Jesus impacted lives immediately, and especially when He called them out by a new, not totally known name. An example is found in the calling of Simon Peter in John 1: 40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. 41 Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ” 42 Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “Your name

Criticism (def) - the expression of disapproval of someone or something based on perceived faults or mistakes. We do like to be right, don't we? And when we are right, it comes from a perceived vantage point of power. But not in our faith walk!! Paul wrote to the church in Rome in Romans 14: 1 Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. 2 For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anythin

Every once in a while, Jesus would really freak out the people who were seeking answers from Him. In fact, most every time Jesus would freak out those who were seeking His truth, and by the way, I am one of those. Jesus knows our human nature, and He also knows and teaches that we are in a spiritual battle in our faith walk. Duh... In John 2, Jesus "freaks out" some of the religious leaders of the time. John 2: 18 But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing? If

The Sermon on the Mount is not a list of suggestions for being a better person, but a set of deep lifestyle teachings that are the "best" advice and directions to follow in our faith walk. The teaching on divorce will not be a popular topic for anyone living in our world today. Here is the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 5. Matthew 5: 31 “You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’ 32 But I say that a man

Matthew 5: 27 “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your hand—even your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw i

Matthew 5: 25 “When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny. Don't get others involved in your personal difference with another person. Nip it in the bud by keeping it betwee you and the other person involved. W

M atthew 5: 23 “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. Reconciliation (def) - the action of making one view or belief compatible with another. The Lord sets the stage for many other things we should experience in our lives during our faith walk, and reconciliat

Anger and grudges are dangerous, first of all, because Jesus said, "Don't do it", and secondly, because it leads to more and worse anger. Emotions at our core need to be controlled by the Holy Spirit, and we can read the following scripture, but a change in direction may not be that easy. Matthew 5: 21 “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ 22 But I say, if you are even angry with someone, yo

Matthew 5: 17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. 19 So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws

Without Jesus in our lives, we have no real depth. But with Jesus, we have salt, and salt preserves, salt creates thirst, and salt cleanses as well. Responding to the change Jesus has in our lives helps us realize there is more to my faith walk than me! Jesus wants to work a great work in my life, and in that work, others' lives will be changed and hopefully drawn to salvation. Jesus made the point of Him working through us in Matthew 5: 13 “You are the salt of the earth

Matthew 5:1 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Has someone ever lied about you or said something to hurt you? Insults are tough, but in reality, just words. But in this reality, all of how we react comes back to "who" we are living for and who they are, re

Matthew 5: 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Peacemakers are unique, Jesus-centered people who unselfishly sow peace wherever they go. I am not always a peacemaker, even though I have some characteristics of peacemaking. In my daily walk, the Holy Spirit is showing me more and more how to be a peacemaker, but my wanting to be

Matthew 5: 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Mercy (def) - compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm. If it is within our power, we must show mercy because we have received mercy? If you agree, possibly you have realized the great mercy shown to you by our loving God, and His love builds a merciful heart. Without the Holy Spirit in c

Matthew 5: 5 God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. 6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. Humility is in short supply in our very narcissistic world, but Jesus doesn't pull any punches when it comes to the consistency of this message. In Matthew 20, Jesus teaches about those who come to Him and haven't been with Him very long, and how they are the same in the pecking order as those who have bee

I have listened to a lot of sermons through the years, but none compares to the sermon Jesus gave in Matthew 5. I am going to be traveling through Chapters 5-7 in Matthew, and I will try to learn from the greatest sermon ever preached. Today I will look at the blessings of Jesus, per the Beatitudes. Jesus shares so much pure truth about the kingdom of God and the way we should look at life itself. You will be encouraged by the wonderful words of this great sermon, and we

When we are born-again, we are born in the Spirit, and that transformation alone is a life changer. But what is the effect of that transformation? A desire to know God who saved you, and to get to know how others were transformed. What we have in Christ is true richness, and our quality of life will become better and better, and that is what I call our faith walk. Paul speaks to the effect of our relationship with Jesus in Colossians 3: 16 Let the message about Christ, i

Before Jesus. Paul wrote to the believers in Ephesus, reminding us of the change that has taken place when we truly "come alive" in Jesus. The before- Ephesians 2: 1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, foll

Outpouring (def) - an outburst of strong emotion. I can't go very long in a day without something weird, unholy, or just plain wrong being done either by some people who call themselves leaders or by compromised people in powerful positions. I think "What will come of this?" The prophet Joel spoke of God's judgment coming like an army of locusts, and the end result will not be good. He also speaks of the wonderful forgiveness that only God can give to restore and make right

2 Corinthians 5: 16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has co

Testing your equipment is very important when on our faith walk. Even when things seem so easy and without any problems, it can change in an instant. When caught off guard because of a testing we can respond in different ways. If not ever tested, we might respond in a way that takes us further away from God, and it can make our faith seem more hypothetical than real. But when tested, and we turn to God in faith, He refines our faith to make us a more complete follower of