W is for Witness

W is for Witness
by Wendy Elizabeth Middleton

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 1 John 5:11

Witness for the defense
There are four gospels. Each has expert testimony concerning the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Matthew and John were with Jesus throughout his ministry. Matthew was a tax collector, an analytical man. He testified to the fulfillment of the prophecies concerning the Messiah. John was more empathic, he wrote concerning the great love of God fulfilled by the coming of the Messiah.

Mark and Luke weren’t with Jesus throughout his ministry. Mark was an associate of Peter’s. Peter testified and Mark wroth it down. Luke was an associate of Paul’s He was a physician, a learned man. Luke gathered eyewitness testimony and wrote detailed instructions on the way of salvation.

All four gospels agree on one thing: Jesus is Emanuel – God with us.

D is for Discipleship

D is for Discipleship
by Wendy Elizabeth Middleton

A new command I give you. Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:34-35

This is a Command-ment. And it covers 6 of the big 10. If you love one another you will not kill each other, cheat on each other, steal from each other, lie about each other, envy what each other has, and of course you will honor the parents that you love.

And this is not the temporary warm fuzzy kind of love. This is the love of Christ, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” No ifs, ands or maybes about it, we must love one another in the same way that Jesus loved us. This is discipleship, this is what a disciple of Jesus does. He loves people, he cares about their circumstances here on earth and he cares about their eternal condition.