Seize the Moment – Day 490
The Disciples: Phillip & Nathanael (Pt 2)
John 14:21 (NLT)
“Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
According to the Gospel of John, Phillip was the one that Jesus asked the question of how they were going to feed the 5000. His response demonstrated his practical thinking, but Jesus was going to show him that God could do so much more to take care of the need. His faith continued to grow as he followed Jesus.
Also, according to the Gospel of John, Nathanael’s call by Jesus declared that there was no deceit in him, even telling him where he was sitting when Phillip came to talk with him. Jesus demonstrated that He knew his heart, even before they had met, because God had revealed it to Him.
Both of these men went on to proclaim the gospel message. Both of them were arrested for doing that. Both were martyred because they would not denounce the message of Christ.
They did this because they followed the commandments of Jesus and loved God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength, and others as much as they loved themselves. Are you ready to show who’s child you are by loving them no matter what?
YOUTUBE:
Read more...
Seize the Moment – Day 489
The Disciples: Phillip & Nathanael (Part 1)
John 1:43, 45 (ESV)
“The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” … Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
Phillip was called directly by Jesus, and then he went and witnessed to a friend Nathanael about finding the One whom the prophets wrote about, just like Andrew did when he went to tell his brother Simon about the Messiah. Since the theme of witnessing is so important in the gospel, the method by which Peter and Nathanael were brought to Jesus is significant. The giving of a personal testimony has always been one of the most fruitful means of leading people to become disciples of Jesus.
Both of these men had been searching through the scriptures and waiting for the Messiah. Both men completely surrendered to Jesus. Both witnessed His miracles. Both were there at His crucifixion and on the day of his resurrection. Both were there at his ascension. And both were there on the Day of Pentecost. They became bold witnesses of the Gospel
We need to have the same boldness to share the Gospel of Jesus no matter the cost. Many had come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior because of these disciples. Many more may come to know Him as their Savior if we will live our lives to the fullest and share the message of love and grace.
YOUTUBE:
Read more...
Live Like a Champion – Week 29
The Promise of Good Works in Christ!
Who is Jesus? If you take some time to look at things on the internet you will find many think he lived on earth. Some think he was a good teacher. Some think he was a philosopher. Some think his claim to be God ludicrous, and some who believe Jesus to be the Son of God.
There is a lot of talk about fact checking stories these days. I personally think going directly to the Source of Truth is the best place to do our fact-checking. The inspired Word of God has a much better answer.
From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible points to Jesus. The entire Bible is about Jesus. It is not about us – although we sometimes think it is just about us. It’s not.
The Bible is clear it is about Jesus, who He is, and what He has already done.
“The Scriptures should be read with the aim of finding Christ in them. Whoever turns aside from this object, even though he wears himself out all his life in learning, he will never reach the knowledge of the truth.”
You see my friends, when we find Christ in Scripture, we will know better how to be His followers. We will understand better who He is. We will also understand better who we are in Christ.
In Jesus, we find our true identities.
My Goal Today
My goal today is to help us see, understand, and live in our identity in Christ. It is my desire that when you leave here today you will have the tools with which to fight your strongest temptations.
The best way I have found to do that is to know who I am in Christ. I want to help you understand who you are in Christ.
Many of you have heard about Jesus being tempted in the wilderness. What you may or may not realize is in that passage Satan attacked His identity. In Luke 4 verse 3 and again in verse 9 Satan says “IF” you are the Son of God.
Satan was daring Jesus to prove His identity by turning stones into bread or jumping off the Temple so angels would catch Him. Jesus didn’t have to prove His identity. Jesus knew Who He was. He understood His identity because He knew what Scripture said about Him. Quoting Scripture withstood temptation.
I would like to attempt to help those of you in the sound of my voice to do the same thing. Understand your identity IN Christ according to the Truth of God’s Word. We all need to be able to withstand Satan’s attacks on our identity. It is my contention that when we know who we are in Christ it makes all the difference in the world.
Satan attacks us by lying to us about our identity too. We can use Jesus as our example and counter those same attacks with Scripture and let Satan know that we know who we are when we choose to be in Christ, and then he can’t trick us as easily.
If Satan can keep us off balance wondering who we are or what our purpose in life is, he can paralyze us and keep us from fulfilling our God given calling.
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, (complete) equipped for every good work.
We are to interact with Scripture in order to be equipped for the calling of God in our lives. And if you profess to know Jesus as your Savior, you have a calling for ministry.
Those who are in Christ have a responsibility to build up the body.
What we do with and for others depends on what we understand God does with and for us. What God does with us is what we do with others. God builds us up and we build others in the body.
So let me remind you of your identity in Christ. Turn to Ephesians chapter 1. I will be lifting out the phrase “in Christ” throughout these verses. Please take note. The prepositional phrase is significant.
1:1 “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will: to the saints and believers in Christ at Ephesus.”
Notice that the object of the people’s faith is Christ Jesus. They are believers “in Christ.” The people to whom Paul is writing have come to believe that Jesus is the Christ.
They have heard the message of the Gospel and believe Jesus is the Son of God, Whose death burial and resurrection is the payment for their sin. Paul is writing to these believers.
In v 2 Paul offers a blessing to the readers
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul then follows in V3 with a word of praise. He is praising God as he writes to the people in Asia Minor.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
The verse starts with praise then what follows are the reasons for that praise worthiness…
If you have a position in Christ, you have something that is absolutely praise-worthy!
First: You are Blessed in Christ.
This is one of the ways we make Scripture about us. We read we have received blessings and we figuratively or actually kick back and say I can relax. It says here that God pours out His blessings on me.
What does it mean to you to hear that the God of the universe has blessed you already with EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING?? Not just some, not a few, but EVERY blessing! (if you are in Christ).
Maybe you’re sitting there saying my life is not all that blessed. Being blessed is not my experience – at times maybe – but being blessed with EVERY spiritual blessing isn’t how my life is.
Who is your faith in? Do you have faith in faith, or do you trust in the finished work of Jesus?
“In Christ performs a characteristic role in the description of God’s acts and gifts of kindness toward his people. In some sense, it would seem, God’s acts towards believers are performed through Christ or are in some way conditioned or associated with Christ…such usages of in Christ primarily have to do with the role of Christ in mediating the work of God toward believers.”
Here is a thought for you. Maybe the reason you don’t experience blessedness is you have a belly button view of your life. You have become good at using people to make you feel good instead of living in Christ. You are not allowing Jesus to mediate God’s love, grace, forgiveness, and blessings in your life because you are too focused on yourself.
Second: We have been chosen in Christ.
Not only are those who are in Christ holy, they are also blameless. What Paul means here is if you are in Christ, you are seen as being without fault before God. That is for now… here on earth – not waiting for us in heaven. It is to be lived out here on earth. That is important!
Third: Those who are in Christ are adopted.
Fourth: In Christ we have redemption
The fourth point is found in verse 7.
7 In Him (there’s that phrase again) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
Your redemption is the will of God and it’s the work of Christ on the cross. You cannot earn it, you cannot pay for it, you cannot go out and get it – you receive what has already been done for you.
So far in this message we have seen that it is God who blesses, God who adopts, God who chooses, and God who redeems. All of this is done in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.
Fifth: You are sealed in Christ by the Holy Spirit
V 12b “to the praise of His glory.” (Because Jesus has redeemed)
V 14 “to the praise of his glory” (because the Holy Spirit has sealed us)
You can listen to Jack’s message here:
You can watch this message by clicking HERE.
FOOTNOTE:
[1] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Eph 1:5). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
Read more...
Seize the Moment – Day 487
Today’s hymn focus will be “He Touched Me”
Matthew 8:2-3 (NLT)
“Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.”
This wonderful hymn was written and composed by a local favorite from Alexandria, Indiana, Bill Gaither. A humble man of God, he once said, “I’m not much of a singer and not that great a composer, but I know how to get good people together.”
He had spent the evening playing the piano for Doug Oldham, who was singing at a revival service in Huntington, Indiana led by his father, Dr. Dale Oldham in 1963. On the trip back to Anderson, they spoke of the powerful presence of the Spirit during the service. Dr. Oldham told Bill, “…you should write a song that says, ‘He touched me, oh He touched me.’”
Bill worked through the night to complete the song and revised it after playing it for Gloria the next day. Doug Oldham recorded it in 1964.
He touched me, o He touched me. And o, the joy that floods my soul
Something happened and now I know, He touched me and made me whole.
We need to wake up and long for a fresh touch of the Master’s hand on our lives, and like the songs says, “I will never cease to praise Him!
YOUTUBE:
He Touched Me
‘Neath a load of guilt and shame
Then the hand of Jesus touched me
And now I am no longer the same
And oh, the joy that floods my soul
Something happened and now I know
He touched me and made me whole
Since He’s cleansed and made me whole
I will never cease to praise Him (to praise Him)
I’ll shout it while eternity rolls
He touched me
And oh, the joy that floods my soul
Something happened and now I know
He touched me and made me whole
Read more...
Seize the Moment – Day 486
The Disciples: John & James part 2
Acts 12:1-2 (NLT)
“About that time King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some believers in the church. He had the apostle James (John’s brother) killed with a sword.”
If you remember, Jesus told the disciples that it would not be easy to be known as one of His followers. In fact, Jesus told them in Matthew 10 that they would be hated because of His name (Mt. 10:22). They had been witnesses to how much the Roman leaders hated even John the Baptist when he was put to death. But they stayed faithful after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus and receiving the power of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, which was about 30 AD.
During the time of persecution, the disciples were scattered and traveled proclaiming the message of the gospel. Even in the face of possible death, they did not back down. In 44 AD, Herod Agrippa I had James arrested and beheaded, making him the first of the apostles to be martyred.
John, the beloved, lived a long life, writing the Gospel of John, I, II, & III John, and Revelations. But he did not live an easy life. At one time, they tried to boil him in oil, but he miraculously survived. So they sent him to live in exile on the Isle of Patmos. He was later released and returned to live out his days in Ephesus.
We need to wake up and realize that the early church fathers lived through so much so that we would hear the message of grace and deliverance by serving God with all that they had, even giving their very lives. We should be willing to do the same!
YOUTUBE:
Read more...
Seize the Moment – Day 485
The Disciples: John & James (Pt 1)
Matthew 4:21 (NLT)
“A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too.”
Here are some fun facts. John and Andrew were disciples of John the Baptist. The brothers John and James were in a fishing business with their father, Zebedee, and with the brothers Andrew and Simon (aka Peter).
Their mother, Salome, was a sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus. So, this would have made them first cousins. Trying to use her influence as his aunt, she asked Jesus to secure a place for both of her boys within His top leadership, which did not go well with the other disciples.
James and John also had the nickname of “Sons of Thunder”, given to them by Jesus. One time during their ministry with Jesus, they offered to “call down fire from heaven and destroy them” (Luke 9:54) when a Samaritan village denied them a place to stay. They also both had a strong passion and enthusiasm for sharing the message of Christ. So it’s easy to understand both explanations.
Peter, James and John became part of the inner circle, more closely involved with Jesus, as compared to the other disciples. This was not because of the family connection, but rather because of the potential Jesus saw in them.
It’s time to wake up and realize that Jesus sees the potential in all of us and wants to help us be all that we can be for the kingdom of God. He will never force us, but is asking us to come follow Him, and He will make it happen.
YOUTUBE:
Read more...
Seize the Moment – Day 484
The Disciples: Andrew & Peter (Pt 2)
Matthew 16:24 (NLT)
“Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
Wrapping up the stories of Andrew and Peter, these two brothers had not just made a quick decision to leave their fishing business and follow Jesus. They had both already spent time with Him, listening to His teachings and even witnessing some of his early miracles. They were excited to receive the call.
After Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension, and being filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, they began going into all the world with the message of the gospel.
Andrew took the message to the land of the man-eaters, which is modern day Soviet Union, preaching in Asia Minor, modern day Turkey and in Greece where he was martyred by crucifixion.
We know that according to Matthew 8:14, Peter was married. We also know that both he and his wife were arrested in Rome. According to Lockyer’s All the Women of the Bible, his wife was martyred first, and he comforted her with the words “Remember the Lord”. When they came for Peter, they led him to be crucified, but he requested to be crucified upside down, for he felt unworthy to die in the same way as Jesus.
We are fortunate here in America, as we have the freedom to live our lives as disciples and not worry about persecution. But we need to wake up and realize that we have brothers and sisters around the world that are still faced with the threat of death unless they deny Jesus. Would you be able to say, “I have decided to follow Jesus…no turning back?”
YOUTUBE:
Read more...
Seize the Moment – Day 483
The Disciples: Andrew & Peter (Pt 1)
John 1:40-41 (NLT)
“Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”).
The first two that were called were Andrew and Simon Peter. Andrew had been a disciple of John the Baptist, when he heard John declare “Look! There is the Lamb of God.”
Andrew is an example of being an evangelist, taking the good news of meeting Jesus, the Messiah and immediately sharing that news with his brother. When they came to Jesus, He saw the potential in Simon and said his new name would be Peter. These two brothers were fishermen by trade, but Jesus took what they knew and used that illustration to call them to follow Him and HE would make them fishers of people.
Peter probably represents who each one of us is as a Christian, both believer and doubter, faithful and unfaithful. But Peter became one of the twelve that was closest to Jesus, and Jesus invested in him, challenging him to love and care for “the sheep and lambs of the Good Shepherd,” even after he had denied knowing Jesus. But Jesus demonstrated love and forgiveness to Peter, so that he could do the same to others.
You and I are challenged to do that as well…to love people into the kingdom of God. We need to wake up and make sure that we are pointing people to Jesus in all that we do, so that God will be glorified through our lives.
YOUTUBE:
Read more...
Seize the Moment – Day 482
The Disciples: What is a Disciple?
Luke 6:12-13 (NLT)
“One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles.”
So what is the biblical definition of a disciple? The term was used to name all those who became followers of Christ and those to come. Applied to Jesus, a disciple is someone who learns from him to live like him — someone who, because of God’s awakening grace, conforms his or her words and ways to the words and ways of Jesus. A disciple of Jesus is a worshiper, a servant, and a witness.
Over the next two weeks, we are going to do a Cliff Notes study of the original called out twelve, better known as the apostles, giving you a little insight into their lives and some thoughts into why Jesus chose these men. And it is important to remember that this was in no way a random “eenie, meenie, minie, moe” selection. He chose them out of the group of His disciples that had been following Him since His ministry began. They were to learn from the Master/Rabbi/Teacher, and then share what they learned with others, which is what we are to do as well. Were these guys perfect? No way! Did they make mistakes along the way? You bet they did. But they put their trust and faith in Jesus and fully followed Him by giving Him their all.
Wake up tomorrow morning and ask Jesus first thing, “What have you got planned for me to do today?” And keep your spiritual ears open to the leading of the Holy Spirit as He guides your steps.
YOUTUBE:
Read more...
Live Like a Champion – Week 28
The Promise of Glory!
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
Do you know where the word “glory” came from? Listen to how the original audience would have heard it:
The Hebrew word for “glory” originally meant “weighty, heavy, or important.” From there it moved to the idea of an influential, rich, or prominent person. In ancient cultures the wealthy and the powerful were marked by the finery of their dress and jewels. Hence a person’s glory meant the ostentatious signs of wealth and power. Glory also suggested beauty, since fine clothes and jewels were items of beauty. The concept was then extended to God.
Jesus brought the weight of God’s immensity to the people! Hebrews 1:3a teaches us, “He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.”
Understanding the word “glory” helps us apply this promise in a very practical way to our everyday lives. I bet you never knew that that the promised hope of your future glorification would be so relevant to your lifetoday. The hope of glory is the ballast of your life so that you can sail true through the storms of life!Without the weight of glory, the rough waters and high winds will sink you in their despair and turmoil.
God’s promise of glory puts everything in perspective because God’s glory outweighs all else! That is exactly why in Philippians 1:19-21 Paul can say weighty, perspective-altering truths while he was in prison:
I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Paul had an earnest expectation of hope! God’s glory provided ballast to His mind, heart, and soul! His faith prioritized his emotional response to his circumstances, his mental health through the situation, and his priorities of decision making for his lifestyle. That is what the promise of glory gives us—it calms our hearts, orders our minds, and directs our paths.
You weigh your options based on their urgency and their importance. There is a competition for our attention and whatever weighs the most wins! This happens at a level we are not even aware of and we have lots of ways of explaining it: it is heavy, it grabbed me, it caught my attention, it’s got a hold of me, etc.
For example, if there are bills pressing you, making money weighs the most and decisions reflect that priority. If you are in pain or have a pressing medical diagnosis, seeing the doctor and medical treatmentsweigh the most and all else that was important are put in the back seat. If there is a broken relationship, a heavy heart weighs you down and shades your perceptions of everything else.
What weighs us down shapes our perceptions of life and determines our decision making!
Important things, left unattended will eventually become urgent, but if we can prioritize them by the weight of their actual importance before their urgency starts weighing us down emotionally, then potentially we can save ourselves a lot of pain, anxiety, and heart ache. Here is a quick list of everyday examples:
• You don’t take the time to get your oil changed (though it’s important) until the tow truck is taking you to the mechanic after your engine seizes up on I-70 (now it’s urgent). A $50 bill becomes $1000!
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
The promise of glory minimizes the emotional hijacking of the urgent, the mental kidnapping of anxiety-producing circumstances, and the physical straight jacket of your stress response to bad news. It allows you to put everything in right perspective to God’s overarching reality—your salvation is signed, sealed, and delivered. You are justified, sanctified, and glorified. Rest! Believe! Trust!
The promise of glory is how you can be a peaceful presence and a loving person in the midst of the raging storms around our world, nation, and community.
The promise of glory is not only the promise of being raised up to Heaven in perfect union with God, but it is the promise of being intimately yoked with the One who walks with you every day to that destination. I can only live that way and think that way because I know my destination is secure and that death is not the reality of my eternity. Therefore, fear, anxiety, and insecurity will not outweigh God’s promise of glory!
I have been raised up because I am in Christ and I have my eyes fixed on His glory—past, present, and future. May God’s glory be your motivation and help you discern your decisions each and every day. May your emotional well-being and mental health be stabilized by the weight of glory in these turbulent times.
You can listen to the message here:
You can watch this message by clicking HERE.
FOOTNOTE:
Read more...