Featured necklace
Handmade by me! Materials include antiqued copper flower pendant, antiqued brass chain, wire, findings, leaf stamping, and lightweight pearls. Price is $45. Contact me if you’re interested or want more photos…somethingorrother@yahoo.com
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Also, visit my site for more designs. www.somethingorrother.etsy.com
John 1:5
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Unbeliever
“There goes one who has called on gods he does not believe in. How will it be with him if they have really come?”
C.S.Lewis, The Last Battle
An Unexpected Application
Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:8
Apply this to your childhood memories. When you look back on your childhood and are tempted to be bitter or resentful, find the umph deep down to search for something, anything that was worthy of praise and think on this. When you remember your parents and you know all their faults; find something, anything that was worthy of praise and think about that. It’s a biblical exhortation to be a retroactive positive thinker.
Culturally Significant Faith
Acts 17:26-28 “And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet He is actually not far from each one of us, for in Him we live and move and have our being.”
John 15:4-6 “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers…”
The connection between these two passages will take some time, so follow me as I run through my thought process.
The passage from Acts speaks heavily of culture and it’s significant role in the plan of salvation. God has purposed that all men are within cultural boundaries and places and times and that this very thing is the hope that they might find God. It goes on to say in a sense that the whole universe is caught up in the bosom of God–”in Him we live and move and have our being.” So what is the difference between this “inside” and the “inside” from John 15?
Acts seems to say that in one sense all that is is within the chest of God, and John seems to imply a striving to remain there and avoid being cast out. And how is this avoided? By being good branches. And branches are for fruit, and fruit only. If the branch does not produce fruit and remain in the vine, it is cast off and burned. And what is fruit for? Except to give away and spread seed.
So now my question is how can we be culturally significant as Paul was to the church at Athens in Acts 17, and help those in our culture “find” God? I think the key is John 15:4. Abide in Christ. He is the sustrainer, the vine. We receive all He has to give and produce fruit in order to spread the seed of the gospel and becomes slaves to all men. The fruit withers and gives way to the next generation in seed. “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies it remains alone; but if it dies it bears much fruit.” John 12:24
But how do we abide in Him? By faith! “As you received Christ so walk in Him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith.” We received Christ by faith, now we must abide in Him by faith. That you might be rooted in Him, the vine, and so bear fruit.
And what is faith? It is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen. Hebrews 11:1
So full circle–be sure of our hope in heaven and the Spirit which remains unseen, and so we will abide in Christ by faith; which will bring forth fruit in our lives and so testify to our culture that they might in hopes find God whom they are not far from.
Faith is always culturally significant. For the sinner is justified by faith, and the just shall live by faith.
