Forgiveness And Fasting
May 22, 2014
Disciples and fasting; like giving and praying, fasting also must be vertical, directed toward God and not to impress others. As with the other disciplines, God will reward what He sees: the motives of our heart. As giving provides an opportunity for us to measure our commitment to God, fasting gives us an opportunity to measure the degree to which we value the spiritual more than the physical aspects of our lives. It also demonstrates the sincerity of our prayers.
References:
Matthew 6:14-18
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Jesus taught His disciples a model prayer, what we often call “The Lord’s Prayer,” but this prayer really should be called “the Disciples’ Prayer.” Jesus tells us to pray where there is no one to impress but God. The model prayer contains providential petitions, which are prayer requests that put God’s concerns first. It also contains personal petitions, which are prayer requests about the needs of the disciple. God answers our personal petitions when we have aligned our will with His.
May 19, 2014
In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus urges His disciples to follow certain spiritual or vertical, disciplines and values. The first spiritual discipline Jesus requires of those who want to be one of His solutions is the discipline of Biblical stewardship --- understanding that all we have and are belongs to God, and we are only managers. God rewards private and devout giving and openly rewards what is done in secret. It reflects a vertical focus on God rather than on impressing people.
May 15, 2014
If we follow Jesus and have His attitudes, we will be changed and become the salt of the earth and lights that shine in the world. That means we will not live the same way others live. We will be like Jesus because we have Jesus living in our hearts. We will have a greater love than the world knows and show greater grace and mercy than the world understands. In so doing, we will become like our Father in heaven.
May 12, 2014
Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” These verses are perhaps the most difficult in the teachings of Jesus to interpret and apply. They teach the highest ethic this world has ever heard. Loving our neighbors and even our enemies according to God’s standards is impossible, except for one thing: the true disciple has Jesus living in him or her. Jesus illustrated it best perhaps, in the story of the Good Samaritan.
May 8, 2014
“Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No’.” The religious leaders in Jesus’ day had an elaborate system in which some oaths were binding and others were not. Jesus insisted that His disciples be people of the Word and people who keep their word. “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” was not intended to be a harsh demand for justice but rather a limit to the vengeance an offended person could take.
May 5, 2014
We live in a competitive world. Jesus’ teaching is clear in how we are to relate with our with “competitors,” or adversaries. Disciples who are peacemakers do not try to get even with their enemies. Jesus taught us how to relate to the opposite sex. If we really want to be part of the solution as salt and light, we must learn how to control our sexual desires. Jesus taught that divorce was never God’s intention for marriage.
May 1, 2014
Jesus taught that it is critical for believers to cultivate and maintain strong, loving relationships. Those who have Jesus’ attitude of mercy are to show it; not to do so will affect our private worship. We must make sure we are not alienated from anyone who Jesus calls our “brother.” Anger and feelings of disgust toward our brothers and sisters must be reconciled if we want to have a relationship with them that is pleasing to God.
April 28, 2014
Many people think Jesus contradicted the Old Testament, but He was only confronting the teaching of the religious leaders. He was telling His disciples: “Everything I am teaching you is found in the Word of God, but what I am teaching is in direct conflict with what your religious leaders have been teaching you.” Jesus explained the difference between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. He taught that the Law was to be internal, not merely external.
April 24, 2014
True disciples will not be able to hide it and Jesus uses to revolutionize the culture. His followers are like a city on a hill or a candle on a candlestick. Christians are the only source of light for multitudes living in darkness. If His disciples do not fulfill their role as salt and light, no one else is left to fulfill it. Disciples are sent into the world as God’s solution in order to shine for all to see.
April 21, 2014
The Beatitudes are the essence of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. They describe a godly character that can change the world. Next, Jesus provides commentary and application to teach the role His followers are to have transforming the culture and society in which they live. When disciples with Christ-like attitudes are “rubbed into” the people of the world, they are like salt rubbed into meat; their influence will keep the world from total corruption, and are a valuable commodity Jesus uses.
April 17, 2014
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Featured Offer
Read how God gives hope in the face of persecution!
Read about courageous men and women whose faith is flourishing in the face of ISIS and other terrorists. You’ll weep at believers’ suffering and losses . . . and laugh at the creative audacity of indigenous church planters who just won’t take “no” for an answer, whether in the former Soviet Union, in corners of India where Hindu extremists are burning churches, in communist holdouts in other parts of Asia, or in challenging places in Africa and Latin America.