By this point of our journey, we've come to trust in Jesus by faith for our salvation. We've been washed of our sin, buried with him, and risen to new life in baptism. And we've received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And we walk in that love and power and life day-by-day. So what's the next step in our journey?
After beginning your Journey with Jesus, the next step is baptism in water. The word “baptism” comes from the Greek language spoken by the early Christians and refers to a washing by immersion in water. This ritual has its origin in the various washings of people and things undertaken by faithful Jews before the coming of Jesus. Read the blog to find out why it has a different significance with Jesus.
When it comes to Jesus’ teaching on money, it’s often in parables. Luke, more than the other gospel writers, records Jesus’ words on this subject.
Money occupies a lot of our thoughts. So many hopes, fears, dreams, and conflicts are connected to money. Jesus speaks to our attitudes about and our use of money and possessions.
All of us have opinions about money. All of us believe certain things about money. Over these three blogs we’ll dive into Jesus’ teaching about money and what we’ll find is that it’s highly counter-cultural. Underlying it is the loving heart of a Heavenly Father who wants his children to live with joy and freedom.
Early on in his letter, James describes the relationship that a follower of Jesus has with God’s Word. James’s message is that true faith in Jesus produces “doers” of God’s word. It’s not just a call to do but a call to embrace the totality of what it means to commit to doing God’s word. There are four things we can get from this passage…
How did we end up with the books that make up the Old and New Testament? How was that decided? Canon is the Greek word for a rod or a straight piece of rounded wood that was used for measuring. It is a standard measurement. It’s the instrument that provides authoritative, agreed upon measurement. The Apostle Paul uses the word “canon” in Galatians 6:16. He says, “Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule” (this canon).
Timothy needs to know that when he stands to preach that it’s a message of truth. He needs to be confident that the scriptures are true, that they are authoritative, and that they indeed come from God. I think we need that today. In a day with so many opinions on so many debatable issues, we need truth upon which to base our lives.
So, hear what the Apostle Paul writes…
We all observe and maybe even study human behavior and we see the best of what people can do, and we witness and experience human behavior at its worst. What I’m more interested in is why people do the things they do. If you dig down just a little bit, what you’ll find are a set of beliefs. Those beliefs become our authority.
Beginning in John 14 Jesus is preparing His disciples for the events that will unfold shortly. He was leaving them. He was going to prepare a place for them in his Father’s house. When he’s asked by Thomas how they can know the way to be with Jesus in heaven, he makes the definitive statement, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
To be a disciple means to be a “learner,” or a “student.” To be a disciple is not, by definition, to have achieved something, but to be on the way—on the journey—towards learning something. As Jesus’ disciples, we are on the long road of learning how to live into his life and how to live out his salvation.
Hebrews 12 begins with the metaphor of the Christian life as a race where we throw off everything that can hinder us and the sin that so easily trips us up. If you’re running the race, how you process relationships with others and what you do when people hurt you will significantly affect how you run and how far you’ll go.
If your idea of a life of faith is less problems, less challenges, God answering every prayer in the way and time you want, this passage is going to make you uncomfortable. How do you cope when life is difficult? How do you process the reality of suffering? How do you make sense of life when things come at you that seem to make no sense or have no purpose?
Perhaps because of our success and results oriented society, when it comes to faith, we want faith to produce great results. In fact, some have taught that a life of faith results in health, wealth, and happiness. This passage at the end of a chapter on faith is a problem for those who hold that view.
Hebrews 11 is called the “faith chapter” of the Bible for obvious reasons. The word “faith” appears over 20 times in this chapter and in the 40 verses that make up this chapter you have faith described here in the opening verses and then you have a grand demonstration of faith through the lives of Old Testament heroes of faith.
