Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

---

March 25, 2010
            Greetings, dear people.
            What a day it was yesterday!  What a day today!  We made it to New York.  I have my laptop on my lap, of all places, in Jill’s home in Spencerport, a stone’s throw from the Erie Canal.  She/they were able to keep our coming a secret from Joanna…so it was fun to drop on her a total surprise.  I don’t know what’s wrong with me but I keep wanting to fall asleep.  I think it may be related to sleep deprivation.  It’s now almost 10pm local time…7pm Oregon time.  If this sends OK, I’m going to bed.  Jill and Christian say they have Wi-Fi here in the house…so we’ll see if my computer can locate it and launch this message when I press SEND.
            Love and prayers. 
                        Dad/Ray

---

25 March 2010
Passage: Acts 25:13-26:1
Focus: “…a dead man named Jesus.” Acts 25:19.

            It really is amazing and amusing to me to note how different people have such a wide range of vastly different perceptions of Jesus.  To Festus in our reading He was simply a “dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive.”  As I contemplate this range of perspective and attitude, I’m thinking I’ll grouping them into three categories:
            THERE ARE THOSE WHO VIEW JESUS AS UNIMPORTANT.  These are the skeptics and unbelievers.  They may recognize His place in history but not regard Him in any way as deity.  They may regard Him as having been a nice, moral, and influential man, but that He is presently no more than “a dead man named Jesus.”
            THERE ARE THOSE WHO SAY JESUS IS IMPORTANT BUT LIVE LIKE HE IS UNIMPORTANT. These are the nominal Christians who may say Jesus is alive but live like He was dead.  They may pray nice Christian prayers and sing wonderful Christian songs, but the practical outflow of their lives does not support their claim.
            THERE ARE THOSE WHO SINCERELY BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS VERY IMPORTANT AND SUPPORT THAT BELIEF WITH CHANGED LIVES.  They know He is definitely alive and that He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.  They know by faith and experience that He imparts His life-giving and life-changing Spirit to those who sincerely seek Him, are sanctified by Him, and live surrendered to Him.  Their lives become practical demonstrators of the Life of Christ.
            Let’s understand that the first two attitudes really play out to be the same in the long run.  The last one is the right one.  It is the only way that leads to Life…to righteousness and peace and joy and blessing and purpose and success and fulfillment and wisdom and victory…and we could go on and on.