I Corinthians 11:26 - The Lord's Supper and Proclamation

I Corinthians 11:26 - For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. 

Message: The Lord's Supper and Proclamation

Time: Not the first, but 2nd letter to Corinthians, but the first to survive and to be considered authoritative. Written in AD 55, it was penned after Paul had reports of quarreling in this church he had previously visited. Paul covers a number of subjects, but all focus on the Christian's life in the church.

What the Lord is Saying: In the last lesson I admitted in my prayer a struggle I have with the Lord's Supper. It is a sacrament I do but as I do it I suppose the motion of going through it often is not a celebration or perhaps for me I don't look forward to it like I think I should. Maybe I struggle with celebrations. Birthday's were special growing up and at times they can be a very special gathering of people. Christmas can be tough because it is so saturated in gift giving which isn't a bad thing, but just seems not what that day is to be about. And yet going to a Christmas Eve service or even church on Christmas sometimes in itself is a struggle. What I enjoy instead is the opportunity to be with people. And yet there is more to it than that. 

Today's passage mentions a purpose with the Lord's supper that I do not think I have ever considered and that is by practicing it I am proclaiming the Lord's death or proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ and what He has done for us. Thus, in practicing the Lord's supper it is the same as sharing Christ with someone or going witnessing. It is a time for me also to testify all that God has done for me. I think in the spirit of remembrance which it also communicates I very often think it is only a time of reflection and thankfulness to God for what He has done. That definitely is a part of it, but it is also about proclaiming Christ. 

And so just as the Gospel is to be preached continually by me, the Lord's Supper is to practiced regularly by me as well. Jesus wants us to do it regularly because our testimony of Him should be often as well. However, it seems that each person or church body decides what regular means. Some think regular is weekly, some monthly, some quarterly. I don't believe the frequency is important and yet a church can decide it is important. In proclaiming His death I am proclaiming that His death has benefited me. 

This passage today is during a message about the Lord's Supper and its meaning. Jesus state, "This is My body, which is for you, do this in remembrance of Me." And "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." Thus, there is a special message here that sets apart this particular bread and cup from all others. It represents Jesus' body that is broken for us when he was pierced in His hands and feet and side. He took the punishment for our sin. We did nothing to earn this, He did everything to pay for it. And also the wine depicts His blood that was poured out for us from His wounds suffered on the cross. Like the bitterness of the wine is the bitterness of God's wrath Jesus bore on the cross. 

Summary: When I practice the Lord's Supper I am proclaiming Christ and what He has done for me in breaking His body and pouring out His blood to save me. 

Promise: The supper is to proclaim the death of Christ and so it is for those that profess faith in Him. We take the supper seriously because we take Christ and His death seriously. 

Prayer: Lord, thank you for continuing to bring richness to Your Word and to my application of it. You know I have struggled with the Lord's Supper and thank you for this message and showing me it is also a time to proclaim You and what You have done on the cross for me, in dying for me and rescuing me for all eternity. Help me to take this with me as I observe the Lord's Supper. Help me to always take the practice of it seriously. 

TABLETALK - September 2017

I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am now working through 2017 devotionals. Each month of 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. 

• September - The Reformation of Worship (July 20, 2022 - December 12, 2022)
• August - The Body of the Lord - the Church recovered in the Reformation (April 14, 2022 - July 19, 2022)
• July - The right use of God's Law (May 23, 2021 - April 13, 2022)
• June was justification by faith alone (February 14, 2021 - May 22, 2021)
• May, Christ Alone (September 3, 2020 - February 13, 2021)
• April, salvation by grace alone (March 6, 2019 - September 2, 2020)
• March, the sovereign providence of God (January 28, 2019 - March 5, 2019)  
• February, the doctrine of revelation, Scripture (January 8, 2019 - January 27, 2019)
• January, the doctrine of God (December 16, 2018 - January 7, 2019). 

The Elements of Worship

Redeemed to Worship - We are people that are meant to glorify God, to worship the Lord. 

The Importance of Reverence in Worship. Guidance in Worship - Start with scripture and let scripture define our ways in worship. Reverent Worship - We must take care to worship God with reverence, according to God's word.

What it Means to Worship in Spirit and Truth

Worshipping in Spirit and Truth and the Place of Worship - Worship is not limited to a place, but true worship is the Holy Spirit being with me and testifying the truth of God. The Time of Worship - Christ's resurrection took place on the first day of the week and so there is ample warrant for setting aside Sunday as the time of obligatory Christian worship. Heavenly Worship - The city of the living God is mount Zion, in heaven and so when we worship God we enter into this heavenly city while we are also here on earth. Reading Scripture in Worship - From the earliest history of God's people, we have gathered to hear God's word read aloud. Exhortation and Teaching in Worship - In addition to reading, there is also teaching scripture in the context of the day and then exhortation or application of putting it in practice today. Prayer in Worship - Prayer is a private devotion, but also a public proclamation that we need to do in a public setting. Sacraments in Worship - Sacraments are public ordinances and we participate in them rightly in the context of public worship. At a minimum these acts should include baptism and Lord's Supper. Oaths and Vows in Worship - These are promises or pledges we make each Sunday as we gather, as we sing songs, about God but also about who we are in Christ. If we speak these words, may they be so in our lives. Fasting in Worship - When we fast, we are driven to more urgent prayer and to remember our creaturely dependence. Thanksgiving in Worship - Giving thanks is a part of our prayers that we make thanking God for all that He has done. It can be part of special occasions and it can also be a part of our weekly coming together time on Sunday morning. Living Sacrifices in Worship - A living sacrifice in worship is to give God all of me, to give him my best and this means I turn from doing those things that don't honor him in any way.

The Intersection of Arts and Worship

The Beauty of Worship - The beauty of the Lord is seeing what God has made in His creation but also in His temple and specified in people's attire, in our talents and spiritual gifts. All of these colors help us to worship God. Ritual vs Ritualism - The problem is not with rituals themselves but with ritualism, which happens when we go through the motions without an inner disposition to worship the Lord. Forms and Their Communication - It is not the form of our worship that matters as much as the purpose for why we gather and assemble in our churches - to edify one another and be devoted to Him. The Power of Music - Music was created by God. And as his creation, he uses it to testify of Him and to minister to us. Music and Theology - Good worship music invite us to move deeper into God's word to learn more and more about Him. In all of its forms, hymns, contemporary songs, our hearts can be focused on him. The Arts and the Worship Space - Places of worship are normal and should be present, either small places in homes or larger spaces that are rented or purchased. What is important is not always the form, but the function.

Here also is a summary of the articles from Tabletalk for August 2017.

Rescuing Souls from Death - Buck Parsons (editor of Tabletalk magazine, copastor of Saint Andrew's chapel in Sanford, FL) - The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise” (Prov. 11:30). This is the earliest hint of soul winning in the Bible and pictures the unrighteous seeing the fruit of the righteous and saving their lives. Throughout the Bible is the idea of being rescued. Doing good goes beyond evangelism to kindness, parenting, helping people in crisis. If we truly believe that God calls people to Himself then any of our works of righteousness can be used to bring people to Him. 

Wisdom, New and Old - RC Sproul (founder of Ligonier Ministries, founding pastor of Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Fla., and first president of Reformation Bible College) - We tend to focus too much on the future, on what is new, thinking it is always better than what is old or the past. It is true that our understanding of things is developing, but people are not necessarily getting more intelligent. Life is often repeating itself, just with a new zip code. God revealed Himself to people in the past and gave us truths we can still live by today, that are still relevant today. 

God: The Winner of Souls - David Strain (senior minister of the First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Miss.) - God is the Evangelist. He is in hot pursuit of sinners. God so loved the world that He gave his only Son...God sent His Son...John 3:16-17. The initiative behind the work of Christ on behalf of sinners is God. God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8. You have given Jesus authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him (John 17:2). The Holy Spirit is an evangelist, giving new life to dead sinners (John 6:63 - It is the Spirit who gives life). At every point of Christ's ministry, the Holy Spirit rested upon Christ. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear (Acts 2:33). The church preaches the good news by the Holy Spirit (I Peter 1:12); the Church is sent to pronounce forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus. Never forget it is God that is the true and great soul winner. The Father purposed to save sinners in love by sending His Son with the Spirit uniting us with Christ and empowers us in turn to bear witness for Christ. 

The Sovereignty of God and Soul Winning - Joel R. Beeke (President and Professor of Systematic Theology and Homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary) -  If God chooses people in His sovereignty then we don't need to evangelize - False - God calls us to preach the gospel, to pray for laborers to go out into the harvest. We are his co-workers. He calls us to be involved. Calvin wrote the gospel "does not fall from the clouds like rain" but is "brought by the hands of men to where God has sent it." Calvin even started a lot of missions and churches in his time. Many evangelists and missionaries went out from the reformers including Laurence Chaderton, William Perkins, John Owen, John Eliot, David Brainerd, George Whitefield, William Carey, Adoniram and Ann Judson, John and Maggie Paton, Andrew Gordon and Andrew Watson, Ebenezer Erskine, Charles Spurgeon, Martyn Lloyd-Jones. 1. We are to be bold in evangelism (Acts 18:9-10). 2. We are to be patient in evangelism, not trying to manipulate or force people into the kingdom (2 Timothy 2:24-25). 3. We are to be confident in evangelism (Isaiah 55:11). 4. We are to be submissive in evangelism (Romans 10:1, 9:22, 9:16). 5. We are to be worshipful in evangelism (I Corinthians 3:6-7). 

Winning the Souls of Unbelievers - Dr. Jon D. Payne (pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Charleston, SC) - Evangelism is a way of life. It liberates and challenges us to reach out to our spheres of influence. To witness is compulsory for every sincere follower of Christ (Matt. 5:13-16). Yet we lack zeal and prayer. Let's recommit our lives. We have examples from Jesus and the Apostles, but we do not have to duplicate their ministries. It is primarily an overflow of a sincere walk with God. I am right where I need to be (Ps. 115:3; Acts 17:26-27). Our home and work location is for a reason. It is less a task and more a way of life. Are we willing and ready to identify and act upon the evangelistic opportunities that God brings our way? In prayer we remain steadfast and utterly dependent on Him. We are to be in steadfast prayer. It is to be centered on Christ - God's holiness and requirements of His Law (Lev. 11:45, Gal. 1:10-11). Man is fallen, miserable and depraved (Rom. 5:12; Eph. 2:1-3). God sent His Son to fulfill the Law (John 3:16; Rom. 5:18-19) and satisfy divine justice on the cross (Ps. 22:1; I John 4:9-10) and rise from the dead on the third day (Rom. 4:22-25), to reconcile man to God by grace through faith in Him (2 Cor. 5:19; Eph. 2:8-9). In the judgment, to heaven or to hell (Matt. 25:31-46). It is hard to be silent about what we cherish most. 

The Ordinary Means of Soul Winning - Buck Parsons (editor of Tabletalk, copastor of Saint Andrew's Chapel in Sanford, Florida) - Greatest trick by the devil is convincing the church that it needs to be like the world to reach the world. In a desire to be like the world they have become counter-ecclesial (relating to a church). Pastors study the fads of culture more than the unchanging principles of God's Word. They claim that there is no explicit command in the Bible against it, so they can use it to reach people. Parsons discovered the Westminster Shorter Catechism and the answer to Question 88. It is through the Word, sacraments and prayer that salvation is made known to people. We are to follow the example in Acts and worship God according to His Word and according to the means God has ordained. Thus, true Churches needs to be observing the Lord's Supper regularly, praying deeply, preaching the Gospel. Instead changing church for people, people need to see the witness of the Church. 

Winning One Another - Carl D. Robbins (senior pastor of Woodruff Road Presbyterian church in Simpsonville, SC) - The closing of the book of James shows how real Christians care about their members (James 5:19-20). We can wander by giving up essential tenets of the faith like deny exclusivity of Christ or justification by faith alone or understandings of biblical sexuality. Paul warns in I Corinthians 10:12: "Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." We are to reorient one another toward righteousness. Warn people of the road to destruction they are walking on. The Lord sent Nathan to King David to call him to repent (2 Samuel 12). We are to do this to save their soul from death and confirm the Blood of the Lamb as atoning cover for their sins. 

One Kingdom Will Continue - Jason Helopoulos (associate pastor of Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan) - "I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill" (Ps. 2:6). Promise: Christ reigns. Terrorists, church members slayed, upholding heterosexual views - in American society, it often doesn't look like Christ reigns. Jesus said in John 18:36, "My kingdom is not of this world." This is a spiritual kingdom that doesn't show up on the evening news and it will continue and last and God shalt break them (nations) with a rod of iron, shatter them like earthenware (pieces of a potters clay) (Ps. 2:9). It was on Good Friday that it appeared the world had won over Jesus and He had been defeated. People didn't see it at the time but God was working, setting His King on His holy hill, establishing His Son's kingdom for all eternity; He who sits in the heaven's laughs (Ps. 2:4). Every Nebuchadnezzar falls; every Ahab reaches his end; the head of the serpent is crushed. His kingdom is established and will continue forevermore. So Fear God, not men. 

Looking over the Fence - Melissa B. Kruger (women's ministry coordinator at Uptown Church (PCA) in Charlotte, NC) - Consider others, but in the right way. We often look at what others have and want it. And then at times we don't like people's opinions. Or perhaps we just don't think about our neighbor. But filled with Jesus I can view others through the lens of love. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain contempt, but in humility consider others better than yourselves (Phil 2:3 NIV84). We need to encourage others in their faith, noticing what people are doing and how they are serving God (Hebrews 10:24 - And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works). And considering our leaders, not their failures but their faith for the Gospel gives us a new mindset continually on all things (Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. - Hebrews 13:7). 

A Life Worthy of the Gospel - Aaron L. Garriott (production manager of Tabletalk magazine) - Unity made Paul's heart leap hearing of it from the church at Philippi whom he thought of as his "joy and crown" (Phil. 4:1). He said his joy would be complete if the church members were of "the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose" (Phil. 2:2). Yet, arrogance over self-advancement engenders disharmony. People don't drift towards unity. Instead self-advancement and self-exaltation is often the mindset. In Philippians 2, the blueprint for unity is given: humility. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than oneself; do not look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others (2:3-4). Why? Because of Jesus who "emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men, was humbled to the point of death on a cross, then exalted, that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord - to the glory of God (Phil 2:5-11)." Now there is a difference in Jesus emptying Himself and us emptying ourselves. Jesus emptied Himself of infinite riches as the co-owner of eternal. Our emptying is one of emptying ourselves from the mindset that we are greater than we truly are. For us to be of one-mind with one another it starts by each of us humbling ourselves individually. And here is the goal: Paul reminds us to "conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ...standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel (Phil. 1:27-28)."

The Direction of Leadership - Dr. Jonathan Leeman (editorial director of 9marks and elder at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC) - Leadership even in scripture is full of metaphors about "up" being good, and "over" others - "God reigns over the nations" (Ps. 47:8); His throne is "high and lifted up" (Isa 6:1); elders have "oversight" (I Peter 5:2). But being a leader is more than being over others, it is also coming down to their level, kneeling down and lifting others up. Psalm 18:31-35 says God has equipped me with strength....sets me upon my high places...trains my hands for battle...given me the shield....Thy gentleness make me great. A good reminder to help those under me and work for their success. Christ tells us He came to serve, not be served (Matthew 20:25-28). 

Moments of Praise - Rev. Joe Holland (Pastor of Christ Covenant Presbyterian Church in Culpeper, Virginia) - We can praise the Lord, even with short bursts of prayer, like is mentioned with Psalm 117, the shortest chapter in the Bible. In seconds we can praise God and pronounce a call to Missions. God is not constrained by word counts. We want long drawn out times with the Lord in large chunks but don't miss quick bursts as well. 

Knowledge without Zeal - Joshua S. Brice (senior pastor of Pray's Mill Baptist Church in Douglasville, Georgia) - We are to not simply attend the right churches, but have a real zeal for God. James Montgomery Boice commented that "millions are drifting along through life, manipulated by the mass media, particularly television, and hardly know it." Our thinking of eternity has left us and we are too focused on the hear and now. Remember the reformation as it was a desire for the word of God. The Catholics remained only on listening to lectures of the Bible in Latin rather than God's word in our language. We need to have a proper zeal to serve God. 

Handling Abuse in the Church - Rev. Brad Hambrick (Pastor of Counseling at The Summit Church in Durham, NC and instructor of biblical counseling at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC) - We need to be willing to be uncomfortable and realize that people are being hurt, even among the church body we are in. Engage a social workers with experience with domestic violence and child abuse. We need to talk about it more in trainings and even from the pulpit. By talking about it then people believe this is a safe place to discuss this. 

The Real Story of Christianity and Abortion - Dr. R. Albert Mohler (President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY) - Recently, many are giving the idea that Christians are late to the table in calling abortion evil. In fact, several so-called Christians are even stating that Abortion is morally right and the scripture supports this. But in reality Christians have always been opposed to Abortion and this can be seen by the Didache in AD 80-120, Clement of Alexandria (AD 15-215) and Tertullian (AD 160-240) who all have words about the crime of abortion. Don't believe the culture, ever. 

The Context of the Early Church - David R. Briones (Associate professor of New Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary) - Context is vital to our daily communication. Example - steel sinks could mean at Lowe's or Home Depot purchasing a steel sink, but in a class at college taught by a professor of material science it could mean steel that sinks in the water. So, understanding the context of God's word is very important. Note, Phil 2:12 and "work out your salvation." The word your is actually not me, but rather our and is meant to convey the entire church coming together to do the work of salvation. So context helps us be better readers of the text and it adds color to our reading of the text, as through it we can see better the beauty of God's word. Example is Jesus at His triumphal entry into Jerusalem at Passover and spreading palm branches before Him. To see the significance of the palm branches we look at the books of the apocrypha and see that in 165 BC during the intertestamental period when a Jewish family was revolting against Syrian forces and King Antiochus who prohibited Jewish religion. But then Judas Macabeus destroyed every Syrian detachment and moved back into Jerusalem with the people celebrating and as part of that celebration, a new festival of Hanukkah commenced and the people celebrated with palm branches and became a national symbol for the Jewish people. National Jews thought Jesus would destroy Roman opposition, but instead they drove nails into His hand and then through His death and resurrection liberated people from sin and death. And Jesus then entrusted Himself not to Jews, but His Church. 

Galatians 3:24 - The Law Our Guardian

Galatians 3:24 - Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.

Message: The Law Our Guardian

Time: Paul wrote to the churches in southern Galatia after having a hand in starting them on his first missionary journey to Asia Minor. This is Paul at his angriest, writing to make sure the church is on the path of truth, as the church had fallen into error. He wrote the book a few months before the Jerusalem council in AD 49. 

What the Lord is Saying:

This is a verse I tried to memorize several years ago as it was a verse I was encouraged by as I spent time studying the School of Biblical Evangelism. I loved the verse, but struggled with the memorization as I have struggled memorizing it seems once I've hit about 45 in age. 

In this study of the right use of God's law, I am seeing that at the core of each person is the fact that each of us is a sinner. This study must begin with that premise as we were sinners prior to the giving of the Law. It is an important reminder in this study that sin is already on the scene and is already stirred up in people's lives. I think that is a really important distinction because this means that man's rebirth or salvation answer must have occurred before the giving of the Law. I say this because I think in civilization there is a tendency in thinking that the Law is a saving tool, often providing a measuring tool of how we are living life with the idea that how we believe we are performing against that tool or measuring rod determines our acceptance by God. 

But rather these lessons are here to remind us that our salvation is apart from the law entirely and this law simply helps us see further our need for Christ and our own insufficiency. The Laws are important and represent our standard and remind us also what we need to be doing, but it is not a saving device. 

I think one reason that the Law has an attraction to man is it is ingrained in us. That can be a good thing and that can also be deceptive. A consequence of sinning is working (toiling the land) and yet we find joy in our toils and a sense of accomplishment and in that accomplishment a sense of justification that our work is producing something good. In contrary the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a simple message of "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." That salvation is not accomplished by me, but simply by my walking to Him and letting Him take care of the problem of sin; this is a re-training of our thinking. 

The law is not a tool of justifying me, but rather it is an instrument to bring me to Christ and show me my need for Him. And the Law is also a tool in helping us understanding that the atonement or the atoning sacrifice that occurred in Christ is the means to my salvation.  

Promise:  As John Calvin comments, "The law, in short, was nothing else than an immense variety of exercises, in which the worshippers were led by the hand to Christ."

Prayer: Lord, thank you for continuing to confirm truth into my life and continuing to show me the Story of Life and Your Story of Salvation. It is easy and that easiness is always under attack. Lord, help me know how to talk to people that are simply ingrained in the idea that righteousness comes about through man's obedience. Lord, I must admit that I get sidetracked by their thinking and with them I struggle in my conversations that seem to result in more division than greater adherence to your ways. You know me Lord, I want to keep peace and this I see at times is not good as it starts to have me be agreeable to people instead of leading them to You. I want to nourish and feed your sheep. Give me the strength to do this in the way you have called me to do this. I stay committed to You God and Love you God and am forever grateful of your forever mercy. 

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of July is about the right use of God's Law; June was justification by faith alone; May about solus Christus - Christ Alone; April, salvation by grace alone; March, the sovereign providence of God; February, the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January, the doctrine of God.

The Restraint of the Law - the law is given for lawless, unholy, disobedient people, to restrain us from acting on our sinful thoughts. Restraint and Guilt - the law is meant to restrain Christians and non-Christians alike; so that others may see Christ. The Law's Revelation of Sin - The Law reveals sin, at times making it more desirable, and show the sin which people commit and the complete standard it expects. The Law and Our Powerlessness - We are powerless over the Law and Sin revealed. It is in Christ that we receive forgiveness and the power to resist sin.

My Utmost for His Highest - April 25th - Instant In Season

preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. - 2 Timothy 4:2

    Many of us suffer from the morbid tendency to be instant "out of season." The season does not refer to time, but to us--"Be instant in season, out of season," whether we feel like it or not. If we do only what we feel inclined to do, some of us would do nothing for ever and ever. There are unemployables in the spiritual domain, spiritually decrepit people, who refuse to do anything unless they are supernaturally inspired. The proof that we are rightly related to God is that we do our best whether we feel inspired or not.

    One of the great snares of the Christian worker is to make a fetish of his rare moments. When the Spirit of God gives you a time of inspiration, and insight, you say--"Now I will always be like this for God." No, you will not, God will take care you are not. Those times are the gift of God entirely. You cannot give them to yourself when you choose. If you say you will only be at your best, you become an intolerable drag on God; you will never do anything unless God keeps you consciously inspired. If you make a god of your best moments, you will find that God will fade out of your life and never come back until you do the duty that lies nearest, and have learned not to make a fetish of your rare moments.

- From Oswald Chambers, "My Utmost for His Highest" - Classic Edition

Highlights and Underlines are courtesy of Mom from her print edition. 

Mom's thoughts

Never lose your sense of urgency

My Utmost for His Highest - April 9th - Have I Seen Him?

After that, He appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking along on their way to the country. - Mark 16:12

     Being saved and seeing Jesus are not the same thing. Many are partakers of God's grace who have never seen Jesus. When once you have seen Jesus, you can never be the same, other things do not appeal as they used to do.

     Always distinguish between what you see Jesus to be, and what He has done for you. If you only know what He has done for you, you have not a big enough God; but if you have had a vision of Jesus as He is, experiences can come and go, you will endure "as seeing Him Who is invisible. (Hebrews 11:27)" The man blind from his birth did not know Who Jesus was until He appeared and revealed Himself to him (see John 9). Jesus appears to those for who He has done something; but we cannot dictate when He will come. Suddenly at any turn He may come. "Now I See Him! (see John 9:25)"

     Jesus must appear to your friend as well as to you, no one can see Jesus with your eyes. Severance takes place where one and not the other has seen Jesus. You cannot bring your friend unless God brings him. Have you seen Jesus? Then you will want others to see Him too. "And they went and told it until the residue, neither believed they them. (Mark 16:13)" You must tell, although they do not believe.

    "O could I tell, ye surely would believe it!
        O could I only say what I have seen!
    How should I tell or how can ye receive it,
        How, till He bringeth you where I have been?" - Saint Paul, Poem, by Frederic WH Meyers

Oswald Chambers - From "My Utmost for His Highest" Classic Edition

- Underlines and highlights are courtesy of Mom from her print edition. 

John 4:1-45 - Jesus Meets A Samaritan Woman

John 4:1-45

Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), He left Judea and went away again into Galilee. And He had to pass through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 

There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” She said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?” Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.” He said to her, “Go, call your husband and come here.” The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.”  The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

At this point His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why do You speak with her?” So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and said to the men, “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?” They went out of the city, and were coming to Him.

Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor.”

From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all the things that I have done.” So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. Many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.”

After the two days He went forth from there into Galilee. For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things that He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves also went to the feast.

Message: Jesus Meets a Samaritan Woman

Time: John is not recorded as the author, but unanimous testimony of early Christians, like Iraneus in the 2nd century declare him the author. Plus, the eyewitness account give rise that he was one of the close knit disciples and Peter already penned through Mark (the Gospel of Mark), and James died soon after the resurrection, which leaves John. It is thought this book was written between 85 and 95 AD. The Deity of Christ is a striking quality of John's gospel.

What the Lord is Saying: 

Well, I made this entry long by referencing the entire text from this lesson and yet, it is good to see the complete story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman. When Jesus greeted her she knew that it was unusual, him being a Jew, her a Samaritan. It seems like Jesus' first response to her about 'a drink' is that the differences between Samaritans and Jews does not matter when Jesus is offering living water or eternal life. Too much of life right now is us/them and taking sides. It is election time so those sides are more prevalent. Yet, at the same time is a message of 'together' as we walk through this pandemic. So that is one point that I see in this lesson - no divisions when talking about receiving Jesus. 

I also see Jesus saying that drinking of the water from the well will always mean that we remain thirsty and need to drink again. But, when we drink the Living Water, provided by Jesus, we are complete and have everything we need. It reminds me of the prevalence of vices like alcohol, smoking pot, or popping a pill or even eating, drinking, or taking prescription drugs -- all are a reminder of things we never stop needing or feeling like we need, some give us temporary highs and some are needed to sustain life, but no matter what they are fleeting, but Jesus and His love is full and complete. 

I have been studying through Genesis a little with BSF and noticed that God always drew out people's recognition of their sin in their life by asking questions. Jesus does this here when speaking about the many husbands that this woman has had after she has stated she has no husband. It is a reminder that Jesus knows our sins and the Holy Spirit draws that sin out in our lives with our conscience speaking to us. 

I also see Jesus talking about doing the Will of the Father and how it provides to us nourishment like nothing else. 

And once we encounter Jesus, like this woman does, we cannot help but tell others about Him. 

Promise: Jesus changes everything. In this lesson is many lessons, but notable to me is we are all the same in our need for God as Jesus provides us eternal life, water that is complete. And Jesus knows our sin and yet Loves us still. 

Prayer: Thank you Jesus for seeing me and knowing me, forgiving me and loving me. There is abundant life in You. Life is complete with you and I praise You for this. Thank you for changing the way we think and helping us see that You Lord penetrate our lives like nothing else. Thank you for the peace that you bring and for saving me. Thank you for this day in which I have the honor of baptizing my oldest son Tyson. Thank you for loving him and choosing him as Yours and the joy that he is in our lives and the lives of others. 

Romans 12:3 - The Pelagian Captivity of the Church

Romans 12:3
For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

Message: The Pelagian Captivity of the Church

Time: Written sometime in AD 57-58, probably from Corinth, at the end of Paul's third missionary journey.

What the Lord is Saying:

I have arrived at the last lesson of this series on salvation by grace alone. I have learned a lot. But it has taken me a long time. I should be okay with that. It has taken almost a year to go through this one month as I started on March 6, 2019. Yowza. That's 20 or so lessons. Hmm. Oh well. At least I am still going at it. It is March 19, 2020. I started this post over a month ago, and now revisiting it. I've been doing other things, BSF, but also not waking up early, and getting busy with getting on with each day. At the moment, due to the coronavirus, I am working at home more, so I go back to revisiting these studies, to see what I can get through.

I think what I have been amazed about through this series (as I have been listening to RC Sproul messages on the last 5 or so of these lessons) is the history of comprehending salvation and whether man has done anything to earn salvation. The message is simple: Jesus did it all.

Pelagian, a man who lived 1600 years ago, is still having an impact on how people think today - being the idea that man is involved in salvation and God can only work in man if man agrees.

In his final message in this series, he has titled it "The Pelagian Captivity of the Church" which makes sense because the tenets of Pelagian are still at work today in the church. Sproul hones in on this idea of the extent that Pelagian and his ideals have made their way into evangelicalism today and invaded the church still today. He speaks of Charles Finney, a 19th century preacher, and his focus on evangelism and 500,000 people coming to Christ. His methods of evangelism live on today. Yet, while Finney may say that Jesus paid it all, how many gets to salvation is about man being involved in this work.

Let me step back for a moment - what I am seeing in this study is trying to intersect God's ways with my thinking of God's ways. Who God is and how he works sits on a plane. If we believe in God, then life is about understanding how he works and who He is. So is my understanding of Him the same as His? Does my plane intersect His? To me that is the goal. To be on the same plane. So does God's plane or ways include me being involved in my salvation or not? At the end of the day whether I am saved or not does not change. Can I change God's mind? Can I change my own mind? All of these are questions I am trying to figure out as I read and learn and study scripture.

As I back up to Finney, I am not saying the 500,000 that came to Christ under his method are not saved. Whether I think that or not is not for me to decide, as if my view of their salvation determines their salvation. I can honestly say the Spirit of God is living in me. I know this. So now my quest is understanding salvation and what actually occurred. Then as I intersect with others, no matter what they believe, I first wonder if the Spirit of God is living in them. I don't want to assume He isn't based upon the label they have attached to their lives of the type of religious thought or group they hold to. For example, I don't want to assume all Catholics are not Spirit-filled. But, I know this is my tendency.

Historically, the group of people that are identified as evangelical are those that embrace the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Yet Charles Finney, who is generally regarded as a hero of the faith, denies this thinking. What he denies is sola fide - which can be described as - when the sinner looks to Christ by faith and puts his trust in Christ and Christ alone that God legally declares that sinner just by the virtue of the imputation or the transfer of the merit of Christ and the righteousness of Christ to the legal account of the sinner who lacks merit and lacks any righteousness of his own. "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Romans 3:28). Each person has an account. Before Christ it is an account of works with the hopes that my works will yield salvation. But my works without Christ include sin and sin on its own whether intermingled with good works is unclean and cannot merit being declared just by God. Thus salvation is the sinner looking to Christ by faith, putting his trust in Christ, believing in the resurrection, believing in the transfer of righteousness -- then I am declared just by God imputing or transferring the merit or work of Christ or the righteousness of Christ to my account, to cover my sin - and man is incapable of having anything to do with this righteousness transfer. I don't make the transfer happen. But, my faith in Christ does happen.

According to Finney, such a view of justification would be a travesty of divine justice and God indeed would never make a legal declaration in calling someone just when that person is not just in and of himself. In this vein, he shares a common objection to forensic justification of the Roman Catholic church. Where Finney missed it was in his view of what Jesus did on the cross, seeing it as an example of the seriousness of sin and thereby the Christian is pardoned by God, not justified, but pardoned. It is not about Christ atoning but Christ using the cross to show us that we are evil and therefore we need to clean up our lives. In a subtle way it shows that man is responsible agent in cleaning up his/her life. For Finney sanctification yields justification whereas the classic protestant view is justification occurs and sanctification is a process in the Christian's life of being conformed to the image of Christ.

Finney is Pelagian to the core in that he believes that man has a natural ability and moral ability to make choices, to naturally choose right and wrong, but also the moral ability to choose the things of God, even without grace. Whereas, the discussion of classical Protestants is that man does not on his own have the ability to choose the things of God unless God intervenes.

What Sproul is arguing is that most evangelicals today hold to this view and do not rightly understand the meaning of original sin. Do we come to sin thinking that we can change or do we come to sin thinking that Christ must change us?

Summary: Salvation by grace alone. Man is a sinner and nothing in man can make him right with God except for the grace of God intervening. Man cannot choose to be right with God. Faith is the expression by man of the grace of God in God making man right with Himself through the work of Jesus and the transfer of His righteousness to man upon His conquering of sin through the resurrection after He was crucified on the cross. It is a fine line.

Promise: We do not have to invent fancy techniques to bring people to faith; we just have to preach God’s Word accurately and trust Him to save His people. Let us put our hope not in methods but in faithfulness to God’s Word.

Prayer: O Lord, thank you for the truth of your Word that has invaded my life and shown me the significance of Your grace. Forgive me for thinking I make myself righteous. I want to turn to You and trust You and You alone and depend on You. Thank you for RC Sproul and illuminating him and calling him to teach and show us that your truth is continuous. Keep us on the right track. Help me to discern false messages, expose them, and continue to uphold and praise You God. Give me compassion upon people and help me to not have strife with others over this issue. As I've learned of you, continue to sink truth into my life - to your Glory.

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of April is about salvation by grace alone. March was about the sovereign providence of God; February was about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January is about the doctrine of God.

My Utmost for His Highest - December 3 - Not By Might Nor By Power

And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. 1 CORINTHIANS 2:4

If in preaching the Gospel you substitute your clear knowledge of the way of salvation for confidence in the power of the Gospel, you hinder people getting to Reality. You have to see that while you proclaim your knowledge of the way of salvation, you yourself are rooted and grounded in faith in God. Never rely on the clearness of your exposition, but as you give your exposition see that you are relying on the Holy Spirit. Rely on the certainty of God’s redemptive power, and He will create His own life in souls.

When once you are rooted in Reality, nothing can shake you. If your faith is in experiences, any thing that happens is likely to upset that faith; but nothing can ever upset God or the almighty Reality of Redemption; base your faith on that, and you are as eternally secure as God. When once you get into personal contact with Jesus Christ, you will never be moved again. That is the meaning of sanctification. God puts His disapproval on human experience when we begin to adhere to the conception that sanctification is merely an experience, and forget that sanctification itself has to be sanctified (see John 17:19). I have deliberately to give my sanctified life to God for His service, so that He can use me as His hands and His feet. From My Utmost for His Highest Classic Edition

The underlines and highlights were done by my mom in her print edition.

My Thoughts

• In preaching and sharing the Word with people I need to be sensitive to the Lord's leading. 

My Utmost for His Highest - October 27 - The Method of Missions

Go ye therefore, and teach [disciple] all nations. —Matthew 28:19

Jesus Christ did not say — “Go and save souls” (the salvation of souls is the supernatural work of God), but — “Go and teach,” i.e., disciple, “all nations,” and you cannot make disciples unless you are a disciple yourself. When the disciples came back from their first mission, they were filled with joy because the devils were subject to them, and Jesus said — “Don’t rejoice in successful service; the great secret of joy is that you are rightly related to Me.” The great essential of the missionary is that he remains true to the call of God, and realizes that his one purpose is to disciple men and women to Jesus. There is a passion for souls that does not spring from God, but from the desire to make converts to our point of view.

The challenge to the missionary does not come on the line that people are difficult to get saved, that backsliders are difficult to reclaim, that there is a “wadge” of callous indifference; but along the line of his own personal relationship to Jesus Christ. “Believe ye that I am able to do this?” Our Lord puts that question steadily, it faces us in every individual case we meet. The one great challenge is — Do I know my risen Lord? Do I know the power of His indwelling Spirit? Am I wise enough in God’s sight, and foolish enough according to the world, to bank on what Jesus Christ has said; or am I abandoning the great supernatural position, which is the only call for a missionary, viz., boundless confidence in Christ Jesus? If I take up any other method, I depart altogether from the methods laid down by Our Lord — “All power is given unto Me…Go ye therefore.”

My Thoughts

• This statement mesmerizes me, perhaps that it is spoken - There is a passion for souls that does not spring from God, but from the desire to make converts to our point of view. - That the goal too often I think is we are selfish first in making converts, but this does not mean the converts are not truly converts.  
• Is discipleship the same as missions? 

Acts 17:1-9 - The Role of Reason

Acts 17:1-9
Now when they had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And according to Paul’s custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.”4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women. 5 But the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the market place, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and attacking the house of Jason, they were seeking to bring them out to the people. 6 When they did not find them, they began dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have upset the world have come here also; 7 and Jason has welcomed them, and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” 8 They stirred up the crowd and the city authorities who heard these things. 9 And when they had received a pledge from Jason and the others, they released them.

Message: The Role of Reason

Time: Clearly written by Luke, this book follows the lives of Peter and then Paul after Jesus' ascension into heaven. The book was completed about 62 AD as Paul sat in prison. It provides an account of the growth of the Church and spread from Jerusalem, from a small group of frightened believers in Jerusalem transformed into an empire-wide movement of people who had committed their lives to Jesus Christ, and it should help us to be bold and have zeal in our walks with God.

What the Lord is Saying:

Does it make sense that what we see has always been? Thus, the idea from the atheist or naturalist is this world in which we live in has always existed or has come about over time ever so gradually. Thus, the universe is eternal. Or does it make more sense that it has been designed. Therefore, it has a designer. For me, as I examine the intricacy of the human body, it is difficult for me to see that this body has simply evolved. Thus, it seems reasonable to believe this. Once I have believed in a designer, it makes sense that only the designer knows how to save me.

In this passage, Acts 17, Paul has come upon Thessalonica. This was a large city with a large population. As Paul entered the City, he did what he did with entering any city, he went straight to the synagogue -- they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And according to Paul’s custom, he went to them. I find it interesting that Paul does not wait for people to come to him. Instead he goes right to the middle of the crowd that is opposed to his thinking and speaks to them. What an encouragement this is and a scary approach to things. His mission is to show people that Jesus is the Christ. Paul is an evangelist and his goal is to go to all the world and preach the gospel.

There is no problem in waiting for people to come to the church and then in that service to speak directly to them. Yet, this is not our only mission. We are also to go straight to the city centers and speak to those that are thinking another way. And I wonder, are we supposed to go to the churches that are speaking a different way? Are we go and stir the pot in those settings? Paul went straight to the synagogue, to the place that believed something different. And he experienced opposition. I Thessalonians 2:2 says - but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition.

This makes me think of the open air preaching that sometimes goes on or that way of the master and living waters has mentioned. Yet, I am not sure that is the application here. The one thing that I see though is we tend to stay in safe environments for our ideal today or our mission today is safety, not conflict. Why? We want to preserve our life.

Paul did not enter the synagogue one time and then leave, but rather for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures. From the Scriptures was how his reasoning was done. And what is amazing to me is at this time, the Scriptures meant the Old Testament for he did not have a New Testament. Perhaps he had his stories and memories of Jesus and what He said while walking on the earth and following His resurrection. But it seems clear that the reasoning he did could be done with the Old Testament writings.

I have been reading the book Unveiling Grace by Lynn Wilder, a former LDS follower and what made the difference in her life was the reading of the New Testament and the words of Jesus. This is what moved her son. It is God's Word that changes lives. Paul knew this. Yet, preaching the words of Jesus either move people to the Son or further away. Both can be expected outcomes.

The other alarming record is that Paul went to the synagogue for three Sabbaths or three weeks. He camped out in this place and continued to speak to them. He continued to proclaim the message that This Jesus who I am proclaiming to you is the Christ." This Jesus is the Messiah. This was his message over and over to them, using the scriptures. And what the response? Well, some of them were persuaded. But the Jews formed a mob and set the city in an uproar. Here is the hard part, some followed, but most did not.

And this passage then turns to Jason. Jason seems to be a citizen of Thessalonica and his crime was -- and Jason has welcomed them. Jason was where Paul probably camped out and stayed. Jason and the other followers and Paul were brought out of their residence and placed before the mob. This recount of Jason and others being dragged out gets several verses. Let's be clear there is those that believe, but there are many more that oppose. And we live in a time period now that those who stir the pot are lambasted. So we can stay safe on the sidelines but then we should not be surprised that we are not having much of an impact on our culture or we can get in the middle and see fruit, but also opposition.

Promise: The reason we use in talking to people is by bringing them back continually to the Scripture, to the Word of God.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for this passage and helping me wake up more to the idea that I am your ambassador and the best way to preach your gospel is by communicating your Word. I need to accept and realize that while some will accept, many will not. Forgive me for remaining silent all to often because of this. I get too comfortable with this world and living in it and don't want anything to rock the boat or upset my place in this world. Lord, I need to come back to Your word and see that it is true to all of life and this is your message I am to carry.

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with March being about the sovereign providence of God and looking at how the Bible reveals His control over all things.

Mark 6:7-13 - Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

Mark 6:7-13
⁷ And He *summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits; ⁸ and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt— ⁹ but to wear sandals; and He added, “Do not put on two tunics.” ¹⁰ And He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. ¹¹ Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.” ¹² They went out and preached that men should repent. ¹³ And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.
 
Message: Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

Preface - Jesus arrives in Nazareth, about a 3 day journey from Capernaum. He has made it to his hometown and he speaks in the synagogue, as he has done elsewhere. The people of Nazareth did not accept Jesus. Jesus continued to heal people, but maybe not to the extent that he could because of the unbelief present in Nazareth. But the message of the Gospel still goes out. We must continue to teach and spread the Good News. The reception may be different but our mission does not change.

Jesus is on mission. His desire is to get the message of the gospel out to the people. He is asking people to repent and believe. Mark 1:15 stated this - The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe. Along the way Jesus has healed many, exercised demons, but also extended the message of repentance and believing. He has spoken with authority, forgiving sin, teaching about the purpose of the Sabbath. He has spoken of the different soils or conditions of man. He has shown his authority over nature: stilling the sea and taking charge of weather. And he has declared that he has power over death.

Now in verse 7, Jesus began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. Jesus commissioned the twelve and gave them a special type of authority. They were not to go solo, but in pairs. In my own life, I have seen that going to minister in pairs is much more effective and easier than going at it solo. It is important that we support and encourage one another in the work of the gospel. The fact that he gave them authority over unclean spirits and could pass along this authority testifies of the power that He had and only Him to do this. He wanted his teaching to be spread. This authority he gives them is one time and not to be repeated because only Jesus has the authority. 

And He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt— but to wear sandals; and He added, “Do not put on two tunics.” He wanted them to travel light. They are to rely on the generosity of others as they go forth. For these disciples they were to trust that people would provide them what they needed. They only needed their walking shoes. They did not need a bag, money or change of clothing. Ministers of the gospel are not to be worldly minded, but heavenly minded and trusting God for his provision. People are hospitable, helpful, and giving. This is no accident. Jesus knew this because God made people like this. Therefore, the disciples do not need to feel like they need everything with them before they go.


And He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. As strangers entered a town, the neighbors of the city took them in. They were there to speak a message and share. They were not there to stay a long time. People are more willing to help if you do not stay a long time. They were not to be a burden to anyone.

Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them. They were not to be surprised with the fact that some will not accept him. Just as Jesus, even in his hometown, was not accepted, we will encounter places that do not accept the message of the gospel. But we are not to be discouraged, but simply shake it off and move on. 

They went out and preached that men should repent. The gospel message stays the same: repent. People are to turn from their wicked ways and embrace God. People are to realize they are sinners and need forgiveness. Today, at times, is the feeling that we must first show people that they have disobeyed God, that we must instruct people on what it means to be a sinner. Yet, sin seems to be more clear in each person than we think. While preaching the message of repentance, they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them. The casting out of demons and anointing people and healing them was an expression of the work of God in their lives. It further testified of the work and goodness of God. 

Summary - The mission of Jesus and his ministry is simple - get the message out. Jesus knew that he could be more effective in this by sending out the twelve disciples he had called. Thankfully, many are there to provide disciples a meal, a place to stay. People are giving. But, at times we will encounter people that are not. Do not dwell on them. Move on. Always stay focused on the gospel message. People are to repent. Repentance is the key. 

Promise: The message does not change because of people's response. 

Prayer: Lord, thank you for loving us and knowing what we need. Thank you for the message of repentance, for realizing that we need to take a 180 in our lives and go the opposite way. Help me as your bond-servant to continue to get that message out. I pray that I would be faithful to the call and help people see the importance of repenting. Thank you for men like Billy Graham and their faithfulness to the gospel message. Thank you for using him to change lives. I pray that we continue to be faithful to the message of the gospel.

Mark 5:18-20 - A Witness to the Decapolis

Mark 5:18-20
18 As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him. 19 And He did not let him, but He *said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” 20 And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.


Message: A Witness to the Decapolis

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

Mark has been rather thorough in his explanations. Mark 4 was thorough about Jesus and the gospel falling on good soil and then the response that takes place from those and/or needs to take place. Chapter 5 has been about the way Jesus has authority over what is inside a person, namely demons and their real place in this world. But, in each chapter Jesus is clearly shown as the one with ultimate authority. And yet there are demonic forces in our world today, wreaking havoc.

The man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him (Jesus) that he might accompany Him. I wonder if Jesus was getting into the boat alone or the disciples were also with him. There may have been others as well and the demon-possessed man wanted to come along and be with Jesus. It makes sense. Without him, he had been demon-possessed and perhaps feared for his past life; but also, he had been impacted by Jesus and the benefactor of his strong work and wanted to simply be with him. Who wouldn't? But perhaps it was more important for this man to return to his life and speak of the impact Jesus had on him, thus evangelizing and then also living his life. He *said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you." There was an aim in Jesus calling disciples, for a purpose, but this man had already been impacted and could be a gift now to his people. This man is similar to us today. Jesus has had an impact on us and now we are to have an impact on those around us.

And Mark shows us in this passage that the man did what Jesus had asked him to do. He was a witness. He did it. And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed. See, this works out the way Jesus drew it up. He left and went back to Decapolis and everyone was amazed.

Earlier in this chapter there was a different response to Jesus when they saw what he had done to the swine and the demon possessed man, they began to implore Him to leave their region (v. 17). That was one response: get away. And now Jesus shows us the other response: go and proclaim. The man was effected, while the people nearby were not. The man could now be a witness for Jesus.

Promise: From Tabletalk: One day we will see the Lord face-to-face and enjoy His presence forever. Until then, we have been commissioned to preach the gospel and declare God’s saving grace to the nations. This mission is for us all, though in God’s providence, each of us has a different part to play. In obeying Him and carrying out our role in this mission, we demonstrate our gratitude to the Lord.

Prayer: Lord, you remind me here that your ways are the best ways and we are to submit and surrender to You and let you speak to us about the path we should go on in life. I like to think that I know best most of the time. That somehow my way is the better way, but Lord you have authority over all and you know all. Help me to submit to You, follow you and then do what you ask of me.

Mark 4:13-17 - The Path and Rocky Soil

Mark 4:13-17
13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. 16 In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; 17 and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.

Message: The Path and Rocky Soil

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

This chapter is interesting. I already see a consistent message in this parable of the sower and that is that God chooses and calls people to himself. There seem to be more that do not respond than respond. In the parable there are 4 surfaces, but only 1 with good soil. The other 3 are beside the road, on rocky ground, among thorns.

It reminds me of the ministry of apologetic's that has grown very strong over the last several years. It is a ministry I think that has always been present, but perhaps more well defined today. However, at times I have struggled to understand its purpose. I say that because as I now study these 4 surfaces in which the seed (the gospel) is being dropped, while there are characteristics of these surfaces I have often thought that apologetic's is helping to change 3 of those services to the fourth, the good soil. And based upon my experience, that process is not easy. It requires a lot of work. It seems similar to my desire to change the grass in my backyard that is Bermuda to Fescue grass. That is a process that will not come easily. I will have to uproot all of it, not just the grass, but the soil and roots underneath what I see. Thus, as I talk to people and use apologetic's, I notice a similar process. It is difficult and uprooting something or someone that already thinks they are healthy and growing is a difficult process. Convincing them that the Fescue grass seed is better is not easy. In fact, I can't convince them, but instead it takes an agent outside (of both types of grasses) of both persons to intercede. That agent is God. God changes hearts, not man.

I am reminded of a book I was reading called Christ-Centered Apologetics by Joel Furches in which he states that the chief audience for apologetic's is not the multitude, but rather the followers. Apologetic's can and should be studied, for the purpose of confirming God's truth to His followers. Yes, it can be part of our toolbox when talking to people that we consult, but that is not its chief aim in studying.

Picking up this passage, verse 13 says And He said to them. I believe 'them' is the same as His followers in verse 10. He is addressing His followers. This is a message to them first for they have been given the mystery (v. 11). Then He says - Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? This is interesting. Jesus is saying that understanding this parable is key to understanding all the parables he will offer. And he says Verse 14 - the sower sows the word so immediately we know that the seed is the Word of God. It is his message to all.

Today's passage looks at 2 surfaces:
1. The path beside the road
These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.
2. The rocky soil
These are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.

As I read this, I am immediately thankful that Jesus is telling us about all of the different sources and he is telling us what happens to the seed, the word, when it falls on those surfaces. We are called to preach and the reality is different soils we receive the message differently. I don't know why, but that message is startling to me, somehow in a new way. Almost, as if God does not want us to ever get discouraged because he wants us to understand that outcomes are never our responsibility. Obviously, it is normal for me to take training classes and improve on my delivery because I want to do my role as a speaker in the best way that I know. However, this preparation and training is not so that more will be saved. As my boss at the City said a number of years ago in describing the work that we do, "Focus on the presentation, not the result."

1. It is interesting the audience and the description of those beside the road. It resonates for I see these people often. The word is sown. The word is preached. They hear, but they immediately are taken away some place else. And they are lured away by Satan. The word was trying to take root in them for that is what the Word does, it takes root in us. That is its purpose, but they have been distracted. Who knows how long they are lured away. This doesn't appear to be a permanent luring away, but rather momentary is possible. The word will be sown again to them and perhaps at another time they won't be lured away.

2. For the seed that is sown on rocky places, these individuals receive it with joy. They like it. They could even make a decision for Christ. I think of Christian concerts when I was younger and the altar calls or revival services or crusades. Many received the message with joy, but often it was temporary. Something else that is interesting is Jesus says when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. Affliction and persecution arises because of the Word, because of the Gospel, because of the message. The gospel is not all about providing us good times and no problems. Rather, affliction and persecution are a necessary part of our growth. Yet, we are conditioned to think that affliction and persecution are contrary to God working in our life and what God wants of us. The problem here is not the affliction and persecution, but that when it hits, the person falls away. The person rejects the seed, the Word. The person no longer believes the message. What an amazing truth for our lives, for this time, when the world is telling us only "Let the good times roll."

Promise: True conversion is proven over time as people stand for Christ even under much suffering.

Prayer: Thank you again Jesus for saving me. Thank you Holy Spirit for speaking to me and calling me to be yours now and forever. Help me to be sensitive to people, continue to preach the word, even when it seems they are on shaky ground. You can change hearts at any time. Thank you for taking the time to explain these truths and giving me complete understanding so that I will not be discouraged.

Mark 3:1-6 - The Pharisees' Hard Hearts

Mark 3:1-6

1 He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered. 2 They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 3 He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” 4 And He said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent. 5 After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.

Message: The Pharisees' Hard Hearts

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

Jesus and the Sabbath. I didn't realize how much air time this subject got in the Gospels and specifically here in the Gospel of Mark. Jesus has already commented that his disciples picking grain on the Sabbath wasn't an offense. The Sabbath was made for man, to provide rest, and yet if there is a need, it is okay for someone to do a little work. Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath meaning he has complete authority over this day. Now in Mark 3, I read that Jesus enters the synagogue once again. He started in the Synagogue in Capernaum in the heart of the city before deciding he should get away to the smaller cities, as he didn't want to be found out by the masses and be called out prior to his time. He knew that his mission of being the Messiah would unnerve many.

Jesus has already healed on the Sabbath. And on this day he heals again. Perhaps the message that Mark is taking a moment to present and for all to consider is the stubbornness of those who have been presented with a message and yet continue to ignore it. It says in verse 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him. And before this already saw their true colors in verse 5 After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart. 

I think this is a reminder that many people simply have a hardness of heart and despite the evidence giving them, they will not change. These Pharisees were that way and they didn't simply hear of Jesus, but had first hand evidence of Him. I'm always reminded of the words of Roy Holt at Tijeras when I gave a message about reaching out to people and he wondered why I was spending so hard trying to get certain people (JW's, Mormons) to come around to the gospel when they clearly had a hardness of heart. Those words have always stuck with me. Roy went on to be with the Lord probably 15 years ago. But, I'm still always reminded that perhaps my time needs to be spent on other things. Prayer needs to continue but people like Derek in London clearly have a hardness of heart and an unwillingness to even consider something else, so it does not seem necessary to continue to try to persuade him. Those are just a few examples from my life. It is sad, but it is true. And the work of the Gospel still must continue.

Promise: Let us pray for the Lord to give us soft hearts and the willingness to obey Him even when it violates traditions found in the Bible.

Prayer: Lord, I'm always amazed that you have saved me. As you have me converse with people in my life, direct me to those that have a desire for you. If there are those, after much talk, continue to deny you, center me on praying rather than conversing and spending my time on this. Thank you for working in people's lives and my confident remains in you to draw people to yourself. People like my son, who desperately needs you, but right now is not listening. Use people beyond me to draw him to you. I pray that he would start looking. Thank you for your great love for all.