How To Love Idiots

“Love one another,” “Treat others as you would be treated,” “Love your neighbor as yourself” “Be merciful as your Father in heaven is merciful” “Love your enemy, do good to those who hate you”— Jesus was clear, that loving those around us is our most important task, apart from being faithful to God. And yet, it is funny how we often take our relationships for granted (unless we are dating someone we really like). We assume that we treat everyone fairly and with love—even though sometimes it is “tough love”—and we expect to be treated fairly in return.

However, dealing with people is the most difficult task imaginable—just ask God, He has a terrible time with it! Jesus told us that our relationships should be a major priority in our lives just because they would be so difficult to maintain! Jesus didn’t tell us to treat everyone with fairness, but with love and humility. And this means, often, that we need to set aside our own ideals and focus on someone else’s needs and goals. We cannot love if we are just thinking about being “fair” in relationships. To love we must sacrifice and reach out.

1. Meet others needs
When Jesus taught about love, he did not mean that love is a feeling, or a response, or a particular kind of relationship. Rather, when Jesus said, “love” he meant an action. To love is to act in the other person’s benefit, whatever that means. And the most basic way of doing what will help another person is to make an attempt to meet their needs. This is why when Scripture talks about Christian duty, it describes feeding the poor, visiting the sick and welcoming the stranger. Because loving means seeing the need and doing your best to meet it.

But we also need to recognize that people need more than bread and clothes. Jesus himself did much more than meet people’s physical needs—although that was a big part of what he did. Fundamentally, people feel that they have the following needs:

• Survival—Having one’s basic needs met, such as hunger, sleep and health
• Security—Feeling safe from what one fears
• Inner Peace—A sense of contentment with life
• Pleasure—Enjoyment and laughter
• Honor—A sense of being significant to others
• Society—Feeling a part of others and communicating with them

There are other needs that we have—a relationship with God, understanding significant truths, a sense of being a “good person”, but we don’t always feel these needs. The six above we feel almost every day at one point or another, and they deeply control our sense of well-being and color our perception of everything around us. When Jesus met needs, he recognized that people not only needed their “survival” needs met, but also the other ones. Especially in his teaching, he wanted people to feel secure, to have peace, to have joy, to gain honor and to be a part of a good society.

Even so, when we are looking to meet people’s needs, we need not only look at survival needs, although those are foundationally important. But we must also remember to give people respect, to ease people’s fears, to help them laugh and enjoy themselves, to just communicate with others. In doing all of this, we are loving. And all of it is acting in love.

2. Be Humble
Perhaps when you picked up this tract, you thought, “Oh good—I’ve got a lot of idiots I’m supposed to love.” However, the most important lesson Jesus taught us in loving others is “the first shall be last and the last first.” If we really want to love others, the first step is to remember that, more often than not, WE are the idiots, not the people around us. Rather than thinking, “I wish so-and-so could read this tract,” you need to take responsibility for your own idiocy in relationships. If we are really going to love, we need to be humble. How can we do that?

• If a mistake was made, give others the benefit of the doubt
• Take blame upon yourself, instead of pushing it on others
• Focus on what other’s need, not yourself
• If changes need to be made in communication, take as much responsibility on yourself as you can
• Pray for other’s blessing—especially those you are in conflict with

If we place ourselves in the giving position, then we will find that we can actually deserve the honor we might expect others to give to us—whether we get it or not. Most importantly, assume that the other person is trying to be as good and as polite as they can. You may feel that they are acting rude or badly or stupidly. But, chances are, they are not. They are just trying to meet their needs, just like you are.

3. Recognize differences in communication
Another way we can be humble is to recognize that, more often than not, the people around us are not idiots, or jerks, or rude, but they have different communication patterns than we do. If we see someone who looks like an immigrant come up to us and speak loudly in a foreign language, waving his hands, we would not think he was rude, but that he just didn’t have the same customs that we do. But if we see someone speak to us in our language, with our accent, speaking loudly and waving her hands, we would think that she is rude, or possibly have some mental problems. But some people grow up in situations in which speaking loudly (or quietly) and using expansive gestures (or using none at all) is normal, and they are just trying to speak to us normally. We do not feel that it is normal at all—we feel that it is rude, or that they have a problem with us. But often it is not that case at all. We have to take account of other’s different way of speaking.

For instance, different people have a different sense of how long one must pause to allow another person to speak. If one person expects people to talk over her, then she might not give anyone else a chance to speak, and so feel that no one is interested in what she is talking about, because no one is responding. On the other hand, another person might feel that she is hogging up all the time to speak because she won’t stop for a few seconds so they can chime in. Neither person is rude, they just don’t understand how the other person communicates.

There are many kinds of communication differences: How much space to give another person when talking, how direct or indirect one’s requests should be, what kind of touching is appropriate between people, how people should apologize, and how a conversation should begin. Instead of assuming others are “idiots”, perhaps we should try their kind of communication with them and see if they respond positively to it.

4. Respond Positively to Interactions
Every time we communicate with others, we may have as many as a hundred interactions with them in ten minutes. With everything people say to us, we are reacting—even if we think we are giving a neutral or a non-response. With every bit of communication, we either respond with them—on their side—against them or just ignoring them. In a positive relationship, up to 9 out of 10 responses will be positive. If even four out of ten of the responses one gives is offensive or ignoring the other, then the relationship is rapidly going downhill, and may never recover unless something is done.

A negative response to someone doesn’t mean that you can’t disagree with them. On the contrary, two people could be having a conflict, but their reactions are positive toward each other. It is HOW they disagree. If they keep the conversation upbeat, break the heavy discussion with humor sometimes, always show respect for the other person and the relationship, then even a conflict can be a positive relationship. However, if a conversation is characterized by biting sarcasm, insults, outbursts of anger, threats, treating the other like a child, or simply ignoring what another person says, then that conversation will tear down the relationship.

In loving others, we need to work on our communication, so we always try to respond positively. This does not mean just ending the conversation on an upbeat note, but trying to communicate in a positive way throughout the conversation. This can be difficult, and we can make many mistakes along the way, but with God’s help we can do it—even to those who have hurt us.

5. Find the True Meaning behind the Words
None of us means what we say. Most of our communication is a parable of what we really mean. We often ask “how are you?”, but we almost never are looking for a doctor’s diagnosis. A husband may say “I love you,” but not at that moment feel a surge of emotion for his wife. Our child may say, “I don’t feel good,” but they might just be emotionally hurt, not having a physical ailment. Even so, quite a bit of our words have meaning that is not stated directly in the words we used.

And it isn’t only words. I could say, “My mother in law is coming to visit,” and depending on the look on my face or my tone of voice, I would communicate to you whether I liked that idea or not. But if you didn’t understand my non verbal communication—you heard disgust in my voice when I was trying to communicate with my face happy anticipation—then we will get our wires crossed and spend time trying to unravel the miscommunication.

Or we might get into a conflict with another person, and we can argue about the silliest things—whether the sky is actually sky blue or not—whatever. But if we get into a conflict, often the conflict is not about what we are directly discussing. Perhaps the argument is about how one communicates. Or it could be about a long-held ideal or dream that hasn’t been communicated yet. And the conflict could go on eternally without resolution, because the true meaning of the conflict hasn’t yet been discussed.

If the person we are communicating with understands our indirect communication, fine, no problem. However, every time we use indirect communication, we are taking the chance that the other person might misunderstand. And then we don’t understand what they misunderstood because we communicated as clearly as we could—or so we thought.

We need to do our best to get behind the simple meaning of the words. And how do we do this? We ask. We tell the other person what they think they meant by a face or an argument, and give them a chance to explain in a different way.

6. Listen Carefully
Jesus told us that we must “Be careful how you listen.” It is never enough to just listen, but we must listen in a way that communicates. Even our listening communicates a reaction to what others say. And how we listen can either meet others needs or tear them down.

If we do not look like we are listening to the other person, then they think we are ignoring them and they are not important to us. One person may expect someone to look at her when she is talking, but her partner may need to look at the floor to concentrate. Even if he can repeat everything she said, she will still not feel listened to, but ignored. When listening, we need to show that we are interested, in the best way we can, in the way the person we are listening to understands.

We might ask questions, but not too many. We might make listening “noises” like “uh huh”, but not too often. We might nod, but not too excitedly. If we do not do these things enough, the other will think that we are ignoring them. But if we do these things too much, then the other person will think that we are not trying to listen, but to take over the conversation. We must find the right balance for each person.

The most important part of listening in love is two things: First, don’t be trying to force your agenda on the other person. Let them say what they need to say. Second, do your best to give them your full attention. Because we live in a society in which everyone feels that everyone is too busy to listen, this is the best gift that anyone can give.

(Thanks to the work of John M Gottman and Deborah Tannan)

Does God Give Prosperity?

What is prosperity doctrine?
It is the teaching that the normative Christian life is being wealthy, healthy and successful in the world. To live a life of poverty, illness or dishonor is to lack faith or righteousness. It is not the same as charismatic or Pentecostal teaching, which teaches that the Holy Spirit’s power is just as strong in the world today as it was in the first century. Prosperity doctrine connects the Spirit’s power with always being healthy, and always having the blessings of this world. While the Spirit is just as powerful as he ever was, and heals just as strongly as he ever did, does this mean that the Spirit desires believers to be always healthy, always rich and always popular?

Is There a Biblical Basis for Prosperity Doctrine?
There certainly is. Many prosperity doctrine teachers use the Bible, especially many Old Testament passages, to support their concept. Isaiah 53:5 and II Chronicles 7:14 certainly speaks about God healing sicknesses through prayer and the sacrifice of Jesus. And there is a strong theme throughout the OT of God providing prosperity for those who are righteous, whether it be a nation or an individual. Among the passages that indicate this are: Deuteronomy 28:11; Psalm 25:12-13; Proverbs 13:21 and Zechariah 1:17.

However there is an equally strong, but seemingly opposing theme in the OT of the righteous suffering illness, calamity, persecution and tragedy of no fault of their own, but even especially because they were righteous. Stephan in Acts 7 and Hebrews 11 both give a long list of righteous people whose lives were surrounded by tragedy. The Psalms as well are full of many cries of the righteous to deliver them from trouble that the righteous did not cause. The book of Job in and of itself repeats again and again that disease and calamity in a person’s life is not an indication of their lack righteousness or faith.

Of course, prosperity teachers understand that most people do go through periods of tribulation, poverty and ill health, but they also teach that for the person who has perfect faith in Christ that such difficulties would be behind them forever. The completely righteous person in Christ would never again have to suffer in such a way.

One problem with their teaching even from the OT is that when the Scripture speaks of “prosperity” it does not mean material wealth as we have today. Rather it describes prosperity as being abundance of produce and cattle, enough to eat, enough clean water to drink, a community which worships God, peace from enemies and contentment. It does not anywhere speak of the abundance of wealth and the comparative economic plenty in comparison with 99 percent of the rest of the world that prosperity doctrine teachers promote. (I Timothy 6:8)

Another issue is that when the OT speaks of healing, it is done in the context of forgiveness from judgment. If the nation of Israel disobeys the covenant at Sinai, then God would visit upon them the diseases that he put upon Egypt. But if they return to Him, then he will heal them, and He will be their healer. It does not ever give a carte blanche healing for all diseases that might come upon a person. (Exodus 15:26; Deuteronomy 28; Isaiah 57:16-21; Jeremiah 3:22)

What Does Jesus Say?
Jesus himself knew of the two theological ideas in the OT—the righteous would prosper and the righteous would suffer. He did not deny one part to take up the other, but joined them together into a unity. He claimed that the righteous would suffer in this age, which is under the control of Satan and humans under the thumb of Satan. The characteristics of the righteous at this time, Jesus says, is poverty, lowliness, persecution, mourning, and the deep desire for justice to come. And, Jesus says, it is exactly these who suffer now that the blessings of prosperity would be offered to these in the coming kingdom of God. In the kingdom, these who suffered would receive justice, happiness, peace, authority, safety and wealth. Thus, Jesus says, both themes in the OT are true—the righteous will suffer now and in order to enact justice for them, God will give them wealth and prosperity in the future when the kingdom comes. On the contrary, those who have a good life now—wealth, success, popularity—cannot expect to receive these blessings in God’s kingdom. (Matthew 3:3-12; Luke 6:20-26; Matthew 10:24-42; Mark 8:34-37)

Is this in agreement with the rest of the New Testament?
The rest of the New Testament is in agreement with Jesus. It is, James says, the poor who will receive the blessings of God, while the rich will be left empty (James 1:9-11; 2:5; 5:1-5). One of the characteristics of faith, says the writer of Hebrews, is not receiving what one expects, but believing in that expectation anyway and persevering in faith (Hebrews 11:32-12:4).

One of the best examples we have of this is the apostle Paul. Paul and his evangelists suffered all kinds of tribulations—illness, persecution, shipwrecks, sleeplessness, hard labor, constant danger, hunger, poverty, cold, imprisonments and much more. Yet he boasted in all this suffering, knowing that it is the suffering that grants him security in Christ, not wealth or popularity. (Philippians 2:25-27; Galatians 4:13; II Corinthians 11:21-30; Philippians 4:11-12; II Timothy 4:6-8.)

Thus, it is the entire New Testament that is in agreement with Jesus about the righteous being characterized for a time by suffering, while later they will receive security and wealth in the kingdom of God.

Is That All?
Some might say, “Is this all about what one expects out of the Christian life? So what’s the big deal? Some Christians receive poverty and some are wealthy, so why argue about it?” The problem with prosperity doctrine is not as much what the implications of their doctrine are.

Dishonoring the Poor
First of all, prosperity teachers find it necessary to put believers in Jesus who experience poverty or illness on a lower level than those who experience wealth and health. They claim that believers who are poor or ill are stricken by an evil spirit which they do not have the faith to resist. This is, frankly, insulting to believers who have been faithful to Jesus, have endured in spiritual warfare and yet remain poor and ill. And it is the opposite of what Jesus promised them. Those who are poor should be honored by the church, but instead they are dishonored, which is an abomination in Jesus (James 2:1-9).

This position also lessens the danger of wealth that Jesus expressed in many times and ways. Being wealthy does not exclude you from the kingdom of God, but it does make it more difficult. The reason for this, Jesus says, is the necessity to give up the wealth of this life for the sake of the poor and then the wealth will be stored up for one in the kingdom of God. Should one fail to give his or her wealth to the poor, they will be punished eternally. (Mark 10:17-25; Luke 12:15-21; 32-34; Luke 16:19-31) Prosperity doctrine honors the rich for their wealth and does not emphasize the giving to the poor, thus endangering their wealthy disciples to eternal fire.

Preaching for Personal Gain
Another danger of prosperity doctrine is the teachers themselves tend to seek personal wealth. This only makes sense, for they want to be good examples to their disciples, to show them what their teaching brings. However, the New Testament teaches that it is a characteristic of a false teacher to preach for personal gain. The Bible is opposed to the demand of salaries and payments to preach the gospel—one’s room and board, offered after the gospel is given, is sufficient.

In fact, a very strong statement is given in I Timothy 6 against the very thing that prosperity doctrine promotes—the thought that the gospel is for the increase of personal wealth. Paul does not say that being rich is bad, but he does say that one should be content with what one has and be generous to the poor. But he does say that those who teach the gospel for the sake of obtaining personal wealth “do not agree with… the teaching of Jesus” and are “conceited and understand nothing” because they believe that “godliness is a means of great gain.”

Does God Promise Prosperity?
Yes, he does! But in order to obtain the wealth and blessings we have in store for us in the kingdom of God, we must endure through a time of testing of our faith. For now, in this age, life is suffering and difficulty and struggle for the one who follows Jesus. But if we endure to the end, then great blessing will be ours and eternal life.

Being One With God

God is gracious
He provides for all our needs, whether we deserve it or not.
God is compassionate
He looks with pity upon our shortcomings, and fills up our lack.
God is slow to anger
He hesitates again and again before He punishes us for our sin.
God is true
Never has he spoken a word which has proven untrustworthy
God is good in his faithfulness
He always keeps his promises in a way that is good for us.
God forgives our sin
No matter how often we sin, He is ready to wipe it away, if we would but repent


As followers of God, all God requires is that we be like Him. To be sharers in the divine character. “Be merciful as your Father in heaven is merciful.”


How radically different would your life look if you were god-like?

God have mercy on us. Through Your Spirit, let us live out your ways of mercy.

True and False Christians

The word “Christian” is a combination of a Greek title and a Latin ending which means, “One who is a servant of Christ.” This is specifically one who belongs to the household of Jesus, the Christ and Lord, the anointed one of God who was crucified by the ruling governments and was raised by God. More than a billion people in the world today call themselves “Christian”, but according to the teaching of Jesus, there are many who call Jesus “Lord”, but they are not truly servants of Jesus.

Jesus said, “Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven. Many will call me on that day and say, ‘Lord, Lord did we not prophecy in your name and in your name cast out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘Depart from me, you who did not obey my law, into eternal punishment prepared for the devil and his angels, for I never knew you.’ Again, not everyone who calls me ‘Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father who is in heaven. So why do you call me ‘Lord’ but do not do what I say?” (Matthew 7:21-24; Matthew 25:41; Luke 6:46)

Even so, there are many who call themselves by the name of Jesus today, but they do not do what Jesus says—and many of these do so knowing that Jesus taught against their practices! Thus, the difference between a true Christian and a false one is based on their actions.

 Those who claim the name of Jesus but determine to hurt or destroy their enemies are hypocrites. But whoever responds to evil done to them with good is a true follower of Jesus. (Luke 6:27)

 Those who claim the name of Jesus and attempt to sell the teaching of Jesus or the promises of God or do miracles for their own profit are hypocrites. But whoever freely gives the teaching and salvation of Jesus to all who would listen is a true follower of Jesus. (Matthew 10:7-8)

 Those who claim the name of Jesus and speak evil of the poor and withhold their wealth and resources from the needy are hypocrites. But whoever sells their possessions and gives to the poor liberally is a true follower of Jesus. (Luke 12:33)

 Those who claim the name of Jesus and demand repayment of a loan upon threat of consequences are hypocrites. But whoever loans money or possessions and does not expect it back is a true follower of Jesus. (Luke 6:34-35)

 Those who claim the name of Jesus and respond in rage and in insults to another’s offense are hypocrites. But whoever attempts to make peace with one who wronged them is a true follower of Jesus. (Matthew 5:21-24; Luke 17:3)

 Those who claim the name of Jesus and look longingly at someone of the opposite sex are hypocrites. But whoever keeps their mind pure is a true follower of Jesus. (Matthew 5:8, 28)

 Those who claim the name of Jesus and are constantly breaking promises made are hypocrites. But whoever does everything they can to keep their word is a true follower of Jesus. (Matthew 5:37)

 Those who claim the name of Jesus and hold to the traditions and rituals of their church with equal status as the teaching of Jesus are hypocrites. But whoever focuses on faith, devotion to God, love of one’s neighbor and obedience to Jesus as the focus of his or her life is a true follower of Jesus. (Mark 7:8-9; Luke 7:44-50)

 Those who claim the name of Jesus but despise the lost, lowly or disobedient are hypocrites. But whoever calls sinners to repentance and declares good news to the needy is a true follower of Jesus. (Luke 15:1-10)

 Those who claim the name of Jesus and collect many possessions and treasures are hypocrites. But whoever renounces all of his or her possessions is a true follower of Jesus. (Matthew 6:19; Luke 14:33)

 Those who claim the name of Jesus and despise others who have wronged them, never forgiving them even though there was a misunderstanding or an apology, are hypocrites. But whoever forgives wrongs done to him or her and accepts apologies and explanations is a true follower of Jesus. (Luke 17:4, Matthew 6:14-15)

 Those who claim the name of Jesus and break their covenant of marriage by divorce or sexual relations with another are hypocrites. But whoever remains with their spouse through his or her whole life or who refrains from marriage altogether is a true follower of Jesus. (Matthew 19:3-12)

 Those who claim the name of Jesus but deny any of the teaching of Jesus or deny that their disobedience of Jesus is sin are hypocrites. But whoever sins against the teaching of Jesus and confesses his or her sin and repents from it is a true follower of Jesus. (Mark 1:15)

 Those who claim the name of Jesus and say that the wealthy, popular and prosperous are the blessed ones of God are hypocrites. But whoever endures suffering, poverty and persecution for the sake of Jesus is a true follower of Jesus. (Luke 6:20-26)

 Those who claim the name of Jesus and attempt to create justice through violence, lies or other evil acts are hypocrites. But whoever asks the Father daily for justice is a true follower of Jesus. (Matthew 5:38-42; Luke 18:7)

 Those who claim the name of Jesus and attempt to keep people from doing merciful acts on the Sabbath are hypocrites. But whoever grants grace to the poor and needy on the Sabbath is a true follower of Jesus. (Matthew 12:1-8)

 Those who claim the name of Jesus but are careless with their words and tear down the righteous with their speech are hypocrites. But whoever speaks with care and gives others peace with their words are true followers of Jesus. (Matthew 12:36; Matthew 5:9)

If you have failed in any of these areas (and we all have), do not despair, but turn to the Lord. Ask forgiveness of your sin and ask that the Holy Spirit might come to you and renew your life in accordance with Jesus’ teaching.

True Christians aren’t perfect—but they are repentant and reconciling.

Pray for the church—that we might all acknowledge the Lord in word and in action.

New Website

The Anawim website is up and running with a totally new look!

One of the main features is all the teachings about what Jesus says about the outcast.

Check it out!

www.nowheretolayhishead.org

That's "No Where To Lay His Head Dot Org" to you.

Listening to Shrek

 

If we want to hear God, we must listen to SHREK:
Scripture
Holy Spirit
Relationships (those who know us)
Experience
Kommunity (Brothers and sisters in the church)

Please forgive any misspellings.

Love Seeks Not Its Own

 

Endurance

Definition: Going through trial for God’s sake; Remaining righteous with God through any circumstances; Being devoted to God and Jesus although suffering; Remaining humble although suffering for it; loving others, although suffering for it; Obeying Jesus although suffering for it; proclaiming God’s word, although suffering for it; Trusting in God’s promise and power although suffering for it.

Passion:
Luke 22:31-34
During their final meal together, Jesus is warning his disciples that they shall all be scattered-- and he especially warns and encourages Peter. And Peter makes a bold proclamation, that he is ready to die for Jesus. Such proclamations are good, but they are only good if the one making the confession endures with it. Time is the test to see whether a statement of faith is faith-full, or if it is empty.

Luke 22:39-26
Jesus warned the disciples again and again that the time of testing was coming. In preparation for that time, Jesus spent time praying and that is what he told his disciples to do as well. They needed to endure, but the way to endure is to spend time with God. We are weak, our flesh is always wanting to do what it wants to do. If we endure, it is because we are doing what our flesh does not want to do. To strengthen the spirit and to control our flesh, we need to pray. If we pray, we can endure. If we do not pray, we will fail.

Luke 22:54-61
Peter was not prepared. Peter was not aware of his weakness. So when the time of testing came, he did not endure. He failed at the most important time of his life. At the time of crisis, he took the path of flesh, not spirit. And in that, he failed Jesus and was unworthy to be a follower.

John 21:14-19
Jesus did not fail Peter, though. Jesus saw Peter's repentance, and saw that he was ready to try again. Jesus filled Peter with the Holy Spirit and then told him to begin again. He is asking Peter, "Do you love me?" He is telling him, "Care for my church." But most importantly, Jesus tells Peter what he told him at first, "Follow me!" He is telling Peter, "Begin again! You may have failed this time, but I will strengthen you to endure next time!" Even so, the Lord gives us opportunities to endure suffering. If we fail once, he will give us another chance. But eventually, we must remain steadfast or else we will not be saved. (Mark 13:13)

Verses that declare us needing to endure suffering to gain God’s kingdom
I Samuel 2:1-11—The lowly and poor will be raised up and great ones will be cast down

Psalm 37—The poor and meek will inherit God’s land, but the wicked who take advantage of the poor will be destroyed

Isaiah 52-53—The one who suffers for the people will be exalted above his enemies.

Matthew 5:3-12—Those who are poor, meek, persecuted and mourning will receive God’s kingdom.

Matthew 10—Those who suffer for the proclamation of Jesus’ message will be honored by Jesus on the last day; Those who proclaim Jesus’ word will be hated by their family; those who support the ones suffering for Jesus’ word will receive their reward from God.

Matthew 25:31-46—Those who support the messengers of Jesus will be exalted on the last day. Those who refused to support the messengers of Jesus will be cast into the eternal fire.

Mark 8:34-38—Those who take up the cross of Jesus are followers of him; Those who work to gain their lives will lost them; those who lose their lives for Jesus will gain them.

Mark 10:17-31—The rich ruler can only follow Jesus and gain the kingdom of God if he sells his possessions and gives to the poor. Those who are rich will not enter the kingdom unless they give away their possessions. Any disciple who gives up what they have will receive persecutions and eternal life.

Mark 13:13—The one who endures to the end through horrible tribulation will be saved.

Luke 1:46-55—Mary declares that those who are lowly will be raised up and those who are proud will be cast down.

Luke 6:20-26—Those who are poor and mourning will gain the kingdom. The ones who are rejected, hated, set aside, beaten and killed for Jesus will be pleasing to God. The rich and entertained will be sad on the last day.

Luke 14: 25-33—Those who sacrifice everything—their families, their possessions, their lives—for the sake of Jesus are true disciples of his.

Luke 18:9-14—The one who lowers himself before God will be saved, but the one who thinks of himself good before God will not be declared of God.

John 12:23-33—Anyone who dies for God will bear much fruit for God.

John 15:18-16:4—The world will hate the disciples because they are with Jesus.

Acts 5:40-42—The apostles were rejoicing to be counted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus

Acts 7:54-60—Stephen was killed because he declared Jesus.

Acts 9—Saul was blinded and rebuked so he might be a disciple of Jesus. He would suffer many things in the future. He was threatened with death because of his teaching about Jesus.

Acts 14:22—We must enter the kingdom of God only through many tribulations.

Acts 21:13—Paul said, “I am willing not only to be imprisoned, but to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus.”

Romans 5:3-5—We rejoice in our sufferings because it gives us hope

Romans 8:17—We are children of God and inheritors of the kingdom if we suffer with Jesus.

I Corinthians 4:9-13—The apostles have become shamed and weak and homeless so that the churches might be strong.

II Corinthians 6:3-10—The apostles have suffered much in order to minister the gospel.

Philippians 1:29-30—It has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but suffer for his sake.

Colossians 1:24—Paul rejoices in his suffering for the sake of the church so that he can fulfill what is lacking in Christ’s sufferings.

I Thessalonians 3:3-4—Don’t worry about our sufferings, for it is our lot and we knew that we would have to endure them.

II Timothy 2:3-10—The minister of the gospel suffers for Jesus’ sake.

II Timothy 3:12—All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

Hebrews 12:1-4—Even as Jesus suffered and endured, so we also must endure suffering and hostility and not be fainthearted. We have not shed blood, as Jesus did.

Hebrews 12:5-11—The discipline of the Lord on us shows us that we are his children. We suffer for our good, so we should consider it good.

James 1:2-11—If you are poor and going through trials, don’t doubt God, but believe God will give you wisdom.

I Peter 2:18-25—If we suffer for good, we have God’s approval. In this way Jesus also suffered and was reviled, but he did not do evil back.

I Peter 4:12-19—We will suffer in the last days, and glorify God because we suffer for the good we do. We should entrust ourselves to God.

Revelation 2:8-11—The poor, suffering church receives praise from Jesus. Be faithful to death and you will receive the crown of life.

Revelation 3:9-10—Because you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the trial to come.

Revelation 6:9-11—Righteous souls crying out for God to vindicate their deaths are heard by God and asked to wait a little longer for their brothers and sisters who were to be killed as they were.

Revelation 12:10-11—The brothers have conquered Satan by their deaths and their bold testimony of Jesus.

Minor difficulties we allow to cause us to not enact God’s righteousness
Our pleasures
Earthly hopes
Our family
Relationships with friends
Our anger against injustice
Things that society calls “solutions”
Believing in other’s promises as opposed to God’s
Thinking that Jesus isn’t enough
Our fears
Our depression
Regret or guilt
Money
Opportunities to sin
Misunderstanding something a brother or sister said.
Our possession breaking.
Boredom.
Concern about what others’ think about us.

The way of Jesus is filled with opposition and difficulties. If we begin the path with Jesus, we must expect them, not think that they cause us to stumble. The one who is righteous acts in God’s way despite the trials and obstacles. The one who falls away because of the obstacles or difficulties is not righteous and is not right before God. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Boldness

Definition: Asserting the gospel of Jesus no matter what the consequences; proclaiming the words of Jesus without any vagueness or hiding.

Jesus’ Passion
Mark 8:31
Jesus knew that he was going to die. He declared it many times before the disciples. He knew who was going to kill him. But that did not stop him declaring God’s word to those who would kill him. In fact, he declared God’s judgment in spite of the consequences.

Mark 14:55-64
Jesus did exactly the wrong thing in this trial, if he wanted to be declared innocent. He allowed the false witnesses to say what they would, without defending himself. And when the high priest demanded a statement, Jesus declared exactly the wrong thing—that he was the Son of Man, seated at the right hand of God. He knew what their reaction would be to that truth. They would declare him a false teacher and want to kill him. But he declared the truth anyway, despite their reaction.

John 18:33-38
Jesus also said the wrong thing before Pilate. He declared himself a king, the very thing Pilate would interpret as rebellious. But Pilate saw through Jesus’ statement to the truth—that Jesus himself was not intending an insurrection, but would allow God to do it. Yet the crowd was able to use this statement to cause Pilate to kill Jesus, although Pilate found him innocent. The truth is dangerous in certain circumstances and Jesus was boldly proclaiming it, despite the evil that would befall him.

Jesus’ ministry
Luke 6:6-11
Jesus had already healed on the Sabbath. And he knew that there was a Jewish tradition that if anyone of Israel had violated the Sabbath three times, then they must be killed. The leaders of the Jews had already seen him violate the Sabbath twice, and they were looking to see if he would do it again. Jesus, however, was declaring God’s word that doing mercy on the Sabbath did not violate the Sabbath. Jesus looked at these leaders in anger, knowing that they would have him cause this man to continue in suffering. He declared God’s word and healed the man, even though he knew that they would want to kill him from that time.

Mark 11:15-18
Jesus had to make a bold statement that the temple was going to be destroyed. He did this in a very dramatic way, by scourging the temple. However, just in making this statement, Jesus knew that he would be despised and hated and that they would want to kill him for it. However, he did it anyway, for declaring God’s word is more important than the consequences.

Jesus’ teaching
Matthew 10:27-28
Jesus tells his disciples to proclaim his word. Jesus is having some of his teaching in secret before the disciples, but the disciples are to declare it openly. And they are to do this despite the consequences. No matter what the hatred, suffering and death they would have, they were to declare his word.

Mark 8:38
If anyone is ashamed of Jesus or his words, fearing the consequences they would suffer, then Jesus would give them even worse consequences—being ashamed of them on the judgment day.

NT teaching
Acts 4:18-20; 19-21
The apostles were told clearly that if they proclaimed the word of Jesus or the message of his death and resurrection, they would be punished and possibly killed. The apostles had two responses—they openly announced that they couldn’t stop speaking about Jesus and they prayed to God for boldness. God responded by giving them boldness.

Ephesians 6:19-20
Paul is asking for prayer that he would boldly declare God’s word even though he is already suffering consequences for it.

Consequences of boldly declaring the word of Jesus
Mocking friends (Luke 6)

Family members will reject. (Luke 14)

Authorities will do all they can to stop the message. (Acts 3-4)

Satan will attack you with temptations and persecutions.

Families will be divided (Matthew 10)

Societies will go to war.

Hatred will be stirred up. (Matthew 10; John 15)

The righteous will be tortured, beaten and killed. (John 15-16)

Blasphemies will be uttered in response to it—God will be declared weak, powerless and spiteful. (Ezekiel 36)

Lives will be destroyed. (Mark 10)

People will quit their jobs. (Mark 1)

People will give up all of their material possessions. (Luke 14)

People will surrender all they found worthwhile. (Mark 10)

Many will be judged by God. (Luke 10:)

Loss of sleep. (Matthew 8:24)

Lack of health. (Philippians 2:25-27)

Unsure where food and clothing will come from. (Matthew 6:25-32)

Inadequate situations to pray. (Mark 1:35-37)

Excessive stress.

Frustration with people who don’t listen. (Mark 8)

Homelessness. (Luke 9)

Dependence On God

Definition: Relying on God’s power through weakness; looking to God alone for salvation—not any other power or oneself; allowing oneself to experience suffering and weakness so that God’s power can be displayed; looking to God to help others, not one’s own power.

Jesus’ Passion
Mark 14:32-40
Jesus knew what was coming. He knew the suffering he was to undergo. And so he announced to his disciples that he was praying. He didn’t run away. He didn’t muster up an army. He didn’t figure out how to defend himself in his trials. He didn’t come up with brilliant speeches so others would believe in him. Rather, he trusted exclusively in God and in God’s power. He told his three trusted disciples to pray as well, but they wanted to sleep. They were relying on their flesh to get them through. Jesus, although the fullness of God rested in him, did not rely on himself or his current relationship with God. Instead, he looked to God for strength and relied only on him.

Matthew 27:41-43
Even Jesus’ enemies recognized that Jesus was depending on God alone. They mocked him for it. They didn’t depend only on God—they depended on God through their temple, through their traditions. God wasn’t enough for them and so they mocked Jesus who waited only on God.

Jesus’ ministry
Matthew 4:3-4
The devil was tempting Jesus to do miracles on his own authority, for his own need. Jesus declared his dependence, not on bread or on his power, but rather on God’s word. All throughout this episode, Jesus said that God would give Jesus all he needed, in his own time and that Jesus need not depend on anything else. Temptation is to depend on something other than God.

John 5:19-20
In speaking about his miracles and healings, Jesus declares his full dependence on the Father. The Father is the one who leads Jesus to pray what he prays, to declare what he declares. Without the Father, there would be no ministry, no teaching.

Jesus’ teaching
Matthew 10
When Jesus sent out his disciples, he had them do their ministry with nothing that they brought on their own. And their ministry itself was that which was given to them—they had no power to heal in themselves, God had to heal. They had no power to cast out demons, the authority of Jesus did that. The message they declared was not their message, but Jesus’ message of the kingdom.

Mark 6:34-44; Mark 8:16-21
Jesus was giving the disciples a lesson in ministry. They could do anything if they had God’s power behind it. The people were in need, and they relied on Jesus. Therefore, God would provide the food to feed them. So Jesus told the disciples to feed them, by God’s power. The disciples didn’t understand God’s power, and so they didn’t know how to feed them. Later on, they still didn’t understand. They were still wondering what they would do about bread. Jesus was helping them focus on the teaching they had already received, by example—bread is not the issue, but dependence on God’s power. If you rely on God, God will provide.

John 12:23-33
Jesus was making a general principle for everyone—himself and all of his disciples. If someone wants to have righteousness in God, then he needs to die. Not dying alone, but dying in dependence in God. Even so, Jesus prayed to the Father and the Father responded. Jesus could rely on the voice, just as he could rely on God’s power to raise him and to be honored by God. If anyone wants honor from God, they need to depend on Him and His power.

NT Teaching
II Corinthians 1:9; 12:10; 13:4
Some of the Corinthians were mocking and downgrading Paul because of his sufferings and persecutions and weaknesses. Paul himself didn’t find these particularly pleasing. He would rather have ministered from a position of strength. However, God declared to him that it is through his weaknesses that God’s power would be displayed. Only if Paul relys on God for his ministry will the ministry be effective—for only in this way will it come from God. Thus, Paul rejoices and is content with his weaknesses because he knows that it is only in this way that God will be honored.

Actions of dependence

Pray for deliverance—your own and others’. (Luke 18:1-8)

Wait for God’s power to deliver, not taking it into your own hands.

Not relying on the government for peace or deliverance.

Not being angry at social services, family or friends for not helping you.

Giving up of what you have for those in greater need than you. (Luke 12:33)

Not looking to money for help, but looking for God to provide your needs. (Matthew 6:24-32)

Not waiting for a “minimum amount” in order to do the ministry God called you to. (Luke 10)

Being happy about your weaknesses, because it gives God an opportunity to display his power. (II Corinthians 12:10)

Not taking legal action against those who have done you wrong. (I Corinthians 6; Luke 6)

Not building up a lot of things for your security. (Matthew 6:19)

Being bold in the ministry God called you to, even if others are displeased. (Matthew 10)

Seeking God’s ultimate deliverance in his coming kingdom and not looking for “quick fixes” in your suffering. (Mark 13)

Allowing God’s power to fulfill his promises, not shady schemes. (Genesis 16)

Submission

Definition: Accepting the unrighteous punishment of authorities; waiting for God to vindicate one; trusting oneself to God’s ultimate authority; doing all that earthly authorities require, except to disobey God; not reviling, dishonoring or rebelling against evil authorities.

Passion:
John 18:19-24; Matthew 26:59-68; Matthew 27:11-14
When Jesus was put on trial before different groups, he responded similarly. Before Annas, the high priest, Jesus responded, but said nothing in his defense. And when he was struck, he did not deny their right to strike him, although he asked for what reason they did so. But before the Sanhedrin and Pilate, he remained silent. He was silent through the false accusations, he was silent when they asked him to defend himself. He only spoke when he was commanded to. These rulers were proven to be evil, because of their approach to him and their desire to kill him, but Jesus still submitted to them. He was waiting for God to vindicate him, not himself, not men.

Jesus’ Teaching:
Matthew 5:38-41
The word “resist” is the opposite of submit (see James 4:7). Jesus is saying that when we are approached by oppressors—those who desire to use what authority they have to do evil to us—allow them to do so. We do not do this out of some perverse passivity, but because we are allowing them to show their evil, while we show our righteous place. In this way, God will vindicate those who are clearly righteous and judge those who oppress the righteous.

Matthew 5:10-12
Jesus says that we are to rejoice when people, even evil authorities, persecute us. In that way, we know that we are righteous like the prophets of old, and that we will receive God’s kingdom.

NT Teaching:
Romans 12:21-13:7
Paul is speaking about submission to authorities that are unrighteous, as well as those who do well. In fact, the context that Paul is speaking of is that of doing good to those who do evil to you. Even though a government or authority is evil, we should offer acknowledgement of their authority, pray for them, and offer them the money they demand.

I Peter 2:18-23
Peter is giving a difficult counsel. He is saying that if we are under unrighteous authority, and they are oppressive or unreasonable, we are to submit to them anyway. We are to submit to their beatings, we are to submit to their demands. Why should we do all this? Because it is the way of Jesus. Jesus himself was reviled and he bore no reproach back. This is the way of God.


Scriptural Examples of the Submission Principle

If you consent and obey, you will eat the best of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword. Isaiah 1:19-20

Scripture assumes that submission is one of the realities of human life. But it also assumes that there are right ways to submit and wrong ways to submit. Those who submit to authorities, even through difficult circumstances, are vindicated by God, the ultimate authority and blessed by him. But those who rebel against proper authority are punished for their rebellion by death.

Those who submitted and were vindicated:
Joseph: He was sold into slavery by his older brothers. He was so obedient, humble and wise that he was given authority over households. He honored his master enough not to have sex with his masters wife when she threw herself at him. But then he was falsely accused and thrown into jail. But God eventually vindicated him and he was risen over all Egypt. (Genesis 39-41)

David: He submitted to Saul and refused to hurt him at all, even though he was given an opportunity to do so and his supporters encouraged him to do so. Rather, he ran in the wilderness for years. God eventually made him king over all Israel, because of his righteous heart. (I Samuel 18-23; II Samuel 1-3)

Daniel: He was a prisoner of the king of Babylon and was given the opportunity to train as an official. He submitted to both the king and to God in trying to obey them both—even though their demands seemed to contradict. He was vindicated by God and was placed in authority under the king. (Daniel 1 and 2)

Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah: They were commanded to worship an idol or else they would die at the hands of their king. They refused to worship, but submitted to the unjust punishment of the king. God did not allow them to be destroyed, but instead the king honored them and God. (Daniel 3)

Jeremiah: Jeremiah taught the people of Jerusalem to submit to the king of Babylon and not to rebel against him and it would do well for them. He himself suffered for this message, being thrown in prison and into a well. He was honored by the king of Babylon and honored by God as one of the greatest of the prophets. (Jeremiah 21, 36-41)

Peter: The Jewish elders beat him and Herod threw him into jail and he submitted to all of it. God vindicated him by giving him deliverance and the Holy Spirit to give him boldness. (Acts 3-4, 12)

Paul: He was before the High Priest and was struck by him. At first he spoke against it, but when he realized that it was a proper authority, he submitted to him. (Acts 23:1-5)

Those who rebelled and were judged:
Ruben: He tried to take his father’s authority by sexually taking advantage of his father’s concubine. He was no longer the leader of the children of Israel. (Genesis 35:22; 49:1-4)

Korah: He felt that Moses was leading the people wrong and demanded to be leader himself. God caused him and his followers to be destroyed. (Numbers 16)
Absalom: He felt that David was unjust in his judgments and so he rebelled against David and established himself as ruler. He was cast down by God and killed shamefully. (II Samuel 13-18)

Jehoiakim, Zedekiah, Jehoiachin: All three of these kings were placed under the authority of the king of Babylon and the Lord told them to submit to him. But all three rebelled against the king and so they were deposed and Jerusalem was destroyed. (II Kings 24-25)

King of Tyre: He considered himself to be a god and raised himself up. God lowered him and destroyed him. (Ezekiel 28)

Sacrificial Love

Definitions: Surrendering ourselves for others; buying the devotion to God of some with the payment of one’s life or resources; not excluding evil people or those who do harm to us from our love; doing good to everyone with all we have.

Passion:
Luke 22:49-51; Luke 23:33-34
Jesus’ love wasn’t just for those who showed concern for him. He healed a man who was coming to arrest him. He asked forgiveness for those who were crucifying him and taking his clothing to gamble for it. He loved even those who despised him, who killed him. Jesus’ love reaches even those who we would expect he would hate. His love includes everyone.

Mark 10:45
Jesus didn’t come to earth just to show us a good way. He came to lay down his life for us. He intended to pay the ultimate sacrifice so that we could be right with God. He was going to surrender all he had in order to get us. He had nothing left, but he gave it all to buy us for God.

Jesus’ Teaching:
Luke 6:27-36
We are to be like Jesus in not being exclusive with our love. Just because someone does something evil to us, that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t care for them or about them. We are to pray for everyone—even those who hate us. We are to help everyone in need—even those who mistreat us. God’s love is for everyone, not just those who like God, but even for those who hate him. We should be the same way.

Mark 12:41-44
Jesus used the widow to make a point. In our giving, it is not the amount we give that is important. It is how much we have sacrificed. If we sacrifice for God, for others, if we give up everything we have, then we are pleasing to God. Even if we give a huge amount, if we did not sacrifice it, then we gave a little thing in God’s sight, not worthy of his attention. Sacrifice is what God looks at.

John 15:12-13
Jesus wants us to love each other. He wants us to love in deed, not just in word. The way we show that love is by lowering ourselves so that our lives are sacrificed for others. We are to show the love of Jesus in our lives by giving our whole lives for the sake of others.

NT Teaching:
Colossians 1:24
Paul is making a remarkable statement here. He is fulfilling the death of Christ in his life—filling it out, and finishing the work Jesus began. How does he do this? By sacrificing himself for the church. He is giving of himself in order that the church might be living and growing and mature in Christ. He gave up of himself by suffering and by surrendering the life that he could have lived. He is not re-doing the death of Jesus—rather, he is living it out and allowing others to be redeemed because of his suffering, even as Jesus did.

Other passages: Romans 5:6-10; II Corinthians 1:6-7; 8:8-9; Galatians 2:20; Galatians 6:10; Ephesians 5:21-23; I Thessalonians 5:15; II Timothy 2:10.



Examples of People who showed sacrificial, inclusive love

The Twelve—They gave up their houses, families, professions and livelihoods to follow Jesus and eventually were killed for it.

Paul—He suffered beatings, stonings, shipwrecks, and many other persecutions in order to take the gospel to the Gentiles who did not know it.

Barnabas—He gave all of his land to be sold and then offered it to the church to be given to the poor.

Francis of Assisi—He gave up all that he had—his food, his clothes, including what anyone would give to him—to the needy.

Michael Sattler—He was arrested, had his tongue cut out and was torn apart with red hot tongs for teaching Jesus’ way of peace to those in Catholic provinces.

Dirk Willems—As an Anabaptist—one who taught that the church should not baptize infants, but only believers—Dirk was threatened for arrest. He saved the life of the one trying to capture him, even though he was then arrested, tried for heresy and killed.

Ignatius Loyola—He gave up his profession and lived on the street so he could focus on God and to teach the way of Jesus to everyone.

George Fox—He was imprisoned so that those who hated him could hear the word of God.

Hudson Taylor—Although always sick, he gave himself up to giving the gospel of Christ to those who had never heard it in China.

Jim and Elizabeth Elliot—Jim was killed so that an almost unknown people in South America can hear the gospel. His wife, Elizabeth returned to them and successfully gave the gospel of Jesus to those who killed her husband.

Compassion

Definition: Care for others; sorrow at the sight of others in need; motivated by care to act for another’s benefit; focusing on the needs of others despite personal sorrow and suffering.

Passion:
Luke 22:54-61; Luke 23:27-31; Luke 23:39-43
Jesus was suffering the unbearable suffering of shame and pain. But in the midst of his suffering, he did not focus on himself and his agony, but on the needs of others. When Peter had denied him three times, he knew this, and looked at Peter, even though he was being confronted and accused at the time. When he was so weak he couldn’t carry his cross, he did not pay attention to his own suffering, but on the suffering that the women who were weeping would later suffer. He told them not to weep for him but for themselves. And on the cross, he did not pay attention to his own shame, but also to the spiritual struggle and repentance that the man next to him was having. On the cross, Jesus displayed his compassion more than at any other time, for he still did what was loving during his greatest sorrow.

Ministry:
Mark 1:41; Mark 6:34; Mark 8:2
Jesus’ ministry was characterized by the compassion he had on those who were needy. He saw lepers, the blind and the impoverished and he had compassion on them and healed them. He saw people who were hungry and he fed them. He saw people who were lost without clear direction and he taught them the truth of God. He looked at the needs of people and met those needs because of the sorrow in his heart. The Spirit moved him to meet the lacks of the people around him with God’s plenty.

Jesus’ teaching:
Mark 12:28-31
Jesus desires that we fulfill the law. Not all of every single command of the law, but he desires that we love God and love those around us. If we do not love people, then we have not fulfilled God’s righteousness, no matter what else we do. Obedience to God demands that we love.

Matthew 12:7
The Pharisees were judging the disciples for not keeping the Sabbath according to their strict guidelines. Jesus never taught against the Sabbath, but he did clearly teach that all the laws was for the good of others. If we judge others because of a ritual or custom they did not follow but did not have compassion, then we will be condemned. Allow mercy to rule, not judgement.

Other New Testament Teaching:
Philippians 2:1-5
The basic rule of the church, according to Paul, is love. Love and compassion should guide all of our dealings with one another. Paul goes so far to say that we should honor one another as better than ourselves. We should not only love others, but we should meet their needs before we meet our own.

I John 3:10-18
John also affirms that the basic rule of the church is love. If we do not love each other—not just in words, but in actions that meet each other’s needs—then we are not of God. But, in fact, if we do not care for other’s needs then we prove ourselves to be a child of the devil.

Acts of compassion

Feeding the hungry
Clothing those with inadequate clothing
Visiting and praying for the sick
Casting out demons
Preaching a good message to those in misery
Providing warmth to the cold
Providing shelter to the homeless
Visiting and caring for those in jail
Teaching the way of God to those looking for God
Giving a cup of cold water to the thirsty
Forgiving those who owe you
If a brother or sister has wronged you, gently and privately telling them so.
Redeeming slaves.
Being friendly to the friendless
Accepting the outcast
Providing showers to the dirty.
Providing a bathroom to those who lack it.
Lending and giving money to those who need it (and who won’t use it on their sin)
Discipling people in the way of the Lord

Love is not simply action, it is compassion. A person can do tremendous acts of service and sacrifice, but still not care for those they are sacrificing for. Fundamentally, they are sacrificing themselves for themselves, not for others. We need to remember that the actions that we do need to be done from love—not self interest. Self interest does not fulfill our obedience to God. Love alone is the fulfillment of the law.

Obedience

Definition: Doing God’s will as opposed to our will ; denying oneself; having our flesh be killed; learning about God by experience; submission to God; remaining under the discipline of God the Father.

Passion:
Mark 14: 32-39
Jesus was grieved about the necessity of carrying the cross and the shame that God was declaring that he would do. He knew that there was still one opportunity for him to ask God for mercy, that he would not have to carry the cross. But he recognized throughout that he would not ever disobey the Father. Whatever the Father told him to do, that is what he would do. When the time finally came, he was ready to face what he had to face.

Ministry:
Mark 8:31-38
Jesus told the disciples that the climax of his ministry is the cross. That the rejection by religious leaders is the goal of his ministry. Peter told him that this could not be—and Jesus severely rebuked him. The most important thing, Jesus said, is to keep in mind what God wants, not what humanity wants. The world wants peace and comfort, but God wants us to be people who will bring reconciliation to the world by means of the cross. And if anyone is to be like Jesus, they will take up the cross themselves.
Matthew 4:1-11
The significant thing when Jesus confronted Satan is that he was totally focused on doing the will of God. Satan is trying to get Jesus to do things that would be good for himself—eating, increasing his own glory, taking on the rulership of the nations. But Jesus would have none of it. It is better for him to not eat, to be lowly, to have no honor than to disobey God.

Jesus’ teaching:
Matthew 7:21-27
Those who will enter the kingdom are those who obey God, especially the teachings of Jesus. If we hear God’s word through Jesus and do not do it, we will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Teaching of the New Testament
Hebrews 5:8
Jesus himself had to learn obedience. He had never disobeyed God, but he had to learn it through doing what God wants in the midst of hardship.
Romans 6:11-22
We need to make a determination whose slave we are. If we are a slave to sin, then we are free from doing any kind of righteousness. However, if we are a slave to God (which we are through the cross of Christ) then we are freed from doing sin. And, in fact, we must not do sin, but do God’s will.


Commands of Jesus we have a hard time obeying

Sell your possessions and give to the poor. (Luke 12:33)
Lend to those in need and expect nothing back. (Luke 6 34-35)
Take care with every word you say. (Matthew 12
Pray persistently for justice. (Luke 18:1-7)
Pray for the Holy Spirit. (Luke 11:9-13)
Don’t worry about your basic needs. (Matthew 6:31)
Don’t worry about tomorrow. (Matthew 6:34)
Don’t serve money. (Matthew 6:24)
Be at peace with your brothers and sisters. (Mark 9:50)
Renounce all of your possessions. (Luke 14:33)
Do not insult another. (Matthew 5:22)
Don’t look at someone to desire them sexually. (Matthew 5:28)
Keep all of your promises. (Matthew 5:37)
Don’t do evil to those who do evil to you, but do good. (Luke 6:27)
Give to those who are in need and ask for help. (Luke 6:30)
Don’t collect earthly treasures. (Matthew 6:19)
Don’t determine the final destination of another. (Matthew 7:1-2)
Repent of your sins before you accuse another of sin. (Matthew 7:5)
Do good to everyone, without exception. (Matthew 7:12)
Be prepared for testing and persecution, especially with prayer. (Luke 14:26-27; Mark 14:38)
Strive to be the least of all the church. (Luke 9:46-48)
Do good and give to both the righteous and the wicked. (Luke 6:35)
If a brother sins, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him. (Luke 17:3)
Give in secrecy. (Matthew 6:2-4)
Evangelize with nothing but the clothes on your back. (Matthew 10:9-10)
Celebrate the Sabbath by doing mercy on the Sabbath. (Matthew 12:7, 11-12)
Feed the hungry. (Mark 6:37; 8:2-3)
Be rid of your wealth. (Mark 10:21)
Forgive sins. (John 20:23)
Make disciples of Jesus. Teach followers to obey Jesus. (Matthew 28:19-20)

Let us not make excuses for our disobedience. Let us not hope that our disobedience will be ignored. Let us not say that Jesus was wrong. Rather, let us confess our disobedience and strive to do right in all that he said. To gain the kingdom, we must obey his word. To live through judgment day, we must do God’s will. Anyone who excuses his disobedience will be told, “Go away, I never knew you.” Let us repent and do good.

Trusting In God's Promises

What is trusting in God’s promises?
Believing that God’s promises and prophecies will be fulfilled; taking action that would fulfill God’s promises; obeying God when he tells you to take a step of faith on those promises; relying on God; resting without anxiety, knowing that God will fulfill his promises.

Jesus’ Passion:
Matthew 26:50-56
Jesus did not support fighting or striving to fulfill God’s kingdom or justice. Rather, he trusted that God would fulfill the Scriptures, and the only way the Scriptures were to be fulfilled was through submitting to the cross. Jesus fully trusted in God’s promises—that he would be vindicated and risen from the dead. And so any vain effort to fulfill justice their own way was pointless.

Luke 23:46
Jesus trusted that God would fulfill his vindication and so did not take matters into his own hands. Rather, he submitted himself to God and to God’s actions—that God would do all that was necessary.

Jesus’ Ministry:
Luke 4:16-21
Jesus began his ministry on one premise—that the word of God will be fulfilled now. All of his healings, his exorcisms, his teaching, they were all based on one idea—that it is time for God’s promises to be fulfilled. This is how Jesus lived and how he died.

Jesus’ teaching:
Matt 5:17-18
Jesus did not come to earth to take the Scriptures and throw them away. Rather, he saw the Hebrew Scriptures as something to be fulfilled. In whatever way they needed to still be completed, he would do it. He would be ready to have God fulfill all the Scriptures through him. He would be ready to do in righteousness what the children of Israel failed to do.

Matthew 21:21-22
Jesus taught his disciples that they were to have faith. Whatever God says he will do, he can do. The disciples just have to be ready to accept God’s word. They need to pray God’s promises and wait expectantly for God to fulfill them.

Other New Testament teaching:
Romans 3:21-22
Jesus redeemed us through his death, which demonstrated his faith. If we have faith in
God’s promises as Jesus had faith, then we will have a right standing before God. This only happens if we participate in Jesus’ faith.

Hebrews 11:39-40
Everyone who was righteous in the Scriptures were so because of their faith. They trusted in God—that is what is essential. And the only way we are going to be risen with these who had faith is if we ourselves have faith. And so we need to trust in God’s promises to us like they believed in God’s promises to them.

Promises of God

The righteous—those who are right before God— are those who have faith. Habakkuk 2:4

God will provide the needs of all the poor. Psalm 145:15-16

God will provide healing and liberation to the outcast. Isaiah 61:1-2

Whoever suffers innocently/unjustly will be vindicated by God. Exodus 22:21-23

God will redeem the righteous poor. Psalm 72:13-14

God will send a redeemer to save his people from their sins—and that redeemer’s name is Jesus. Acts 4:10-12

Jesus is the Son of God and Lord. Mark 1:9-11

God’s people will receive God’s Spirit. Ezekiel 36:26-27; Isaiah 44:3

God will destroy his enemies: those who rebel against him and those who oppress the righteous. Deuteronomy 32:41-43

God will destroy the kingdoms of the world and replace them with his kingdom. Daniel 2:44

God will judge between the innocent and the guilty before him. Psalm 75:2-3

Jesus will return with the angels of heaven as Lord of the earth and will judge all peoples. Matthew 25:31-32

All the Gentiles will worship God and honor him. Revelation 5:9

God will raise the dead. John 5:25-29

The righteous will be gathered to and will inherit God’s land. Isaiah 27:12-13

All the righteous will live in peace and prosperity—i.e., have all their needs met. Isaiah 65:17-25

All God’s people will dwell with him eternally. Isaiah 60:19-21

Devotion

What is devotion?
Having God as one’s first priority. Having “pride” in God. Looking to God first before all else. Loving God above all else. A life priority that God comes first and everything else is pointless. Acting as if your life were not your own, but God’s. Surrendering everything you have and are to God for his use.

Jesus’ Passion:
Matthew 27:43
Even those who mocked him on the cross recognized that Jesus was putting his trust in God first. He was on the cross because he trusted that God would vindicate him and because he put God first in his life.
Luke 23:46
Jesus’ very last words were those of putting himself in God’s hands. He focused on God first in all of his life and God was his first thought in his last speech.

Jesus’ Ministry:
Matthew 12:48-51
Jesus declared as his family not those who were born in his family, but those who obeyed God and focused on God with as much devotion as he did.

Jesus’ Teaching:
Matt 6:33
We are not to place our basic needs before anything else. Even our need for food and clothing come after our devotion to God, his kingdom and his righteousness. Nothing in our lives is to be as important as God and doing his will. Nothing.

Luke 14:25-33
Jesus is saying that we need to be ready to put everything we have at God’s disposal. God is the first—nay, the ONLY authority in our lives. What he says goes, and even our family members, our relationships, our possessions are to be at God’s disposal, to do with as He pleases.

Mark 10:17-22
The young man had learned obedience to God, and that was good. But to be finished in his devotion, he had to make all of his possessions—that man’s greatest honor—at God’s disposal, for his use as well. It is not enough to dedicate things to God, or to gain things correctly. God wants total surrender. Total renunciation of all we have and are.

Others in the NT:
Phil 3:3-4
Paul count every accomplishment and pride that he took to be “excrement” in comparison with the glory he gained in Christ. He is totally devoted to Jesus—nothing else is worth anything.

Hebrews 12:1
We are to lay aside anything that will block our devotion to God. Get rid of them and let them go for the sake of God and his call on us to take up the cross.


Things we want to take honor in
(But God wants us to renounce them and put him first)
Being a rebel (Romans 1)
Having educational degrees
Having lots of money (Luke 16:10-15)
Dressing well (Matthew 23)
Having a collection of possessions—CD’s, books, paintings, photos, etc. (Matthew 6:19)
Having knowledge (I Corinthians 8:1-3)
Having been well-traveled
Being famous
Being a prayer warrior
Fasting a lot (Matthew 6)
Being a pastor
Having a title (Matthew 23)
Having a lot of responsibility
Being a leader (Mark 10)
Giving to the poor (I Corinthians 23)
Being a hero
Being patriotic
Having or raising children
Having overcome a difficult life circumstance, such as an addiction or a mental illness.
Being “bad”
Being good at sports
Having a good job
Having a good income
Having an all-encompassing hobby such as photography or quilting.
Belonging to a good church, a club or a religious party.
Having a big house

All of this is shit compared to the glory of God.
Our focus is not what we have, what we are, or what kind of status we can acquire. Rather, it is the love and devotion that God can accomplish through us.

Humility

What is humility?
Lowering oneself; being downwardly mobile; being humiliated; becoming a rogue, a slave, a child, a punished-one; allowing God to reveal oneself in his own way, his own time

Jesus was humble in life and death
Passion:
Matthew 26:47-54;
Jesus made the choice to go to the cross, even though he didn’t have to
Humility: the choice of being downwardly mobile

Ministry:
Mark 1:23-26
Not choosing to let people know who he was—he let God do that for him

Jesus’ Teaching:
Mark 10:35-45
In leadership, we are to look to others—we do not “lord it over” but we are gentle. We force no one, we are violent to no one, we are the slaves of everyone

Matthew 18:1-4
Children are the lowest rung of society—no one listens to them, they have to obey everyone—even slaves. No one considers them to be of significance. We are to change and be humble like children.

Luke 14:7-11
We are to take the lowest place and allow God to raise us up. We are not to work for our own uplifting or exaltation or honor. Instead, we are to make the choice to be lower and allow God to raise us up.

Others in the New Testament:
Philippians 2:1-8
Jesus chose the low path, the low way. We are to chose the same. We exalt others above ourselves. We support them and be slaves to them. This is Jesus’ example. In this way, we will be exalted in due time—not by men, but by God.

Actions of Humility

• Do not give yourself or seek out titles. (Matthew 23:8-10)

• Do not look to be put in the places of honor.
(e.g. The best places at the table, the honored guest at a banquet, etc.)Luke 14

• Do not do actions to be honored by people. (Matthew 6:1-18)

• Do not seek to be the person at the center of attention. (James 3:1)

• Treat everyone equally, whether they look (or smell) nice or not. (James 2:1-7)

• Look for ways to serve the lowest of people. (Matthew 25:31-46)

• Go out of your way to be friendly with, to touch, to chat with, to be equal to the outcast. (Mark 1:40-42)

• If God is going to exalt you, don’t tell anyone—as much as you can—let God do it. (Mark 3:11-12)

• Submit to authorities when you can, even if you don’t have to. (Matthew 17:24-27)

• Do tasks that may seem to be demeaning, if they have to be done.

• Allow others to speak words of hatred and shame, and say nothing back. Don’t defend yourself, don’t return with a witty comeback. (Mark 14:55-61)

• If someone persecutes you, run away. (Matthew 10:23)

Enduring Shame

What is enduring shame?
It is suffering a humiliating circumstance; it is being made lower in the eyes of others; it is being a curse to people; it is being seen as a good-for-nothing, a lowlife, an outcast, a hated-one, a reject, a despised one. It is being one who people think is worthy of disrespect, worthy of insults, worthy of beatings, worthy of mocking, worthy of derision, worthy of betrayal, worthy of punishment, worthy of death.

Mark 15:1-40
The shame of Jesus on the cross
• Jesus was betrayed by one of his disciples.
• He was convicted, yet innocent.
• He was condemned, not by one person, but a crowd.
• He was mocked.
• He was beaten.
• He was unable to bear his own cross.
• He was crucified—hung in public as a criminal.
• He was associated with robbers—political thugs.
• He was publicly mocked as a false prophet, a liar and a weakling.
• He was publicly insulted.
• His prayer was ignored by God and misunderstood by the crowd.
• None of his friends would stand with him.

Hebrews 12:2
Jesus endured the cross.
He hated the shame, despised it, but he endured it.
He took on the shame for our sakes.

Mark 8:31-38
The shame of Jesus is what we should carry, too.
Jesus told us not to be ashamed of the shame that he bore and the shame we are to bear for him.
If we are ashamed of the shame of Jesus, we will be shamed on the final day.

I Corinthians 1:17-31
What is foolish about the gospel of Jesus?
• To be hung on the cross is the ultimate act of shame.
• To be shamed means that one is unfit to be the leader or authority of anyone.
• But Christians hold to a belief of the one who was most shamed is the most exalted by God.
• Followers of Jesus not only believe in him, but participate in Jesus’ shameful acts.
The gospel is opposed to worldly “wisdom”—it just doesn’t make sense!



Actions of Shame-bearing

Allowing people to deride you, despise you, reject you, separate themselves from you.
Saying nothing when people insult or humiliate you.
Crying to God alone in your shame.
Looking for no help from man-made substances to endure shame.
Waiting for God alone to vindicate you.
Martyrdom.


How the World wants to get things done

Through the political process
Through war.
Through violence.
Through hostility—yelling, “getting in people’s face”.
Through manipulation.
Through persecution.
Through taking away people’s food, shelter, warmth.
Through sending bills and adding up fines.
Through legal action.
Through stealing.
Through protesting.
Through buying and selling.
Through compromise.
Through coaxing.

The way of the cross is to speak the truth in love and to endure the shame. This is what the world cannot understand and it never will.

Bearing The Cross

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.” Mark 8:34

What is the cross?
The cross is humility, death, suffering, persecution, sacrifice, love, the ultimate act of faith—all for the sake of Jesus.
The Cross is salvation. Anyone who does not take up the cross does not have salvation in Christ.

You can try salvation in other ways than taking up the cross, but that is not the way of Jesus.• Salvation by religious practices is not the way of Jesus.
• Salvation by intellectual belief is not the way of Jesus.
• Salvation by being nice is not the way of Jesus.
• Salvation by prayer alone is not the way of Jesus.
• Salvation by good worship is not the way of Jesus.
• Salvation by Bible study is not the way of Jesus.
• Salvation by doctrine or theology is not the way of Jesus.
• Salvation by going to church is not the way of Jesus.
• Salvation by saying “praise the Lord” or honoring Jesus a lot is not the way of Jesus.
• Salvation by acting crazy is not the way of Jesus

Jesus calls us to the cross.• He calls us to shame
• He calls us to do what he did.
• He calls us to act crazy like he acted crazy.
• He calls us to hope in the promises of God.
• He calls us to give up everything.
• He calls us to be stupid in the eyes of the world.
• He calls us to take up his cross.

Got Christ?

What is Christ?
“Christ” isn’t the last name of Jesus, but it is a title. It means “anointed one”, just the same as the Hebrew word Messiah. But having some guy with oil on his head isn’t what the world needs. Instead, the “Christ” is actually the emperor of God, the ruler of the world. The Christ is like a Roman Caesar or a Napoleon. Someone who takes over the world by force and then rules over a central part of the world, and, by extension and treaty, provides peace to the rest of the world. Other terms that are used both in the Bible and in the pagan world for an Emperor are: Son of God, Alpha and Omega, Father (or Pope), and Lord.

The New Testament claims that Jesus is the fulfillment of this role, appointed by God at his baptism and approved by God through his resurrection. But the promise becomes crystallized at Jesus’ birth, where the promise of the Son of God, the Christ, is displayed to the poor and lowly of Bethlehem

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this. Isaiah 9:6-7

Why do we need a Christ?
This concept of the kingdom of God is exactly what Jesus was speaking about. But why do we need a ruler like this? Hasn’t it been proven that dictators are a bad idea? Shouldn’t we learn to rule ourselves? Well, anarchy has been attempted and all it does is lead to injustice and chaos. But why a Christ? According to the Old Testament, there are some very good reasons why we should have an Emperor of God:

So the world can acknowledge God as the true ruler
God is the Creator of the world, the King of the universe. Yet most of the world did not acknowledge him as God or properly give God his due. Instead, they saw other gods, who assisted them with their petty lives, as being more worthy of their devotion and sacrifice. But with the Christ ruling the world, then God will be given his proper due and praise and thanks will be offered to Him by all the world.
And He will delight in the fear of the LORD… For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea. Isaiah 11:3,9

To destroy the injustices of secular empires
The rulership of the world has passed on from one empire to another from the ancient days to today. And not a single empire has ruled with justice or with equity. There is always an elite, who reap the benefits of the empire, and a servant class on whose backs the empire is built. The rulers always ignore the rule of God and establish their own rule according to their own principles. But the new kingdom will be built upon justice and righteousness, and set aside the old empires with their injustices.
In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. Daniel 2:44 And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, And faithfulness the belt about His waist. Isaiah 11:5

To take us out of the system of judgment
For all governments of the world, if you do wrong, there is a penalty. Do the crime, pay the time. This is a system of judgment, and it was established by God. However, this is not the only system of dealing with lawbreakers that God had established. Jesus’ system is that of repentance and release. In other words, give a person the opportunity to make their crime right and to turn from their ways and then just welcome them back. Jesus as the Christ does not do away with the system of judgment, but he gives us an opportunity to escape it. This is done through his death, where his new system of dealing with crime is the judicial basis of his kingdom, established by his death and resurrection.
As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. Isaiah 53:11

For the poor to be heard
In every system of government that has ever existed there is a lower class for whom there is no justice. This group is always assumed to be the criminals, they are feared and hated and accused of the most terrible crimes. Should one of this group do something wrong, then they are all punished. But the Christ will listen to the poor and acknowledge their actions. He will not judge them according to their class, but according to their deeds. And he will love the poor and draw them up to rule with the elite.
With righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth. Isaiah 11:4

For there to be shalom
Only through God’s righteousness and justice will there be an opportunity for the world to run as it should, not only for people, but for all creation. “Shalom” is usually translated “peace”, but it really means a community of well-being, a society where everyone is benefited. The Christ brings this peace to all who can enter into his kingdom.
And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the young goat, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them… And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper's den. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, Isaiah 11:6-9

This is the promise of Christmas, “Peace on earth for those favored.” Christmas isn’t just about the incarnation—God coming to earth—as important as that is. It is about the fulfillment of the hope of the Christ that God’s people have been waiting for. It is the coming of the Emperor of God, who rules today from heaven and will rule on earth when he returns.

Got Christ?
We can participate in his kingdom today. We don’t need to wait until he returns. In fact, he doesn’t want us to. Jesus is ruling at the right hand of God and wants us to turn our lives over to him so we can live in his justice and peace right now. If we commit our lives to his rule and get baptized in his name then we will begin living in a different kingdom, under the best ruler of the world that has ever existed, free from our wrongs and living in peace.