“Ask Christ To Inspire Openly Now! (A.C.T.I.O.N)”

By Ramesh C.Reddy
Pittsburgh Standard

April 15, 2009

SCRIPTURE:
"On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." (John 20:19-23, NIV)

BACKGROUND:
Earlier in John 20, the disciples learn that Jesus came back to life and was not in the tomb anymore. They realize He had RISEN!

OBSERVATIONS:
I asked myself what do we learn about the disciples?
1. On the evening of Sunday night, the disciples were together.
2. On the evening of Sunday night, they had all the doors locked for fear of the Jews.

INTERPRETATION:
I asked myself why the disciples feared the Jews?
The disciples knew that Jesus had risen as head knowledge but they had not experienced it personally in their lives so the RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST, did not transform them yet. They had not experienced the power of the RISEN CHRIST and were as cowardly as they were when the soldiers came to take Jesus away for His crucifixion on Friday. But something happened on Sunday night that began the transformation in their lives.

OBSERVATIONS:
I asked myself what did the disciples experience on Sunday night later?
1. Amidst the locked doors, Jesus came and stood among them.
2. Jesus said, 'PEACE BE WITH YOU'
3. Jesus showed them His hands and side.
4. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
5. Jesus again said, 'PEACE BE WITH YOU'
6. Jesus said, 'As the Father has sent me, I am sending you'
7. Jesus breathed on them and said, 'RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT'

I decided to look at POINT 3 today:

POINT 2: 'Jesus showed them His hands and side'

INTERPRETATION:
I asked myself what is significant about 'Jesus showed them His hands and side?'
The disciples were really, really, really afraid of the Jews and what they were going to do to them so they hid behind locked doors. So, Jesus appears to them amidst the locked doors and says 'PEACE BE WITH YOU'. Then Jesus backs up the words by His actions by showing them His hands and side. In essence, letting them know that they can be a peace because He is with them and they are not alone in their fears. Thank you Lord Jesus.

IMPLICATIONS:
I saw important implications for my own life. When Jesus offers PEACE and His promises, Jesus will also provide a way to experience His PEACE because Jesus will back up His Word with His actions. I can rest in the fact that the promises of God in my life will also be backed by Jesus' actions in my life. Praise the Lord. When Jesus tells me, "PEACE BE WITH YOU", Jesus will also help me experience that peace by providing a way to experience the PEACE. Thank you Jesus. Jesus' actions in my life are what backup His words.

In times of turmoil and fear, it is hard to experience PEACE unless it is the Lord's peace. Jesus is here to provide PEACE by His actions in our lives. It can be a simple action we experience or a complex action. Jesus showing His hands and side to the disciples was a simple action of Jesus' part which had amazing results. This is evident by POINT 4 which I hope to look later.

I ask you now dear friends, will you be part of Jesus' action film?
Dear friend, when I say action film, what that conjures could be a lot of fighting. In essence, that is right. Jesus came to help us fight the devil and His schemes.

^"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." (Ephesians 6:10-13, NIV)

Jesus came to help us overcome sin that is prevalent in our lives. Jesus came to deliver us from the bondages that hold us captive. With Jesus on our side, He will help us fight the things that hold us bondage which is caused by SIN and a result of SIN. For us to be rescued, we have to take part in Jesus' action film. We have to become the ACTOR in the film and let Jesus be the DIRECTOR, to direct and lead us on what we need to do and should not do.

Our lives when surrendered to our DIRECTOR and His ways, will give us LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, GENTLENESS, and SELF-CONTROL.

That's because Jesus will back up His DIRECTING or words with His actions. When Jesus says, "PEACE BE WITH YOU". Jesus means that and will give us ways to experience His peace.

We do have a role to play and that role is dependent first on the Lord Jesus Christ. An actor cannot act unless He is directed correctly. It does not matter how skillful or talent the actor is if he/she does not listen to the director and goes his own way.

In the same way, we cannot really live this life in true humility, true joy, true courage, true peace, true love, true patience, true kindness, true goodness, true gentleness, and true self-control apart from the GRACE OF CHRIST in our lives. Just as Jesus was working in the lives of the disciples, Jesus wants to work in our lives to because of HIS ALL ENCOMPASSING GRACE.

He is not silent my friend and waits for you and me to listen to Him and follow Him. When we are DIRECTED by the Lord, the paths we take will be fragrant with His blessings.

"I will instruct you and guide you along the best pathway for life; I will advise you and watch your progress!" (Psalm 32:8, TLB)

This promise from the Lord is for you and me friend to claim and act upon.

Whatever you are going through and facing, remember you and I are ACTORS in this film called LIFE and our DIRECTOR will look out for the best for us even when we are confused and afraid.

"Since the Lord is directing our steps, why try to understand everything that happens along the way!" (Proverbs 20:24, TLB)

The success of the film called LIFE will be dependent on not what we think we do by ourselves but will be dependent on the TOTAL DEPENDENCE you and I take from JESUS CHRIST for our actions.

Yes, friend you and I have free-will for that is what God gave us otherwise we will just be robots. But the Lord has given us opportunity to exercise that FREE WILL and use it in the proper way by depending on Him and Him alone.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5, NIV)

When others see us if they see SELF involved then we have not yet CRUCIFIED OUR SELF but living in SELF. We are being ACTORS who want to DIRECT our own scenes and actions. That will not be beneficial in the long run and will only give pain.

Instead, we should allow JESUS to direct us and lead us. So, when we are in Jesus' film of LIFE, our ACTIONS will reflect the One who died and gave Himself for us to redeem us from the bondage of sin to set us free and we will be LIVING FOR HIM because of what Jesus already did for us.

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-24, NIV)

^"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20, NIV)

This is the path of blessing and joy my friend. It starts with Jesus and not us. Let Him work in you and through you so your actions will reflect the One who came to give you and I the Armor of God in this film called LIFE.

We will be wearing the Armor of God to fight the enemy which becomes an action film.

^"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." (Ephesians 6:14-18, NIV)

I highly recommend reading PILGRIM'S PROGRESS by John Bunyan.

Friend, Jesus loves you as you are and His love will manifest in your life as you depend and surrender totally to Him. He will meet you where you are at as He met the disciples. The disciples were in fear and Jesus came to relieve that fear with 'PEACE BE WITH YOU' and then showed by His actions that they can have PEACE. Jesus wants you to have PEACE to and by His ACTIONS you can be delivered and have peace as your own ACTIONS reflected being DIRECTED by the AUTHOR OF THE UNIVERSE.

May you ask Christ to involve openly nurturing sanctification!

"Ask Christ To Inspire Openly Now! (A.C.T.I.O.N)"/"Will you be part of Jesus' A.C.T.I.O.N film?"

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thanks so much for loving me more than words can ever express. You went to the cross to die for my sin and came back to life to save me. When the disciples were afraid and fearful you reached them where they were with your comforting words, 'PEACE BE WITH YOU' and then showed them your hands and side. Oh Lord, you reach us where we are at in our own fears and apprehension allowing your peace to engulf our lives. Oh Lord, thanks for being our DIRECTOR in this film of LIFE. We need your help Oh Lord, as we are the actors/actresses in this film. The success of our LIFE is not dependent solely on us but is dependent solely on you and our dependence on you. Help us to never forget that. Thank you for showering your grace in our lives. We praise you and worship you Oh Lord. Thank you for hearing us and answering us. Take care of our lives Oh Lord and help us to always depend on you. Thank you so much Jesus! Thank you that you are always there for us to talk to you no matter when and where it is. You give us the Armor of God to wear. Help us Oh Lord. We surrender our lives to thee and ask thee to make something of our lives as you choose. Help us to rest in you Oh Lord and depend solely on you always. Thanks again Jesus. Thank you for hearing our prayers and answering us. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

May you experience the POWER OF CHRIST'S RESURRECTION this day, and give Him the LOCKED areas of your life too so you can experience His PEACE as you become an ACTOR in the film called LIFE being directed by your DIRECTOR, JESUS CHRIST.

You don't have to be locked away anymore for Christ is here to free you and give you peace to live out your actions.

How do you look at GODISNOWHERE?

One of my pastors, Pastor Hugo shared this example this past Sunday at the RESURRECTION DAY SERVICE in the combined worship service of Pittsburgh Chinese Church-Oakland & Oakland International Fellowship:

If you look at it as GOD IS NO WHERE, you will still be lost in your sin and be in bondage locked away in your sins and problems finding no peace.

But  as my pastor spoke to the congregation and spoke to me, I am here to tell you that GOD IS NOW HERE.

Yes, friend God is alive and wants to bring a transformation in your life through the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ for He paid the penalty on the cross to rescue you and me and came back to life to save us and live with us.

Yes, friend that is exciting to know that we can experience HIS SAVING GRACE & LIVING GRACE.

When we mess up, we can go to Jesus with our shortcomings and He will forgive us and restore us to Him and we will find peace in Him.

^"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (Colossians 5:17-21, NIV)

^"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23, NIV)

"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. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9, NIV)

Friend, we need Jesus because we have been separated from God due to our sin. Because of our sin, Jesus had to pay the price to become our bridge so we can reach God now not of our own good works but because of the finished work of Christ, the Lord on the cross.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)

May you come to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Personal Savior becoming His offspring so you can spend Eternity with Him. He is waiting for you. Come as you are. Please do not reject the gift of God.

If you would like to invite Jesus Christ into your heart and make Him a daily part of your life, you can this very moment. You will never be alone. You can claim God's promises for you in the Bible and see them come true, before your eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to wait for a special time to come to the Lord. You can come right now as you pray this prayer, meaning it in your heart and finding your new identity in Christ Jesus.

Make this your prayer. Don’t let the enemy deceive you into thinking you need all the answers before coming to Christ. Let me just assure you though you may not have all the answers right now before coming to Jesus, He will answer them slowly. Yes, He will for I know our Redeemer will! Amen!

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for foreshadowing once again about SAVING US when you spoke to the disciples about the KERNEL OF WHEAT. Thanks for dying for our sin so we can have Eternal Life and be saved when we turn to you. The previous day, you allowed Mary to wash your dirty/stinking feet. Anything you do has a reason and you foreshadowed what you would do for us one day on the cross. You washed away all our sins with your precious cleansing blood on the cross. Thank you so much Jesus.  No matter what we have done or where we have been, we can know that you love us and paid the ransom to deliver us from the stench of sin. Thank you Jesus. I accept the antidote you offer and want you to wash me clean with your precious cleansing blood so I can have new life. My sin I give it all to you so you can cover me with your righteousness. Help me Jesus. I don't want to live like I have been living. I don't want my life to smell because of the stinky/dirty sins of my life. I know you offer cleansing and washing so I come to you now and receive it. Thank you for forgiving me of all my sin when you paid the price on the cross for me which I accept now. Please give me new life Jesus. Come into my heart and make my heart your home. Live in me Jesus and I will live for you and help me to serve you the rest of the days of my life so I can say, "Lord Jesus, ANYTHING, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, I am ready" as you strengthen me and walk with me and talk to me. I love you Jesus. I accept you as my Lord and Personal Savior. Please be my Lord and Personal Savior. Thank you for helping me learn about what Mary did for you and the implications for our own lives. Thank you that you have heard my prayer and answered me giving me new life. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

"Who is your S.H.E.P.H.E.R.D this HOLY WEEK?" (April 08, 09, 11:28 a.m.)

"How do you know judgment will P.A.S.S.O.V.E.R you this HOLY WEEK?" (April 09, 09, 11:43 a.m.)

"What does the C.R.O.S.S mean to you on and after GOOD FRIDAY this HOLY WEEK?" (April 10, 09, 8:41 a.m.)

"How do you match J.E.S.U.S attitude this HOLY WEEK?" (April 11, 09, 10:03 a.m.)

RESURRECTION SUNDAY:

"Why have you L.O.C.K.E.D youself away?" (April 13, 09, 1:41 a.m.)

"Why are you not at P.E.A.C.E in your life?" (April 14, 09, 11:43 a.m.)