Missing in Action

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II Timothy 2:16-21, John 15:9, Matthew 28:19-20, Romans 10:15 

Here in New Orleans today thousands of people are attending Christian worship services.   Yet,  I can't turn on the local 10 pm news because it's too depressing.  It seems like every single night the report starts with the story of someone being killed.   

What is it about being Christ-followers that we are not getting?  We seem to be missing in action.  It's as if all of this Sunday morning activity has nothing to do with our lives on a day-to-day basis.  Our culture is becoming more Godless and we Christians are not standing up and making an impact.  We are not to participate in evil, we are to face it down.

Do we even know the 10?  I am talking about the 10 Commandments.  Can you write them down right now without flipping over to Exodus?  Probably not.  How can we stand up to wrong without even knowing deeply what is wrong.  We are sucked in by the culture, we bend to it, compromise to it and then we look and act just like the ones who have never met Christ.

The good news is that Jesus came and left to those of us who accept him a power we must have to stand through the corruption.  The bad news is that Jesus raised the bar.  While the 10 Commandments are a perfect way to begin to be God's person in this world, Jesus made our call impossible without this power to save, guide and sustain us.   

In II Timothy 2 we read:  ¹⁵ Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. ¹⁶ Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. ¹⁷ Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, ¹⁸ who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. ¹⁹ Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”
 ²⁰ In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. ²¹ Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.
   
Paul is pointing out that there are some teachers who have departed from the teachings of Christ who getting some attention.  Well, we can all agree that this is happening here and now.  Before you listen to a preacher, look hard to understand their true motivation. Don't be swept up into thinking you can send a few dollars to some TV preacher and God will just take care of your life.

We don't need coach potato Christians as we are called to put ourselves into action in the world.  John 15:9 says:  ⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other.

Jesus is saying that people will only know we are following him when we, "love others as I have loved you."  That is the impossible assignment which is the reason I am sure most of us just pretend to follow Jesus.  What?  I have to be willing to die for a stranger?  I have to put other people ahead of my own self-interests?  I have to get to the back of the line to make room for others?  Yes.  That is the call.  And, there is more!

Matthew 28:19-20 reads: ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." 

First we are to do the loving thing day in and day out and to every person we encounter.  Second we are to "preach" the gospel to every person.  Preaching is just talking. For us as individuals living out our lives it is more like being in conversation and being willing to tell others why following Jesus works.

In the II Timothy passage we see that each of us is unique and God wants to make you and me holy and useful.  Romans 10:15 says, "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel." Let's let God have his way with us and let's put into action what we know is right and true and beautiful.

1 15 2012 by Robby4747 on Mixcloud

Courage, It's Me

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Matthew 14:13-33 

Jesus handpicked his disciples.  You would think that time with Jesus would have completely transformed them but as long as Jesus was with them physically, they had trouble truly believing him.   

Prior to the two miracles we read about here in this passage, the disciples had already witnessed Jesus turn water into wine, heal the son of a royal official in Capernaum, heal the man possessed with demons, heal Peter's mother-in-law, fill nets with fish, heal a leper, heal a centurion's servant, heal a paralyzed man, heal a withered hand, raise a widow's son from the dead, calm the stormy sea, heal another man possessed with demons, heal a woman with internal bleeding, raise Jairus' daughter from the dead, heal blind men, and, there were probably many more miracles that were never record.  

In Matthew 14 we read that Jesus had just been told that John the Baptist had been beheaded by Herod and he wanted to pull away from the crowds to be by himself.   But, the people followed him and even though he was tired, he healed the sick who were brought to him.  This one-on-one treatment took hours and by the time Jesus had taken care of everyone the people were hungry.  

The disciples told Jesus they had only five loaves of bread and two fish so the people needed to go back to their villages to get supper for themselves.  Jesus disagreed.  He asked for the bread and fish then told the people to sit down while he lifted his head to heaven and asked God to bless what they had.  

There it was!  The disciples watched Jesus perform yet another miracle.  Five thousand people ate until they were full and all of those meals flowed from just five loaves of bread and two fish.   This is the first of two points I want to make today.  When you give all of your talent and abilities to Jesus, he will multiply it beyond your imagination.  You might think your life is not important or that you won't make a difference.  This story promises you that your life can have significant impact if you give it to God.  

Finally Jesus is able to get away from everyone.  He told the crowd to go to their homes and the disciples to get in the boat on the Sea of Galilee and go to the other side while he walked up the mountain to pray.  Matthew 14:23 says he stayed there alone, late into the night.  Next a wind came up on the sea and battered the boat with massive waves.  It was about 4 am and Jesus walked on the water to the boat.  

The disciples saw him and thought they were seeing a ghost but Jesus said to them, "Courage, it's me.  Don't be afraid."  Peter said if it's you Jesus, let me come to you on the water.  Next Jesus said, "Come ahead."  Peter jumped out of the boat and started to walk on the water to Jesus but when he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the waves under his feet, he started to sink and he cried, "Master, save me!"  Jesus grabbed Peter and the two of them climbed into the boat.  

Here's a second lesson: When you are in trouble, ask Jesus and he will rescue you. Matthew 14:32 says that the disciples watched this and said, "This is it!  You are God's son for sure."  What?  Think about this.  How quickly the disciples forgot that just a few hours before this event, Jesus had healed hundreds and fed thousands.  I am thinking this is the, "What have you done for me lately?" question.  

Over and over God demonstrates to us that he is in us and for us and with us.  We doubt and live our lives without trust then Satan moves in.  We are at war here.  It is a spiritual battle for each of us to keep God at the center which keeps Satan at bay.  We're at war because our faith is so small.  We're like little spoiled children forgetting that if we have accepted Christ as our personal savior and we are in this one-on-one relationship with him then we're safe. 

We let day-to-day circumstances, doubt, fear and anxiety bring us down.  This happens because we forgot that we turned over to Jesus our five loaves and two fishes.   Now, if you keep trusting him, keep calling to him, keep focused on him, no matter what storm comes your way, Jesus will be there to pull you into the boat.