Walking Through Walls
They were terrified.
Eleven men huddled together in a room with the brutal murder of their leader still fresh in their minds. The door was double-bolted. They couldn’t take any chances. What if they were next?
Then Jesus showed up.
The locked door didn’t stop Him. "When the disciples were together, with the doors locked … Jesus came and stood among them" (John 20:19, NIV). In other words, in a jaw-dropping feat of post-resurrection power, He walked right through the wall. Wild.
Nearly as remarkable is what happened to those disciples. The appearance did something to them. It turned trembling wimps into stalwart soldiers. And they started walking through some walls of their own. Walls of pettiness. Walls of fear. Emboldened by the sight of the risen Lord, this small band of tradesmen traveled the dusty roads of the Roman Empire preaching to anyone who would listen. The world would never be the same.
Fast-forward about 2000 years.
Now we’re the agents of Christ. We’re the ones called to carry His message to the world. But like the disciples discovered, following Jesus doesn’t come without challenges. It requires defying convention. It demands facing your fears. It means walking through walls.
As we approach Christmas and the New Year I want to challenge you to walk through the walls in your own life—those invisible barriers that prevent you from being a bold and faithful witness of Jesus Christ where you live and work.
At New Man we’re dedicated to equip you to be a better husband, a better father and an all around more effective Christian. Make this year the time when you overcome the obstacles that prevent you from reaching those goals.
But my deepest prayer for the coming year is that you will spend more timing doing what the disciples did, before they turned the world upside down—spend time in the presence of Christ. Hear the words He spoke to them uttered afresh to you. "'Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you'" (John 20:21). Then, empowered by His presence, go walk through the walls in your life. Remember, Jesus leads you. To Him walls are nothing.
Eleven men huddled together in a room with the brutal murder of their leader still fresh in their minds. The door was double-bolted. They couldn’t take any chances. What if they were next?
Then Jesus showed up.
The locked door didn’t stop Him. "When the disciples were together, with the doors locked … Jesus came and stood among them" (John 20:19, NIV). In other words, in a jaw-dropping feat of post-resurrection power, He walked right through the wall. Wild.
Nearly as remarkable is what happened to those disciples. The appearance did something to them. It turned trembling wimps into stalwart soldiers. And they started walking through some walls of their own. Walls of pettiness. Walls of fear. Emboldened by the sight of the risen Lord, this small band of tradesmen traveled the dusty roads of the Roman Empire preaching to anyone who would listen. The world would never be the same.
Fast-forward about 2000 years.
Now we’re the agents of Christ. We’re the ones called to carry His message to the world. But like the disciples discovered, following Jesus doesn’t come without challenges. It requires defying convention. It demands facing your fears. It means walking through walls.
As we approach Christmas and the New Year I want to challenge you to walk through the walls in your own life—those invisible barriers that prevent you from being a bold and faithful witness of Jesus Christ where you live and work.
At New Man we’re dedicated to equip you to be a better husband, a better father and an all around more effective Christian. Make this year the time when you overcome the obstacles that prevent you from reaching those goals.
But my deepest prayer for the coming year is that you will spend more timing doing what the disciples did, before they turned the world upside down—spend time in the presence of Christ. Hear the words He spoke to them uttered afresh to you. "'Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you'" (John 20:21). Then, empowered by His presence, go walk through the walls in your life. Remember, Jesus leads you. To Him walls are nothing.
posted by Drew Dyck at 1:56 PM
1 Comments:
Well said. In the end this is what being a man, a father and son of God is all about. It's bigger than the pettiness we often find ourselves in dispute over. It is bigger than the busyness that often consumes us. There is opposition all around us. Putting things in perspective challenge us to make corrections and adjust our priorities.
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