Advent, Waiting with Hope

Advent begins - the season of awaiting the coming of the Christ Child.  

This week focuses on HOPE. 

...not a wishful kind of hope, rather the certain kind of hope, anticipatory waiting for something known to take place.

I've heard it illustrated this way...
From the time many young girls go to their first wedding, they dream of that day for themselves.  It is a wishful kind of hope.  Then they meet the person they want to spend their lives with and love develops. One day there is a proposal of marriage with an engagement ring to symbolize the promise, and now the wishful hope turns into a certain hope of the day to come and the lifetime of life's journey together to begin.  

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.  HEBREWS 11:1

As the days of our life unfold, we experience joy and sorrow, abundance and want, laughter and tears, there is good and bad.  

Jesus said to his disciples:
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble. But take heart!  I have overcome the world.  JOHN 16:33 

In this week of Advent we focus on the certain hope of the Messiah, the Holy One, who became man, to live a sinless life in perfect obedience to the Father, and who gave himself as the sacrifice to redeem humanity.  By receiving God’s gift of grace, through faith in Jesus, there is life. Jesus said: "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."  JOHN 10:10

...the Christ Child, Jesus, 

was born in a manger 

to make a way to the cross 

It is through the resurrection that we can have confidence and certainty in this kind of hope. 

My prayer for you is to experience this kind of hope knowing how deeply God loves you!

The song "He Made a Way in a Manger" says this beautifully!  Enjoy..

IF - Small words can have a big impact!

Whatever happens, conduct Yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ... 
stand firm...
without being frightened in any way... 

For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ
not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him...

If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ,
if his love has made any difference in your life,
if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you,
if you have a heart,
if you care— 

then do me a favor: 

Agree with each other,
love each other,
be deep-spirited friends.
Don’t push your way to the front;
don’t sweet-talk your way to the top.
Put yourself aside, and
help others get ahead.
Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage.
Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. 

He had equal status with God 

but didn't think so much of himself 

that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what.

Not at all. 

When the time came, 

he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! 

Having become human, he stayed human.

It was an incredibly humbling process. 

He didn't claim special privileges. 

Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life 

and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.  PHILLIPIANS 1:27 - 2:11 MSG

Jesus set aside every advantage for the well-being of human kind.  

In what ways do I need to set myself aside and help others get ahead?

Lord, move us to be unselfish long enough to lend a helping hand.

Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe

Bringing out the Best in People

Before Jesus asked the disciples to follow him, 

he did something miraculous.  He helped them 

catch two boatloads of fish!

Jesus brings out the best in people!

Those Jesus called as his first disciples
were discouraged after a night of failure. 

One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God.  He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets.  He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.  So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.  LUKE 5:1-7

Before Jesus invited these men to follow him,
he brought out the best in them. 

Using something familiar, He got their attention and showed them what could be possible.  

THEN, he invited them to follow.

Jesus says: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.  JOHN 10:10

Living in the way of Mission, Jesus Style, calls those who know the love of the Savior
to work towards bringing out the best in people.  

• Helping children learn and succeed 
• Assisting elderly with tasks they can no longer do 
• Mentoring teens or budding professionals 
• Coaching 
• Helping resettled refugees learn the ways of a new country 
• Assisting in financial literacy or parenting classes

When you have difficulty having compassion for someone, take a moment to imagine them as a three year old child... hopeful for their life to come.  

Even the most heinous person was once a child.  God's work is good!  It is the thief that comes to steal, kill and destroy.  Jesus came that each and every person would have life!

David writes in Psalm 139:

     For you created my inmost being;

         you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

     I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

         your works are wonderful,

         I know that full well.

Each person is wonderfully made!  Jesus had compassion the shortcomings and recognized the potential in people.  His perspective for you, me, and the people in our midst is just the same today.  

Take a step of faith and spend some time bringing out the best in someone who needs your help!  If each one reaches one, imagine the difference could be made!

Gushing Waters

 

                     Gushing water... 

More than enough...

“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  JOHN 4:13-14

Welling up... Leaping forth... 

Gushing! 

A person can only go about 3 days without water before dehydration begins to set in.  

Jesus speaks of himself as living water that quenches the soul and springs forth without limit.  

For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God,
 for God gives the Spirit without limit. JOHN 3:34

This water nourishes us with the pure love of God.

Are you drinking some every day?

Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” JOHN 7:37-38

Nutrition for Life

Nutrition fuels our bodies so that they function well.  

Ask any marathon runner or triathlete about nutrition. While reading the training journal of a friend, I was struck by the reference to the word "nutrition."  He was reflecting on strategy for a particular race and writes:

"talked to a coach who told me

it took him 7 races to really dial in his nutrition..."

In the race of life, how carefully are we paying attention to spiritual nutrition?  

Life can be challenging!  If we look upon it like a marathon, what is in our daily training schedule that is equipping us for the race every single day?

What are you doing to dial into the spiritual nutrition 

that will sustain you in all of life's circumstances?

Knowing Jesus was the Son of God, the devil tempted him in the wilderness after Jesus had fasted 40 days and 40 nights and was hungry.  In times of trial and challenge and rejoicing, Jesus drew from God's words, recorded in the Torah, the Psalms, and the Prophets. 

 The tempter came to him and said,
“If you are the Son of God,
tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written:
‘Man shall not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’

When we know the Word of God, it speaks to us, helping to make sense of life.  

Be still and know that I am God.  PSALM 46:10

For the Word of God is living and active  HEBREWS 4:12

Take time every day to feed your body and soul with the Word of God!

The Power of Spoken Words

When praying for someone, with them, I often hear these words: "Thank you for your prayers." 

For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. 

ROMANS 10:16b-17

When we speak to the Lord of Creation on behalf of someone, something happens.  Words in the Lutheran Liturgy come to mind: "He recalls his promises and leads his people forth in joy."  How powerful it is to have someone express intercede for their burdens, or give thanks for their joy!

It is the Lord who spoke the Word

It is His People who give voice to that Word

When we pray for another, when we speak God's Words of promise, we remind or help others know of His love and faithfulness.  We can't always solve someone else's problems or take their burdens from them, but we can always pray.  

Mother Teresa said: "Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God."

Living in a practice of mission, Jesus style, prayer is our #1 go to conversation.  Jesus lived in an intentional rhythm of prayer.  Paul urges us to: Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18  Imagine what God could do if we actually did that!

A Life of Generosity

God is a most generous giver!

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.   JOHN 3:16

Let it sink in and challenge you as it has in me!

What if we really lived with a level of generosity so radical
that all people could see would be love and humility?
What if we operated with no worry over having enough?

This kind of generosity comes from a heart that
boldly trusts the creator
and

generates great love

without being concerned about self gain.

The "world" that Jesus referred to was not deserving of this great love!  In fact, it was quite undeserving, yet the Lord Jesus poured out his love, his blood, on the cross for the sin of all humanity.

What if the people of God learned to live with unconditional generosity,where the question "what's in it for me?" never came up?

I'm trying to imagine it...

A Trinity of Relationships

www.oakquotes.com

What is the motivating factor that promotes
a vibrant sharing of the Good News of Jesus?

A four year study was done in seven mainline denominations from 2002-2006 asking the same basic question.  The results showed an intersection of three sets of relationships:

A person's relationship with God

A person's relationship with people within their church

A person's relationship with people outside their church

As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: "Nothing GREAT was ever achieved without enthusiasm."

When a person has a vibrant personal relationship with the Lord - it shows! 
When they love their faith family at the local church - it shows!
And, when they have a genuine and gracious love for people outside the church - it shows!

Mainline Evangelism Project

When we live our lives in an overflow of joy, other people can sense that and often desire it for themselves.  I am reminded of a post that was written about a year ago titled Holding the Pitcher.  

We love because He first loved us.  1 John 4:9

...As I held the pitcher the Lord was whispering,
"receive the love that I poured out for you, then pour it out for others."

Our enthusiasm for sharing the Good News come from the overflow!

Take time for the Lord to fill the pitcher of your heart today!

The Dilemma of Relationships vs. Geography

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
    the world, and all who live in it;
for he founded it on the seas
    and established it on the waters.   PSALM 24:1-2

When we believe this to be true, why is it that we still impose human territories on what belongs to the Lord?  

There are a variety of ways to create boundaries between what is the Lord's and how we identify what is ours...

Countries - States - Counties - Parishes - Zip Codes

Personal Possessions - Businesses - Government

As a mission developer in a metropolitan area, I am watching a dilemma unfold... 

We're in a generation where people travel long distances from the places they live to where they work, play and worship.  The challenge often is that the great majority of a person's relationships are not near the church where they worship, sometimes traveling more than 10, 20, 30, and sometimes 60 minutes!  

History has shown that the best way to reach new people is to plant new churches, but... 

What does that say to the established churches?  How can we begin to reconcile the framework of geographical boundaries that fit the patterns and lifestyles of former generations?  Generations before were not as mobile as we are today.  

 Foremost, stay focused on the most important matter -  eternity! 

As followers of Jesus, we must be constantly reminded that the division of territory
is not based in possessions or geographical boundary, but in spiritual kingdoms.  

Paul reminds us:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  

EPHESIANS 6:12

Congregations and the members in them are in the midst of this dilemma.

Where is our mission field?  

Around the church building? 

 In the neighborhoods where people live?  

In the places where people work?  

In the groups where people play and volunteer?
How much do I invest if they won't come to my church?

As followers of Jesus, 

we are called to sow seeds of faith
into the lives of people, wherever they are

and trust the Lord to bring the harvest,
knowing that HE will connect them to a community of faith
where they can grow and become seed planters in His kingdom.

When the nurturing of faith comes through a genuine caring relationship,
it is most likely that a person will want to be where you are.

I hear the words of St. Paul coming through loud and clear as I write this morning.  I can imagine that he is hot, delivering these words with every bit of conviction and passion that one senses in his writing:

For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task.  I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.  So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.  The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.  For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care.  For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.  1 CORINTHIANS 3:4-11

Our role is to each be about our assigned tasks and 

give ALL the glory to the Lord for any harvest that is reaped.  

Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.  1 CHRONICLES 29:11 

Jump in and share your thoughts! 

Moved to Compassion

As I read the story of the Good Samaritan today, I  am struck by the motivation of the Samaritan, and wonder...

What moves someone beyond fear, indifference, or judgment...  to compassion?

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.  A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.  So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.  But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.  The next day he took out two denarii[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”  LUKE 10:25-37 




Compassion is a sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

Compassion seems to suggest that someone can relate to the distress of another to such a degree that their motivation to help comes from
...having come through a similar situation
...knowing someone first hand who has endured something similar
...having developed an understanding that enables someone to relate to the distress of another

The hard circumstances your life, where the Lord has served
you most significantly, these are what the Lord can use most
powerfully as you serve others in His name.

Burdens shared are cut in half

Joy shared is doubled

We can't always solve another person's burdens, however, when we can authentically identify and relate in compassion, helping where we are able, and being with someone in the midst of it, somehow it becomes more bearable.  

Consider the hard places where the Lord has met you personally...  

Who is He calling you to meet with compassion?

Start Where You Are

Tennis legend Arthur Ashe once said:

"To achieve greatness, 

start where you are, 

use what you have, 

and do what you can."

These are good words when it comes to living in a rhythm of mission, Jesus style.  We're never going to know as much or do it as well as Jesus did, yet living in such a way that others are able to catch glimpses of God's goodness and love is what he calls his children to do.  

Start where you are
The last words that Jesus spoke to his disciples before being taken up to heaven were about beginning their mission without him.  He told them to not leave Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came, then he said:

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes  on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. ACTS 1:8

The disciples walked back to Jerusalem and waited.  Jerusalem was their starting point.  So...wherever you are, that is your starting point!

Use what you have
I am reminded of Gideon (Judges 6), where an angel of the Lord appeared and told Gideon that "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior."  The Lord was now calling Gideon to leadership and said:

Go in the strength that you have and save Israel... 

Gideon replied: My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.

The Lord answered, "I will be with you and you...

When doing the work of the Lord, we are never to be working solely in our own strength.  He calls us to use what we have, knowing that He will be with us. 

Do what you can
Do you ever feel inadequate or unprepared to do the work of the Lord?  We're just called to do what we can to show kindness to others in such a way that it opens the door for the message of the Gospel to be shared.  

...whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.  

MATTHEW 25:40

Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, to be generous and willing to share.

1TIMOTHY 6:18

As the gospel takes root in a person's heart, the hope is that it will have the same transforming effect so that they too will be people who are able to:

Start where you are - - Use what you have - - Do what you can

Faith is a Matter of Trust

Where lies the secret strength of faith?

This question was part of my devotional reading for today from "Morning and Evening" by Charles H. Spurgeon.  He goes on to write: 

"It lies in the food it feeds on; for faith studies what the promise is - an emanation of divine grace, an overflowing of the great heart of God; and faith says, 'My God could not have given this promise, except from love and grace; therefore it is quite certain his Word will be fulfilled.'  Then faith thinketh, 'Who gave this promise?'  It considers not so much its greatness, as, 'Who is the author of it?'  

In fact, this is the primary work that God has given to people.  

Jesus said: “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”  JOHN 6:29

...but more than that, it is to believe God.  

 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God,
and it was credited to him as righteousness.”  ROMANS 4:3 

The ultimate temptation is not to cause us to do wrong,
it is to cause us to disbelieve the Lord and
to cause us to not trust Him.  

The value in knowing the Lord, knowing His Word, knowing His faithfulness throughout all generations, is to believe Him.  This is not merely believing in Him, in the possibility that He will do what He says.  It is BELIEVING Him and knowing that what He has promised will certainly be done in the fullness of time.  

When we look at life from an eternal perspective, we gain a clearer understanding of how the Lord works.  Whenever tempted to think that the Lord is not responding to a particular situation satisfactorily, I try to broaden my view to see what He is working out for eternity.  Just because I cannot "see" what is happening in any particular circumstance, does not mean that He has ceased to be faithful.  My view is so limited!

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.  HEBREWS 11:1

Hebrews 11 gives examples of many ancients who have been commended for their faith.

Where are you trusting God when you cannot see what He is doing?  

Set Apart for Sacred Use

www.kingjamesbibleonline.org

Over and over again, I return to John 17... my favorite chapter in the Gospels. As Jesus is praying to the Father on that final day, he is very clear about the meaning eternal life.

Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.  JOHN 17:3

Then he prays for those who will carry his message into all the world.  These words are timeless, spoken about the disciples at that time, and spoken for us at this time who are carrying the message.

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.  As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.  For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.  JOHN 17:17-19

Have you imagined your life as set apart for sacred use?  

This is what Jesus is praying for his disciples then, and now!  Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.  The instrument of our sanctification is the Word of God.  As we read it, hear it, take it in and apply it...  Jesus goes on to pray:  

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message

JOHN 17:20

God's work of sanctification is not only for us, but for those whose lives we will impact with the grace that God is working in and through us.  The Lord is calling us to bear fruit that will last for eternity!

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.  You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.  This is my command: Love each other.  John 15:15-17

Take in God's Word every day!

Not only will it be a blessing in your life,

but also in the lives of others you touch with God's love.

A Call for Peer Tutors!

The walk of discipleship could be compared to a Peer Tutor, where one student, who is still in the process of learning, is able to assist another student in gaining the skills for which the Peer Tutor has already become proficient.  

I'm not a trained teacher, however, I've been helping to train adults in Christian churches to reach out to the people around them for many years.  This week, I had an illustration come to mind that I believe applies to address the challenges.

Here's the gap...

One level of learning is being able to answer questions in the multiple choice section.  The question is posed and several possible answers are provided.  The student knows enough to be able to identify and select the correct answer. 

Another level of learning is being able to write an essay on a particular subject.  The text focuses on a topic to inform a reader on ideas, concepts and information in such a way that the topic can be understood.  






Yet another step is for the student to serve as a peer tutor.  The students are all being taught by the same teacher, however the peer tutor has become proficient enough in the material to assist others in gaining a better understanding of what the teacher has already taught.



As a disciple...

• Do you know the information just well enough to provide the multiple choice answer?
• Have you formulated your understanding in such a way that you could provide a compelling essay that would help someone else understand the precious gift that the Lord Himself wants every person to receive?
• Are you proficient enough in some areas as a disciple of Jesus where you could become a peer tutor and spend some time with others so that they receive and grow in the gifts that they Lord has for them?

Mission, Jesus style calls for everyone who has been taught by
the Master Teacher, Jesus, to be His disciple (a peer tutor).

• A disciple makes continual progress in their own learning 
• A disciple seeks to become as proficient as their teacher
• A disciple is then asked to become a peer tutor for other disciples 
• Jesus' disciples always point people to their teacher

After the resurrection, the Scripture reads:

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  MATTHEW 28:16-20

Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  JOHN 8:31

My prayer is that you are one who is worshiping,

holding to Jesus' teaching and making disciples.

Become a Peer Tutor for others!

The Story of the Orange

An orange is a delicious citrus fruit.  When ripe, the outside and the inside are a beautiful color that is appealing to the eye.  

Regardless of the way you explore and examine the orange, it is always an orange!  To look at the skin, it looks like an orange!



Peeled and left whole, it is still an orange.


Even sliced open, exposing the flesh inside, it's still an orange.

And especially when squeezed,
what comes out is consistently orange juice!

It's an orange through and through!

In "The Celtic Way of Evangelism" George Hunter III states:
"They reached one "barbarian" population after another by welcoming seekers, who were looking for "the authentic sign," into the close fellowship of their monastic communities, where seekers closely observed how the Christians lived, day after day. As seekers spent time with a Celtic Christian community, they typically found themselves believing what the Christians taught. Indeed, the Celtic Christians undoubtedly discovered the presence of seekers observing them for for "the authentic sign" provided an additional incentive for living faithful lives."  

As a follower of Jesus who wants people to know Him, what do they see in me?  

How will they know that I am authentic?  

Do the insides match what's visible outside?

When a person is squeezed, whatever is truly inside comes gushing out!

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.  JAMES 1:22-25

God's desire is for his love to permeate us through and through.  It blesses the one who receives it SO THAT they can also bless others in such a way that they can receive it too! 

Hunter proposes that people's inquiries about Christianity often take one of the three specific forms:

1. Some people wonder whether Christians really believe what they say
2. Some people do not doubt the Christians believe it,; they wonder whether we live by it
3. Some people do not doubt either - they wonder whether it makes much difference.

People are looking at how followers of Jesus
embody what we profess to believe  

When a person is growing in the ways of God, and embodying His likeness with increasing measure, it becomes incredibly compelling to the people around them that God is who He says He is.  The teachers of the law were always trying to catch Jesus with his words.  On one occasion they came to him and said:
Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Mark 12:14  

Instead of finding accusations against him, they were amazed.   

Paul writes: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.  Galatians 5:22-23

My prayer is that when people look at the followers of Jesus,
this is what they find!