When I began to write this post, I looked for a dozen passages in the Scriptures that Christians in the West largely ignored in practice, despite mentally assenting to the truths contained therein. But what scared me as I delved into this was that far too many passages of the Scriptures are simply ignored.
So I started focusing. Eventually, I narrowed down a dozen sayings of Jesus from the book of Matthew alone. A sad state of affairs, indeed, that I can cull a dozen passages from just one book that are largely ignored by enlightened Evangelicals. But there you have it. Perhaps if we were more serious about the Scriptures, we’d spend more time putting these words into practice and less time obsessing over the petty little kingdoms we build in our own names.
1. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you….”
—Matthew 5:43-44
We love to hate our enemies, don’t we? In like manner, we don’t seem to much believe in the power of prayer to either change our enemies or change our own antipathy toward them. It’s a double-edged sword that continues to cut the Western Church to shreds. Do we love people in Al-Qaeda? Do we love Iran’s leadership or North Korea’s? Do we pray for those enemies?
I didn’t think so…
2. “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. ”
—Matthew 6:24-34
I think it would be telling if God raised up a prophet within His Church who was able by word of knowledge to point out those in the Church who loved money more than God. The awful truth may be that God doesn’t need such a prophet; I suspect that most of us in the West would fail that test, no supernatural revelation needed.
When we look at how we spend our time, most of it is devoted not to doing the Lord’s work but accumulating the trappings of an opulent society that has forgotten God and believes too much in its own ability to provide. We devote outlandish amounts of time to making money and next-to-nothing for the eternal Kingdom of God. I believe that any one of us can run the numbers on our own lives. This is no sacred/secular division test, but one of the heart. We will devote our time to what we love. And most of us are devoted to what will burn and not to the Lord who made us and who calls us to be a holy people separated unto Him.
3. “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. ”
—Matthew 7:1-5
Love first. Again, love first. It’s funny how loving first seems to temper any judging that may follow.
I find it difficult to criticize anyone. My own failings are ever before me. If I have energy left at the end of the day, it is best spent cleaning up my own house rather than telling my neighbor how to clean up his.
The world has largely closed its ears to the message of the Gospel because Christians can’t seem to get their own house in order before telling everyone else how to clean up theirs. That’s pride. And God hates pride more than just about any other sin.
4. Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
—Matthew 16:24-25
Unless a seed falls into the ground and dies, it cannot bear fruit. We have too many living people in the Church and not enough who are dead to the world. Dead people have nothing to lose in battle. They fight with abandon. They fight despite overwhelming odds. They fight with weapons that are not theirs simply because they own nothing of their own anymore. Therefore, God equips them with His weapons and His gifts. And those dead people change the world.
The cross is death to the self. And until we’re dead, we’re useless to the Kingdom.
5. When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. ”
—Matthew 17:24-26
I’ve never heard a sermon on this passage. This to me is a crime.
Christian, do you understand this passage? The world does not own you. Nor do you owe it. You are free.
Yet how many Christians out there are in bondage to the world? Many are weighed down by the cares of accumulation and keeping up appearances. Others cannot move beyond the past. Some are in bondage to the future. Many are trapped in the hell of legalism and performance.
These are people to be pitied.
Christian, you are free! It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks of you or asks of you. You are a son or daughter who only answers to the Father.
Now start acting like free men and women.
6. And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
—Matthew 18:2-4
No adults make it into the Kingdom of Heaven, only children. Only children have the faith necessary to believe in a world bigger than the one they see with their eyes. This is how heaven is, the place where God dwells. And only the children can see it.
We place too much emphasis on “mature faith,” yet my experience has been that those who self-label as mature are often the most faithless people. They claim to know God, yet they sell Him short whenever anything miraculous is needed. Their favorite word is but.
Where I come from, that kind of “faith” is no faith at all.
7. And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
—Matthew 21:21-22
I once wrote a post claiming that the more in-depth parallel passage in Mark is the least-believed passage in the Bible.
Christians in the West believe in what their eyes tell them. They believe in science. They believe in the rational. But they do not believe that mountains can be cast into the sea by faith. And this is why so many lost people have given up on the Church. When even the believers no longer believe, what then is the point?
8. But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
—Matthew 22:34-40
I hear too many complaints from people concerning memorizing Scripture. Anyone can memorize Scripture if he loves the words of God found in the Bible.
I firmly believe that if all Christians everywhere were to memorize this one passage and live it, the world would be transformed in one generation.
Instead, we seem to love ourselves, love the stuff we accumulate for ourselves, give God a passing mention, and think about our neighbors only when they are threatening our selves or our stuff.
And we wonder why no one in the West cares to hear what the Christian Church has to say. When even the rankest pagan knows this passage and is astounded that most Christians don’t get it, why should we then be surprised that they have no time to hear anything else from us about the Lord we claim to serve?
9. “But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
—Matthew 23:8-12
We love our hierarchies, don’t we? We all want to be the bigshot. We love titles, and degree designations, and certifications, and anything that smacks of privilege—but Jesus said it is all bunk. The real bigshots are the least likely people, the ones who serve.
What would happen in the average church if the measure by which people gained status was by humble service? The irony is that the genuine servants would serve despite the status, even if they got punished for the service rather than accruing spiritual brownie points. They realize the Lord they ultimately serve is a gentle, humble servant Himself. And one who grades on an entirely different scale than the Western Church or the world does.
Do we believe we are all equal before the Lord? Or do we ascribe to an Orwellian Animal Farm philosophy where some are more equal than others?
10. “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
—Matthew 24:42-44
People are known for what they serve. And they are known for that service by their preparation for it. A firefighter trains for the fire. A pilot trains for the flight.
What is our service and how do we prepare for it?
It’s very simple: We do not live as if the Lord may return tomorrow. We don’t, and we have no excuse. The Lord holds out His hands pleading for the Church to be the Church, but we instead want to be the World. So little work for the Kingdom goes forth because we park ourselves in front of our favorite form of entertainment, shop for more crap that will burn on Judgment Day, or complain about how bored we are.
Meanwhile, the thief has robbed our house and left us with nothing that will survive God’s holy fire come the Last Day.
11. “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
—Matthew 25:31-46
Both the sheep and the goats called Jesus Lord. The only difference between the sheep and the goats, according to what Jesus says here, is was what they did and did not do.
God help the goats. Too many of them are sitting in the pews. Worse, too many of them are leading our churches.
If we believed this passage, the orphanages would be empty.
12. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
—Matthew 28:18-20
I haven’t had a stranger attempt to share the Gospel one-on-one with me in decades. Rank chance would tell us that with several million Evangelicals in this country, the odds of not having heard the Gospel one-on-one from a stranger goes to zero.
The only explanation that it is not zero, in fact far from it, is that virtually no one is interested in making disciples. The population of born-again Christians is stable or declining in the United States. The reason is a failure to take this closing passage in Matthew seriously.
Someone else will do the work, we subconsciously think. Isn’t that what we pay pastors for?
It doesn’t matter whether your gift is evangelism and teaching or not. Each Christian is commanded to make and raise up disciples.
Twelve sayings of Jesus with the power to change the world. That it is not being changed on our side of the planet can only be explained by our inability to believe what Jesus said.
And if we cannot believe what Jesus said, how then can we truly call ourselves His disciples?
Dan,
You’ve gone and done it again. I’m humbled and cut to the quick.
Praise God for using you to deliver a sharp message. This is only 12 verses, but I’m with you: if we only started to fully obey these 12, what a difference we would make.
In Christ,
Joe.
Thanks, Joe.
Im really just trying to cheat / lol or learn all I can so that I can kick it with God and Jesus! I’m going to start feeded and clothing the needy and visiting those who are sick and in prison asap! Screaming from my heart I hear you Kocking Lord let me in.
Great selection and I completely agree. I was particularly interested in #9. I’m currently teaching a class on Spiritual Gifts and was fortunate to have a missionary to Uganda visiting the class yesterday. This man and his wife have started approx. 50 churches and other Christian works in the last 10 years. As a lesson to the class on equipping ministry gifts I asked him, “are you addressed as an Apostle?” He replied, “Oh no, nobody calls me an Apostle”. It was obvious that he would never consider giving himself that designation.
Whatever your view on the continuation of these gifts into the present time, there is no shortage of individuals proclaiming themselves and their cohorts as Apostles, Prophets, etc.in complete disregard on Christ’s words.
Chris,
I have always claimed that genuine apostles and prophets don’t spend all their time self-identifying as such. They just are.
I have also always felt conflicted about the issue of continuing apostleship, but I have come to the conclusion that by the definition the Bible uses, God may in fact still have apostles working today on the fringes of the penetration of the Gospel. Where the Church is well-established, probably not, but where it is new, there you may indeed find real apostles. Not Scripture writing apostles, but ones doing the same work as the apostles of long ago.
There is a problem always with YOU the christians ,when is Jesus the subject.YOU think that The great man Jesus is only your treasure.Wrong and antichrist aproach.
I am a Jew and Jesus was ,is and will be a Jew .He and his teaching are for every body regardless of his choise of religious practice .He will be a great teacher for me and in his name and God (the only Father) I spread his wisdom and teach lots of people to live their life as real disciples of Jesus.All this new disciples are Jews so be kind and stop with the copy paste segregation.In God eyes we are equal but unfortunately in mans eyes we are different,and this is a real hypocrit aproach of an antichrist philosophy .When ,if ,the Jews are making the segregation also is an anty God act of universal love with no difference .The religion has a distorted aproach like a political party or football team.Who is not in my party is my enemy.Lets look at religion as a connector to God regardless the type of practice .The customs have nothing to do with God .If any one is considering himself a Jew ,a Christian,a Muslim or a Buddhist has nothing to do with God or Jesus.Jesus teachings is for every one and no one should reject him ,because who is rejecting him is rejecting God.Remember that all the customs in any religion are not invented nor by God neither by Jesus.Man ,and only the man is culpable for this horrible distortion of God laws that many teachers all over the world are teaching.Unfortunately Moses and Jesus are in minority as a number but their teachings are overwhelming the multitude of people.
Arin Raz,
Thanks for writing, but I must confess that I am not tracking what you’re trying to say. I don’t see where I’m making Jesus into a gentiles-only or Jews-only savior. Jesus is for the Jew first and also the Greek, and I fully acknowledge that. He does not turn away those who come to Him and acknowledge that He is Lord, no matter what their ethnicity, race, or past might be. So, I’m not seeing what I said against which you are commenting.
I kinda agree you lost me too friend.
I didn’t see anything wrong but everyone has their opionion I guess.
The guy who wrote this article did a great job. I see nowhere where he mentioned Jews! However, you seem to have injected your own ideas into it. People like to make everything about the Jews, but the fact is they only make up one Tribe of Israel. It would be like calling all Americans “Californians” Jesus said he was here for the lost sheep, the lost tribes of Israel (not the current political nation of Israel we see today) There are many who claim to be Jews who are not Jews. Many churches teach that the Jews are God’s chosen people. God chose Abraham and descendants can not name their ancestors. Abraham’s seed became many. You never hear anyone call Abraham a “Benjamite” because Abraham was a Hebrew! So many myths are out there such as “the Jewish Bible is the Old Testament” Judaism does not go by the Old Testament or the Prophets. They have the Talmud, Oral Law etc.. The Old Testament Law & the Prophets are secondary. Jesus tried to warn everyone. Nearly every conflict with the Pharisee was over Oral laws. Ritual hand washings and rabbinical traditions. Please don’t make Jesus out to be lawless!
Agree
Tremendous post, and very convicting. We claim to follow Jesus but pay so little attention to what he actually said.
Barry,
If Christians just did the words of Jesus, I think everything would change.
Came here from Boar’s Head Tavern.
Item 6: Was just thinking on this verse today.
When my children were little, 4 to 10, I had the joy many times of my boys crawling up into my lap in the recliner, putting their arms around my neck and head against my face and saying something along the lines of “Daddy, when I grow up I want to be just like you.”
If Abba is our Abba, as his little children it is only natural to desire to be just like him.
tim
Tim,
We have lost our natural affection and wonder as children. Instead, we are turning into naysayers who love religiosity.
great thoughts, Jesus must be my center and focus. thanks for reminding me this morning.
God bless
wayne
Thanks for writing, Wayne!
#5 interested me, as, like you, I have never heard it expounded upon. The temple tax, as I understand it, would be roughly equivalent to todays 10% tithe. Ironic, yes? In a way it was the redemption fee that allowed a family to “buy back” the first born of the family from God. After the age of 20 all first born men would be expected to pay the temple tax on an annual basis.
Jesus was reminding Peter that he had given himself over to God, and was no longer his own. Belonging to God, he was therefore a son of God, and not a stranger or ‘foreigner’.
Remember also that Matthew was written by a tax-gatherer, and I’d image that this little scene was of particular interest to him.
It also foreshadows much of Peter’s later life, including his denial and the issues he had with the pious Jews when he was an Apostle: Seeking the favor of men. Peter didn’t wish to appear apart from the mainstream, and so sought to appear politically correct in the eyes of earthly authorities.
I don’t consider it a warning to those who are bound to the world as much as to those who are bound to church tradition and spiritual “correctness.” The only one we are bound to is to Christ, and that to do the bidding of God. But at the same time, Jesus continues his lesson for Peter, saying, “But, lest we cause them to stumble…” He then tells Peter to hook a fish, take the coin from it’s mouth to pay the tax for the both of them.
Jesus shows his concern for what those ignorant of grace see, and provides for it in His own way. In the same way, I think God provides for us a way to deal with the expectations of those who are unable to grasp the fullness of His grace. A way that points to Him, and not to our own efforts.
David,
Good exposition. You framed it within its context better than I did, as I tried to go for a wider application, so my hat’s off to you for putting in its “more correct” context. The response, though, is still the same: The sons are free. They are neither bound by religiosity nor by world systems. Oh, that we all lived free in Christ! What a difference that would make. Instead, we tend to place heavy burdens on people in the name of our particular religious bent.
Great post! How can we call Him ‘Lord’ if we are not doing what He clearly says to do? One of my favorite passages of Scripture has always been Isaiah 58. Change will begin when people see what we’re for more than what we’re against.
My two cents.
And those are just a sampling from Matthew’s gospel …
It is unfortunate that we deny the words of Jesus. On #12 the Great Commandment, it is unfortunate that many parents are not making disciples out of their children. To do this requires obeying #1, 2 and 4 as well.
Familes are paying the price for this. Two million children are leaving the church every year, and a recent Barna statistic reveals that only 1/2 of one percent of young adults age 18-23 have a biblical worldview!
The good news is that parents can follow Jesus and enjoy sweet fruit of their efforts! The key is to begin as soon as possible, but it is never too late.
Faith is not restricted to religion.
Belief is not carried only by a book.
Forgiveness is not moulded by war.
Religion can only serve as confusion to what the lord asks of us.
Give up attachment to the church in faith and fruition to the true teachings of Jesus Christ and what was meant to what has been misunderstood. NO ONE is exempt all will be judged.
Great post. I’ve used a similar list in teaching. This one from Luke 6 always comes to mind:
27″But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32″If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. 35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
I love that you included Matthew 28:18-20 as well.
Thanks, Bryan. I talk more about the concepts of Luke 6 in the post “Killed All the Day Long.”
It is true! We as Christians could do so much more and let others know the greatness of Christ and our faith. We could change the way others think and move towards a much better World. God bless you. We also have to be supportive of all Christians whichever their denomination of Christianity they are. We are brothers and sisters in Christ and thats what matters!
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. ”
—Matthew 7:1-5
This one is about being a hypocrite, not about criticizing people. If it was about criticism, it wouldn’t have included the parts about being judged by your own measure and seeing clearly in order to take the speck out of the other person’s eye. It means that you will be upheld to the standards you put on other people. If I criticize murderers, what do I have to worry about by being judged by that measure? Many people pretend that it means that if I judge adulterers, I will be judged just as harshly for j-walking. This is wrong! Jesus could have said ‘do not judge; it is wicked’ full stop-to make it cut and dried, but didn’t.
So that you may see clearly in order to take the speck out suggests that taking the speck out isn’t inherently wrong; that is to say criticism isn’t inherently wrong, just that that way of going about it(doing it while your hands are dirty) is wrong. There are so many instances where it is said to avoid the wicked and if/when you do- that is a judgment, even if no pronouncement is made. “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and tear you.” Looks like we cannot follow this. To make the determination of who the profane(dogs and swine) are would be to judge!
When we see someone and criticize him or judge him, we say he should not be that way, I would not be that way. we look at a murderer and say, “I would never kill.” I tell you, you likely already have. Jesus said if you look at a woman in lust its the same as adultery. In the same manner if you say something to some one out of hate or anger you are a murderer. So if we are honest with ourselves we are all rapists, murderers and thief’s. If we expect to be forgiven how can we assume that they can not. I dare say spiritual murder is worse than physical. Killing the dreams of a child because we are afraid that they may be heading down the wrong path is following fear over love. Fear not, though the world has been over come, now what shall we do with it?
Something spectacular I hope.
Hmm. Excellent point.
You’re totally right… but as a Christian I think we shouldn’t find it hard to complete these things because we are over with human weaknesses.
Cedric,
Humans are not over human weaknesses, but the Spirit of God is! If we truly live by the Spirit, we will overcome. But if we don’t, then human weaknesses will get the better of us.
thank GOD very much,
it is so much helpful post.at the end of the age ,the place is for these who listened the words not for these heard and ignored.may we listen the calls of THE FATHER.
I remember these from when I was in school. Perhaps you can answer this: How does a person learn to love God? I understand loving one’s neighbor, and I pray, only once i felt like I loved God.
This happened in Church.
Thank you.
Hi Sharon, I didn’t see any answer to your question and so I hope you don’t mind if I step in. I’ll do so by explaining how I came to love God. I had no belief in God neither did I intend to develop any BUT doing life on my own strength only got me so far. Eventually I arrived at a situation that required more strength than I had. I will spare you the details but the result was much fear. The thing I was afraid of was more powerful than me and so I could see no hope. I was desperate and turned to a friend who told me I needed God. With nothing left to lose I gave it a try. I ‘prayed’ (Talked to) to Him. When I turned to God in my time of need he proved his existence to me. I asked him speak to me through the bible. He did. He also answered my questions through dreams, via other people and signs. Astonishing things happen when we allow ourselves to believe. Initially I was freaked out and thought I might be losing my mind, but as I got used to it I became comforted. So you can see, (for His Glory), when I knocked he did answer. When I cried out he did tell me ‘Here I am’ (in his still, small voice that we hear with our hearts). The point I hope you are picking up is that He is true to his word. When we read the gospel truth and believe it, then do all things based on Faith, we start to live the promise. Not only life, but life abundant. So, back to you. When you experience Him, and you get to know him for real, he will be very easy to love. If you haven’t done so already I want to encourage to you to turn to Him an ask Him personally to show you the way. The bible, forums, videos etc. all can help to point you in the right direction but ultimately this is all about a 1-1 relationship with your heavenly father. God is good. Sometimes it feels weird or silly to have a Father you can’t see but when you do accept him in Faith and follow him, you will see what he does in your life (like you can see the wind by looking at the leaves of a tree). Every breath is a gift from him. Talk to him, ask him questions, be open so you can receive his responses. You will know it is Him because he will speak to your heart. Listen to him, not the world, believe Jesus not the world and you will be filled with Love, Joy and Peace. God truly is the living God and because of what Jesus did, you can be at one with the Father (at-one-ment). Pray, ask for, and believe you have already received. The Holy Spirit of God will take up residence in you. You will be the church, the temple. If you surrender your will for his, he can live through your body (You’ll be the body of Christ). Awesome! That’s the gospel. And that’s how I found the Love of Christ, Love of God, love of Our Heavenly Father. Scriptural references available upon request :). When you KNOW how much he loves you. You wont need to “learn” how to love him too. God Bless you on your journey Sharron Benin.
PS Thanks Dan, you make a very good point (excellent selection). If only Christians would actually follow Christ, we’d see heaven on earth today. I trust he will instruct me how to remove the beam from my own eye, and that though I may stumble and fall, he will light my path so I can follow him until the end. Amen.
Wow…. I perceive it all a bit different. Love the lord ur god with everything and the 2nd is th..e same as love ur neighbor as yourself so my perception tells me since the 2nd is so short that its saying that we all r the lord god and we should love ourselves with all that we have and to love everyone and everything the same cause in this time reality we r all one consciousness and the bible is a history book and a biography and they didn’t speak like we do today. Therefore no one will ever get a perfect translation. There is no devil. The only demons r within ourselves. We r living in.a vibrational universe and we r vibrational beings. Prayer is not a bunch of meaningless words. Its our creative thoughts and desires. God doesn’t hear us. When we come into a perfect vibration he speaks to us ans that is our inner voice that directs us on the right path. The bible is an old book. Every religion has a book and they all fight over who has the right one. Have faith in ourselves and enjoy ur lives. We came here to create and the universe is getting bigger and bigger. The children all know this until we all make them.block.it out with religious beliefs. We r physical.extent ions of our creator. Its all proven. What we think creates our reality and we must have good and evil to keep our balance. I wish someone would write a newer book. Religion is killing so many people.
– I share this perception as well- as did many of the earliest saints whom were eventually exiled or killed by the Church State, in favor of a doctrine of the worship of a historical singularity/personality, This perception we share is of THE SAME MIND that was in operation through Christ Jesus, which made known to him the nature of his True Self as being EQUAL WITH GOD (In that God is ALL and IN ALL.) Such a perception knows that this reality robs God of nothing, because there is nothing but God. As was the Master himself, those of the SAME MIND were labeled heretics only because their scripture wrangling brethren Knew not what they were doing. And this, because they had yet to behold- as in a mirror, their own face in the face of the Christ Revealed Within. And so they must continue to worship him outwardly, as something apart from their own selves, till that blessed moment, and twinkling of an eye, the veil of perception is rent, and ones Consciousness is caught up and enveloped within Christ Consciousness, and the prodigal “COMES TO HIMSELF”, as Divine Real-ization dawns. The outwardly focused mind is TURNED INWARDLY TO HIS FATHER’S HOUSE, and these words floods his/her being…” I AND THE SOURCE OF MY BEING (The Father) HAS ALWAYS BEEN ONE, AND ALL THE FATHER HAS HAS ALWAYS BEEN MINE.”
Thank you so much for this. I prayed for God to give me inspiration in my preparation for church tomorrow, I was desiring for us to sit and meditate on Jesus’ words. And God sent me here to this article and it is perfect for what was on my heart.
So, once again, thank you.
Gill
Gill,
Blessings on your effort. Glad I could help provide the seed material!
Tonight as I read The 12 sayings of Christ That will Change the World and the gentle kind interpretations I feel renewed once again in my love of Christ and His words. I am an 80 year old retired nurse. I can say that I have lived by the words of Jesus verbatim most of my life. As a nurse for 60 years it was easy for me to follow the words of Christ every day. Sometimes I am blamed for following the words, “Take no thought for your life” etc. too seriously. I have overworked my body to the extent that I suffer from acute osteoarthritis, I have neglected my diet to where I became a Diabetic at age 75. I have generously given all my money to those in need. Now I continue to believe that I have been a faithful servant to the best of my ability. I would willingly become a homeless bag lady like many of the homeless I have served if necessary. However Jesus /God has provided me with children, grandchildren and all the necesseties of life.
I am now observing who are the sheep and who are the goats in my time of need . I pray for the goats. Thank you for re affirming that my life as a follower of Jesus was not naïve but filled the faith of a little child.
You’re welcome. Thank you, Angela, for sharing your story. The Lord does not forget His own, those who put His Kingdom first and leave all other kingdoms behind. Blessings.
These are the first words of Jesus Christ I have read in my adult life. I am 36 years old almost 37. Due to recent events -via a very long story. I have turned to Christ I have accepted and asked for his help. In that I have learned that his name, while believing in him, holds a great power over the awful things that we do not see, but Christians do believe. The day I said, “In the name of Jesus Christ all unclean spirits will be gone.” changed the course of my life as well as my soul. His words and your words I believe are sending me down a path that will do great things for me and the people I touch. Lately I have been looking for a way out of social economics through self sustainability for many reasons then I stumbled across this page. I wish to not only sustain myself but give to others in need as well. I do have everything to learn about Jesus but I feel this was the best starting point for me. I see the path but the fallen angels are making it very difficult to walk down it and are trying to put me into a position where no one will come with me.
Tim,
I’m excited to hear about your decision to follow Jesus. I pray that you can find a solid fellowship of believers in your local area, people who can walk with you and help bear your burdens as you grow in Christ.
It has been said that the enemies of the Christian are three: the World, the Flesh, and the Devil. Knowing which is warring against us at any time comes with experience and maturity. Sometimes, they work in concert, too. We can err when we ascribe too much or too little to one or the others. C.S. Lewis has said that there are two errors with regard to devils: pretending they aren’t there and finding them under every rock. In the Church in America, I’ve seen both mistaken extremes. Again, maturity can teach us which is which and in what amounts.
Blessings on sustainable living. I think it’s possible, but in the United States it’s definitely a help to have a lot of money to start with, as building a base from which to be sustainable is more expensive than it looks. We investigated building a windmill and found our cheapest option would cost almost $30,000 once we got the system running. Did not expect that kind of expenditure, to say the least. That our area was the lowest in Ohio for average daily windspeed ended up being the final nail in that coffin. And don’t get me started on “low cost” Sterling engines, solar electrical, or geothermal heating either. 🙁
Thank you so much for this. It always makes me happy when people keep it simple and go back to what Christ said, and really take a close look at it. Then the hard part of carrying it out.
I have tried church in the past but I always felt empty when I left. Like I went there so hungry for His word and walked away starving. So I gave up on it. I actually tried a few different churches but for the most part they all seemed a like in the sense they had an earthly goal. I can get all kinds of advice on earthly stuff else where. I wanted to hear His word. I wanted to hear why He said it, what it meant and how we can carry it out. So many churches are helping people pray for money and telling them it’s fine to do so, because after all who wants a poor congregation … The roof might fall in.
So for one hour a week we can’t seek just the spirit alone? Just that small amount of time?
Now I have been seeing Many Christians making their religion more and more political.
I just can’t handle it. Politians killed Christ. They didnt like Him speaking out.
So, anyhow thank you for speaking out! Well put …
Great column and comments to the Lords word. I would like to ask you if you believe Jesus wants us to have joy also in this life as well as with our Lord in Paradise? I understand we must be very careful not to love money and of course we will take none of our possessions when we leave this life. “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me”. I also know were should not want. Is it wrong to enjoy anything in this life? Of course the ultimate joy we receive from the Spirit of God.
Dennis,
I would have despaired unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the LORD
In the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the LORD.
—Psalms 27:13-14 NASB
If David says he would have despaired without evidence of God’s goodness this side of Paradise, how could we think ourselves better than David?
Also…
Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do.
—Ecclesiastes 9:7 ESV
I hope that helps.
Could you please link the blog post where you further hash out Matthew 21:21 and the corresponding passage in Mark 11:22-25? Thank you!
Mount the downloaded apk file too.
as a pagan who talks with jesus a lot, the words i hear from him most often are oy vey, what have i done! i keep assuring him all will work out and there are those who will make it right. but still i hear… oy vey!
i heard today evagelicals are abandoning the words of jesus officially. this is only putting into law what christianity has been doing since inception.
there are only a few words that have come down from jesus. most comes from the minds of much lesser men of power. do unto others as you would have them you. love one another. love thy enemy. be not concerned with money or livelihood, but with the simple needs of your sisters and brothers. turn the other cheek. cast stones only if you are pure. my hope is that in the dismanteling of the christian abomination these few ideas will not be lost.
christians did a great service for neo pagans and destroyed the bad but kept the good. all the trappings like christmas, easter… even the idea of soul, are well preserved pagan thought. i hope neo pagans can do a little of the same for christians as their religion self destructs, and when the dust settles, give them back what truly matters.
Your words are more insightful than most may be able to appreciate, which just goes to show that the term “pagan” is entirely a matter of perception.
Reminds me of how the Apostle Paul was caught up into paradise, and heard “unspeakable words”, (Heretical) -which were not lawful for a man to utter.
Ah, so who’s a pagan now? Lol.
Ergo: When Spirit speaks it is often deemed nonsensical or even heretical (Pagan-ish) to the natural mind. Thanks so much for those insights.
Great !