Uncategorized

There are billions of people who are lost and without a shepherd. People need to hear about Jesus and find out who He is and what He has done for them. Is the Great Commission something that we live out in our lives!?

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.  Matthew 28:19-20

After Jesus was resurrected, He showed Himself to His disciples and gave them what we call the Great Commission. This was a restoration of what was lost in the garden when God created Adam and Eve.

therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. Genesis 3:23

God had driven Adam and Eve out of the garden due to their disobedience, and they were cursed with tilling the hard ground and working very hard to be able to survive life as orphans. However, when Jesus went to the Cross and won over the powers of darkness, He redeemed God’s broken relationship with humanity. He invited people to come to Him and told His disciples to follow Him, so they can become like Him and learn to be fishermen of men.

Upon Jesus’ resurrection and the the subsequent baptism of the Holy Spirit, His disciples had a job to do that He entrusted to them. Now, they were going out to bring the lost home. The door to the Kingdom of God had reopened, and those who were weary and burdened were invited to come home! His disciples belonged to Him, and they were going to be fruitful and multiply just as God hard originally ordained it in the beginning!

Jesus gave His disciples directives as to how to execute the Great Commission:

The disciples had to go out to a lost world. They were not supposed to remain and only associate with like-minded people. There is a world out there that needs to hear the Good News of what Jesus has done. How often do we interact with people with the desire to reach them for Christ!? Do we have people around us who are unbelievers that we have developed some form of a relationship with them!?

Jesus talked about discipling people, which means helping people to become disciplined followers of Christ. That takes time and effort. It is similar to parenting where the job isn’t done by putting a bottle in the baby’s mouth and thinking you’re done.

There were decades in this country where evangelism was seen as something people did in big stadiums and multitudes came to salvation. Praise God for those who heard the gospel and gave their lives to Jesus. The question is, how many of them were discipled!? It is hard for a new believer to know how to grow on their own. At the same time,  it is hard to mentor and disciple a busy adult who is not very available and/or interested in being discipled. The truth is that if we are going to see success in ministry and maturity in the body of Christ, discipling others is non-negotiable.

Furthermore, when we share our faith with others, it is not enough to tell them that God loves them. It is also not enough to say that Jesus died on the cross. We need to tell them why He had to be crucified and why we so desperately need salvation.

One of the things that is very common these days among believers and unbelievers is to call someone a “good” person. What does that mean? Is that Biblical? Of course, there are some nice people who do good, generous, and kind things. But if we can be good on our own, then why did Jesus have to suffer on the cross and die for the sins of humanity?! Many people don’t see themselves as sinners in need of forgiveness. A a result, they don’t have an appreciation for the powerful spiritual transaction that took place on the cross.

Part of the discipleship is  to teach people the word of God. Ultimately the Holy Spirit is the true teacher who convicts, reveals, and provides insight. But we also need men and women who patiently open the word of God and help others to eat it, digest it, and be nourished by it, so they can grow in God!

In addition to teaching the word of God, we need to help people see that true growth in God comes from obedience. We cannot grow in God unless we use the mustard seed of faith and exercise it with God’s grace.

God sent Jesus to the earth, and Jesus is sending us out with His authority. He also tells us that He will be with us to the end of the age. That’s empowering, encouraging, and comforting to know that we are not alone in doing this work. The Lord enables us and goes before us to prepare the way to reach the lost. Thank you Lord!

https://pixabay.com/photos/hope-future-religion-faith-mother-3446135/

Many people find a sense of security and safety in agreeing with others, but the big question is, “Are we in agreement with God!?” …

The Truth about Agreement (Part III)Read More »

Sometimes keeping up with the Joneses has huge consequences. Some are willing to compromise their integrity to be impressive. Integrity is a critical component in building trust, and its lack undermines our relationship with the Lord and others. …

Characteristics of Integrity (Part III)Read More »

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,  saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” Matthew 2:1-2

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”

 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, ¹⁵ and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Matthew 2:13-16

Jesus was born under the nose of the Pharisees and Sadducees, but they didn’t notice or recognize Him! On the other hand, the wise men as outsiders, from a far country, came a long way seeking to see the King of the Jews and worship Him! Sometimes, we think that if we had been raised in a Christian home, we would have had an advantage in knowing God early in life and having more knowledge of Him. Looking at the religious people of Jesus’ day, it is clear that they they had knowledge but no revelation! They were blinded to the reality of who Jesus was even when He walked among them. It was the illiterate and the uneducated who accepted Him more readily and believed who He was!

The wise men came to King Herod looking for the King of the Jews, but this became a point of intimidation for King Herod! He was so scared of this baby that he was willing to take the lives of many boys under the age of 2 to ensure that Jesus was eliminated. How can a baby be so intimidating!? Did he ever stop to ask what was the baby’s lineage that would qualify Him to be the King of the Jews!?

In John 10:10, Jesus stated that the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy. The enemy is threatened by those who worship the King of Kings and attempts to steal the seed of life! He tried to snuff out the life of Jesus before He had the opportunity to grow and fulfill the Father’s mission. He will try to do the same in the lives of people!

Thankfully, Mary and Joseph were warned in a dream about King Herod’s plans and fled to Egypt to ensure that Jesus would not be touched by his men. Similarly, God provides a way of escape from temptations and the trappings of the enemy. We need to remain in tune with Him and listen to His instructions. It would have been very inconvenient for Mary and Joseph to travel all the way to Egypt with a baby on a donkey, but it was necessary if they were going to protect the promised Child!

Sometimes we have to distance ourselves from certain people or situations to ensure that we are not affected by the behavior or lifestyle of others. We have to guard what the Lord has entrusted to us from those things that could endanger our faith or the call of God in our lives. It may feel lonely for a season. It may also cost us something, but if God has directed it, He will provide the grace to go through it until such a time that He opens new doors.

The Lord entrusted the King of Kings in the hands of Mary and Joseph. They carefully paid attention to God’s instructions every step of the way and protected God’s son for the call that He had on His life! Are you stewarding what God has placed in your life? Are you protective of the call of God? We are all carriers of His seed of life in us, and we’re called to steward it for His glory and purpose!

Image by Myriam Zilles from Pixabay

Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.  He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.  And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Luke 1:30-35

The angel brought the good news of upcoming Jesus’ conception and His birth to Mary. Mary had no idea how this was going to happen since she had not been with any man. She only accepted and received the will of the Father. Interestingly, she did not even mention anything to the angel about her being engaged, and neither did she ask the angel to tell Joseph about this exchange. Mary’s pregnancy had the potential to alienate her from everyone and even put her life in danger. Her parents could have accused her of wrongdoing, and Joseph could have accused her of being with another man. In addition, her countrymen could have shunned her for claiming to carry God’s child. Furthermore, the religious people could have stoned her to death. There were many risks for Mary in accepting the call of God in her life. However, Mary trusted God’s plan and did not worry about all the “what ifs”!

The angel told her that the Holy Spirit would come upon her, and she would have a holy conception! Those statements were all future tense. Mary was informed about this beforehand, and she chose to humbly accept the call, believe the angel, and receive God’s plan for her life.  This assignment was a great privilege for Mary, but it was also a great responsibility and a costly one for her.

As you do not know what is the way of the wind, Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, So you do not know the works of God who makes everything. Ecclesiastes 11:5

The only involvement that Mary had in Jesus’ conception was to accept the work of the Holy Spirit in her life. The King of Kings began to take on the human nature in her womb and grow in His stature and wholeness inside of her. Jesus was dependent on His mother to take care of Him while in the womb until such a time that He was ready to be born. The Holy one inside of her grew just like any other baby, but Mary knew hers was someone special who had come from on high!

Similarly, when we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, the Holy Spirit begins to dwell within us and brings life to our spirit man. Intellectually, we do the works of God and what happened inside of us, but we become born again and the new nature of God begins to grow in us. Mary knew she was a carrier of a Holy child. Do we know we are carriers of His holiness when we receive Him as our Savior and Lord!? Initially, we accept the change by faith. We know we have been touched by God but we don’t completely understand the extent and the ramifications of being born again! At the beginning, the transformation is not visible to others, and it looks like nothing has changed. However, over time when the new life grows inside of us and begins to take on the nature of God, our change will become more noticeable and profound!

The King of Kings who entered the world through Mary’s womb, desires to take His place in our hearts and in our lives. When we make Him the priority and give Him room to grow, we begin to see the magnificence of the gift entrusted to us by God! When we nurture the seed of life in us and recognize His holiness within us, we are compelled to live a sanctified life and to prepare a dwelling place for Him who is holy!

Image by Annalise Batista from Pixabay

We live in such a disposable culture that we have no problem moving on from people and things easily.  We acquire cell phones, expensive cars, or modern appliances, but we can easily toss them away for a better version. Furthermore, our relationships are not what they used to be. We measure our connectedness by the number of friends, followers, and likes we have on social media. These trends create a shallow existence where we don’t have to get too involved with others, and we can presumably coast through life without the pain of working on relationships. However, the very thing that many of us avoid, which is truthful and loving relationships, is what gives us the opportunity to grow, to belong, and to become better.

We are designed to help each other grow and become sharper. Just as a knife is meant to be sharp or has no good use, so are we meant to be sharpened to be useful for the Kingdom. I sharpen my knives at home from time to time. When I sharpen them, I use a metal rod and slide my knife against it until they are sharper. The sounds made in the process of two pieces of metal rubbing against each other is an unpleasant and screeching sound which is not fun to listen to. The purpose is for my knives to be sharp, so they can function for the purpose they were designed. If I can’t sharpen them, pretty soon I would have to get rid of them because they are not doing what I bought them for. Similarly, we are meant to be sharpened by one another. We are not meant to live a comfortable and dull life by merely co-existing with one another! Growth requires us to remain engaged with others and work at relationships. The sharpening process will cause us to holler or cry at times, but in the end it will be worth it!

Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy. Proverbs 27:6

One of the cultural trends nowadays is that people are very sensitive to being judged by others. Unfortunately, that trend is also true in the body of Christ, so anytime anyone tells us anything that is contrary to what we like to hear, we feel judged! Rather than being offended or hurt by others, we should allow the Lord to examine our lives and be quiet before Him. This gives room for the Holy Spirit to show us our rough edges and soften us, so we can grow stronger in our relationship with the Lord and with others. I would rather have friends who talk to me truthfully about my flaws rather than having many people flattering me with nice words but not addressing any issues in my life.

If we are willing to be open to the sharpening of others, we will find greater satisfaction in life. Our true friends can also help us with our blindspots. Sometimes, the Lord puts people in our lives who are like us to show us the weak areas, and at other times, he places people opposite of us on our path to stretch us out of our comfort zone!

Are you committed to your relationships even when they make you uncomfortable? Do you see the value in those relationships that tell you the truth even when it hurts? If we want to be sharpened by God, we can’t just attend Bible studies or church services; we also need to role up our sleeves and get involved in relationships. When we tend our relationships, remain committed to the people the Lord has placed in our lives, and allow them to sharpen us as we sharpen them, the end result will be more Christlikeness and God is glorified!