CONFRONTATION AND COMPASSION

CONFRONTATION AND COMPASSION

BLOG HOST, 9-29-2010

HOST:  JAY MARTIN

Matthew 23:23-39

Today, I just wanted to provide my notes from my quiet time reading this passage.  Jesus’ words are so powerful and transformative, if we will allow Him to confront our sin, and the areas where we have not surrendered to Him!  We see our recklessly abandoned Lord confronting the religious leaders strongly, and then, becoming tenderly disposed to them and every inhabitant of Jerusalem.  Jesus confronts our sin, and has compassion on us, all at the same time.

²³"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. ²⁴You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

Here, Jesus compares the ritualistic holiness from keeping technical portions of the law, which are easy to see and regulate, such as whether tithing on grown spices is occurring, but over-looking the hallmark principles of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness.  How could one count themselves as holy because they dropped a peppermint in the offering, and oppress the poor?  Yet, that was what Jesus was pointing out was being done by the religious leaders.  They worry about a tiny bug like a gnat, straining it out to make sure they didn’t swallow or ingest it in some way.  Yet, while doing this, they swallow a camel.  They have lost touch with the spirit behind the law.

 ²⁵"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

Jesus begins two points of confrontation with the religious leaders.  He calls them out for external holiness and internal darkness.  Inside, they were full of greed and self-indulgence.  Jesus tells them to repent, from the inside out.

²⁷"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. ²⁸In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

In this second confrontation, Jesus compares the external righteousness of the religious leaders to that of whitewashed tombs.  They look beautiful, but regardless how good they look on the outside, inside they are full of dead men’s bones, and unclean things.  This is a major indictment on the religious leaders.  They look good, but inside, they are not righteous at all.  Instead, they are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.  Jesus pulls no punches in taking on the religious leaders.

²⁹"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. ³⁰And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' ³¹So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. ³²Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers!

What a paradox.  The religious leaders built monuments to the prophets, who indicted the religious leaders of their day in the way that Jesus was indicting them.  They would never dream that they would do what their forefathers did, and yet they were getting ready to not just kill a prophet, but the Messiah Himself.  Jesus says they will fill up the full measure of the sin of their forefathers.  The sins of their forefathers still lacked a little room in the glass of murder and rebellion.  Yet, after pouring in their murder of Jesus, the cup would be full.

³³"You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?

Jesus calls the religious leaders snakes.  I think back to the Garden of Eden—the snake is the one who caused Eve to eat, tempting her.  The religious leaders are also causing people to eat of the forbidden fruit of disobedience.  Jesus cries out—how will they escape hell?  This was a serious matter.  I believe Jesus is so confrontational for three reasons:  1. Those listening needed to hear God’s real heart about worshipping Him since the religious leaders were not presenting it; 2. Jesus knew that He was recklessly abandoned to God’s purpose, and after this confrontation, they would move to fulfill prophecy; and 3. Some of the religious leaders might yet repent.  Jesus is like a surgeon who is radically removing a tumor.  The tumor here is sin, and Jesus makes no apologies for presenting the truth clearly to the religious leaders.  It is only through confrontation that they can escape hell.

 ³⁴Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. ³⁵And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. ³⁶I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation.

Jesus finishes confronting the religious leaders by pointing out the sins of their forefathers and their sin, as well.  In crucifying Jesus, they would become guilty of the righteous blood of every other martyr  killed by their forefathers.  They will continue the trend, but this time, they are killing God the Son.  Imagine that.  God sent Jesus to confront their sin, and instead of repenting, they kill God.  This is amazing to me, and I have never thought about it on these terms.  But they had to make no mistake, the truth had been explicitly made clear to them.

³⁷"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. ³⁸Look, your house is left to you desolate. ³⁹For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'^[d]"

At the end of the confrontation, we see Jesus with a broken heart.  He is crying over Jerusalem—He is crying over every lost Jewish soul residing in the city.  I believe after these strong words, He is also crying over the unrepentant hearts of the religious leaders.  We see the tender side of Jesus after the confrontational side.  It is God’s desire to gather His chosen people close to Him in intimacy, and yet, they refused to be gathered.  Because of that, their house would be left desolate.  Jesus came to Jerusalem—God Himself visited them, and they missed their visitation.  Jesus would not return until the Triumphant Entry, and then He would be crucified at their hands.

How do we handle Jesus?  We all have tendencies like the religious leaders.  It is easier to kill the work of Jesus in our lives than to radically repent, and be transparent.  My prayer is to be authentic—for Jesus to live vibrantly in my life, for the Holy Spirit to reside without measure.  We have to kill that tendency of ours to be like the religious leaders—we have to crucify our flesh daily, as Paul said.

How do feel about Christ?

Matthew 22:18-45

I love watching how Jesus handles confrontation…..maybe because he handles it so well and I so poorly.  This passage is mostly made up of Jesus being tried and his responses to it.  It is here where Jesus said the 3 verses that we all know and learned in our “Ten for Life”:  "³⁷Jesus replied:  'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'^{[b] 38}This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"  I love this scripture, but it’s not what I am going to focus on.

Jesus asked a simple question in this passage that, for some reason, burned in my mind.  As the Pharisees were harassing Him, He asked them ⁴²"What do you think about the Christ^[d]? Whose son is he?"  He didn’t ask them this because He was having an identity crisis.  He was trying to make a point.  But it made me ask the question, “What do I think of Christ?”  And I may be taking this completely out of context, but this is what this question means to me.  I know that ‘who Jesus is to me’ doesn’t change His identity.  No matter what we think about Jesus, He, and all His perfect attributes remain unchanged.  But what do we really think of Him? 

I think we are asked this question every day….maybe not verbally, but through challenges we are faced with, people we interact with, and just life.  I think “How we feel about Christ” is mirrored by our actions, our words, and our attitude.  And again, I may be digressing from the actual lesson of this passage, but this is what was sparked in me.

I challenge us to ask ourselves to “What do we think of Christ”.  Of course He is Jesus, Son of God, our Savior.  But really dive into who He is and what He has done for you.  So when people see us live our lives, or maybe when we are asked, there is no question about “What we think of Christ".
-Dustin

Gettin All Dressed Up

Matthew 22:2-14
Every time I read a parable like this I want to go back in time and slap some Jewish people in the back of the head and say "HELLO, HE'S TALKING ABOUT YOU!!" Of course, hindsight is 20/20, and I shouldn't judge them like that. Here's how I see it. God is the King (indeed, He is!), and Jesus is the Son. The initial guests are God's chosen people, the nation of Isreal. They don't see Jesus for who he is, God gets mad, and punishes His people (a quick look at history shows this to still be true today).  Luckily for us (and I think this still would have happened anyway), God invites EVERYONE ELSE to the wedding feast. We just have to be wearing the right clothes. He's talking about the blood of His son Jesus. Without it, we, like the man not dressed in wedding clothes, will be thrown outside in the darkness, which is Hell.

Overall, the story is great news for the rest of the world. We can ALL come to the party in Heaven. And its our job to invite them. The only requirement is being "dressed" in the blood of the Lamb. Then we can stay at the banquet for eternity!

Ray Bob

Matthew 21:27-42

I look at the parable between the repentant son and the unrepentant son from a mother’s eyes.  If I had asked my children to do a certain task and one’s reaction was eventually obedient and the other’s reaction was to just dismiss me, I believe I would be displeased more with the one who dismissed me.  

Even though repentant child disobeyed at first, he eventually wised up and did what he knew was right.

As I frequently say in my house, it’s a “heart issue”.  If we deep down know what is right and eventually do it anyway, it’s better than not doing anything at all.  In life there are always choices we have to make.  Will we obey or not?  

Another thing my children often hear me say "You know better than that!"  What do we need to change so God doesn't say "You know better than that!"

Krista

“It’s mine! You can’t have it!”

Blog Host: Steve Flores
Scripture: Matthew 21:1-11

Reading Matthew 21:1-11 has always made me feel a little uncomfortable. Imagine this happening in modern day. Here’s the scenario: A nervous stranger is seen out of the window of your home hot-wiring (Such a strange term. I always think of a guy with a hot glue gun being crafty under the hood of a vehicle) your car. You walk outside and say, “Hey! What are you doing?!”

He responds, slightly trembling, “The Lord told me to get this car and bring it back to him. He needs it. But, he said you would understand and let me have it…”

What do you say to that?! My first response, call Larry Mickel (officer who attends our church) to assess (arrest somebody!) the situation.

A couple quick observations:
1. Jesus told his disciples to do something outrageous, extreme, audacious, and completely uncomfortable. I don’t believe the point of this story is about “stealing for Jesus,” but about obeying Jesus – even when it makes us uncomfortable. So, what are you refusing to do that you feel He has asked you to do, yet are uncomfortable doing?

2. The owner of the donkey (in scripture) let the disciples borrow it. Are we sensitive enough to know when Jesus is requiring our stuff? Will you give it or doubt and exclaim, “It’s mine! You can’t have it!”

WILL YOU WORK OR WILL YOU COMPLAIN?

WILL YOU WORK OR WILL YOU COMPLAIN?

BLOG HOST, 9-23-2010
HOST: MONTEZ PORTER
Matthew20


Look at the title that i have put on this posting. This is a very unique title and really says a lot about the passage that we're reading today. This passage really makes you think. In the story that was told, the man had hired a lot of people to work in his vine yard. Now think about what we as Christians do on a everyday bases. We are hired by God to work in His Vineyard. We are His workers that helps keep the news spreading. The men agreed to be paid a denarius. As time progressed, it was the eleventh hour and he seen that it was another group of people that didn't agree to be paid anything. The man asked them "'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?'" They said "Because no one has hired us. The generous owner " said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.' This a very generous man. 8"When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.' 9"The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.' 13"But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? 14Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?' 16"So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

What i'm trying to say is. think real hard about this passage. If you break it down, you will realized that we're the workers and the generous man is God. When we agree to something, we have to stick with it. As Christians, we agree that we will serve no one but God and will no turn on him no matter what. Yes we go through a lot of things but we have to trust that God will see us through everything everyday in every way possible.

Do we really want more of God?

DO WE REALLY WANT MORE OF GOD?

BLOG HOST, 9-22-2010

HOST:  JAY MARTIN

Matthew 19

            I like to believe that I want to be in the center of God’s will for my life.  I like to tell myself that while I am not perfect, I am a pretty good follower of Jesus Christ.  Then, I am confronted with the reality of the cost of discipleship, and I am not even sure I am that great of a Christian.  I remember getting saved—I was thirteen years old.  I remember getting baptized in water and in the Holy Spirit—I was nineteen.  I remember accepting the call to ministry—at twenty-one, I said yes to this bi-vocational, and sometimes difficult duality of being an attorney and a minister.  I remember saying yes to the specific assignment of inner-city ministry.  I said yes twelve years ago, and I still say yes today. 

            But the call is to give everything.  Have I ever given everything?  Have I ever had the abandon to really want more of God?  Am I the rich young ruler?  Are you?  Do we have some of the same characteristics?

            In today’s reading, Matthew 19, we are introduced to a would-be disciple, this rich young ruler, who seeks Jesus out.  I think he has faith, I think he is probably a pretty good Jew—he is keeping the “be good to each other” requirements of the Ten Commandments.  He is hopeful—I believe he even thinks he wants more of God.  Yet, what he believes will be an amazing meeting with Jesus, this amazing One who many believed was the Messiah who was to come, left him crest-fallen and deflated.  Jesus sets the cost high—everything.  He had to sell everything and give it to the poor before he could come follow God’s perfect will for his life. 

            What would we do?  What do I do?  I think I’m generous.  I think I care.  I think I am laying up treasure in heaven, and yet here are these amazingly hard, and even harsh words of Jesus to a young man who seems to have been living pretty good.

            Are His words any less hard to us today?  Do we still have to make this kind of commitment to be Jesus’ disciple?  Was this just because Jesus was trying to get to the heart of some issue with this one particular person?  Can I blame this confrontation on some facts about this young man that I just don’t have?  All we know is that he was rich, he was young, and he kept some commandments according to him.  That’s all.

            What if we were the rich young ruler?  Would we have been a follower?  Would things have been different for us?

            What if that is still the price of discipleship today?  What if getting closer to God means selling everything and giving it to the poor?  Do I really want more of God?  Are Jesus’ words really for us today?  Do we really want more of God?  

            Is there anything, whether money or the lack thereof, or some other thing keeping us from full devotion to Jesus?  We can deal with it or . . . .“And he went away sad, because he had great possessions.”

           

           

Put On The Gloves...or not

I've never really been in a fight before, a physical fight that is.  There was that one time at school when this guy had some completely wrong information, and thought i said stuff about him that i didn't.  Anyway, he came up to me after school and hit me in the mouth with 3 quick jabs.  It honestly didn't hurt, but i was in total shock.  That had never happen before, and i didn't know how to react, so i just stood there motionless.

What's funny is i think that made him even more mad that i didn't do anything back (again, not because i was doing the right thing, but because i was in shock).  He cocked his fist back to hit me again, but one of the school coaches grabbed his arm and brought him to the principal's office.  I thought nothing of it, got on my bus, and went home.  Well, the next day i got called into the principal's office and i got paddled because i was involved in a fight!!!!!!  Can you believe that mess????  I was completely innocent...seriously!  This happened in Jr. High and it was a pretty "Jr. High" way to handle conflict.

Jesus' words were very strong on this topic.  I'm so glad it's one of our Core Values at First Assembly.  As followers of Christ, we must handle conflict biblically.  Jesus gives us the blueprint to doing this in Matthew 18: 15-17.  The world is watching us, and if we don't model this for them to follow, we're going to have more people getting punch in the face for no reason (-:

Have you ever been in a situation where you didn't handle conflict biblically?  How did you feel once you realized you were in the wrong?  

Of course Matthew follows these verses with one of Jesus' parables on forgiveness.  How appropriate (-:
Handling conflict biblically and forgiveness goes hand and hand.  Do you think there is ever a time when we shouldn't forgive or handle conflict in a way other than what Jesus describes in this passage?

-Gary

Matthew 18.2-14

Matthew 18.2-14

Sometimes I don’t think we realize the gravity of our words and actions and the impact they can have on those watching.  Jesus put a heavy weight on the words and actions of His apostles, and uses a strong and straight-forward example to explain their significance:  ⁶ “But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”  Jesus really knew how to sugarcoat things, huh?  It’s a huge responsibility we inherit when we become Christ-followers.  So next time we’re at Metro or anywhere were we have an influence on others (everywhere), we should just visualize ourselves with a big rock tied around our neck, sinking to the bottom of the ocean…..hey that’s what Jesus said, not me!

Jesus continues with more powerful words about our sin, and how we should discard or destroy anything that gets between us and righteousness, even if that means losing an eye.  But this passage ends with Jesus telling us how important we are to Him and how excited He is when one of his children comes back to Him.

Jesus, give me the strength and wisdom to stay pure and righteous in Your sight, so that You will be pleased by my words and actions, and that not one person will stumble because of me, but instead will find You, fall in love with You and become a life-long follower of You.  Thanks for loving me even when I stumble, and celebrating when I come back. 

- Dustin

Blog Host: Ray Bob Harrison
Passage: Matthew Chapter 17
9-19-10


Have you ever wondered why (and this happened several times) Jesus would tell some disciples not to speak about something that had happened until after his death. I'm just thinking some of this cool stuff, like getting transfigured, would have a MAJOR effect on some unbelievers. I really don't have an answer for that...I'm just thinking out loud.

The second part of the chapter made me scratch my head, too. Now, I like to think that I at least have a LITTLE faith. And I've seen a mustard seed...they're pretty small. Jesus tells me that if I have faith as small as a mustard seed, I can move mountains. I know I'm not literally trying to move mountains. But there's stuff I've prayed for in my life and it hasn't happened yet. Does that mean I don't have any faith? I used to have alot of problems with that. As I've gotten older and read more of God's word, I've tried to see more of God's timing. Just because I haven't seen what I prayed for yet, doesn't mean God won't answer the prayer. He waits for His PERFECT time, when answering the prayer will have maximum impact on anyone around that doesn't know Jesus. And that gives me peace, because it's more than worth it to see answered prayers bring people to Christ.

I love the last section of this chapter. I think its awesome to catch fish anyway, but fish with money in their mouth?? That would be too cool. It looks to me like Peter didn't have any money to pay the temple tax. Jesus (by way of a fish) pays the tax for both of them. And he does that for us. He made way for us when we couldn't pay the price.

Jesus, thank you for paying the price for me, and for everyone else. We love you for all that you do. Help us to keep our eyes on you.

Matthew 16: 2-28

I can't take full credit for what I am about to post.  I read commentary on this and thought it was better than what I could have written. 

It is not enough to confess that Jesus is Messiah, if we do not understand that his messiahship involves suffering and death And if Jesus' mission involves the cross, those who would follow him must embrace the same price.

"Taking up one's cross" hardly meant simply putting up with an annoying roommate or having to live with ingrown toenails. It meant marching on the way to one's execution, shamefully carrying the heavy horizontal beam of one's own death-instrument through a mob.

Although genuine Christians may fall short on their commitment at times, those who wish to follow Christ should understand from the start that they are surrendering their lives to Christ. Those who do not acknowledge Jesus as Lord-as having the right to demand of them anything, including their lives-have yet to be truly converted. Today Christians continue to debate the character of the gospel: to be saved, does one need to accept Christ as Lord or only as Savior? Jesus came to save us from our sin, and accepting him must include recognizing his right to rule our lives. This does not imply that Christians are perfect; it does indicate that they recognize who their Lord is.  Yet the only way to ultimately preserve one's life is to relinquish it in faith.

In the end God will reward us for what we have done, and eternal life matters more than our temporary lives in this age.

Krista

Under the Hood

Blog Host: Steve Flores

Scripture: Matthew 15:3-34

I love this passage.  We learn about how nit-picky the Pharisees were when the disciples didn’t wash their hands before dinner.  Doesn’t that seem silly?  It’s almost like the Pharisees were looking for something to gripe and complain about!  Who wants to be around a griper and complainer? 

Jesus went deeper, as He always does, to respond to their question.  Jesus uses a very familiar term when addressing the “religious,” and calls them a bunch of hypocrites.  Washing hands before a meal was a tradition and a way to keep clean, better term, pure.  Jesus got pretty graphic in verse 17 to better illustrate to his disciples, paraphrasing, “Listen, whatever you eat gets digested in your stomach and then you…(you get the idea).”  So, being pure isn’t about making yourself look pure.  The Pharisees got the purity look down, but they were far from being pure.

How about you?  Are you window-dressing purity, but inside the store (your heart/mind) tells a different story?  It’s kind of like old rust-colored, black smoke spitting, unreliable starting, run-down cars, with BIG nice shiny chrome rims boomin’ down the street.  You want to say, “Come on! You spent money on the wrong thing! You need to spend more time and money on the engine than the rims and stereo system.”  Is the inside of you your biggest obstacle to purity, while the outside raises hands in worship, quotes Bible scripture and puts on a show worth an Oscar?  If so, Jesus has a word for that (check verse 7).

S

THE SINKING BELIEVER

THE SINKING BELIEVER 

BLOG HOST, 9-16-2010

HOST:  MONTEZ PORTER

Matthew 14  

When we think about trust we think about faith.  When we think about God's love, we think about grace.  In this passage that we read today, we see Peter.  In life, we are Peter.  The faith that we have determines how life will be for us.  I have a friend that has a financial crises.  He thought that he was on his on and thought God didn't hear him.  When i talked to him, i told him this story.  He thought it was funny until he started to sink like Peter did.  It took him a while but he started to see it my way and started praying.  He started talking more and more to Jesus and just like Jesus did Peter, he reached in and caught him by the hand and pulled him out of his troubles.

What am i trying to say?  Yes my friend is still going through his financial problems but he has a new job that pays him way more than what he was getting paid at first.  Listen to what happened that led to a power question from Jesus. ²⁸"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."²⁹"Come," he said.  Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"³¹Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" 

I want to ask all my fellow followers a question, Why do we doubt the Lord sometimes when we know that no matter what we are going through and no matter what we have he can provide for us?

Motorcycles, Ministry and the Magnificent

MOTORCYCLES, MINISTRY & THE MAGNIFICENT

BLOG HOST, 9-15-2010

HOST:  JAY MARTIN

Matthew 13

            Do you remember growing up and getting that one special present that meant the world to you?  For me, it was a red Honda XR100 motorcycle.  I was pretty young, and the motor in my little Honda 50 motorbike literally fell out of the motorcycle.  I knew my mom didn’t have a lot of money, so on that special Christmas, I didn’t expect anything as wonderful as this brand new motorcycle.  But on Christmas morning, a big delivery truck rolled up to our house, and out rolled the shiny red motorcycle.  The joy I felt, the love for my mother, and excitement has never been matched by any present since.  I still have that little motorcycle today, and it was a great gift.

            Too many times in our society, though, we find significance by the things we own.  While the motorcycle was precious to me and I still own it, it is still just a motorcycle.  Unfortunately too many times, our self-worth is tied up in what we own.  We live lives that are somewhat upside down.

In today’s reading, Jesus tells several parables about the Kingdom of Heaven.  Let’s look at verses 44-46:  "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”

Jesus says that God’s Kingdom is like a hidden treasure, that once discovered for the value it truly is, one must sell all to gain it.  It is precious, rare and worth everything we have.  It is certainly more valuable than material possessions.

It is interesting that sometimes it is good things that compete with making God’s Kingdom and our relationship with Jesus Christ most important.  For some it is family, and for others even ministry.

When the Metro ministry was beginning, one of the encouraging scriptures I read was this:  verses 31-33:  ^“He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."

                I remember what an encouragement to me these parables were, as I realized that God’s kingdom always starts small, yet grows stronger and stronger.  My job was not to be discouraged as we took one step forward and two steps back at Metro in those early days.  Instead, I must be faithful.  Jesus was taking my seemingly insignificant and small efforts and doing what only He can do—the unseen blessing of growth that seeds and yeast represent and depict so well.  When the mustard seed grows up, it is no longer insignificant, but becomes a great tree, where the birds can rest in its branches.  I was convinced—if I would be faithful, some day a ministry would flourish where children could come and find rest, blessing and destiny.  I am thankful today children come every week and find their destiny through ROCK Kids’ Ministry.  Students come every week and are challenged to become lifelong followers of Jesus Christ through Revolution Student Ministry.

            So, no matter how insignificant the ministry you are doing may seem, there is power in small acts of service when coupled with the miracle-working power of God.  Pretty cool, huh?

            And yet, ministry, as important as it is, can never replace selling all for the one pearl of great price.  That ONE thing is not something insignificant like a motorcycle, or something significant like ministry—instead it is the magnificence of an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.  He is the pearl of great price—the One for whom we sell all and follow.  He is the One for whom we hunger, and the only one who can satisfy.

            One day, as Jesus instructs through other parables, the only thing that will matter is whether we “sold” everything to make Jesus first priority.  Some day, there will be a sorting of those who decide for Jesus, and those who reject Him.  But for today, I cannot imagine a life focused on anything else other than Jesus.  He is our significance.

            Jesus’ words are radical.  He expects reckless abandon—yet the person who found the pearl of great price had joy in selling everything.  I pray that I will never under-value what is truly precious.  If we see Jesus as He truly is, hoarding our worthless stuff will seem like such a waste. What is it that you need to hold on to more lightly to abandon completely to Jesus?

Matthew 12.3-8, 11-13, 25-37

In this passage, Jesus goes from making some Pharisees look a fool with just a few words, to casting out demons and healing the sick, back to making some Pharisees look a fool. Jesus talks about doing works on the Sabbath. He teaches about the connection between our heart and the fruits we produce. And also, he talks about how we all have to give an account for the words we say. But, one of the things that stood of to me in this passage is confrontation. I love reading how Jesus handles confrontation, and it seems that everywhere he went he ran into it. When the Pharisees harassed Jesus, he would respond with the “Law”. He was so full of the Truth, that when His bucket was kicked, Truth is what came out….I would have probably just slapped a Pharisee. It makes me ask myself, “What am I full of, and when my bucket is kicked what’s going to come out?”  What do you guys think???



Jesus, I want to be so full of You, that You overflow into every situation that I face. That when my world is rocked, your truth is the only thing people see!

-Dustin

Rest

Blog Host: Ray Bob Harrison
Matthew 11:4-30

"Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!" "And you, Capernaum..."
I have to say I've skimmed this passage passage before. I knew they were old cities and that they had messed up and were in trouble. I never slowed down to see why. "If the miracles that were performed in you had been perfromed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgement than for you." (23,24)
WHOA! If Sodom was destroyed by fire from the sky, then how much worse was it for those guys? They saw the power and miracles of Jesus, and still didn't repent!

Yesterday, we dug up three pods of pompous grass from our yard. Three pods, and it took about five hours. I haven't been that tired in a long time! Being out in the world can be exhausting too. Luckily, most of the people I work with are Christians. I wasn't so lucky in my last job. And I have to say, at times it was spiritually exhausting. Jesus said "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (28) I had to stand on that promise alot in those three years. I'm glad to know that our Savior gives us rest, and helps us to make it through each day!

Tough Times

In this passage Jesus is telling his disciples that times are about to get rough for them. He is warning them that they need to be strong in standing up for what they believe in.


I think of the girl named Cassie in the Columbine tragedy. When the gunmen saw her they asked her “Are you a Christian?” She replies yes and they shot her. What would you do with a gun pointing at you? The sad thing is they probably would have shot her anyway, but thankfully she answered honestly. Can you imagine her eternity if she had answered no?

We don’t need to be content with this life, but love Him more than life and stand up for what we believe in. If we are labeled as “radical”, so what.

God, thank you so much that you love me enough that you know every hair on my head. I want to love You more and love this world less.

Krista Dudte

Following Jesus - More Difficult than You Think

Blog Host: Steve Flores
Matthew 10:5-23

Growing up I've heard the following, "Jesus makes life easier" - more blessing, prosperous (money), doors fling open (opportunity), and only good things happen.  Today's Bible reading slams that theology to the ground!  Here's the final verse of that reading:

"When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next..."

Is that right?  It says, "when" not "if".  Pretty sobering isn't it?  "When" persecute you, don't give up, but go to the next town, and the next town, and the next town, and so on.  Until we discover Jesus' worth, we'll always hold back.  When we discover He's worth it, we'll give it all...even in persecution.

THE LOVE OF JESUS

BLOG HOST, 9-9-2010


HOST: MONTEZ PORTER

Matthew 9

As Christians, we have the understanding that through Jesus stripes, we are healed. However, even before Jesus died for us, he showed many different ways of grace and blessing to others. For instance, Jesus saw Matthew a tax collector. These people were one of the most highly hated people of the bible time. Did Jesus look over him because of that? No, he did not. This is what happened 9As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. Another instance was when he brought the dead back to life.  22Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment. 24he said, "Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep." But they laughed at him. 28When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" "Yes, Lord," they replied. 29Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; 30and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, "See that no one knows about this."

Jesus showed us his love when he came and died for us, his grace when he forgives us for all the sin we commit in this lifetime now and his blessings when he provide for our need when we call upon him. This passage was built around faith trust and belief. If we cannot get our self to realize that Jesus is all we need, than we need to speak more openly and freely to get to know who he is not just a Savior but as a friend as well.

Power and Purpose

POWER AND PURPOSE

BLOG HOST, 9-8-2010
HOST: JAY MARTIN
Matthew 8

Is it part of the Lord’s purpose to heal people today? Is it His purpose for people who are locked out of society to be restored? Is it His plan to speak words of healing and to calm storms today? Is it still His purpose to have people consider the cost of discipleship and follow Him? As Jesus’ disciples, I believe it is not only His purpose to continue doing the things we read about in the book of Matthew, but to give His modern day disciples the power to accomplish His purposes.

Recently, I got to share in a service covering the whole book of Matthew in a 35 minute Wednesday Night service. Because I can speed-talk, I was able to get through my outline in 40 minutes. I got to share on some of the building-blocks of our spiritual house being built on Jesus’ Words. One of those blocks was “Power and Purpose.”

I enjoyed sharing this idea—we get God’s power to accomplish God’s purpose. Here’s the formula—my power + my purpose = a life devoid of meaning; my power + God’s purpose = burn-out; God’s power + my purpose = blasphemy (see the life of Samson as an example); but God’s power + God’s purpose = our destiny in Christ.

We see power and purpose on display in our reading for today. Matthew 8 presents four snapshots of Jesus in action: responding to two people with needs, a conversation with two would-be follower, and challenging His disciples.

First, I love Jesus’ response to the leper. While others ran the other way when seeing a leper coming, Jesus walked right up to the diseased man. Jesus didn’t only walk up to him, listen to him, and speak to him, Jesus did the unthinkable—Jesus touched the leper. According to Old Testament regulations, Jesus became unclean when He touched the leper. Yet, Jesus never minded getting unclean—getting down to the level of need. Soon, we will read how He is criticized for hanging out with sinners, yet Jesus was sent to those in need. After confirming his humanity and personhood by acknowledging, touching and healing Him, Jesus then sent Him to church. He was healed, now He could be declared healed and restored to his community. Jesus was empowered to heal lepers, and declare the purpose of God that even a leper could receive physical healing and restoration.

Second, Jesus is confronted by a high-ranking Roman soldier who had a servant in need of being healed. The fact that a Roman official came to Jesus means that word of Jesus’ miracle-working power was getting out. Here, Jesus embraces the official, and listens to him intently. As a soldier, the man understood authority, and in faith, He reaches out to the Lord who outranks the devil and sickness. If Jesus gives the order, he says, the sickness will obey the order, and leave his servant’s body. That did not require Jesus to come to his house—he was a sinful man, and not worthy to have Jesus come. Yet, Jesus said that in all of Israel, He had never seen the faith of this sinful, Gentile Roman. What a statement. So, Jesus sends the order, and the servant is healed. Here, a guy who one would think unlikely to get it, gets it—power and purpose.

Third, Jesus is also confronted by two would-be followers. One wants to come follow Jesus, and Jesus says that basically He is homeless, and to follow Jesus means there won’t be any pillows to lay ones head on, or any Inns to sleep in. Jesus chose a simple lifestyle to preach God’s word and heal the sick—identifying with the crowds He was ministering to. Next, a would-be follower comes, and needs to bury his father who had just died. Jesus’ words seem harsh—“Come follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.” This seems brash and not respectful to the would-be follower. Yet, Jesus is pointing out the cost of discipleship once again. Jesus’ words are extreme and urgent—the time to follow is NOW! There is no time to worry about the accommodations or funeral preparations. Either drop your nets, or whatever you were doing, and follow Him immediately. To put off following is a rejection of the invitation to follow. What keeps us from following? Is it something seemingly important? Jesus says the immediate following of Him without regard to the cost is the only acceptable response of disciples. The purpose is to follow—the power will be given!

Fourth, and finally, what about those men who did give up everything to follow? We find them on a boat in a storm, with Jesus asleep. The storm is raging, and many of these disciples are men of the sea. That they are concerned, makes me think this was a bad storm. These guys have also paid the initial price, giving up everything to follow. So, in Matthew’s first address to these guys, other than the Sermon on the Mount, what words of Jesus would he record? Jesus says they have little faith, and should not have been afraid of the storm. Then He calms the storm. Make no mistake—Jesus expects a lot of His followers. In the face of the storm, He expects a faithful resolve! When things are going wrong, He wants to count on His disciples to be the ones rebuking the storm. I believe Jesus was disappointed because one of His disciples didn’t stand up and rebuke the storm. Jesus is modeling expectation here early on in the process. Jesus wants His disciples to take the initiative in being like Him. All of the power and resources of Jehovah God are available to us as Christ-followers. Too often, though, we are bouncing around trying to wake Jesus up to calm the storm, when He is saying—‘You speak to the storm!’ Jesus expects His followers to be like Him.

Could Jesus really expect the disciples to have the power to stand up in the face of the storm? Let’s turn the question to us. Jesus’ purposes continue, although now we act in His absence. So, do we get to be the catalysts in helping end storms? Does He want us to touch our modern day lepers, even if we get dirty or labeled? Does He want us to have the faith to believe for miracles in the lives of our friends and associates? Does He still expect us to drop everything for the sake and urgency of the call to discipleship? This is what I know—He gives us the power to accomplish all of His purposes.

Treasure and Faith

Treasure and Faith
Matthew 6:19-34

We've all probably read this passage a hundred times or more. Jesus talks about storing up treasure in Heaven, then tells us not to worry about the daily things of life.  I think it's easy to see that "treasure" can refer to money or stuff (Jesus says that in v. 24), but I also see time as a treasure.

I don't think any of us realized when we were children just how good we had it. Go to school, maybe do a few chores and some homework, and that was it. If we wanted to play outside, play video games, or just do whatever, we had plenty of time to do it. Think of your lives now. I know mine especially, I leave for work at 7:30 most days and don't get home until 7:30. When I get in, I eat, try to spend a little time with Laura, sleep, and do it all over again. Then on my "off day", there's yard work to do, bills to go pay, some of you have children to pick up and take places...you can see where I am going with this. The older we get (at least, until retirement), it seems the less time we have. I've been really excited the past two weeks for Thursday to be my off day so that I can make it to Metro on those nights. That happens to be a good chunk of my "time", but I'm glad to spend it hanging out with the kids, being a friend to them and sharing Jesus' love with them.

The second half of this passage deals with worry. Now I know the title of my post is treasure and faith. I'll admit, I've had a very, very narrow focus on this part of the passage. Every time I read it, I get stopped at the end of v. 30 where Jesus says "Oh you of little faith".

But Jesus, I'm human! and worry is just human nature, right? The fear of the unknown? Everybody worries!

Flash forwards to Acts 2:45. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
Now, I know it had to have taken an AMAZING amount of faith to do that and know that God would provide for their needs. But I think what we over look is that these guys were with Jesus when he was here on Earth. Of course they have amazing faith! They saw first hand what Jesus is capable of. I don't think they gave clothes or food a second thought. And here's where it really starts hitting me.

I pray a lot for more faith. I think we all do. But let's get things in the right order. The apostles spent years with Jesus, and look at the faith they had. For me at least, this tells me I need to seek God more, and spend more time in His presence. If I know God more, and my faith will increase, so that I can be used by God more.

God, help us to use our resources to store up treasure in Heaven. And help us to seek you more every day, so that we may see you and the works that you do in our lives and in other's lives. And when we see you, increase our faith in you God, so that we may be used by you however you lead us. Amen.

Ray Bob

Jesus' Words Matthew 6:1-18

The reading for today’s blog comes from Matthew 6: 1-18:
In these passages Jesus talks about giving to the needy, praying, and fasting.
Initially I read the scripture in the NIV translation. I then changed the translation to The Message. The Message translation gives such a clear picture of what Jesus was saying. The following are a couple of key verses from the reading:
The World Is Not a Stage

1 "Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won't be applauding.

  Pray with Simplicity

5"And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?

God wants us to love ourselves the way He loves us, and to be secure with the person that He made. When we are secure with the person that He made, we will focus less on pleasing others.

I think when we are focused on pleasing God, we reach out to others just as He does. We can’t reach people effectively when we are trying to please man. If we are pleasing man, we aren’t pleasing God.

Lord, I want to be more like you in everything I do. Please help my main focus be on what You think and how I can please you rather than what others think. Thank you that you truly love me for who I am.

Krista Dudte

Jesus Words’ Bible Study

Blog Host: Steve Flores
September 2, 2010
Scripture: Matthew 5:3-20

Matthew 5:21-40

There are so many HUGE concepts in this passage, way more than I could communicate in a short blog.  So, I’ll cut right to the chase, to give you time to read it.  Jesus cuts deeper and doesn’t just address a dumb law, but the heart of an individual.  In effect, “Don’t just do right, be right.” 

·         Watch your temper

·         Watch your words

·         Guard your mind

·         Check your motives

Lord, help us not just follow a bunch of rules, mindlessly, assuming our heart is drawing closer to You.  Convict us, if we are living our lives with a “do what I say, not what I do,” mentality.  That sort of stuff won’t cut it with You.  We need to follow You with our heart first and allow the actions to follow.  Amen.