Quickly, Tell Others

 December 31, 2024

Tuesday

Matthew 28:7 (ESV) ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”

Christians for the most part have become consumers looking what what Christianity will do for them. They have become complacent with the gospel. There is no urgency to quickly tell others of the saving power of a faith in Christ. Much of that may have come from an easy "believism" that has infected their faith. 

They believe that by acknowledging Jesus as God's Son, they are saved. That is not the same as having faith. Faith involves repenting from a trust in the world and its desires to trusting in Jesus as their life. It is more than believing that there is a heaven or hell. It is more than going to church. It is more than looking to find a place that is comfortable or good for your family. It involves the infusion of the Holy Spirit into the life of the new believer. It involves being changed from someone who looks like those who do not believe.

I acknowledge that Putin is the president of Russia but it has no effect on me. If asked, I will respond with him being the president of Russia. I do not consider Russia as my home or even retirement home because I believe he is the president of Russia. Yet, this appears to be the faith of many people who call themselves Christians. They think by calling Jesus Lord they are Christians. Why? Because we told them that they don't have to do anything to be a Christian. So, they don't.

There is no reason for a person who doesn't truly believe in the salvation that Jesus brings to tell others of the life changing reality that Jesus brings. They aren't urgent with the message because they don't have a message to tell. 

What are you doing to bring the reality of Jesus into the lives of others? Are you serving them? Are you showing them love? Are you forgiving  so that they understand forgiveness? Are you praying for them to come to Christ?

The people who found an empty tomb were told to quickly tell others. Time matters. Quickly, tell someone who Jesus is to you today. Start with someone who is already a believer. You might find that they have only acknowledged Jesus as Lord.

The Superior Christian

 December 30, 2024

Monday

1 Corinthians 3:4 (ESV) ⁴ For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?

There has always been a desire to be superior to others. Two of Jesus disciples asked to sit on His right and left side when He came into His kingdom. They sought status. The rest of the disciples weren't so happy with their request. That maybe because they also wanted those positions.

Things aren't any different now. People will join a certain church because of the status of that church. They will brag about the size, the theology, or any other thing that gives them a leg up on other churches. They will state who the pastor is based on his fame. They will claim that they are the only ones doing the Lord's work. They are acting in a very immature way. They are acting like people who don't know Jesus.

People who know Jesus may love their pastors, their churches and even the ministries their churches provide. This is only natural. However, they should never see that they are more pure or of a greater status because they are part of their churches. 

Some church growth models teach that a church should market what makes them different from other churches. So, churches spend untold hours trying to come of with a mission statement and motto that will draw people in. There is only one mission statement and motto for all churches. It is found in the Great Commission. We make disciples.

Some churches say they are seeking to be a multi-generational or multi-ethnic church but that can't be the center of the mission. Any church that doesn't have discipleship as its main goal misses the point of the Great Commission. This doesn't mean that a certain area can't be focuses on. Surely, making disciples must be done locally. This will not divide church but can unite them when each one is trying to make disciples. 

Not so long ago, a church of the same ilk as ours tried to plant a church across the street. They had asked a faction of the denomination where to plant a church and that was the best place because, they were told, that a good church is needed there. Of course, this is marketing and human understanding. It is immaturity at the highest levels of leadership. I cannot believe God will bless such immaturity. In the end, the planting church withdrew because, I believe, they realized the  ungodliness and wanted to be godly. They had no desire to "put us out of business." Praise God for them and their pastor.

Yet, when the flesh prevails, there will be jealousy and strife. 

Therefore, we all need to admit that we are not the most righteous, the most loved by God nor the most coveted by others in our position with God. We are bond-servants rather than lords. We are followers of Jesus Christ rather than the idols of others. 

We must watch ourselves. The flesh has a way of sneaking up on us and declaring that we are superior.

Will Your Relationship with Jesus Grow Next Year?

 December 29, 2024

Sunday

1 Corinthians 9:27 (ESV) ²⁷ But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

For too many, coming to Christ is the end of the road rather than the beginning. They come to church with no expectation of purpose. To many church is like a buffet line. They pick up what they like and leave the rest. One serious act of service is enough to live off of for years. They will point out that the painted the Family Life Center or Sanctuary, they will speak with pride of the class they led at one point, they will remark on their own faithfulness to give. Meanwhile, they are unchanged.

Too many Christians think that being a Christian is going to church and taking studies. Thus, they are full of knowledge with notebooks lining their bookshelves. But do they understand that it isn't knowledge that Jesus is looking for? The real question is whether people obeyed the Lord. The real question is if they know Jesus. The real question is if they have walked with Him. And when they are asked, they have no definitive answer. So, they point back to the things they did years ago.

A Christian testimony must be kept current. It should not be what you did last year or ten years ago. It should be an encounter you had with the Lord and His word yesterday or today. Beyond that, it is ancient history for a testimony. While constant introspection can be unhealthy, no evaluation where you are with the Lord can be disastrous. 

It is as simple as this: Are you growing closer to the Lord at this minute or not? Do you know what it means to grow closer? Are you having encounters with the Lord in prayer, in God's word and with other people who stimulate those encounters? The answer to these questions tell us where we are.

Many Christians don't think of spiritual things until they must. They are forced into them by an encounter with someone who demands a spiritual answer. It may be one of their children or someone who calls them a Christian and looks to them for advice. Unfortunately, spiritual strength comes from practice rather than knowledge. And wisdom comes from the Lord, not what happened years ago.

Will this next year be different? Only if they decided to walk with the Lord. It will start with confession, commitment and lead to constant communion. It isn't easy since the world is doing its best to draw you closer to itself.

And then, will you stand next year saying, "I meant to change this past year but I fell into my old patterns?" Be determined. Every serious Christian must be.

The Greatest Praise You Can Ever Have

 December 28, 2024

Saturday

John 13:16 (ESV) ¹⁶ Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

I bake. Lots of people say I am a great cook. The truth is that I just follow recipe's. I suppose those people who are not great cooks don't want to follow recipe's. I am just copying what another did before me. I consider it a success if I can imitate something good that another person did.

Being a follower of Jesus should never be trying to get ahead of Him. It should never be trying to do something that He hasn't modeled. It must be what He did. It is truly being compliant to His will. It receives His power as the follower is simply an instrument of His will.

With everything that has been done by humans, there is a desire to do it better than the best. Races are run trying to beat the best time ever. Yet, when it comes to Jesus, our best hope is to fully do what He has done. We can preach but not better than Him. We can encourage but not better than Him. We can draw crowds bigger than His but we cannot do anything more than He has done with a crowd. No matter how pure in heart we attempt to be we do not approach His purity.

If not careful, we can think we are greater than Jesus without the nerve to actually say it. We can sin with the excuse of being greater than Jesus. We can even criticize what Jesus said once we think we are greater than Him. It is here that we must be very careful. Arrogance can sneak up on us. We may say that we are not greater than Jesus but act like it in every way.

John the Baptist was the prevailing preacher before Jesus. When John's disciples pointed out Jesus, John knew who Jesus was. He knew who he was too. He knew that he wasn't worthy to tie up Jesus sandals. He said that Jesus must increase while he decreased. 

So, when anyone says that you have done something great you might say, "I just followed the recipe'." Or, I just did what my master did. That will be the greatest praise you can ever have.

Only One Master

 December 27, 2024

Friday

Matthew 6:24 (ESV) ²⁴ “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

While money is the prevailing example of serving two masters, this principle applies to everything. This is why Jesus said that you must hate father and mother, wife and children and even your own life to be His disciple. There can be no list of bosses. Making God the primary master will defeat the principle. He is not the primary in the list of other masters.

Preachers are often evaluated in how they produce. So, they preach and wait for people to flood the aisles with decisions. Preachers check on Monday to see if the attendance is up or down. By Tuesday the preacher is checking to see how the offering went for the week. The preacher might say that he is not serving two masters because his own personal gain is not a consideration but he is serving all who are trying to evaluate him. He has another boss even if he doesn't notice who that is. It could be his elders, deacons or even himself. (It will be himself if he has a huge ego.) He can say that he is not trying to serve two masters but when any other master is considered, there are at least two masters.

What about an employee? There is a difference between trying to please the boss and pleasing the Lord. The Lord wants us to work as if we are always working for Him. That goes way beyond if the earthly boss notices the work. Working for the Lord encompasses working for an employer. It still means the follower of Christ has only one master.

Now, of course we can say the same thing about our spouses, children and ourselves. Even a hobby can become a master. This just can't happen. God is not first in our list of masters. He is the only one so there is no list.

Every time we choose to follow one of our masters, we despise the one(s) we choose not to serve. Just about anyone will tell you that you can't please everyone. However, the truth is that you only have One to please. So, please Him.

Pray to the Lord of the Harvest

 December 26, 2024

Thursday

Matthew 9:36–38 (NASB 2020) ³⁶ Seeing the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. ³⁸ Therefore, plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

Has another year gone by without seeing another soul come to Christ? 

The problem isn't with people not coming to Christ. The problem is that we are not sharing our faith. We hide in our houses hoping that we will not be disturbed. We encase ourselves in our vehicles without noticing the people on the outside. If we do notice, we criticize them for not being like us. Our problem is that we have no compassion for the crowds. Most of the time we don't even see them.

O, we have excuses. We claim we don't know how to tell people about Christ. That's like saying, "I don't know how to warn people that the bridge is out." Do you really care how you do it if it will save their lives? You do what you can. You do what you know you can do. You act because not acting means that you have made a decision for them. They won't hear the gospel if you don't tell them. You made their decision for them by not telling them.

As time progresses and we seem to take up causes for just about everything and everybody, we appear to becoming more callous toward each other too. We don't need to engage with others because we have all the people we need to engage with. We are spammed so much that we have learned to be rude. We protect our space and don't let others in. We have no compassion for others. While we may pledge $100 for what we consider a good cause, we won't cross the street to tell our neighbors the gospel. The $100 is such a short term fix when considering the eternity of the gospel.

Those who are laborers will see the people who need the gospel. They will be the ones praying to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers. They will be the ones who will see the fields ripe for harvest.

One news article after another comes out saying that people are attending church in lower numbers. Of course they are! The older generations continue to die out and the gospel is not being shared among the younger. Attendance will continue to drop unless the Lord of the harvest sends more laborers.

However, the gospel will not die. It will continue to shine in the darkness whether we participate or not. Yet, it is to our advantage to participate. We will participate with God in birthing new souls into His kingdom. We, therefore, can live today but touch eternity.

An Alternate Version of the Christmas Story

 December 25, 2024

Wednesday

Luke 2:10–12 (NASB 2020) ¹⁰ And so the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; ¹¹ for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Was the story of Christ's birth really like nearly all of the Christmas plays we have seen this year? I really don't think so. The story told by these Christmas plays resemble fairy tales. They tell the story of the humble hero being honored. This is true. But they also make the story a bit inconceivable.

There is no record of people needing to go to their family origin for a census. However, there is a case for being there to see that property taxes are paid. A census could do both of these. This would mean that Joseph might have had property in Bethlehem which he needed to affirm a claim to by paying taxes. 

Joseph was not so dim-witted that he would take his nine-month pregnant wife across the treacherous terrain from Nazareth to Bethlehem. He probably would have taken off a couple of months before and stayed with relatives when he arrived. (The middle eastern people have no bounds to their hospitality. I personally have been invited to stay in a middle eastern home for a couple of months.) Naturally, other relatives would come to pay their taxes and stay in the same relative's house. It was probably packed.

Was there really a mean, ole, innkeeper who didn't make a place for a woman who was about to have a child? The word for "inn" is not the word used for a place rented for lodging. (That word is "pandoxeion." That is where the Good Samaritan took the man beaten up and robbed to recover. Luke 10:34) The word used is "kataluma." (Luke 2:7) It means spare room. So, the time came to give birth and the room where all the relatives were staying had no privacy to birth a child. They took to the stable because it was considered a part of the house and, though very humble, was suitable for a child to be born.

The shepherds would have come that very evening for they found the child in a manger. The Magi would have come much later because they found Jesus' family in a house (Matthew 2:11) One last thing, we have no idea how many Magi came. There were three mentioned gifts but that doesn't mean there were three Magi. Plural words are used to describe them so that we know that there were at least two. But three gifts doesn't necessarily mean three Magi. 

Since Herod ordered the babies two and younger to be murdered, Jesus was somewhere between birth and two. My estimation is that He is one or so. Since Herod died in 4 BC, Jesus would have been born sometime between 6 BC-4BC.

Does this change the majesty of His birth? I certainly hope not!