“I am Willing to Talk About Jesus” Matthew Chapter 15

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For the whole Matthew study, click here.

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I heard a story once of a group of people who wanted to bring the message of Jesus to gay people.  They decided that the best place to do this would be in a gay bar.

Now maybe this isn’t something you or I would have thought of doing…or something we wouldn’t have any idea how to do…but this group of believers had an idea.

They would go, two-by-two, into a gay bar, get something non-alcoholic to drink at the bar, then hang out.  Just standing around either making conversation with people, or listening to music, etc.

Each of the believers wore a small badge – which said:

I am willling badge

 If anyone in that gay bar wanted to ask them what the badge was all about, they would explain that they considered talking about Jesus the most important conversation topic in the world…and they just wanted people to know they weren’t afraid to discuss the subject.

Yes, some people got mad.  But others were genuinely curious, and this group of believers got many opportunities to tell the story of Jesus to a group of people who were not in their usual circle of friends, and never would have stepped into a church.

So….was this group of believers disobeying God by being seen in a bar…and a gay bar at that?  Or were they obeying God by finding a kind and non-in-your-face-way to spread the news about Jesus?

An Easter Chronology – “What Difference Would it Have Made?”

Click here to view or download "What difference would it have made?"A few years ago, my husband, Ken, had a business acquaintance ask him:  “What difference would it have made if Jesus had never risen from the dead?”  Jack and Ken had worked together on many projects, and been friends over the years.  When he asked Ken this question it was because he knew he didn’t know God at all…and he was wondering how to go about it.

Ken was only too glad to sit down with Jack that day, answer his question, and also tell him how to come to faith in Jesus.  By the time Ken did his best to help Jack understand the truth about Jesus, Jack was ready to put his faith in Him for all eternity.  Together they prayed as Jack talked for the first time to His Savior and Lord.

You Were Created by God to live Forever

Your Forever Begins Now

You were created, by God, to live forever.

Your time on this earth will determine whether you live forever in Heaven, or forever in Hell.

And contrary to what you may be thinking, this does not depend on the amount of good, or the amount of evil you do on this earth.

It depends on one thing, and one thing only:  Belief in Jesus Christ.

Belief means more than just agreeing with the facts about Jesus.

Belief means you admit that He is God.  And that there are no other Gods.  And that you accept His terms for your entrance into heaven:

  • You have to admit you don’t deserve to go to heaven.  You have sinned.  You deserve Hell.
  • You have to admit Who Jesus is.  Jesus is God.  He lived a sinless life on earth.   He took your punishment for your sin on Himself.  He died on the cross to fully pay the price for your sin.  He died so you wouldn’t have to go to Hell.  He rose again from the dead, because He is God.  He lives now.  He is coming back.
  • You have to accept the gift He is offering you, and bow your knee to Him.  He is offering you eternal life in heaven.  You can’t be good enough for it.  You have to just accept it.  You need to turn away from the sins you love so much, and tell him genuinely that you believe in Him and want to do things His way from this point on.  You know He’ll have to help you do that, but there’s no doubt it is what you want.

If you do this, you will spend your forever in Heaven.

If you don’t, you won’t.

If you realize the choice you can make, and put it off, there is a very good chance you won’t be back at this crossroads ever again in your life here on earth.  Jesus Himself brought  you to this crossroads – it’s up to Him, not you, whether you ever come here again.

Your forever begins now.

“The Power of Sin. The Power of Jesus”. Matthew 14

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Matthew 14

An 8-year-old had a question for God.  She was not sure God is fair.  Why?  Because Adam and Eve long ago chose to disobey God, and as a result, all of us have a sin nature.  She thought she should have gotten a chance to make that decision.  She thought she might not have made the bad choice Adam and Eve did.  But it’s a moot point, since she has to now live with the results of their sin, even though she never got the chance to change her own destiny.  So she wanted to ask God:  Wasn’t that unfair?  Even at 8, she understood the power and finality of sin.

“The Treasure Chest”. Matthew 13:24-58

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Matthew 13:24-58

After you’ve been walking with Jesus for awhile, you will begin to accumulate treasures in your treasure chest.  Gold rings and silver necklaces and diamonds mounted on pendants and things of great worth in your jewelry box.

The truths you learn as you walk with Him are those treasures.  And you will have the ultimate privilege of pulling them out at various times and showing them to other people…or sometimes you will just open up your box and remember…and have pleasure in the value you carry around with you.

Books I Am Reading “The Harbinger”- Jonathan Cahn

the HarbingerHere’s what the book says about itself:  “Written in a riveting narrative style, The Harbinger opens with the appearance of a man burdened with a series of messages he has received in the form of nine seals.  Each seal reveals a prophetic mystery concerning America and its future that takes you on an amazing journey that will change the way you see the world forever.”

Jonathan Cahn has a message in this book – it’s not just a fiction story.  It’s not great fiction.  And the message is based not just on the Word of God, but also on conjecture derived from commentaries.  I think he tweaks the Word of God in a few places in order to get it to say what he wants it to say.

So do I recommend the book?  Well, let me say it this way:  I am glad I read it – Jonathan Cahn has some ideas worth thinking about.  But I wouldn’t recommend it because it reads too much like irrefutable truth, and I’m not sure it’s all  truth.

“I Always Wanted to Be a Farmer”. Matthew Chapter 13:1-23

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Matthew Chapter 13:1-23

God prepares the soil.  We sow the seed.  Just keep your eyes on your job…and enjoy your farming days!!!!!

“Drawing the Line in the Sand…So…What Really is the Unforgiveable Sin?” Matthew Chapter 12:22-50

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Matthew 12:22-50.  So…What Really is the Unforgiveable Sin?

You see, everyone in the world gets their chance to have the Holy Spirit open their eyes to their need of a Savior.  (John 1:9)  And everyone gets their chance to bow their knee before that Savior, accepting salvation as a gift, through faith.

But not everyone accepts that gift when they get that chance.  Some people simply blaspheme the Holy Spirit by saying, either out loud or quietly in their hearts, “No…I will not admit I need a Savior.  No…I will not believe in Jesus”.

And that sin cannot be forgiven.

Books I am Reading. “The Temple. Its Ministry and Services” – Edersheim

The temple its ministry and servicesYes, this is a great resource book you will want to have on your library shelf if you are a Bible study teacher.  I don’t often sit down and read a resource book for pleasure – but I did with this one, and really enjoyed it.  Lots of great information I probably will never use…but how cool it was to get a picture of how the Old Testament temple operated…with sacrifices, festivals, rules & regulations, calendars, vows, and really just basically the ebb and flow of life for Israel, especially during the time of Jesus.