Matthew 1-4: Why Was Jesus Baptized?

This has puzzled me many times. Jesus said He needed to be baptized to "fulfill all righteousness" (Matt. 3:15), but what does that mean? He did not have sin which needed to be washed away. He did not need to be buried with Christ (Rom. 6:4) because He WAS Christ. So why did He submit Himself to the baptism of John?

1. To fully submit to the Father's will. John said to Jesus, "I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?" (Matt. 3:14) He recognized this as an act of submission. Jesus submitted Himself before His Father through His baptism.

2. As an initiation ceremony; an anointing. This was the beginning of His main ministry. He was thirty years old, the age when Hebrew men began to gain respect because of their age. Everything was in place for His earthly work. His baptism, accompanied with the Father's voice, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased," (Matt. 3:17) and by the Holy Spirit lighting upon Him in the form of a dove anointed Him as the Son of God and the chosen one for a special work.

3. As an example for His followers. Jesus asks us to do only those things He has already done. He asks for full submission - He fully submitted. He asks for love - He loved to the greatest degree. He asks for baptism - He submitted to baptism.

Let me know if you have some other reasons you can think of for Jesus' baptism.

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: Matthew 5-7

Galatians: The One Gospel

"That's YOUR interpretation..."

"You see it YOUR way, I see it mine."

"Go to the church of YOUR choice."

"There are many roads that lead to heaven."

Have you heard any of these statements before? Each one of these shows a complete misunderstanding of the Lord's message. Galatians is very clear: Jesus came to give us ONE GOSPEL, and there is no other way to get to heaven. In fact, there are many FALSE ways which mislead many. Paul wrote, "I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ" (Gal. 1:6-7). He didn't say, "I'm amazed you are deserting the gospel or the church - he said they were deserting GOD! They distort, obscure, obfuscate the real gospel. It's not a completely new gospel they preach, but a bastardization of the original.

How many false gospels are there now? After 2000 years, men have come up with all kinds of crafty ways to distort the gospel of Christ. It's tough to see the truth sometimes amidst all the traditions of men. Paul said those who preach a different gospel are "to be accursed" (Gal. 1:8-9).

The main false teachers he accused were Jews who were trying to force Gentiles to be circumcised (in keeping with the Old Testament law). Paul had some pretty tough things to say to those Judaizing teachers and those who would follow them:

"You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you...?" (3:1)

"Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" (3:3)

"if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you...You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace." (5:2, 4)

"I wish that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves." (5:12) This is my personal favorite. He could be saying, "They want to circumcise so much - I wish they would circumcise themselves and I hope the knife slips!" Or, perhaps more appropriately, he could be saying, "They are so interested in cutting things off, I wish they would cut themselves off of the group there!" Either way, it's scathing.

I think we'd better stick to the ONE gospel revealed by Christ and His apostles!

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: Matthew 1-4

James: The Rich Serving the Poor

I didn't remember just how much James had to say about the rich and the poor (James 1:9-11, 26-27; 2:1-7, 14-17; 5:1-6). James 1:9-11 leaped out at me today:

9 But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position;
10 and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.
11 For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.

How is a poor man in a high position? And how is a rich man in humiliation? And why should they glory in their positions? As Alice would say, "Curiouser and curiouser."

There are brethren in Zimbabwe who are literally dirt poor. They have no high position...at least on earth. And that's the point. GOD puts them in a high position in His kingdom. God does not distinguish by class, race, sex, or any physical trait. The poor man will sit on a throne as high as any rich man when we enter into eternal life.

Those who minister to the Zimbabwe brethren are rich, at least in comparison. We are rich! And yet, we are to glory in our humiliation. We are to revel in the fact that we are not one bit better than our poor brethren. In fact, God has given us a greater responsibility to serve those brethren, to place ourselves in a lower place. What a great opportunity!

We all will fade away shortly. Let's serve each other while we have the chance.

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: Galatians

2 Corinthians 8-13: Church Cooperation

The PATTERN under Christ's new covenant for local assemblies is autonomy. An "automaton" is a self-operating machine. It contains within itself everything it needs to function. We say something is "automated" when it can do its work by itself. A church is "autonomous" because God has given each assembly what is necessary for it to function properly within itself. God did not set up a system of big churches and little churches (although, if He had, I think money would probably flow from the bigger churches to support the little churches, instead of the opposite systems we see today). Each church, irrespective of size, can and should function independently.

2 Corinthians 8:18-19 is one of the rare occasions (perhaps the only occasion?) where we see a level of church cooperation in a specific task. Brethren in Judea were hungry because of famine, so churches throughout Asia were sending money for their relief. (This is similar to the situation now in Zimbabwe. Many churches and individuals are sending help because of the famine, which affects hundreds of Christians in many areas of that country.) In this verse, we find that the "churches" appointed Titus to carry their money down to Judea.

We can learn each church trusted Titus. What a great vote of confidence that all the churches were comfortable with him as a messenger!

We can learn each church gave money.

We can learn the churches did NOT send money to a "sponsoring church," who then forwarded the money to Judea. No, each church operated independently, though they sent the money through one messenger. The idea of a sponsoring church is not found within the pages of the New Testament.

There is a certain level of church cooperation found in Scripture, but it falls far short of what so many have done today. There was not banding together of groups of churches for some big project. There was no "mother church" which oversaw smaller child churches. There were assemblies, each having their own responsibility to the work God had given.

Do you see that as the pattern?

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: James

2 Corinthians 1-7: Marrying a Non-Christian

We know it's not a SIN to be married to a non-Christian, because Paul gives instruction on that subject in 1 Corinthians 7. But towards the end of the chapter (1 Corinthians 7:39), Paul said widows could remarry - but "only in the Lord." A widow should only marry a Christian. Perhaps 1 Corinthians 7 is concerned with men and women who obey the gospel but their spouses don't. Perhaps they became Christians only AFTER choosing a mate.

A passage in today's reading (2 Corinthians 6:14-15) has been used to say Christians should ONLY marry Christians. Here is the passage:

14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?
15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?

I believe the immediate context of these verses indicate God is calling Christians to come out of the world. We are not to associate ourselves with worldly practices. We are not to run in worldly circles or extend the hand of fellowship to the world in the sense of participating in worldly matters.

So, can that apply to marrying a non-Christian? Think about it: what are we saying when we decide to marry someone who does not hold our faith? WHY are we marrying a non-Christian? Here are a few reasons.

1. He / She is really cute, fun, exciting, and makes me feel good. Isn't this a reason why we end up liking people? But these are external attractions, which may have nothing to do with the heart of the individual.

2. He / She makes a lot of money. Here is a reason based upon financial security. Again, it has nothing to do with the person's heart.

3. He / She has a great heart. A great heart for what? Does the person love other people? Does the person love God? If he or she loved God, don't you think there would be obedience rendered?

And we could list many other reasons...

We TRADE our faith for something else we like. We TRADE Jesus for a cute girl. We TRADE our faith for financial security. We TRADE God's picture of a good heart for our own picture. Is that really worth it? More importantly, is that spiritual thinking or carnal desire?

Of course, we can cite many stories of non-Christians who later became Christians because of their spouse's influence. But I'll bet we can cite many MORE stories of Christians who have fallen away because of unbelieving husbands and wives. Marriage is a big deal. We bind ourselves together FOR LIFE to another person. ONE person will have more influence over our decisions for the rest of our lives. Who should that be? If we are a single Christian, we have the opportunity to make a great decision on a spouse...who shall we choose?

Let me know what YOU think.

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: 2 Corinthians 8-13

1 Corinthians 5-9: To Marry Or Not To Marry

Paul's teachings on marriage in 1 Corinthians 7 may be considered as difficult sometimes, especially to those who would pit Paul's teachings AGAINST the teachings of Jesus (i.e. Matthew 5:31-32; 19:1-9). But Paul does not teach anything different than Jesus had taught, except in encouraging those at the time NOT to marry "in view of the present distress" (1 Cor. 7:26). There would be severe persecution coming against Christians, and Paul encouraged those who were not bound to a husband or wife to stay celibate to limit later heartache. After all, who would want to see a husband, wife, or children tortured and / or killed? But Paul was not COMMANDING celibacy, only encouraging it.

1. Marry if you must (7:1-9). If you are burning with desire, you may need to be married so you can fulfill that desire in the God-given way. Marriage is the ONLY provision God has given for us to have a sexual relationship.

2. Don't divorce a mate (7:10-24). Some might have gotten the impression that Paul wanted them to leave their mate to be in a better position to serve God. Paul said, "the wife should not leave her husband" (7:10). And when Paul said "leave," he meant divorce, because in 7:11 he said if she DOES leave "she must remain unmarried," showing the marriage had been terminated. Paul follows that up with, "and...the husband should not divorce his wife." This is in complete harmony with Jesus' teaching. He shows in 7:12-24 that a wife should not even leave an unbelieving husband. If the husband wants to leave, she can't force him to stay...but she still must remain unmarried.

3. You don't HAVE to marry (7:25-35). Don't feel that God has commanded Christians to marry. In fact, a single man or single woman can serve God in ways a married individual cannot. "One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and his interests are divided" (7:32-33). That doesn't mean a married man cannot serve God effectively, but he cannot serve God in complete freedom because he has a wife (and possibly kids) to think about, too.

4. Marriage is still good (7:36-40). If a man decides to give his daughter away in marriage, that's fine. It's not a sin. Paul is not binding anyone to celibacy, he's only encouraging it as a wise choice. If a widow wants to remarry, more power to her (as long as she marries "only in the Lord," which I think means a Christian man).

Me? I fall into category #1, I'm afraid. I HAD to get married. And I'm glad I did :-) But it's not mandatory.

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: 1 Corinthians 9-12

1 Corinthians 1-4: Do You Care What Others Think About You?

Are you the personality that thrives on what others think about you? When others praise you, does that charge your batteries? When they criticize, does it destroy you?

If you've read the book, The Five Love Languages, you'll know what I mean when I say my main love language is "words of affirmation." When I am praised it means a lot to me. I have to be careful not to be puffed up with pride. But I also must be careful not to fall into depression when I am criticized. Perhaps you know what I mean.

Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 4:3-4 mean a lot to me: "But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord."

1. Paul didn't care how others judged him. "I am rubber, you are glue...words bounce off me and stick on you." Okay, maybe he wouldn't say that, but the background thought is there. Who is another man to judge me? Does any man or woman on the face of this earth have the authority to judge me in my actions? No! They may point things out. They may try to guide me in certain directions. But they are not the final say.

2. Paul didn't even judge himself. Do I have the authority to say, "I'm doing well"? Can I judge myself as a worthy citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven? Paul didn't. I shouldn't.

3. Paul allowed only the Lord to judge him. When God tells me I'm missing the mark, the voice of authority has spoken! If I'm a "words of affirmation" guy, I need to look forward to GOD'S PRAISE and not worry so much about man's. I need to pay special attention to GOD'S CRITICISM, not man's. He judges.

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: 1 Corinthians 5-8

1 & 2 Thessalonians: Working With My Hands

What is a Christian's work? Am I supposed to be out on the street corners shouting at passers-by all the time? Should I be organizing political rallies against the latest moral outrage in the nation? Should I be intentionally causing an uproar in my community to get people to notice my church?

Paul lays it out nicely and succinctly for us in 1 Thessalonians 4:10b-12: "But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quite life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need." Paul told Timothy to instruct them men to pray for all those who are in authority, "so that we may lead a tranquil and quite life in all godliness and dignity" (1 Timothy 2:2).

The Christian is not supposed to be a trouble-maker. I am not commanded to make waves. I am commanded to follow Jesus' example, which might result in some waves, but that's not my intent. My intent is to lead a quiet life.

And I should be working with my hands. I should be doing something to make money. Christians are not leeches. Sometimes a disciple of Christ will fall into some need, and his brethren will help pick up his slack for a little while. The one who eats someone else's bread without paying for it and who does not work hard NOT to be a burden to others is not following the example of Paul and the apostles. Paul said, "If anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either" (2 Thessalonians 3:7-10). That doesn't sound like our society today. People call the church building all the time to ask for help paying rent, their utility bills, food, etc. Their vision of the church is a charity organization. But Paul was very clear about this - you better be working in what you can do!

So all of us who are working today: we are doing exactly what a Christian ought to be doing. Let you lights shine, my friends.

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: 1 Corinthians 1-4

Romans 14-16: Did I Make a Brother Stumble?

What would make a brother stumble today, in the sense Paul discussed in Romans 14? We can easily see the Jews not wanting to eat certain meats, while the Gentiles might throw a barbecue with no violation to their consciences. We can see the Jews observing special days (resting on the Sabbath, celebrating the Passover, etc), while the only special days the Gentiles had were pagan and obviously sinful.

A Gentile could become a stumbling block to the Jew by bringing a big loaf of leavened bread over during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The Gentile might say, "Brother Jew, you know these old customs of your old law are no longer in force. Why don't you dig in to this wonderful loaf with me to prove it." And the Jew might follow suit. There would be nothing sinful about the action...except that the Jew would FEEL like he was forsaking his God. It would bother his conscience, because he has NEVER eaten leavened bread during this special feast in his entire life!

Paul's point to the Gentile is, leave Brother Jew alone! If he has such trouble with this, allow him time to come around. When he purges his house of leaven during the special feast week, he is doing that towards his God. Don't make him stumble; don't make him violate his conscience.

Years ago, I was driving my wife, my brother and sister-in-law, and a Zulu lady from South Africa up to Virginia for a wedding. On the trip, we opened up our Harry Potter book and began reading. Harry Potter is a fantasy book about wizards, giants, flying broomsticks, dragons, and all kinds of weird creatures. It also has some dark elements to it in the fight of evil vs. good. As we were reading the book out loud, it suddenly occurred to me that the Zulu lady may have some real problems with this book! She was raised in a society where there were witch-doctors, praying and sacrificing to ancestors, occult-ish rituals, etc. But we had just plunged right in to this fantasy novel without thinking about her. Was she thinking, "This stuff is really bad. I can't believe my brothers and sisters would read this. Well...maybe it's okay, since these are Christians... I'll just go along with it and not say anything." But maybe it hurt her conscience.

Now I understand there is much controversy over these books. I'd be glad to offer my opinion, if anyone wants to know. But I completely respect the family who decides not to participate in such types of literature. And I need to be careful not to push my own OPINIONS upon my fellow Christians in such a way as to push them to take part in something they would FEEL is wrong. Because if they FEEL it's wrong, it IS wrong to them!

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: 1 & 2 Thessalonians

Romans 6-9: God Chose Gentiles - Jews, Get Over It!

Romans 9 is sometimes taken out of context to "prove" that God chooses individuals for salvation at His whim, regardless of obedience.

God chose Abraham because of his faith (already shown in chapter 4). But not all descendants of Abraham were descendants of promise (9:6). Ishmael, from whose loins came the Muslim people, was not the child of promise - God chose Isaac.

Not all of Isaac's descendants were children of promise, either. God chose Jacob over Esau before they even left their mother's womb. The choice was not based upon righteousness or wickedness (9:11-12).

So, Paul raised the question: Are you going to challenge God's choice on these matters? "No!" the Jew would reply. After all, he was one of the chosen one's, being an Israelite.

But Paul's big point is at the end of the chapter.

Romans 9:22-24
22 What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,
23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory,
24 even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

Paul's point is this: God has now chosen Gentiles to be included in those who "He had prepared beforehand for glory." Jews need to understand this, and get over thinking they are God's ONLY chosen, special people. Likewise, in chapter 11, Paul will tell the Gentiles not to get a big head just because God has cut off some of the Jews and grafted them in.

I better not get the big head, either, like the Pharisee thanking God that he wasn't like that sinner over there. I'm saved only by God's grace. It's not by any power of my own. It's not because I'm special because of who I am. It's because God is special and He saved me!

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: Romans 10-13

Romans 6-9: Where Do You Start Teaching Somebody?

One of the reasons we FREEZE UP and don't ask friends and neighbors to study the Bible is: We don't know where we would start teaching. The problem is, everyone is on a different page. Some don't believe in God. Some believe in the God of the Old Testament, but not in Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit. Some believe in Allah. Some in Buddha. Some believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but they have been taught an incorrect view of what God requires from them. Some are very religious but still lost.

Where do you start?

Paul started with SIN in Romans. Think about that. Gentiles didn't have such a problem with this, because they KNEW they were stinking sinners. They KNEW they had come out of idolatry, fornication, blasphemy, etc. And the Jews nodded their heads smugly. All THEY had to do was step out of Judaism and into Christianity. They didn't have to change Gods. They felt like they didn't have to change a thing. But Paul very carefully set them up in Romans 1-3. He showed how bad the Gentiles were and then dropped the bomb on the Jews in Romans 2:1: "Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things."

He says, "What then? Are we [Jews] better than they [Gentiles]? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin..." (Romans 3:9). And again, "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

The FIRST step in coming to God is realizing there is a moral standard, there are rules set by the Creator, and we have missed the mark! Not only have we sinned, but the consequences of the sin are (1) a complete separation from God, the source of life, and (2) Jesus, God's Son, had to suffer, bleed, and die because of it. I'm sure we could come up with a huge list of consequences if we wanted.

So...thinking about teaching your neighbor? You need to somehow show him that he's a sinner. Don't ram it down his throat as if you are blameless. He needs to know YOU have fallen just as far as he. He needs to know the only material difference between a Christian and an unbeliever is the fact that the Christian has been washed by the blood of Jesus Christ and been forgiven!

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: Romans 6-9

Colossians: 12 Reasons to Adore Christ

The first dictionary meaning of the word "adore" is "to worship as God or as a god." We certainly adore Jesus Christ. If we were to list the reasons, I'm sure we could come up with a bunch. Here's a list Paul gave us in Colossians 1:13-20:

1. He is the KING. God "rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son."

2. He is the REDEEMER. "in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins"

3. He is GOD. "He is the image of the invisible God"

4. He is RULER. "the firstborn over all creation"

5. He is the CREATOR. "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him."

6. He is ETERNAL. "He is before all things."

7. He is the SUSTAINER. "in Him all things hold together"

8. He is HEAD. "He is also head of the body, the church"

9. He is RESURRECTED. "He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead..."

10. He is PREEMINENT. "...so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything"

11. He is the FULLNESS OF GOD. "For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him"

12. He is the PEACEMAKER. "through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven."

We sing the song, "Jesus is all the world to me, my life, my joy, my all..." Amen!

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: Romans 1-5

2 Peter: God Chose Me

Consider the following two pictures about choosing people:

Picture #1: Twelve kids lined up along the fence. Two team captains stood a few paces from them, pondering the possibilities. The first team captain picked a tall boy, a good runner. The second team captain chose a stocky boy, a powerful hitter. An so it went until all twelve had been divided into two teams.

Picture #2: Twelve kids sat in math class. The teacher explained rules, showed examples, and had the children come to the board and work the problems themselves. The kids took tests to prove their competence in the subject. None of the kids made 100% on all the tests. But the teacher was not expecting perfection; he was expecting a certain grade. The teacher said that as long as the student met certain criteria (if they averaged 70% or above on all the coursework) then they would pass the class. At the end of the term, ten kids passed and two failed the class. The teacher had CHOSEN the ten because he had chosen the criteria by which they would pass.

Are either of these pictures accurate in showing how God chooses the citizens for His kingdom?

In the first picture, kids were chosen by a certain criteria, but the criteria may only have been known to the team captains. Perhaps a girl was chosen because she's cute. Perhaps a boy was chosen because the captain felt sorry for him. No one knew the criteria for choosing except the one who was choosing. We might say the choosing was subjective.

In the second picture, kids were chosen to pass or fail based upon a set of criteria which is given before the class ever started. It was an objective choosing. Yes, the teacher chose the criteria, but the students had a responsibility to work hard to pass the course. They didn't have to be perfect, but they had to try. A great part of the student's success was up to the teacher, but a great part of the student's success was also up to the student.

Like any analogy, this will break down eventually, but I believe the Bible gives us the second picture rather than the first. God chose me. How did He choose me? He chose me through His Son, Jesus Christ. Anyone who believes on Him shall be saved. If you are in the Son, you are chosen. If you are not, you're rejected. That's the picture the Bible paints.

2 Peter 1:10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble...

God chose me....and I need to work hard (be diligent) to make sure I stay within the criteria He has set forth.

What do you think?

God bless,
Nathan

1 Peter: What is My Purpose?

I noticed a couple of phrases in 1 Peter today which state what a Christian's purpose in life is:

Purpose #1 - To do what is right and patiently endure suffering.

1 Peter 2:20-21 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps

There is no doubt that we sometimes suffer for doing the right thing. Yesterday a good brother backed into another brother's vehicle at the church building. He did what was right, marched back into the building, explained things, and said he would pay for damages. He could have driven off, but that would not have been right. He chose the path with a little suffering...but the path of the righteous.

Purpose #2 - To bless others and receive a blessing.

1 Peter 3:8-9 To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.

Our purpose is to have these godly qualities in us. These qualities are outward-looking. Through these, we bless others. And God wants us to have these qualities so that He might bless us with eternal life!

Purpose #3 - To live the rest of my life for the will of God.

1 Peter 4:1-2 Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

We have again the concept of suffering in the flesh. When we avoid fleshly lusts, we suffer. Others ridicule us. We miss out on the world's version of "fun." But we just remember the words of Jesus: Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted! We are not living for fleshly gratification; we are living for the will of God.

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: 2 Peter

Mark 10-13: Rejecting the Chief Corner Stone

Jesus told a parable (Mark 12:1-12) about some vine-growers a master left in charge of his vineyard. He was gone for a long time. Then he sent a slave at harvest time to collect what was his. But the vine-growers decided to steal what was their master's. They killed, beat, and wounded many of his slaves (the prophets). Finally the master sent his son thinking they would surely listen to him, a man of real authority over the property. But the demented vine-growers killed the son thinking they would gain his inheritance.

Jesus' punch line is a summary statement and a quotation from Psalm 118:22-23:

"What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vine-growers, and will give the vineyard to others. Have you not even read this Scripture: 'THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone; THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD, AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES'?" (Mark 12:9-11)

Jesus spoke of Himself as the chief corner stone.

Those who rejected Him were the very ones to whom He spoke: the chief priests, scribes, and elders (11:27). "They understood that He spoke the parable against them" (12:12).

The "others" who would receive the vineyard are commonly thought to be the Gentiles. I have taught this many times. But today I was thinking: could this also include the "common" people among the Jews? The leaders constantly rejected Christ, but the sinners, tax collectors, and the poor were those who listened to Him. Is this a case where the religious elite, swollen with pride, are rejected while the poor and downtrodden are accepted because of their faith?

Jew or Gentile, we can accept Christ and be accepted BY Christ into His marvelous kingdom! Let us not reject the chief corner stone. It matters not that the rich and powerful run farther and farther from God and His Son. We can still draw near.

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: Mark 14-16

Mark 7-9: An Incomplete Miracle?

When Jesus healed someone, He always healed them completely. Or did He? In Mark 8:22-26 Jesus healed a blind man by making mud with His spit and putting the mud on the man's eyes. But he was healed in two stages. The first time Jesus asked, "Do you see anything?" This was unusual. Usually the healed went away rejoicing. It's almost as if Jesus EXPECTED this man to still be partially blind.

The man could see things, but they were fuzzy: "I see men, for I see them like trees, walking around." So Jesus laid hands on him again to completely restore his sight.

Why did Jesus heal this man in two stages? It was not because Jesus lacked the power or made a mistake. Jesus COULD have healed the man instantly if He wanted to. Jesus did this as a lesson. But what lesson?

Does anyone have any ideas? HINT: look at the previous few encounter with His disciples. Let me know what you think.

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: Mark 10-13

Hebrews: Jesus is Better

I have been challenged by a good sister to brevity...we'll see how it goes :-)


Hebrews...I can say nothing but "Wow!"

I don't know who wrote Hebrews, but it is obviously a word from God. The language is consistent with Scriptural writing. The thoughts are concise and correct. There is a super-natural power to the words, unlike a message written by man. The book has almost always been included in lists of inspired works since the first century (we call it the "canon"). So there is no doubt in my mind the book came from God.

The theme: JESUS IS BETTER!

• Jesus is better than Angels - A better Messenger (Hebrews 1-2)
• Jesus is better than Moses - A better Apostle (Hebrews 3:1-4:13)
• Jesus is better than Aaron - A better High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-7:28)
• Jesus brought a better Covenant - A better Sacrifice (Hebrews 8-10)
• Jesus brought better Promises - A better Hope (Hebrews 11-12)
• Conclusion: Our Response of Faith (Hebrews 13)

Jesus is better. Period. I don't care to what or to whom you compare Him, He outshines all.

At the end of the book, we read, "For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. So let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come" (Hebrews 13:11-14). Here is a call to come out of Jerusalem. The Hebrew men and women who read this letter were to leave behind the Law of Moses and look forward to the city built above - Heaven. Wow! Here is a call to go outside the walls of Jerusalem (the confines of Israelite custom and law) to be with Jesus, who is just plain better.

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: Mark 1-3

Philippians: Trash Day

Today is trash day. I go around the house consolidating the various trash bins into a single trash bag. I take the bag out to the street and leave it for the workers who I pay to pick it up every week. Everything in the trash bag is completely meaningless to me. I can't even tell you what's in it, really. It's rubbish, and it's disgusting. I want it out of my house and out of my life.

"I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ..." (Philippians 3:8).

Paul compared "all things" in his life against the "value of knowing Christ." As he weighed these two things, he realized that EVERYTHING in his life was expendable next to his relationship to the Lord. If he put "all things" in his life (his earthly relationships, his money, his knowledge, his experiences) on side 1 of a scale and his relationship with Christ on side 2, side 2 would drop like a rock flinging all the contents of side 1 off the scale! There's no comparison.

What kinds of things should we count as rubbish? Certainly past sinful activities. We obviously need to trash the old man of sin. But what about past achievements? What about the "good" things we've done? I have worked hard for the Lord. I have studied hard at school. I have earned awards at work. I have become a deacon or an elder or a teacher. I am recognized in the world and in the church as a person of integrity. Aren't these wonderful things? Shouldn't I hold on to these things? Paul would say "no." Paul said, "I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and reaching froward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14). Paul had done much good and evil in his past. He's content to forget the past in the sense that he doesn't hold on to those things. He constantly looks to the future. Every day was trash day for Paul. He continually unloaded the baggage of his life. He could run faster and farther without all that rubbish, and when he reached his goal I'm convinced he never thought again about all the rubbish he left behind on earth!

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: Hebrews 1-6