Teaching that Establishes

Matthew 28:20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

Up until this time the disciples of Jesus had been doing all the things that Moses had commanded them. They had been under the Old Covenant. Jesus had even at one time instructed His disciples to do everything that the Pharisees and Scribes told them to do because they sat in Moses seat. While under the Covenant given through Moses they were subject to all that it demanded.

When Moses came down from the mountain he brought with him tablets that represented Israel’s part of the covenant. When Jesus came He brought grace. This is why it is written in John’s gospel as John bears witness to the Messiah Jesus Christ.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 ¶ John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’" 16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

The text reveals a contrast between Moses and Jesus. Both offer something in the way of a covenant, in the case of Moses it is the covenant of law which brings death. Jesus through His death and resurrection established a New Covenant to replace the Old one, a covenant of grace and truth.

The covenant under Moses was put in force by the shedding of blood, likewise the covenant Jesus made was put into force by the shedding of blood.

When Jesus says, “teach them all I have commanded you,” He is not referring to the Old Covenant given to Israel by Moses. He is referring to the things He himself as Son of Man has commanded in view of this New Covenant He is establishing. He is speaking in terms of the Kingdom of God having come through Him.

Bible History in Public Schools?

http://www.volunteertv.com/video/?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=4549150&flvUri=&partnerclipid=

This is a link to a very important video clip regarding a Bible History class in a Knoxville Tn public School.  The teacher is a dear friend and member of the church I pastor.  We are proud of his commitment to teach and do what God has gifted him to do.  Steve Prince has been working to get this curriculum into schools for a long time.  He is a devoted father, teacher and friend.  It is refreshing to see this is actually happening in apositive manner and that the Bible is actually being given a place.  Hope you enjoy!

Better Things!

Hebrews 8:1 ¶ Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven.  2 There Jesus ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands.  3 And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must make an offering, too.  4 If Jesus were here on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there already are priests who offer the gifts required by the law.  5 They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.”  6 ¶ But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.  7 If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it.  8 But when God found fault with the people, he said:  “The day is coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.  9 This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. They did not remain faithful to my covenant, so I turned my back on them, says the LORD.  10 But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the LORD: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.  11 And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the LORD.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already.  12 And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”  13 When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.

I marvel at the godness of God revealed in Jesus Christ and the New Covenant He has made possible throught the laying down of His own life.
 
This New Covenant we have been made partakers of in Christ is an everlasting Covenant that God has made with Himself through His Son.  This makes it sure, steadfast and immovable.  In this rejoice and do not think you need the Old things in order to go forward or to know God.  For the Old is obsolete and has faded into the night, but the New has come and it is in it's light we see things clearly.

Knowing God Part Five

If you and I wish to grow we must do so based on faith in Christ. We must embrace Jesus and take Him at His word to us allowing it to become action in us so that when the Holy Spirit has manifested the work of God as a result of our faith we see nothing but ourselves needy and Christ glorified before us.

Other methods may appear to have an appeal but only the appeal made through Christ is valid.

2Corinthians 3:15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

When is the veil taken away? When is our obscured vision opened to see clearly? When we turn to the Lord as Peter did!  When we look to Jesus the Author and the Finisher of our faith.

2 Corinthians 4:5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

Knowing God begins at the point of faith in which we not only say we believe Jesus, but we act on what we say we believe about Him. As we do we discover the manifestation of God in it and Jesus stands before us glorified in our revelation of Him.

It is then that we see ourselves in truth and we find ourselves able to let go of the things we were trusting in and become able to follow Him into the unknown.

Are you truly following Jesus?

We should not be trying to introduce people to an academic increase of knowledge today thinking that it will produce a greater knowledge of God. We should be introducing them to a person, Christ Jesus.

Christ alone can introduce you to the Father and He alone can save you.  Have you been doing what Jesus told you to even if it was a small thing?

Faith is the key that opens the door of revelation. I encourage you to put faith into practice today and do what the Lord said to do.

Do not fear seeing yourself as undone before Him and seeing Him as Lord. He has and will continue to love you and you will find that despite your knowledge of your sinfulness there is One who stands before you as Lord willing to accept you based on His own work done for you.

It is He who enables you to come follow Him!

Knowing God Part Four

If a person can at least extend the respect of doing Christ' bidding on the basis of knowing Him as a trustworthy teacher they could experience the activity of faith enough to see the manifestation of God in the matter and thus reach the point of realizing the truth concerning Christ.


You can possess a lot of knowledge about God and yet not know Him if you are constantly trying to avoid the matter of having Jesus be more than just a teacher to you.  When a man is truly born of God Jesus is Lord! No man can truly know God as he ought without knowing Jesus as Lord.

John 5:36 "But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish––the very works that I do––bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. 37 "And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. 38 "But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. 39 "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 "But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. 41 "I do not receive honor from men. 42 "But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. 43 "I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.

In this situation Jesus was speaking to religious leaders in Israel.  These were men entrusted to lead the people in the truth.  Yet Jesus is speaking in this manner to them because these men for all they know of the Scriptures do not really know God as they claim.  It is all about knowing Jesus and anything that takes away from that or tries to distract from that is an antichrist even if it is pointing to the Scriptures.

In other places of Scripture Jesus said these guys He was speaking to were of the devil and yet they were the religious leaders claiming to promote God to the people.

Only faith can lead us into action which reveals to us the true nature of ourselves and the truth concerning who Jesus is and why He is worthy of being followed as Lord.  People declare they want to grow in their relationship to God and then set out to do so without Jesus leading their way.  They wish to do it without Jesus! Huge mistake my friend, it cannot be done. You can read the Bible end to end and still be just as ignorant of God as you were before you started.

Now the Holy Ghost can take what you’ve read and shine light upon it to reveal Christ to your heart and lead you into faith in Him. But the ministry of the Holy Ghost is to show us all things pertaining to Christ. In fact the Scripture clearly teaches that the Holy Spirit will take what belongs to Christ and show it to us.

Do not make the mistake of thinking that just because you read you know. Revelation comes through faith in Christ as a person and the words He spoke.  Should we read? Absolutely, all the time as much as possible!

But knowing God is only made possible through knowing Jesus Christ!  Jesus said to one His disciples named Phillip.  "If you have seen me you have seen the Father."

I would suggest that anyone wishing to know God more should start with the gospels where eye witness accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus are recorded.  Become familiar with His words and His explanations of Old Testament prophecies.  Learn what His testimony about God was because no matter what anyone else says if it doesn't match what Jesus said it is wrong already because Jesus was God walking among men.

A Lesson From Church History

In his work on Christian History Bruce Shelley makes the following comment with regard to the differences between Christians and pagans in ancient Roman society.

    (The main cause of the hatred of early Christians in Roman society lies in their distinctive life style. "We have the reputation," said Tertullian in his Apology, "of living aloof from crowds." The word used to describe the Christian in the New Testament is highly significant. It is the term hagios, often translated saints. It means holy ones but its roots suggests different. So a holy thing is different from other things. The temple is holy because it is different from other buildings; the Sabbath day is holy because it is different from other days. The Christian, therefore, is a person who is fundamentally different.

    Men always view with suspicion people who are different.  Conformity, not distinctiveness, is the way to a trouble-free life. So the more early Christians took their faith seriously the more they were in danger of crowd reaction.  Thus simply by living according to the teachings of Jesus, the Christian was a constant unspoken condemnation of the pagan way of life. It was not that the Christian went about criticizing and condemning and disapproving, nor was he consciously self-righteous and superior. It was simply that the Christian ethic in itself was a criticism of pagan life.

    Fundamental to the Christian life-style and the cause of endless hostility was the Christian's rejection of the pagan gods. The Greeks and Romans had deities for every aspect of living--- for sowing and reaping, for rain and wind, for volcanoes and rivers, for birth and death. But to the Christians these gods were nothing, and their denial of them marked the followers of Jesus as "enemies of the human race."  Bruce L. Shelley Church History in Plain Language)

Romans 12:1-3 reads this way in the Message
1 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life-your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life-and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. 2 Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. 3 I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you.  The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.

It reads as follows in the JB Phillips
1 WITH eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him. 2 Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-make you so that your whole attitude of mind is changed. Thus you will prove in practice that the will of God is good, acceptable to him and perfect. 3 As your spiritual teacher I, by the grace God gave me, give this advice to each one of you. Don't cherish exaggerated ideas of yourself or your importance, but try to have a sane estimate of your capabilities by the light of the faith that God has given to you all.

In essence grace is not the freedom to fit into the worlds mold so we can avoid the inconvenience of being misunderstood or persecuted for being different. It is the power of God at work in us enabling us to embrace the difference that Christ brings into our lives and which sets us apart from the world and its values. It is this very life of Christ at work in us through grace which makes us stand out in the crowd. While others run to
excess and rioting and drunkenness and reveling we are inclined to avoid such practices not because we are holier than thou people who think we are better, but because eternal life through Jesus Christ has invaded our very souls and is washing us and renewing us day by day as we follow after Him.

If being around those who have decided to follow Christ seriously with their lives causes you to feel uncomfortable, the problem does not lie with the devoted followers of Jesus. It is likely that you are resisting the conviction of the Holy Spirit and your attempt is leading you to accuse the saints of attitudes and actions they do not own. Is it possible that your interpretation is being formed by the war that is waging within your own soul?

The Chameleon Syndrome

Paul said he became all things to all men that he might win some.

Making friends is one of the easiest things to do in life. In fact it is so easy most people find they can make friends pretty simply. But at what cost and what caliber of friend is being made? I can walk out my door and make a new friend today just by liking what another person likes. I can go to a political rally and as long as I agree with the values stated I can be friends with everyone there. But at what cost is this friendship coming?


I have always been amused at how quickly Christians want to quote Paul when he said, “I become all things to all men that I might win some.” It is a wonderful quote and a great declaration for someone to make. But if you are not actively trying to win through the influence of the gospel then you are lying when you quote that passage.

A Chameleon is a little animal that clings to trees and can change color according to whatever he is near. I am seeing this at work in many Christians today. They are hardly identifiable in a crowd, not that being able to mix with sinners effectively would be bad, it is what evangelism needs. But this blending in I am talking about has nothing to do with winning others to Christ, it has everything to do with simply wanting to fit in.

The Bible encourages us not to allow ourselves to be pressed into being like the world. The truth is if we dress, talk and act certain ways so that a group or person will accept us but we are not taking any stand for truth and not proclaiming gospel reality then the only alternative is being pressed into the world’s image as opposed to Christ. God’s glory needs to matter to believers. His glory is conveyed when the gospel is lived out and shared freely with others.

Looking cool, acting cool, talking cool, without sharing the love of Christ through making the gospel known and having the ability to know when it’s time to say no because the others are going too far is nothing short of being conformed to the world. It is easy out of insecurity and a strong desire to do things and say things to fit in but if you have to sell out all that Christ is in order to have the friends you now have are they true friends anyway?

If you are running with bad companions without the motive and practice of trying to win them over with the gospel then get honest and call it what it is. You are being bad to fit in with the bad, and you are being good when around the good to fit in with the good. You do not know who you are and you are uncomfortable with your surroundings.

The reason a Chameleon changes color to suit his background is it is the only way he can feel safe. If he stands out he can be attacked. Too many Christians are too afraid of what others may think if they speak up or actually say no. It is time to love Christ and the Gospel so effectively that we cannot help but say along with Paul the same one who said he becomes all things to all men, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and again, Woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel.”

In your efforts to fit in, are you selling out?

Knowing God Part Three

When men had toiled all night nothing came of it, but when men at the direction of God simply let down their nets grace was in such abundance it was nearly sinking the boats with the fruit of faith and grace!  But that’s not all! See most are happy to stop at full boats.

The really significant thing is still yet to happen. Look at verse 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"

Two things are revealed here for us. Only after faith produced action and action produced fruit did it even begin to dawn on Peter just who Jesus was and what kind of man Peter himself was.

We think we know ourselves. We think we know the Lord. But the knowledge someone possesses may be purely academic at best unless they have gained it as a result of walking in faith and therefore it has become personal.

Peter spoke two profound things in this moment. He spoke of his sudden knowledge of his own sinfulness and he spoke of his sudden revelation that Jesus was more than a master teacher, He is Lord!  There is a definite increase in acknowledgement on Peter’s part as to who Jesus is to him.

For Peter at the first to call Jesus Master was to see him as a superintendent or overseer. That is what the word actually means.

But the word interpreted as Lord here is seeing Jesus as owner and possessor!   How do we know this is an accurate understanding of the revelation Peter received?

VS11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

The situation has moved from an inconvenient act of faith based on respecting a teacher who would in that culture have a right to ask this of them and expect to receive it. Thus being thought of as an overseer or superintendent would be appropriate.  But it changed on that boat after they obeyed in faith. Jesus was revealed to Peter as much more than He had been at the start.

The result of this revelation led to them following the, "Lord," Jesus, revealed by their willingness to leave their livelihood to follow Him and be His disciples.

They left those anointed nets and those anointed boats that were full of fish.  The thing they had toiled all night for because ti was their livelihood they had received by obedienced to Jesus.  But when they reached shore the object of their toiling meant nothing compared to the Lord Jesus Christ. They forsook all to follow Him!

The reason people struggle with forsaking all is that they have not received the revelation that comes only through faith. They are still struggling with getting who Jesus is and what importance He should have in their lives be settled by faith.

Faith will always be more than just a statement we make.  It is an action we take because of something we believe.  When we act on faith Jesus is revealed to us and we are made able to see the truth about ourselves.  It is in these types of encounters with Christ that we are changed from glory to glory.

Knowing God Part Two

What are you doing in faith just because Jesus said do it?

Not because the next great Christian author suggested it to you in his book of how to. But because out your relationship with Jesus you heard Him speak and now you are on the adventure of doing what He showed you.

It is an adventure no matter how big or small the step He told you to take because it is about to bring forth fruit and revelation in your life.

This is why it is just as important to walk by faith in the little seemingly insignificant things as it is the grand things.

What happened when obedience to let down the nets took place?   They caught a great number of fish and their net was breaking!

By the way these men did not go through a course on how to strengthen their nets before this catch. They were surprised by the outcome and it was a new thing to have to handle. They had to think on their feet so to speak. No time to get over analytical about how to handle it. They just handled it by sharing it.

What happened when the blessing of God came upon them so greatly that it threatened to break their nets?

They automatically involved others! They passed it on to others.

What did Peter do here? He signaled to the others to come and help!

Jesus knows the when, the where, the how, and the what to do. He just needs men, women and children who will simply do what He tells them to. Men and women grounded in the call of His gospel.

Because Peter overcame the urge of his flesh to take rest as an entitlement and he followed the Lord’s will in the situation boats that once were empty are now about to sink and the only explanation is that it is the work of God and not man.
When men had toiled all night nothing came of it, but when men at the direction of God simply let down their nets grace was in such abundance it was nearly sinking the boats with the fruit of faith and grace!

Sometimes we fall into the trap of doing our own thing but still wanting God to give us quality abundant fruit.  We want the quality fruit grace fueled obedience to His will produces without doing His will.

We see what He says simply enough in His word but we find ways to avoid acting on it in faith.  We sometimes even say that is meant for others but it does not apply to me. 

The manifestation that is taking place in these fishermen's lives is not because they came up with idea to go back out into the deep and let down their nets.  It came because despite all logic in the moment, despite the fact that what Jesus said to do runs against what they are feeling in their flesh, they did it!

What are you doing in faith because of the word of Christ?

Knowing God Part One

Recently my Father in Law Harry spoke to us at Harvest about faith. He demonstrated from Scripture how there are five steps a person takes towards realizing faith and walking in it.  It was a fantastic, challenging, yet encouraging message. Audio of it is available on our website.

Harry used Luke 5 as his text in that message and he spoke with regard to Peter launching out to the deep to let down his nets for a catch. Peter did so on faith based on the word of Jesus.  I want to pick up on the conclusion of that story and apply to our lives in the area of Knowing God.

Luke 5:6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men." 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.
Harry spoke of how there will always be evident those five steps taken towards and in faith and he described how that played out for Peter here. I want you to see how faith produced activity and activity procused a result that led to a greater revelation of two very important things.

But, first let’s see the outcome of Peter’s obedience and it’s effect on others.

You cannot gloss over the statement in the text we read that said, “and when they had done this.” If they had not acted nothing would have happened. The set up was not that fish would jump into the boat while they sat lifeless and bored in the safety of the ship.  They needed to act ont he word they received.

Faith is not abstract. Logic said they had already tried this with no result, ("Lord, we toiled all night, but nevertheless at Your word").   Faith said the Master knows what he is talking about so lets do what he says.

It was when they did something!

What are you doing in faith just because Jesus said do it?

Stay tuned into this blog for more on this topic of Knowing God.  The adventure is just beginning!