“Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.” 

As a church, we sought to identify our purpose statement with a logo on our bulletins. It represented our upward, inward, and outward ministry to the glory of God. We have responsibility to God (upward), to the church (inward) and to others outside of the church, (outward). That becomes the ideal target to which we direct our programs and ministry consistent with the Scriptures.

We read in John 11:45 that Jews had come to Bethany to comfort Martha and Mary in the loss of their brother and they witnessed the miracle -Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. From that time many put their faith in Him.  They were now convinced He was the Messiah. They came to believe He is the one sent from God.  Their new purpose was to commit themselves to God by placing their faith in the one whom He sent. The living Christ gives purpose to our lives.

While on a personal retreat I read the biography by Bruce Olson, the missionary captured by Colombian rebels. He was tied up for 9 months in the jungles.  He wrote an autobiography entitled, “For This Cross, I'll Kill You.”  It has been revised under the title BRUCHKO.  I encourage you to read his biography sometime.

Bruce relates his conversion experience when a teenager.  He believed God was out to look at all the bad things he did and judge him for them. Being saved for him meant trying to live as good a life as possible. He lived under fear that he was never good enough.  One night as he was reading his Bible he read, "If thou shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved." He thought saved was the opposite of being lost. Was that all?  Just believe?  Shouldn't one have to do some great things?  Shouldn't one have to live a perfect life?

He thought of all the things in his life that he didn't like - his temper, his bad thoughts, his relationship with his parents.  Could Jesus change these things he wondered?  He thought about the people in the Bible who were changed. He felt drawn to pray to Jesus.

He wrote, "Oh Jesus, I've read about how everyone around You was changed. Now I want to be changed. I want peace and fulfillment like Paul and John and James and the other disciples. I want to be delivered from all my fears and...’  At that moment I felt a presence in the room, like a stillness. I was at the same time small and quiet, huge and rearing, covering everything.

"Lord I'm frightened by You." I continued.  "You know I don't even like myself. Everything is messed up around me. And it's messed up in me, too. But please, God I want to change. I can't do it myself. And I don't understand how you can do anything within me. But Jesus if you could change all those people in the Bible, I guess you can change me. Please, Jesus, let me know you. Make me new."

He recorded, “Then I knew that I was being saved. I felt miserable and broken, and sick of myself. But I also realized a peace coming into me. It wasn't something dead and passive, that peace. It wasn't just a silence ending the war inside me. It was alive and it was making me alive. I could feel that I was going to be able to like myself and I knew that I didn't ever want that peace, that stillness, to go away. ...Jesus was my God, my personal God and I had just talked with Him."

Faith is practiced when we take Jesus at His word and walk in the confidence of His truth. His new journey was just beginning.

Application:  If you have never turned your life over to the Lord, you can do so today by asking Him to come into your life.  

Prayer:   Lord God of heaven, You have saved me and have given me Your Holy Spirit to live out this life in an abiding relationship with You.   May everything I do be done in You and by You in me.  I rest in You.   I love and thank You Lord that this is my calling.   

Dale