Sheep Food

  It’s a bit of a paradox, really... when you think about it: This gospel that Jesus came to proclaim- it’s not for everyone; and yet...it is for everyone. Allow me to explain... When I say ‘it’s not for everyone’, that’s the attitude and response that many have when they hear it- “Thanks, but no thanks; I’m good.” And let me be clear here: I’m not referring to those ‘other gospels’ you hear often that people tend to share... while their hearts and affections seem more drawn to political systems and figures, or maybe worldly riches and such. I’m talking about the ‘gospel of the kingdom’ that Jesus came preaching. And the gospel that Jesus came preaching was heralded in with a single command to ‘repent’...and then believe...(Matt. 4:17; Mark 1:15; Luke 13:1-5; Acts 17:30) It's one of those messages that just didn’t go over well for many people, especially for those who thought they were up to speed on all this ‘God Talk’. In fact they (religious folks) got so tired of hearing it t...

  There is only one gospel. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ - which He came to proclaim to the world. (Mark 1:1). We read where Jesus came ‘preaching the gospel of the kingdom’ in Matt. 4:23 and 9:35. Jesus Himself specified “THIS gospel ...of the kingdom will be preached in all the world” (Matt. 24:14). But make no mistake about it: it is the ‘gospel of Christ’ (2 Cor. 2:12). It can also be said that not only was this gospel intended to be ‘believed’ in (Mark 1:15), but it was also written down and delivered to us to be ‘obeyed’ (Rom. 10:16; 2 Thess.1:8; 1 Pet. 4:17). I know; lots of people have a problem with that ‘obey’ part and it takes some time and effort to work through a lot of diluted teachings (Heb. 5:9; Acts 6:7; Luke 6:46; Matt. 7:21). But we were warned that there would be plenty of counterfeit ‘gospels’ that would arise over time, to which Paul instructed that anyone who did bring such corrupt or perverted versions... were to be ‘accursed’ (Gal. 1:6-9) Paul expressed...

  If you were to ask the average church member today...(anyone who might claim or profess to be a ‘Christian’) to share or explain the ‘gospel’ with you, I would imagine it would include the following verbiage... John 3:16 might be a starting point, followed up by the ‘4 spiritual laws’ and then a quick tour of the ‘Romans Road to Salvation’. A short summary would include how we are all sinners, in need of a Savior and God loved His fallen creation so much that He offered up His only Son to die on a cross as a form of ‘payment’ for our sins. Then after Jesus was buried ...three days later God raised Him up from the dead. He then sent His disciples out to proclaim this news that whoever ‘believed in Him’, and ‘accepted Christ as their personal Savior’, they too could go to heaven and live for eternity after they died. In the meantime, join a local church and hang out with likeminded people because God has a wonderful plan for your life and wants to use you to do great things for ...

  When God starts asking the questions, it’s not because He is looking for answers. He doesn’t need answers because He IS...the answer. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6) There is nothing that God does not know, as He is omniscient, or ‘all knowing’ (1 John 3:20) So when God does start asking questions, they are usually directed at us, and it’s not because He needs our advice or input either. God’s questions tend to be rhetorical in nature. The very definition of a ‘rhetorical question’ is a ‘question asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer’. Over the past several years, I have begun to notice more of those questions that God asked, and continues to ask of us today. Let’s examine some of those, and why not begin with the very first two questions we have recorded that God directed at His creation back in the opening pages of Genesis. Interestingly, He asked these two questions AFTER...Adam and Eve 'sinned'...and...

  Resist him. Give him no place. Having done all to stand against him...stand therefore. We are not ignorant of his schemes and devices. He desires to ‘sift you as wheat’ in order to test you, and devour you, ‘as a lion would’. And it’s not as if you have yet resisted to the point of shedding blood. (like Jesus did) And let’s be clear here: There are serious consequences if you don’t...do as instructed here. Things could get bad quickly...if not worse for you.  The struggle is real; But so is God. It should also be pointed out here that by no means should we be afraid of him. God alone is to be feared. Nor should we be preoccupied with him; on the contrary...set your mind on things above. We’ve been given the necessary tools, or weapons...to successfully stand against and overcome him. We were made to be ‘more than conquerors’ Yes, the struggle is real; But again...so is God. And it is only by the power of His grace can you stand and do all things. And you better make use of...

  Abiding in Jesus is not something one ‘works at, trying to be better at doing...over time’. Either you are abiding in Christ, or you aren’t. And let’s not confuse the issue by either oversimplifying it or complicating ...what it means to abide in Him. If your 16-year old who just acquired their new drivers license tells you they are having a hard time keeping the car in their lane and tend to swerve into oncoming traffic frequently, or find themselves drifting onto the shoulder and even off the road...is your response going to be a simple: “Don’t worry....you will get better over time!”? I don’t think any state in the union will issue a DL to a new driver if they can’t keep the car in their lane. Something is wrong here, I'm guessing? The illustration I used yesterday, about ‘remaining’ in one’s seat after the pilot instructed the passengers to do as they flew through rough turbulence...if you get up to stretch your legs and the flight attendant asks why you are disregarding th...

  You say you were ‘saved’ at a youth revival when you were 12? Hallelujah! You tell us that you are a deacon at your church where you’ve been a ‘faithful member’ for 15+ years? Impressive. You mean you really teach a young adult Sunday School class AND...sing in the choir, not to mention take part in annual mission trips every summer? That is commendable. So let me ask you this: Are you abiding in Jesus? (not a ‘trick or gotcha’ question, I promise) I’m not sure how you personally want to answer that question, as it’s really directed for you to ask yourself (2 Cor. 13:5). But chances are that you may just assume you’ve been abiding in Jesus given those three opening statements might possibly have been made by you. But I would hope by now, we have enough understanding that one can be quite busy going ‘great things in the name of the Lord’...and still...not be ‘abiding in Christ’ (Matt. 7:22-23; 1 Cor. 13:1-3) Perhaps you are inclined to respond in this manner by saying: “I try.....

  As many of you probably know (friends from back in Texas) I taught school for a good number of years in the Prairiland district. I actually taught 9th grade algebra my first two years (If A = B...) before moving down to JRH where I taught Reading and English until I retired. So imagine with me here for a moment, this scenario: You are a parent and want to sit in and observe my class the first week of school; maybe because your precious child is a student of mine and you want to make sure I won’t ruin them. So those first five days of school have begun, and you hear me greet the class each day with glowing smiles and words of affirmation as I welcome them to a new year and grade level. Then, I begin to tell the students there will be weekly tests, like spelling and vocabulary words for example. I then go on to inform them that even though they might study beforehand and try really hard, it is unlikely that any of them will pass many of the tests, let alone ‘ace’ them with a perfe...

  If A = B, and B = C, then A = C. Do you remember when that equation was first introduced to you? I know many were traumatized when ‘letters’ started making their way into math problems; some have never recovered from it. But seriously, whether you used shapes or simple images in that equation, it was not hard to figure out the formula. It was almost like playing around with a secret code game. I mean, let’s be honest...it’s not ‘rocket science’. So what happens if we use that same premise, or ‘equation’, with a few Bible scriptures. Jesus taught that we should ‘abide in Him’ if we hoped to see any fruit produced in our lives. (John 15:1-8). I like to think that most professing ‘believers’ would agree that we should be ‘abiding in Him’, and many probably just assume that they are after doing a quick self-inventory of their spiritual lives. You know the ‘list’ we like to go down...”I accepted Christ on such and such day”... “got baptized in water on this day”...”joined such and s...

  Picking up from where we left off at yesterday...Jesus told the church at Sardis if they didn’t ‘get their act together’ (basically), and ‘repent’, that He was going to come upon them as a ‘thief’. And we know what a ‘thief’ comes to do. (Rev. 3:1-3; John 10:10) “Oh, but my Jesus would never do that because He’s not that kind of God!”, you say? Hmmm....is it possible that just maybe some of us got duped into following ‘another Jesus’, as Paul warned might happen in 2 Cor. 11:3-4? Did Jesus not warn of false teachers and prophets who would be ‘wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing’ and lead people astray in Matt. 7:15-21? Friends...you do realize that the one group of people whom Jesus became the most irate with, and expressed the most displeasure towards...was not all those ‘sinner folks’ out in the world whose lives were under the control of the ‘wicked one’ (1 John 5:19; Acts 26:18). He expressed great disappointment with all those who misrepresented Him by ‘honoring Him with th...

  No where in scripture are we instructed to go out and ‘prove’ that God’s word is indeed just that: the ‘word of God’.  We are simply called to ‘preach’ or declare it, while speaking His truth in a spirit of love an humility. (2 Tim. 2:24-26; 4:2; Acts 20:27; Eph. 4:15). I hope that brings some freedom to any and all ‘believers’ as it did for me personally a couple of years ago. I mean, seriously...someone who demands that you ‘prove’ God authored this Bible of ours...what kind of ‘proof’ will convince them that this is, indeed... God’s word, written down to be read, believed, and obeyed? We already know that a good number of people simply will never ‘come to the light (truth) because they love the darkness more. (John 3:19-21; Matt. 7:13-14). People can be quick to suggest they have an interest in pursuing truth, but when truth is standing right in front of them, as it was for Pilate...you can easily talk a good game like you are interested, but how did Pilate respond when ...

  Weather related news has been rather ominous the past couple of weeks...ranging from destructive and deadly floods in Central Texas and in other parts of the country, including New Mexico and NYC where subways were flooded out. There was a major earthquake in Alaska that triggered a tsunami warning (that never materialized I believe) and now torrential rains sweeping into the Gulf states as a new Hurricane season is underway. I won’t lie – the story out of Kerrville, TX was hard to process reading how quickly the floods came and carried so many unsuspecting people away to their deaths. And yet the aftermath of that story will go largely untold as cleanup and recovery is underway... because for the most part, we’ve ‘moved on’. The masses seem to be overly preoccupied this week with the ‘Epstein list’ and the CEO who got caught with another woman at a Coldplay concert when their image was flashed up on the ‘jumbotron’. It is just non-stop these days...the ‘flood’ of stories, al...

  Are people even interested in the ‘truth’ anymore? Years ago, there was a piece of advice offered up frequently that basically stated this: “Believe nothing you hear, and only half of what you see.” Friends...I hesitate to say that I fear we have reached a place in time where we should question everything we hear ...and see; and then some. And I will also add here that if there was any one message I have posted here over the 3.5 years, this is the ‘one’ you really need to read, take to heart, and maybe even share. (Fair warning: This will be a bit longer than usual) Now aside from these next three Bible verses I offer up to tie in with my opening statement, this message will offer less scripture references than I normally include as I lay some groundwork for tomorrow’s message...which I hope you will really want to read after this one today. The wisest man who ever lived penned these words in the Book of Ecclesiastes: “Do not take to heart everything people say.” (7:21) Jesus C...