Tuesday: Changed Lives Make a Difference
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13, NKJV).
The New Testament church exploded in growth. There were 3,000 baptized on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41). Thousands more were added to the church a few weeks later (Acts 4:4). Soon the authorities recognized what was happening. These New Testament believers had been with Christ. Their lives were changed. They were transformed by His grace, and they could not keep silent.
Read Acts 4:1-20. What happened here? What happened when the authorities tried to silence Peter and John? What was their response?
Image © Lifeway Collection at Goodsalt.com
These believers were new in Christ, and they had to tell their story. Peter, a loud-mouthed fisherman, was transformed by the grace of God. James and John, the sons of thunder who had difficulty controlling their tempers, were transformed by the grace of God. Thomas the skeptic was transformed by the grace of God. The disciples and members of the early church each had their own stories to tell, and they could not keep silent. Notice this powerful statement by Ellen G. White in the book Steps to Christ: “No sooner does one come to Christ than there is born in his heart a desire to make known to others what a precious friend he has found in Jesus; the saving and sanctifying truth cannot be shut up in his heart”. — Page 78.
Notice, too, what the religious leaders said in Acts 4:16. They openly acknowledged the reality of the miracle that had been performed — the healed man was standing right there before them. Even with all this, they refused to change their attitude. And yet, despite this open defiance, Peter and John were not going to back down from their witness.
| What relationship is there between knowing Christ and sharing Christ? Why is knowing Christ personally so essential to our being able to witness about Him? |
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The story of Saul is somewhat unique. He was riding a donkey (an ancient form of motorbike transport) to Damascus where he was bent on persecuting Christians. Jesus blinded him with a great flash of light and knocked him off his donkey, then spoke to him. That shook Saul a bit, and although it took a little while for him to unlearn some of his extensive Jewish background, he ultimately became a passionate evangelist for Christ. The change was noticeable, but his background gave him an edge in understanding the Jewish mind and he was able to call on their common background and association of ideas to promote the new ideas of Christianity.
Because the transformation from Saul the persecutor to Paul the preacher was so dramatic, we sometimes wish that our own transformation was similar. We should, however, remember that God is also responsible for growing change. Just because you do not see much change from day to day in a growing plant, does not mean that change is not taking place.
We should also understand that when we are working with others, change may also take place incrementally and we need to be patient.
Well said, I don't recall where I read this but someone used cooking as an analogy. They pointed out how certain foods can be cooked quickly for best results while others take longer.
God knows what type of food we are and how long we need to spend at each stage for the best results.
Amazing these disciples who ran away 50 days before are now standing up and teaching the people. What happened?
They were baptized with the Holy Spirit Acts 1:5, Acts 2:3, and received dynamite power Acts 1:8 to teach the words of Jesus Acts 2:22 and they called on the people to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit Acts 2:38, so they could also prophesy (preach the message of God) Acts 2:18. They amazed and worried the leaders of the Jews because they were teaching the doctrine of resurrection from death Acts 4:2 and they refused to stop teaching the words of Jesus and performing miracles. They returned to their group and praised the LORD and the whole place was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they all spoke the word of God with boldness Acts 4:31. What was their testimony? That after the baptism by John God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power and He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil Acts 10:38.
If being filled with the dynamic power of the Holy Spirit enabled these untrained and uneducated fishermen Acts 4:13 and all the group (men and women who had been with Jesus since the baptism of John Acts 1:21-22) to boldly speak the word of God Acts 4:31 then He could enable you and me to boldly speak the words of Jesus to those we encounter, Praise the LORD!
I will never forget that the reason the LORD gives me the gift of the Holy Spirit is so I can share the the truth of the character of God and His desire for all to accept His love and to be transformed to be like Jesus. Rom 8:29
A changed live should have a power impact to witness for Jesus Christ.... When we must have been with Jesus we will be bold and courage to witness for Christ.
My Son asked me to talk with him about a new book he was reading. I purchased it and was astonished about its blatant distortion of the one and only form of relationship we have with our God - faith.
The author of the book calls his faith - secular faith - the faith in 'self' doing good works, being responsible for the wellbeing of neighbor, nature and the governmental, societal, and moral fabric of one's nation and the world we live in. This is the Social Gospel - Humanism!
I believe that we have reached the time foretold in Scripture as the 'great deception', so great that 'even the elect will be deceived'. Matt.24:24.
That this term 'secular spirituality/secular faith' is defined by Wikipedia, shows that it has been adopted into the mainstream of popular thought and is being implemented into the social fabric of our societies.
It appears, that this will establish itself as the new religion which will be accepted by all mankind. It is already well on its way. This is the only religion everyone can agree to/with.
Our Testimony can not only be through 'good works', as you can see that there is great 'secular' competion flooding the world with 'good works' to draw men unto itself.
We have to ever more loudly/clearly testify to who the Source of our good works is - we in Jesus and Jesus in God -. There is now manifesting itself another source - the arch-deceiver who's lies offer another gospel!
We will succumb to the demonic skeem of his deception if we divert our eys from clear warnings/signs appearing on the horizon of our world's societies.
Our young people are well on their way to be ensnared by it, and certain theologians and worldly thinkers are helping them along the way to destruction.
Wikipedia's definition of Secular Spirituality:
Bridgette, thank you for making us aware of how widespread and well defined this type of thinking is in the world.
This is a counterfeit from the devil, saying you can have a changed life without a 'higher being' in your life.
What witness will impact this philosophy?
I don't know, do you?
Hi Shirley - "What witness will impact this philosophy"?
It depends on the circumstances when one encounters it. Love expressed through dialogue, friendship, prayer, sharing the Three Angels Message, committment - whatever seems right at that time. For sure, if these people know God at all, they have a grossly distored view of Him and of eternal life 'with' Him.
Being a young Christian myself at that time, my children's first formal 'meeting with the living God'came through 'folks at church', Christian teachers and members of the church family, other adults and their children - all longstanding, professed Christians.
In retrospect, it was not a 'good' experience - self-interest and worldly conduct prevailed. Certainly, other things in my children's lives influenced their spiritual direction - like secular college education -, but their first, great disappointment - to find the 'Church' conducting themselves in the same way as people that lived 'outside church', disappointed them greatly.
For children 3 through 12 years old - it was an emotional experience; it deeply influenced their spiritual understanding of who God is. They did not share their feelings with others, not even us, their parents, because it would have put in question the conduct of adults in position of religious authority; the adults we entrusted them to to introduce them to the Christian God.
It is people's conduct that represents God to others - their spiritual integrity - especially for children. Luke17:1-3 - What is a child to do if an adult 'trespasses against thee'? Matt.19:14 -The child-like faith from little children is 'most precious in His sight'.
Adults can reason, children can not. Regrettably, often they are being 'lectured' to believe that God is Love, but when they do not experience it in the world of the Church, they think that this God is made up and just an excuse to 'get together to have a good time' among themselves and to the exclusion of those that are not part of the inside group. All three of my children had the same experience - they are 5 years apart in age; they are of mixed race.
My son, now 40 years old, has decided that he does not need a God. He believes that he can manage his life by deciding what it is that is the 'right thing to do'. Whiles reading this book about 'Secular Faith', he became convinced that he was better off to just 'live a good live' and not worry about a God and the 'after-life'.
A relationship with God based on, what he claimes is forced 'obedience' and to be rewarded with everlasting life that he does not consider 'desirable', is not what he is looking for. What he is interested in is a way of life that showes 'he cares', were everything is based on 'what is good and right' toward himself, toward his family and toward others. Certainly a morally based life, but this moral conduct is chosen by himself to benefit him and his family in the here and now, and also includes those that he encounters elsewere. It is freely engaged in and not coerced by any doctrines of an organized church that he believes lost its moral authority.
You can see that on the surface and in itself, nothing seems to be wrong with this logic/thinking, especially if it is supported by all those who want to live a moral life but do not believe in submitting to, or 'serving' a God.
Many Christians, like the ones he encountered as a child, still live their lives based on their own power of 'self'-focused, 'willed' choices, and not inspired by the Holy Spirit; 'Self' still motivates them, not the Christ living in them.
'Self', as Christian's should understand, needs to die first to make room for Christ to live in us instead. So, if people can live morally good lives when elevating 'Self' by 'themselves', this is then the great lie that we are warned of will 'deceive even the elect' - Matt.24:24. Humanism has 'Self' at its center! Christiany has to have 'God' at its center or it is still godless 'Humanism'. Tuesday's post describes this hideous teaching in detail.
Because of God's love, Heaven came to earth to save us lowly creatures. We will shead this body of death and will be given a new body of light to live as we were meant to life before the curse altered our earth.
Our lives are to be a testimony not to 'Self', but to the living God who came from heaven in the flesh as our savior Jesus, the Christ who showes us the way, the Truth and the way of and toward Life.
If we want this gift, it is freely given and only requires repentance, to take 'Self' off the throne and replace it with the the God of Faith. These are not fables, this is reality for those that are spiritually minded.
This is the God we testify to in word and deed - that all good things are created by Him, received from Him and given so that His Name will be honored, glorified and praised.
While I agree that the overall philosophy of secular faith is wrong, I am also mindful that many unbelievers have an ethic that I would describe as "inspired by Jesus". I use the description that they have met him anonymously. I think particularly of all those people who have been hurt by apostate religion and have rejected it, yet have retained all the compassion, understanding, and self-sacrificing love that we see Jesus demonstrating to us. Hypocritical Christianity has much to answer for and one of the questions I have to ask myself every day is; am I a contributor to that hypocrisy?
For me the really big lesson that I learn from such people is that they behave as they do without any notion of eternal life and/or reward. They simply do what they do because it is the right thing to do. And I have to ask myself, would I behave in a Christian manner, if there was no heaven?
We still have a lot to learn about letting others "see Jesus in us". And to be fair, we still have a lot to learn about how Jesus communicates and shares with those who have been turned away from him by the actions and attitudes of hypocritical Christians. I don't believe they have been left without hope.
In the Great Controversy per Rev 13 & 14 the issue is not only a changed life but whom you worship.
According to Paul:
Hi Maurice - my reply to Shirley might be of interest to you as well. I do not believe that unbelievers can live by the ethic that is "inspired by Jesus". If they 'spiritually' reject the message of Jesus, which includes the existance of His Heavenly Father - our God, they can not 'accept/receive' his influence because it is only spiritually discerned. If they do, they are on their way to be 'found'! 🙂
Yes, this is an existential question to ask: "would I behave in a Christian manner, if there was no heaven"? What motivates us Christians to behave the way we do? This question has to be answered by every Christian!! Are there self-serving, fleshly intents that motivate us?
The non-believer of this strife-torn world has answerd already: because it is the 'right' thing to do; it causes the least harm and will promote a peacable/equitable living condition where all can enjoy their lives in a well-ordered world.
John6:44 - 'No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him; and I will raise him up at the last day'.
God draws men to Jesus because they are already looking for the 'right' way, acknowlidging that there are wrong ways. Jesus' teachings showes them the 'right' path which we walk by Faith; it leads to an eternal life for those which want to be 'raised up to in the last day'.
John14:1-7 speakes about a heavenly place the believer will go to when departing this earth. v.6: '*I* am the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me'. The emphasis is on the *I*!
2Tim.3:5; - Yes, they know of and do 'good works' - 'having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away'. Do NOT follow their teachings!
Heb.4:9-12 - v.12: For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of *soul and spirit*, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the *thoughts and intents of the heart*.
If we asked those doing 'good works' what motivates them, we might come to understand their thoughts and motives, and with that the 'intents of their heart'. Gaining this understanding, we can proceed in our relationship with them according as the Spirit leads.
2Tim.3:1 - Yes, indeed - these are perilous times! What appears and is accepted by the world as good and wholesome is spiritually destructive, and that which is spiritually sound is depicted as judgmental and exclusionary.
For the non-believer, if they do not care about their spiritual identity, 'good works' are only a means and end to serve their finite 'Self' - right and good for living this life! It is also a certain 'assurance/insurance' to expect to live a 'secured' life since they promote the 'good'. 'Peace', in this world to benefit all mankind is the ultimate goal to be achieved.
Their 'Self'-righteousness, focusing on the 'improvement' of THIS world, places them beyong the need for receiving any future 'reward' for their efforts.
They do not believe or care about the 'after-life' - all their interests/efforts/sacrifices are for the 'greater good', being employed to 'create their own heaven on earth' in the here and now.
We need to continously pray for heavenly guidance and protection when interacting with people displaying this type of mindset.
Hi Brigitte,
I understand what you are saying but at the same time I have many atheist friends who have rejected Jesus, because their main contact with Christianity has been dysfunctional. Family members abused by priests and ministers; Christian business partners who have defrauded them; consistent condemnation; and so on. They have rejected Jesus on the basis of their experience with other Christians, and yet they accept the ethic that Christians should be living and try to live that ethic themselves. I am not saying that I should not witness to them, but I know that any "Jesus talk" would simply fall on deaf ears. The witness they need to experience is to see Christians living consistently in harmony with what we preach.
The Bible condemns apostate Christianity probably more than anything else for the very reason that it has hypocritically proclaimed that they are Jesus special people but have acted in self-interest. It is against that background that we have to work with people who have had their eyes shuttered against Christianity. I do not condemn these people and while I am not sure how God is going to work it out, I am sure he will do so compassionately and for many of us surprisingly. In the meantime, my responsibility is to serve God and love my neighbours consistently.
I truly know, understand and can empathize with you, Maurice! And yes, our "responsibility is to serve God and love my neighbours consistently".
I do not dispute that this is the right response. What I hold as important and indispensable though, is to set the record straight and defend God's character should it come up in conversation. We can intelligently talk with each other if the opportunity presents itself. You speak of 'Jesus talk', but I am not talking about lecturing anyone, rather informing someone regarding spiritual Truth versus worldly error - not staying silent when we have a chance to speak to errors and to correct spiritual understanding.
In the olden days, this type of conversation could have been described as a meeting of minds, a debate; now it is simply dismissed as being argumentative (and we can not have that, correct?). 🙂
Sadly, no one in my family has truly, whole-heartedly, greatfully accepted Jesus Christ as the conveyor of good news - the bearer of 'Truth that saves'. At this present time, they fight to 'stand on their own two feet'.
I am intend to maintain a caring, loving relationship with all because I can not do other than love them. Unfortunatley, I had to agree to limit topics of conversations by excluding anything political or spiritual in nature. But there are other ways... :-).
Being baptized in their early teens, they had learned just enough about Jesus to say 'yes' to Him, but they did not follow up with building a personal, spiritual understanding and relationship with the Savior they confessed. They are keenly aware of the controversies surrounding Jesus and God, though.
At present, they decided to focus on all the failures of the organized church and the individual Christian's who failed to demonstrate the loving, caring character of God in their lives, and defined God by it.
They do not see the Bible as the Word of God, they see it as unreliable, because they do not believe the messengers could be trusted to have written down the supposed 'Word' of God, accurately. It must have come out of their own minds or was changed so often that one can not rely on it for truth, they claim.
Yes, I thank God that they can live a moral life and are blessed in this way. All are employed in professions that 'serve others' - my son, a clinically licensed social worker, a daughter in service to the homeless, and a daughter working as a personal assistant to a lady who experiences the effects of Cerebral palsy, but who was able to obtain a professor's degree in Psychology. At first, she attended to all her physical needs, now she oversees a staff of 12 employees on this lady's behalf.
In Old Testament times, at least everyone still believed that there was a god. Then, the contention was about in which god to believe and who's teachings to follow. But all gods where somehow placed and related to heavenly realms.
Then came Antiquitie's teachers of philosophy who disputed the existence of a true, intelligent God that created and maintains His creation's existant life through natural and spiritual laws, whiles offering their own interpretation of gods embroiled in their family disputes. They also offered their own version of a god or a no-god world view.
Should we stand by and allow the unredeemed person of the fallen world to be the judge that defines the character of a Holy God when pointing to sins their own have committed? This would be preposterous!
We need to steadfastly maintain vigilance and speak out in God's defense, to explain who and what caused the sin that God has been settled with and which defames His character.
Luke 12:49-53 v.51: Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:
Matt.4:12 For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the divididng asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Much of Jesus ministry was about how to impact society now. "thy kingdom come they will be done ON EARTH as it is in heaven" . Jesus demonstrated "how to live fully now" . It feels superficial to follow His a commandments so i can get to heaven. The early Christians were not focused on the hereafter. This focus on eternal rewards after we die is really a modern western view of Christianity. Perfection, eternal life is now.
A significantly important comment James. I read your comment this morning after I had written my comment for Friday's lesson. A resonance of ideas!
James, thank you for your comment. I am also addressing Maurice with this response, since he made his support known and identifies with your understanding of Jesus' ministry. My apology for the quite lengthy exposition. It could have been longer! 🙂
Yes, there is no doubt that Jesus' ministry impacts/benefits our societal interactions. I do not believe, however, that this is the focus of His commission. This is, as I would put it, a 'fringe benefit'. I say 'fringe', because it was in addition to the main benefit: to be able to live the new spiritually based life instead of the old life based in materialism; we are willing to surrender control of 'Self' to allow the guidance of the Holy Spirit for the purpose of manifesting in us the Goodness of God.
In the Beginning, the failure of man to remain faithful resulted in his alienation/separation from God. The grace extended by God to man since then, was to re-establish this union. This is primarily to be a spiritual union, which also includes benefits for the needs of the body.
All living on our part is to be seen in this light - as unifying man with God. Separating the new, spiritual identity of our new life from the life to be lived in the new world of the future, results in a gross misrepresentation of the ongoing, transformational work being done on behalf of our Salvation/Reunification. We call this work 'sanctification'. The future life begins in this life.
We are given Grace to become part of the family of God until the time comes when there is no more time left.
In all Scripture - the Word of God - you find the all-permiating, underlying current giving identity to the source and purpose of admonitions, directives, advise, warnings, teachings, wisdom sayings, including the 10 commandments and the Beatitudes; they are spiritually sourced and are the expression of spiritual Life.
You will find that all 'living' condenses into the spiritually discerned understanding that the life lived now is directly linked to and lived unto the life to come.
One cannot separate the two! The saved as well as the unsaved are part of this spiritually based life - the one unto life, the other unto death.
But this is exactly what the Social Gospel attempts to do. This counterfeit to God's 'good works' finds its source in man's unregenerate will - earth-bound and inspired - it is not inspired by the God, the Creator of all living things.
1Cor.13:1-13 speaks clearly to this topic. It separates the works inspired by man from the works inspired by God. v.13- Speaks of God's love residing in us and expressing itself in all its forms. Even for us, if we are not careful, the motivational aspect of loving can become self-serving under the guise of 'loving your neighbor as yourself'.
Eph.2:10 - We have to be careful never to separate the 'good works' from their spiritual source which gave birth to them - God's Goodness! His Mercy and Grace established these works as His vessels to carry His spiritual message - to point to Himself and to establish evidence of His Holiness to a fallen world. These acts cannot and should not be divorced from their source - God. We should not steal His Glory by not identifying the source of the good works.
To not acknowledge the source or misrepresent the source is wrong in either case. It would be wise of the unaware to be careful not to commit blasphemy as have so many who's acts ended up defaming the good Name and Character of God, because they were claimed to be done in His Name; they were man's acts, inspired by man but identified as 'sourced from God'!
James 1:15-17 - v.17: Every *good* gift and every *perfect* gift is from ABOVE, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow when turning. The gift is coming down in the form of Godly intentions and motives, their spiritual identity being revealed through God's love as ministered through us.
Each 'good' gift/service of any type - God's goodness being the spiritual content of anything that is 'good' - comes from the spirit realm of heaven not from this earth. There is nothing inherently good in this earth. The earth is created, just as man, and cannot of itself produce anything 'good'.
'Good' is a spiritual seal, the Spirit of God within the act of kindness inhabits the effect of the 'good' act.
This is what is at the heart of the deception. Man, still does not understand that without/outside of God, he can do nothing to effect spiritual life. He rises and falls through faith in the One that created him, and even Faith is a gift from God. Man can not establish Faith - it is a spiritual quality of life.
John 15:1-27 -
This chapter talks about SPIRITUAL fruit; God is the fruit's spiritual source. This source defines and points out the purpose and the recipient for who the spiritually manifested Glory is intended.
Mankind benefits because, by engaging in the acts discribed as the 'fruit of the Spirit', we release the blessed infusion of the Holy Spirit that heals our depleted spiritual 'self' and others.
Remember that the 'greates of these gifts is heavenly inspired love'.
This inspired infusion is found in all of God-ordained/sourced 'good' services dedicated to the glory of the Father. We are now indwelled by a new source, the source of true Life - all that is called 'Life' in us has at its source God's Spirit. His Spirit has lifted us out of the control of the physical plain unto the spiritual plain of life.
That what is called 'life' in us is Christ living in us.
The unredeemed, engaging in the same acts, cannot glorify God because they are not grafted into the Vine. If we equate our acts of service with those of the world, we do not understand the spiritual nature that permeates everything we are doing.
Everything the redeemed experiences in thought, emotion, or intent returns to the heavens to be 'recorded'. Rev.20:12 - When the Book of Life is opened in heaven: '..the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works'. This record is a purely spiritually imprinted recording of our motives and intents, it is our spiritual image. The spiritual record of the lost is kept as diligently as ours, and their deeds are 'weight in the balance' just as ours are.
If we, the believers, during our time here in earth, still think that there is a shoddy record-keeping/an unaccountability/a separation from God on any level, we would do well to correct our understanding. We have become one with Him through Jesus, as Jesus is one with the Father. We are adopted children to be instated to be full heirs to inherit citizenship in the heavenly Kingdom.
The choices are ours to make - who do we answer to - God or man.
May God bless us all
Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously Ps 119:29
Changed Lives Make a Difference
Many if ask to go and testify what Jesus had done for them will say they do not know what to say. A testimony is what you see, heard, know about yourself or someone else. None can doubt you.
My bible says these men were fishermen; they were unlearnt and uneducated. Never heard you have to obtain a BS, Masters, Ph.D., or Doctorate degree to be a fisherman. The only education was from the 'School of the unlearnt and uneducated'. The only degree was the degree of 'Fishermen'. That was written for a purpose. That was showing me the uneducated and the unlearnt who don't have their tense/vowels/grammar/etc can be a witness for Jesus. It is not about I, but who Jesus is and what he had/has the power to do. The power of the Holy Ghost to change lives.
Then, do we have to go to Theology school to be an effective bible worker? Is theology school necessary for the kingdom of heaven? Are people interesting in our degrees?
The great judgement scenes of the Bible don't have much to say about what we say. it talks about cups of cold water, visiting sick, supporting widows, and so on, in Jesus name. There is no theology exam to be saved.
Maurice,
I have often wondered about the response of those on the right hand of Jesus who express surprise and bewilderment when they realize, for the first time, that what they spent their lives doing, was done to Jesus.
That has always given me pause to think.
"For me the really big lesson that I learn from such people is that they behave as they do without any notion of eternal life and/or reward. They simply do what they do because it is the right thing to do. And I have to ask myself, would I behave in a Christian manner, if there was no heaven?"
That's it! That is why they are surprised!
We, the 'Bible students' know that Jesus said, when we do good to and for others, we do it to and for Him.
It seems therefore, that If we are going to be in that blessed, surprised group of saints, it means that we would have done good just because it was the right thing to do, and we were in a position to do it. And that attitude would have been encouraged by the Holy Spirit on a daily basis, whenever, wherever,and whomever.
Maybe, only then would we be surprised and bewildered!
It must go beyond 'because Jesus said so'.
Brigitte I truly enjoyed reading your comments on "secular spirituality". Most of the world is heading in this direction of doing good without religion being involved. The truth is Jesus was all about doing good for others, the lie is doing good without a need of a higher power. Once again we see satan mixing truth with error in order to deceive many. In some cases he will even deceive the so called very elect. We must not be against doing good for our neighbor and looking out for the good of all mankind is a trait of a Christian as taught by Jesus. We should continue to look to the cross and follow Jesus in all that we do.