Posts

Posted on

QTVOTD: The Sustaining Power of Obedience

Today was the day we officially prayed over our apprentices Antony and Irina as they set out to start their own Life Group. My morning quiet time was on John 15:12-17 where Jesus tells His disciples His command for them –> “Love one another as I have loved you.”

This passage was a perfect topic and leading of the Holy Spirit for how to best anoint and send off this amazing couple and their seed of couples from our group to start their new Life Group in Lake Stevens. Here is my Outline for what I shared.

Passages: John 15:12-17 | John 4:34 | John 14:31 | Matthew 28:18-20 | Acts 13:1-3

What ‘Sustained’ Jesus?

“Jesus said to them, My food (nourishment) is to do the will (pleasure) of Him Who sent Me and to accomplish and completely finish His work.” John 4:34 AMP

“…I do as the Father has commanded Me, so that the world may know (be convinced) that I love the Father and that I do only what the Father has instructed Me to do. [I act in full agreement with His orders.]” John 14:31 AMP

All through Jesus’ teaching He leads by example so just as Jesus was sustained by the food of obedience, we too should feed on ‘doing’ the will of Jesus in all that we do. Here at the same time we see that a huge part of Jesus’ ministry was to show the world the Love Jesus has for His Father by doing what the Father has instructed Him to do. Our goals as followers of Jesus should be to show the world that we ‘Love’ Him by obeying His commands and following His example.

What does it mean to ‘Follow’ Jesus?

“This is My commandment: that you love one another [just] as I have loved you.” John 15:12 AMP

“…I have called you My friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from My Father. [I have revealed to you everything that I have learned from Him.]” John 15:15b AMP

“You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed you [I have planted you], that you might go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit may be lasting [that it may remain, abide], so that whatever you ask the Father in My Name [as presenting all that I AM], He may give it to you.” John 15:16 AMP

The power of these passages aligns with understanding what sustained Jesus, it is profound! Jesus calls us to Love One Another. Then He says that we have everything we need to know in God’s word; essentially that it is sufficient for all issues and questions we will have here on earth. Not only that but we are ‘Chosen’ and ‘Appointed’ by Jesus to bear fruit (He is the Vine and we are the branches | the Father is the Gardener). Finally, Jesus says that since we are chosen and when we are bearing fruit, the Father will give us what we ask in Jesus name. This asking and getting is not a support of ‘prosperity theology’, it is simply a statement that when we are walking in the steps of and obedience to Jesus, our desires and requests for our ministry will be aligned with what God the Father is doing in and through us.

Wrapping it all up…

“Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. Amen (so let it be).” Matthew 28:18-20 AMP

So, the call is go! This could mean ‘GO’ to the mission field. It definitely is that all of us must show the love Jesus to all those we come in contact with. In the case of Antony and Irina, this is to go and pour into other newly married couples the teaching of God’s word and together make an impact for God’s Kingdom in their community. Loving one another is the command and the context of that love is defined in the Word of God.

Posted on

QTVOTD: Our one calling to Love Jesus..

Main Takeaways from my reading in John 14:25-31 today.

  1. What we have seen from Jesus’ teaching in the Bible is all we need today. There is no instruction missing.
  2. God sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. The Holy Spirit is an intercessor and proxy for Jesus until He returns.
  3. Jesus has GIVEN us His PEACE; so, we have NOTHING to fear.
  4. We must understand the deep relationship the Son has with the Father.
  5. Satan has no hold on Jesus whatsoever.
  6. Jesus modeled His love for the Father through His unwavering obedience to the Father. This is how we love Jesus!

John 14:25-31 AMP
I have told you these things while I am still with you.
But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you.
Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]
You heard Me tell you, I am going away and I am coming [back] to you. If you [really] loved Me, you would have been glad, because I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater and mightier than I am.
And now I have told you [this] before it occurs, so that when it does take place you may believe and have faith in and rely on Me.
I will not talk with you much more, for the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. [He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.]
But [Satan is coming and] I do as the Father has commanded Me, so that the world may know (be convinced) that I love the Father and that I do only what the Father has instructed Me to do. [I act in full agreement with His orders.] Rise, let us go away from here.

Posted on

QTVOTD: The WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE…

In my reading of John 14:1-7 today, I am struck by two things.

  1. As Jesus was pondering His own betrayal, death, and separation from God to suffer the payment for our sin, He chose to focus on and encourage His disciples.
  2. He takes the opportunity to remind them of who He is and what He is going to do for them.

First Jesus reminds the disciples who to trust in -> the Father and Himself. He then goes on to explain what He has in store for them…an eternity in the presence of Himself and the Father. Lastly He makes a statement “You know the WAY to place where I am going.”

Then it is Thomas (doubting Thomas no less) that speaks up and says [my paraphrasing] “Lord, wait a minute. We don’t know where you are going, so how in the world are we supposed to KNOW the way?”

Jesus’ answer was simple -> “I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. The only way through to the Father is THROUGH Me.”

​THEREFORE, SINCE we are justified (acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God) through faith, let us [grasp the fact that we] have [the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). Through Him also we have [our] access (entrance, introduction) by faith into this grace (state of God’s favor) in which we [firmly and safely] stand. And let us rejoice and exult in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2 [AMP]

Posted on

QTVOTD: A new commandment…

This second half of chapter 13 primarily focuses on the identification of Judas as the ‘betrayer’ of Jesus. The interchange between Jesus and ‘the one whom Jesus loved’ (aka John the gospel writer) is interesting because Jesus revealed to John that it would be Judas to betray Him but John never does anything to prevent this betrayal. I wonder if John did nothing because Jesus did nothing or because Jesus directly after identifying him told Judas to hurry and go do what he was about to do.

After Judas leaves Jesus talks about how it is time for God to be glorified. We know that this is glorification in the redemptive story of the cross and justification for all through the death of His Son.

Jesus gives one new commandment -> “that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35

APPLICATION: All this time the children of Israel adhered to the 10 commandments but here Jesus gives the disciples a new one. The importance of this new commandment is that through living with this love for one another, we easily find it achievable to adhere to the other 10. This servant heart I talked about yesterday is now bolstered by a command to actively love my brothers and sisters in Christ.

1 Corinthians 13:13
“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

Posted on

QTVOTD: Accepting what Jesus did…

This whole story of Jesus taking the posture of a servant to wash the disciple’s feet is uncomfortable to read. Here is the Son of God (God Himself) putting a towel around his waist and then proceeding to wash the, what would be, the nasty street dirt ridden feet of the disciples.

Jesus took on this role fully knowing three things (according to John 13:1-3).

  1. The time for Jesus to complete His work on the cross had come.
  2. He knew that satan had placed the idea to betray Jesus in the heart of Judas Iscariot.
  3. He knew that God the Father had placed everything in His hands to complete.

Jesus took role and action to model for His disciples what they should be willing to do for one another after He had returned to heaven. Additionally, this act was an example of what Christ had done and will continue to do for them through His death on the cross. Through their acceptance of Jesus as God in the form of man, that He truly was the Messiah, they had their sins forgiven; not unlike bathing the whole body cleans the whole body. But as we walk through life, we will become dirty with sin which must be cleansed from us through regular confession and repentance.

APPLICATION: I must move on today not only listening to what the Lord has shown me in the reading of this chapter but also putting into action -> SERVANTHOOD. I must model for my family what it means to be selfless toward other Christians and the common man. Not only will I be directly doing something Jesus wants me to do, He says that it will make me blessed and happy.

“I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, A servant is not greater than his master, and no one who is sent is superior to the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed and happy and to be envied are you if you practice them [if you act accordingly and really do them].” John 13:16-17 AMP

Posted on

QTVOTD: LIGHT and DARKNESS…

Today I spent a majority of my time reading John 7 through 12. Jesus spends so much time trying to teach the Jews about Himself yet the people’s eyes were closed. They were not the sheep of Jesus, they did not hear His voice, and he did not know their names. Jesus told us that we need to live in the LIGHT so that we might be prepared for walking in DARKNESS.

Living in the LIGHT means to live IN Jesus. He IS the LIGHT and His LIGHT will be IN our hearts if we FOLLOW Him. Follow in the Greek is Akoloutheo – which means a road or way, walk in the footsteps of, or to do what someone else does/says.

Now that I am a believer and saved by Gods grace through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, the LIGHT of God is in me when I FOLLOW Him. I can confidently walk in DARKNESS, the world, because His LIGHT is IN me.

For you were once Darkness but now you ARE LIGHT IN THE LORD – > Live as children of LIGHT. (Ephesians 5:8)

For the Lord is a Sun (LIGHT) and a shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless. (Psalms 118:27)

Posted on

QTVOTD: In Jesus’ own timing…

Passage: John 7:1-9

Jesus avoided real physical danger [John 7:1]:
Jesus knew the Jewish leaders were trying to find ways to kill Jesus. Jesus was following the plan of His Father which is the Redemption plan. Going somewhere He new to be trouble was not the right decision to support His Fathers plan.
TAKEAWAY -> When we know what the Lord has called us to do, we make decisions that support that plan. We make choices that do not put us in a situation that could threaten that plan.

Jesus’ own brothers tried to bring honor to the family through Jesus’ fame. [John 7:3-5]:
This happens right after Jesus lost so many followers due to His “Bread of Life” message that turned so many of the followers away. His brother’s although they did not believe He was the Messiah, did still want to leverage the popularity of Jesus to bring honor to the family name; which was a big deal during those times. At the end of the day, the motives of Jesus’ brothers was not to protect Jesus but to bring themselves more prideful attention.
TAKEAWAY -> Do not use Jesus for any thing. Jesus has paid the ultimate price for my salvation and His word and message of instruction are only to provide what is best for me. Jesus did not come to everything to all people; He came to shed light on the evil ways of the world and to share the hope of God through Himself.

Jesus does things in His own timeframe. [John 7:6-9]:
Jesus tells His brothers that it is not yet the appropriate time for Him to go. He uses the word Kairos versus the work Hora to define time. Kairos leads us to believe that Jesus was saying that the festival’s start and completion time was not in play. However, it is thought that one of the reasons Jesus did not go is because He knew the Jewish leaders would be waiting because they would assume that Jesus would be there at the start. Instead, Jesus did end up going but not until after the festival had started.
TAKEAWAY -> Jesus told His brothers that they could go anytime they wanted because they had nothing to fear. We need to keep our Kingdom at the front of our Christian Worldview mindset. What might seem right timing in the world’s eyes may not be the timing of what facilitates the growth of God’s Kingdom.

Posted on

QTVOTD: The help that He gives, and the refuge that He is…

4th “But the salvation of the [consistently] righteous is of the Lord; He is their Refuge and secure Stronghold in the time of trouble.  And the Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they trust and take refuge in Him.” Psalms 37:39-40

Note the from him (39) and the in him (40): his initiative in sending, and our response in taking shelter; the help that he gives, and the refuge that he is. [Tyndale]  Its interesting that the Amplified qualifies the ‘righteous’ as consistently.  What I take from this is that any perceived salvation that is not from the Lord, does not have His helping hand to keep the righteous consistent.  Everyone can have a streak of righteousness, but this speaks of consistent, never-ending, strive and execution for righteousness.  When I lean all the way into allowing God to be my refuge and object of my trust, He delivers and saves me from the wicked.  This doesn’t say that we won’t incur hardship or suffer the effects of disease; instead it means that when evil rises its condemnation of a [consistently] righteous person, He will deliver and save the believer from them.

Posted on

QTVOTD: We must possess God as our own…

17th (Day 77) “The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip.” Psalms 37:30-31

Righteousness begets a lot of great things -> wisdom, justice, and sure-footed-ness. I love this part: “the law of HIS God is in his heart”. That is so awesome. Not only am I His but He is mine…and I dwell on His law day and night. I hope you guys are doing well. Christmas (the celebration of the coming of our King) is one week away tomorrow. I love and miss you all tons!

Posted on

QTVOTD: Steps established by God…

16th (Day 76) “The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand.” Psalms 37:23-24

I like to just restate verses like this that just help me consume what is being said. ‘When I delight in the way of Lord, my steps are established by Him.’  The second verse reminds me of walking Brooklyn by the hand. We walk along and when she trips I take her weight by holding her hand and then set her back down to regain her own stance. So, when I delight in the Lord and my steps are established by Him, I will still trip but I won’t fall to the ground. The Lord is there, holding my hand, ready to set me back in my stance. We missed everyone last night. Had a great time playing Pandemic (appropriate) and then a round of 7 Wonders. Great time hanging, visiting, and laughing. Loved it. Thank you Chris for opening your home.