Woe Nelly!

In Matthew 23, Jesus really lets the Pharisees have it. I mean He really rips into them. You see the Pharisees were so concerned with their outward appearance that they ignored what was more important, what was on the inside. Jesus calls them hypocrites, show offs, sons of hell, fools, blind guides, robbers, unclean, serpents, and brood of vipers. Ouch! Reading that almost makes me sweat.

I thought to myself, I wouldn't want to be in their shoes.

But sometimes I am..

Sometimes I find myself acting like the perfect Christian instead of really being one on the inside.

What does God think of me then? Am I any better?

To follow one, you follow two.

One someone asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was, He replied, "Love God and the second one is like it, love people." Jesus gives two answers that are vital to every Christian. The phrase that He uses, the second one is like it, means that it has just as much value as the first commandment. Here is why Jesus gives these two commandments..

To love God means to obey Him, to desire to be with Him, and to grow in your relationship with Him. When you love someone you give them your best. This is what God wants from us as well. He wants His followers to love Him with everything they posses, heart, strength, and mind.

To love others means we take the same passion we have for Jesus and share it with others. Loving God is a good thing, but it should not stop there. Loving God always goes hand in hand with loving others and sharing Christ with them.

It's funny how we go about our lives wondering what God wants from us and struggle to find the answer.

LOVE GOD, LOVE PEOPLE.

The rest will follow after.

I know you, don't I?

" Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matt 16:13-16)

Jesus asked Peter what seemed to be the obvious. Apparently it wasn't to most people. They thought Jesus was John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets.

BUT WHY?

They were so busy caught up in their life , that when Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, was in their midst, they did not know who He was. They wanted a God that met their needs the way they saw fit, not for His will to be done. When they weren't satisfied they called Him anything but God. Look in the previous chapters. They kept asking for this and that, and eventually Jesus got tired of it.

It's sad isn't it? Let me ask you this. How many times have we missed God's presence because we were too busy thinking about ourselves?

A whole lot I think...

The fact is God is always with us. When we start thinking about His will and not our will, we will, start seeing Him more clearly as He truly is.

The Game Plan

I guess being a disciple is like letting God be your coach. In Matthew 10, Jesus gives His disciples the game plan. This is His strategy that results in success every time..



* Forget all your riches, remember that God will provide. (9-10)
* Look for those that will except what you have to say. (11-12)
* Don't waste your time on the ones that will reject you. (13-14)
* Exhibit great judgement without sinful compromise. (16)
* Be on guard for anything. (17)
* Rely on the Holy Spirit when speaking the truth. (19)
* Even when your family rejects you, don't quit. (21-22)
* When you are persecuted, find a way out if you can. (23)
* Don't think you deserve better treatment than the coach. (24)
* Speak truth everywhere, all the time. (26-27)
* Do not be afraid of man, but fear God. (28)
* Don't worry about anything. (29-31)
* Remember that it won't always be peaceful. (34-36)
* Love God above everything else. (32-33, 37)
* Be willing to die for Him if that's what it takes. (38-39)

I think I just heard the whistle blow...Are you ready?

New Wine, Old Vine

How do we reach the next generation for Christ? I don't think it's through screaming sermons, humming hymns, or tactful translations. Do people really think that the next generation, with all the technological advances, want to sing old songs, be yelled at, and read something they can't even understand?

I don't think so... In fact neither does Jesus.

" Neither do men pour wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved." (Matt 9:17)

Wine that has not yet fermented, bubbling, expanding, and emitting gas, cannot be put into old, brittle containers, or they will explode. Something as exciting as Jesus should not be presented with stale methods. One needs new containers that will hold in the message of Christ, longer and more effectively.

The same Jesus that has always been, brought new ways to reach others. He was radical in his approach without compromising the word of God.

Old methods won't attract new people. Preach the same Jesus, use a different message, and see the difference it will make in ministering to this generation and the ones to come.