Jesus Opens God’s Kingdom

In Matthew 11:2-5, we read, “When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, ‘Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?’ Jesus replied, ‘Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.’”

John the Baptist was in prison at the time, and as the one appointed by God to prepare the way for the Messiah, he probably had some doubts about Jesus. Jesus came to open God’s kingdom to everyone; even though he might not have done it in the way that some people, like John the Baptist, would have expected.

As we continue to pray to be more like Jesus and to focus less on ourselves, we can follow Jesus’ example of opening up God’s kingdom to all people. Jesus healed people, and he preached the Good News. We have to remember that sharing the Good News isn’t always a matter of preaching a sermon; many times it’s simply showing God’s love through good deeds.

On Saturday, April 16, we saw about 75 people from Memorial Church of Christ following that example by serving others and sharing the Good News. We had people working in our food distribution; we sent a large delegation to the prayer walk in downtown Detroit; and we sent a crew to Wolverine Christian Service Camp to clear a new camping area. Nobody preached a sermon, but hungry people were fed physically and spiritually, and God’s people showed his kingdom to many who may not yet know Jesus. It may not seem like a lot to us today, but for those who hear the Good News and experience good deeds prompted by God’s love, it could make an eternal difference. Watch for more opportunities to share the Good News and do good deeds throughout the month of May.

Jesus Changes Minds

As we approach the celebration of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we start to realize that adopting the mindset of “More Jesus, Less Me” has greater significance than simply deciding what we do on a Sunday morning. Becoming more like Jesus leads us to change the way we think about others and, more than that, how we live for others.

In 2 Corinthians 5:14-19, Paul writes: “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”

The message that we have believed—that God sent his son Jesus so that we can have a relationship with God—is so important that it changes the way we view others. Before Christ, we thought of others as our enemies. Didn’t it show in how we treated others? Does it still show?

Paul says that we don’t think that way anymore. In fact, the change of mind that we experience in Christ compels us to look at others through Jesus’ eyes. At one time, the world was God’s enemies, but because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we gained the opportunity to become God’s children, through Jesus’ act of reconciliation. As we celebrate Jesus’ death and resurrection, let us allow God to change our minds so that we can help others to be reconciled to God through Jesus. Consider who you once viewed as an enemy and determine how you can share God’s message of forgiveness through Jesus and help them change their mind about God.

Jesus Has a Family

It would probably surprise many of us to discover that even Jesus had to face the busyness of life and family. In Luke 8:19, 20 we read: “Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. Someone told him, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.’” Jesus makes a startling statement in verse 21: “He replied, ‘My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.’”

Jesus had a family. We know his parents, Mary and Joseph; and Matthew 13:55, 56 tells us that Jesus had brothers and sisters. Yet Jesus said he had another family: those who hear God’s Word and do what it says.

Jesus has a family, and it’s us, the church. Paul says as much in Romans 8:16, 17: “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

So, brothers and sisters in Christ, we have a challenge. We have to make a change in our thinking. We, God’s children at Memorial Church of Christ, have to stop thinking that we are an organization of volunteers and start thinking like a family.

I know that we must take care of our own families—1 Timothy 5:8 says that those who do not take care of their families are “worse than an unbeliever”—but we need to give God’s family, the church, a higher priority than our commitment and participation seems to show. For example, we have 517 active members, but our weekly attendance is not close to that number. We also have only 188 people (including nonmembers) who are actively serving. Of the 308 families who are listed in our directory, only 72 have made a commitment to support our missionaries through Faith Promise giving. Consider these numbers and think about what you can do to help our family grow.

 

Jesus made it clear that his relationship with God had greater priority than his relationship with his family. If we continue to pray that God would make us more like Jesus and focus less on ourselves, we will find ourselves wrestling with this concept and its daily application.

It doesn’t have to be all that difficult, however, if we understand that our goal isn’t finding a “balance” but focusing on God. Granted, there are a lot of things we have to get done within the 24 hours we have every day, but if we focus on balancing all of those things, we will never be satisfied. However, if we can focus on God and align everyone and everything in priority related to him, then we will

 

 

Jesus Was Consistent

Perhaps one of the most exhausting habits of our lives is being inconsistent in what we believe and say and do. Whether it’s parents struggling with telling their kids, “Do as I say, not as I do,” or any of us knowing and hating the sin in our lives but sinning anyhow, it’s difficult to be consistent with what we know to be right.

As we continue our prayer that God would help us to have “more Jesus” and “less me” and to be filled with the Holy Spirit, we may see God transforming us to be more consistent, helping us to have alignment with what we believe, say, and do. Hebrews 13:8 tells us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Jesus was consistent.

Our prayer to be more like Jesus is certainly the first step that we must take to be consistent like Jesus, depending upon the Holy Spirit to transform us, but there are other things we can do to grow. First, we need to know what Jesus was like. When everyone was wearing those “WWJD?” bracelets, one Christian publisher had another acronym that meant “How Can You Ask What Jesus Would Do If You Don’t Know What Jesus Did?” Sure, it was too big for a bracelet, but the point is clear: if we want to be more like Jesus, we need to spend more time studying what Jesus said and did in the Bible, whether in personal study or in a smaller group that meets at the church or in someone’s home.

Second, we can follow the example of others. Hebrews 13:7 says, “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” Not only should we study the Word of God, but we ought to follow the example of those who are living it out. As we begin to see God answering our prayer to be more like Jesus, becoming more consistent in our faith, words, and actions, then we can become an example to others—in our families, at work or school, in our community.

 

Jesus Went to Church

When I was growing up, I was privileged to have a family who always went to church. I don’t mean every Sunday but nearly every time the doors were open. Now, I’m not going to say that everybody ought to attend everything there is to do at the church—there is a lot to get involved in—but I will say that we ought to have a habit of going to church regularly. If we truly want to have “more Jesus” and “less me” in our lives, we need to consider Jesus’ example.

In Luke 4:16, we read that Jesus had a habit of going to church: “He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read.” We can learn several things from this event.

First, Jesus likely considered the synagogue to be “home.” When Jesus returned to his hometown, he knew that this was the place to be, especially if he wanted to announce that he was going to become a preacher and not the carpenter everyone likely expected him to be. Second, this is likely the place where Jesus learned the Scriptures that he used to battle Satan’s temptation in the wilderness—who better to hear first the announcement that Jesus would be preaching God’s Word than the people who likely taught him God’s Word? Last, we can see that not only did Jesus go to church, but he participated as well.

I know how busy life can be, especially with kids. However, if we want to be more like Jesus, we need to make sure that we put the proper emphasis on being among God’s people. Hebrews 10:25 tells us that we shouldn’t give up on meeting together but that we should encourage each other. Let’s continue to meet together, at least to worship our Father God, every week. Let’s make sure that our children develop the habit of meeting together so that they may also, when they face temptation, be able to defeat Satan with the Scriptures they learn here. Let us also be regular in our service, participating in God’s work and encouraging each other.

 

Jesus Focused on God

As a Christian minister, husband, and father, I know that there are only 24 hours in a day and 168 hours in each week. And just like everybody else, I wrestle with how to distribute the time among God, my wife, my kids, my extended family in the church, and my friends.

The issue is the false assumption that there has to be balance among those relationships, that there must be some kind of distribution of time and effort among the ones I love. The problem is that there is no way to legitimately split up my responsibilities, especially to God. I am 100 percent God’s, but there’s no on-off switch for being a husband or father. So there has to be another perspective.

Jesus makes it clear that it is our relationship to God that carries the greatest priority, but he also shows us that we must carry out our responsibilities to others as well. In Luke 2:42-52, we read the account of when Jesus and his family attended the Passover feast in Jerusalem when he was twelve years old. When the family left, Jesus stayed behind to listen to and question the teachers of the Law in the temple. After a frantic search, Joseph and Mary found Jesus. Jesus explained that he had to be in his Father’s house, but they didn’t understand. But he went home with them and was obedient to them (v. 51).

Verse 52 tells us that “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” This wasn’t a matter of balanced time. There is no doubt that Jesus was 100 percent involved in the “business” of the Kingdom of God, but he also honored his father and mother. How did Jesus do it? Jesus was 100 percent God and 100 percent man. Since we cannot work with more than 100 percent of ourselves, we must trust God to make up the difference and continue to focus on God, praying for “more Jesus, less me” and to be filled with the Holy Spirit who enables us to do more than we can imagine with the time we have.

Just Say "No"

In Mark 1:35-38 we read that Jesus got up early one morning, found a solitary place, and prayed. Soon, his disciples found him and said, “Everybody’s looking for you!” When I had studied this passage before, that’s as far as I had gone, understanding that in order to “get the job done,” even Jesus went off to pray and “recharge.” But recently, I learned something new.

Jesus had been traveling, preaching, teaching, healing, and driving out demons. Mark 1:28 says that news about Jesus spread through the whole region, and verse 33 said that “the whole town gathered at the door.” Jesus was doing amazing things, and the people wanted more. But when the disciples found Jesus, to let him know that there were people looking for him, instead of going back and healing more people or casting out more demons, Jesus said, in Mark 1:38, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”

Having read and studied this passage many times, I am suddenly amazed to discover that Jesus said “no” to doing good things. Jesus had something more important to do.

We have all heard how we need to reduce our busyness and focus on what’s important, and we struggle to do that every day. Perhaps we need to consider the good things, too. Mark’s sermon on January 23 made this clear to me. Even though I spend much of my time doing good things within the building, working with leaders, running programs, and interacting with people, I have to force myself to consider whether those things are helping me be a witness of Jesus. To be honest, there are too many good things that occupy my time and my mind at the expense of better things, such as sharing my faith with my favorite baristas, training others to share their faith with their coworkers and families, and raising my kids to love God. I’d appreciate your help with this as we all grow and serve together, even if it means saying “no” sometimes.

Sinful Selfishness

For the next year, I’d like to focus on the concepts Mark laid out in his “New Year Reality Check” sermon, particularly the key verse of John 3:30, where John the Baptist said about Jesus, “He must become greater; I must become less.”

I imagine that it’s true for many people—at least I know it’s true for me—that the greatest obstacle to “More Jesus, Less Me” is sin. Ever since Mark began a series about the Fruit of the Spirit, I’ve been wrestling with the idea of the “sinful nature.” In Galatians 5:16, Paul writes, “Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” This reminds me of Genesis 3:6, where Eve discovered that the forbidden fruit was “good for food,” “pleasing to the eye,” and “desirable for gaining wisdom.” The first two selling points for Eve are pretty high in my list of desirable traits. When food tastes good and looks good, I want it, and I usually end up wanting more—even when more might not be good for me.

That’s where I start to understand the sinful nature. The word that is translated as the phrase “sinful nature” literally means “the flesh.” The “desires of the sinful nature” are the desires of the body. Ultimately, the sinful nature is selfishness, wanting for the sole purpose of satisfying “me.”

So when we start trying to refocus our lives on having “More Jesus, Less Me,” we end up struggling with our own selfish desires. For some it’s a matter of food; for others it might be a matter of materialism, getting more stuff; for others it might be a matter of position, getting a better job or being in charge. Whatever our sinful nature, our selfish desires might be, we have to let God uproot them so that we can live by the Holy Spirit. As we begin a new year, I pray that we will encourage each other to let God make the necessary changes in our lives that we can overcome our selfish, sinful desires so that we can grow and serve God together.