11 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus[a] sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” 4 And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. 5 And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. 7 And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. 8 And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. 9 And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”
11 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
John 12:12-19 English Standard Version
The Triumphal Entry
12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,
15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!”
16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. 17 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”
Jesus was a first century Jewish Rabbi who was a son of a carpenter. He is also God.
You who are reading this are neither of those things.
Stop trying to fit Jesus into your world view, instead make Jesus and the Bible your world view.
If you try hard enough you can make the Bible say anything you want, instead of doing something so foolish, how about you take the Bible as it is written?
Take Jesus as He is.
It is not your job to manipulate scripture to prove why you feel a certain way or do a certain thing.
It is your job to submit to God and His Word.
This is not directed at one particular group or thought process. I don’t care what your theological, political or moral preferences are.
If you truly claim to follow Christ, than follow Christ. Don’t use the Bible and Jesus’ words to fit your lifestyle or world view.
Let God and the Bible form your world view and mold your lifestyle around it.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter. This week I am posting the Luke 24 Chapter and two videos, one from the Bible Project on Luke 24 and the service from Heritage Baptist Church. Note if you would like to see the entire Easter story I will post a link below from a great article I found that shows all of the story from the Bible in order.
Have a Blessed Week,
Chris
Luke 24 New King James Version (NKJV)
He Is Risen
24 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, [a]and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it happened, as they were [b]greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. 5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, 7 saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ”
8 And they remembered His words. 9 Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. 11 And their words seemed to them like [c]idle tales, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths [d]lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.
The Road to Emmaus
13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was [e]seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.
17 And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you [f]walk and are sad?”
18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?”
19 And He said to them, “What things?”
So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. 21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. 22 Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. 23 When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. 24 And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.”
25 Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He [g]expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
The Disciples’ Eyes Opened
28 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He [h]indicated that He would have gone farther. 29 But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them.
30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.
32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” 33 So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was [i]known to them in the breaking of bread.
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
36 Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” 37 But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. 38 And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”
40 [j]When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41 But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” 42 So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish [k]and some honeycomb. 43 And He took it and ate in their presence.
The Scriptures Opened
44 Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” 45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, [l]and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city [m]of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
The Ascension
50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple [n]praising and blessing God. [o]Amen.
My wife and I had a discussion last night, the conversation went on for a long while. We talked about all kinds of different problems in society, from political to social to economic to psychological and yes religious as well.
We both had a lot of passion and backed up our points with scripture, we agreed on pretty much everything.
At the end of our talk I prayed for guidance and wisdom, I was wondering if there was something I missed?
I heard one word.
“Love.”
Our discussion was missing Love.
We were missing Love.
The most important part of our faith.
You can’t fight hate with more hate, anger with anger, sadness with sadness. Only one thing can fight the negativity in the world, it’s Love.
Despite all the problems in the world, Love is the answer.
As it says in James 1:22-25, “22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”
We must not just listen and hear the Word of God we must do the will of the Father. Knowing scripture is not enough, the Pharisees were experts on scripture, yet missed the coming of the Messiah.
We must bring people to God and do so in the right away, in John Chapter 4 Jesus encountered a Samaritan woman, He asked her for a drink of water and then spoke to her about her sins, He promised to give her living water so she would never be thirsty again. Jesus didn’t point out her sins to condemn her or threaten her with Hell but instead He showed her love, the living water, His message was love not fear. Bringing people to God out of fear will led to them falling away. A successful relationship must be built on love not fear.
Also in John 4 (39-42), Jesus stayed two extra days on request of the Samaritan people, use that as a guide, we must take time and change our schedules to save others and help those in need.
Remember we too can give Jesus something to drink. Remember in Matthew 24: 35-40, “35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’”
We are called to help those suffering, no matter what their beliefs are or what they may have done. God is willing to forgive ALL sins.
We must go out and do the work God has asked us to do. Without going out and doing the work we cannot truly be called servants of God, someone can take classes and read books to learn how to become a mechanic but until they actually do the work they are not a real mechanic.
Support and believe in others around you. Sometimes a person says they are going to turn their life around or go and serve God in the community, and others will look at one another and scoff or mock the person, they point out their flaws, laugh at them, ask who does this person think they are?
Jesus was treated this way in his own town. In Mark 6:1-3, “Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. 2 And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! 3 Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him.”
Believe in your brothers and sisters.
Let’s go out and do the will of the Father today.
Father, I pray that You guide me to do Your will and not my own. Be patient with me and help me help others as You help me. Amen
Helping others. The important job Jesus gave for us Christians. However we often forget about doing so. I know I always feel like I could do more.
Ever felt like it’s hard to get started? It feels that way for me. I remember years ago, I decided to look into volunteering for the county, I saw there was a wait list and many qualifications needed including a strict schedule. I was very discouraged. I moved on and forgot all about it.
Sometime went by and then one day on the drive to work a few years ago, I was feeling extremely guilty about a lot going on in my relationship with God, now the previous night I had prayed for guidance to help those in need. I wanted an opportunity, any opportunity to do something but here I was driving and focusing on my guilt.
I got to the light just before my job and I was staring straight ahead ashamed of myself. The light turns green, I start to drive, I look back in the rear-view mirror and there was a homeless man begging for money or food.
There was the opportunity I had been praying for. I missed it because I was to focused on myself and my past failures.
Satan wants us to feel guilty. The more guilt and shame we have the more we want to hide from God. If you feel that way pray for forgiveness and guidance on what to do now.
We all have some thing we can give to the furthering of the Kingdom. We can help others in some way. We can donate something, even the smallest amount matters. Remember the woman who gave just a small amount to the temple, Jesus told his disciples she gave more because of her poverty than anyone else.
We can also use a talent or passion to help others. We all have a gift from God or a passion we can use to help further the Kingdom. I have always loved to read and write. I abandoned writing for a number of years, then I decided to start again. I prayed for help to get back into it. After awhile it hit me, what if I combine my passion for the Lord with my passion for writing. If God is going to help me write, I need to use my writing to help God. My goal on here is to encourage people to come to God or help encourage people whose faith is being tested or people who need an uplift. I hope this blog can help someone out there. It’s helped me that’s for sure.
But the work doesn’t stop there. My words aren’t enough. Lets all be a part of helping those in need, God gave us today, let’s get started.
I am leaving links to some scripture that I hope will help.
One of the biggest things I’ve seen Christians complain about lately is Ministries asking for money. I’ve read people attack Pastors on YouTube for asking for money to help run their ministry. They point out they never ask for money for their online ministry. Well, while I never would want to criticize a ministry. Many times you see their ministry is just themselves with a webcam at their dining room table. You don’t NEED money for that. When someone runs a ministry that employs people, has a physical location, helps the community, does mission trips, etc. Money is needed. It’s not a luxury. When a Pastor talks about investments or finances, you see people attacking them. Saying they’re worshiping Gold and Silver or focusing on Earthly treasures. In reality God is not anti-money or anti-earth like so many say. He wants you to put him OVER other things. He wants you to use your money for good. Making money is not the issue, holding onto it and being greedy is the issue.
So if you are unwillingly to give to Christian Churches, you are the one putting money over God, because you aren’t willing to invest in the kingdom of God. How are you using your money to further Gods work? Are you spending it on movies or fun things or treats? Are you holding on to it because you are afraid you can’t afford to give? God said he would provide for you. Matthew 6:25-27 “25 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns—and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his lifespan?”
Do not worry, be generous.
Remember Jesus praising the woman who gave out of poverty? Mark 12: 41-44, “41As Jesus was sitting opposite the treasury, He watched the crowd placing money into it. And many rich people put in large amounts. 42Then one poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amounted to a small fraction of a denarius.
43Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more than all the others into the treasury. 44For they all contributed out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.””
Nothing is too little, God appreciates your offering more than that of the rich man. Tithing is so important. The Bible gives instructions and points out its importance. How were the temples built, then run? Tithing.
Generosity is so key. Jesus relied on generosity. He needed it for food, shelter and clothes, along his journey in all the towns He and the disciples visited. He trusted in the Father to provide and people stepped up knowing he truly was the Son of God.
Also remember, the first Christians relied on each other, they shared everything in their communities.
Of course you don’t have to just give to a church. You can give money to the homeless. You can also give extra food or clothes to those in need. Maybe even make something. Your time and energy is just as valuable. If you are poor and can’t give any physical things, volunteer or spread the word. Tell others about how God provides for you and/or what he does for you. Show why God is so important in your life. Speak about him, write, sing, whatever you can do to praise him and show the World God’s love and His work. Build his kingdom, be the hands and feet of Christ. Be the Child our Father deserves.
“I am a Saint of God, I walk with Christ everyday….You ****ing Idiot”-An actual quote from someone on YouTube in a religious based video about Donald Trump.
It’s a crazy World out there. Many Christians defend God by speaking like the devil. It should be obvious who is the believer and who is the non-believer just by how they speak and not what they are saying. But in this time it really isn’t.
Not only are people arguing with Non-Christians some of the more vicious fights are between two Christians arguing over denominations, politics, or interpretation of scripture.
God certainly doesn’t want you to behave the way people are. We are supposed to strive to be Christ Like, would Jesus approve of name calling, violent threats, shutting people out of church and pushing them away from the Word of God? Of course not. Put your own feelings aside and put Christ’s feelings first.
I used wonder as a Christian how should I feel about certain things going on in the World? I came up with a simple solution, what would God feel about it? Think about Jesus’ teaching and put it in the situation. Would Jesus advocate bombings that kill innocent people, (any people for that matter) even if it’s retaliatory*? Would Jesus send a gay person away from communion**? (Or would he have felt like that person needed to be with him more than some?) Would Jesus tell someone to leave cause they weren’t properly dressed for Church?***
Here’s some scripture to put those questions in perspective…
*Matthew 5:38-42: 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’[a]39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.
**Mark 2:7 “17On hearing this, Jesus told them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
The Good Word 