January 14, 2014 – Matthew 10 – Preparing for Evangelism

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

What Does this Passage Say?

• Jesus has spent nearly a year with his band of Disciples. He is now ready to send them out to preach, teach, heal and cast out spirits on their own. I love Jesus strategy here. He wants to see how they “preform.” One day in the future the church is going to rely on their preaching and teaching. Now, while He is still with them, it is a prime time to teach them, encourage them, and correct them after their preaching tours.

• Here Matthew gives the full list of the twelve disciples; all but one will become Apostles. This list seems to group the disciples in the pairs that Jesus sent them out in. By sending the disciples out in pairs Jesus is meeting the Mosaic Law that requires two or three witnesses. Now before Jesus sends them out He has some instructions to give.

• These instructions prepare the men for their journey. These instructions Jesus gives are both for His disciples and their mission and for us today. Their message and our message are going to be slightly different.

• Jesus command to go only to Israel does not remain for us. They are on a preaching tour for training purposes. Plus their message would fall on deaf ears with Gentiles, and would be time consuming with Samaritans. The idea that the Kingdom of Heaven is near is completely false today. The Kingdom of Heaven is here and can be reached by all who put their faith and trust in Jesus today. Remember, this mission of the disciples is before the death of Jesus.

• Jesus instructs His disciples to travel light. This is going to be a quick and local trip. Later Jesus will give different instructions that include money, clothes, and much more preparation. Not only are they to travel light, but they are to stay put. They do not have the time to move from house to house and town to town. Moving too often can waste valuable resources and time.

• There is a practical lesson to be learned in this passage … those who are receiving blessings from God have a responsibility to bless those who have shared Jesus. The activity of preaching, teaching, healing, and caring for sickness does not come without any expense. While ministry is not there to make servants of God rich, ministers still need basic expenses covered. Jesus has arranged that those being ministered to supply the needs of those doing the ministry. This applies to us today in supporting a paid ministry staff and supply the resources needed to carry out ministry.
• Jesus wants His disciples to be prepared for the different type of people they will encounter on their travels.  At this time they are in no danger. Jesus is still popular. The Pharisees hate of Jesus is just beginning. Some of this teaching is prophetic in nature. This does not happen on this trip, but we know that one day all of these disciples (except Judas) will face persecution for preaching Jesus.
• Jesus reminds the disciples that people can be wicked. They will at times face persecution because of this wickedness. When persecution comes upon them they are to leave, not fight back. There will be others whose hearts and minds will be open to receiving the message of the gospel. Go to them Jesus teaches.
• No matter what they are not to fear their persecutors. Jesus reminds that there will be a day when the pains of this earth will be gone and glory of Heaven will be present. No matter what is done to the body, those in Christ will have the eternal reward for their souls in the presence of God in Heaven. What a glorious reminder!!!
• Jesus reminded the disciples that even thought this mission in the future might be tough, and their reward great, through it all God knows them, loves them, and will protect them. Because of that they can have confidence to proudly share the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven to all they encounter. For this the reward is great.

 What is this passage teaching?

• Jesus does not want His disciples to believe preaching and teaching the Kingdom of Heaven will be easy. It would not be easy. It will be met with opposition. It will be met with frustrations. It will be met with hardships. But through it all there is a great reward … eternity with God. What a wonderful blessing that is for those who steadfastly follow Jesus and share His kingdom.

 How can I apply this passage to my life?

• As a disciple of Jesus we have the responsibility to share with all we encounter Jesus. We will do well to remember the words of Jesus and the reality that preaching and teaching His kingdom will not be easy. No matter how difficult it may be we can also take comfort and find strength knowing that in Him our reward is great. No matter how much opposition we face, no matter how tough evangelizing might be, there will come a day when we find rest. His rest is the best rest. His rest is for eternity. His rest takes us into the very arms of God. That is a rest I am willing to put my life on the line for. Are you? 

October 16 – Matthew 10

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Matthew 10. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

In our reading today Jesus sends His disciples out on a preaching journey. He gives them very specific instructions on what they are to carry out on this journey. They are to travel without many possession or resources. They are not to worry about their needs, but to trust that God will provide throughout their tour. This entire exercise is a training tool Jesus employed with His disciples while He was still with them.

This was their training time. A time would come when the training would be over and they would be unleashed to bring salvation to the world. Jesus reminds them that this is a training time … “What I tell you now in darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear!” (Matthew 10:27 NLT) We might read into these instructions that Jesus is teaching them and preparing them for a greater public ministry some time in the future. We can understand this to indicate that in some ways the time was not yet right.

Sometimes timing is important. There are times when we want to do something, but God says not right now. There are times when we want to see changes in people, but we are not willing to invest the necessary love, teaching, and direction into their lives. The disciples would have to wait a little while longer before they would get to shout from the housetops. That day will come. And so will ours. I don’t know what God is planning for your life, but give Him time to work and move, and when the day is right, we can boldly proclaim what is He has for us to proclaim. 

August 29 – Ezekiel 9-12

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Ezekiel 9-12. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

“The word of the lord came to me: “Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.” (Ezekiel 12:1-2 NLT) While this was written about those in Jerusalem and remaining in Judah before the final destruction, you could easily see those words talking about our day and culture. This past week has been filled with the news of Miley Cyrus gyrating in barely there clothing on stage at the MTV Video Music Awards show.  Also in the news is the newly constant debate about race relations in America. Constantly we are bombarded with images of sex, scantily clad women, homosexual relationships, drug abuse, and so many other grievous sin issues that we quickly connect with these words of God.

The destruction that we face today is different than what Israel faced. Israel faced the destruction of their city, their promised land, and the mass loss of life. Today we may not see the physical destruction, but those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, but refuse the message of the gospel, they face a permanent destruction in Hell. That thought should break our hearts. It should break our hearts to action.

Maybe we are Ezekiel and the people living in exile. We know something else. We know that there is life with God. We know that there is joy in Christ. It is our responsibility to creatively open up they eyes and ears so that the gospel message can reach deep and wide. So what are some ways we can open up the gospel? Feel free to share your ideas in the comments below!

August 17 - Jeremiah 35-37

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Jeremiah 35-37. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan. 

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

When God has a message to bring to His people we cannot thwart it. The scroll Jeremiah had originally dictated to his secretary was destroyed by King Jehoikim. God again inspired Jeremiah to dictate every word again plus many more on a new scroll. When God wants a message out, He will get it out. Regardless if we run like Jonah. Regardless if we ignore it like many in Jerusalem did. Regardless if we destroy it like King Jehoikim.

Examine your life and heart. Is there something God wants you doing that you are avoiding? Is there a message you need to share that you are simply not? Is there someone you need to tell about Jesus to? What is holding you back? God has the strength and power to win, so give and rely on Him to bring you through. 

Lesson’s From a Church Builder

This photo belongs to http://www.flickr.com/photos/crash-candy/with/2311427946/  

“Do you know what ministry involves?” “Do you know the sacrifice it takes?” “Is this really what you want for your life?” These were the questions asked of me when I sat and talked with my parents about going to Bible college and going into ministry. Its not that they didn’t want me to become a preacher. I think they were ok with the idea of it. Its not like I was wanting to be a missionary and move over seas, so that wasn’t their concern. But they wanted me to be aware of what I was getting myself into. They knew that it wasn’t always going to be the beautiful dream that I had floating around in my mind.

At that time I thought of ministry as preaching, as doing weddings and funerals, as leading missions trips, and going on youth outings. When I answered their questions confident of my decision, these were the thoughts filling my mind. While all these things are part of the ministry of a preacher, there are so many other parts. This was not a lesson I would learn until I entered my first ministry. 

It was in my first ministry that I learned how the life of the church really becomes part of who you are. How the church is doing, whether good times are rolling, or you are suffering through the fires, it is something that is constantly on your mind. I can’t take a vacation, visit my family or Crystals, or just hang out at home without thinking about what we have going on here at church. This was something new for me. In high school when I worked for Yard Works, David’s Catering, or the movie theater, when I was done with day, I was done with work, and for the most part was done thinking about it. But from the time I have entered ministry, my mind has been consumed with the life of the church.

How can we lead people to a life changing relationship with Jesus? How can we get people involved in small groups? How can we get our giving up so that we don’t just barely meet payroll and bills but can afford to do ministry? How can reach out to the community? How can we change the culture of our church to answer these questions? These are the thoughts that consume my mind constantly. These are thoughts I lie awake at night going over. These are thoughts I try to remove from my mind when I watch TV in the evenings. These are thoughts I try to not bring up when eating dinner with my family.

So if the questions were going to be asked of me again by my parents, my answer wouldn’t be much different. I would still be excited, but my excitement would be completely different. I would understand that the struggles of ministry, the demands on my time and my family, the role I serve, is all worth it because it points people to the cross, and it is through the work on the Cross that Christ was able to offer us salvation. For no better calling could I preach. And so, I will go on learning this year what it means to grow a church, maybe not always numerically, but to grow the lives of the people who comprise the church. I am excited to be a part of helping love and lead people to a life changing relationship with Jesus Christ. To that end I will continue learning.

Join me this year as I continue learning and sharing about it on Thursdays.