Sunday, October 24, 2010

Christ Fellowship of Tampa

It must have been the best of times and it must have been the worst of times.


Acts 2:42  All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and to prayer.

It must have been awesome to be a part of the first church being born, to be with the guys that knew Jesus and had been intimate friends with him and to actually see some of these events for yourself, imagine the excitement and the energy.

But at the same time there was some dangerous and difficult opposition to being a part of this new church being born. The established old school church leaders had a lot of power to cause you harm and you certainly didn't want the Roman government coming after you.

So it is with the rebirth of a church, the new energy and excitement is so wonderful to be a part of. It is awesome to see signs of life and to see the vital signs improving everyday, there is hope for a healthy church that can get off life support and be a strong growing witness for Christ in the city of Tampa.

At the same time we have to be careful and be on guard for the wolves that are among us, those people that seem to want Christ Fellowship to thrive but instead they are secretly setting traps to catch the sheep and stall the momentum toward a healthy church. 

I must do my part to watch out for the wolves, listening for their disturbing comments and helping to stifle the trouble that they seek to stir up.

Thank you Lord for the work that you are doing through Christ Fellowship, I thank you that you have given us a great opportunity to become a healthy church that can bring hope to the city of Tampa.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Keep My Commandments

If you don't then the world won't know that Jesus matters.


John 14:15  "If you love Me, obey My commandments.

1 John 2:5  But those who obey God's word truly show how completely they love Him. That is how we know we are living in Him.

I have been studying the fifty commands that Jesus gave us while he was on earth and now today I come to the command that tells me to obey all of the other forty-nine commands.

So what's the big deal? Why is it so important that I bother with studying what Jesus told me to do and then why should I have to attempt to put these rules into practice?

Jesus told us that the only reason that he expects us to live by his teaching is because we love him. There is no other way to show proof of our love for him than to keep his commandments. Professing that I love him isn't any proof, anybody can throw words around but where is the proof?

It is pretty obvious that I love him if I am denying myself, taking up my cross, loving everybody without complaining about how they treated me. If I am laying up treasure in heaven, seeking opportunities to serve, protecting my marriage and making disciples then the world will know that we truly love Jesus our Savior. Isn't that what really matters?

I will strive and pray daily that I will be faithful to the teachings of Jesus, it isn't about following a list of rules, it's about showing the world through my obedience that God's truths matters.

Help me to obey your commands everyday Lord, give me the wisdom and the strength to put your teaching into practice and give me grace for when I fall short.

You might like to read: Commands of Jesus blog series.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Be Born Again

There is no plan "B" to the kingdom.


 John 3:3,16  Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God."

"For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life."

Jesus made it crystal clear that there is only one way to get to heaven and that is through the means that he made available, but so many are not listening, they ignore the simple message as they look for a different plan..

We must realize that every man regardless of rank, position or the amount of power that he has, must be born again, there is not any fine print with some exceptions listed. We are all in the same sad situation before we meet our savior, without any way of repairing the relationship that has been damaged by sin.

Men love to deviate from God's instructions and choose to deal with Him on our own terms, kidding ourselves into believing that we are somehow in control of the situation but God has set the terms for our relationship with him, terms that will not be changed or amended for any person.

I must pray that I never get used to the fact that people are going to hell everyday. I need to make the most of every opportunity to share my faith with a world full of people that are desperate for a Savior.

Thank you Jesus for giving me such a simple way to inherit eternal life. Help me to be bold in spreading the good news.

You might like to read: Commands of Jesus blog series.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Take, Eat And Drink

Remember the sacrifice


 Luke 22:13-20  They went off to the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there.

14  When the time came, Jesus and the apostles sat down together at the table.  15  Jesus said, "I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before My suffering begins.  16  For I tell you now that I won't eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God."

17  Then He took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. Then He said, "Take this and share it among yourselves.  18  For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come."

19  He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then He broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, "This is My body, which is given for you. Do this to remember Me."

20  After supper He took another cup of wine and said, "This cup is the new covenant between God and His people, an agreement confirmed with My blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.

God is about to put the seal on a new covenant with his people, the final sacrifice for sins was about to be made once and for all, the rest of Jerusalem is killing animals as they make preparations for just another passover. The rest of Jerusalem didn't have any idea that they didn't need to prepare their lambs for sacrifice, THE Lamb was already prepared.

Jesus told his followers to commemorate this event by participating in the Lord's Supper, keep it fresh in your memory so that you can consider what was done for you because if we do not   then it will appear that we don't really appreciate the sacrifice.

May I always keep the sacrifice that Jesus made for me constantly in my thoughts, help me Lord to always show the greatest amount of gratitude.

You might like to read: Commands of Jesus blog series.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Await My Return

Like a thief in the night.


Matthew 24:42-44  "So you, too, must keep watch! For you don't know what day your Lord is coming. 

43  Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. 

44  You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

Jesus spoke a lot about the need to be ready, to keep your guard up, he told us to be found faithfully serving in the work that he has called us to do.

We were all created for good works (Ephesians 2:10) and we are expected to be working on those good works until the day that Jesus takes us home and relieves us of our labor. What an awesome day that will be when we will finally be free from the old sin nature, free from the pain and sorrow of his world.

Luke 12:37  The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat!

What an amazing thought, that we will be seated by our Savior and that he will serve us, the one that was bruised for us will forgive the multitude of wrong things that we have said and done and he will serve us himself. Not the angels or some other heavenly being or saint from years long ago but Jesus is going to serve me!

Thank you Lord for your incredible love that looks beyond my ability to be faithful and and obedient. Thank you for the sacrifice that you made for me! May I always be doing the ministry that you have called me to do until the day that you take me home.

You might like to read: Commands of Jesus blog series.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Love Your Neighbor

Too bad it's not mister Rogers.


 Matthew 22:39  A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

Romans 13:8-10  Owe nothing to anyone--except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God's law.

9  For the commandments say, "You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet."

These--and other such commandments--are summed up in this one commandment: "Love your neighbor as yourself."  10  Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God's law.

That is a pretty amazing command, think about what Jesus is saying, he taught us that everybody around us that has a need is somebody that we need to be neighbors with and then he tells us that loving those neighbors is almost as important a command as loving God.

That's enormous, we can all agree that loving God is really important but for me to care about my neighbor almost as much as God that is absurd from a human point of view. God, do you really remember how I was treated, did you see what happened the last time I went out on a limb to help somebody? Chances are that your neighbor isn't Fred Rogers.

To live by Jesus rule requires for me to speak and act out of great love for my neighbor, Adam Clarke's Bible Commentary says:
By this rule we are taught to bear with, love, and forgive him; to rejoice in his felicity, mourn in his adversity, desire and delight in his prosperity, and promote it to the utmost of our power: instruct his ignorance, help him in his weakness, and risk even our life for his sake, and for the public good. In a word, we must do every thing in our power, through all the possible varieties of circumstances, for our neighbors, which we would wish them to do for us, were our situations reversed.
This is so opposite of our human reasoning that I will have to work on applying it until the Lord takes me home.

Lord, it seems almost impossible to live out this rule, it is too easy to give my neighbor what he deserves rather than showing him grace and mercy. Help me to show grace and mercy just as abundantly as you showed it to me.

You might like to read: Commands of Jesus blog series.

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Love The Lord

The single most important command that we have is so flippantly ignored.


Matthew 22:36-38  "Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?" 

37  Jesus replied, "'You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.'  38  This is the first and greatest commandment.

Exodus 20:3  "You must not have any other god but Me.

There are a lot of commands that talk about what you do on the outside but the number one command in the Bible talks about what is in the inside. 

Loving the Lord "with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind" is  a command that only God can tell if you are truly doing it or not, we can look like it on the outside but it is what is in the heart that God is judging.

In the ten commandments God tells us:
  • No idol or image should be made to replace him
  • He is a jealous God
  • Obedience brings love, disobedience brings judgment
  • Don't misuse his name
  • Keep the sabbath

God is asking me to make him number one and to give him the respect that he is due, the world is full of people that do not care at all about him or what he wants from us, as his child I have to be careful that I do not mistreat him and disrespect him.

You might like to read: Commands of Jesus blog series.

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Pay Your Taxes

Honesty in giving


 Matthew 22:17-22  Now tell us what You think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"

18  But Jesus knew their evil motives. "You hypocrites!" He said. "Why are you trying to trap Me?  19   Here, show Me the coin used for the tax."

When they handed Him a Roman coin,  20  He asked, "Whose picture and title are stamped on it?"  21  "Caesar's," they replied.

"Well, then," He said, "give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God."  22  His reply amazed them, and they went away.

Everybody hates paying taxes, we all probably think, "those guys don't have a clue how to spend our money wisely so why should I give them more of it."

These religious leaders were posing as legitimate Christ followers that wanted to know what Jesus teaching is on supporting the civil government, but there has never been a disguise that could outwit Jesus, he knew what there purpose was in asking the question.

Out of this quick discussion comes two rules that a Christ follower is to live by:

Give to Caesar what he is entitled to have, Jesus didn't come to earth to fight against the civil government, doesn't the Bible teach us that those that are in authority have been put there by God.

Romans 13:1-2  Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.  2  So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. 

Give to God what he is entitled to have, isn't it strange that most people are afraid to cheat on their federal income taxes but they don't worry at all about cheating God out of the tithe.

Malachi 3:8-10  "Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated Me! "But you ask, 'What do You mean? When did we ever cheat You?' "You have cheated Me of the tithes and offerings due to Me.  9  You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating Me.  10  Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in My Temple. If you do," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put Me to the test!

Thank you Lord for opening the windows of heaven and blessing me, you are faithful to those that trust you in every area of life, I pray that I will always be obedient to give back to you in my tithes and my talents.

You might like to read: Commands of Jesus blog series.

Sunday, October 03, 2010

Bring in the Poor

Works of charity are better than works of showing off.


 Luke 14:12-14  Then He turned to His host. "When you put on a luncheon or a banquet," He said, "don't invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward.  13  Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.  14  Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you."

Proverbs 14:31  Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but helping the poor honors Him.

What an awkward situation we have here. Jesus is at a rich leader of the Pharisees home for dinner and he lets the guy know that he shouldn't invite all of his rich friends to the banquet but rather he should have invited "the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind."

There is no doubt that Jesus was the only poor man there, this religious group still didn't get it when Jesus told them:

Matthew 9:13  Then He added, "Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: 'I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.' For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners."

If we spend too much of our time planning activities with our friends and with those that have the power to help us get ahead, then we will not be focused on the desire of Jesus for us and we will have no interest in helping others.

Help me Lord to always be focused on what is important to you, help me to be a friend to those that are in need, showing the same compassion that you have for them.

You might like to read: Commands of Jesus blog series.

Friday, October 01, 2010

Be a Servant

What do you mean, the leaders have to be the servants?


Matthew 20:25-28  But Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them.  26  But among you it will be different.

Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant,  27  and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.

28  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many."

Everybody can relate to the words of Jesus in verse twenty-five, but there is verse twenty-six and beyond that really throws us off.

Just about anybody that is in a position of authority has a tendency to take advantage of some perks that come along with the job. Most officials whether they are government or even church leaders are tempted to be treated better or to get something that they wouldn't normally get.

Jesus makes it so clear, this is an issue that the Bible doesn't leave open for interpretation, he tells them that the worlds leaders do "this" but for anybody that wants to follow my leadership you are going to be a servant.

1 Timothy 1:12  I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him,

I am so thankful Lord that you consider me trustworthy and you have trusted me to serve you, help me to always be the humble servant leader that you want me to be, I am so thankful that you want me to work for you.

You might like to read: Commands of Jesus blog series.