Who is Jesus to You?

• 
  John 7:4-5: For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” For not even his brothers believed in him.
• John 7:12-13: And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.” Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him.
• John 7:20: The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?”
• John 7:26: And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ?
• John 7:40-41: When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 

At the time of this passage Jesus was still in Galilee, but there is probably several months between chapters 6 and 7 of the book of John.  Jesus didn't wan't to stay in Judea because it was the headquarters of the Jews where the Pharisees sought to kill Jesus. The Feast of Tabernacles was a harvest festival that was a very joyous time of celebration. It was to remind them of leaving Egypt when the Israelites lived in booths or tents, temporary shelters. It was to make them think of the coming of the Messiah who would reign forever and save them eternally. In verse 4, Jesus’ brothers did not believe he was the Messiah yet, so they sarcastically mocked him, or possibly wanted fame from being kin to him when he performed his miracles, or maybe even were jealous enough of his fame to want him killed. You gotta love some sibling rivalry! His brothers didn't really know what to think of him, nor did the religious leaders of the day. The common everyday people were confused too. Opinions of Jesus were all over the place...so I am asking you - WHO IS JESUS TO YOU? Is it just a story. The Messiah. Your Redeemer. Your Get Out of Hell Free Card. Your Lord and Savior. No One (it actually makes my anxious to type that one). We will ALL stand before Him as a perfect and righteous Judge to give an account of our lives one day. How will you respond to My Jesus?

In this life we are often mocked or made fun of for being “bible-thumpers”,  “goodie-goodies”,  that are too churchy and we can’t have any real fun. Well, don’t let those opinions bother you, they don't really matter---true joy and happiness comes from following Christ and living a Godly life. All of the things in this world that we think are so important will all fade away and souls are the only things that will last eternally. We must be about the business of make disciples.  We need to go about this with the right attitudes and approach it the right way. How sad it must have been for Jesus to be mocked by his own family. While He was alive, they didn’t believe in Him as the One True Messiah. The people mocked Him. Some said Jesus was a fraud, of Satan, that He was good, demon-possessed, the Christ, and the Prophet. Opinions were all over the place about Him. This is how people will think of us too. Most importantly, We must make up our minds about WHAT WE THINK ABOUT JESUS. Whatever we decide WILL have eternal consequences. Lots of people are talking ABOUT Jesus, but are talking TO JESUS? We can wear all the religious t-shirts, read our bibles, go to church, check all the boxes, but if we are not talking TO Jesus, as in, HAVE A REAL REALATIONSHIP with Him that CHANGES how we live every day, then it is meaningless. He called us to GO MAKE DISCIPLES (Matthew 28:18-20) but when it comes time to speak up about Him in public do we? Are we like his brothers? Are we like Nicodemus who took a while to come out of the dark? We have to privilege to teach, preach, and worship without persecution, unlike many of our brothers and sisters around the world, but do we take it for granted? Do we do it without passion or less than we should? Are we thankful to go into the House of the Lord and worship, study, pray, learn, be held accountable and share with other believers? Don’t let fear stifle our boldness to proclaim the Gospel around the world. We have a command to spread it, and we should do so BOLDLY with passion and enthusiasm, without being embarrassed. If my Jesus is already your Jesus then go tell someone else about Him today! If you don't have a TRUE live changing relationship with him then ask me how, so you can start a NEW LIFE today!

Father God, Your Word tells me in Matthew10:32, that Christ will confess me to You when I confess Him to others. Help me to BOLDLY proclaim your Word, your miracles, your goodness, and your salvation to all the nations. Help me to not be hindered by fear, emotions, embarrassment, or any other obstacles that Satan or this world may throw at me. Help me to realize your convicting power for what it is and not try to make excuses or avoid it. Help me to realize and confess my sins so that you can mold me and make me into what you have designed me to be. Lord be the Master of my life and remove all pride from me. Help me to be able to reason in a rational way and see things through your eyes and recognize my own sinful flesh. Help me to live by what is good and right and the ways of Your Word always. Help me to soak up your Word and understand it the way it is written. Help me to never twist it or try to take it out of context. Help me to be a better disciple. Thank you for all the blessing you give me everyday that I take for granted. Thank you for my freedom to worship You. Thank you for our missionaries proclaiming your love and salvation around the world today; be with each of their families and their ministries. Help their words to fall on receptive ears. Thank you for giving your Only Son for a sinner like me. I ask these things in Jesus’ Precious Name, Amen.

My Jesus - Anne Wilson 

ZEAL FOR THE LORD

His disciples remembered that it was written “Zeal for your house will consume me. John 2:17

What is zeal: ardently passionate (literally "boiling" with interest or desire); "to be deeply committed to something, with the implication of accompanying desire – 'to be earnest, to set one's heart on, to be completely intent upon' ", very fervent(zēlos). To seethe or bubble,' and is therefore used figuratively of mental states and emotions. 

Jesus is speaking to the Jewish, educated leaders – they KNEW scripture – yet they were so blinded to the TRUE LIGHT. Psalm 69:9 says: “For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.” The leaders would have known this verse, yet they still could not accept who Christ really was when he cleansed the temple. People were wrapped up in worldly business and using the temple/church for personal gain. Christ put a stop to this by cleansing the temple, which showed his rightful authority. Christ wants the church to be used for pure, authentic worship and prayer. Matthew 21:13 says: “He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

Have we every truly been “ZEALOUS” over anything, according to the definition? If so, are we about the WRONG things? Would God and Christ approve of our use and worship in His house? When we gather together are we here with deep, boiling desire; to offer prayer and intense worship to the Lord; or do we enter into His House half-heartedly? If we are not here to zealously worship and pray then we are just as bad as the Jewish leaders of the days of old.

Father God, thank you for the splendor and glory you show us every day. You alone are mighty to save and worthy of our praise. Help me to be more ZEALOUS for You and not for things in this world. Help me to be 100% committed to serving You alone. Guide my mind to have clear thoughts and intentions when I enter into your House of Worship and Prayer. Help me to not get distracted by worldly things that Satan can use to derail me during our precious times of being able to assemble together. Lord, help us not take these times for granted as, as many around the world are not able to have a time of worship, prayer and studying Your Word without persecution. Forgive me for the times I have entered your house with the wrong frame of mind. Thank you for all blessings you grant me every day, even without my realizing them. Thank you for sending Jesus to die and rise again for everyone. Thank you for your inspired word that you sent to us through faithful men who taught others so that we could learn about You. Be with the missionaries around the world who are continuing to zealously share your salvation message and disciple those they encounter. Help me to disciple those you put in my path. I ask these things in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Outcast or Cast out to Seek Men

“Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”” ‭‭John‬ ‭9:35‬ ‭ESV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ 

This man was blind from birth, then miraculously  healed.  The Pharisees question him; his parents bailed on him; he was excommunicated from the church and could no longer worship. He surely felt all alone, but then Jesus sought after him. Jesus always sought out the outcast, the sinners, those that were looked down on in society. Think about Zacchaeus, the tax collector, the sinner, the short guy that no one liked or thought highly of. Look at the men He called to be His apostles none of them were the ones that were making it as Jewish rabbis; they weren’t the ones that were called to continue their education. They were fishermen they, were tax collectors, they were normal everyday people, yet Jesus chose them to come follow Him.

How do we look at the look at the outcast in society? Do we seek them out and say "Do you know Jesus? Come along with me and I’ll teach you about him!" Or do we look for the "up- to-do/popular" people the arrogant, the rich, the proud, the high in society, and choose those to hang out with and Worship with? Is that the list of who we are aspiring to be like. The Pharisees were not the in crowd to hang out with even though they thought they were. The "right" in crowd was the meek and lowly who chose to worship Jesus and truly understood who He was. Those were the ones who truly believed.

Dear Lord, help me always try to live the example that You demonstrated for us. Help me to seek out those who truly seek You and see You as their Father God. Help me to encircle myself with those who want a relationship with You; with those who will help me seek out those who are longing to come and worship you authentically. Help me to cast myself out to reach everyone, even those who society may consider an outcast. 

Abide in Me

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples” John 8:31

To abide is to live, continue, or remain. So, to abide in Christ is to live in Him or remain in Him; to know or have a relationship with Him: To abide in Jesus’ word means to continue believing what Jesus has said and walking in obedience to Him. This verse shows that continuing to trust Jesus and obey Him is a way to test who is truly disciples of His. Abiding in Christ is not a special status for a few believers as a process of sanctification. True believers ABIDE! The difference between those abiding in Christ and those not abiding in Christ is the difference between the saved and unsaved. John 15:4 tells us: "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." Believers ABIDE!

Are we truly abiding in Christ? The phrase abiding in Christ means an intimate, close relationship, and not just a superficial acquaintance. Are we going through the motions or do we have an intimate, authentic, love relationship with Christ? Do we bear fruit, or do we need to be cut off and tossed into the fire? Yikes! If we have no fruit, or rotten fruit, woe is us…we are abiding in the world and not in Christ! Many in this world may be fooled by just going through the motions, and never truly experiencing an abiding relationship with Christ.

Father God, help me to always ABIDE in You. Help me to rely on You and glean from Your Word. Thank You for the godly people you place in my life. Help me to continue to grow and to have others hold me accountable. Thank you for the privilege to teach children about Your Love, Your Son and Your Word.

Are you left carrying a basket of leftovers?

“So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.” John‬ ‭6:13

In this miracle of Jesus feeding the 5000 with 2 fish and 5 loaves there are several things to be learned. Jesus met the physical needs of the people so that He could then start ministering to their spiritual needs. It is hard to teach the hungry. Jesus asked his disciple, Philip, who was from the area for a "human solution" to test their faith. Since there was no logical human solution, Jesus' miracle was allowed to shine even brighter. 

What can we learn from this? Are we like the boy who was willing to give ALL of what he had? It wasn’t much, like the widow with her 2 coins, the boy was willing to give his everything to Christ. Even when we don't feel like we have much to offer, when we give it all to Jesus, He can do amazing things with it. No matter our age, if we are willing, God can and will use us. We should never feel like we are too old or too young to be used. Also God multiplies and blesses what we give to Him. This can be our time, our abilities, our talents, our money, our family…what are we willing to let Him use? Will we give to Him without hesitation? Will we lay it at His feet to do great things with? Also, take note, there is no waste with Christ, He provided more than enough. There was a bountiful supply with plenty of leftover--enough for each disciple to have a basket to carry as a reminder. The leftovers were far greater then the beginning supply. This is how amazing God is. When we give our everything to Him, we come out with so much more of a blessing on the other side from where we began!

Dear Lord, help me to always offer my all to You. Allow me to be used for a blessing to others. I don't want to be left carrying a basket of leftovers to remind me that I didn't offer my all to You. 

Inviting Others to Christ

“Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?”  John 4:29

Witnessing 101 - In this passage we see an example of inviting others to Christ. It in not hard, but we must be intentional. The woman at the well, dropped all she was doing, she left her watering pot, she went into town, thinking about OTHERS instead of HERSELF. She was thinking about who else needed the living water of eternal life.

Do we have this same urgency to witness to others? Do we truly care for lost souls? We drop what we are doing to share the Gospel? Do we go and say, "Come see what Christ is doing in my life,? Let me tell you about Him!" What the women had to share was very simple, but it was effective. We don't have to be Bible scholars to share what the Lord is doing in our lives. We have a living testimony, our personal story He is writing every day.

Father God, help us be committed to memorizing your Word and sharing it with the world around us. Help us to say to others, "Come and see" what the Lord is doing in and through me, for His Honor and His Glory. Help us boldly proclaim your Word to all the nations. What is we each one were to reach one as Babbie Mason sings?

"He tells them that God is able to make their house a home.
He wants to win this world for Christ, but he can't do it alone,
but each one, can reach one,
As we follow after Christ we all can lead one.
We can lead one to the savior
and together we can tell the world that Jesus is the way.
If we each one reach one…" ---Babbie Mason

 

Eternal Life or Wrath of God…it's our choice!

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. John 3:36 

Faith in Christ yields eternal life. However, faith without works is dead. We cannot have true faith if we do also OBEY His Word. The wrath of God is not something we should want anyone to ever face. God's wrath is holy and necessary to show how Awesome He is. Everyone who rejects Him, His Love, His salvation and chooses to continually/willfully sin will receive the wrath of God instead of eternal life.

The truth of eternal life and the truth of the wrath of God are things we must be open to teach and share. We should not do this in order to "scare" people out of hell and into heaven, but because we serve a perfect, holy and just God who cannot look upon sin. We need to teach of putting off of the old self and its sinful desires. None of us should desire to continue to willfully live in sin or abide in separation from God when we can abide in Him and His love.

Father God, let us boldly proclaim Your Word to all of the Nations. Let us preach and teach the message of salvation to all who will listen. Help us share Your Love Story of everlasting life and joy with everyone you put in our path. Help us also boldly proclaim your message for all those who choose not to believe with compassion and mercy, so that we may persuade them to follow You. Help is teach of your love and mercy and judgement. Help us teach of the effects of sin in this life and the life to come. In your Name I ask these things, always.

Let Your Light Shine

 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.  John 1:5

The theme of John’s Gospel is that Jesus is the long-awaited, promised Messiah and the Only Son of God, who gives eternal life to all who choose to believe. As for the verse I chose to write about today, the LIGHT, the TRUE LIGHT, shines and the darkness has not overcome it. The darkness does not comprehend it. Darkness, in the Bible, commonly denotes ignorance, guilt, or misery. When it is said that "the light shines in darkness," it means that the Lord Jesus came to teach an ignorant, wicked, sinful world. This has always been the case. It was so when He sent His prophets; it was so during the time of the Judges, during His own ministry, and in every age since. His efforts to enlighten and save men He has been like light struggling to penetrate a thick, dense, dark rain cloud; and though a few rays may pierce the gloom, the great mass is still impenetrable. 

I really like to watch the sky after a storm when the clouds are dark and the sun is trying to pierce through...I can never get a good photo of the beauty to do it justice, but this is what I envision when I read this part of scripture. Perhaps we have been given over to our reprobate minds. Darkness, sin, cannot comprehended the LIGHT until the Holy Spirt softens the density of the darkness. The darkness did not "receive" or "admit" the rays of light; the shades were so thick that the light could not penetrate them; men were so ignorant, so guilty, so debased, that they did not appreciate the value of His LIGHT, His instructions, His salvation; they despised and rejected Him. And so, it is still. Humanity, sick in sin, to this day, will not receive His teachings, and be enlightened, saved by Him. Sin always blinds the mind to the beauty and warmth of the LIGHT of the Lord Jesus.

We need to realize our LIGHT needs to always shine into the darkness around us. However, we need to be realistic and understand, that just as in the days of old, we may only have "rays of light" that penetrate due to the dense darkness of the world of sin around us. Do not let this discourage us as we let our LIGHT shine. John 16:33 tells us: 

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

LIGHT always outshines darkness! It is so much easier to walk toward light, even if it is a small glimmer or flickering, than to walk toward darkness! Shine on, my friends, shine on! 

Let us pray without ceasing, that our eyes may be opened to behold The TRUE LIGHT, that we may walk in it; and be made more wise in His Word. That through faith in Jesus Christ we may press on toward the mark, letting our LIGHT shine into darkness always, without regret!

Through His Word in 2019 with Robby Gallaty's F260 & HEAR Plan

The F-260 is a two hundred and sixty day reading plan that highlights the foundational passages of Scripture that every disciple should know. The plan expects believers to read 1 or 2 chapters a day for 5 days each week, with an allowance for weekends off - if you use the YouVersion Bible App you will get ahead unless you intentionally skip each weekend to study your verses and/or catch up on reading.  You can use the weekends to study lessons for church instead!  Then start the next week OF each Monday. 

"The F-260 encourages believers to read less and to keep a H.E.A.R. Journal. Here is a sample H.E.A.R. entry. While many plans for memorizing Scripture are effective, a simple system has been effective for me. All you need is a pack of index cards and a committed desire to memorize God’s Word. It’s easy: write the reference of the verse on one side of the card and the text of the verse on the other. Focus on five verses at a time, and carry your pack of Scripture cards with you.  Throughout the day, whenever you have a few minutes, pull out your pack of Scripture cards and review them. Read the reference first, followed by the verse. Continue to recite the verse until you get a feel for the flow of the passage. When you are comfortable with the text, look only at the reference side of the card in order to test your recall. The H.E.A.R. journaling method promotes reading the Bible with a life-transforming purpose. No longer will your focus be on checking off the boxes on your daily reading schedule; your purpose will instead be to read in order to understand and respond to God’s Word. The acronym H.E.A.R. stands for Highlight, Explain, Apply, and Respond. Each of these four steps contributes to creating an atmosphere to hear God speak. After settling on a reading plan and establishing a time for studying God’s Word, you will be ready to H.E.A.R. from God." ----Robby Gallaty

So today we are reading Genesis 1 & 2 - before reading the text, pause to sincerely ask God to speak to you. It may not seem necessary, but I always try to ask God’s guidance in order to understand His Word. I try to remember to ask Him to open by eyes to understanding, so that I may comprehend and gain knowledge and wisdom.  

David prayed in Psalm 119:18: “Open my eyes, that I may behold

wondrous things out of your law (God's Word).

Gallaty teaches in his H.E.A.R. technique, after praying for the Holy Spirit’s guidance, open your notebook or journal, and at the top left-hand corner, write the letter H. This will remind you to read with a purpose. While reading, one or two verses will usually stand out and speak to you. After reading the passage of Scripture, Highlight each verse that speaks to you by copying it under the letter “H”. Write out the following: (twist up crayons are great to mark in your Bible!)
H -HIGHLIGHT

The name of the book - Genesis
The passage of Scripture - Genesis 1 and 2
The chapter and verse numbers that especially speak to you - (verses 3, 10, 12, 18, 21 and 25) - multiple times during the re-telling of the creation  we are told "and God saw that it was good", then in verse 31 "and behold, it was very good"

A title to describe the passage - Creation

(This practice will make it easier to find the passage when you want to revisit it in the future.)

After you have highlighted the passage, write the letter “E” under the previous entry. At this stage you will EXPLAIN what the text means. By asking some simple questions, with the help of God’s Spirit, you can understand the meaning of a passage or verse. This can be short or as lengthy as you feel led to journal at this point! Here are some sample questions you may want to ask yourself: 

Why was this written? To whom was it originally written? How does it fit with the verses before and after it? Why did the Holy Spirit include this passage in the book? What is He intending to communicate through this text? 

E - EXPLAIN

This is to give us a recording of the creation of the world.  It didn't just happen by accident. Genesis was written by Moses for us to have a recording of the beginning of history.

After writing a short summary of what you think the text means, write the letter “A” below the letter “E”. Under the “A”, write the word APPLY. This application is the heart of the process. Everything you have done so far culminates under this heading. As you have done before, answer a series of questions to uncover the significance of these verses to you personally. Sample questions: How can this help me? What does this mean today? What would the application of this verse look like in my life? What does this mean to me? What is God saying to me? 

A - APPLY

God created everything and it was good! He placed man in a position to care for all of it. We need to take care of the people and world He has placed around us until He calls us to our eternal homes. We are created in His image so we should act as much like Him as possible.  

These questions bridge the gap between the ancient world and your world today. They provide a way for God to speak to you from the specific passage or verse. Answer these questions under the “A”. Challenge yourself to write between two and five sentences about how the text applies to your life.

Finally, below the first three entries, write the letter “R” for RESPOND. Your response to the passage may take on many forms. You may write a call to action. You may describe how you will be different because of what God has said to you through His Word. You may indicate what you are going to do because of what you have learned. You may respond by writing out a prayer to God. For example, you may ask God to help you to be more loving, or to give you a desire to be more generous in your giving. Keep in mind that this is your response to what you have just read.
R - RESPOND

We should imitate Him, not the fallen world around us. It was good...do we reflect GOOD in our daily walk? I will strive to reflect GOOD, VERY GOOD, every day.  I want to be the salt and light that I am called to be!
Notice that all of the words in the H.E.A.R. formula are action words: Highlight, Explain, Apply, and Respond. God does not want us to sit back and wait for Him to drop some truth into our laps. Instead of waiting passively, God desires that we actively pursue Him. 

Jesus said, Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, 

and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7).

What is God going to speak to us in 2019? I'm not sure, but I know if we spend time in His Word and put forth effort to learn from it, we will end 2019 with more knowledge and wisdom than where we are today!  Jump in on this journey with me and start F260 and your own HEAR journal today!  Also, try to memorize the weekly Bible verses...I know it's hard, but we can do it!

WEEK 1 MEMORY VERSES: Genesis 1:27 and Hebrews 11:7

So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27

By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, 

in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. 

By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness 

that comes by faith. Hebrews 11:7

F260 Reading Plan     Follow Along Using the YouVersion Bible App    

 Join Sutton FWB Church Reading Together on YouVersion

The H.E.A.R. journaling method promotes reading the Bible with a life-transforming purpose. HEAR entry F260 Day1.