JOHN SHIRK – 2013 is a Year to Remember at WJTL. Since faith remembers God,  we will reflect on matters of historical and Biblical significance so that we might learn from the past and grow in the faith.

Today WJTL remembers the Great Confession.

In Matthew 16, Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”

Then Jesus asked them, “But what about you? Who do you say I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

This is what is known as the Great Confession, which acknowledges the title of Jesus as being the anointed one of God to be the Savior of the world. This confession also acknowledges the deity of Jesus as the Son of God.  He was born, not from the seed of man, but by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus responded to Peter’s confession by calling him blessed. We too will experience God’s blessing by acknowledging Jesus for who He is.

Peter’s Confession in Matthew 16 is a lesson of faith worth remembering.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – We are coming toward the end of 2012, the Year of Transformation at WJTL, with an emphasis on life change from the inside out. I sincerely hope that the devotionals and the stories of changed lives that we have been sharing have left an impression on your life in terms of how Jesus is able to transform you to be more like Christ and to prepare you for doing God’s will with a sincere heart of devotion.

When we talk of transformation, I often think of Second Corinthians 3:18 which says, “we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

So, for the disciple of Jesus, God’s Spirit is working in our lives constantly. It’s a process of transformation, where we are learning who Jesus is more thoroughly, seeing Him for clearly, and reflecting Him more accurately.  So, there is in the Christian life two types of transformation taking place. One type of transformation is when we first acknowledge our need for Jesus to be our Savior and Lord and are converted to becoming a Christ follower. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. And then the second type of transformation is a process called sanctification, where Jesus is shaping us on a daily basis to grow in godly character and maturity.  So, even though we are moving into a new focus next year, let’s never forget that Jesus touches lives in ways that transform our hearts. Up and coming in 2013 will be the Year to Remember. We will remember highlights in church history, and lessons of faith from the Bible, because faith remembers God in the midst of daily life and learns from past experiences.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – From First Timothy 1:15.

Words from the Apostle Paul, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-of whom I am the worst.”

There are times in the New Testament when Paul gives us a window into his tainted past. His conversion to Christ was a dramatic transformation of character in a short time. In reflecting on his life, Paul realized that there were many sins of his that Jesus had forgiven.

In this verse, we can put our personal name in place of the word “sinners”.  Christ Jesus came into the world to save….me. His grace is a gift for me to receive. There is nothing I can do to earn it, but I can receive His forgiveness by trusting in the name of Jesus and what He did for me at the cross.

When we experience His forgiveness, our burden of guilt is removed and we can truly appreciate and celebrate what Jesus has done for us.

Recognizing Jesus as our Savior from sin is a vital sign of a changed life in the Year of Transformation.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – From Micah 5:2.

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.

This prophecy was fulfilled in Matthew 2:1, which says that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod.

Jesus could have come to a major, strategic city to draw attention to His significant worth. However, He would be born in Bethlehem, a small town several miles from the holy city Jerusalem.

God does not work in conventional ways to advance His plan of redemption. Using conventional wisdom, Jesus might have appointed religious leaders to follow Him as disciples. But instead, Jesus appointed unschooled men to follow Him and be trained to become  leaders of the early church.

In the Old Testament, Samuel wanted to appoint one of David’s brothers to be the next king of Israel. But God, seeing through appearance to the heart, was calling David. God can work through things and people whose value is overlooked by society, to draw the world to His grace and glory.

A receptive heart to Jesus is a vital sign of a changed life in the Year of Transformation.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK-from Luke 1:38.

After hearing what God was calling her to do, Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”

She was given the task of delivering Jesus to the world.

The angel said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” Then later, the angel said, “For nothing is impossible with God.”

It was a sacred calling, and she accepted without hesitation.  Mary’s response reminds us that the Lord has a purpose for us as well, a sacred calling to deliver the good news of Jesus Christ to the world. Mary’s response gives us insight of how to do that.

Respond as a servant of God. Don’t try to change the details of His plan. He knows what He is doing. He made us for such a time as this. This is the window of opportunity to follow His calling. As we cooperate with His mission, He provides the fruit. Some of it is evident and some of it is not.

Willingness to serve God is a vital sign of a changed life in the Year of Transformation.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – From Hebrews 9:22b.

“Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.”

This foundational truth points us to the reason why Jesus came to shed his blood for us. We have sinned against a holy God, and cannot save ourselves from the wages of sin, which is death. Only a hand beyond us could rescue us-a hand that is holy and nail-scarred. Up until the time of Christ, the blood of bulls and goats were sacrificed, but that was not really effective to forgive people’s sins. The Bible tells us that it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. That sacrificial system was only a shadow of things to come, not the real deal.

Verse 26 says that Christ has now appeared at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. His blood, shed on the cross, was a sufficient payment for our sins. Because of what Jesus did at the cross, we have forgiveness of sins through faith in His name. With the guilt of our sins cleared away, the barrier has been removed, and we have freedom to walk with God as His follower and friend.

Trusting the blood of Christ for forgiveness is a vital sign of a changed life in the Year of Transformation.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – From Micah 6:8.

“He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Implications of acting justly include treating people with fairness and without discrimination based on racial background or economic status. Acting justly shows concern for the poor and takes a stand for innocent victims of injustice.

Loving mercy includes willingness to forgive the sins of others just as God forgave us. Another dimension of mercy is extending the kindness of God to a wounded soul.

Walking humbly with God acknowledges our own need for God’s grace and seeks to bring Him glory in our lives. We acknowledge His greatness and depend on His goodness. Where He leads us, we follow.

God has not left us without direction. He has provided a roadmap that reveals His good and pleasing purposes. The Bible is a valuable resource to guide us in the truth of God’s will.

Obedience to God’s Word is a vital sign of a changed life in the Year of Transformation.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – From 2 Peter 1, verse 5 to 7.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control, and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.

These are the qualities that reflect character development in the life of a devoted follower to Jesus. Many of these qualities are mentioned elsewhere as the fruit of the Spirit. Adding these virtues to our character can multiply opportunities to be a witness for Jesus. It was Jesus who took five loaves and two fish and multiplied them to feed 5,000 people. He can take what we offer Him, and multiply the impact.

Verse 8 says, “If you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Fruit of the Spirit is a vital sign of a changed life in the Year of Transformation.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – From First John 1:6 and 7.

“If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

One of Steve Taylor’s classics is “Sin For A Season.” In that song, he exposed the faulty thinking of those who used God’s grace as a license for sin. One of the lines describes their motivation:  “Gonna get the Lord to forgive a little sin. Get the slate cleaned so he can dirty it again. And no one else will ever know. But he reaps his harvest as his heart grows hard. No man’s gonna make a mockery of God.” These are the schemes of a deliberate sinner who abuses the grace of God.

God’s grace is amazing, but it is not a license for sin. Instead, it is a pardon for sin and an incentive for change. In Romans 6:1, Paul the Apostle asked, “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

God’s grace enables us to come out of darkness and into the light. As we follow Jesus with sincere devotion, we experience the freedom of forgiveness and the fulfillment of joyful Christian fellowship.

Walking in the light of God’s grace and truth is a vital sign of a changed life in the Year of Transformation.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – From Mark 1:35.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

As we look at the life of Christ, we see His consistent devotion to the Father. He prayed regularly. Luke 5:16 tells us that Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray. Consistent prayer is an opportunity that God has provided for us to pour out the concerns of our heart, praise Him for His attributes, intercede on behalf of others, and confess our sins to Him.

Prayer keeps the communication lines open with God, where we not only speak to Him, but He also speaks to us through the counsel of His Word.  As we commit our lives to Him with a trusting heart, He directs our path.

As Jesus was praying in a solitary place, Simon and his companions went to look for him. When they found him, they exclaimed, “everyone is looking for you.” Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else.” He was not driven by man’s agenda, but rather the will of His Father. After spending time with the Father, He was in tune with the Father’s plans for his day ahead.

Consistent prayer in a quiet place is a vital sign of a changed life in the Year of Transformation.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com