Love Fulfilled Ministry

A scribe asked Jesus a question, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him,    “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is  the first and great commandment.    And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:34-40) When we think of commandments we think of the Ten Commandments (Deuteronomy 5:6-22). Are not the ten commandments of most importance? The scribe had asked what was the most important of the law, a trick question. The scribes were students of the law of the Torah, the Law of Moses, the first five books of the old covenants which we call the old testament today. There are 613 commandments listed in the Torah [1], so the answer Jesus gave baffled them, as it is not one of the ten commandments but one of the 613 laws. This commandment was the most importance to Go...

“ After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him ” (Matthew 2:1-2).  The Magi are popularly referred to as wise men in the birth story of Christ.  There is only a brief mention in the New Testament about these wise men coming.  The Magi came to worship the one who had been born K ing of the Jews. But how did they know of this K ing and why would they pay him respect? One might honor and pay respect to a K ing, but to worship him gives evidence they knew more of this King. And there is more in the scriptures of old, w e know that Daniel was in Persia, in the east, and prophesied about the coming of the Messiah. During the Jews forced exile, Daniel the prophet was made chief administrator in the Babylonian kingdom. When the new King Belshazzar is weighted and found wanti...

" You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai. For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking.      They staggered back under God’s command: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, “I am terrified and trembling .”     No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven .     You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect.    You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and...

“ God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart ” (1 Samuel 16:7). We look at Saul’s kingship and see an important lesson God is teaching. The first king of Israel, Saul, is known for losing the kingship to David because of his disobedience to God. We see why his Kingship was taken away and his character flaw when we read the scriptures, “ And Saul the son of Kish was taken; but when they looked for him, he could not be found.  Therefore they inquired further of the  Lord , “Has the man come here yet?” So the  Lord  said, “ Behold, he is hiding himself by the baggage ” (1 Samuel 10:21-23). He was about to be anointed king and he was hiding by the baggage! It seems as if  he was a little fearful of the people. So why did God choose him? This was to be their first King and we see from this verse, “ he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward ...

"Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you" (Hebrews 13:17). Timothy writes to pray "for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity" (1 Timothy 2:2). Not only does Timothy suggest that tranquility and peace is a correlation between us praying for our leaders but that salvation is also; praying for our leaders is good and acceptable unto God, who desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, v.3-4. This fits with what the Bible says about leaders being the watch towers of souls.  A watchtower differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military. Its main purpose is to provide a high, safe place from which a sentinel or guard may observe the surrounding area. In some cases, non-military towers, such as religiou...

“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). A man was sent by God to do His will, under a bridge, in the night. The man had prayed, God let me see what you see, let me feel what you feel. The man sat around a fire with a bunch of drunks, he had his bible with him and as he read from it one of the drunks began to mumble. Are you ok the man asked, the drunk replied, Yes, I’m just praying. Prompted to pray with him the man put his arm around the drunk and prayed. A voice asked the man, “Would you die for him, this drunk?” And from within the man, “Yes, I will”. Before the man could analyze the voice from so deep within, he accepted it, it was the voice of truth; good, holy, and acceptable. He became one with the spirit inside him and said “Yes, I will die for him”. Then God said “Yes! Now you understand my love for you.” The man had done God’s will. He did more than just talk to them about God, he spent time with them, he loved them. In re...

“ All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age ” (Matthew 28:18-20). How could a religious establishment that taught and studied God miss the fact that God was before them? Jesus said that they did not understand the scriptures. In Martin Luther's time, it was very similar. He was a very devote monk whom practiced religious rituals, self-abasement, and  asceticism  at  a monastery for five years. He knew something was missing and it was when he began to read the scriptures, did he begin to understand and see the false teachings and practices of the religious establishment of the day. It was very much like Paul’s experience when Ananias laid hands on him and he was filled with the Spirit...

" For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness " (Malachi 3:3). Malachi is foretelling the coming of Christ, "the messenger of the covenant", and saying that He is coming like a refiner's fire. The process of refining involves heating up the metal to either burn off the impurities or removing them as they separate.  Refining consists of purifying an impure material and t he fire is essential in the process as it separates the impurities from the pure.  Do you feel like you are being refined? Do you know of anyone who has had cancer, a heart attack, or other life threatening issues lately? Does hardship seem to abound? Look around you, something is going on. Jesus is refining His church. " For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is re...

   “ You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace ” (Galatians 5:4). If we were to make a list of things that would sever one from Christ most would put sin at the top of the list and the law would not even make the list. In  Galatians  5 Paul is talking about circumcision and how some of the Jews were going back to this practice, back to the law for justification, trying to find favor with God by obeying the law. Paul says that if we go back to the law then we are under obligation to keep the whole law. Paul is explaining that those who teach you to adhere to the law and not to walk by faith in love are false teachers (Galatians 5:10-12). He says these teachings are severing people from Christ and the people who are teaching these things are causing people to  stumble (Galatians 5:12).   Paul writes we are to " live by the Spirit waiting to receive by faith the righteousness God ...

" Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that Jesus had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”    Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.'   So the scribe said to Him, 'Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.'   Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You ...

While Jesus was on earth, " He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation " (Hebrews 5:7-9). In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus knew His time had come. Jesus was God and He had become flesh to dwell among us (John 1:1, 14). He came to be the sacrificial Lamb, taking on all sin, once and for all. Jesus would become sin so that we could become righteous in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). The pressure was intense “ and being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground ” (Luke 22:44). Jesus is the manliest man I know and the Bible records Him weeping in several places. "Jesus wept" is a phrase fa...

            Successful high impact spiritual leaders have something in common. According to the research done by Dr. Dave Earley; prayer is an essential element of biblical leadership and while it is not the only act of leadership it should be the common denominator. [1] Earley is the founding and senior pastor of New Life Church in Columbus, Ohio, as well as the creator of the New Life Center for Church Growth, Health, and Multiplication. Earley speaks around the country on the subjects of prayer, spiritual formation, leadership, small groups, and church planting. He has written several books and in his book “ Prayer: The Timeless Secret of High-Impact Leaders ” he defines leadership as influencing others. He also writes that the best way to influence others is through prayer, as prayer influences God to influence others. [2]  Earley has identified nine prayer disciplines seen in the lives of leaders who have successfull...

" I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of  repentance ; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, in order that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a  repentance   without regret , leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death ." (2 Corinthians 7:9-10). “ How do I know which kind of sorrow I’m experiencing?” you may ask. “They feel the same.” Determine whether your feelings reflect thoughts of truth or error, and you will identify their source. Do you feel guilty, worthless, stupid, or inept? That’s a sorrow provoked by accusation because those feelings don’t reflect truth.  Judicially, you are no longer guilty; you have been justified through your faith in Christ, and there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. You are not worthless; Jesus gave His life for ...