2024-11-18
John 12:46 NKJV
John Ortberg writes: “In 1780 a Jesus-follower in Great Britain named Robert Raikes could not stand the cycle of poverty and ignorance that was destroying little children, a whole generation. He said, ‘The world marches forward on the feet of little children.’ So he took children who had to work six days a week in squalor. Sunday was their free day. He said, ‘I’m going to start a school for free to teach them to read and write and learn about God.’ He did, and he called it Sunday school. Within fifty years, there were 1.5 million children being taught by 160,000 volunteer teachers who had a vision for the education of a generation. Sunday school was not a privatized, optional program for church kids. It was one of the great educational volunteer triumphs of the world.
The alphabet of the Slavic peoples is called Cyrillic. It was named for Saint Cyril, who was a missionary to the Slavs and discovered they had no written alphabet. Thus he created one for them so they would be able to read about Jesus in their own language…
A Methodist missionary, Frank Laubach, cited an extraordinary encounter with God about a century ago that put him on a mission to lift the world out of ignorance. He began a worldwide literacy movement. The phrase ‘Each one teach one’ flows out of the extraordinary life of this man. He travelled to more than a hundred countries and led to the development of primers in 313 languages. He became known as ‘the apostle to the illiterates.'”
Soul food: Rom 15-16; John 11:17-27; Ps 8; Prov 30:5-6
2024-11-17
Matteus 4:16 NLV
Eerstens en die belangrikste, het Jesus die lig van verlossing vir die hele mensdom gebring. Een van die blywende voordele van sy koninkryk is egter sy impak op leer en opvoeding. Die woord universiteit het begin by diegene wat geglo het dat God die heelal geskep het; daarom moet sy weë bestudeer en geken word. Martin Luther het uit die Nuwe Testament die priesterskap van alle gelowiges uitgelig. In die proses het hy onderwys verander omdat hy gesê het dat elke persoon in staat moet wees om te lees en te skryf sodat hulle die Skrif self kan bestudeer. Dit het ‘n doelwit van wêreldwye geletterdheid vir almal in ‘n samelewing ingelui.
In Amerika is die eerste wet wat vir universele onderwys gevra het, in 1647 in Massachusetts aangekondig. Dit is genoem, glo dit of nie, ‘The Old Deluder Satan Act.’ Die bewoording daarvan lui: ‘It being one chief product of that Old Deluder Satan, to keep men from the knowledge of the Scriptures… and to the end that learning may not be buried in the graves of our forefathers.’ Dis ‘n lieflike idee wat deur almal nagestreef moet word: dat onkunde die duiwel se gereedskap is en dat God die God van waarheid is.
In nasie na nasie het Christensendelinge tale ontdek wat nie neergeskryf is nie. In dade van buitengewone opoffering het hulle hul lewens aan die taak gewy om hierdie tale neer te skryf. Hulle het die eerste woordeboeke saamgestel. Hulle het die eerste sinskonstruksie neergepen. Hulle het die eerste alfabette gevorm. Die eerste betekenisvolle eienaam wat in talle tale geskryf is, was die naam Jesus.
Sielskos: Dan 1:3-21; Dan 5:11-12; Dan 6:10-28; Dan 9:1-19
Matthew 4:16 NKJV
First and most importantly, Jesus brought the light of salvation to all mankind. But one of the enduring benefits of His kingdom is His impact on learning and education. The word university began with those who believed that God created the universe; therefore, His ways must be studied and known. Martin Luther highlighted from the New Testament the priesthood of all believers. In the process, he changed education because he taught that every person needs to be capable of reading and writing so they can study the Scriptures for themselves. This ushered in a goal of worldwide literacy for everyone in a society.
In America, the first law to call for mass universal education was announced in Massachusetts in 1647. It was named, believe it or not, “The Old Deluder Satan Act.” Its wording goes: “It being one chief product of that Old Deluder Satan, to keep men from the knowledge of the Scriptures… and to the end that learning may not be buried in the graves of our forefathers.” This is a lovely idea that everybody should learn: that ignorance is the devil’s tool, and that God is the God of truth.
In nation after nation, Christian missionaries discovered languages that had not been written. So in acts of extraordinary sacrifice, they dedicated their lives to the chore. They assembled the first dictionaries. They penned the first grammars. They formed the first alphabets. And the first significant proper name written in numerous languages was the name Jesus.
Soul food: Dan 1:3-21; Dan 5:11-12; Dan 6:10-28; Dan 9:1-19
2024-11-16
Matthew 10:32 NKJV
To share your faith effectively with others, you must overcome these three obstacles.
(1) You must be sure of your own salvation. John writes: “He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself… And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son… These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:10-11, 13 NKJV).
(2) You must get over your fear of rejection. That means getting to the root of your fear, which is ego. Only when self-preservation and self-interest are crucified can you make Christ known without fear. Jesus said, “Whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me” (John 13:20 NIV). Get over yourself! If someone rejects you, you may lose face. But if they reject Jesus, they will lose their soul.
(3) You must use wisdom in sharing the gospel. “He that winneth souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30). God can work on both ends of the line. He can prepare the heart of your listener so that they’re open to what you have to say, and He can give you the right words and the right approach to talk to them. Jesus said, “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26 NIV).
Soul food: Rom 12-14; John 11:1-16; Ps 105:1-15; Prov 30:1-4
Matteus 10:32 NLV
Om jou geloof op ‘n effektiewe wyse met ander mense te deel, moet jy die volgende drie struikelblokke oorkom:
1) Jy moet seker van jou eie verlossing wees. Johannes skryf: ‘Almal wat glo in die Seun van God, dra dié getuienis in hulle eie hart… En dit is die inhoud van sy getuienis: God het aan ons die ewige lewe gegee, en dié lewe bestaan in ‘n hegte verhouding met sy Seun… Ek skryf hierdie dinge aan julle sodat julle met die wete kan leef dat julle nou reeds deel het aan die ewige lewe, julle wat aanhou glo in die persoon van die Seun van God’ (1 Johannes 5:10-11, 13 NLV).
2) Jy moet oor jou vrees vir verwerping kom. Dit beteken dat jy by die wortel van jou vrees, jou ego, moet uitkom. Eers wanneer jou selfbehoud en eiebelang gekruisig is, kan jy Christus sonder vrees bekend maak. Jesus het gesê: ‘Ek verseker julle, wie iemand ontvang wie Ek stuur, ontvang My…’ (Johannes 13:20 NLV). As iemand jou verwerp, mag jy dalk aansien verloor. As hulle egter vir Jesus verwerp, sal hulle hul siel verloor.
3) Jy moet wysheid gebruik om die evangelie te deel. ‘Die vrug van die regverdige is ‘n boom van die lewe, en hy wat siele win, is wys’ (Spreuke 11:30 AFR53). God kan die hart van jou luisteraar voorberei sodat hulle oop is vir dit wat jy te sê het en Hy kan vir jou die regte woorde en die regte benadering gee om met hulle te praat. Jesus het gesê: ‘en wanneer die Raadgewer, die Heilige Gees, kom wat die Vader in my Naam sal stuur, sal Hy julle in alle opsigte onderrig en julle ook herinner aan alles wat Ek vir julle gesê het’ (Johannes 14:26 NLV).
Sielskos: Rom 12-14; Joh 11:1-16; Ps 105:1-15; Spr 30:1-4
