For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
Watch Session Four: The Turning Point
In Acts 8, we find an Ethiopian eunuch reading a portion of Scripture found in the book of Isaiah. He is confused about who the Scripture is referring to, so God directs Philip, one of the seven deacons, to join the eunuch. Philip then explains the good news of Jesus with the eunuch. The eunuch is so moved and convicted by the gospel that he insists that Philip baptize him.
We know that we need a savior. Now what do we do? We believe.
In today’s Scripture reading, we see that salvation involves both confession and belief. We must believe the truth about Jesus, that he is the Son of God who descended to earth to die for our sins and that he rose from the dead.
Our world thinks of Jesus’s resurrection as a hoax, ridiculing and rejecting those who believe. But in today’s Scripture reading, God promises that everyone who believes in Jesus will not be put to shame. When we accept the truth about who Jesus is and believe in him for salvation, God accepts us.
Salvation is available to anyone who confesses Jesus as Lord and believes in him. Before Jesus came to earth, Israel enjoyed a special relationship with God that other nations (the Gentiles) did not. But when Jesus died, he provided access to God for anyone who will come to him. Neither our nationalities nor our ethnicities gain us special favor in God’s eyesight. We are accepted only because of Jesus.
The eunuch and Philip were from two different countries, one from Israel and the other from Ethiopia. When Philip shared the gospel with the eunuch, the Ethiopian believed and was not denied salvation. As our Scripture today insists, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
A virgin gave birth to a special boy. That boy grew into a man who claimed to be the Son of God. The Son of God died for your sins and was resurrected three days after his death. Now he offers salvation to all who will believe in him. Are these facts hard for you to believe? What thoughts keep playing on repeat mode in your mind? What would it take to make you believe Jesus’s claim as the Son of God?
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That God sent his only son down to be crucified for all of our sins, it did not matter who we were. Also that he rose from the dead after conquering this. And all I have to do is believe this with my heart and confess with my mouth
I have never not believed that fact, I know it, I process it, it resonates with me. It’s the daily practice of this. Believing I am enough for all this LOVE.
I beleive. I do remember when it was a challenge to believe, because it seemed unreal. I still struggle with understanding Gods love for me. I have seen his answers to prayer and I continue to work on trusting Him.
These are hard facts for society to believe. If I did not read the Bible, If I did not feel Christ in my own life, if I did not experience his Spirit and hand in times good and times difficult, I would be in disbelief as well. It is only by regular turning to HIm in daily living that I affirm further my faith in Him.
I have no trouble at all believing that Jesus was born to die for our/my sins! I am grateful for His unconditional love. He is always showing up in my life with protection, provision and love. Life with Christ is sweet, even through the bad times. I feel beyond loved and at peace because I know that I am a child of God and no matter what happens in life, He has me, even though I am not worthy!
When I was in my 20’s I rationalized what actually, and honestly sounds more like what had happened. It is easier to believe that Mary had sex before marriage and to hid it she said a miracle happened. That this all is not real it was just one big scale that got out of control. But for me the turning point is the circles I look back on in my life and say that could only have been God. The feeling of God around me, and my favorite, when I speak and don’t know what to say when someone needs help, that God uses me and speaks for me! All of these things and so much more backs up all of what the Bible says.
It’s not hard to believe, it’s difficult for my human finite brain to comprehend. I believe with every fiber of my being that Jesus came to earth as a baby and lived and died just for me. I don’t deserve the gift he gave me. There is nothing that I can ever do to deserve it, but I can tell everyone about him. I can share this good news. I can share my testimony. After what I have experienced the past 5 weeks, GOD IS REAL!!! He is a living presences in my life. He is personal and now I don’t just know him, I see him.
Yes, of course the facts are bit hard to believe. They are completely contradictory to everything we witness and are taught about human "life and death" in this world we are experiencing. – But he is more than this existence.
Thoughts that play on repeat in my mind mostly include just wanting to know more. I wish I could learn more about what it was like for him growing up as a child. I wish I could know what he thought about and if he knew who he was when he was little. I also wonder about somethings in his adult life. Did he ever feel annoyed with everyday things, what was his sense of humor like or was marriage ever on the table?
Generally speaking for me to believe in things it has to make sense. And this does! Alone and isolated independently the details maybe not so much in the everyday experience way but with the eternal as scale in the big picture kind of way all the pieces fit perfectly.
The fact that it is unbelievable is what makes it special! How could God love us (me) so much that He made the ultimate sacrifice of His son?! That is truly great love.
The beginning of John’s Gospel says it completely. In the beginning the word was with God and is God. Nothing was created that was not created by "the Word"….and then the Word became flesh – Jesus Christ. I believe this completely. I believe that Jesus took the punishment for my sins on the cross. He died. He was buried. He rose showing He defeated death. Yes, I believe in the salvation of Jesus’ blood. And I believe in the Spirit of God as my connection with my creator.