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Champion Day 15 He’s The Hero

June 17, 2022 by Merry Ohler Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Luke 5:1-11
Luke 6:12-16
John 18:16-27
John 21:15-19
1 Peter 2:1-17

Champion, Day 15

For as long as I can remember, my husband has contended the fictional comic book character Batman is the only plausible superhero. When asked why, he will happily explain: unlike other illustrated literary superheroes, Batman doesn’t have any special powers or alien origins.

Immeasurable wealth and influence? Sure.
Mad ninja skills and physical prowess? Check.
Insanely cool superhero lair and technological marvels to help him fight crime? Yup.

But aside from the seemingly endless supply of money and inner torment,
Batman is basically just a regular guy with excellent resources. 

This might seem an unusual way to introduce a journey with Peter, but stay with me.

When we study the radical accounts of miracles God performed through Peter, it’s easy to see him as a spiritual giant.

He boldly exhorted those in Jerusalem following the Holy Spirit’s outpouring on Pentecost (Acts 2:14-36).
He miraculously healed (Acts 3:6-8),
raised the dead to life (Acts 9:38-43),
was the first to witness the unveiling of God’s complete plan of salvation for all people (Acts 10:9-33),
was imprisoned for his faith and proclaiming the gospel (Acts 4:1-4),
was freed from jail. by angels (Acts 12:6-19),
and people were healed simply by his very shadow (Acts 5:12-16).

With a resume like that, anyone would assume Peter was basically a Biblical beast. In a way, he was, but if we only examine the miracles and remarkable eternal impact of Peter’s life, without acknowledging Peter’s colorful humanity and frailty, we miss the best things about Peter’s story.

Just like the overarching account of Scripture and every vignette therein, Peter’s story points to God, His plan for salvation through Jesus Christ, and the redemption He alone brings.

Peter was a man of humble beginnings. His work was essential to the economy, but could hardly be considered illustrious. Brash and outspoken, Peter was impulsive, rough around the edges, and often ruled by his emotions.

When the disciples saw Jesus walking on water, they were frightened. (Matthew 14:22-33) Jesus comforted them; when He was tested by an impulsive Peter, Jesus invited him to step onto the waves. Peter initially fared well, but became afraid and began sinking.

Peter failed. 

When Jesus told His disciples He would be killed, and raised to life on the third day, Peter “caught feelings” and again tested Jesus, rejecting what He said outright. (Matthew 16:21-22)

Again, Peter failed. 

When Judas betrayed Jesus, Peter was overcome by his emotions, drew his sword, and cut off a man’s ear. (John 18:1-11)

Jesus also prophesied Peter would deny Him three times. Vehemently, Peter objected and declared he would never. When Jesus’ words came to pass and he heard the rooster crow, Peter was broken. (John 18:16-27)

Failure.
Again.

It’s heartbreaking, isn’t it?
Separated from the Messiah, Peter carried the weight of his personal betrayal of the Master he loved while Jesus was persecuted, crucified, and buried. Even after He was resurrected to life three days later, Peter’s actions undoubtedly haunted him.

Time and again, Peter messed up,
and doubted,
and hurt others,
and didn’t believe Jesus,
and argued with the very Son of God,
and failed.

Over, and over, and over.

Oh Peter. I can relate. On every. single. count. 

But then.

“When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?’

‘Yes, Lord,’ [Peter] said to him, ‘you know that I love you.’

‘Feed my lambs,’ [Jesus] told him.”
(John 21:15)

Three times, Peter had denied Jesus.
Three times, resurrected Jesus asks this question and commissions Peter, restoring him to full relationship and ministry.

Herein lies the beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the trajectory of salvation!

Peter wasn’t enough. Yet, Jesus called him.
Peter failed, many times. Yet, Jesus disciplined him in love.
Peter denied Jesus. Yet, Jesus died for him.
After all that, Jesus offered him redemption, commissioned him, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, transformed Peter to be a living demonstration of the work of the Gospel. 

The most important part of Peter’s story is that
he
wasn’t
enough.

In fact, Peter was basically just a regular guy, with excellent (read: supernatural) resources.

When we look at the accounts we see in Scripture and compare ourselves to the people we read there, we miss the point completely. Throughout all of Scripture, no one was ever enough, except Jesus Christ.

When faced with that reality, Peter put his faith in Jesus. He allowed himself to be transformed completely. Because of that surrender, the Holy Spirit was freed to work through him.

Beloved, the truth is, we aren’t enough, either.

If we were, then we would actually BE God.
We wouldn’t need salvation, because we wouldn’t sin.
We wouldn’t need sanctification, because we would already be completely holy. 

Just as He saw Peter, Jesus sees us as we really are, in all our frailty and failure and not enough. Because He IS enough, He transforms us into a new creation! Praise be to God!

Jesus, thank You for being enough, for filling every gap and showing Your strength in my weakness. Teach me to walk in Your ways and help me to remember that You are the real Champion in all of Scripture, and in my life.

Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Champion Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Champion!

Posted in: Called, Enough, Freedom, God, Gospel, He, Healing, Holy Spirit, Love, Redemption, Salvation Tagged: boldly, champion, discipline, doubt, Failure, hero, humanity, hurt, plan, Son of God, surrender

Open Day 10 Gaius Who?

August 9, 2019 by Sarah Young Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

3 John 1:1-15
Isaiah 58:6-12
Matthew 25:31-40
Luke 14:12-14
1 Peter 4:7-11

Open, Day 10

As I type, the Men’s Final Four has been set.  I am an avid sports fan, and especially love watching college basketball.  Even so, I have absolutely NO idea who won the NCAA Championship last year. Or the year before that.

As I thought about how easily we forget (or didn’t even know) the winners of major sporting events, I wondered how many would know even ONE thing about the man highlighted in today’s Journey Study.

Confession: I attended private Christian school from kindergarten to 12th grade, then graduated from a private Christian university.  I have been going to church since before I was born, and still I had to look up who Gaius was.

I hoped I wasn’t the only one drawing a blank, so I did an official Facebook poll to see who would know him.  Of my friends who responded, most suggested he was a character on a TV show or a historical Roman figure.  Those few who made a Biblical reference only VAGUELY knew about some guy Paul wrote about in one of his letters.

At first, I felt bad for poor Gaius.
He lived his life boldly for Jesus, made sacrifices, faced persecution, and endured hardships of many kinds.  He traveled with Paul (Acts 19:29; 20:4), hosted home gatherings (Romans 16:23), and welcomed traveling teachers into his home (3 John 1:1-8). He was a dear friend of the apostle John and was actually the recipient of John’s 3rd letter. In it, we discover Gaius was well respected, regarded as a faithful follower of God, and known for his deep love and genuine kindness.  Yet, here we are today, barely knowing he even existed, let alone recognize his major contributions to the early church.

In a society where we tend to live for recognition, the idea of not being known, or remembered, seems frightening. We spend our days doing all we can to make a name for ourselves, to leave a lasting legacy, ensuring that generations to come will know us.  Heaven forbid we end up forgotten like Gaius.

Recently, I heard a Casting Crowns song called ONLY JESUS. Rather than striving to win trophies and leave a mark the world remembers, the band sings of embracing a much different approach.  They suggest a more selfless mindset, “I don’t care if they remember me…Only Jesus.”

I think Gaius must have had this perspective, thousands of years before Casting Crowns wrote a song about it.

You might have heard the verse, “I have no greater joy than to hear my children are walking in the truth.”  I actually have this Scripture hung in our house and pray for my girls to live for Jesus as I pass by the sign, but I had no idea John was writing these words in reference to our man Gaius!!!

In his letter to Gaius, John commends his friend for faithfully serving those who are spreading the gospel message.  Gaius doesn’t personally know these people, but because they are fellow believers and administers of the gospel, he opens his home to them.  These men have reported back to John about Gaius’ hospitality, and John is delighted to hear how ‘one of his children is walking in the truth’.

Perhaps Gaius understood firsthand how incredible a homemade meal and warm bed felt after a long day of preaching in an unfamiliar city.  In Acts 19:29, we read how Gaius was one of Paul’s traveling companions.  In the following chapters, we see how Paul and his crew had quite the trip traveling from one city to the next and sometimes back again sharing the Good News.  As they traveled, Gaius heard Paul compel other believers to support those who were making sacrifices to spread the gospel.

Gaius took those words to heart.
Having been welcomed into strangers’ homes as he traveled with Paul, Gaius later opened his door to strangers as they worked to make Jesus known.

Gaius didn’t just know the truth.
He walked in it.

What about us?

We have heard the verses about loving your neighbor, visiting those in prison, feeding the hungry, caring for the orphans and widows.

We KNOW the importance of hospitality, but are we living hospitably?!

When new neighbors move in, do we take them cookies?

When a family at church has a baby, do we bring them diapers?

When we get an email about hosting an international student for Thanksgiving,
do we set an extra plate at the table?

When we see a post on Facebook about the need for foster families, do we go to the informational meeting?

When we are handed a flyer about a women’s clinic and the opportunity to host a teen mom, do we put fresh sheets on the bed in the guest room?

When a co-worker has surgery, do we drop by with flowers?

When our kids are playing at the park, do we set our phone down and chat with moms?

Big or small, our hospitality probably won’t win us any medals or make us famous.
Books won’t be written and movies won’t be made featuring our willingness to be open. Like Gaius, people will most likely forget (or never even know) the sacrifices we make, the gifts we give, or the time and money we spend loving others.

And that’s okay.
Recognition is NOT the goal of living hospitably.

May we sing along with Casting Crowns, “I don’t care if they remember me…Only Jesus.”

May we live like Gaius, knowing that as we open our doors,
God’s love will spread and His kingdom will grow.

Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
Join us for every Journey Study by signing up!
Looking for yesterday’s Journey Study?
Share your thoughts from today’s Study!

Don’t miss today’s Digging Deeper!     And we’d love to hear your thoughts from today’s Journey!    Comment Here!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Open Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Open!

Posted in: Genuine, God, Jesus, Kingdom, Love, Open, Paul, Truth Tagged: boldly, faithful, Gaius, hospitality, kindness, lived, Only Jesus, walked in the truth, Who?

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And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14