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Justice or Jesus

Read Mt 7.1-6, Lk 6.37-42

“Do not judge so that you will not be judged.
(Matthew 7:1)

Jesus makes it clear that the way we treat people is the way we will be treated.

This is not only an amazing statement as it refers to self-preservation but also has implications for how to teach others to live. Our natural bent when offended is to require justice; that the wrong be righted. This is especially true when we are personally affected. We require some restorative or punitive action for the wrong committed. That would be justice. Jesus, on the other hand, asks His disciples to absorb such an offense and apply mercy and grace. Jesus Himself was the perfect model of absorbing wrongs for the sake of the Kingdom (Luk 23:34). However, the principle goes deeper than our actions toward others; it has a direct connection to how others will treat us (both by men and by God, Luk 6:31, Mt 18:35). Acting like Jesus has great personal value. When we are compassionate, we receive compassion. When we are merciful, we receive mercy. On the other hand, if we demand justice, that is exactly what we will receive (and I doubt anyone standing before the Righteous Judge of mankind will demand justice rather than mercy for their own personal deeds).

Teaching others to have this attitude in them is easy enough but seeing them live it out is another thing (Phil 2.5-8). This gets at the core of who the disciple really is. Their character is challenged as they scratch and scrape for fair treatment. The way of the Master is to absorb such affliction and then forgive (1 Pet 2.21-24). Certainly, there is room for correction but not retaliation (Rom 12.17-21). True transformation is seen when a disciple begins to trust God for the outcomes and respond as Jesus would. The Old Covenant way leaves plenty of room for personal justice (Exo 21:24). The New Covenant way leaves plenty of room for Jesus (Mt 5.38-48).

Today we talked about individual justice in light of Jesus’ way, next time, corporate justice…
FJ85

Welcome to the new readers from Botswana and Burundi, Africa.

For questions or comments drop me a line at charleswood1@gmail.com or click the envelope below to send this post to a friend…

Kingdom Priorities

Read Mt 6.19-34

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
(Matthew 6:33)

Jesus establishes the top priorities for every disciple.

The life of a disciple is simple: seek the Father’s ways first. His ways are wrapped up in two elements: His Kingdom and His righteousness. Pretty basic, right? Well in concept at least. But it is clear that God’s interests come before any other. Whether they be family, career, recreation, school or even personal desires, they all become subservient to the Father’s lordship and character.

Again this goes back to changing a person’s values. Discipleship is putting God at the center of every decision I make. It is teaching disciples how to consider the Kingdom before they buy that next car or house. God’s righteousness should be integrated into every relationship in which they are engaged. Jesus Christ should be at the center of everything they are and do. If we want to know how much work it will take to infuse these priorities into a young disciple’s life, we don’t have to look any further than the mirror. This is why modeling and patience is so important. We have to set the example for Kingdom living. We have to recognize that spiritual transformation in light of God’s righteousness takes time. Keep plugging and praying.

Some Thermometers of Kingdom Living

· How do I spend my time
· How do I spend my money
· How do I recreate
· Whom do I hang out with
· Whom am I serving
· How often do I say “No” to myself
· Do I do all of the above in light of God’s Kingdom and Righteousness
FJ84

For questions or comments drop me a line at charleswood1@gmail.com or click the envelope below to send this post to a friend…

Testimony 3: Paratrooper Religion

Chapter 3

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. (Hosea 4:6)

As I continued to grow and mature, there was very little spiritual input. I can even remember in High School how one of the local “Jesus Freaks” tried to convert me. I really was not a violent kid ,but I threatened the religious messenger with bodily harm if he didn’t move out smartly. At the ripe old age of 17, I dropped out of High School and convinced my Dad to sign the Army Recruiter’s paperwork. I wanted to be an Airborne Ranger. So I left for Basic Training on the 4th of July, 1977. Nothing really jogged my memory of God throughout my training until Airborne School. Then I discovered that parachuting from a perfectly good airplane could be a very religious experience. The C-130 aircraft is the best chapel ever built. There are more prayers in a C-130 on Tuesday before a jump then there are in Chapel on Sunday morning. But, I thought it would be best to attend Chapel every Sunday anyway. Looking back, I don’t remember anything the Chaplain said, but paying my dues and going to chapel was better than rubbing a lucky rabbit’s foot, right? Now, knowing what I do, if I had splattered on the Drop Zone, I would have gone straight to Hell.

For questions or comments drop me a line at charleswood1@gmail.com or click the envelope below to send this post to a friend…

Changing Values is One of Our Greatest Values

Read Mt 6.19-34

for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
(Matthew 6:21)

Jesus is drawing a contrast between worldly thinking and the eternal. He concludes if the things we value are in heaven, we will quickly align our hearts with those values.

Discipleship is a process of exchanging values. We come into the faith recognizing our values and God’s values are completely opposite. God’s values are eternal and ours are temporal. When we repent, we embrace God’s values for our lives through Jesus. We begin a journey of transformation (Rom 12.2). However, we need an explanation of those values, we needed tutoring. Jesus lived out the Father’s values in a perfect manner to become our perfect model. As we follow Jesus, we are lining up our values with His. We are becoming like Him. Now our treasure, serving and glorifying God, is where our heart is as well.

The disciplemaker is in the business of helping people change their values. The first step is helping the young disciple see the incongruence of their values versus the Father’s. Of course, we can simply tell them; but, I’ve found this realization happens best with self discovery. This is why it is so important to get them into the Word of God. Now, instead of me telling them they need to change, God is telling them.

Changing values is tough, but it is close to impossible if the person has no desire to change. I always say, “You can’t push a rope.” A person who is not willing to participate with you in the change process is better left to the One who generates desire in very creative ways. But even when a person wants to change, it can be tough. That is why prayer is such an important tool in my disciplemaking kitbag. There are certain areas of life that will take spiritual dynamite to dislodge. And we can never underestimate the power of relationship. Our modeling, encouragement, and exhortation are all such important components for shaping a young disciple’s values.

A few questions;
· Is the person you are discipling ready and willing to change?
· Are they reading the Word daily?
· Are they being saturated with Jesus in the Gospels daily?
· Are you praying for this person’s transformation daily?
· Are they seeing the values of Jesus modeled by you?
· Are their values changing?
FJ83

For questions or comments drop me a line at charleswood1@gmail.com or click the tab below to send this post to a friend…

The Five I’s of Our Ministry

Intensity in…

Imitation of Christ – Lk 6.40, 1 Jn 2.6, Jn 13.15

Integration of faith and practice –
· Faith (1 Cor 2.2, Eph 1.3, Gal 4.28)
· Practice (2 Tim 2.15, Luk 10.2-3, Mt 6.33)

Intentionality in Ministry – Heb 10.24-25, Mt 4.19, Mt 28.18-20

Individual Attention – Mt 8.3, Col 1.28, 2 Tim 2.2

Shout out to readers in…
Vienna, VA, US
Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, US
Dothan, AL, US
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Eaubonne, Val-d’oise, France
Perth, Western Australia, Australia

For questions or comments drop me a line at charleswood1@gmail.com or click the envelope below to send this post to a friend…

Treasure in Heaven

Read Mt 6.19-34
Matthew 6:19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

Jesus promotes an eternal perspective on the spiritual versus material.

A person who is Kingdom Focused does not see the material things of this world as gain but as leverage (Lk 16.8-9). Disciples use what God has given us in the way of physical gifts to translate them into spiritual gifts for His sake. My house does not belong to me. It’s on loan for the sake of the Kingdom. I drive a car because its transportation for the sake of the Kingdom. Everything I have has been entrusted to me for God’s uses and I am to be a responsible steward. In turn, I store up riches for myself in heaven. This kind of investment never loses its value, it is eternal. What are we modeling in the area of material things? Are we free and open as we use these things for advancing the gospel? Or have we built fences, turned locks, and set rules to keep them solely to ourselves? Are we living in light of the fact that it will all burn. Encourage the disciples through your example of charity, generosity, and hospitality (2 Cor 9.6-7)

· Are you giving extravagantly?
· Is there anything you own that you wouldn’t share?
· Are you living beyond your means?
· Are there any missionaries who benefit from your generosity?
· Have you said no to something to help someone?
· Before you purchase do you ask, “How will this impact the Kingdom?”

FJ82

For questions or comments drop me a line at charleswood1@gmail.com or click the envelope below to send this post to a friend…

Beware of Being a Spiritual Exhibitionist

Read Mt 6.1-18
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
(Matthew 6:1)

Jesus warns His listeners not to practice their spirituality in front of people to gain the honor of men. If they do, their reward will be the earthly applause from men rather than God’s reward.

Jesus is not telling us that spiritual disciplines are bad because they produce pride. No, spiritual arrogance is bad not the disciplines. Don’t ever mix the two. Secondly, this problem has more to do with motive than the action. Notice the reason for the exhibition in Jesus’ story was “to be honored by men” (vs2). But in Matthew 5.16 Jesus turns the teaching around and commands them to exhibit their good deeds. And for what purpose? To glorify the Father in Heaven. These are two different motives for practicing spirituality in front of men.
With proficiency comes the possibility of pride and spiritual proficiency is no different. Disciplemaking is very tricky in this area because we want people to become effective in the spiritual disciplines but there is always a risk of spiritual pride. But, as tricky as it may be to measure the heart, Jesus gives warnings to help us with our spiritual practices. The first place we need to go to help young disciples is to our very own hearts. Do we practice the spiritual disciplines to win men’s praise? Are we modeling and giving ample explanation (like Jesus did) in order to curb hypocrisy? The second place we need to go is to the heart of the one we are discipling. This is one of the most difficult components of discipleship (Jer 17.9, Prov 20.5) and yet Jesus spoke of heart issues often (Mt 15:18, Mk 12:30, Luk 6:45, Joh 14:27). At times, working on heart issues takes the finesse of a surgeon and others times the blunt force trauma of a baseball bat (Mt 11.21-22, Mt 23.15).
Here’s a tip: start with the scalpel! It would be a huge mistake to accuse someone of wrong motives. We need to gently explore with questions that would allow for self discovery and ownership. A reflective statement with a “Why” question is usually a good place to start. For example; “When you were quoting verses in the group, why did you feel the need to quote so many?” If the person is struggling with spiritual pride and answers the question with integrity, the door has been opened for further dialogue. On the other hand, a person may have very good reasons for their actions and just needs to be aware of how they are perceived by others.
A word on zeal. Often times zeal is mistaken for pride or legalism. Being zealous is not a bad thing, it’s a good thing. Be very careful not to throw a wet blanket on a budding disciple’s passion. You may be quenching the Spirit (1 Thes 5.19). Often, it’s a matter of teaching social skills and helping them manage their zeal in order to have greater impact on those around them. On the other hand, we cannot “dumb down” a person’s zeal for Christ so that others feel better about their mediocrity (Rev 3.15-16). Food for thought, your comments are welcome.
For questions or comments drop me a line at charleswood1@gmail.com or click the envelope below to send this post to a friend…

The Goal is Reaching Readers in All 50 States

Help get the word out to new readers from these states:

Montana
Utah
Nevada
Wyoming
Minnesota
West Virginia
Vermont
New Hampshire
Rhode Island
New Mexico
Hawaii
Alaska

Shout out to all the readers from the United Kingdom!

For questions or comments drop me a line at charleswood1@gmail.com or click the envelope below to send this post to a friend…

Raising the Bar

Read Mt 5.21-48
“Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
(Matthew 5:48)

Jesus makes the intent of the Law clear by equating real righteousness with outward action and inward motivations. He also describes the righteous requirements of God.

The kind of people who are committed to reading this type of material are usually looking to improve themselves. We are conscientious and determined to progress. But we can also become choleric in our approach to spiritually and start checking blocks. We want to make sure that we have colored within the lines and all mistakes quickly erased. But the fact of the matter is that the best we can do is clean up the outside and conceal the inside. We make sure that our deviant thoughts are tucked away in the back rooms of our hearts like misbehaving children. Having these thoughts and desires lurking in the darkness is a problem, but the bigger problem is when we don’t acknowledge them and act as though they aren’t there. We begin to give the impression that we really are holy and pure in ourselves. But we all know that if a TV screen were hooked to our brains and revealed our inner most thoughts to those around us we could not endure the embarrassment.

In this passage Jesus is digging deep into this predicament. We managed to clean up what people see and yet the heart still clings to the stuff of the old nature. Jesus describes a kind of righteousness that goes beyond show. He talks about holiness in our thoughts, intent, and motives. And quite frankly, the realization that God is holding me accountable for even my thoughts could be discouraging. Jesus just made it impossible for me to completely clean up my act. “Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

I think that was the intent of His message. He raised the bar so high, no one would be able to ascend to such heights. He showed us we need a Savior. We need someone who would rescue us and make us righteousness. One who would see our absolute failure and provide grace and mercy for the errors but add the perfection (holiness, Rom 3.23) that is required to commune with God. This is what’s so amazing about our salvation. Jesus’ death on the cross did not only bring us to zero by canceling our debt but He imputes His righteousness to us bringing us to 100%. He makes us perfect. (Rom 3.21-24, Rom 10.3-4, 1 Cor 1.30, 2 Cor 5.21, Phil 3.9)

And this is not only good medicine for us but for those we are bringing up in the faith. A true follower of Jesus Christ would never look at this wonderful gift as a pass to live contrary to the Father’s desires. They would feel compelled to return in obedience such a love even though they knew they could never repay the debt. They would see the relationship as a great privilege and not as an opportunity to cash in on some cosmic benefit. Therefore, we continue to clean both inside and outside, not to earn our salvation, but to prove our gratefulness to the one who purchased it (1 Cor 6.20). FJ80

For questions or comments drop me a line at charleswood1@gmail.com or click the envelope below to send this post to a friend…