All Who Were Destined

All Who Were Destined

Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter

Piety

All who were destined for eternal life came to believe, and the word of the Lord continued to spread through the whole region.  Acts 13:48B-49

“Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves.  Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it."  John 14: -14

Study

Belief is the differentiator. Not nationality. Belief. Not race. Belief. Not creed.  Belief.  Jesus stressed this before Easter, and the disciples confirmed this in the early Church.

During earlier salvation history, Jews and Gentiles did not mix. Jews and Samaritans did not mingle.  Jews and Romans were enemies.  That is not the manifesto that Jesus preached.  He preached about belief.  If faith alone was not enough, there were ample works and signs Jesus performed to bring people around.

Nor was it the message relayed to the early Church …much to the chagrin the some of the Jews.  Because of their disbelief/unbelief, Paul and Barnabas shook the dust off their feet and moved on – just as Jesus urged in Luke and Matthew’s gospels.

Action

Such faith will lead to great things: “…[W]hoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these.”  If we have such faith, then we will do great works. That is why action is the third leg that keeps our tripod standing on solid, holy ground.