding myself with books and music that will influence me in that direction.

That’s a little about me. Would you share a little about you?