Same with God, during Moses’ time, God was very specific on His commandments how to offer sacrifices. The burnt offerings are made to give thanks, to ask forgiveness and other intentions or purposes. When they offer animal sacrifices, they have to make sure it is young and with no defect. The priest will present the offering to God. The odor of the burnt offering was pleasing to God (Leviticus 1:1-17).

Among all the instructions, putting on salt was the most amazing. (Well, at least for me.) I didn’t realize until today, that salt represents the covenant between man and God (Leviticus 1:13). It is a treaty, a pact, an agreement between man and God.  It is more significant than anything in the world. For we know that God honors His word and He never breaks a promise. He is the most credible God I know. We can surely rely on Him for anything.

The passage is eye-opening. It broadens my understanding on how wide, how deep, how great is God’s love for His people – yesterday, today and tomorrow. We don’t practice offering burnt offerings at present because the greatest sacrifice ever made was the death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He died on the cross to free us from the our sins.

We must make sure that we do not keep our faith within ourselves. For God’s words of hope and encouragement are for all. Jesus clearly reminds us about this in the gospel of Matthew, you are the salt of the earth: but if the salt has lost his flavor, with which shall it be salted? It is thereafter good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men (Matthew 5:13).

Little sacrifices to express our faith in God won’t hurt us.  Activities like serving in the Sunday service, joining the worship team, attending and actively participating in church activities and most of all extending a helping hand to a friend, neighbor or even stranger.

So what’s you pleasing to God sacrifice today?

In my last post in this series, I answered the first of three questions: Why should we follow Jesus? Today, we move on to the last two.

WHAT GETS IN THE WAY OF US FOLLOWING JESUS?

Even though Jesus’ authority points to Him as being God, we are not willing to follow Him. There are several things that get in the way. Things we are not willing to give up. Matthew highlights a few in his narrative.

• Possessions
• Family approval
• Acceptance from friends
• Our life

These all can keep us from following Jesus, surrendering all to Him, and worshipping Him.

WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO TO REMOVE THE HINDRANCE FROM FOLLOWING JESUS?

(1) We have to count the cost.

I believe people put more consideration into buying a house than to coming to Christ. You would never go to the realtors office, ask for a house, and buy the first one they present to you without checking it out.

Instead, you inspect the house yourself. Drive around the neighborhood. Check out the school district. Make sure the price is fair and the inspection checks out. You bring your friends and family over to get their opinion. You do all those things because buying a house is a 15 to 30 year investment. As well as you want to be sure it is going to serve your family well.

Jesus is relaying the same message to us. He is saying, “Don’t be too quick to follow me. Count the cost. Realize for what you are signing up. If you are truly my disciple, there is a hard road ahead of you.”

(2) We can’t trust in something other than Jesus.

In our narrative the disciples trusted in a boat. Some of you may trust in your bank account or intellectual abilities. Whatever it is, we fail to trust in Jesus because we are trusting in something else. As this story proves, however, a boat will only carry us so far. A bank account will only sustain us for so long. Our intellect can only help us as long as our mind remains intact. Inevitably, these things will fail us.

You see, it is foolishness to put our trust in anything but Jesus. He is the only one who can save us.

Like these men in our narrative, once we realize trusting in anything else will fail us, we must turn to the only one who can save, Jesus Christ. After turning to Him, we must worship Him because Jesus isn’t just a life boat to save us when we are drowning. He is the almighty God who deserves our daily worship.

(3) Jesus is God not just another man.

In our narrative, Jesus proves that He is God. Disciples follow Him at His request. He calms a storm. He heals two demon possessed men with just a word. The demons submit to Him and call Him the Son of God. These things point to His authority and the fact that He is God. God deserves our worship, so we must give that to Him.

We don’t, however, just worship Him when we come together on Sunday. We also worship Him by:

• Recognizing His authority over our lives.
• Putting Him first
• Submitting to Him
• Obeying Him

In other words, we worship Him with our whole lives.

(4) We can’t value anything above Him.

The people of the city valued their possessions over Jesus, allowing their loss to blind them. When we value something more than God, we are in violation of the first of the Ten Commandments. The first commandment tells us not to put any other gods before the One True God. When we do, we have made that thing into an idol – a god.

In order to rid ourselves of these idols, we have to realize they are not going to last. They are man made. They are temporary. Temporary things break down. They fail us. They disappoint us.

So then, we can’t hold our possessions in greater value than God. We have to be willing to give those up for God. We have to see them for what they are. We can’t allow them to blind us.

(5) Our heart has to be pierced by the gospel.

Only a heart that has been regenerated will submit to God and give Him the worship that is due Him. So we must believe in the gospel.

We must believe that we are sinners in need of a Savior. Jesus is that Savior. He is because He lived a perfect life, and died the death we deserved. He went to the cross to pay the price for our sins. He faced the wrath of God that we deserve. When we believe that, we are saved. Our heart is pierced by the gospel.

Our heart must be regenerated before we can follow Jesus, surrender all to Him, and truly worship Him. You can’t do these things without a changed heart. To try to do so is futile.

Conclusion

Once we come to Christ, count the cost, recognize Jesus is God, and realize we can’t trust in and value anything more than Him. Once we have done those things, we will be in a place where we will be able to follow Jesus, surrender all to Him, and worship Him.

Question for Reflection

1. What do you allow to get in the way of you following Jesus?

Resource

This series is adapted from my recent sermon: Why Should We Follow Jesus?

English: the first page of the Gospel of Matthew; decorated headpiece (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Matthew 10:16-42 (KJV)

16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. 17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; 18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. 20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.

21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. 22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. 24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? 26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. 27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. 28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. 32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. 37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. 40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. 41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.

42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

1 Jesus also told them other parables. He said, 2 “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. 3 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come!

4 So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!’ 5 But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business. 6 Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them.

7 The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. 8 And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor. 9 Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ 10 So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests.

11 But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. 12 ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. 13 Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Comments

This parable echoes and extends the one from yesterday. Here again, the servants sent out represent the prophets of Israel who received just such treatment: ignored, beaten, or killed. Like the landowner, the king sends troops to deal with those who have spurned his invitation, representing Israel’s history of captivity and occupation. No detail was given about the other farmers who were brought in, but here we get more detail on the alternate guests. They are “everyone they could find, good and bad alike.” It should be our goal to fill our churches with everyone we can find, good and bad alike. And we get one crucial caveat here in the part at the end about the man not wearing a wedding robe. Everyone is invited, everyone can come, but entering in does require a change. The missing wedding robe represents holiness, which must be the active pursuit of every follower of Jesus. We often get into trouble by trying to name specifically what a path to holiness looks like for someone else; it can look very different for each person. Still, every follower of Jesus must be on a path to holiness and seeking out spiritual direction in that quest is a good thing. This does not undo the message of infinite grace from yesterday, because we can only walk a path of holiness by the power of Jesus’ grace. Holiness is an expression of grace and a necessary one. If that thought is new to you, I encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit to move you forward in holiness, to give you direction – a specific command – about what your next growth point is. The man in the parable is thrown out as much for his speechlessness as for his lack of robe. Don’t stay silent, say, ‘Hey, give me a robe and I’ll put it on so I can stay for the feast.’ That’s the sort of prayer that always gets answered.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

However, I’ve been doing a lot of reading and came across a scripture that says if we abide in Christ, we should walk in the same way (1 John 2:6) so if we focus on being like Christ, all else will follow. So, I look at that and think about how the church is known as the “bride of Christ” which would mean Jesus was married to the church and if I’m trying to mimic Christ, I could get some pointers on preparing. Lets look at a few things. Christ served the church/people (Matthew 12:18), loved the church (Ephesians 5:25), and the church submitted to Christ (Ephesians 5:24). I serve God, love God, and submit to God. Well, at least I try. So I must say that doing that will simultaneously prepare me to be the wife that I need to be. It doesn’t say Christ learned how to cook, Christ learned how to make beds, Christ learned how to clean. And I think that’s where we lose focus as women when we hear the word prepare. It’s not that serious. Granted, if you don’t know how to do these things and others already, it doesn’t mean you need to learn now. It will come with the territory as time progresses. No need to over-think and stress and worry about “OMG! I’m not preparing myself. How do I prepare myself? If I don’t prepare now, I’ll never get a man. I don’t know what to do.” It will all work out. An unmarried woman is focused on the Lord’s affairs (1 Corinthians 7:34) so we need to concern ourselves with serving people and God, loving people and God, and submitting to God. So in the mean time, just chill.

And that about sums it all up,

Lola

(Disclaimer: Everything stated in the above post does not reflect the purpose, views, and values of USF Bible Study Live Christian Fellowship)

Alex Early is the Lead Pastor of Mars Hill Church Ballard. Alex’s session was on missional preaching and how to preach into the culture God has sent us to.

Pastor Alex was the planting and lead pastor of Four Corners Church in Newnan, Georgia before leaving for Mars Hill Church. Prior to church planting Alex has received his Masters in hermeneutics at the London School of Theology, as well as having received a M.Div. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is currently a Doctoral Candidate at Reformed Theological Seminary. Alex and his wife Jana have been married for eight years and have two kids.

Here are some things that jumped out from his talk:

•  If you want your life to remain unchanged and your church to remain unmotivated or have people sing about Jesus with their hands in their pockets, ignore the bible. 
• The nature of the Bible is that it takes over our lives.
• Jesus is called a friend of gluttons, drunks, tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 11:19). That’s how we should be described.
• No one should ever have a bigger vision for the world than the men and women of God.
• Who in the city you live in is beyond the saving grace of God?
• The only hope you have as a missionary is to embrace the reality and reminded daily of the grace of God.
• The gospel is for those who have been crushed by legalism.
• The gospel is for the slut and for those who are offended that a pastor would say the word slut.
• The gospel is for everyone, no matter where they stand or what they do. All of us need the gospel.
• The gospel is the most inclusive message you will ever hear and so exclusive in how it saves people.
• The Bible is written mostly by 3 murderers, so don’t say God can’t save anyone.
• If you anchor your identity in the fact that you are the prodigal that the father has forgiven, living on mission isn’t something you have to work at, but something you work out.
• If you want to preach effectively or understand grace, remember where you were the night before you met Jesus.
• As a pastor, I need Jesus as bad as the people I preach to.
• The gospel is God saves sinners.
• The mission is very simple: make disciples who make disciples who make disciples.
• The art of hermeneutics is the art of interpretation.
• Being a student of culture means understanding it. Understanding why people do what they do.
• Missional preachers exegete scripture, culture, congregation, self.
• When you preach, you must have a clear understanding of what the Scripture is and who it is about and who it is written by. Whatever the goal of Scripture is, that is the goal of preaching.
• If the bible doesn’t provoke you or annoy, you aren’t paying attention. It came to wage war on you.
• The author of the Bible is always present with every reader.
• The Bible says God is already on mission and then bringing us into his fold and sending us on mission.
• All theology is an argument against someone or something.
• We want to make sure that we are answering questions that the culture is actually asking.
• Too often people who love apologetics don’t lead anyone to Jesus because they’re concerned about being right.
• As a pastor, are you provoked by the idols of your city and culture (Acts 17:16).
• As a pastor, do you know what people love and hate about your city? Do you know who is successful, who is hurting? Do you know the goals and vision of the city?
• Do you know why people of your city aren’t worshiping Jesus? What are the sins and idols of your city?
• Start preaching to those people you want to see.
• Pastors should know what the concerns of the congregation are. How do they feel about war, healthcare, the economy. Who is influencing those in your congregation? What celebrities do they look up to?
• Elders are to be well thought of by outsiders. Do non-Christians know your elders? Do they like them?
• Would you say what is on your Facebook status to a room full of lost people?
• Being around lost people will cost you comfort because they don’t worship your God, they worship their god.
• Instead of seeing a sinner, see someone who has the potential to change the world for Jesus.
• The gospel demands you can your reputation, to give up lies to follow Jesus.
• Being on mission will cost you time as lost people won’t call you on 9-5. Their lives fall apart after 5pm.
• Being on mission will cost money, being where lost people are will cost money.
• Being on mission means you’ll need the Jesus who sent you there.
• Being on mission will never cost you more than it cost God.

Alex’s session was so good for my soul. So convicting.

The English translation introduced phrases still well-used today such as ‘no peace for the wicked’ (Isaiah 57:21), ‘the blind leading the blind’ (Matthew 15:13) and ‘God forbid’ (Romans 13:1).

One retiree from New York state in the US has spent four years writing the entire Bible – all 788,000 words – out by hand on 2,400 pages of watercolour paper.

Phillip Patterson, 63, finished the final verses this weekend before reading from his finished manuscript at his church in the village of Philmont.

Mr Patterson explained to the BBC’s Matt Danzico why he undertook the monkish pursuit, despite saying he does not consider himself particularly religious.

Read More BBC News – King James Bible: Writing all 788,000 words by hand.

In saying that our Lord is Jesus Christ, we’re not calling Him, of course, by His first and last name. When we say that our Lord is Jesus Christ, we are simply ascribing to Him His rightful title. In saying Jesus Christ, we are acknowledging the Truth that Jesus is in fact the Christ. Upon saying “Jesus”, we’re referring to His name “Jeshua“, or “Jehoshua” in the Hebrew. We can see right off the bat in Matthew 1 that it was a decree of God to call His Son Jesus. Matthew 1:18-21:

“¹⁸ Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.²⁰ But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

The angel of the Lord appears to Joseph, tells him, verse 20, that the woman he is engaged to is pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit, and that they are to, verse 22, “call His name Jesus, for He will save the people from their sins.” So we immediately see in Matthew’s gospel that Jesus is introduced as the Savior before Jesus has even been born. Now as the generations of prophecies testified to this as we saw previously, we see, beginning in the first chapter of Matthew, the genealogy of Jesus. Matthew’s introduction of the gospel begins with the generation after generation proof that Jesus is in fact, the Savior.

Jesus, which we saw in Hebrew as Jehoshua, means “Yahweh is salvation”. He, The Lord, will save people from their sins. That is the Good News, that is the gospel, amen? Now when we see His name, we then see it followed up with His title, that is, that He is the Christ. Now when we saw last time, we saw that John the Baptist was preparing the way; who was He preparing the way for? Turn to John 1:20 and we see him say “I am not the Christ.” Then we see again, that he is the voice crying out in the wilderness making straight the way of The Lord. Then we go to John 4:25, with the woman at the well. She’s the one who is sitting there talking to Jesus Himself and what does she say? “I know that the Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ).” Little does she know that He’s about to shock her and identify Himself as “He”, “I who speak to you am He.” 

Why was this a shock? Why does this make the gospel truly the Good News? What did He tell her? That He, the One who is weak at the well, asking for water, talking to her, a woman, which was entirely forbidden in that culture, is in fact the King who the prophecies testified about that would come to die and rise again as the Savior of His people for their sins.

The Messiah, the Christ, meaning “anointed one”. The King of kings. His name being Jesus, “The Lord is Salvation”, and Christ, the Lord who died and rose again is “The anointed One”, the King, the Son of God, being God Himself, who came to earth not to live royally but to die painfully and humbly. The prophet Isaiah testified to our Lord in this way: Isaiah 53:7:

“⁷ He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
    yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
    and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
    so he opened not his mouth.”

This is the anointed King called Jesus. This is the same One that Paul speaks of in his letter to the Colossians in this way: Colossians 1:15-20:

^“15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. ¹⁷ And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. ¹⁹ For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”

What a statement that is to take in when we ponder what Isaiah said about the same person. And by the way, when people try to use Colossians 1:15 of Christ being “firstborn of all creation” as an excuse or as “proof” that Jesus is a created being, that’s not what the word means in the Greek. “Firstborn”, or “prōtótokos” in Greek, refers to being pre-eminent; first in time in history, chronologically, yet also refers to rank, position, and supremacy. So not only did the anointed One exist before time but He created all of creation; Christ cannot be Creator if He is creation. Likewise He is supreme and highly exalted over all of creation as His created creation. That’s why when people deny Christ’s deity it takes away from the sweetness and Truth of the gospel. Christ couldn’t live a perfect, sinless, entirely righteous life of keeping God’s law if He wasn’t God; no human is perfect, thus being the reason why He was and is both fully human and fully God. And the fact that He, the King of all creation came was murdered by His own creation having existed before any of it shows the love of the Truth of the Good News of the Gospel. That’s the sweetness of it. That’s what we savor. That’s what we preach. There’s no avoiding it; prophecy after prophecy, writing after writing, testimony after testimony, witness after witness; every page of Scripture has the gospel woven into it. All sixty-six books of God’s revealed Word to His creation testify about the Good News that He also revealed as He “so loved the world.” 

And that is why in the Bible, when we see the resurrection occur, we see the gospels in Scripture are followed up with the book of Acts. The book of the acts of great men that preached the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Savior; the King of kings. Moreover, we see that these men never neglected to teach that He was indeed the Christ.

The Savior who is the anointed One. The Christ is Jesus.

           I sat in the half bath upstairs and looked at my wrists.  All I needed to do was slice my wrists and the life would start to drain from my body.  I was thirteen and suicidal thoughts were a common occurrence.  My family was away from the house.  The only reason why I hesitated was because I worried that someone would return home and find me while I was still alive.  This was no “cry for help.”  I truly wanted to die.  I was bullied on the bus and in the neighborhood.  There were the normal family difficulties, but nothing that should have made me so depressed.  I really did not want to wake up in the hospital with my family standing over me asking me why I did it.  I simply wanted my life to end.  This is not normal behavior for anyone much less a thirteen year old.          

          Since I could not kill myself, I decided to run away.  I saved $300 over the course of several months from my allowance.  In my naiveté, I thought this would be enough to last me long enough that I could take care of myself.   God had other plans.          

          September 19, 1992 my mother forced me to go to a youth rally with my youth group.  There were games, food, and then PREACHING! It was my first such event and I felt trapped.  All summer I doubted my salvation.  I grew up going to church.  I tried to obey my parents.  I even thought I understood what it meant to be a Christian.  When I was just 5 years old, I prayed and asked Jesus to come into my heart.  Was I really saved?  Why did I want to die?           

          As the evangelist preached, he spoke about Heaven and Hell.  If I remember correctly, the passage of scripture was from Luke 16:19-31 about the rich man and the poor man.  The text clearly speaks about the existence of Heaven and Hell.           

          After preaching the sermon, he came to the close and he encouraged anyone to come forward who did not know if they would go to Heaven.  He emphasized that Christ spoke more times about Hell than He ever did Heaven.  Why?  He did so to warn people.  Christ wanted to spare people the fate which the rich man suffered for failing to believe.           

          Then the evangelist said, “There are those of you who do not know one way or the other.  You doubt.  You have gone to church all your life and yet you doubt.  The Bible does not say, ‘Go to church all your life and thou shalt be saved.’ The Bible says, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”  I sat there thinking, “Who told him about me?”             

          The evangelist continued to explain that salvation is free.  Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us this: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast.”  Salvation is a gift!  It is free!  If I give you a Christmas present, I do not expect you to give me $25 plus shipping and handling.  Neither does God.  If he did, what could I possibly give Him?  He sent His Son to die on The Cross to forgive not just the sins of the entire whole, but MY sins!  As small business owners in this economy, most of the time we are broke.  Besides, there is nothing that I have that God doesn’t already have, need, or want.  All He wants is to give us His Son Jesus Christ and forgive us of our sins.  He wants our love and our worship.            That night when I realized how much God loved me, I grabbed my youth pastor’s wife’s hand and told her that I needed to talk to her.  We went to a quiet room and she tried to share some verses with me, but I took the words right out of her mouth.  They were verses I learned in Sunday school and Awana (Bible club).           

*Romans 10:10 “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness: and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”          

*Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through  Jesus Christ our Lord.”            

 *Matthew 10:27-30 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall  any man pluck them out of my hand.  My Father, which gave them me is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.” 

          Tears streamed down my face as I prayed and asked Christ to forgive of my sins.  Yes, I was also clinically depressed which was caused by medical problems as well, but that day the Great Physician came into my life to strengthen and comfort me.  I was 30 years old and suicidal again before I would admit to myself that I still faced depression.  For the next few years of high school and college, God carried me. 

          What are your favorite verses which pertain to salvation? Or, if you too have struggled with depression and would like to share your story, feel free.  You may also contact me privately in the contact box.  If you want to share your story, but you would like to remain anonymous, I understand.  Your story may impact someone in ways you may never know.  This is for me just as much as it is for you.

Coming Up:

I will share my journey through the maze of doctors and touch on my current health situation.  I will also explain what should have been caught when I was a child to prevent further damage to my body.  It may take a few days to get through, but hang in there with me!

I am the true vine and My Father is the vinegrower. If any of My branches doesn’t bear fruit, He breaks it off; and He prunes every branch that does bear fruit, that it may bear even more fruit. You are already made clean by the word I have spoken to you. Live in Me as I live in you. The branch cannot bear fruit by itself, but has to remain part of the vine; so neither can you, if you don’t remain in Me.

I am the vine and you are the branches. As long as you remain in Me and I in you, you bear much fruit; but apart from Me you can do nothing. Whoever does not remain in Me is thrown away, as they do with branches, and they wither. Then they are gathered and thrown into the fire and burned.

If you remain in Me and My words in you, you may ask whatever you want, and it will be given to you. My Father is glorified when you bear much fruit : it is then that you become My disciples.

Alternative Reading (Mass of St. Joseph)

Matthew 13 : 54-58

He went to His hometown and taught the people in their synagogue. They were amazed and said, “Where did He get this wisdom and these special powers? Isn’t He the carpenter’s son? Isn’t Mary His mother and aren’t James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas His brothers? Aren’t all His sisters living here? How did He get all this?” And so they took offense at Him.

Jesus said to them, “The only place where prophets are not welcome is their hometown and in their own family.” And He did not perform many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

Mark 4:14-20

¹⁴ The farmer sows the word. ¹⁵ Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. ¹⁶ Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. ¹⁷ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ¹⁸ Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word;¹⁹ but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²⁰ Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

Remember that no one and NOTHING can separate GOD from us, but ourselves.

Romans 8:35, 37-39 

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Faith leads to action, be it passive or active. Jesus has the power and the answers.

The woman was not healed just because of her faith, but because she acted upon it. But even so it was still within Jesus’ authority & power to answer her faith as she sought. The outcome was always in the Hands of Jesus, no-one or no thing could affect that.

By faith I chose a path, in the knowledge that it is Jesus who will open or close that path. In the knowledge, that it is Jesus who will sustain & guide on that path.My faith leads me to share this. My faith knows that the same Spirit in me is in you. That same Spirit of God intercedes on our behalf and so knows what lies upon my heart, mind and yours. He can filter out our motives and the workings of our minds.

Knowing that, I believe that Jesus will respond through His Spirit in revealing that which is on my heart and mind. I have taken tentative steps on a path that I believe God wants me to. If this is the path on which I should continue, then He already knows what it is that needs to be answered and His Spirit will stir. He will answer through His people.

Because of my Faith, I have acted. It is and always will be within Jesus’ authority and power to what happens next.

Discernment.Obedience.Humility. (DOH)

Larry

The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him. Nahum 1:7

http://labhrashealy.wordpress.com/

33 “Now listen to another story. A certain landowner planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. 34 At the time of the grape harvest, he sent his servants to collect his share of the crop. 35 But the farmers grabbed his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. 36 So the landowner sent a larger group of his servants to collect for him, but the results were the same. 37 Finally, the owner sent his son, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenant farmers saw his son coming, they said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Come on, let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ 39 So they grabbed him, dragged him out of the vineyard, and murdered him. 40 When the owner of the vineyard returns,” Jesus asked, “what do you think he will do to those farmers?”

41 The religious leaders replied, “He will put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will give him his share of the crop after each harvest.”

42 Then Jesus asked them, “Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures? ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.’ 43 I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit. 44 Anyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on.”

45 When the leading priests and Pharisees heard this parable, they realized he was telling the story against them— they were the wicked farmers. 46 They wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowds, who considered Jesus to be a prophet.

Comments

This parable appears in Mark (12.1-12) and Luke (20.9-18) as well but Matthew’s account is unique in one feature. He has the religious leaders answer Jesus’ question about what the landowner will do, while Mark and Luke have Jesus answer his own question. The answer is the same in all three, the only difference is who is speaking. This is interesting because the answer represents what we might expect the landowner to do more than what he actually does (note how Jesus asks the question). The landowner represents the Father, the servants he sends represent Israel’s prophets,  the son represents Jesus, and the tenet farmers represent Israel’s religious leaders. They have mistreated the prophets just as described here and they are about to kill the son, but as the son hangs dying, he does the opposite of what this parable suggests: he asks the Father to forgive those killing him. Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, and Paul of Tarsus show us that grace extends even to Israel’s religious leaders, even to the wicked tenet farmers. The Father doesn’t reject anyone who doesn’t reject Jesus, no matter what. 

Which is good news because the point of this parable is not for us to read it and think, ‘wow, glad I’m not a Pharisee.’ As we read through the Gospels we continually encounter dumb disciples and self-pious religious leaders. We can tend to think that we are somehow removed from both of these groups, that we stand apart from them and their problems, that we understand Jesus in a way they don’t. But this is never as true as we think and even less so if we remain blind to the fact that their problems are our problems. We are the dumb disciples. We are the pious religious leaders. We are the wicked tenets who have trouble remembering that the work we do (all the work we do) is for God first and not for ourselves first. But Jesus dies even for those who kill him and he is raised from the dead even for those who put the stone in front of the tomb. We can confront our own sinful condition (our dumbness and self-piety) head-on because it is already covered by God’s infinite, unlimited grace.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

I am going to lay it all out.  Currently, I have been praying for three things: for God to speak to me, for purpose, and for a husband.  As of now none of these things have happened yet.  Do I get discouraged? Yes, but I have to remember that God’s timing is not my timing.  Actually, I was having a conversation recently with some of my sisters in Christ about praying for my purpose, and how I get discouraged because it seems like everyone knows theirs and I feel like it is taking me forever to find mine.  Their response was, Why do you want to know? Do you think that will make you feel complete? Hmm, good question.  I wanted to know for myself, so I could better serve God, and yes, I did think that knowing my purpose would make me complete.  There goes my flesh again creeping up, did you notice all of those I’s in that sentence. Jeeze, even desiring something spiritual I had to check myself.  God did not say that you have to know your purpose to serve, he just said serve.   So why do I still want to know these things?  Because it is human nature, it is flesh.  My flesh wants to know.  My flesh wants.  I should be disciplining my flesh daily into submission (1 Corinthians 9:27). I should be training my body to seek God first, before anything else, and he will provide the rest (Matthew 6:33).  By no means am I saying that this is an easy process.  It is a painful process actually, that I am still going through.  I have to learn to put all of my wants and needs aside, and focus on God. That means my wanting to be found by a man, my wanting to find purpose, none of these things can come before my God.  Trust me, God is a jealous God (Exodus 20:5), and if you do put anything before Him, He will take it away.  Even if God has blessed you with that particular someone, or that particular talent, if you start to take your focus off God, and put it on that something, or someone else, God will find a way to get your attention back on Him.

We as Christians, myself included, have to learn that we are in this world, but not of this world ( 2 Corinthians 10:3).   That means that we have to live in this world for now, but we should not be like the world, there should be something different about us.  The difference is our focus should be on God.  Our only want should be to know and grow in God.  We have to renew our minds daily (Romans 12:2) by reading the Word and praying daily.  After all God gave us His greatest sacrifice, which was sending His son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins.  So we should be able to make sacrifices in our own lives, and give up our wants to take up our own crosses and follow Him (Matthew 16:24).

Sincerely,

Whitney Novell

(Disclaimer: Everything stated in the above post does not reflect the purpose, views, and values of USF Bible Study Live Christian Fellowship)

When I was growing up, my dad always told me, “Be a leader, not a follower.” If you think about it, for someone to follow you, they need a reason. My Dad’s advice then meant, I needed to be someone worth following. So when Jesus comes to us and asks us to follow Him. We need a reason to follow Him. The Bible provides us with those reasons.

With that in mind, over the next two posts, I will answer the following questions:

• Why should we follow Jesus?
• What gets in the way of following Jesus?
• What do we need to do to remove the hindrance from follow Jesus?

Let’s start with the first question:

WHY SHOULD WE FOLLOW JESUS?

In Matthew 8, several scenes attest to the power and authority of Jesus.

Jesus Heals Many

In 8:1-15, Jesus heals a Leper, a Centurion’s servant, and Peter’s Mother-in-Law. All three healings take place immediately, and with just a word. As soon as Jesus spoke, the leprosy was gone and the man was clean, the Centurion’s servant was healed before he returned home, and Peter’s Mother-in-Law was able to serve them moments after Jesus healed her.

Not only did Jesus heal these three people, but many more. Matthew continues:

“That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.” (Mt 8:16)

Jesus shows not only His power over sickness, but the spiritual world as well.

The Turbulent Sea

As we continue on in the narrative, Jesus commands His disciples to follow Him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Several men pile in a boat, but soon a great storm arises. Fearful for their lives, they wake Jesus, who is sleeping, and the men say,

“Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” (Mt 8:25)

Jesus does what only God can do, He calms the sea and rebukes the wind, so that a sea threatening to swallow the boat and the men into a watery grave turns into a sheet of glass, allowing the men safe passage to the other side.

Two Demon Possessed Men

Once they reached the other side, two demon-possessed men who had been tormenting the region come out to meet Him. The men, controlled by demons, say,

“What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” (Mt 8:29)

The Demons explicitly say what the other scenes had been pointing to – Jesus is the Son of God. Not only did they recognize Him as God, but they also recognized His authority and right to judge and punish them.

What does Matthew 8 reveal?

Matthew reveals Jesus’ authority over all things. Which leads to the idea:

If Jesus has full authority over all things, and His authority points to Him being God, we must Follow Him, Surrender all to Him, and Worship Him.

So the answer to our first question reveals we should follow Jesus because of who He is –  God.

Question for Reflection

1. Do you believe Jesus being God is a reason to follow Him?

Looking Forward

In the next post in this series, we will answer the questions: What gets in the way of us following Jesus? What do we need to do to remove the hindrance from follow Jesus?

Resource

This series is adapted from my recent sermon: Why Should We Follow Jesus?

Yes, this type of kiss is mentioned in the Bible 5 times in the New Testament. Here are the other 4 passages:

1 Corinthians 16:20 - All the brethren greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

2 Corinthians 13:12 - Greet one another with a holy kiss.

1 Thessalonians 5:26 - Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.

1 Peter 5:14 - Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

As I was researching the topic, I came across http://www.gotquestions.org/holy-kiss.html which gave a really simple straight-forward answer. Below is the answer they published for the question: What exactly is a ‘holy kiss’?

Answer:There are four places in the New Testament that refer to the “holy kiss”—Romans 16:16;1 Corinthians 16:20;2 Corinthians 13:12; and1 Thessalonians 5:26. In each instance, the Greek words denote a kiss which is sacred—physically pure and morally blameless. It was a common custom in most nations for people to kiss each other at meeting or parting to display their love, sincere affection, and friendship for each other. The kiss is called “holy” to distinguish it from a sexual one and from a hypocritical and deceitful one, such as Joab gave to Amasa (2 Samuel 20:9) or such as Judas gave to Jesus when he cried, “Hail Rabbi,” and betrayed Him into the hands of His enemies (Matthew 26:49).

Another website that I found is http://www.keepbelieving.com/sermon/2007-09-07-Lets-Bring-Back-the-Holy-Kiss-Rediscovering-Real-Love-in-the-Family-of-God/. This one for me was better than the first. It was more in-depth and discussed the topic more like I would. Here are some of the excerpts:

If I were to ask what words you would use to describe the Apostle Paul, you might say things like serious, brilliant, logical, reverent, studious, thoughtful, dedicated, driven, committed, no-nonsense and determined. All those words fit the usual picture we have of the man from Tarsus. If you read his letters, he doesn’t seem to be the kind of man you would want to take with you to watch a football game. You would probably think twice before inviting him over for supper, or at least you would brush up on your Old Testament theology while you were getting the rolls out of the oven. If he had a sense of humor, it seems to be well-hidden. You certainly didn’t want to get into an argument with him. That was definitely not a good idea.

• But Romans 16 reveals a different side to the great apostle. Here we discover his heart for people. In this chapter he mentions 33 people by name, including 26 people in the church at Rome. He also mentions two others in Rome, but does not name them. This fact is amazing when you realize that Paul had never been to Rome! Writing to a church he had never visited, he sends greetings to 28 different people.
• The passage ends with a command– “Greet one another with a holy kiss” (v. 16). The holy kiss is mentioned five times in the New Testament (Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:26; Peter calls it the “kiss of love” in 1 Peter 5:14) . We have several problems with this today. Foremost is that we don’t take it seriously. Notwithstanding the fact that we say we believe that every verse in the Bible is God’s word, we don’t think the holy kiss particularly applies to us. Most of us probably put this in the category of “things they used to do back then that we don’t have to do today.”The usual interpretation is that the holy kiss itself is not important. The greeting is the thing, we’re told. It doesn’t really matter how you do it. Back then it was a holy kiss. Today it’s a handshake. Same thing.

  Now that seems right until you think about it. A kiss is not the same thing as a handshake. Just ask any teenager.

  In the Bible the holy kiss was a sign of love, respect, friendship and honor. It was a mark of innocent affection. We can see numerous examples of this sort of kiss in the Bible:

  * Jacob kissed his father (Genesis 27:27).

  * Laban kissed Joseph (Genesis 29:13).

  * Esau kissed Jacob (Genesis 33:4).

  * Joseph kissed his brethren (Genesis 45:15).

  * Aaron kissed Moses (Exodus 4:27).

  * Moses kissed Jethro (Exodus 18:7).

  * Naomi kissed Ruth and Orpah (Ruth 1:9).

  * David kissed Jonathan (I Samuel 20:41).

  * The father kissed the prodigal son (Luke 15:20).

  It’s interesting to read the history of the holy kiss. Evidently it was widely practiced in the first few centuries of the Christian church. We’re told that during the worship service there would a time of greeting in which the men would kiss the men and the women the women–on the cheek or the forehead or in the case of the men, on the beard. It was a sign of the intense family relationship in the early church. They didn’t just talk about being a family, they were a family and the holy kiss served as a symbol of their love for each other. It was a holy kiss because it was exchanged between holy people. It was a holy kiss because they truly felt they were brothers and sisters in one big, happy family. The holy kiss was the normal greeting between Christians. One document from the early church gives this instruction:

  “Let the deacon say to the people, ’let no one have any quarrel against another; let no one come in hypocrisy. Then, let the men give the men, and women the women, the Lord’s kiss. But let no one do it with deceit as Judas betrayed the Lord with a kiss.’”

  Augustine said of the early Christians, “They demonstrated their inward peace by their outward kiss.” Cyril of Jerusalem said, “This kiss is a sign that our souls are united and that we banish all remembrance of injury.” Bishop Cyprian went so far as to say Christians should be “love doves” who exchange the kiss as a mark of innocent affection.

  Over time the kiss became a regular part of the worship service. Then it was joined with the Lord’s Supper. Eventually voices were raised in warning about possible abuse. By the fourth century, it was no longer a spontaneous practice. A few centuries later, it disappeared from the Christian church except as part of the formal liturgy. Today it is still practiced in the Orthodox Church and in other churches also.

  The early Christians felt that the holy kiss signified innocent affection. There was no hint of sensuality or impropriety about it. It was common cultural greeting in those days that the early Christians adopted and gave a deeper meaning as a sign of their unity in Christ.

There is so much more to this websites take on the Holy Kiss. Read more at http://www.keepbelieving.com/sermon/2007-09-07-Lets-Bring-Back-the-Holy-Kiss-Rediscovering-Real-Love-in-the-Family-of-God/

WOW!!! Could you imagine what church would be like if we truly expressed ourselves as the earlier followers did? Here are some of my examples of people I know who practice this but I did not know that was what they were doing.

As this topic came up during the message and I did a brief review because I thought of a dear friend to my church who just past. The story goes like this…He used to walk up to men and kiss them on the lips on Sunday. Then he would keep doing it until the men picked up on it and kissed him back. I did not know this man but I now understand what he was doing.

I have one male friend who greets me every Sunday with a kiss on the lips. He also kisses other women he knows on the lips too. Now I understand what he is doing. However, I must be honest, it FREAKED me out the first few times. LOL!!!

Search your soul…could you honestly and earnestly have this discussion with those you attend church with. Would you be able to give a holy kiss to those whom you trust and love in the name of Jesus? Talk about it. Try it! See what happens.

I am going to try it with my women’s small group this week! If you try this or begin a conversation with your fellow christians, I would be interested in hearing what happens. Write me through my contact me page.

Thank you for reading my blog. Be blessed and go with the peace of who you are in our Lord Jesus Christ!

Related articles

• April 16, 2013 – Kiss (circleofhopedailyprayer2013.wordpress.com)

18 In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, he was hungry, 19 and he noticed a fig tree beside the road. He went over to see if there were any figs, but there were only leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” And immediately the fig tree withered up.

20 The disciples were amazed when they saw this and asked, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”

21 Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. 22 You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”

23 When Jesus returned to the Temple and began teaching, the leading priests and elders came up to him. They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”

24 “I’ll tell you by what authority I do these things if you answer one question,” Jesus replied. 25 “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?”

They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask us why we didn’t believe John. 26 But if we say it was merely human, we’ll be mobbed because the people believe John was a prophet.” 27 So they finally replied, “We don’t know.”

And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things. 28 But what do you think about this? A man with two sons told the older boy, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 The son answered, ‘No, I won’t go,’ but later he changed his mind and went anyway. 30 Then the father told the other son, ‘You go,’ and he said, ‘Yes, sir, I will.’ But he didn’t go. 31 Which of the two obeyed his father?”

They replied, “The first.”

Then Jesus explained his meaning: “I tell you the truth, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you do. 32 For John the Baptist came and showed you the right way to live, but you didn’t believe him, while tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even when you saw this happening, you refused to believe him and repent of your sins.”

Comments

Notice the progression of this passage. Jesus begins by doing something amazing (making the fig tree wither)  and then uses that to encourage his followers that they too can do amazing things like throw mountains into the sea. Next, the religious leaders demand to know what makes Jesus think he has the right to take over the Temple.  They were still incensed by the scene Jesus caused in the Temple the day before, disrupting normal business and filling the place with the blind and lame (who then did a lot of looking and dancing) and children running around singing. Jesus offers to answer if they can prove their question is a serious one, but it is not. Their question is only a veiled way of saying, ‘you can’t do that.’ Finally, Jesus turns the discussion away from what someone can or cannot do toward what one actually does with instructions given to them. In his parable, both sons were capable of doing the work, both were qualified and authorized, but only one chose to do the work. 

I think the message for us is pretty clear. Jesus is telling us we can do a lot more than we think we can, while the religious forms we cling to assure us that we can’t even do the things that are on our hearts to do. Jesus empowers and authorizes. Religion disempowers and unauthorizes. The real answer Jesus would have given, the only possible answer for him to give, is that the authority rests in himself. He can’t appeal to anything beyond himself because there isn’t anything beyond himself. There is no law, rule, or principle more determinative than Jesus himself. Anything that tries to be so is an idol, a religious form that disempowers us. Jesus has already given us all the authority we need, all the authority he can give, in giving himself to us.

You already have all the authority, permission, and empowerment that you need. You don’t have to answer the question ‘what gives you the right’ anymore than Jesus did. He died and rose again so you don’t have to answer that question. You should surround yourself with friends who can help you discern what your work in the vineyard looks like, what ‘go’ means for you specifically. Those friends should begin with the assumption that you can throw mountains into the sea, not by grilling you for letting children sing. Stop waiting for permission and go ahead and do what the Father has already told you to do.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Years of emotional, verbal, and other abuses led me to not expect any better for my life. I had always hoped for the best—but settled for much less. Even though many family members and friends saw the abuse, “abuse” was an unspoken word. Also, I did not even identify it as abuse. I accepted it as part of married life. I had vowed “for better or worse…for richer or poorer” and I was determined to do everything possible to make my husband happy, despite his abuses which included several adulterous affairs. I believed that marriage was forever. I did not realize that God does not expect you to live in those situations. God does not want you to be abused, and He allows for divorce in cases of adultery. The following scriptures refer to these situations…
“I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife (or her husband), except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman (or man) commits adultery.” (Matthew 19:9 NLT)
“Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.” (Colossians 3:19 NLT)

God did not make my husband abuse me or commit adultery. However, when my marriage fell apart, God orchestrated my steps as I leaned on Him to put the broken pieces of my heart and my entire life back together. He once spoke to me audibly. He answered my questions and made His Presence known in multiple ways. He told me that He had “rescued me from Egypt.” I then realized, that I did not even know that I was in “Egypt” or even needed “rescuing.” I had accepted my abusive situation…but God did not. God rescued me!!! And, what He did for me, He will do for others…

More of Secret Angel’s story to follow!!! Let Secret Angel know what you think of her story.

IF ANYONE NEEDS PRAYER, EMAIL SECRET ANGEL AT secretangel.ps911@gmail.com

Greg Lauriie – SOURCE

Pastor Greg Laurie asks, ‘What if this were your last night on Earth?’

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you felt you had been painted into a corner and there was no way out? Where fear grabbed hold of you, and you thought, What am I going to do?

King Jehoshaphat felt that way. In his Old Testament story, his enemies had greatly outnumbered him. Then they joined forces with other enemies of Israel. They were coming to destroy him and his people, and he had no way to defend himself. There Jehoshaphat stood with the women and children, basically defenseless. His heart was gripped with fear.

So what did Jehoshaphat do? ‘Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him’ (2 Chronicles 20:3-4 NIV).

Then Jehoshaphat stood up before the assembly that was gathered at the temple and prayed, ‘Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you’ (verse 12 NIV).

That is a good place to be. Sometimes we think it is the worst place to be. I don’t know what to do. … I don’t have any money left. … I have used up all of my credit cards. Now all I can do is trust God (as though that is the worst-case scenario).

In reality, when you are backed into a corner like that and all you can do is trust God, he will get the glory when he comes through.

Jesus’ disciples found themselves in a situation like that one day, out on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had just performed his most popular miracle to date: the feeding of the 5,000. The people wanted to take Jesus by force and make him their king, and Jesus, knowing what their intent was, withdrew from the crowds and sent the disciples away, across the Sea of Galilee.

Meanwhile, Jesus went up to a mountain to pray. And as the disciples were making their way across, a fierce storm came up on the sea, a storm that was so bad that they began to despair of their lives. And though they couldn’t see Jesus, he could see them. And he was concerned for them.

Matthew’s Gospel says that he came to them in the fourth watch of the night. The fourth watch is the last part of the night, that time right before dawn. This means the disciples had probably been at sea for about nine grueling hours before Jesus showed up.

Mark’s Gospel adds this detail, which seems almost humorous: ‘[Jesus] came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by’ (6:48 NKJV). It was so nonchalant. There they were, thinking they were going to die. And suddenly there was Jesus, walking on the water – as though he were about to go right past them.

Needless to say, the disciples would not let him do that. And when Jesus came on board, he calmed the storm, and immediately they reached their destination.

The point is that Jesus wanted them to call out to him. Could they believe that he would deliver them in a situation even that drastic?

The same is true for us. Jesus is waiting for us to invite him on board. Maybe we are in a storm in life. Maybe we are going through some kind of a hardship that we have brought upon ourselves because of the foolish things we have done or the mistakes that we have made in life.

Jesus is waiting for us to ask him into our lives, to ask him to come on board.

God is not only interested in the big things of our lives, but he is also interested in the small ones. Sometimes we dismiss those things as trivial and insignificant, but if they are troubling you, then they are of concern to God. I love what the psalmist wrote, ‘You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book? When I cry out to You, then my enemies will turn back; this I know, because God is for me’ (Psalm 56:8-9).

If it is burdening you, if it is troubling you, then God is concerned about it. Nothing is too big or too small for him.

Some might say, “That is interesting, but I don’t really know that I need Jesus Christ right now. Maybe when some kind of crisis hits. Maybe when I am facing some sort of a problem. I think it is good that you Christians have found your religion and your faith in God. That is good for you. But things are going pretty well for me right now. My bills are paid. I even have some money in the bank. My stomach is full. My health is good. My future is bright.”

My response to that is be careful. Jesus told the story of a man who had done very well in business. He was so successful that he had to build bigger buildings to store all of his possessions. In fact, he said to himself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry” (Luke 12:19 NIV).

But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” (verse 20 NIV).

We never know when that day will come when God will say, “This very night your life will be demanded from you.” What if this were the night? What if this were your last night on Earth, and you were given no other opportunities to believe?

The same Jesus who walked with his disciples on the water in the midst of the storm, waiting to be invited into their boat, is also waiting to be invited into yours. The only thing that stops him from coming into your life is your personal invitation.

Matthew 18: 1-3 (NIV)

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

2 He called a little child and had him stand among them.

3 And he said: ”I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

“The InterVarsity Press Bible Background Commentary on the New Testament stated, “The most powerless members of ancient society were little children; in most of ancient society, age increased one’s social status and authority. In Jewish culture, children were loved, not despised; but the point is that they had no status apart from that love, and no power or privileges apart from what they received as total dependents on their parents.” 

To even “enter the Kingdom of Heaven” we have to come to Jesus realizing that we’re dependent on his love and grace alone. By his work on the Cross we’re justified, and born again with a New Nature.

Praise the Lord!

A good example of this concept is found in Luke 7: 29-30.

Luke 7: 29-30 (NIV)

29 (All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John.

30 But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)

As I’ve said in an earlier post, Baptism in the Old Testament was a ceremony whereby a Gentile became a believer into the faith and the Nation of Israel. Therefore, the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law rejected the purposes of God for themselves by refusing to except the fact that they needed repentance and a righteousness apart from trying keep the Law, and a born heritage from God. And ultimately receiving Jesus Christ.

So, what’s God’s primary purpose for us?

To receive Jesus and be saved, and to be baptized as an outward expression of faith.

Praise the Lord again!

Bibliography: Craig S. Keener (1994). The InterVarsity Press Bible Background Commentary, New Testament.

All Scripture references were retrieved May 12, 2013 from http://www.biblestudytools.com

In Matthew 16 Jesus is a sensation. He has started His ministry and is causing a stir. The people are talking about Him. Aware of the whispers He asks his disciple who people say He is.

Matthew 16:14 ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets’

What I find fascinating is that the Jewish people would rather believe in a reincarnated prophet than the incarnate God. The promised Messiah was before them and they missed it by looking back to explain the one who was calling them forward.

I don’t know whether your past has been good or bad, probably a bit of both. However it has been don’t let it make you miss the God who is before you now, incarnate through Jesus and calling you on to a glorious future in Him.