personal encounters
Why is the historical account in
these verses important?
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Just as we saw themes which carry from the Old Testament to the New
Testament, one can easily see themes which carry from the life of Jesus to the
lives of His disciples. His wondrous
acts did not terminate upon His departure from walking the earth in the
flesh. Those works continued in and
through His Spirit operating in multiple other people.
Something that I find particularly interesting in this passage is that
the importance of face to face, eye to eye contact was recorded here. Why do you think this was important enough to
record?
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Can this, or does this speak in
any way to you about your interactions with others? If so, how?
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Often, it may be pretty easy to simply go through the motions of
mechanical charity: give the money, sign
your name, send the gift, give the hand-out.
I do not mean to in any way diminish the importance of these
activities. But we should also be honest
with ourselves: this demands nothing of
our selves beyond what we have attached to our material goods.
On the other hand, to enter into a personal encounter can be another
matter entirely. A personal encounter
creates a connection that may then invite an invasion into my little world, my
neat and tidy control of my own life. A
personal connection links me to another human being that may disable my apathy
and my freedom to some extent. And yet,
personal connection is the very essence of love.
I am challenged to fix my eyes on some of the needy people in my life,
and invite them to look at me—to share a personal encounter. I am challenged to offer to them some of the
goodness that God has offered me. I am
challenged to love, not just as an
idea, but as a practical reality.
Read
and Pray: Luke 5:16-26, 2
Corinthians 5:17-21, 1 John 4:19-21
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