Render to Caesar: Jesus Series

   "Then he said to them, 'So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.'” Matthew 22:21

   In the passage the Pharisees are once again trying to trap Jesus. The Jews did not like paying taxes to the Romans. They asked Jesus "Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?" (Mat.22.17). Jesus called them "hypocrites" and then asked for a coin used for paying tax. Then he asks the Pharisees, "whose image is this?" (Mat.22.20). The Pharisees say that it's "Caesar's." That's when Jesus says to give what is Caesar's to Caesar.
   Now, this doesn't seem like such a confusing passage but I will tell you when Jesus said this it probably shocked the Pharisees and those who heard it. The Jews believed that they were being oppressed by the Romans and that the savior would relieve them from that oppression. Jeremiah 23:5 says: "'Behold, the days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land." To the Jews this probably sounded like an end of oppression. Many of them probably thought that the savior would be king on earth. It just goes to show that God's plan is better than our plan, whether we know it or not.

   This verse is also difficult for some people to deal with today. We don't like having to give up our money that we worked hard for. We don't like supporting our leaders if we don't agree with them. I get that, but what does God say about this? Jesus says we are to give what belongs to leaders back to our leaders. Our money isn't ours, besides the fact that everything is created by God and his, we didn't physically make our money the government did. Therefore, we should give back our money to our leaders whether we like our leaders or not.
   And, while on the subject of leaders, do you think God just let's random things happen on earth? No, well good because He put our leaders in place. Romans 13:1 states: "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God." God puts our leaders in place for a reason. We may not support every decision they make, but God knew what that leader would do. The leader is above us for a reason. We need to make sure that we follow the laws in our countries, unless those laws go directly against God's laws. That's what being subject means in that verse. If we didn't follow those leaders what kind of message would that be sending about Christians? I know it's hard; God didn't promise our lives would be easy but it will be worth it.
   So, what are your thoughts on following the leaders God puts in place? Are you in God's word enough to know what is right and wrong in his eyes? Will you obey leaders God puts in place, unless the laws those leaders put in place are against God?

   Image from here.

If You Think It: Jesus Series

   "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:28

   Have you ever thought to yourself: "If people could see, or hear, my thoughts then you wouldn't like me too much." See, the great thing about the human mind is also an annoying thing. We cannot know anyone else's thoughts unless they tell us those thoughts. That's how we can keep secrets, which are important at times. But, at the same time, if people could hear thoughts then communication would be so much easier, and more dangerous.
   Think about some of the thoughts you've had that you wouldn't want others to know about. You know the thoughts like, "I really don't like that person," "I could just punch you now," and "I hate myself now." If those thoughts got out what would happen? How many relationships would you have?
   In this passage Jesus is talking about our thoughts. He uses the example of adultery and says that if we must after someone we've already committed sin. That means that if we think it, it's as bad as doing it. If I think about lying it's as bad as actually lying.
   Now, this gets confusing because of temptation. Being tempted isn't a sin. If you act on the temptation it is a sin (Mat.4.1-11). Let's say you mess up on a big project at work. You could tell the truth or you could lie. The Devil is probably going to tempt you to lie. If you think about lying, you come up with a plan to do it, but you don't actually lie then it's not a sin. But, do you think that's a thought God would want you to have?
   If we think about lying enough more than likely we will lie. In the case of this passage, if we look at someone lustfully long enough more than likely we will act on those thoughts in some way.
   Jesus says this because he wants us to guard our thoughts. We will mess up and have wrong thoughts from time to time. God wants us to grow in him enough that we can push back those sneaky thoughts Satan sends us. One way we can do that is by answering those thoughts with scripture. When Jesus was in the wilderness he answered everything the Devil said with scripture. That's how Jesus avoided temptation and guarded his thoughts. Can't we do the same?
   So, are your thoughts godly ones? What can you do to guard your thoughts when temptation comes? Will you come alongside others to help them grow in God and defeat tempting thoughts?

   Image from here.

Cut Off: Jesus Series

   “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.” Matthew 18:8

   In this passage Jesus is talking about things and people who cause others to stumble. It seems odd for someone to say that you should cut off your hand if it causes you to stumble but let's look at this passage a little more in depth.

   Speaking from a teacher's perspective this passage is very scary. In verse 6 it talks about if anyone should cause children to stumble it is better for a millstone to be hung around their neck and be drowned. That seems like a pretty severe punishment to us, but is it really?
   Last week we talked about good leaders and how we need to keep our leaders accountable. The people that you follow: are they free from sin? No, no one is free from sin but we can repent. In order to repent one must ask for forgiveness and stop committing the sin. However, there are those who know they are sinning and yet continue to stay in their sin. Worse still, some of those people lead others into the same sin!

   Isaiah 59:2 says: "But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear." God cannot look upon sin because he is holy. That's why when Adam and Eve sinned they had to leave the Garden and God's presence. That's why God could not look at Jesus when he died on the cross because Jesus took our sins upon him.
   This verse isn't literally talking about cutting off our hand. It's talking about distancing ourselves from people who don't repent. People who do not repent are going to harm the body of Christ by causing others in the body to stumble (1 Cor.12.12-31).
   Now, this is where it gets tricky. Kicking a sinner out of the church doesn't work because then everyone will be kicked out since we are all sinners. Keeping the person in the church in certain roles doesn't work because he/she could influence others to sin. There needs to be some grace and there needs to be some truth and Jesus gives us the answer to this problem in the same chapter.
   In Matthew 18:15-19 Jesus talks about dealing with sin in the church. First we are to talk with the person who sinned about their sin. If they don't listen then we take one or two others along to talk to the person again. Finally, we are to take it to the church. If he/she still doesn't listen then we are to treat them like a pagan.
   What does this mean for us? It means we need to be careful that sin doesn't enter our lives. I want to be in the body of Christ and I hope you do too. I don't want any sin holding me back from being more like Christ and helping him spread his kingdom. It also means we need to hold one another accountable. If we see someone sinning we need to talk to that person about it in a kind way, not in a I'm better than you way. We are to care for each other that way we all will grow in Christ and help the body grow as well.
   So, will you check to make sure there is no sin in your life? Will you help keep others accountable? What can you do to grow in God today?

   Image from here.

Blind Leaders: Jesus Series

   Luke 6:39 "If a blind person is leading a blind person, both will end up in a ditch."   Jesus said this after he talked about judging others and why we shouldn't do it. He then began talking about leaders. This one seems kind of obvious. Why would Jesus say this? I'll tell you one thing I know about Jesus, and I hope you know or will soon see, Jesus does everything for a reason. 

   In our lives we will probably be a follower and a leader at some point. I don't know about you, but it's hard for me to follow someone who's morals and character I don't agree with. That's because eventually that leader may ask me to do something I don't want to do because I don't agree with it.
   Jesus is talking about a blind man being a leader. This isn't someone who is physically blind, though it is what the parable wants us to picture. This leader is blind to the truth. Following leaders who are blind to the truth will only get us hurt.
   Let me illustrate it this way: one time I was at a barn party with my soccer team. At the barn party there was this huge hay maze. This maze was as wide as the barn and as high as the bottom of the roof. It had many levels and turns. Some of the girls had already done the maze. One of my friends, who hadn't done the maze yet, wanted me to go in with her. I didn't really want to do it. I don't do well in small, dark spaces when I don't know how to get out.
   Nevertheless, eventually I gave in. My friend went in the maze first and I followed her. Soon it became clear we couldn't figure out how to get out (it was a really good maze). One of my other friends, who had already completed the maze, came in with a flashlight. She found us and led us out safely.
   The friend who was originally leading me was blind. But, the friend with the flashlight wasn't blind in more ways than one. She knew the way and brought a light. That's what good leaders do. They know the truth and the light. Then they pass that knowledge on to their followers. After that, the followers become leaders and pass on their knowledge and the cycle goes on and on. If that leader isn't passing the right knowledge then the followers will not have the right knowledge; that's why teachers are held to such a high standard because their teaching can lead people to truth or away from it.
   What does this mean for us? It means that we need to make sure we keep who we are following accountable. If we know our leader is leading others astray it is our job to let them know in a nice way. It means that when we are leaders we need to make sure we are teaching our followers the right way to go. It means that we need to know the truth that Jesus is our savior and the ultimate teacher.
   So, are you following godly leaders? Are you a godly leader? Do you know the truth about Jesus?

   Image from here. 

The Enigma That is Jesus: Jesus Series Intro

   Jesus. That name has power in it. It means savior, which is exactly who he is. But, he is also so much more. While on earth, Jesus healed people, preached, are with sinners, performed miracles, and more. Jesus is amazing but he is also confusing.
   Atheists and other people from various religious backgrounds look at Jesus in different ways. Some think he was a liar. Others think he was a lunatic. While others still believe he was a great prophet, but not God. There are many different reasons for why people think these things about Jesus. I'm not going to list all of these because we would be here forever.
   Instead, I'd like to focus on why people think Jesus was a lunatic. Jesus said and did many things that people thought were crazy. People don't understand why he said and did these things. They don't understand for different reasons but some just don't want to look deeper and get to know who Jesus really is.
   This is the reason why I am doing the digging for these people. I have looked into different things Jesus said that people thought were strange or didn't make sense. Each week we are going to dig deep into who Jesus is and why he did what he did. I hope you will put on your shoes and take this journey with me.
   So, I'd like you to think about who you say Jesus is. Do you truly believe that he is your savior? Do you think you understand who he is and why he did what he did?

   John 14:6

   Image from here. 

Focus on What You Have

    As a goalkeeper for soccer, I had to do many different drills in order to get my skills as a keeper up to par. Some of those drills involved had me having multiple soccer balls shot at me at once. In that drill if I focus on all of the soccer balls coming at me then I could either get hurt or miss stopping all of the soccer balls, which, in case you did not know, the job of a goalkeeper is to stop the ball from going in the net. 
   At this point you may be wondering why I am telling you this. This situation relates to our lives in multiple ways. The first way is that many times we are focused on what we don't have in life rather than what we do have. In goal if I go to stop one shot but I take my eyes off that one shot and look at another shot that is better I lose out on saving the first shot. In life if we focus on what we don't have we will never be happy. Romans 12:2 says, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." The things of this earth are temporary. If we focus on the things we don't have, the people we don't have, or the looks we don't have we won't be happy and we won't be able to reach others for God. We need to be transformed and focus on what God has blessed us with. 
   The next way this situation relates to you is leadership. At some point in your life you will probably be asked to lead. Being a leader is not always easy. Leaders make many choices and people under them may not always agree with them. That's why leaders need to focus on what they do have character wise and follower wise. If leaders focus on what other people have or the people who stopped following them then they will not be as effective. A leader's job is to do his work to the best of his ability. The leader must focus on what God is calling him to do. 
   So, are you focused on what you don't have? Are you using the abilities God has given you to glorify him? 

   Image from here.

Pressing On

   One place that I go every year whether on vacation or to counsel is Camp YoliJwa. This year the camp's theme is Press On. It comes from the verse Philippians 3:14 which says: "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." 
   It seems like a fitting theme for what has happened in the world. We all got blindsided by COVID last year. No one, except God, was expecting a virus to shut down the world. Many of us got sick, were stuck at home, lost jobs, lost money, etc. We all had rough years. And, we all have a choice.
   One quote I say to my soccer players a lot is: "when something happens you have a choice: you can let it rule you or fuel you." That is a lot like this verse. When bad things happen, we can dwell on them. We can focus on how bad our lives are. We can complain about how unfair life is. Or we can choose to press on. We can say "this situation will not beat me." We can lean into God or press into him. We can gain strength from going through a difficult situation with the Lord by our side.
   Think about something that has happened in your life that may have been what you consider a bad situation. Did that problem bring you closer to God or did it make you angry with the Lord? Reflection is important in life. It is good to look back and see how much you have changed and grown. However, we cannot continue to be content to just sit by and stay stagnant in our growth. Verse 13 in Philippians 3 says "Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead." If we dwell on the past, we will not be focused on our goal. It is just like in a race. You can look back for a bit but if you continue to look back you will trip and fall. That's why Paul tells us to press on toward the prize. If we keep our eyes fixed on our goal or heaven, then we will make a difference for the kingdom. We will grow in God. We will, eventually, finish the race and truly abide with Jesus, our savior.
   So, are you focused too much on the past that you are hindering your future? How can you grow in God today? Are you focused on pressing on toward our heavenly goal?

Image from here.