** Unlocked은 Keys for kids Ministries에서 지원받은 프로그램입니다. 원본으로 듣고 싶으신 분들은 홈페이지 Unlocked.org로 들어가시면 <March 11, 2021>에서 다시 들으실 수 있습니다.**
So Many Differences
• READ: JOHN 4:1-43
Have you ever wondered how you can ever reach That One Person with the gospel? The one with a different political affiliation, religion, or otherwise different worldview? I have. I know I can’t move my friend toward God. Only He can draw them. But sometimes I don’t even know where to start talking. Our differences are so great.
Jesus faced a similar situation when He spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well. Samaria was once part of Israel’s northern kingdom that was later wiped out by Assyria. The Assyrians habitually moved conquered residents out, scattered them, and repopulated the land with other displaced peoples. It was an effective means of quelling potential rebellions. By Jesus’ day, any Jewish blood that may have survived the Assyrian conquest was muddied both in race and religion by intermarriage with Gentiles (non-Jewish people).
The Southern kingdom, by contrast, was conquered by Babylon and returned relatively intact after seventy years of exile. Therefore, Jews considered Samaritans half-breeds and heretics. Samaritans found Jews haughty and bigoted. Samaritans were also pro-Rome, while the Jews vehemently opposed Roman rule. To top it off, men and women weren’t supposed to speak together in public at all. But when the Samaritan woman alluded to some of these differences, Jesus answered that they would all be largely irrelevant through His work on the cross. Their conversation is a beautiful picture of His forgiveness and hope that transcends human boundaries.
Sometimes I need to remind myself that the One who changed the Samaritan woman’s life still has the power to convict, to restore, to unite, and to change lives today. In a world of vastly differing points of view, that is an encouraging thought. • Michelle Isenhoff
• Can you think of someone you struggle to see eye to eye with? As a Christian, how might you share the gospel with that person—with the care and love Jesus shows you (1 Peter 3:15-16; 1 John 4:19)?
We love each other because he loved us first. 1 John 4:19 (NLT)
** Unlocked은 Keys for kids Ministries에서 지원받은 프로그램입니다. 원본으로 듣고 싶으신 분들은 홈페이지 Unlocked.org로 들어가시면 <March 20, 2021>에서 다시 들으실 수 있습니다.**
Mystery Revealed!
• READ: COLOSSIANS 1:24–2:7
I don’t know about you, but I love a good mystery. The allure of figuring out where that certain key item is hidden, the suspense of the unknown, the intrigue! And that’s the cool thing about the book of Colossians: this letter to the church at Colossae centers on the solution to the greatest mystery of all.
What was this long-hidden mystery, revealed to the believers in Colossae (and to us as well) (Colossians 1:25-26)? Spoiler alert: Jesus Christ is the mystery (Colossians 2:2)! Everything in the history of God’s plan—all the Old Testament sacrifices, rules, prophets, and kings—were clues pointing to the way for us sinners to be made right with the God of the universe. Jesus is the solution! Everything God promised His people was fulfilled in Jesus Christ when He died for us on the cross to cancel our debt of sin that condemned us (Colossians 2:9-15).
From the time when humans first sinned, God had a plan to draw us to Himself. He knew nothing we could do in our own power would be sufficient enough to grant us a right relationship—and, ultimately, eternal life—with Him, so He sent us His Son (Ephesians 2:4-10).
When we put our trust in Jesus alone as the sacrifice for our sins, we have grasped the “wealth of this mystery” God has revealed to us: Christ in us (Colossians 1:27). As Christians, we have hope that Jesus, our risen Savior, is with us always and will dwell with us forever. • Savannah Coleman
• The whole Bible is the true story of how God is rescuing His people from sin and death—of bringing them back after sin separated them from Him. It’s a mystery story of how God would somehow bring salvation from sin and all the brokenness it brings. To learn more about Jesus, the One who was the answer to that mystery, check out our "Know Jesus" page.
I want their hearts to be encouraged and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of complete understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery—Christ. Colossians 2:2 (CSB)
