Skip to main content

Family Servants



It struck me as I started to read the Book of James that James describes himself as ‘a SERVANT of God and the Lord Jesus Christ’. We know from other sources that this James was the half-brother of the Lord. He grew up with Him in a normal family environment and would have shared many aspects of life with Him, yet he does not introduce himself as 'James, the half-brother of the Lord'. What made him use the word ‘servant’ when we read in John 7:5 that he and his other brothers did not believe in the Lord prior to His crucifixion?

THE RESURRECTION of course!

1 Corinthians 15:7 tells us that James saw the risen Christ. What a revelation to the unbelieving James! Now it became clear to him that all the things Jesus had said were true and that He was indeed the Messiah. It is also precious to note that Jude describes himself as ‘a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James’! Again, an unbelieving half-brother of the Lord declares himself a ‘SERVANT’ of Christ.

For those of us who have seen the Risen Christ by FAITH, we too have this privilege of calling ourselves servants of the Lord. Over the next weeks, we will be thinking of His coming into the world, but let us never forget that had the resurrection never taken place, the Christmas story would have had little or no significance. We live because He lives! Hallelujah!


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?

The Garden Tomb, Jerusalem. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:14 ESV) In the past few days, I have read several articles that question the claims of Easter — ‘There is no evidence of the resurrection,’ the proponents write, ‘it is a fabrication, the Biblical text is not reliable…’ On the contrary, the existing evidence presents a solid argument. The apostle Paul asserts that the litmus test of Christianity is the resurrection. The more I read and analyze the evidence, the more I become convinced intellectually in addition to knowing the living Christ by faith. Testimony of Women The Gospel writers record that the first witnesses of the empty tomb were women: Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles. (Luke 24:10 ESV) In the first century, a woman’s testimony did not count; if the story had been fabricated, Luke and the o...

The Mystery that is Macedonia

When I first came to Macedonia on a visit in 2001, I found this little country so intriguing and breathtakingly beautiful that I happily accepted the invitation to return for a longer period. That ‘longer period’ has now extended itself to several years during which I have had many enriching, memorable experiences. I thought it might be interesting to jot down a few observations about the difference in culture. I appeal to my Macedonian readers not to misunderstand my intentions. What I have observed are customs and habits which are as normal to you as breathing and sleeping, but to someone from an entirely different culture, they are both interesting and noteworthy. It is always thrilling for me to explore how various nations function and it is nothing short of a privilege to experience a foreign culture first-hand. Hospitality Macedonians are a friendly, hospitable people. I do not know how many times they have almost literally killed me with kindness. Indeed, I have often...

Is Belief In God Blind Faith?

Stephen Hawking famously said: There is no heaven or afterlife for broken-down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark. Comparing the human brain to a computer, he firmly declared his atheistic stance. Dr John Lennox’s reply to this statement turned it on its head: Atheism is a fairy story for people afraid of the light! Who has the correct perception? Are we just living in a sphere of darkness without God or can we find evidence for God’s light and creatorial power? Evidence for God’s existence The order and design of creation. This is the most compelling sign in my opinion. I cannot look at the beauty and detail of creation without marvelling at the Creator. In the 1980s theoretical biologist, Dr Hans Meinhardt, began to wonder how the beautiful patterns of shells formed. As he researched, he discovered that the rules which govern the formation of the patterns in nature such as leaf arrangements, sand dunes and snowflakes, were the s...