Presbyterian Devotions: Accepting Jesus - Luke 4 v 24

Luke 4:24 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown.”

We live in a strange age. Our society and civilization, our culture and traditions have all been shaped, established, and blessed by Christianity. The freedoms we share have been formed by the faith we once held dear. In fact, if we were to erase Christianity from the last two thousand years of history, most of us would be serfs or slaves, ignorant and illiterate, cruelly treated and cast aside.

That’s what makes the living of these days very strange because Western society, in Europe and the Americas, is turning its back upon Christ, the true Founder of our freedoms and faith. It’s as if today’s verse from Luke could be rewritten to read: “No Savior is accepted in His world.”

Jesus lived and died almost two thousand years ago, but His Spirit still captivates most of the religious hearts and minds in other places throughout the world. Africa is a prime example of this. At the beginning of the 20^th century, 9% of the population was Christian and 36% were Islamic. A hundred years later, when we reached the year 2000, 40% of the African population was Islamic and over 44% of the population was Christian. The same thing is happening in China, where it has been estimated that by 2030 1.5 billion people will be Christians. Christ’s Church is growing at a rapid rate throughout the Earth, and yet on His home turf of Western Society people are forgetting what they really owe to His words and ways, His godliness and Gospel.

This morning our church has been closed due to the icy weather, so our people at Erin cannot collectively worship God. But for those of you who are reading this today, I want to say “Thank You” for taking time to accept Jesus into your heart and homes through the reading of God’s Word and the blessing of His Spirit.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, enable us to reconnect to Your words and ways, to find the time to rekindle our faith in order to make a recommitment to You. Help us to remember past days when we have needed You in our lives and the times that we have worshiped in our hearts and homes, as well as in our churches and cherished holy places. Thank You for being the Savior of our souls and the Lord of our lives. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s picture is John’s latest drawing called “Moonlight over Maybole West,” featuring his first parish church. If you would like to see a larger version of the picture, please click on the following link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/traqair57/4317958402/sizes/l/

Presbyterian Devotions: A Pentecost Spirit

Acts 2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (NIV)

Almost thirty years ago, I visited a university town in Spain called Valladolid (pronounced 'baya-dolith). It was originally a castle town and had some beautiful medieval buildings, cathedrals and colleges all over it. I was there with a friend of mine who had once trained to be a priest. We were visiting his old haunts and he introduced me to a lot of good Spanish people.

One evening, we went to a school building, where many people gathered together for prayer. Handicapped persons, people in wheelchairs, and all sorts of sick people were at the meeting. We sat in a circle, and the priest, who was leading the group, began to pray. Other people followed him and then I spoke my prayer. It was in English because I didn't have enough Spanish to put a sentence together. After I prayed, the priest interpreted and re-prayed my prayer. Once he had finished, a holy hush fell upon the room, and then, suddenly, people began singing in tongues.

I had never experienced anything like this before. It was beautiful and everyone, even those who were sick or sitting in wheelchairs joined in. The sound was like a hundred songs being sung at the same time, with different melodies and rhythms, but they harmonized perfectly. Then things began to quieten down, and after another time of silence, people started to go home.

It was a profound experience and one that I have never encountered again. The only explanation I can give is that the Holy Spirit descended upon all of us, and gave us a great gift of angelic song that evening. One glorious day, I hope to sing like that again, in the heavenly halls of glory, with millions upon millions of people and angels.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for sending the Holy Spirit amongst us and for giving Your Church a wonderful source of comfort and counsel, guidance and love. Fill our hearts with Your Holy Spirit and lead us by His presence in our lives. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.