REMEMBERING JESUS

I am amazed that you are ... believing something different... Galatians 1:6

      Randy, like many a preacher, was having trouble trying to put a title on his sermon for next Sunday and needed to take a break. Since the grass was getting long he thought he’d go do some mowing and headed outside to the churches shed but he never got inside. “Randy! Randy! Come quickly!” he heard some one shout, “We need your help. Hurry! Hurry!”

      As Randy turned to see who was calling him for help, Bernadette ran into him almost knocking him down. “What’s wrong Bernadette?” he asked. “It’s Harold!” Bernadette replied. When Randy heard that his heart sank for all he could think of was Harold had died while in the hospital.

      “Harold’s out of the hospital but his got Amnissieas.” Bernadette said as she tugged on his arm. “He’s home but he can’t remember anything.” “Harold? Amnesia? What do you need my help for?” Randy had to ask. “Because Harold can’t remember who Jesus is.” Bernadette answered. “Let’s go.” said Randy and away they went.

      When Randy and Bernadette made it to the Peterson’s backyard they found Harold mumbling something about trying to remember who Jesus was. “Harold,” Bernadette hollered, “I brought Randy to help you remember who Jesus is.” “Who’s Randy?” Harold asked, “Do I know him?”

      “Randy is the preacher at our church. He knows all about Jesus and you do know him.” Bernadette told Harold. “You helped chase a bird out of the church just before you got hit and lost your memory.” Upon hearing that, Harold started to remember. “I think I know you.” he said to Randy, “But I can’t remember anything about Jesus.”

      For the next couple of hours Bernadette and Randy tried to help Harold remember who Jesus is. They told him about His birth and growing up as a child. They told him about all the things he did while He was on earth and how Jesus eventually died on the cross for the every bodies sins.

      As the evening sun started to set, Harold finally told them he was starting to remember but needed more time to figure everything out and Randy had finally figured out his sermon title. He was going to call it Remembering Jesus. “All too often,” Randy thought, “The people in the church were like the Galatians 1:6 that quickly deserted Him who called them by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel and needed to be reminded about Jesus.

      God, by his grace through Christ, called you to become his people. So I am amazed that you are turning away so quickly and believing something different than the Good News. Really, there is no other Good News. But some people are confusing you; they want to change the Good News of Christ. We preached to you the Good News. So if we ourselves, or even an angel from heaven, should preach to you something different, we should be judged guilty! I said this before, and now I say it again: You have already accepted the Good News. If anyone is preaching something different to you, he should be judged guilty!

Galatians 1:6-9 (NCV)

      Forgetting the good news of Jesus and the ways of God is a common problem It appears to happen in the Pupperville Church and when you look through the Bible you find that it was a problem than too.

• Psalms 106:12-15 - Then the people believed what the Lord said, and they sang praises to him. But they quickly forgot what he had done; they did not wait for his advice. They became greedy for food in the desert, and they tested God there. So he gave them what they wanted, but he also sent a terrible disease among them. (NCV)

• Galatians 4:8-9 - In the past you did not know God. You were slaves to gods that were not real. But now you know the true God. Really, it is God who knows you. So why do you turn back to those weak and useless rules you followed before? Do you want to be slaves to those things again? (NCV)
• Hebrews 5:12-14 - You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong. (NLT)

      Bernadette and the rest of Harold's friends need to get the preacher to tell Harold about the ggod news of Jesus, but why? Should we not all have the knowledge to share the good news of Jesus and God's ways? After all, we do have the Bible readily available to learn from and check things out to make sure what is know is correct..

• Romans 15:4 - For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (NAS)
• Acts 17:10-12 - That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men. (NLT)

      Of course, we could know the Bible inside out and never tell anyone the good news but we are suppose too.

• Mark 16:15 - Jesus said to his followers, “Go everywhere in the world, and tell the Good News to everyone. (NCV)
• 2 Timothy 4:2 - Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. (NLT)
• Romans 10:13-14 - Anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. But how shall they ask him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? (TLB)

      Here's Something to Ponder

• Are you learning or ignoring the good news of Jesus
• Are you looking for ways to share that good news