- araratchurch
- Jan 6
- 2 min read
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:“
John 1:12 NKJV
Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead, causing many people to believe in Him. However, some of the people who saw this miracle, went straight to the religious leaders to report it.
The men of the council were dismayed when they heard of the resurrection of Lazarus, fearing that if Jesus were allowed to continue to operate, the people would believe Him, provoking Rome to remove their name and their nation. This was the context within which Caiaphas unwittingly prophesied concerning what Jesus had come to do:
“And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.“
John 11:49-52 NKJV
Indeed, Jesus has gathered together the children of God all over the world into the family of God. He gave the authority—not only to the Jewish believers—but to all who would believe on His name, to become children of God and joint heirs with Him!
“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.“
Galatians 3:26-29 NKJV
Through the work of the cross, Jesus has taken away the sin stain separating us from God. As well, He has sent His precious Holy Spirit to confirm our sonship and guide us into all we need to know and do concerning our adoption.
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.“
Romans 8:14-17 NKJV
Finally, we pray that this blessed season has rehabilitated your hope so that you can face 2026 with the assurance that Jesus came—not only to save the world—but to save each of us individually, reinstating our place in God’s wonderful family.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Jan 5
- 2 min read
In prophetically describing the Suffering Servant, Isaiah speaks of One Who is rejected by those for whom He suffered.
“He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.“
Isaiah 53:3-5 NKJV
Rejection hurts. But if you are being rejected because of your relationship with God through Jesus Christ, remember: He was rejected first. Jesus put it this way:
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”
John 15:18-20 NKJV
Indeed, as we see in our opening scripture, Jesus was rejected by His own, just as Isaiah had prophesied. Yet, that rejection did not keep Him from pouring Himself out for our sins.
Friend, let us not be guilty of living in such a way that we are rejecting the very One Who sacrificed it all so that we might have eternal life. Rather, let us welcome Him to enter in and live His Holy life through us.
Additionally, let us not fail to see the gift of God in those closest to us. Let it not prove true in our interactions with others that “familiarity breeds contempt.”
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Jan 5
- 2 min read
“He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.”
John 1:10 NKJV
At one point, Jesus turned to His disciples and asked them who people were saying He was.
“When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
Matthew 16:13-14 NKJV
After they offered their answers to His question, Jesus turned that very important question to the disciples, personally.
”He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.“
Matthew 16:15-17 NKJV
It was at this point that Peter gave the revelation by way of the Spirit of God that Jesus was the Christ. He was God’s son. And with those words, the foundation of the Church had been laid.
You see, even Jesus’ disciples didn’t immediately know Who He really was. Indeed, Paul—an apostle out of season—in his letter to the church at Corinth, comments on the fact that Jesus was not immediately recognized as being the Christ of God.
“Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.“
II Corinthians 5:16 NKJV
In addressing the leaders of the synagogue in Antioch, Paul commented on the fact that those in Jerusalem, because they did not know Who He was, had Jesus condemned to death.
“For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him.“
Acts 13:27 NKJV
Imagine, as we see in today’s portion of John 1, the One through Whom the world was
made, came to His own creation, amongst His own people, and they didn’t know Who He was.
Indeed, many were blinded by their own agendas, their own estimation of how things should be.
Sadly, even those who now think that they rightly know Jesus, may be allowing parts of their unrenewed minds and emotions to paint the Lord in the image of their desires.
Let us ask the Holy Spirit of God to reveal to us anew Who Christ is. As well, let us seek to make our lives a living testament as to Who He is until that day when we see Him as He truly is and are completely transformed into His very image.
“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”
I John 3:2 NKJV
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!