Ordinary People

        
Fifty2 Sunday's - Listening~4~God

        

        

        The sermon was about the transfiguration of Christ that Peter, James and John witnessed.  In this situation, and as Mark writes, they saw that "His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them.  And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus" (Mark 9:3 & 4) (NIV).  

        While listening to the sermon I started to think about the special relationship and the extraordinary experiences the three of them (along with the other disciples) had with Jesus.  Besides witnessing him transfigured, they saw the daughter of a synagogue leader being raised to life (Mark 5:35-38) and they accompanied him to the garden of Gethsemane to pray and keep watch (Matthew 26:37).  No doubt, each of these was a faith-building experience.   

      The apostles could not have known what they had signed up for or what lay ahead of them when they started to follow Jesus.  Following Christ's ascension, the apostles, as promised, received the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4) that empowered and prompted them to act.  Given the things they accomplished in spreading the Gospel and establishing the church, it is easy to forget that they were just "ordinary men" (Acts 4:13).  

        We are "ordinary" people and it is our purpose to be about advancing God's kingdom and proclaiming his truth. God has planned exactly when and where we are and has gifted each for his purposes.  A few verses to serve to remind us of this fact:

• "From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.  God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.  For in him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:26-28)  [NIV].
• "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  (Ephesians 2:10) [NIV].

• "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.” (I Peter 4:10) [NIV].
• In closing, may we “ grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever!  Amen.” (II Peter 3:18) [NIV].