Evangelism

Evangelism Part 13: The Blessed Series

Evangelism Part 13: The Blessed – Blessings pour to the chosen ones

According to Jesus Christ, when we follow the will of the Father, we are his brothers, sisters, and mothers. As he said, this powerful promise,  our obedience, will put us on the pedestal of the privilege of the chosen ones. This is no longer a hidden treasure because of our relationship with the Son. This brings us to the knowledge that we can build a better world for ourselves and the generations to come with him in our hearts.

We may have had a hard start developing a solid knowledge of our faith, how it works, what good it brings, and the confidence it could give us. Our ignorance defines the blessing as being lucky. Luck is a feeling of happiness due to success and prosperity. The soul is part of that happiness, while the blessing is a favor our Spirit receives with joy. No one can be against us when God is with us, as it is emphasized as a blessing of protection. When we bless others from the heart, not just by mouth, the recipient feels the blessings, and we feel it too.

Many Christians are more focused on blessings than the one that invokes the blessings or the Blesser. For instance, when hardships are overwhelming, we feel forsaken, the heaven is lost, and we quickly give up all hopes and put all the blessedness aside. When we let our feelings control every situation in our lives, we enslave ourselves to what the world dictates and entirely abandon the position of being privileged. Challenges can be felt more when we distance ourselves from the blessings we receive from the Spirit, and may lead us to forget that blessings always have a happy ending.

The Beatitudes are also sacred; therefore, it involves holiness, and every time we bless others, it should always come from the heart. Hence, when we bless others, God will also bless us, as He said, “I will bless those who bless thee.” Therefore, we should regard the Beatitudes as an extraordinary favor from above. It is not a consolation towards good behavior and attitude but one of God’s standards of perfection. It’s the guide for those who have already received the Holy Spirit and become partakers of His Divine Nature.  

Beatitudes teach us that people are blessed even during difficult times and because the reward has already been out there, our acceptance means life everlasting. When we keep being humble, respectful (love), and merciful (forgiving), our hearts will be as pure as the pearl; a pure heart leads us to God. When we share the blessings with others, more blessings will keep coming, so let the blessings keep flowing, and the angels in heaven will keep singing.    

The Message:

The Sermon on the Mount is the most idealistic teaching for Christian living. It gives us a complete understanding of the meaning of life. Jesus said in John 6:63: “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are full of the Spirit and life.” The Spirit alone and no one else gives eternal life. God is a Spirit, and His Spirit makes us a living souls. He sent the Son because of love; through him, we may learn the goodness of heavenly joy.

We must live by an excellent example because Jesus is our model, and overall his message teaches us to be humble, righteous, merciful, pure, and peacemakers. To sum it all up, it is about love and care. We need to be prayerful to be in contact with the Father. We must care for the needy, both physically and spiritually; we must also follow religious and secular law. We are not a judge to act judging other people; salvation is not limited to Jews but to all the world’s people. These are only a few; there are more.   

Beatitude describes the blessedness of those who have been called and responded to the calling from above. We must remember that many are called, but few are chosen, and we are blessed to be one of the chosen ones destined for the Kingdom of Heaven. Any of the blessings (Beatitude) spoken by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount—Matthew 5:3–12, and on the plain in Luke 6:20–23 are the blessed truth that comes from the Father delivered by the Son Jesus, considered as heavenly guidance on God’s laws upholds by the followers of Jesus’ teachings.

Other Beatitudes can be found in Matthew 11:6, Luke 7:23, and John 20:29). May LORD help us to be enlightened with these sermons given by our brother Jesus, the Son of God, our Lord and Savior? We thank you, LORD God, for our Father and Your Spirit within us.

 I decided on the nine Beatitudes compared to others that chose eight. It is worth having more blessings than to be short by one.

The Nine Beatitudes, as recorded in Matthew 5:3–12, are as follows:

Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when men revile you, persecute you, and falsely utter all kinds of evil against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you— The Revised Standard Version (RSV).

The four Beatitudes of Luke 6:20–23 is an expanded blessing listed as follows:

Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are you that hunger now, for you shall be satisfied.

Blessed are you that weep now, for you shall laugh.

Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and cast out your name as evil, on account of the Son of man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy; behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.

God is all in all.

Bishop Joseph

Dr. Joseph Vitug, Ph.D. - Bishop Emeritus

Related Articles

Back to top button