Jésus a donné la parabole de Matthieu 18:23-35 afin de nous montrer un exemple de serviteur talentueux, à qui l'on faisait confiance, qui se révèle soudain être le roi des dettes. Voilà quelqu'un qui n'est pas méritant, plein de mauvaises motivations, incapable de compassion. Pourtant, son maître lui pardonne librement – tout comme Jésus l'a fait pour toi et moi.
Quand le réveil a commencé à Jérusalem, un ange a parlé à l'apôtre Philippe, lui disant de se rendre dans le désert de Gaza où il rencontrerait un diplomate éthiopien dans un char. Philippe a trouvé l'homme en train de lire dans le livre d'Esaïe et il lui a demandé : “:Comprends-tu ce que tu lis ?” (Actes 8:30).
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener" (John 15: 1)
When Jesus speaks of Him as the "true" vine, He means that it is something more than mere information that would be true. "True" here conveys the same meaning as the term "true friend" - meaning real, genuine, authentic, always there to support you in concrete terms.
Il n'existe pas de meilleur exemple de l'action puissante de Dieu dans une ville que l'histoire qui nous est rapportée dans Actes 11:20-21 : “Il y eut cependant parmi eux quelques hommes de Chypre et de Cyrène, qui, étant venus à Antioche, s’adressèrent aussi aux Grecs, et leur annoncèrent la bonne nouvelle du Seigneur Jésus. La main du Seigneur était avec eux, et un grand nombre de personnes crurent et se convertirent au Seigneur.”
Dans Marc 8, Jésus nourrit une fois de plus une foule – cette fois de quatre mille personnes – avec seulement sept pains et quelques poissons. Une nouvelle fois, les disciples ont récupéré sept paniers de reste (voir Marc 8:5-8). Pourtant, Christ a discerné que les disciples n'acceptaient toujours pas Sa puissance qui accomplit des miracles, alors Il leur a demandé : “Avez-vous toujours le cœur endurci ?” (Marc 8:17).
God said to Israel: "You believed Me not when I told you that you had nothing to fear, that I will fight for you. You have completely forgotten that I carried you as one carries a child and I took care of you. You've never trusted me, even when I précédais you, giving you a cloud to shelter you from the scorching sun, giving you a fire by night to light your way and bring you comfort in the darkest of night. Instead, you have doubts, you have slandered me and have me a liar "(see Deuteronomy 1: 27-35).
You may remember the story of the Old Testament where the Israelites sent spies into the Promised Country. They came back saying: "Yes, this is a land flowing with milk and honey, but it is also full of giants and cities with high walls. We are not able to confront these people. Compared to them, we're only grasshoppers "(see Numbers 13).
Most sermons on Pentecost focus on the signs and wonders which were done by the apostles. Or they emphasize the three thousand people saved in one day, or the tongues of fire that appeared. But we do not often hear of an event that has become the largest source of wonder - and returned a large crowd in their countries, with a perennial and unmistakable knowledge of who Jesus is.
It was the last night of Jesus with His disciples and He knew that his time was short. They had just finished their dinner and Christ wanted to convey to his friends one last teaching while He was on Earth. He called them: "Arise, let us go hence" (John 14:31) and he took the walk. As they walked He gave them this analogy:
I remember that when I left my job to become a full-time pastor, I put some money in the bank, from my pension capital. I figured that if my story Ministry did not work, at least I'd have a nest egg which fall back. One day, a friend who was also in the Ministry entered my office and said, "Pastor, I do not know what I'll do. The engine of my car just exploded and I have no money. I do not even know how I'll go to church.