tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76513659773529729462024-03-04T20:17:19.978-08:00The Matthew ConnectionAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01381294448570169185noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651365977352972946.post-37493630818591271272017-12-08T11:24:00.000-08:002017-12-08T11:24:27.769-08:00Jonah's Dilemma<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The story of Jonah begins, “The word of the
Lord came to Jonah, son of Amittai: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach
against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.’” Jonah, as you
probably know, ran away rather than go to Nineveh. This begins the prophet’s odyssey
which includes storms on the high seas, perilous rescue by a great fish,
entering the enemy’s capital and ends up with Jonah mad, arguing with God. Quite
a journey!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That journey is the point for us. We’re supposed to take this journey with Jonah
and somewhere along the way, discover with an old comic character, “We have met
the enemy, and the enemy is us.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jonah’s story is the story of those whom God
calls to partner with Him. At first, we may be excited that God has called us,
even though we have to get out of our comfort zones to follow. But sooner or
later we face Jonah’s dilemma. That dilemma occurs when we come to the
realization that God determines the agenda and <i>His agenda is the only agenda that matters</i>. So, do you continue on
the journey with God or not?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jonah was a prophet who had delivered
the word of the Lord before and seen God move according to the prophesy he had
given. According to 2 Kings 14:25, Jonah prophesied that Israel would expand her
boundaries under the leadership of Jeroboam II. God used this king, even though
he was not a very good king, to help rescue Israel from destruction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As a result, Jonah was probably well
liked by the people. His prophecy was evidence God was on their side. Who knows
but possibly this was the first step toward Israel achieving the greatness God
had promised them. In addition, Israel was experiencing peace and prosperity like
they had not seen since the days of King Solomon. Trade increased, people made
money and life was good. Other prophets like Amos and Hosea painted a different
perspective of Israel’s prosperity. But really, how could you not believe God
was favoring you when you saw all the prosperity and dramatic economic expansion? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Still there was this problem off
to the east. Assyria, with their capital city of Nineveh, was also growing in power.
Anyone could see that as Israel grew in power in the region that sooner or
later they would have to confront Assyria. Israel was not threatened yet but
they knew Assyria was the enemy. They had bad memories of Nineveh. King Jehu
had paid tribute to Nineveh in order to buy them off. No one wanted to go back
to the days of shamefully having to bow down to Nineveh’s power.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Besides all that, Nineveh was
obviously a people God would not want to prosper. They worshipped false
gods and were a brutal people. From inscriptions of that period we learn how
the Ninevites treated their enemies. They would take the nobles and flay their
skin to drape over the piles of corpses. They mutilated captured soldiers,
cutting off their nose and ears and gouging out their eyes while they were still
alive. Finally, they beheaded them and put their heads on stakes surrounding
the captured city. Those they chose to keep alive had their lower lips pierced
with fish hooks on lines and were led back to Nineveh to be tortured, sold into slavery </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">or </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">killed</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">. If it came down to a choice between Nineveh or Israel, surely God would surely pick Israel every time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">God told Jonah to go to these
people and deliver a prophesy. So far so good, the word was that Nineveh's wickedness had come up before God. That's prophetic talk that God was bringing judgment. So why was Jonah so upset that he would run from
God? Why wouldn't Jonah want to deliver this warning to this great city?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Because Jonah knew a prophetic warning of judgment from God always carries
with it the opportunity of repentance. And if these people repented, as bad as
they were, God would spare them. He was just that kind of God. Jonah could not let that happen. The only option open
to Jonah was to run the other way, not deliver the word of the Lord and that
way secure Nineveh’s destruction and doom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jonah was trying to control God. He had already made the decision that these people should be judged and no possibility of any other outcome was acceptable to Jonah. He just could not imagine another outcome other than Nineveh's destruction and Israel's advancement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Before we start to judge Jonah let
me ask you something, “Who’s your Nineveh?” Who is that person who has so
wronged you that you can’t imagine any other outcome of their life except God's punishment. Or who is that group of people that is obviously so
far from God that you don’t want to hear about them unless it is to hear of how
miserable their lives have become?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Our “Nineveh’s” are those people we
have totally written off and can not even imagine anything for them apart from
judgment. They are those we have no time for unless it is to watch them from a
faraway spot just so we can observe their lives falling apart. Don't get me wrong. These “Ninevites”
in our lives deserve what they get. There is no denying they are toxic people
and have so messed up. They have brought on themselves any kind of punishment
they get. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But as long as we run from a God
who would offer them the opportunity to repent, we are already bound by their
behavior and their brokenness. As long as we will not be open to the truth that
God’s love for us is also offered to them, we will remain miserable. We will be miserable because our heart is not God's heart. Jonah ends
up angry at God with the Lord leaving him with a question: “And should I not be
concerned with that great city?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jonah said he served God then tried
to run away from the God he said he served. Jonah could not allow God to be
God. Jonah saw only one possibility for the Ninevites and that was God’s judgement.
Why? Because Jonah had been deceived by the lie that for him to be accepted by
God others had to be rejected. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The truth is that the same mercy that God extends to me He will also extend to others through
me. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For Jonah it was either God rejected Nineveh or there was no way that Israel could be God’s special people. When Jonah's lie was confronted by God's truth...he was caught in a dilemma of choice. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jonah’s dilemma is this: W</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ill I allow my heart to be shaped by God’s heart regardless
of how God chooses to respond to others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The story of Jonah is sadly our
story…my story. We design templates of
how God operates and how other people are to be evaluated. Then God comes along
and will not fit in with our preconceived notions of who we are, who God is and
who the other people must therefore be. God refuses to be boxed in by our expectations
and judgements about others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fortunately, this same God who
will not be boxed in by us still comes to us…again and again. Offering us His
covenant love as a gift. This same God will come out to us while we throw our fits and get so angry with God that we wish we were dead rather than let our hearts be transformed to have the same love for others that God has for us. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you receive that covenant love from God you will face Jonah's dilemma…because
God will call us to offer that same of covenant love to others. It’s now our dilemma.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01381294448570169185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651365977352972946.post-11900769953206952762017-09-21T09:02:00.002-07:002017-09-21T09:02:54.271-07:00Jonah: Missionary Gone Fishy or What?<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The story of
Jonah was one of my childhood favorites. When still young enough to be read a
bedtime story, my answer to Mother’s question, “So what do you want to read
tonight?” was more times than not answered by an enthusiastic, “Jonah!” <i>(My
second favorite was “Daniel and the Lion’s Den”.</i></span><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Any surprise I like action movies?)</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jonah is one
of those stories most people have heard of even if they don’t know very much
about the Bible. We’ve heard the story primarily from the belly of the whale
perspective. We seem to camp out on that part about the whale swallowing Jonah.
Never mind that the Bible doesn’t call it a “whale” but a big fish.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Those who do
get past three days and three nights in the belly of the whale…uh, fish part
usually understand the story to go something like this:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>God
wants all the heathen to be saved. God calls Jonah to foreign missions and he
doesn’t want to go. After being slammed by a storm, thrown overboard by those
pagan sailors, Jonah ends up three days and three nights in the belly of a
whale/fish whatever. Surprise! Jonah now is willing to go to Nineveh. He goes
but he is not happy about it. More surprise…Nineveh repents even down to the
animals. Jonah is still not happy with it. Jonah throws a fit under a vine. God
is not happy with Jonah. Worm eats vine. Jonah’s not happy. God’s not happy.
Nobody is happy. Except we assume the pagan sailors who made it to shore, a big
fish recovering from digestive problems and the King of Nineveh, the people and
their pets are all happy.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Moral of the story: When God calls you to foreign
missions you should go.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Application: Don’t you want to go?<span style="color: #666666;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The story of
Jonah is not about Christian world missions. It can and should be applied to
our mission work. But just to make Jonah into a recruitment poster for missionaries
is to miss the point of the story.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You may have
noticed I keep referring to “the story” of Jonah. I do believe there was a
historical prophet named Jonah who went to Nineveh <i>(By the way, Nineveh is on
the outskirts of a town you have heard about lately in the news…Mosul.)</i> And I
personally believe Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days. But
to argue with those who don’t swallow the part about the great fish <i>(sorry,
couldn’t resist the pun)</i> is for both of us to miss the message of Jonah.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The book of
Jonah is a tightly knit, carefully woven story. It’s only forty-seven verses in
the English bible in length. However, every word and phrase is carefully
crafted to deliver a message.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">God always
wants us to hear His message. He wanted Jonah to hear what He was saying. God
wanted Nineveh to get His message. And I believe God wants us to hear His
message too.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For the next few blogs we will explore the
story of Jonah. There is a message we need to hear about God, ourselves and the
people God puts into our lives. Good stuff from a <i>“Matthew Connection” </i>point of
view.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Besides…it is
one of my favorite stories. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01381294448570169185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651365977352972946.post-50586014303322226822017-09-14T18:32:00.002-07:002017-09-14T18:32:10.292-07:00Try It...You Might Like It!<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Try It...You Might Like It!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is a simple way to initiate praying for other people who you have never met before. Yes, praying for other people. Prayer is powerful and the more we pray for other people the more we will see Jesus move in our lives and the lives of others.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Taking the iniative to pray for people is the best way I have found to make space for God to use me in touching the lives of people.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And yes, I did say praying for people you have never met before. Depending on your background and personality type-- you are either checking in or checking out about now. If you are like most people I know, the idea of praying for people you don't know and have never met before is not your idea of a good time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But you will be amazed how easy it is and how comfortable it is when people are approached honestly, clearly and with genuine compassion. Let me outline one way I have found to be able to pray for people I have never met before.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You go out to eat. It is your practice to quietly bow your head and offer a short prayer of thanks before the meal. Here's what I discovered. After my server comes to my table, greets me, asks what I want to drink and then ultimately takes my order, this is what I say. I quietly speak the server's name and say,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"I (we) usually pray quietly before our meal. Is there something for you or someone you know that I could pray for when I (we) pray?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You are sharing you usually pray before a meal as a normal practice. You let them know you're praying <i>quietly</i> so you're not going to go weird on them. You're just asking how you can include your sever in your prayer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You're not asking to pray with them. You just asking them if they have something or someone you can pray for when you do pray.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some of the responses I have heard from servers are:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Thank you for asking."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"No one has ever asked me that before."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"That's the nicest thing I ever had a customer ask me."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would say over 90% give me a specific prayer request. The requests range from someone in their family who is sick or a concern about a child. Some ask for prayer about upcoming job interviews. Some are students and have financial needs. Many ask for prayer for their children. </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have even prayed for baby sitting needs so a parent can work without worrying about their child being safe.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More than once I have seen server's eyes tear up and share something that had just happened that day. Like a parent just diagnosed with a disease or gone to the hospital. And more than one mom asked me to pray for their teenage child.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Very few have said, "no". Some have smiled and said "No, I'm good" or "Can't think of a thing." My response is to smile and say "that's great, thank you". Those are the server's I love to pray for because I know it is God's timing for me to have them as my server. Here's how I pray for them:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Jesus, please reveal yourself to (server's name). Show yourself to them and show them how much you love them. And do it in a way they will know it's because of this prayer." It will be fun to find out in heaven what happened as a result of these kinds of prayers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's a response I have heard more than once. "Well, I'm not very religious". I just smile and say, "Neither am I but I do like to talk to God sometimes." Most people laugh and give me a prayer request.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why am I suggesting this idea to you? Because the more we can share with others in a way that is genuine and natural, the more opportunities we will have to see Jesus move in amazing ways.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Isn't that what Matthew did? He took a normal situation and allowed Jesus the opportunity to step in and reveal Himself. Matthew had a few friends over to his house for dinner to meet Jesus. There were even some Pharasees that made it into the house. And Jesus took the opportunity to reveal that He was coming for the sick and hurting, and not for the "<i>religious"</i> who thought they didn't need Him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Try this the next time you go out to eat. Now I don't do this everytime. Sometimes it just doesn't "feel right" and I don't do it. Sometimes...well, I just forget to do it. But when I do-- I am always amazed how Jesus uses those situations and surprises both the server and me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Try it. You might like it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01381294448570169185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651365977352972946.post-11450695846162212602017-09-06T18:20:00.000-07:002017-09-06T18:20:22.981-07:00"Disreputable Characters"<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Matthew had an interesting set of friends according to Matthew 9:10 MSG. “Later when Jesus was eating supper at Matthew’s house with
his (Jesus’) close followers, <b><i>a lot of disreputable characters</i></b>
came and joined them.” Where did these characters come from? Sounds like they
were Matthew’s friends. Later the Pharisees criticized Jesus for setting such a
bad example for spending time with such “<b><i>crooks and riffraff</i></b>”. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Let me ask a question: if Jesus came to your house or
mine, what disreputable characters would he meet there? (I know some right now
might respond, “Well, it depends on how many family members were there” but
that’s a topic for another time.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Look at this question from at least two different angles.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
One is that we don’t <b><i>have</i></b> “disreputable characters” as
friends. This is probably true if we have been followers of Jesus for a long
time or come from a family of long time Jesus followers. Our friends tend to be
nice, cool, respectable, spiritual—you name it. As followers of Jesus, we have
made it a priority to not have disreputable characters as friends. You know,
our friends tend to reflect to others who we are.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Unfortunately, it is all too often true what I remember a
friend saying,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“Non-believers have two
problems. One, they either <b><i>don’t </i></b>know a Christian or …two, they
<b><i>do
</i></b>know a Christian.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
They <b><i>don’t</i></b> know a Christian therefore
they can’t hear nor see the good news lived out. Or they <b><i>do</i></b> know a Christian who has such a
condemning or negative attitude that these kind of Christians drive people away
from Jesus.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
If we really don’t have contact with people who are not
Jesus followers, we need to find some…on purpose. Not as a “project” so we can
set our witness sights on them and “get them” for Jesus. Besides, most people
smell out this kind of hypocrisy a mile away. But because we are missing
something vital in our relationship with Jesus when we don’t have others to
introduce to him.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
If you find yourself isolated from people who do not
follow Jesus you might ask yourself:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->“Why am I not serving someone who is not a
follower of Jesus to the point that we become friends?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->“How did I get so isolated from people who need
to hear and see Jesus from me?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->“When did I become so isolated that I would have
to build some relationships with non- Jesus followers on purpose?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Granted there are times when dysfunctional people need to
be removed from our lives. Abusers,
manipulators, users, etc. But I think we’re seeing something different in
Matthew’s case. He had “disreputable characters” as friends because he himself
was a disreputable character. A tax collector for the Romans was not on the
Jewish list of most favorites. The crowd he ran around with was made up of the
outcasts of Jewish society. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The amazing thing was he had just become a follower of
Jesus and was evidently eager for his friends to meet Jesus. And the truly great thing for us-- Jesus was eager to
meet them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
One other angle to look on this disreputable character thing, how
hard is it to think of ourselves as a “disreputable character”? I’m finding the
times I get closer to Jesus are also the times when I’m more aware of just how much that I am accepted
by sheer grace. It’s those times I am confronted with how very disreputable I
am without the grace and love of Jesus I find Jesus getting closer to me.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And that self-awareness of how much I
am a “disreputable character” helps me extend love and mercy to others. About
the time I am ready to write someone off…I am reminded about Jesus being
excited to have dinner with me. Me! Not that I’m into that “I’m just a poor
sinner and no-good” kind of thing. But I know what good there is in me is not
why Jesus loves me. He loves me with
complete awareness of who I am without him. And he loves me…a disreputable
character.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So, how many disreputable characters would Jesus find in
your house if he came to dinner…there would be at least one.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01381294448570169185noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651365977352972946.post-22396282397310975342017-08-30T13:41:00.001-07:002017-08-30T13:41:30.356-07:00Hitting the Reset Button<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">We've heard recently about politicians and elected officials hitting a "reset button". The idea is they get to start over, re-focus and pick up where they left off.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="about:invalid#zClosurez" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for reset button" border="0" height="178" src="data:image/jpeg;base64,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" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">That sounds good to me so I would like to announce I am hitting the "reset button" for this blog. It's been a while since I have posted but I am ready to get it going again. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">So get ready, <PUSH> there I pushed the reset button on Matthew Connection.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">What can you expect on this blog? "Matthew Connection" is written from the perspective of exploring ways to connect other people in our lives with the Jesus we are following. It comes from the story about Jesus and Matthew.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><i>Passing along, Jesus saw a man at his work collecting taxes. His name was Matthew. Jesus said, "Come along with me." Matthew stood up and followed him.</i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><i>Later when Jesus was eatting supper at Matthew's house with his close followers, a lot of disreputable characters came and joined them. When the Pharasees saw him keeping this kind of company, they had a fit, and lit into Jesus' followers. "What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cozy with crooks and riffraff?"</i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><i>Jesus overhearing, shot back, "Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? Go figure out what this scripture means: 'I'm after mercy, not religion.' I'm here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders." Matthew 9:9-13 MSG </i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As soon as Matthew started following Jesus, he very naturally saw his friends and social contacts connect with Jesus at various levels. And Jesus evidently appreciated the opportunity to do so--especially when we hear his strong reaction to the questioning of the Pharasees.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Join with me as we explore how we can make "Matthew Connections" in our lives. It would also be great to hear your comments and stories about your "Matthew Connections".</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Looking forward to hearing from you. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">(Man, hitting that "reset button" sure feels good.)</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01381294448570169185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651365977352972946.post-78510617505603004802015-09-03T12:51:00.001-07:002015-09-03T12:51:02.784-07:00The Matthew Connection: The Flow of Faith<a href="http://matthewconnection.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-flow-of-faith.html?spref=bl">The Matthew Connection: The Flow of Faith</a>: Many are familiar with the story of the woman with the issue of blood. SheAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01381294448570169185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651365977352972946.post-87276223854362064722015-09-03T12:34:00.002-07:002015-09-03T12:34:57.721-07:00The Flow of Faith<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many are familiar with the story of the woman with the issue of blood. She's the one who pressed through the crowd to touch the hem of Jesus' garment and was healed. But not as many may be familiar with another story where people touched the hem of Jesus' garment. I'm referring to Matthew 14:34-36:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="text Matt-14-34" id="en-NIV-23632" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">34 </span>When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"> </span><span class="text Matt-14-35" id="en-NIV-23633" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">35 </span>And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"> </span><span class="text Matt-14-36" id="en-NIV-23634" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">36 </span>and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-23634Y" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-23634Y" title="See cross-reference Y">Y</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> and all who touched it were healed.</span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The men of that region recognized a special guest had arrived in their region. Quickly word went out to other villages that Jesus had come. The people's immediate response was to bring all the sick people they could to Jesus. This is where it gets interesting.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It says that they specifically "begged" him to let the sick just touch the hem of his garment.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maybe they had heard about the woman with the issue of blood being healed? At any rate, they sent out the good news that Jesus had come so all the sick people should come and ask to touch the hem of his garment. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Notice how Jesus went along with their request. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did Jesus plan on having them touch his gament for healing? What is key here is seeing that Jesus will meet us at out point of faith and will work with us from there. The people believed that in touching his garment they could be healed so that's where Jesus started with them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I could see some ministers today saying, "Oh no, that's not how I do healing ministry. I lay hands on people, now everyone who wants to be healed line up and wait for me to lay hands on you." Maybe Jesus could have gone for the more spectacular effect by walking away to the closest mud puddle saying, "Everyone who desires to be made well follow me to the mud puddle."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think Jesus was responding to the men's point of faith. They put out the word to come to Jesus and touch the hem of his garment. The faith of the men led the people to come and expect that if they touched his garment they would be healed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And what's more, the men, acting on their faith, created an opportunity for the people to exercise their faith. There is a real "flow of faith" going on here. Jesus has no set "program" but he will respond to faith wherever and in whomever he finds faith. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This leads me to ask myself, "how often do I express my faith in a way that lets others have an opportunity to exercise their faith?" Sometimes all someone needs is to hear us speak our faith out loud. When we speak our faith out loud, that may be just the encouragement they need to step over the line of unbelief into their own place of trusting Jesus for the impossible; and we all know that with faith, nothing is impossible.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But what is this "touching the hem of Jesus' garment" all about? Basically three things: God's Word, God's Authority and God's Power.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jewish men typically wore an outer garment with tassels or "</span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.8px;">tzitziyot" </i><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">tied to the four courners. These tassels were made out of white and blue threads tied in 613 knots. These knots constantly reminded them of the 613 commandments of Moses. There were 365 prohibitions ("thou shalt not" laws) and 248 affirmations ("thou shalt" laws). They reminded the man and everone else to walk according to the commandments of God's Word.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Only those with authority could afford these tassels. The blue thread was very expensive since the source for blue dye came from a gland of a particular snail. It took 12,000 snails to make up a thimble full of blue dye. It cost the equivalent of $36,000 to make up one pound of cloth dyed blue i</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">n 200 BC. By 300 AD, this same one pound blue cloth would cost the equivalent of $96,000. (By the way, Lydia in Acts 16:14 as a "seller of purple" would have been amoung some of the wealthiest women in the empire.)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because of the expense, these tassels came to be seen as a sign of the man's authority. Remember David cut off the edge of Saul's garment and later repented of doing it. Cutting off the tassel was taking a king's authority.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The power of God is signified in the most interesting way to me. In Malachi 4:2, it is prophesied the Messiah as "the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in his wings." The Hebrew word for "wings" refers to the outer fringe of a birds wing. You have seen or seen pictures of an eagle or a hawk soaring in the sky. You can plainly see the individual feathers on the edges of their wings. These fringe feathers is what is specifically meant by "in his wings". The picture is the Messiah will have healing power in the feathers on the fringe of his "wings" or his tassels.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Touching the hem of Jesus' garment is then an expression of faith in God's Word, God's authority and God's power to bring healing. This simple act was a public sign of faith by the sick person. Their faith in Jesus as Messiah with the Word of God exercising his authority through the power to heal is their response to Jesus.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">But one last thought, it says that "all who touched were healed". The implication is some sick people </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">brought by friends </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to Jesus decided not to touch the hem of Jesus' garment? What a lost opportunity by not following through with a simple act of faith. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Some of us are at </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">just </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">such a point of recieving our healing. We know Jesus is present as we hear the Word of God. We hear about Jesus' authority as God's Son and with it the power to heal. But we stop just short of exercising our faith to recieve his healing touch. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Others can bring us into an awareness of Jesus. They can encourage us by their faith. We are right at the point of making the connection for Jesus to do what He has promised. But are we one of the ones who touch the hem of his garment or are we like the ones who hold back?</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01381294448570169185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651365977352972946.post-43621265360938645102015-03-22T17:10:00.000-07:002015-03-22T17:10:16.026-07:00<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">“When is enough “enough”? <u>IS</u> there ever an “enough”?</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">(Recently
while subbing in a Christian high school, I passed a paper around the class
with a voluntary assignment. I asked students
to write down their questions to this prompt:
“What question do you have about following Jesus right now?” This is my response to the first of five questions
that were asked by those high school students that day.)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">Great question, isn't it? We all can identify with the feeling “when is
enough ‘enough’?” But this student's question goes deeper: “IS there ever an 'enough'?”. I know
the pressure of trying to do or be enough as a follower of Jesus. A nagging sense of hopelessness begins to
emerge when we keep pressing on and on, only to discover that enough is never
enough. As we keep on trying to be or do
enough, hopelessness turns to despair.
Then we wonder if there ever is such a place that we can reach called
“enough”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">When I read this question, I was
saddened by it. Here was a teenage
follower of Jesus who had reached the point of asking a question like this. When we’re young, shouldn’t we feel
optimistic, ready to tackle the world?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">But there is another side to this
question. It’s actually a good thing if
we come to this question early in our walk with Jesus. Asking this question indicates arrival at a place
to make a life-changing discovery. If we
discover that following Jesus out of the need for acceptance and approval, we
will make the transition from living under the tyranny of works into the
liberty of grace. Let me explain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">The question “when is enough, enough”
only makes sense out of a works or performance mentality. A performance mentality grows out of this
kind of thinking. Jesus died for our
sins. If we believe he died for us and
was raised from the dead, then we are forgiven.
This is grace. Now that we are a
follower of Jesus we are to show our commitment by following his commands. Soon a relationship started by grace
degenerates into maintaining our salvation by works. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">Unfortunately, performance mentality
is reinforced by well-meaning people saying, “If you really are saved- you will
pray more, read the Bible more, volunteer for the nursery more, spend less on
yourself and give more...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">This can become very
manipulative. Trying to get young people
to do “the right thing”, we tell our students “a Christian will...” then we
fill in the blank with what we want them to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">The power of a performance mentality
many times is rooted by important people only giving us conditional love. We are raised on messages of: “If you really
loved me…” “If you do this you will make
me very proud of you…” “Remember, people
in our family don’t do …” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">But aren't there some things as
followers of Jesus we are <i><u>supposed</u></i> to do? And there are some things we are <i><u>not</u></i>
supposed to do as followers of Jesus?
Well, yes and no.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">“Yes”, there are behaviors that should
be evident in a follower of Jesus. And
certainly there are some things we should stop or never do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">But the answer is “no”, if as
followers of Jesus we attempt to get on the treadmill of life to earn or keep
our relationship with Jesus. There is no
“enough” we can do to earn or keep our relationship with Jesus.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">This is demonstrated in the baptism of
Jesus. Jesus comes to John the Baptist
asking to be baptized by him. John was
baptizing people as a sign of their repentance from sin and cleansing to
prepare for the soon coming Messiah or Christ.
When Jesus makes his request, John replies essentially, “No way. I'm the one who should be baptized by
you.” But Jesus responds to John’s
protests by saying he desires baptism to “fulfill all righteousness”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">What did Jesus mean? The quick answer in his baptism Jesus was identifying
with what God was doing through John. Jesus
was going to fulfill what the Father had started in John's ministry as the
promised Messiah. When John agreed and baptized
Jesus, a Voice was heard saying, “You are my beloved son, in whom I am well
pleased”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">The affirmation of a father to a son
or daughter is life-giving. I remember a
time riding in the car with my father.
It was during a time of some major disappointments in others and
failures on my part. He said to me,
“John, you've been through some tough times.
But I want you to know your mother and I are proud of you.” This word of blessing was powerful for
me. The power of this is demonstrated by
the fact I can share this with you. I
have played the recording of it in my mind over and over. When you father says he is pleased with you--it
means something.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">But the words that Jesus heard are
even more powerful than the ones spoken to me by my earthly father. Jesus heard “you are my son” from the Father. God was declaring that He was the Father and
Jesus was His unique Son. Then Jesus
heard, “in whom I am well pleased”. A
relationship was affirmed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">Now I ask you, what had Jesus done to
deserve hearing those words? Why was the
Father well pleased with him? Jesus had
performed no miracle. Not one leper had
been cleansed, no blind eyes opened and no lame person was dancing because for
the first time they could walk. Jesus
had not told one parable, no sermon on the mount, no “verily, verily I say unto
you”. What had Jesus done that was
enough to be called son and that the Father was well pleased with him? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">Nothing. Jesus was
a son and accepted by the Father because this relationship had existed from
before creation. Jesus said that before
Abraham was, “I am”. Jesus’ relationship
with the Father was not earned nor did he remain as son by his efforts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">But remember Jesus was also fully human. And this Jesus heard from the Father that he
had the identity as a son and what's more, the Father was well pleased with him. God was well pleased not in what Jesus had
done but in who Jesus was...a beloved son.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">Following the baptism we see Jesus
going into the wilderness, confronting Satan and coming out of the wilderness
in the power of the Holy Spirit. Don't
miss this. Jesus was given an identity,
and in that identity, Jesus had the full acceptance of the Father. Jesus then lived, or “performed”, not in
order to secure his identity or gain acceptance. Jesus lived out of who he was, relying on the
power of the Holy Spirit, all given to him by the Father who had freely loved
and accepted Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">We do things just backward. We don’t feel who we are in Jesus is
enough. We are desperate to be accepted. We mistakenly believe acceptance is based on performance. So we strive and work in order to do enough
so someone will look at what we have done and accept us. We hope when others think we have done enough
to be accepted, they will give us the identity we grave. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">For example, we accept Jesus as Lord
and Savior. We want others to accept us
as “real Christians” and give us that identity.
So we perform in order to be accepted so that we will have the identity
we desire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">Then we discover a problem. First, we never know when we've done enough
so we perpetually try to do more, do better and measure up. Second, running after our illusive identity
on the “gerbil wheel” of Christian activities we end up exhausted, discouraged
and ultimately wondering if all this is really worth it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">The good news of Jesus is, as we surrender
our lives to him, we receive the identity as a son or daughter of God. As sons and daughters, we are accepted, not
for what we have done or what we do not do.
We are accepted because God freely loves us unconditionally like he
loves Jesus. And what about our performance? Jesus finished the performance for our
identity and acceptance in his death on the cross. Now, as we accept by faith our new identity
and acceptance in Jesus Christ, we can live in the power of the Holy Spirit. Our actions are the fruit of our relationship
with the Father through Jesus Christ, not frantic attempts to obtain the Father’s
acceptance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">At first when I became a follower of Jesus,
I was so excited. I wanted to please
Jesus in everything I did. Then, after a
while, I discovered that following Jesus was really hard. I wanted to love others but when certain
people hurt me, I wanted revenge. I
tried thinking pure thoughts even while my mind immediately wandered to places
it should not go. Always trying harder,
trying to “be good” and working to do my very best. Still deep inside, I knew I was failing and
there was always going to be something else I should have been doing while I
was doing the other. It was
exhausting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">Then came those points in my life
where I got off the treadmill by giving myself permission to just do what I
wanted, when I wanted to do it. It brought
relief at first. But then as I began
reaping what I had been sowing, I didn't like the harvest. So, it was back to the treadmill of attempting
to do enough and the cycle of performance began again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">Life turned into a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde
experience flipping back and forth between the prodigal son and older brother
in Jesus' parable. Rebelling against all
expectations, till the frustration of not getting what I wanted turned me back
to do everything right. Then I became the
angry older brother, doing everything right, still feeling distant from the
father and remaining outside the house.
Those bracelets so popular a few years ago- “WWJD- what would Jesus do”. I would never wear one because it felt like the
bracelet was mocking me in my futility.
I could not do what Jesus would do, even if I knew what Jesus would do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">Then I discovered following Jesus was
not just hard—following Jesus by trying to do enough was impossible. Ironically, by trying to be like Jesus, life
became all about me. Jesus says apart
from him, we can do nothing. I found by
trying to do enough only put me and my performance front and center stage—and I
could not perform. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">It was then I found there is only one
place to find my ‘enough’. Meditating on
Jesus at his baptism, I got in touch again with the unconditional love of the
Father. My identity became grounded in
who the Father says I am because of my union with Jesus. I started trusting in what Jesus had already
done for me and not in what I could do for him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">If Jesus needed to hear those words
“you are my beloved son in whom I am well pleased” then I absolutely needed to
hear them. Those words empowered me to
stop performing to be accepted and walk out a new identity. I started being thankful that I am a beloved
son in whom the Father is well pleased. Then
I discovered a fresh power of the Holy Spirit working through me, enabling me
to do what I could not do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">Now don't get me wrong. I still go back to the old performance
mentality from time to time. Then I will
change my mind and start living out of my identity in Jesus, but that's
okay. I am working out my salvation as
the Spirit leads me in every part of my life.
Whenever I sense the exhaustion of the performance treadmill, it's great
to know I can jump off by a simple surrender of control to Jesus. I even say sometimes, “I don't really want to
yield control to you… but I want to want to”. Jesus is willing to always meet me there,
setting me free from trying to do enough and learning to rest in his enough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="Standard" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">When is enough, enough? My story is there is a better question to ask. The better question to ask ourselves is “when
is Jesus' enough going to be enough”?
Then we can stop striving and start trusting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01381294448570169185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651365977352972946.post-18752633187219375552015-01-23T06:44:00.001-08:002015-01-23T06:44:23.042-08:00"So...What's in Your Bible"?<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Recently, I was speaking on the phone with my older sister
Kay. She lives a two or three day drive away so
talking on the phone is the best way for us to stay in touch. When Kay and I talk on the phone, we usually
get around to telling stories about our family.
Our sister, Carol, who was the middle child, died three years ago and
our parents died some years before Carol.
We really miss them all and retelling the stories helps both of us. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
During this last phone conversation, Kay asked if I remembered
the story mother used to tell about the man who left a $100 bill in a bible. I asked her to repeat the story because, I
sort of remembered, but wanted to make sure.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The story goes that a wealthy man gave his son a bible for his high
school graduation present. The son, who
had his sights set on something more impressive and expensive was not impressed
with the gift of just a bible. The
father told the son to be sure and read the bible when he went to college and
offered no explanation for the meager gift.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The son goes away to college, forgets all about the bible and eventually
graduates from college. After some years
go by, the son comes across the bible while going through some old things. Life has not been going well for the young
man and he decides to look through the bible.
When he turns to the back of the bible, he finds a $100 bill. His father had placed it there for him before
he left for college. Now the point sunk
into the young man’s mind that reading the bible was more “valuable” than just
getting money as a graduation gift. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I did remember the story and hearing mother tell it to
encourage bible reading. Kay asked if I
knew the “rest of the story”. She told
me that one year mother gave Kay and Carol each a new bible for their Christmas
presents. Since they were in high
school, they weren’t impressed with the gift much like the son in the
story. Not too long after Christmas
though, Carol shared excitedly with Kay that she had found a $100 bill in her bible. Kay, of course, started looking through her
bible for her $100 bill. Kay said she
kept looking through hers but never found a $100 bill. She always wondered why Carol got the $100 bill
and she didn’t.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Fast forward several years after both our parents had died. While going through the mobile home our
parents had as a vacation getaway in south Texas, Kay found one of mother’s bibles. She decided to place it in a prominent spot
as decoration and in memory of mother. Five
years go by and Kay, and my brother-in-law Jerry, are at the mobile home. Kay had been trying to read through the bible
and hoped to get some reading done while they were down there. But she was disappointed to discover she forgot
to pack her bible. Realizing her mistake,
she looked over at mother’s bible on the table and thought to herself, “I’ll
just read mother’s bible.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
After doing some reading, Kay started to put the bible back
on the table but it slips out of her hand, falling to the floor. Bending over to pick it up, she sees
something sticking out of the bible. You guessed it, a $100 bill was stuck in the
back of mother’s bible.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Kay said her
reaction was to say out loud, “That stinker.”
<i>(This was a phrase she usually didn’t use but it was one of mother’s
favorites.)</i> “Mother, you knew someday after
you were gone one of your kids would go through your bible and they would find
that $100 bill.” We both had a good
laugh and she told me the $100 bill was still right there in the bible.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Mother was always an avid reader, especially the bible and
books about the bible. She was well
versed in bible history always enjoying learning more. She trusted Jesus just a few years before I
was born. It was then she became a student
of the bible.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
And she didn’t just read the
bible- she studied it. Her bibles, and there were many, are all marked up and underlined, notes in the
margins, notes on the blank pages both front and back. Most of her bibles include notes from bible
preachers and teachers she listened to over the years. She eventually became a bible teacher herself
and a good one. She taught as long as
she was physically and mentally able to teach. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I was always impressed by her hunger for the bible and her
personal journey to continue to learn more.
She valued education and was a life-long learner. Surprisingly mother was not a high school
graduate. I didn’t find this out until I
was grown because she conveniently didn’t talk about it. Few people who heard her teach the bible
would have believed she had so little formal education. She may not have had a diploma but she had a strong grasp of the scriptures and the gift of sharing that insight with others.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Remembering these stories rekindles the desire to read the
bible myself. Don’t get me wrong, I read
and study the bible. We all periodically need a renewed fresh hunger to spend time in the scriptures.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I want to encourage you to read your bible. We hear a lot of talk today about “spirituality”
and “self-development” but too many people are not investing time to read the
bible for themselves. Why?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Maybe it’s because we think:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">"I don’t
understand the bible.”</i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The bible
includes sixty-six books written over hundreds of years by many different human
authors.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">We do need instruction and some
understanding of the history behind the stories of the bible to get a grasp of
what is being said.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">It’s hard just to pick
up the bible and start reading without some kind of background
information.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">But there are so many
resources available today that a basic foundation is readily available.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">“I get
more out of listening to someone talk about the bible.”</i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">It’s true that good teaching can help open up
the scriptures to us.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">But nothing can
replace going to the bible yourself, reading it and discovering God speaking
directly to your heart.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-stretch: normal;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">“I don’t
have time to read the bible.”</i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">That
is an excuse but not a reason.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The
problem is not a lack of time.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">What
would happen if I spent ten minutes every day this year reading something about
butterflies? After a week I would have
learned some things but you might not be very impressed with my knowledge of
butterflies at this point. But after one
month, I could tell you some things you had never heard about the little
creatures. After a year of me reading
ten minutes a day, I bet you would begin avoiding
me.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Who wants to hear all those details
about butterflies?</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The point is--reading
a little bit each day makes a huge impact over time.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The problem is not the amount of time but our
consistency of reading the scriptures.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Reminder from mother: <i>“Be sure and read your
bible”.</i> Does this reminder sound
quaint or “old school”? Yet reading the
bible is not optional if we want to grow and mature as followers of Jesus. We are bombarded continually with self-centered
thinking and lies from much of what we hear and view. If we don’t saturate our minds with the word
of God, we will fall into self-deception and not even be aware of it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It ultimately comes down to what we value. How much do we value the bible? Are you reading the bible regularly? What if I told you there was a $100 bill
tucked in your bible somewhere? Getting
the bible into our hearts and minds is so much more valuable than putting a
$100 bill in our bank account.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Let me add this. It’s
one thing to challenge ourselves to get into the scriptures and another thing
to know how to get started. Here are
some resources I have found helpful:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/">www.biblegateway.com</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/">www.biblestudytools.com</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.intervarsity.org/bible-studies">www.intervarsity.org/bible-studies</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.youversion.com/">www.youversion.com</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.studylight.org/">www.studylight.org</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.crosswalk.com/">www.crosswalk.com</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.bible-history.com/">www.bible-history.com</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.bible.org/">www.bible.org</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.mystudybible.com/">www.mystudybible.com</a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So what’s in your
bible? Let’s find out.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Advancing the kingdom,<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
John P. Holsey<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01381294448570169185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651365977352972946.post-76328623171079377422015-01-15T11:22:00.000-08:002015-01-15T11:22:01.878-08:00God Chose You!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(A quick personal note: You may have noticed a lack of postings. The last three months have been a recovery time for Donna who had surgery on her foot. Then we capped it off with a week of flu bug nonsense... so I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing of things.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not a science guy by any means. But when I saw the picture taken by the Hubble telescope of "The Pillars of Creation" I was mesmerized. I kept staring at it..."googling" it and trying to understand what I was looking at and why it had got my eye. Here's the picture below:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3RKNcvsb4rKwq12cOcpwd-N37SZdW43c9BX5D8Puh-C2_we3Rn4FfJ4HRZLkKpOQnuRESRwJJ3hric56cZIelQF-hcXxpuxlKUCmsvRyVw8scv-2CuMV1njPkPd_oEWStAbsE355o83Y/s1600/Pillars+of+Creation+HD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3RKNcvsb4rKwq12cOcpwd-N37SZdW43c9BX5D8Puh-C2_we3Rn4FfJ4HRZLkKpOQnuRESRwJJ3hric56cZIelQF-hcXxpuxlKUCmsvRyVw8scv-2CuMV1njPkPd_oEWStAbsE355o83Y/s1600/Pillars+of+Creation+HD.jpg" height="246" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This picture shows three giant columns of interstellar gas and dust. They are named "Pillars of Creation" because the gas and dust are in a process of creating new stars while also being eroded by scorching ultraviolet light from nearby stars that have recently formed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Got it? Wait...there is more. There are stars being born deep inside those columns. Not just some stars but massive amount of stars. They say that our sun was probably "born" in a similar mass of gas and dust.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So we are seeing a snapshot of massive amount of stars being born. This is happening a long, long, long way off...about 6500 light years away. How long is a light year? One light year is 5.88 trillion miles long. Multiply 5.88 trillion by 6500 and...well, let's just say it's a long way off. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And how's this for size. That first column on the left. is four light years in length. 4 X 5.88 trillion miles. That's really long. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You may be wondering about the title of this post "God Chose You!" and what this has to do with this picture and gigantic numbers that make your head spin just trying to think about it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When God created the universe and this planet He could have chosen something this</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">massive and powerful to reflect his image. The "Pillars of Creation" are huge beyond imagination and God is bigger and more magnificent.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">God did not choose anything else in all creation to reflect His image other than people. When I saw this picture I remembered Genesis 1:27, "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is something unique about you because God chose you to be a reflection of His image and not some massive, powerful display of interstellar gas and dust. When God wants to display His exceeding riches of grace in His universe--God shows what He did in us through Jesus Christ.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't believe it? Ephesians 2:4-7 says,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"The Pillars of Creation" are sure something to behold. But they are nothing compared to what God sees in you as His chosen in Christ Jesus.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wow...God chose you and me.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would love to hear any of your responses to this. Looking forward to a great year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">John P. Holsey</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01381294448570169185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651365977352972946.post-47575026726707675642014-11-11T09:32:00.000-08:002014-11-11T09:32:26.444-08:00Are We Looking For God In All The Wrong Places?If you thought this blog would be about how we shouldn't be in ungodly places you are right...and wrong. Of course, we're not supposed to be in some places and situations but that's not what I'm getting at with the idea of looking for God in all the wrong places.<br />
<br />
Last week when reviewing a workbook on kingdom ministry, I came across an interesting statement. It said, "...of the sixty-nine divine interventions in the book of Acts, sixty-eight of them happened in the marketplace." I confess I have not gone through the book of Acts to verify these figures, but the basic point is beyond doubt. God shows up in so many places except the "religious" ones in Acts. The streets of Jerusalem, in the houses of believers, at the stoning of Stephen, a desert road, jails, ships, Roman centurion's houses...just to name a few.<br />
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Where do we look for God to show up? It is easy to get excited in gatherings of believers when we sense the presence of God. But if Acts is any indicator, maybe we aren't seeing God showing up because we don't look for him in certain places like the marketplace.<br />
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The marketplace can be challenging for those Jesus followers trying to be faithful in their conversations and ethics. Just the frantic pace of most workplaces tends to numb our senses to anything except doing the next task, taking the next order or making that last phone call. But in the book of Acts, sixty-eight times out of sixty-nine....<br />
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Let me ask a series of "what if" questions:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>What if God is showing up and we miss him because we aren't looking for him except on Sundays?</li>
<li>What if we started expecting God to show up when we entered the marketplace?</li>
<li>What if we developed "eyes to see" and "ears to hear" for those times God is ready to move through a co-workers challenging project or problem at home?</li>
<li>What if God is not showing up in our religious gatherings because he knows if he does, we will want to build tabernacles and camp in our religious clubs leaving the marketplaces out?</li>
</ul>
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<br /></div>
<div>
A familiar verse to most of us is John 3:16. "For God so loved the world..." Wait, God so loved <i><u>the</u> <u>world</u>? </i>Before we read about God sending his son or anything about eternal life we need to get this down, <i>God so loves the world</i>. God's focus is on the world before he focuses on the church, not that the church is unimportant. Christ loved the church and died for the church. We need to see God's focus on the church is because his ultimate focus is on loving, reaching and redeeming the world.</div>
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<div>
God's people have always struggled with God's priorities and agenda. The story of Jonah is all over this. All through the story, people are turning to God. Pagan sailors, foreign kings, ungodly gentiles and even the animals repent. The only one God has trouble with is his own prophet. Jonah does not want to go to Nineveh. He only goes after spending three days and three nights in the belly of a great fish. (I always said after being in the belly of a great fish I would probably hear the call to be a missionary too.) In the end of the story, God puts the question to Jonah like this:</div>
<div>
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<b><i>"And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left--and also many animals?" Jonah 4:11 NIV</i></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Shouldn't God have concern for our marketplace? Try going to work with the expectation of walking into situations where God is already present and ready to show up. Expect God to do the most surprising things through you in the lives of your coworkers.</div>
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Let's start looking for God in all the wrong places and expecting him to show up.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01381294448570169185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651365977352972946.post-29053193859487104882014-11-05T18:01:00.000-08:002014-11-05T18:01:02.211-08:003 Important Things I Learned On A Job InterviewRecently I went on a job interview for a holiday help position at Barnes and Noble. The job posting looked interesting to me and who wouldn't want to be surrounded by books. Before going on the interview, I did my due diligence researching the company and browsing LinkedIn and Monster.com for tips on interviewing. <br />
<br />
The interview followed the typical interview format. When the interviewer got to the end of his questions he asked, "Do you have any questions for me?" Well, being well prepared, I popped out with the following question,<i> <b>"If I get this job, what are the three most important things for me to learn during my first week?" </b></i> You can see this is a <i>great</i> question to ask on an interview. I imagined the interviewer thinking to himself, "This guy is a go-getter... He's really looking to improve his productivity...I've got to use this on <i>my</i> next job interview" and other such good things.<br />
<br />
His response to my question was surprisingly quick and to the point. He didn't miss a beat and said, "First, learn how to greet a customer and find out what they are looking for or need. Second, you need to know how to operate our book finding system so you can find that book and put it in their hand. Third, learn how to operate the register and sell them the book."<br />
<br />
What stayed with me though is his following comment. He said, "These three things are what everyone working here has to know first and do well." He went on to let me know training is available to any employee for anything in the business. First, they learn these three things and after that, it's up to the individual employee to initiate what they want to learn for their own advancement.<br />
<br />
It struck me how this simple concept is focused, powerful and effective. Talk to customers, assist them in finding what they need and then show them how to get it for themselves. Simple.<br />
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Driving home from the interview I went over in my mind what had just been said. It occured to me this kind of simple, effective approach could be applied to Jesus followers. Here's what I mean:<br />
<br />
Every person coming into a personal relationship with Jesus needs to know three important things.<br />
<br />
<b><i>1. How to engage in conversation with people who do not know Jesus.</i> </b><br />
<br />
When I say engage in conversation, I am including listening first to hear the heart needs of people. We don't need to artificially stear every conversation around to Jesus. I've done this and found I was focusing more on relieving my own percieved pressure to "witness" than anything else. The other person was just a prop for me to feel better about myself. We just need listen to people with an ear to hear the heart-level need that comes out. <br />
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<b><i>2. How to share our story of finding Jesus.</i> </b><br />
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You will be amazed how God will bring people into your life with needs connecting with your story of finding Jesus. In fact, we should expect this to happen because this is how God works. We have heart-felt needs. God meets them. Then someone else comes into our life with whom we can share how we were comforted by God. <br />
<br />
<i><b>3. How to lead someone in prayer starting their relationship with Jesus.</b></i><br />
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There is nothing like praying with another person and hearing them commit their lives to Jesus. It can be as simple as asking them to pray after you a simple prayer:<br />
<br />
<i>Jesus, I realize that you died for me on the cross. I believe that by your death I am forgiven. I believe that you were raised from the dead and you are Lord over all. Today I am surrendering my life to you and ask you to become my Lord and Savior. Help me to become the person you want me to be. Amen.</i><br />
<br />
This may all sound simplistic. I think one reason we do not see more people coming into a relationship with Jesus is because we miss the important simple stuff. A comment was made by a conference speaker about a problem we have in the church. He pointed out that in the church we think we are supposed to help people be good. The problem with this is they can get "gooder and gooder" and still miss the vital thing that will actually transform their lives.<br />
<br />
Talking about Jesus and sharing your story is not just for the spiritually hyperactive. It is part of normally following Jesus as a disciple. When we begin to follow Jesus we become partners with him in his mission of saving the lost.<br />
<br />
Some may say leading others to Christ is not their gift. Spiritual gifts are how the Holy Spirit works through us to help others in the body of Christ grow in spiritual maturity. There is a gift of evangelism but that gift includes not only effectively bringing people to Jesus but also stimulating more believers to share with others. Sharing our story is the natural outflow of our love relationship with Jesus.<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Doing these three things well is not just for those who are naturally outgoing. For example, look at Andrew in the gospels. Andrew is not known for anything he said or wrote. Andrew is known for one thing- introducing people to Jesus. He introduced his brother Peter to Jesus. He brought the boy with the small lunch to Jesus. When some Greeks who wanted to see Jesus came to Andrew and Phillip, he introduced them to Jesus. That's just about it--he introduced others to Jesus.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Let me ask you, "How are you doing with these three important things?" Don't get sidetracked from keeping the main thing the main thing. I challenge you to focus on these three things over the next thirty days.</div>
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Blessings on you.<br />
<br />
John P. HolseyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01381294448570169185noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651365977352972946.post-16460869224212836042014-10-03T09:06:00.000-07:002014-10-03T09:06:25.426-07:00What To Do When You Don't Know What To Do<br />
There are those times when life not only throws a curve ball but the pitches come two or three balls at a time. I'm going through one of those times where I really don't know what to do because I barely know what just happened. So...what do you do?<br />
<br />
Here's what I have been living on for the past few days:<br />
<br />
<b>1. <i style="text-decoration: underline;">This (fill in the blank) has not taken God by surprise.</i></b><i style="text-decoration: underline;"> </i> He knew these circumstances were coming and He has allowed them to come into my life. Somehow in the mysterious purposes of God for the world and for me, He has allowed me to be in the situation I am presently confused about. <br />
<br />
<b>2. <i><u>The first thing to do is to get into God's presence.</u></i> </b> I have put on some meditative music, read some Psalms and then just sat quietly sharing with God how good I know He is, how much I love Him and then sitting quietly knowing it's OK if neither one of us says anything right now. Basically I'm operating on the principle that if God is quiet, He wants me to get closer.<br />
<br />
<b>3. <i><u>Keep things to yourself while at the same time reaching out to a few trusted friends.</u></i></b><i> </i> When you're in the whirlwind of confusion it is easy to make one of two mistakes. One is to grab everyone you can and send out an S.O.S. signal. It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking if everyone knows and prays that somehow things will turn out better for us. The other mistake is to isolate yourself and keep it all inside. You need to share with a few trusted people to get not only their prayer support but also to give you outside perspective.<br />
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<b>4. <u>Ask God to show you why you are responding like you are to the situation.</u> </b>Are you scared? Are you angry? Does this feel familiar? When the pressure goes up the toothpaste comes out of the tube. So what is coming up inside you? Let God deal with it.<br />
<br />
<b>5. <i><u>Come to the place where you ask God for His decision over these circumstances and make the decision you are not going against His decision.</u></i> </b>I am learning there are some times in life when God does not reveal very much. But I do have the confidence that whatever will bring God the most glory will also ultimately be for my very best. That's the time for the prayer of surrender: "God, I don't know why I'm going through this. I don't know what You are doing. But whatever it is I want You to know that I am not deciding against Your decision. And when or if You think I need to know any more I trust You to tell me. In the meantime, I am agreeing with Your purposes...whatever they are."<br />
<br />
Let me know if any of this resonates with you.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01381294448570169185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651365977352972946.post-87884147605456159402014-01-25T13:33:00.001-08:002014-01-25T13:33:08.879-08:00“A Preppers Manual - Overcoming While Living In A Hostile World” – Part 2<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;">4. Thyatira- Overcome The Secret Attacks.</span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;"> The church at Thyatira was a busy church. Jesus even commended them for doing more than they had done at first. But in their business there was one major problem. They were tolerating “that woman Jezebel.” Evidently, there was a woman who was operating in a demonic spirit labeled “Jezebel” after the famous Jezebel in the Old Testament. This spirit attacks the Word of God and the prophet or proclaimer of the Word. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The
result of this attack is that believers are led into idolatry and sexual
immorality. (Do you see a pattern here-
idolatry and sexual immorality?) Those
caught up in this deception receive a judgment.
Note that “deep secrets of satan” are said to have been held by some of
the believers. While this can refer to
some very specific dark things, the root of the “deep secrets of satan” is thinking
we can continue to practice idolatry and sexual immorality privately while
publically being a witness for Jesus. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Overcomers are those who not only overcome the public outside attacks of
the enemy but also overcome secret, private attacks. The ones that no one knows
if you overcome them or not. Except that
Jesus knows and rewards come based on
the secret obedience we give Him. Kingdom
authority is only shared fully with those who overcome even the secret things
of the enemy.<b><i><u><o:p></o:p></u></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">5. Sardis- Stir Up Passion.</span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> Sardis had fallen
asleep with spiritual apathy. No
specific reason is given but the remedy Jesus gives is very revealing. He says to complete their deeds. Not obeying to the end is not obeying. Partial obedience leads to a weakening of
spiritual strength and foundations.
These folks were told to go back and finish what they had started. They were to remember what they had been told
to do, obey it completely and change their patterns of incomplete
obedience. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">There
is an old saying that <i>“faith that fizzles
at the finish was faulty from the first.”</i>
When times get hard, it’s easy to start and then find reasons not to
finish. This indicates a spiritual
slumber that comes over our spirits. It
dulls us to the prompting and empowering work of the Holy Spirit. Walking in simple, complete obedience to
Jesus enables us to walk with Him in the white robes of the overcomer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">6. Philadelphia- Keep On Keeping On.</span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> This church is
unique because it is the only one that Jesus does <i><u>not</u></i> give a correction or warning. This church is right where Jesus wants them,
doing what He has told them to do. He
has opened a door for them to build His kingdom and they have walked through
it. Yes, they are tired. Yes, they are wearing down in strength but
they are not giving up. Jesus tells them
to continue to patiently endure. While
they are “keeping on keeping on”, Jesus says they are also being delivered from
further trails they don’t even know about.
He encourages them that He is coming soon so hold on to what they have
in Him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Simple,
patient endurance is the mark of true overcomers. We sometimes get our eyes on ourselves to
judge how much strength we have or how we are doing. Jesus tells this church, who He says has
“little strength”, that they are right where He wants them to be…hold on…and it
will turn out for their best and for the glory of Jesus. <i>Just
because we are wearing down doesn’t mean we are wearing out.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">7. Laodicea- Go For Intimacy With Jesus.</span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> This church makes
Jesus sick at His stomach. They aren’t
hot. They aren’t cold. They are just lukewarm and He wants to spit
them out of their mouth. This church was
not passionate about Jesus nor were they passionate <i><u>against</u></i> Jesus. They
were self-deceived thinking because they had material wealth that they were
rich and needed nothing. The abundance
of material things had blinded them to their true spiritual condition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The
answer though is not to just get rid of the material things. Materialism is not the possession of material
things. Materialism is thinking
spiritual needs are fulfilled with material things. It is living like we are living in a material
world and we are only material people (no reference to Madonna). The answer is to open up our heart’s door and
seek intimate fellowship with Jesus among the community of believers. The verse that says, “Behold, I stand at the
door and knock” is applicable to unbelievers but it is first addressed to
believers who are numbed by materialism. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">So
there you have the basic necessities for being an overcoming messianic
community in a hostile world. Let’s
review them all:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">-<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Keep Returning To Love</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Faith</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">-<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Don’t Be Blinded By Tolerance</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">-<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Overcome The Secret Attacks</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">-<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Stir Up Passion</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">-<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Keep On Keeping On</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">-<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Go For Intimacy With Jesus</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">To
the overcomers,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">John
P. Holsey, fellow prepper<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01381294448570169185noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651365977352972946.post-13407369158508626102014-01-24T09:27:00.003-08:002014-01-24T09:27:43.097-08:00"A Preppers Manual- Overcoming While Living In A Hostile World"- Part 1<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Preppers”
are people who seriously prepare for the collapse of civilization. While watching a TV show with my grandson, it
struck me that these folks were preparing for the unknown by stocking up on
what they believed were the basic necessities of life. It occurred to me that in Revelation 2-3, Jesus
shares the basic necessities of life with the seven churches who lived in and
faced a real collapse of their civilization.
Each church is commended for a strength and then given a warning of something
lacking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The
messages to these churches uncovers the basic necessities to continue being the
messianic community even under the worst of circumstances.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Because when hard times come, religion built
on traditions and maintained by legalistic rules shows itself to not be
life-sustaining but rather life-draining.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The
messianic community of Jesus followers in the New Testament is not a religion.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">It is a living, organic community of people
in relationship with Jesus and each other. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Jesus
delivers messages to these messianic communities (churches) and in them He
shares what is really basic, not just for survival, but for them to share in
His victory and enforcement of His defeat of the powers of darkness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Let’s
look at these basics for overcoming as the messianic community while living in
a hostile world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">1. Ephesus- Keep Returning to Love.</span></u></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">This church had
been faithful and resisted false leaders.
They had been true to the truth they had received through the apostles,
holding up against persecution from the outside and deception brought on by
those on the inside. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jesus
lovingly warns them “you have left your first love.” I think what Jesus is saying is that just
“doing right” when things get tough is not enough. We must also “be in right relationship” and
for Jesus followers that means to stay in love.
If the messianic community is not living rooted in the unconditional
love of Jesus…if we do not relate to others, even our enemies without
demonstrating the unconditional love of Jesus…then we will be defeated no
matter how sincerely we hold on to the “truth”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">2. Smyrna- Decide It’s Better To Die Faithful
Than To Live Denying the Faith.</span></u></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Smyrna was the city where later the Bishop
Polycarp became one of the famous Christian martyrs. It was a city closely aligned with Rome who
eagerly wanted to show their allegiance through emperor worship. There was also a large group of unbelieving
Jews who were eager to use Rome’s disapproval against the messianic community
whom they considered against their God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">No
nice platitudes here from Jesus. He
tells them plainly they will be persecuted even more than they have been but
reminds them that it will come to an end.
His words to comfort and encourage them was to say, “Hang on no matter
what. And in the end you will not be
hurt by the second death.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">They
have to make the decision that suffering even physical death for their
relationship with Him is better than denying Him and suffering the second
death- being eternally separated from Him and the messianic community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">3. Pergamum- Don’t Be Blinded By Tolerance.</span></u></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jesus points out their
toleration of the false teaching of “Balaam”.
In the Old Testament, Balaam tried to destroy the messianic community
through teaching them to worship false gods which by definition leads to sexual
immorality. Jesus is warning this church
against tolerating false teachers. These
false teachers lead them into compromise with the surrounding culture of
emperor worship and temple prostitutes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Deceptive
tolerance of false teaching and faulty presuppositions lead to enthroning other
“gods” and usually show up with increased immoral sexual behavior. Recall the old story of the frog who died by
sitting in a kettle of slowly boiling water.
As the water slowly heated up, the unaware frog remained in the kettle
until it was too late for the frog to easily hop out of the kettle. The warning here is for the messianic
community to not be afraid to identify any false teaching that runs counter to
the truths of Jesus and His kingdom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Stay
tuned for Part 2,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">John
P. Holsey, fellow prepper<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01381294448570169185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651365977352972946.post-56269902926978654352013-12-11T11:56:00.001-08:002013-12-11T11:56:52.713-08:00"The Difference Between Fear and Faith"<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What’s the difference
between fear and faith? It all depends. Let me share with
you what I mean by looking at John’s first encounter with Jesus in Revelation
1.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The first encounter John
has with the risen Lord Jesus begins,<i> “And when I (John) saw Him (Jesus)
I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His hand upon me, saying
unto me, ‘Fear not, I am the first and the last. I am he that lives,
and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of
hell and of death.’” </i>(Revelation 1: 17-18.)</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I don’t think we can
fault John for falling down at the vision of the Resurrected Lord Jesus… who
wouldn’t fall and become afraid? But Jesus’ words to John are very revealing
about dealing with our fear. Jesus reminds John of <i><u>who
Jesus is</u> </i>and <i><u>what Jesus has done</u></i>. Jesus
is the one who lived, died and now is living the resurrected life. He has
all power and authority. It's like Jesus is saying, <i>"Don't
be afraid, John. Remember Who I am and what I have done for you."</i> So
how does focusing on who Jesus is and what He has done for us help overcome
fear and anxiety?</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Fear is rooted in
thinking that contradicts the truth of who Jesus is and what He has said. Someone
has said, “Fear is: <b><i><u>f</u></i></b>alse <b><i><u>e</u></i></b>vidence <b><i><u>a</u></i></b>ppearing <b><i><u>r</u></i></b>eal.” The
doctor’s report is bad, the job prospects look bleak or we are let down by
someone close to us. This doesn’t mean we don’t feel bad things or
react to them when they happen. But in our pain, shock or
disappointment, we can’t shift our faith from the truth of Jesus to what the
circumstances are trying to say to us.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Do circumstances speak
to us? Oh yes they do. Circumstances say things to us like: <i>“you
are really on your own now, there’s no way you can deal with this, things like
this always happen to you”</i>…that’s when fear sets in and the lie takes
hold. When I believe that God has abandoned me, or God doesn’t care
about me or that God may care for someone else but not me…I am trusting in a
lie and I am allowing the lie to take dominion over my life. I am
trusting these lies even though Jesus is the one who has “the keys of hell and
of death.”</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Some would say it
doesn’t matter <i><u>what</u></i> you believe as long as you are <i><u>sincere
and have faith</u></i>. But that just shows we don’t understand
faith. Faith is based on something and someone. I've heard people
say, "I have faith". When I ask them what their faith is based
on I hear crickets most of the time. They may get frustrated and say,
"Well, I just have faith". So I say, "So you are trusting in the
fact that you have faith?" That's like taking the anchor of a ship
in the middle of a storm and throwing the anchor on the deck of the ship.
Then we yell at the storm, "I have an anchor and I'm trusting that
having an anchor will be good enough." But an anchor is only good when it
is attached to something solid.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Faith is trusting in the
promise of something or someone. Our faith is only as good as the promise
that our faith is based on...and a promise is only as good as trustworthiness
of the person making the promise. We can believe something sincerely but
if that sincere belief is based on a lie or the word of someone
untrustworthy...that kind of faith is worthless and can get us into real
trouble.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Suppose I am a young boy
who has an older brother who is always trying to trick me. We watch
a superman movie together on Netflix and I, wide-eyed and naive, say, “Boy, I’d
sure like to fly like that.” That's when my no good older brother
smiles with that cat-who-ate-the-canary grin and says, “Well, little bro, you
can, you can. The secret is in the cape. Just pin a beach
towel around your neck, jump out a window and you can fly.” Like I said,
I'm young and still gullible so I believe his word to be true. I
firmly believe that wearing a cape can give me the power to fly…that’s no
problem <i><u>until</u></i> I act on my faith in the word of my older
brother. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Because, even though I
may be very sincere in the belief that wearing the beach towel cape would give
me the power to fly. And if, for some reason, I still believe my ornery
older brother can be trusted…I’m pretty sure that my sincere faith would fail
me. Especially if I decided to act on my faith by jumping out a window 20
stories above the pavement. No matter my sincerity, as I go “splat”,
my dying words might be, “I believe I can fly.” You could put
on my tombstone, “He was sincere.” At any rate, the best I could
hope for is that I’d end up on a YouTube epic fail video.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">If we have faith in a
lie or the word of someone untrustworthy...the reality of the world we live in ultimately brings us the pain that always comes when we rely on a lie that contradicts God's truth. Because God's truth is given to us for life and out of His unconditional love for us. God's truth and promises give
us something and Someone solid to hold on to through the storms of life.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have found when I am
afraid or feeling anxious, the antidote is refocusing my mind and trust. Life
has ways of throwing things at us unexpectedly. My wife, Donna and I
have saying between us. We repeat it to remind us whenever something
happens that shakes us or causes us to be afraid or anxious. The
saying is: <b><i>“Nothing has changed.”</i></b></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Not that what has
happened really didn’t happen. But we are reminding each other that
even if these things have happened…these events have not changed who Jesus is
and what He has promised us. It’s like Psalm 23 where it says, “Even
though I go through the valley of the shadow of death, You are with me…” Whatever
is happening around us doesn’t change the truth that <i><u>He</u></i> is
with us. <i>(Besides, the only reason we are seeing the shadows of
death is because <u>He</u> is leading us through the
valley. And who is <u>He</u>…the most loving, powerful
One who can handle anything or anyone in the whole valley!)</i></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Living by trusting Him
takes us to a whole different level of living that is real. There are
times when I have lived in a fantasy world and then acted surprised when that
world fell apart. I thought that by living in union with Jesus I would be
protected from the bad stuff. So I tried to lose my identity in Jesus.
Jesus does not invite us into <i><u>union</u> </i>with Him but
into <i><u>communion</u></i>. He invites us to be partners with Him
in communion as we journey through life. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We have not lost our
identity nor have we disappeared as real live persons living in a real world.
And the real world is full of good things but it is also fallen, twisted
and full of hurt. Our communion with Him doesn’t totally make us
immune to bad things happening to us. But it does mean the bad
things cannot separate us from Him and His purpose for us. And the
bad things that happen do not determine my destiny He has given me in His work
in this world. Tough times may come but He does not change and He has not
abandoned us.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Just some thoughts about
fear and faith. What do you think?</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01381294448570169185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651365977352972946.post-53372281815393655662013-11-25T06:54:00.001-08:002013-11-25T06:54:36.479-08:00<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: 20.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Prayer For the Holidays</span></b></div>
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Kelly just finished Elijah House 201. At the graduation, she read this and I asked her for a copy and permision to post it. Hope it encourages someone.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 20.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sanctuary<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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I have been having difficulty sleeping for awhile now. I am
not sure if it is the pain that seems to be getting worse and worse in my body
or if it is the constant battle going on in my mind. My thoughts break against
the shore of my heart and mind, over and over again. All that I should have
done yesterday, all that I didn’t do good enough today or all that I need to do
tomorrow. The waves always coming, flooding my mind, and there is no rest. As I
lay there this night, trying and trying to shut it all off, I finally cried
out, “Sanctuary, Lord, Sanctuary!” I needed to take refuge in my Strong Tower,
I needed peace and He is the only place in which there is any. As soon as the
words left my lips, every wave was calmed, all the noise and chaos around my
heart and mind was silenced. I entered into His peace, and there I slept
through the night. I felt like one who was running tirelessly from the world,
someone who was being chased down and hunted, who entered into that safe place
and cried out “Sanctuary”. The pursuers had to leave, no longer able to find
me, and I could finally rest in His arms. Oh the peace I found in that secret
place, a peace that I will carry with me forever. I hope today, no matter what
you may be running from, whether it is a person or your very own thoughts,
expectations or fears, that you will cry out, “Sanctuary!”, because as soon as
you do, you will know the peace that only He can give to your soul.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Kelly Ann Purdy<br />
November 21, 2013<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01381294448570169185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651365977352972946.post-41594768640218997482013-11-20T13:54:00.001-08:002013-11-20T15:08:04.702-08:00"The Prepper Manual for Jesus Followers"<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Have you seen the TV "prepper" reality shows? Maybe someone you know is a "prepper"...or <u style="font-style: italic;">you</u> may even be a "prepper". If you don't know what I'm talking about here's</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> a definition from the Urban Dictionary. <i>(By the way, only check the urban dictionary when you need a definition of a new pop culture word...and reader beware...language is not like your grandmother's Funk and Wagnells.)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>From the Urban Dictionary:</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1. Prepper: Someone who focuses on preparedness, generally for various worst-case scenarios like peak oil or armageddon. Sometimes used to avoid the more loaded term survivalist.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Basically
preppers make sure they have the basics necessary to make it through whatever
collapse of civilization might take place.
They prepare for life without all the protections and resources normally
taken for granted every day…things like easy accessibility to power, food and
police protection. These folks imagine
what it would be like if (or when) all the safety structures and provisions of
civilization are suddenly removed. Then
they focus and prepare for how they and their families make it through these
awful times?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">While
watching one of these prepper shows, it struck me the letters to the seven
churches of <i>Revelation 2-3</i> are a kind of “prepper manual” for the early
church. (I know my mind works weird but
that’s the blessing of ADHD.) In the
beginning of <i>Revelation</i>, the apostle John is given a revelation of Jesus Christ. Included in this revelation, Jesus gives seven letters to help seven churches, then living in present day Turkey, to help them get
through the coming persecutions which had already started and would only increase
in intensity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Each letter has a pattern
to it. A simple way to look at them is first Jesus gives the church a <i><u>commendation</u></i> for something good
they have been doing. Then He gives them
a <i><u>complaint</u></i> about something
they are doing. Then He gives them a <i><u>correction </u></i>with a promised blessing
it they actually do what He tells them. In short, in these letters He tells them how to prepare for the bad scenario coming
and how to do so successfully. There you
have it-- <i>“The Preppers Manual for Jesus
Followers”.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">These
Jesus Followers faced hard times with their resources and protection removed
for a season. They face economic and
social attacks and some will even lose their lives. They face the beast of the Roman Empire and
false prophets of religion. Adding insult
to injury is the realization they hadn’t done anything wrong. In fact, they were doing something right.
They were following Jesus and not committing kingdom treason by compromising their
identity as Jesus Followers. Jesus
wants them prepared. He wants them to know He has not abandoned them during these pressure times. He wants them to know
that everything is still working according to His plans and under control…<i>His control.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Now
the all-important question: <i>“<u>So what?</u>”</i> What do these old letters mean to us? There is plenty of gloom and doom talk going
around today. Anyone paying half
attention to world events and national debates see real threats ahead. So what should we do as Jesus Followers?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">A
major message of <i>Revelation</i> is that following Jesus means we are called to be overcomers
during any time of struggle or even outright persecution. I believe Jesus’ instructions to the seven
churches gives us a basic “prepper manual” in living as vital communities of
believers in the worst of circumstances… and not just <i>surviving</i> but taking
kingdom initiatives. We can actually <i>participate</i>
in His victory over the forces of evil even while evil is doing all it can do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The
danger we face is not what goes on in the world. The real danger for us as Jesus Followers is never
really what is happening <i>out there</i>. The <b><i><u>real</u></i></b> danger is what is happening <i>between our own ears</i>. The real danger facing us is when we allow ourselves to become distracted from <b><i><u>who</u></i> </b>Christ is and <b><i><u>what</u></i></b>
He has already done for us. He has made
a way for us to overcome everything and anything that comes against us. Focusing
the viability of our hope or confidence on what happens around us is a recipe for
defeat and depression.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">What
is hope? My definition of biblical hope
is: <i>“the
absolute confidence that Jesus is Who He says He is and will do what He says He
will do.”</i> As long as our hope is rooted in Jesus, what
He has done and is doing, then our hope cannot be shaken. What Jesus did by dying on the cross has
finished what had to be finished for His life ultimately to overcome death in all its
forms. His resurrection and ascension enabled
Him to give us as followers a share in His victory. And His return is only to wrap up what He has
started because of His victory. Jesus is not in any danger and neither are we...even if we lose our own physical life by being faithfully identified with Him. The hope of Jesus Followers must
not be rooted in anything else. Anything
else can either be taken away from us by other people or undone by events. Our
hope is rooted the person of Jesus Christ and that hope lives in us because <i><u>He</u> </i>is in us. <i><u>He</u> </i>makes us overcomers before anything ever
happens. But if we shift the basis of our hope on to what <b><i><u>we</u></i></b> do, or on to what <b><i><u>anyone</u></i></b> <b><i><u>else</u></i></b> does or on <u><i><b>circumstances</b></i></u>– it’s
over before it even gets started.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">When
darkness </span><span style="font-size: 16px;">grows darker </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">around Jesus Followers, that is <i><u>not</u></i> the time to wimp out
and wish for a lifeboat from above.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">That’s
the time to suit up spiritually with the armor He has given us (see Ephesians
6:10-20, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5) and embrace these days as the greatest opportunity
for people to come into the kingdom and for justice to roll down like a river.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It’s the time for us to be who He called us
to be and draw on everything He already has given us.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Times of darkness are times to be fruitful
and effective as His kingdom people.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I
plan in the next few blogs to take each of the seven letters and see what we
might hear from Jesus. We will discover
how to be Jesus followers who are not just going through religious motions nor
only being reactionaries to what’s going on around us. I believe there is actually empowering joy
that comes from not living like victims. Looking forward to exploring the “Preppers
Manual for Jesus Followers” with you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Share
this blog with your friends...and please
share your responses and insights too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">John
P. Holsey, a fellow prepper<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01381294448570169185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651365977352972946.post-38764494677121057982013-11-12T10:17:00.000-08:002013-11-12T10:17:13.855-08:00Which comes first? Loving Jesus, loving each other or loving the lost?<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span style="color: white;">Recently I received an email response to a training post sent out entitled "The Mission of Small Groups" by Alan Danielson. (Let me know if you would like to receive future training posts via email as part of your “Matthew Connection”.)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span style="color: white;">This response was from Jared. I know Jared personally. I officiated his wedding recently and he is the brother to my son-in-law who married my step-daughter. (This is a round-about way of saying we’re related.) What interesting to me about his response is that <i><u>unlike</u></i> me, Jared grew up only participating in house churches. Meeting in homes with everyone bringing their gift to the group is “the norm” for him. As someone who grew up in traditional churches, I am still having to “unlearn” some church stuff to “learn” some New Testament church “stuff”.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span style="color: white;">Not so for Jared. His description of small group or house church life feels so organic and so much like something out of the book of Acts. The training post raises the question of the priority of worship, discipleship and outreach. Below is his response.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><i><span style="color: white;">“I understand the tendency of believers (and people in general) to get comfortable somewhere and go no further. As believers we always have to be exercised to deny ourselves and follow the Lamb wherever He goes. We have to encourage one another and pray for one another so that we have the strength to go on. If we are one with the Lord, I believe there will be outreach, and the right kind of outreach - the kind that bears lasting fruit.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><i><span style="color: white;">Also, the small group meetings are a great place to bring friends/family/classmates/coworkers who might be interested in the gospel, or maybe they are believers and need encouragement. </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><i><span style="color: white;">It's a place where they can be brought into the warmth and care of Jesus and see His humanity, as well as begin to hear the truth (assuming there is someone in the group meeting who has some constitution and can speak it). I think that in a warm environment like that it is easier to receive the truth revealed in the word of God.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><i><span style="color: white;">In our small groups, it is a bit different every week depending on the mix of people. Sometimes it's all familiar faces and we use the time to catch up, or for coordination, or maybe one of us is a bit out of it and just needs someone to minister Christ to him or her (actually we all need that). Other times a college student may bring friends who are curious, and it is an opportunity to express the riches of the Christ we know to them. Sometimes they receive the Lord, some are even baptized there in the bathtub. Hopefully they will bring more students and the Lord will gain a crop of young ones! Then we can all function to help them grow in Christ and go on to bear more fruit. When they get older and marry and have a home of their own, maybe they will host a home meeting and continue to help more to know the Lord. I think this is a very organic use of small groups of believers.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><i><span style="color: white;">I tend to disagree with the statement that the Church is for the world. The Church is really for Christ. The small groups are a place where believers can learn to cherish each other in the humanity of Jesus, nourish each other by His words of grace, and thereby function as members in the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ being built up, perfected and matured into one new and full grown man is God's goal (Ephesians 4:7-16). If we have that fellowship, enjoyment, and building in our small group fellowship, we will also have a burden to include new ones and reach out. But if we do not love the Lord Jesus with our first and best love, we may just go to a meeting as routine and be completely useless in the Lord's hands. I know, because I have been there. God forgive me. We need to pray to the Lord, and love Him with our first love, and open to Him, and then we need to pray to the Lord and help others to do the same. God can do so much with that. At least that's what I believe. I admit I am just a small child in Him."</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span style="color: white;">Wow. Do you see it? He can’t even <i>conceive</i> of talking about separating his love for Jesus, love for each other and love for those who don’t know Jesus. It’s only when we have been immersed in a form of church that exchanges the dynamic of Spirit-filled body life for religious programing that the problem of an ingrown church life even comes up. When the Holy Spirit is allowed to give birth, develop and lead us as the people of God, the healthy balance between our focus on our first love and our focus on His first love is just part of our <i>DNA</i>...we just <i><u>are</u></i> the church as He designed us.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span style="color: white;">What do you think? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span style="color: white;">Pastor John Paul</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01381294448570169185noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651365977352972946.post-82261510929205891962013-10-31T12:16:00.001-07:002013-10-31T12:16:46.669-07:00So What's This Blog All About?<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what is this blog all about? <i><b>"The Matthew Connection"</b></i> is for Jesus followers
(or those considering following Jesus).
You will find posts about developing a relationship with Jesus and what
it's like to seek His way of life. It's
about transformation, taking a journey with all the bumps, setbacks and
overcoming victories that go along with any journey with Jesus that has
integrity . And you'll find that
following Jesus automatically means finding others to join you on the journey. Your journey is unique but you’re certainly
not expected to make the journey alone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Who is "Matthew" anyway? His resume includes writing the first book in
the New Testament oddly enough called <i>“The Gospel according to Matthew”</i>. But don’t let that fool you into thinking he
was someone you would <i>expect </i>to be
religious. Matthew was a person considered
unsuitable by the religious establishment.
The political powers of the occupying army both used him and suspected him
at the same time. Surprisingly Jesus
invited this unlikely person to be a follower who did something very intriguing
right away. The first thing Matthew did
was throw a party for his friends so Jesus could meet them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For our purposes a “Matthew” is someone who is following
Jesus, learning more about what all that means and is interested in <i>connecting</i>
and <i>connecting with</i> others making similar journeys.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So let me be the first “Matthew” to invite
you to check out this blog and get to know Jesus with others who are interested
in growing more like Jesus and seeing His kingdom come.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>John P. Holsey</i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01381294448570169185noreply@blogger.com0