BibleVersity

"...when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you." (Matt. 6:18)    Years ago I went on a fast, but did not tell my wife, but rather choosing to make it a secret from anyone. I just so happened that a day or two later that she desired on of her favorite quick-meals: bean burritos, extra cheese and no onions. Due to my fast, I ordered nothing. As we drove down the road she asked me the inevitable question, "Would like some of this burrito?" My answer was a simple "No thank you." This was repeated several times until she began to wave said burrito in front of my face, telling me just how marvelous it was. It was at this time that informed her that I was fasting, which caused her to feel quite guilty. Looking back at I can clearly tell you that it was funny then and even funnier now (at least to m...

"...Go therefore and make disciples... ” - (Matt. 28:18-20)   The Greek word mathetai is the term we usually translate as disciple, and it expresses the idea of "student" or "pupil". To me, the best understanding today of the biblical principle of disciples is apprentices. Think about it, in a typical apprenticeship a new generation of practitioners are prepared with on-the-job training and often some accompanying classroom work and reading.  Apprenticeships typically last 3 to 6 years, and generally involve four steps:     (1)  Commitment - At this level the apprentice makes the commitment to stay the course by receiving the education and training necessary to become the “journeyman”.       (2) Classroom - At this phase, the apprentice receives the information necessary to understand and work within the sphere of labor.      (3) Training - At this phase, the apprentice begins to put the informat...

The Tragedy of Judas "Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders..." - Matt. 27:3-5, (NASB)    There is always a danger when we begin to speculate about possible outcomes in history "if this or that" would have happened. The story of Judas is one that most people, even non-Christians, know well.  A few years ago I thought about how things could have turned out different for Judas, had the religious leaders responded differently to him. After betraying Jesus, Judas felt remorse and went to the temple, the "house of God," to return the silver. There he confessed to the priests, "I have sinned..." Precisely what Judas was looking for or expecting is still a mystery, but it occurred to me that the priests were given an opportunity to "restore" this sinner. I mean, Judas was at the temple, where sacrifices were offe...

"...And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." - (Matt. 6:4, ESV)    Jesus uses the phrase above three different times in this chapter of Matthew: in relation to giving (v.4),  prayer (v.6), and finally fasting (v.18). We understand that when things are repeated in the Bible the author is letting us know that we need to pay attention to something is important.    We must be clear that Jesus is not telling us that others cannot  see these deeds. Anyone who has ever fasted while sharing a home with others understands that this is impossible. In addition, sometimes giving anonymously is just not possible. The same holds true with prayer.  So the questions is, "What is Jesus telling us?" Jesus is telling us is that spiritual deeds should not be done for the purpose of displaying our "spirituality" in front of others. If you fast more than a meal or two chances are good that someone will notice. Does this mean that your fast was useles...

"But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." - (Matt. 5:39, ESV)    Life is not always pleasant this side of Heaven, and it is not always easy to handle those difficult moments that find their way into our life. Someone yells at us and we want to yell back. Some anonymous driver cuts in front of us on the road and we fly past them with an angry glare. Someone accuses us, lies about us, otherwise mistreats us, and the list goes on. We know how the world reacts, because it is the way that we often want to react, and sometimes do. However, the Bible calls us to live in a way that is, shall we say, unnatural.     Jesus's words are piercing, even to the most faithful servant, "If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." Is Jesus telling us that we need to allow ourselves to be mistreated and just take it? I do not thing that is the point that Jesus...

  "...cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, that the outside thereof may become clean also." - Matthew 23:26 (ASV)     Most cars today have an ingenious tool built into their brake systems. As time goes on, the pads on the brake wear down, and will eventually they will begin to squeal. This is a sound that we all are familiar with. Sometimes it hurts your ears, and other times it makes your skin crawl like when running your fingernails across a chalkboard. Believe it or not, that is precisely what your brakes are suppose to do. The squealing is not the problem, but it does let you know that it is time to act before their is a problem. If the squealing is not dealt with, the squeal itself will become part of the problem.    In the passage above Jesus is talking rather sternly to the Pharisees. Pharisees were hypocritical religious leaders who enjoyed pointing out the faults of others, but were often more evil than those they criti...

"You are the salt of the earth...You are the light of the world..." - Matt. 5:13-16 (NASB)      Anyone in the youth group we served several years ago should remember this. We were studying the afore-mentioned passage of Scripture and trying to understand what Jesus was saying when I asked the question, "What does salt do?" After a few moments of interesting discussion, an unexpected answer came forth from the group: salt kills slugs! After the commotion settled down, the follow-up question, "What does light do?" generated a similar response: light causes cockroaches to scatter! Needless to say, the Sunday School lesson derailed for a while. However, the more I thought about those answers, the more I realized that there is truth in them, no matter how "icky" the illustration.  The church, living by the Word of God,  can "kill" sin and "preserve" life, "scatter" darkness and "illuminate" truth.       I...

"…He came…and said to Peter…"…the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." - (Matt. 26:40-41, NASB)    Many of us are familiar with the words of Jesus highlighted above, and most of us can identify with the truth of Jesus statement. As I read this passage this morning, I noticed something that I had not put together before. When Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane, He took all the disciples with him, but only took Peter, James, and John with Him deeper into the garden.  Jesus went a little further alone and prayed. When he came back to the group, the Bible records that he found them sleeping. And, to be honest, it was past time for bed for these guys. Jesus wakes them up and rebukes them. Now, notice Jesus' words in verse 40, "And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to PETER." (emphasis mine) He did not necessarily rebuke James and John, but directed His words at Peter. Why is this? If you back-track to verse 33-35, you will f...