John 1: 8-9 He
himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone
was coming into the world
Our 2012 Lent
season jumped off to a great start. If you remember we started the Ash
Wednesday service in the dark after a power outage left us literally in the
dark. The result was a number of people bringing flashlights to the service. I
was somewhat disappointed when the lights came back on half way through the
service. The mood set by the subdued lighting was inspirational.
There are many
institutions of worship in our world. The number and variety of beliefs is
staggering. Even within the group of
institutions that claim to the “Christian” there is a multitude of variations.
But which has the right set of beliefs? We can turn to scriptures for guidance
on how to discern the truth. From 1 John
4:1-3 Dear friends, do not believe
every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because
many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize
the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in
the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not
from God.
With this
information we can gage the accuracy of a belief system. If there is no Jesus,
then it is a false belief. If Jesus is not the Savior in the belief system, it
is false. It may seem overly simplistic, but then again we humans are simple
beings. Thus, God has given us a simple test to use. John the Baptist was not Jesus, yet he came
only as a witness to the light that is Jesus. He was the voice calling out in
the wilderness, Isaiah 40:33 A voice
of one calling: "In the wilderness
prepare the way for the
Lord ; make straight
in the desert a highway for our
God.” He was making it know to all
who would listen that the true light that
gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was not the light, and he made no claim to
be the light. He was merely the messenger. His message was not a welcome
message for some. There were some who were threatened by his message.
Ultimately John paid the price with his life for speaking the truth. Just as
John discovered we may find we, and the truth, are not universally welcome. Yet
if God is with us, who can stand against us? The answer is simple, no one. God
will prevail. And our job is to let everyone know that the light of the World
is Jesus Christ.
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