Attention anyone who might be reading this blog, I am moving it to the church website to make it easier for people who are checking out the church to find.
You can find my new blog at this link: http://www.ybfree.org/reading-through-the-new-testament/
Sorry for the inconvenience, please continue to read your Bible and follow along at our new location.
Do me a favor.... send me a comment from the new site letting me know that you found it!
Please!
In Christ,
PR
Monday, February 22, 2016
Friday, February 19, 2016
John 6
By now, the feeding of the 5,000 is a familiar story. It is interesting though, that in this account it says that Jesus didn't question the disciples about how to feed the people because He was looking for ideas....He was testing them. I suppose the Lord still asks us questions today that He already knows the answer to, as a means of testing us.
There is a fair amount of time in this passage devoted to the idea of becoming part of the body of Christ. Without understanding that Jesus was speaking of spiritual things, "eating and drinking His body" would be hard for anyone to understand. I'm sure even those who hung around had their doubts.
Several key things in this passage: 1. there is a form of grace that overshadows us before we become Christians. It's function is to allow us to recognize that we are in need of salvation, and that Jesus is the means of being saved. You can't become a Christian unless God favors you with this grace. In church speak, we call it "prevenient grace" (it means "the grace that comes before").
The question that must be asked then is this: "who does God favor with this grace?" Does He pick and choose? Some scholars from throughout the ages believe that God decides who to shower with this special grace. It follows then, that only those people can become Christians. The rest have no real hope of ever accepting Christ. In fact, without prevenient grace, they wouldn't even want to.
I believe that prevenient grace covers every person in the world. John 3:16 says "for God so loved THE WORLD that He gave His one and only Son, so that WHOEVER believes in Him would not perish but would have eternal life". That phrase doesn't appear to limit prevenient grace to a select few. Anyone can respond to Jesus.
Having said that, there isn't a guarantee that the prevenient grace will always "overshadow" us. God doesn't have to give us unlimited chances to accept Him. He could withdraw the grace, and if He does then our hearts would become "hardened". There are several examples in Scripture of God "hardening" the hearts of people so that they wouldn't respond to Him. God did this so that His will would be carried out. For instance, He hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and in the New Testament, it would appear that Judas's heart was hardened. Keep in mind that God may very well have allowed prevenient grace to pour back over Judas after he had betrayed Him. And, if Judas responded with contrition and humility, he would be saved just like anyone else. Personally, I think that Judas was sorry for what he had done, but I don't know that he repented. Sadly, I don't think we will be seeing him in heaven. If we were going to, then why would Jesus have allowed the 11 to chose another person to take the place of Judas? And if there would then be "13" disciples, why are there only 12 names recorded on the foundation of the city? (Revelation 21:14) No, I think that Judas squandered eternal riches for the lure of worldly wealth and fame. And even if he did get the chance to repent, he must not have.
There are two types of people who follow Jesus. The first type follow because they want to be fed, entertained and part of the excitement that surrounds Him. There are times when it is great fun to walk with Jesus. Seas part, fire falls from heaven, sick people are healed, demons are cast out, waves are calmed. But there are other times when it is not so popular, when the whip cracks over your back, or when the crowd turns violent and ugly. There are times when food is scarce and beds even more scarce. That's when the second type of person who follows Christ is revealed. You see, they are along with the crowd who surrounds Jesus during happy times, but when the hard times come and the larger crowd falls away, these stalwart disciples remain. They may not always understand why events have turned, or even if they will make it though alive...but they echo the words of the disciples
"Lord, who else can we turn to? You have the words of eternal life. We believe, and know that you are the Holy One of God."
a fellow believer,
PR
There is a fair amount of time in this passage devoted to the idea of becoming part of the body of Christ. Without understanding that Jesus was speaking of spiritual things, "eating and drinking His body" would be hard for anyone to understand. I'm sure even those who hung around had their doubts.
Several key things in this passage: 1. there is a form of grace that overshadows us before we become Christians. It's function is to allow us to recognize that we are in need of salvation, and that Jesus is the means of being saved. You can't become a Christian unless God favors you with this grace. In church speak, we call it "prevenient grace" (it means "the grace that comes before").
The question that must be asked then is this: "who does God favor with this grace?" Does He pick and choose? Some scholars from throughout the ages believe that God decides who to shower with this special grace. It follows then, that only those people can become Christians. The rest have no real hope of ever accepting Christ. In fact, without prevenient grace, they wouldn't even want to.
I believe that prevenient grace covers every person in the world. John 3:16 says "for God so loved THE WORLD that He gave His one and only Son, so that WHOEVER believes in Him would not perish but would have eternal life". That phrase doesn't appear to limit prevenient grace to a select few. Anyone can respond to Jesus.
Having said that, there isn't a guarantee that the prevenient grace will always "overshadow" us. God doesn't have to give us unlimited chances to accept Him. He could withdraw the grace, and if He does then our hearts would become "hardened". There are several examples in Scripture of God "hardening" the hearts of people so that they wouldn't respond to Him. God did this so that His will would be carried out. For instance, He hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and in the New Testament, it would appear that Judas's heart was hardened. Keep in mind that God may very well have allowed prevenient grace to pour back over Judas after he had betrayed Him. And, if Judas responded with contrition and humility, he would be saved just like anyone else. Personally, I think that Judas was sorry for what he had done, but I don't know that he repented. Sadly, I don't think we will be seeing him in heaven. If we were going to, then why would Jesus have allowed the 11 to chose another person to take the place of Judas? And if there would then be "13" disciples, why are there only 12 names recorded on the foundation of the city? (Revelation 21:14) No, I think that Judas squandered eternal riches for the lure of worldly wealth and fame. And even if he did get the chance to repent, he must not have.
There are two types of people who follow Jesus. The first type follow because they want to be fed, entertained and part of the excitement that surrounds Him. There are times when it is great fun to walk with Jesus. Seas part, fire falls from heaven, sick people are healed, demons are cast out, waves are calmed. But there are other times when it is not so popular, when the whip cracks over your back, or when the crowd turns violent and ugly. There are times when food is scarce and beds even more scarce. That's when the second type of person who follows Christ is revealed. You see, they are along with the crowd who surrounds Jesus during happy times, but when the hard times come and the larger crowd falls away, these stalwart disciples remain. They may not always understand why events have turned, or even if they will make it though alive...but they echo the words of the disciples
"Lord, who else can we turn to? You have the words of eternal life. We believe, and know that you are the Holy One of God."
a fellow believer,
PR
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Luke 9
I wonder why Jesus told the disciples not to take any spare clothes, money or even a walking stick? I suppose it was because the absence of those things made them more likely to stop in towns and look for assistance. For most of us, asking for help is hard to do. We would rather make our own way, and do it ourselves. That's going to be a problem for the disciples, whose mission is to connect with the local people. I need to remember this when God strips away something that I know I need. It could be that He wants me to interact with someone, and this is how it's going to happen.
You've probably seen the sign hanging beside someones desk. It says "failure to plan on your part doesn't constitute an emergency on my part". It seems like that should be right, but when compared to the actions of Jesus it falls short. Speaking literally, I don't think Jesus ever had an emergency. I don't think he ever panicked. But when the crowd failed to bring along food for themselves, Jesus made it His problem. The sign over Jesus' desk would read "your problem is my problem. Your emergency is my emergency". That's what love says. Love says "I care enough about you to be inconvenienced by whatever is going on in your life."
I wonder, how many miracles are unused because modern day disciples have decided that the people should go elsewhere to find help for their needs?
18-22: How could Peter confess that Jesus was the Messiah, and then hear Jesus plainly say "I will be killed and will come back to life after 3 days" and then...see Jesus speaking with Moses and Elijah, hear a voice from heaven....and still deny Him three times? This is the human condition before we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Fear and doubt and weakness overcome us. Praise the Lord that the Holy Spirit now has come, and we never have to collapse like that again!
23-26: This passage outlines the main thrust of the Christian life once we accept Christ. Self must die. It doesn't die easily, nor should it die all at once, because it is so intertwined in our character that it would probably kill us to have it removed all at one time. Piece by piece it is sliced away, and as it goes Christ replaces what He removes with His perfect nature. The good work of the Christian is to engage in the battle of surrendering self to Christ. As He reveals areas in our life where we don't match His character, we surrender those areas to Him, and through His power they are defeated, removed and replaced. Amen!
49-50: We should follow this advice for people who aren't part of our "denomination". Too ofter we are prone to focus on our differences instead of our similarities. The Church should be (and is) ONE. There is only ONE Church. Any denomination that preaches Jesus Christ accurately is part of it. However, I don't think this sentiment should carry over to people who don't accept the clear authority of the Bible. The New Testament has much to say about dealing with false teachers...some of whom sounded good, but had impure motives on the inside.
51-56: This is the human mistake that gave us the Crusades. "If you don't accept our teaching, and become like us, then we will kill you". That's completely unhelpful and not productive. That sort of mindset has never drawn anyone to Jesus and it never will. If our message is rejected, then we should simply move to another place that is willing to listen. I suppose that this thought doesn't consider any political motivation or advantages, but then again....should it? So what if it is in our best political interest to be involved in the region...if the message of Jesus is rejected there, let's move on and find somewhere else to be. Let the receipt of the message be our key indicator on whether or not we will interact politically.
Moving forward,
PR
You've probably seen the sign hanging beside someones desk. It says "failure to plan on your part doesn't constitute an emergency on my part". It seems like that should be right, but when compared to the actions of Jesus it falls short. Speaking literally, I don't think Jesus ever had an emergency. I don't think he ever panicked. But when the crowd failed to bring along food for themselves, Jesus made it His problem. The sign over Jesus' desk would read "your problem is my problem. Your emergency is my emergency". That's what love says. Love says "I care enough about you to be inconvenienced by whatever is going on in your life."
I wonder, how many miracles are unused because modern day disciples have decided that the people should go elsewhere to find help for their needs?
18-22: How could Peter confess that Jesus was the Messiah, and then hear Jesus plainly say "I will be killed and will come back to life after 3 days" and then...see Jesus speaking with Moses and Elijah, hear a voice from heaven....and still deny Him three times? This is the human condition before we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Fear and doubt and weakness overcome us. Praise the Lord that the Holy Spirit now has come, and we never have to collapse like that again!
23-26: This passage outlines the main thrust of the Christian life once we accept Christ. Self must die. It doesn't die easily, nor should it die all at once, because it is so intertwined in our character that it would probably kill us to have it removed all at one time. Piece by piece it is sliced away, and as it goes Christ replaces what He removes with His perfect nature. The good work of the Christian is to engage in the battle of surrendering self to Christ. As He reveals areas in our life where we don't match His character, we surrender those areas to Him, and through His power they are defeated, removed and replaced. Amen!
49-50: We should follow this advice for people who aren't part of our "denomination". Too ofter we are prone to focus on our differences instead of our similarities. The Church should be (and is) ONE. There is only ONE Church. Any denomination that preaches Jesus Christ accurately is part of it. However, I don't think this sentiment should carry over to people who don't accept the clear authority of the Bible. The New Testament has much to say about dealing with false teachers...some of whom sounded good, but had impure motives on the inside.
51-56: This is the human mistake that gave us the Crusades. "If you don't accept our teaching, and become like us, then we will kill you". That's completely unhelpful and not productive. That sort of mindset has never drawn anyone to Jesus and it never will. If our message is rejected, then we should simply move to another place that is willing to listen. I suppose that this thought doesn't consider any political motivation or advantages, but then again....should it? So what if it is in our best political interest to be involved in the region...if the message of Jesus is rejected there, let's move on and find somewhere else to be. Let the receipt of the message be our key indicator on whether or not we will interact politically.
Moving forward,
PR
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Mark 6
In this passage you could almost feel sorry for poor Herod Antipas, who was tricked into beheading someone he respected. Don't bother. The whole family is a real piece of work. Here's what I understand about them.
Dad (Herod the Great) killed two of his sons leaving his granddaughter with no father. So, he betroths her to one of his other sons (Herod II...some believe he was also called Herod Phillip). Because of her genealogy, her marriage to Herod II moved him to successor of Herod the Great. However, the oldest son of Herod the Great, (Antipater) protested this, and Herod II was demoted. Then Antipater tries to poison his father and take the throne..but it fails, and he is executed. You would think that Herod II would take the throne, but no...in the last days before he died Herod the Great removed his name from the will, apparently knowing that he had knowledge of what was about to happen. Instead, he puts another son in his place (Archelaus) who is declared incompetent by Caesar a few years later. Herod Antipas ends up in charge of a quarter (or more) of the original kingdom. One day while Antipas is visiting Herod II, he falls in love with his wife...yes, they would be some shirt tail relations. The problem is: he is already married to a princess from a very powerful kingdom to the south, the Nabateans. Once they get wind of Antipas' affection for another woman, they call their princess home, and declare war on Antipas. If Herod Antipas would have listed to John the Baptist, a war would have been averted, and many lives saved. Instead, Herod Antipas loses the war.
Like I said, the family makes the rest of us look like model citizens. From what I can tell, they were models of greed, lust for power and selfishness.
On a far more refreshing note, we have the encouraging accounts of Jesus feeding the 5,000 and his walking on the water. Interestingly, if this had happened in modern times all the news channels and the newspapers would have been reporting what was going on with Herod Antipas. Scarcely anyone would have noticed Jesus changing history, except for a few stray reports....probably on page 4 or 5. I suspect that the same thing is true today. While we are fed a constant diet of politics and wars and Hollywood controversies, Jesus is making enormous changes in the lives of people around the community, and around the globe. We just don't hear about it.
Verse 52 catches my eye this morning. How could the disciples not understand the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000? Is it even possible to miss that? And even more scary...what miracles is Christ doing right in front of me...perhaps miracles that I am a part of..and I don't even realize it?
Do you think it's possible to be used in an incredible way by God, only to miss it yourself? It was certainly true of the disciples...because their "hearts were hard". So I guess the solution for us is to constantly pray that God will give us "sensitive hearts". By sensitive I mean hearts that are so tuned in to Jesus' speaking that they can pick up His whisper. God shouldn't have to shout to get our attention!
Praying for an ear attuned to heaven's voice,
PR
Dad (Herod the Great) killed two of his sons leaving his granddaughter with no father. So, he betroths her to one of his other sons (Herod II...some believe he was also called Herod Phillip). Because of her genealogy, her marriage to Herod II moved him to successor of Herod the Great. However, the oldest son of Herod the Great, (Antipater) protested this, and Herod II was demoted. Then Antipater tries to poison his father and take the throne..but it fails, and he is executed. You would think that Herod II would take the throne, but no...in the last days before he died Herod the Great removed his name from the will, apparently knowing that he had knowledge of what was about to happen. Instead, he puts another son in his place (Archelaus) who is declared incompetent by Caesar a few years later. Herod Antipas ends up in charge of a quarter (or more) of the original kingdom. One day while Antipas is visiting Herod II, he falls in love with his wife...yes, they would be some shirt tail relations. The problem is: he is already married to a princess from a very powerful kingdom to the south, the Nabateans. Once they get wind of Antipas' affection for another woman, they call their princess home, and declare war on Antipas. If Herod Antipas would have listed to John the Baptist, a war would have been averted, and many lives saved. Instead, Herod Antipas loses the war.
Like I said, the family makes the rest of us look like model citizens. From what I can tell, they were models of greed, lust for power and selfishness.
On a far more refreshing note, we have the encouraging accounts of Jesus feeding the 5,000 and his walking on the water. Interestingly, if this had happened in modern times all the news channels and the newspapers would have been reporting what was going on with Herod Antipas. Scarcely anyone would have noticed Jesus changing history, except for a few stray reports....probably on page 4 or 5. I suspect that the same thing is true today. While we are fed a constant diet of politics and wars and Hollywood controversies, Jesus is making enormous changes in the lives of people around the community, and around the globe. We just don't hear about it.
Verse 52 catches my eye this morning. How could the disciples not understand the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000? Is it even possible to miss that? And even more scary...what miracles is Christ doing right in front of me...perhaps miracles that I am a part of..and I don't even realize it?
Do you think it's possible to be used in an incredible way by God, only to miss it yourself? It was certainly true of the disciples...because their "hearts were hard". So I guess the solution for us is to constantly pray that God will give us "sensitive hearts". By sensitive I mean hearts that are so tuned in to Jesus' speaking that they can pick up His whisper. God shouldn't have to shout to get our attention!
Praying for an ear attuned to heaven's voice,
PR
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Matthew 14
Have you ever had one of those days when you just wanted to be left alone? Wouldn't it be nice once in a while to completely "unplug" from all your daily demands and your routine and just spend a little quiet time by yourself?
When Jesus heard that John had been executed by Herod, he just wanted to be alone. Probably to cry out to God and to be sad. I don't think there's anything wrong with withdrawing from the rest of the world for a brief time to grieve, or to reflect. But the crowds that surrounded Jesus wouldn't let it happen. As soon as they heard him say He was headed for a remote place, they started walking around the lake so they would be there when he came ashore. No peace for Jesus.
When I need down time and I don't get it, I get cranky. I notice today that Jesus didn't. Instead, when He looked at the crowd He was filled with compassion. Jesus wasn't encumbered by a sinful nature that demanded His attention. He was able to be selfless (although I am sure He was tempted to be selfish).
Thinking about the difference in our reactions, it's really my selfish desires that distract me from helping others, or feeling compassion for others.
If Jesus had chased the crowd away, and said "my good friend was just murdered and I need to be alone for a while" we wouldn't have the miracle of feeding the 5,000. I never thought about it like that before.
Maybe when my day doesn't seem to be going the way I want it to, and I feel like withdrawing, I should pray to be less selfish. Maybe a significant miracle is about to unfold right in front of me and I don't even know it.
The recount in Mark 6 about Jesus walking on the water really grabs me. Here in Matthew we don't have the verse that says "Jesus was about to pass by them". Mark has it. In both places it says that the boat was a considerable distance from land when evening came, and it was being tossed around by the waves. Jesus must have seen this... but He doesn't stop praying to go to their rescue. In fact, He stays where He is until somewhere between 3 and 6 am....then He starts walking across the lake..and is about to walk right by them...except they see Him and become even more afraid.
Maybe the lesson here (beside the obvious lesson about keeping your eyes on Jesus when you get out of your boat) is that Jesus didn't promise that we would never have problems. He didn't come to the rescue of John the Baptist. He didn't appear to be coming to the rescue of the disciples. He knew they had no reason to be afraid. My guess is that John wasn't afraid at all. The disciples were, and Jesus came to them because of that.
Remember this the next time you're having a hard day, or when you are struggling in general. Jesus didn't promise it would be easy....only that it would be worth it. Everyone is going to have some problems...but Christians are going to spend eternity in heaven with Jesus when the problems of this life are over. "It will be worth it all...when we see Jesus".
Some lessons are learned inside the boat....some require you to get out. This passage seems to have both!
Blessings,
PR
When Jesus heard that John had been executed by Herod, he just wanted to be alone. Probably to cry out to God and to be sad. I don't think there's anything wrong with withdrawing from the rest of the world for a brief time to grieve, or to reflect. But the crowds that surrounded Jesus wouldn't let it happen. As soon as they heard him say He was headed for a remote place, they started walking around the lake so they would be there when he came ashore. No peace for Jesus.
When I need down time and I don't get it, I get cranky. I notice today that Jesus didn't. Instead, when He looked at the crowd He was filled with compassion. Jesus wasn't encumbered by a sinful nature that demanded His attention. He was able to be selfless (although I am sure He was tempted to be selfish).
Thinking about the difference in our reactions, it's really my selfish desires that distract me from helping others, or feeling compassion for others.
If Jesus had chased the crowd away, and said "my good friend was just murdered and I need to be alone for a while" we wouldn't have the miracle of feeding the 5,000. I never thought about it like that before.
Maybe when my day doesn't seem to be going the way I want it to, and I feel like withdrawing, I should pray to be less selfish. Maybe a significant miracle is about to unfold right in front of me and I don't even know it.
The recount in Mark 6 about Jesus walking on the water really grabs me. Here in Matthew we don't have the verse that says "Jesus was about to pass by them". Mark has it. In both places it says that the boat was a considerable distance from land when evening came, and it was being tossed around by the waves. Jesus must have seen this... but He doesn't stop praying to go to their rescue. In fact, He stays where He is until somewhere between 3 and 6 am....then He starts walking across the lake..and is about to walk right by them...except they see Him and become even more afraid.
Maybe the lesson here (beside the obvious lesson about keeping your eyes on Jesus when you get out of your boat) is that Jesus didn't promise that we would never have problems. He didn't come to the rescue of John the Baptist. He didn't appear to be coming to the rescue of the disciples. He knew they had no reason to be afraid. My guess is that John wasn't afraid at all. The disciples were, and Jesus came to them because of that.
Remember this the next time you're having a hard day, or when you are struggling in general. Jesus didn't promise it would be easy....only that it would be worth it. Everyone is going to have some problems...but Christians are going to spend eternity in heaven with Jesus when the problems of this life are over. "It will be worth it all...when we see Jesus".
Some lessons are learned inside the boat....some require you to get out. This passage seems to have both!
Blessings,
PR
Monday, February 15, 2016
Matthew 10
It would be easy to feel like God loves the Jews more than the rest of us, since He tells His disciples to go only to the Jews. "God's chosen people". Aren't the rest of us chosen as well?
The short answer is "yes", we are chosen. But the plan of salvation is unfolding exactly as it was planned from the very beginning. And that plan calls for a certain group of people to be the "first fruits" and then they will be followed by all other people groups. Jesus says this not because He loves them more than us (God's love is infinite, so that isn't possible). He says it because this is the way He planned it. The Lord could have been born into any race or tribe....He chose the Jews. In fact, that had to be planned from the beginning as well. And from the time the three sons stepped off Noah's ark, God knew which of the three would be his ancestor. (Shem).
Thinking of God's ministers, there are several sentences here that are helpful in knowing how to treat those who serve the ministry. "those who work deserve to be fed" (verse 10 NLT), "if you receive the prophet, you will receive the same reward as the prophet" (vs. 40-42). I suppose there are some who are in ministry who really aren't working...I can't speak to that. However from my experience those who are in ministry are either working longer hours, or doing the work that no one else wants to do, while receiving fairly low wages. I know there are some ministers who are making fairly good salaries, and living pretty well...but the majority of churches are smaller and have limited income, and the men and women who serve them do so with some personal sacrifice. Jesus said "if you are carrying the Good News, then you should be taken care of by the people to whom you go". The minister should trust for this, and the congregation should rise to the occasion. I am proud to say that the congregation I serve excels at this.
In the same way that the minister is to trust in God for the means to subsist, all of us are to trust in God for the words to say when we are pressed to testify about our faith. Jesus plainly says that we are going to be put in some very difficult situations for the sole purpose of testifying once we are there. The next time you feel that you are in trouble for no reason, remember that. You might be at the hospital with symptoms because someone at the hospital needs to hear. You might be speaking to a government agent because they need to hear. It's a different way of looking at your life, I agree.
Verse 32 I quote often, because it provides the motivation for our witness. Who's to say that I will want to testify once I am in front of my accuser? Once I accept the fact that my confession of Jesus here on earth will result in His confession for me in heaven, I am quick to respond.
Verse 37-39 forces us to change our priorities and place service to Christ at the top. If I have anything in life that is more important to me than my relationship with God, satan will be able to exploit that to bring me down. Therefore, when I place Jesus in the highest priority in my life, I actually protect and preserve my life.
continuing to march,
PR
The short answer is "yes", we are chosen. But the plan of salvation is unfolding exactly as it was planned from the very beginning. And that plan calls for a certain group of people to be the "first fruits" and then they will be followed by all other people groups. Jesus says this not because He loves them more than us (God's love is infinite, so that isn't possible). He says it because this is the way He planned it. The Lord could have been born into any race or tribe....He chose the Jews. In fact, that had to be planned from the beginning as well. And from the time the three sons stepped off Noah's ark, God knew which of the three would be his ancestor. (Shem).
Thinking of God's ministers, there are several sentences here that are helpful in knowing how to treat those who serve the ministry. "those who work deserve to be fed" (verse 10 NLT), "if you receive the prophet, you will receive the same reward as the prophet" (vs. 40-42). I suppose there are some who are in ministry who really aren't working...I can't speak to that. However from my experience those who are in ministry are either working longer hours, or doing the work that no one else wants to do, while receiving fairly low wages. I know there are some ministers who are making fairly good salaries, and living pretty well...but the majority of churches are smaller and have limited income, and the men and women who serve them do so with some personal sacrifice. Jesus said "if you are carrying the Good News, then you should be taken care of by the people to whom you go". The minister should trust for this, and the congregation should rise to the occasion. I am proud to say that the congregation I serve excels at this.
In the same way that the minister is to trust in God for the means to subsist, all of us are to trust in God for the words to say when we are pressed to testify about our faith. Jesus plainly says that we are going to be put in some very difficult situations for the sole purpose of testifying once we are there. The next time you feel that you are in trouble for no reason, remember that. You might be at the hospital with symptoms because someone at the hospital needs to hear. You might be speaking to a government agent because they need to hear. It's a different way of looking at your life, I agree.
Verse 32 I quote often, because it provides the motivation for our witness. Who's to say that I will want to testify once I am in front of my accuser? Once I accept the fact that my confession of Jesus here on earth will result in His confession for me in heaven, I am quick to respond.
Verse 37-39 forces us to change our priorities and place service to Christ at the top. If I have anything in life that is more important to me than my relationship with God, satan will be able to exploit that to bring me down. Therefore, when I place Jesus in the highest priority in my life, I actually protect and preserve my life.
continuing to march,
PR
Friday, February 12, 2016
Mark 5
Once again we read of the man from whom Jesus cast out many demons. Remember, Jesus was on the southeastern shore of the sea of Galilee. In His day there were gentiles living there, not Jews. If they had been Jews, there certainly wouldn't have been any pigs! There must have been quite a few demons living in this man to infest 2,000 pigs. Here's something... By allowing the demons to enter the pigs Jesus effectively put a couple of people out of business. Whoever owned them must have been depending on them for a livelihood, and now they're gone. Maybe that speaks to the Lord's priorities. He is willing to cause short term harm...if it gives us the opportunity for long term good.
Turning our focus to Jairus for a moment, consider this: Jairus is a leader in the local synagogue. Most of the leaders are rebelling against Jesus (Pharisees and experts in the Law). I wonder if Jairus was a believer before his daughter was sick? If not, then he would be having a crisis just like the owners of the swine. Did his daughter's illness tip him into confessing his belief in Jesus? Or, was he already a believer and this was a temptation to doubt?
Either way, Jairus demonstrates the best practice: he goes to Jesus and falls at His feet, pleading for help. I wonder how many problems we could have victory over if we only followed his example? Who would still be alive today if we had humbled ourselves before Jesus? What ministries would be thriving? Who would be converted? Who wouldn't have wandered from the faith? What tragedies have we endured because we didn't run to Christ and plead for help?
I don't know about you, but I have a tendency to be impatient when I really want to see something happen. For instance, if Jesus agreed to heal my daughter, then I wouldn't want to stop and chat along the way. I would have no problem spending all the time He wanted AFTER my daughter is healed...but before...let's not. Instead, let's hurry to the task and accomplish it. After all, that is our purpose, right? To heal the daughter?
Maybe not. Or, maybe that's only a small part of the purpose. Maybe the real purpose was to demonstrate to a large group of people that Jesus is God, and as God He has authority over life and death. No one who believes in Him need be afraid of death. To the believer in Jesus, death is only sleeping. (maybe that was it).
Of course Jairus doesn't know any of that. He is quite possibly extending his faith as far as he can already...and now Jesus has stopped walking and is wondering who "touched him" in a crowd of people who are all touching Him. Good grief.
I consider this morning that there are a great number of people in our day who "crowd around" Jesus. They want to see the miracles, they want to be part of the moment...they are curious or thrill seekers, or something else. They are almost certainly bumping up against Jesus, and not a single one of them feels any healing power in themselves. How is it that Jesus was touched and jostled day after day and this is the only account of anyone receiving a "discharge" of healing power?
I have heard that Jewish tradition held that the tassels on the robe of the Messiah would contain healing power. By reaching out to touch the hem of the robe (where the tassels were) this woman is confessing her belief that Jesus is the Messiah. And anyone who recognizes Jesus as the Messiah will receive power from Him. Christ is completely aware of what is going on, even in the midst of the crowd. He isn't carried away in the moment, He doesn't miss the opportunity because He is too focused on Jairus. I might have been...but Jesus is not. His eye always has the Father in focus, and that keeps Him in the center of the Father's will. In the center of the Father's will is where all of us are complete and completely effective.
If only we would reach out in faith and touch the hem of Jesus. He is the only holy thing in all of creation that isn't contaminated once it comes in contact with something unclean. Anything touched by Jesus becomes whole, and holy. It becomes healed, functional and filled with joy. I suppose Jairus could have been thinking to himself "in just a few more minutes that is going to be me dancing for joy and thanking Jesus for helping me and my little girl".
But just at that moment....the bad news comes, the girl has died. Satan never misses an opportunity to encourage us to collapse in doubt and discouragement when a miracle is just around the corner. He always accuses and lies, and tries to rob us of our hope and faith.
Thank you Jesus, for whispering in our ear the same words you whispered to Jairus: "don't be afraid; just have faith". What miracles we would miss if we didn't act in faith!
I applaud Jairus this morning for his incredible testimony. His dogged pursuit of Jesus is an encouragement to me, his refusal to be sidetracked by doubt and fear are motivators for me as well. And the way that God worked in his life in power? Well, it fills me with hope that God will do the same for me.
I suppose that from that day on, every time Jairus looked at his daughter he was reminded of the great power of God. I hope that as his daughter grew into a young woman and had children of her own that she carried the faith with her. Scripture doesn't tell us what happened afterwards. Wouldn't it be a tragedy to have been healed by Jesus only to later surrender the faith?
have a wonderful day in Christ,
PR
Turning our focus to Jairus for a moment, consider this: Jairus is a leader in the local synagogue. Most of the leaders are rebelling against Jesus (Pharisees and experts in the Law). I wonder if Jairus was a believer before his daughter was sick? If not, then he would be having a crisis just like the owners of the swine. Did his daughter's illness tip him into confessing his belief in Jesus? Or, was he already a believer and this was a temptation to doubt?
Either way, Jairus demonstrates the best practice: he goes to Jesus and falls at His feet, pleading for help. I wonder how many problems we could have victory over if we only followed his example? Who would still be alive today if we had humbled ourselves before Jesus? What ministries would be thriving? Who would be converted? Who wouldn't have wandered from the faith? What tragedies have we endured because we didn't run to Christ and plead for help?
I don't know about you, but I have a tendency to be impatient when I really want to see something happen. For instance, if Jesus agreed to heal my daughter, then I wouldn't want to stop and chat along the way. I would have no problem spending all the time He wanted AFTER my daughter is healed...but before...let's not. Instead, let's hurry to the task and accomplish it. After all, that is our purpose, right? To heal the daughter?
Maybe not. Or, maybe that's only a small part of the purpose. Maybe the real purpose was to demonstrate to a large group of people that Jesus is God, and as God He has authority over life and death. No one who believes in Him need be afraid of death. To the believer in Jesus, death is only sleeping. (maybe that was it).
Of course Jairus doesn't know any of that. He is quite possibly extending his faith as far as he can already...and now Jesus has stopped walking and is wondering who "touched him" in a crowd of people who are all touching Him. Good grief.
I consider this morning that there are a great number of people in our day who "crowd around" Jesus. They want to see the miracles, they want to be part of the moment...they are curious or thrill seekers, or something else. They are almost certainly bumping up against Jesus, and not a single one of them feels any healing power in themselves. How is it that Jesus was touched and jostled day after day and this is the only account of anyone receiving a "discharge" of healing power?
I have heard that Jewish tradition held that the tassels on the robe of the Messiah would contain healing power. By reaching out to touch the hem of the robe (where the tassels were) this woman is confessing her belief that Jesus is the Messiah. And anyone who recognizes Jesus as the Messiah will receive power from Him. Christ is completely aware of what is going on, even in the midst of the crowd. He isn't carried away in the moment, He doesn't miss the opportunity because He is too focused on Jairus. I might have been...but Jesus is not. His eye always has the Father in focus, and that keeps Him in the center of the Father's will. In the center of the Father's will is where all of us are complete and completely effective.
If only we would reach out in faith and touch the hem of Jesus. He is the only holy thing in all of creation that isn't contaminated once it comes in contact with something unclean. Anything touched by Jesus becomes whole, and holy. It becomes healed, functional and filled with joy. I suppose Jairus could have been thinking to himself "in just a few more minutes that is going to be me dancing for joy and thanking Jesus for helping me and my little girl".
But just at that moment....the bad news comes, the girl has died. Satan never misses an opportunity to encourage us to collapse in doubt and discouragement when a miracle is just around the corner. He always accuses and lies, and tries to rob us of our hope and faith.
Thank you Jesus, for whispering in our ear the same words you whispered to Jairus: "don't be afraid; just have faith". What miracles we would miss if we didn't act in faith!
I applaud Jairus this morning for his incredible testimony. His dogged pursuit of Jesus is an encouragement to me, his refusal to be sidetracked by doubt and fear are motivators for me as well. And the way that God worked in his life in power? Well, it fills me with hope that God will do the same for me.
I suppose that from that day on, every time Jairus looked at his daughter he was reminded of the great power of God. I hope that as his daughter grew into a young woman and had children of her own that she carried the faith with her. Scripture doesn't tell us what happened afterwards. Wouldn't it be a tragedy to have been healed by Jesus only to later surrender the faith?
have a wonderful day in Christ,
PR
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