The Greatest King

Jesus Christ is the greatest king of history. By comparing Jesus to other kings His superiority quickly becomes apparent. Notice these comparisons between Saul the first king and Jesus the final King.

See 1 Samuel 31

1. Both Jesus and Saul had enemies, however Saul fled from his enemies, while Jesus faced His (verse 1).
2. Both Jesus and Saul welcomed death, however Saul wanted to save himself from suffering, while Jesus wanted to save us from suffering (verse 4).
3. Both Jesus and Saul died, however Saul's death brought defeat to his followers, while Jesus's death brings victory to His followers (verse 7).
4. Both Jesus and Saul were buried, however Saul remains in the grave, while Jesus was resurrected from the grave (verse 13).

How to Evaluate New Ideas

When is a new idea good? And when is a new idea bad?

A new idea is good when it is God’s idea, see 2 Sam 5:23-25 (Have you sought the Lord through prayer? Has God led in this new direction?)

A new idea is bad when it violates God’s values, see 2 Sam 6:1-7 (He touched the ark. The ark had poles for carrying it.)

Loving Like Jesus

Jesus gave us a new commandment (John 13:34) . He said we are to love others like He loved us.

1. We are to love sacrificially.
2. We are to love unconditionally.
3. We are to love permanently.

Nate Adams

"We must turn the church inside out, so we can turn the world upside down."

Jim Cymbala

"Your church will never be a house of prayer until you become a man of prayer."

Overheard

"The church is like an army. It lives by conquest. When conquest ceases, mutiny begins."

Remember Who You Are

"The people need someone to remind them who they are." I first heard this line in an old western movie. The hero of the film, an aged indian chief, worked to keep the indigenous people tied to their ancient culture. And it proved a difficult task as waves of settlers moved into their countryside. 

"The people need someone to remind them who they are," is applicable not only to Native Americans but also to Christians. Like the Native Americans who were losing touch with their culture, Christians need to stay rooted to their true spiritual identity as outlined in scripture. 

Consider the following truths all Christians must remember:

1. I am no longer a slave, I am a son
2. I once was far away, but now I am brought near to God
3. Old things have passed away, behold all things have become new
4. I was enslaved, but now I am free
5. I was defeated, but now I am an overcomer
6. I was in darkness, but now I am in the Light
7. I was a lawbreaker, but now I am justified
8. I am not going to hell, I am going to heaven
9. I was an alien, but now I am adopted
10. I was poor, but now I am rich, a co-heir with Christ
11. I was guilty, but now I am declared righteous in Christ
12. I was dead, now I am born again

Live up to your true identity. Remember who you are in Christ.

Discipleship to Young Men

When I wrote my book "Discipleship Matters" God led me to aim it at young men. And indeed it has worked well with that demographic. Since publication I have led numerous young men through the book and it has been a rewarding experience.  Dr. Robby Gallaty says it is probable that the Twelve Apostles were teenagers. His seven reasons are as follows:

1. Jesus used Greek words that suggest the disciples were young. See Matthew 10:42 "little ones" (mikros) and John 13:33 "little children" (teknion).
2. According to the Mishna, Jewish boys were schooled on a particular schedule. During their teen years of education it would have been more likely for them to go follow a Rabbi. 
3. Marital status. The only disciple we know who was married was Peter. Jesus healed his mother-in-law. The others were probably not married because they were under the age of eighteen.
4. The Temple Tax is mentioned in Matthew 17:24. Exodus 30 says every Jewish man twenty years of age and older had to pay the Temple Tax. The only disciple who had to pay the tax was Peter.
5. Traveling. It would have been highly unlikedly for married men to leave their families and follow Jesus. It would have been easier for teenagers.
6. Longevity. Based on the dating of the book of Revelation, we know John lived until the late first century, therefore he must have been young when Jesus called him.
7. Immaturity. The disciples being young and immature were unable to understand theological concepts, unaware that a devil was among them, willing to call down fire from heaven on their enemies, argued about greatness, and put their mother up to ask the Master for preferred seating.

Mark Clifton has written "Reclaiming Glory: Revitalizing Dying Churches." Mark is widely seen as an expert in the field of church revitalization. In his book he mentions six imperatives for congregational renewal, one of which is focus on reaching young men. He properly notes that a dying church never says, "We have too many young men around here. We need to attract some older adults." But obviously all of us in church work have seen the opposite.

How fascinating. Jesus reached young men and Clifton says young men are the key to church revitalization. I know where I want to keep spending my time and energy. How about you?

Distractions to Worship

Mary consistently worshiped Jesus. She is seen at the feet of Jesus near the beginning and the end of His earthly ministry. What a remarkable woman to learn from. She worshiped Jesus despite the distractions that tried to pull her away from the Lord. Today we battle the same distractions.

THERE IS THE DISTRACTION OF THINGS

Luke 10 describes meal preparation led by Mary's sister, Martha. Can you hear the clanking of the pots and pans? Can you smell the bread coming out of the oven and the roasted meat on the fire? Martha is nearly hysterical as she pleads with Jesus, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me alone to serve?" The Lord gently chides her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosed the good portion, which will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:40-42). 

THERE IS THE DISTRACTION OF PEOPLE

John 12 describes another meal. This was a banquet celebrating the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead. Martha knows better than to bother Mary who is again at the feet of Jesus this time pouring out costly perfume upon His feet. The devil-inspired disciple Judas now is the one who challenges Mary's worship, "Why was this ointment not sold and the money given to the poor?" Here again Jesus defends Mary's worship, "Leave her alone . . . the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have Me (John 12:5-8).

Worship is not easy. Both private and corporate worship must overcome these twin distractions. There are always good things to do and there are always needy people to help. May God give us grace to ignore every distraction and worship the Lord.

What to Do When Someone Hurts You

How do we respond when we suffer unjustly? We should learn from Jesus. He was a Man of Sorrows. No one has suffered more than Him. His close friend Peter denied Him.

Based on the example of Jesus we should take these seven actions.

1. When someone hurts us we should include them (Mark 16:7)
2. When someone hurts us we should speak well of them. Jesus still referred to him by his positive nickname, Peter the rock (Mark 16:7, Matt. 16:17-18).
3. When someone hurts us we should pursue them. We cannot wait for them to come to us, we must go to them (Luke 24:34, Matt. 5:23-24, 18:15).
4. When someone hurts us we should honor them (Luke 24:34, 1 Cor. 15:5).
5. When someone hurts us we should serve them (In John 21 Jesus helped Peter with fishing and served him breakfast).
6. When someone hurts us we should restore them (John 21).
7. When someone hurts us we should forgive them. To fail to forgive is to minimize the blood of Jesus and maximize the work of Satan. The devil is an accuser (Rev. 12:10). When we refuse to forgive others we participate in Satan's darkness and open ourselves up to his evil (Eph. 4:26-27, Matt. 18:34).