Skip to main content

Privileges of Being a Christian (Luke 10) - Part I

Message by Dr. Matthew K. Thomas, Sunday, June 27, 2010

Luke 10 shows us three scenes that tell us what we are in Christ:

Scene 1: Ambassadors - We represent God (vv. 1-23) - The 70 that were sent
Scene 2: Imitators - We imitate God (vv.25-37) - The Good Samaritan
Scene 3: Worshippers - We listen to God (vv.38-42) - Martha and Mary

------------------------

#1 AMBASSADORS OF CHRIST

1. The Ambassador is appointed by the King, not by any man or board
2. The Ambassador represents the King in a foreign land (we have a citizenship in heaven)
3. The Ambassador is sent with distinguished honor
4. The Ambassador has the trust of the King in him
5. The Ambassador will only do everything for the best interest of his King
6. The Ambassador personifies or embodies the King
7. The Ambassador cannot take citizenship in the foreign land
8. The Ambassador is fully protected by the country he is sent
9. The Ambassador has full access to the wealth of his country
10. The Ambassador cannot be recalled by anyone except the King
11. The Ambassador cannot give his opinion, but only convey the message
12. The Ambassador has to influence the territory he goes to for his King
13. The Ambassador can never take his mission lightly
14. The Ambassador makes sure to keep the honor of his King

© Dr. Matthew K. Thomas, 2010

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Placebo and the Philosophy of Mind and Matter in Drug Research

A placebo is a non-therapeutic substance administered under the camouflage of medication to deceive patients into believing that they are receiving medications; this done solely for psychological and not for physiological effects. Placebo may usually be used to compare its effects with the effects of other drugs in drug research. Let's take the case of an experiment that tries to establish whether a particular drug, say to treat weariness, is genuine or merely has the effects of a placebo. Suppose 20 candidates are chosen for this experiment. 10 are given the drug and the rest are put on a placebo while they are told that the placebo is a genuine medication. They need to make sure that the deception is well carried on for the success of the experiment. If both the groups make similar improvements after taking the treatments, the new drug seems to only function as a placebo in effect. The basic hypothesis of the placebo raises the question of mind over matter. Of course, this pushes...

7 Ghastly Sins of Ministry (Micah 3)

Text: Micah 3 1.  Hatred of Good and Love of Evil (Mic 3:2) A. Values that are Self-Centered, Not Christ-Centered B. Values that are Self-Defined, Not Spirit-Defined C. Values that are Self-Glorifying, Not God-Glorifying A confused value-system that honors culture, man, and the world rather than the Law of God Luke16:15 And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. 2. Exploitation of the Sheep (Mic 3:2) A. Manipulating People Like Things and Not Treating Them as Persons B. Over-Demanding C. Not Caring for the Well-being of Sheep Mat 20:25-28 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let hi...

परिणयगाथा - अध्‍याय 1 - प्रेम का प्रमोद

प्रेम का प्रमोद ‘वह अपने मुंह के चुम्ब नों से मुझे चूमे ! क्‍योंकि तेरा प्रेम दाखमधु से उत्तम है’ (श्रेष्ठ गीत 1:2) यहूदियों की रीतिरिवाज के अनुसार विवाहोपरान्तउ अंगीकार स्व रूप पति पत्नी एक दूसरे का चुम्ब)न लेते थे। इस चुम्बिन का अर्थ विवाह में एक दूसरे को ग्रहण किये जाने का साक्ष्यि माना जाता था जो अति आवश्यइक होता था। ‘वह अपने मुंह के चुम्बानों से मुझे चूमे ! यह प्रेयसी का अपने प्रेमी के प्रति प्रेम तथा समर्पण को दर्शाता है। चुम्बतन आपस में मेल का बोध है और परस्पसर सहभागिता को दर्शाता है। इन अन्तिम दिनों में परमेश्वनर हमसे किस प्रकार निकटता से बातें करता है तथा परस्पगरता प्रगट करता है। ‘तेरा प्रेम दाखमधु से उत्तम है’ दाखमधु आनन्द का प्रतीक है। ईश्वकरीय प्रेम से ही वास्ताविक आनन्दर प्राप्तब होता है। दाखमधु का तो मूल्यु है परन्तु परमेश्वर के प्रेम का कोई मूल्य नहीं और न ही हमें इसे प्राप्त करने के लिए कुछ खर्च करना पड़ता है और न ही पड़ा था। दाखमधु की एक और बात यह कि यह खट्टा भी हो जाता है, परन्तु मसीह के प्रेम में कभी कोई खट्टापन नहीं आता।