Category: Uncategorized

Read Matthew 18.15-20

“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.” (Matthew 18:15)

WHO LOVES YOU THIS MUCH?

It stung to hear the words coming from my friend. He told me that I was being petty and had lost focus on what was really important. My normal reaction is to be defensive and hurt by the frankness and the truth of what he was saying. But he had evaluated the situation accurately and now I was exposed in the nakedness of my sin. My first inclination was to do exactly what has been done since the first sin in the garden: hide. Then, to give justifications and excuses so that I could maintain the veneer of my reputation. But instead, I listened and took it to heart. He was right. But much more than that, he loved me enough to risk our relationship and draw me out from my hiding place. True friends enter these very dangerous places. They go to the depths of the crevices to rescue us from our disastrous falls.

Do you have a friend like this? Have you made it easy for someone to be this kind of friend?

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Read Matthew 18.12-14

“If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.” (Matthew 18:13)

THE POWER OF ONE

If you try to call my cell phone while I’m in a one-on-one discipleship meeting, you’ll have to leave a message. It’s because at that moment this one person has my undivided attention. Why am I so dogged about this ministry? Because I realize the potential residing in this one person. So much of what we do in Christendom is oriented toward the 99 but I have found people merely get lost in the masses. One of the reasons people don’t become healthy, reproductive disciples of Jesus is because they don’t get the individual attention required to pull off such a feat. Imagine what the Church would look like if every individual could help another individual grow in their relationship with Christ. I tell you there is no building big enough to contain such a movement.

Who is your one sheep you are helping follow Jesus?

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Read Matthew 18.1-11

“Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks!” (Matthew 18:7)

REMOVE ALL OBSTACLES

Just a few days ago, I became “that guy.” I got confused in the mall parking lot. You know, the ones where there are no stop signs where there should be and are where they shouldn’t be. I got confused, but proceeded across the intersection anyway and got caught in the middle. Now I was stuck with traffic hemming me in on all sides, the center of attention. I had become an obstacle to many committed Mallsters and their shopping pleasures. Jesus talks about obstacles that are in the way of eternal life. He says, “Woe to the man” who becomes a stumbling block to peoples‘ spiritual growth. And it’s better to whack off body parts than to be a stumbling block to one’s own spiritual growth. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather face a mob angry shopaholics than hear Jesus say “Woe unto you” because I became an obstacle to His plans for me or another.

How can a person get in the way of another’s relationship with Jesus?

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Read Matthew 17.24-27

“However, so that we do not offend them…” (Matthew 17:27)

SOMETIMES BEING RIGHT ISN’T ENOUGH

He wasn’t a Christian but he was hungry and curious. He had been coming to Bible study for a little while and knew just enough to be dangerous. He would regularly mix up Biblical characters like Abraham and the Ark, Samuel slaying Goliath, and Peter parting the Red Sea. He was zealous to share his newly-found information, even though it wasn’t catalogued quite right. Instead of correcting every little error, I patiently continued to teach. I had the right answers and could have blasted him in front of the group. But I probably would have just embarrassed him and run him off. Having all the right answers isn‘t everything. The truth needs to be coupled with love. Sometimes being right isn’t enough.

Are you sacrificing any of your relationships over insignificant facts?

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Read Matthew 17.14-23

“I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.” (Matthew 17:16)

FAILURE IS AN OPTION

The chainsaw kicked back and it was a near miss. “Whoa! I won‘t do it like that again!” Ever utter those words? Can you imagine what your life would be like if you just gave up after a failure? Think about the Apostles. They had been given power to cast out demons way back in Chapter 10 and here they were failing. They just could not get this tough little bugger out. Jesus comes, casts out the demon, and gives further instructions on how to succeed the next time. The guys may not have had enough faith, but at least they kept trying. Think about it. Jesus put those guys to work handling people’s spiritual and physical problems before they were “experts.” That’s a little more dangerous than handling a chainsaw! Jesus has given us the command to go and make disciples, too. (Matthew 28.18-20) The truth is, we will never be good enough to do ministry. It’s all by His grace, anyway. So let’s roll up our sleeves and make some followers of Jesus.

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Read Matthew 17.1-13

“This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” (Matthew 17:5)

HE HAS NO EQUAL

I received an email from my son, Wes, saying that he got to hang out with the President. I was impressed! I wrote him back asking for more details. Then he let the cat out the bag. It was only the president of an organization not the President of the United States. Very funny. That’s kind of what Peter should have noticed on the Mount of Transfiguration. He was so amazed at the company of Moses, Elijah, and Jesus, that he wanted to make all three a shelter right there on top of the mountain. Peter mistakenly lumped all three of these heroes of the faith together. But the Father squared him away in one small but significant statement: “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” Suddenly, there is only One Hero and it is Jesus, the Son of God. He has no equal among men! He deserves our undivided attention!

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Read Matthew 16.21-23

But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” (Matthew 16:23)

HERO TO ZERO IN NOTHIN’ FLAT

In my younger days, I was known as the life of the party and could be pretty funny. But inevitably, I would get on a roll and then resort to something off color or make a lame comment and ruin the whole atmosphere. That’s kind of what Peter did. He was doing pretty good, having identified Jesus correctly and Jesus praised and affirmed him. (Matthew 16.17-19) Then, just as he was feeling like he was in the groove, he rebuked Jesus. Big mistake! Now mister smarty-pants was put on the same level as the Devil. Whoa! Here’s a good proverb that reminds us to be careful when we get “on a roll.” “When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise.” (Proverbs 10:19)

Have you ever experienced this? How can you guard your lips?

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Read Matthew 16.13-20

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15)

IDENTITY CRISIS

Our family was spending the hot summer’s day at the pool and I decided to get the boys a popsicle. Being 25 cents short, I went to my wife and put my arm around shoulders and said, “Give me a quarter.” Only one problem, she wasn’t my wife! Oops! This was, what you might call, an identity crisis. Fortunately, the woman had a good sense of humor. It’s one thing to misidentify your wife but its quite another to misidentify Jesus. Peter got it right when he said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And is it any wonder that in Peter’s second letter, a letter of reminders, he would remind us of this one thing: “…grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 3:18) Identity Crisis or Christ’s Identity? We choose.

Who is Jesus to you, really? Are you helping others to identify the real Jesus?

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Read Matthew 16.1-12

“Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?” (Matthew 16:3)

MASTERING THE OBVIOUS

I had looked all over the house for my reading glasses and just couldn’t find them. I had just used them and they couldn’t have just disappeared. Finally I asked Deb if she had seen them. She said, “Yeah, they’re on your head.” I think we’ve all experienced this kind of embarrassment. Have you ever missed things that were spiritually obvious? The Pharisees missed the signs of the times and consequently missed the Messiah. The disciples missed the fact that Jesus could produce bread out of thin air and couldn’t connect the dots on a key lesson He was trying to teach. The only way I know how to keep from making the same blunders is to pray that God will open our eyes and ears and to hang out with people doing the same.

Who are the wise people you hang out with? Are you praying for wisdom?

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MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!