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Tag: Gospel

The Gospel is Good News to all who will humbly accept Jesus and listen to His teaching.

We refer to the four books of the Bible which tell the story of Jesus Christ as the Gospels. These books are named for their authors: Matthew, a Jewish Apostle; Mark, a disciple of the first generation who recorded accounts of Peter and the Twelve; Luke, a gentile Physician and disciple of the first century; and John, one of the Twelve Jewish Apostles chosen by Jesus.

  • Distracted from Relationship

    Distracted from Relationship

    What is the one thing that makes Christianity different from every other religion?

    In a word: Relationship.

    We have a relationship with the Living God through Christ Jesus our Lord.

    What is the one thing making Christians look like everyone else in this world?

    In a convicting word: LACK of Relationship.

    Any look at Jesus’ incarnate life will reveal relationships of authentic love. It is this same authentic love christians have lost in our marriages, families, friendships, churches and distracted contact with unbelievers and believers alike for whom we sacrifice no time and show little of Christ’s love.

    Look at the timeline of the incarnate life of Jesus and you will see varied relationships: all perfect, all demonstrating love in the context of each precious moment for those receptive to God’s love.

    Jesus was NOT distracted from His relationships of love by the day-to-day distractions of life around Him.

    • He had compassion for the crowds.
    • He showed love for His Disciples (along with much patience).
    • He showed love and respect for His earthly parents.
    • He showed kindness to strangers.
    • He loved and even praised His enemies.
    • He served those He loved with deep humility.

    • He was not distracted ever from His relationship with God our Father and the relationship of prayer to seek God’s will first.

    • Jesus would NOT be distracted from the relationships of love. 

    Mark 3

    English Standard Version (ESV)

    13 And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him.14 And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach 15 and have authority to cast out demons.

    20 Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. 21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”

    31 And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him.32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” 33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!

    35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

    We know that Jesus began His earthly ministry when He was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit for forty days. We know that Mary, mother of Jesus, knows the truth that as a virgin Jesus was conceived in her womb by God!

    We know that after His resurrection that his brother, James, becomes leader of the church at Jerusalem, writes a letter to the church instructing us how to live our faith, and is eventually martyred for his faith in Jesus, the Christ promised by God.

    What has Jesus done here in fulfilling His teaching and healing ministries in this snapshot of a day in time? He has shown that He will not be distracted by even family who would stand in the way of God’s purposes.

    Throughout His journeys through Galilee, Judea, Samaria and other places, towns and hillsides; Jesus took time to reach out to individuals.

    Jesus touched individual souls with His relationship of love.

    Have you ever considered that when Jesus said:  “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother;” that He has included YOU?

    Christ Jesus established the church. He has just confirmed His church family(first disciples, then including others).

    Christ Jesus has established the close loving relationships of family between ALL who will do ‘the will of God.’

    How many times did Jesus have to take one or all of the Disciples aside and keep them from being distracted by other things than the will of God?

    Mark 8:31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

    Mark 10:13 And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them.14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.

    35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36 And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?”37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”38 Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking…

    Peter, James and John, the three Disciples who witnessed first hand Jesus’ transfiguration, as well as Moses and Elijah, ALL had to be rebuked by Jesus.

    Don’t be distracted by what the world would do.

    Pray to God our Father.

    May His will be done; on earth, as it is in heaven.

    Just ask.

    How are we doing in the love of our relationships, church?

    Are we distracted?

    John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you,

    you also are to love one another.

    35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

     

  • The Mirror of Hypocrisy

    The Mirror of Hypocrisy

    As I left the busy area of the mall wearing my brand new ‘Jesus’ tie I had just purchased as witness to family members far from Christ, I hurried onto the main freeway. Morning traffic was still dense, but I had time to merge; BUT the car in the lane next to the ramp was not making room for me.

    It breezes by as I braked rather than merging. The woman driver had a cell phone up to her right ear. She never saw me.

    So (of course) I followed my gut reaction as I squeezed into traffic behind her. As she blew by the ramp, phone to her ear; I tried my best to get her attention back on traffic with a long blast on my horn.

    And you guessed it. What was the first thing I noticed?

    Her bumper sticker:

    PRAY

    Yes, this brother in the Lord (with the log in his eye) noticed clearly this sister in the Lord with the speck in hers.

    I had to laugh. (And pray that nobody would notice that the car honking his horn had a bumper sticker on the back from his daughter’s Christian college.)

     Matthew 7:3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

    Want to witness to an unbeliever? (For they are hypocrites, too.)

    Tell them you are a sinner. I am!

    When I look in the mirror I do not see Christ; I see a sinner.

    Even unbelievers see the sins of OTHERS, including ours.

    Look in the mirror and remove the log of hypocrisy from your eye. THEN, confess your sin and witness Christ Jesus.

    Even the unbeliever will see clearly: the truth of your witness or the lie of our hypocrisy.

     

     

  • Hypocrite ‘christian’ & Hypocrite Unbeliever

    Hypocrite ‘christian’ & Hypocrite Unbeliever

    You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye. – Luke 6:42b

    HARSH words from Jesus!

    Would you of the church (who call yourself “christian”) deserve the rebuke of the One we call Lord?

    It so happens that the same thing that unbelievers do not like in ‘christians’ is the same thing that I do not like: hypocrisy.

    True followers of Christ Jesus must be pure in our faith and truthful in our witness.

    (As a reminder to any who have not followed my Lenten series of posts, now (the 40 days prior to Resurrection Sunday) is a time for Christians to put down our mask of hypocrisy and put on the righteousness of repentance – a returning to Christ Jesus, who suffered the penalty for our sins and was crucified as Perfect Sacrifice for those who believe.  We will get to the message of hope and the redemption of the Cross closer to Easter, God willing.)

    hypocriteAn earlier part of this series on Covenant and Truth concluded with an introductory thought on christian hypocrisy.

    covenant definition

    We then proceeded to examine the witness of christian marriage and of christian families (including teens).

    Today we will take on a couple of issues as they relate to hypocrisy by BOTH christians & non-Christians.

    Let’s begin, however, with the entire scripture of Jesus on the ‘log in your own eye.’

    Luke 6:39  He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man?

    christian hypocrite: Can you lead a non-believer to Christ while you remain blind to your own sin?

    Will they not both fall into a pit?

    Are you BOTH not destined to the pit of Hell if you do not repent?

    40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.

    Are you “fully trained,” dear brother (sister) in the Lord? Are you like Jesus, whom we call Lord? 

    God knows the truth and others witness the truth of your proclaimed purity.

    41 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

    An unbeliever will be the first to ask this question of christian hypocrites. The unbeliever ALSO sees the darkness and sin in others, while failing to acknowledge the sin in their own life.

    No difference (except that their hypocrisy is not also witness against Christ).

    42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye?

    A reminder: our responsibility to a Christian brother, member of the family of Christ Jesus, is higher than to an unbeliever. No need to point out the sins to the unbeliever, while failing to bring to light your own.

    You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

    A Tree and Its Fruit

    43 “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, 44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

    What is the fruit of Christian marriage?

    A lasting covenant, witness to Christ’s love for us.

    What is the fruit of Christian parents?

    Godly children; godly teens; godly sons to marry and godly daughters to be given in marriage.

    HOW ARE WE DOING?

    • As a church?
    • As a husband or wife claiming Christ?
    • As a child or teen under the roof and authority of a Christian household?

    Truth is (as you can see from our previous articles and statistics) christians are failing miserably in our witness of Christ.

    The fruit is rotting.

    To be continued…