Monday, March 25, 2013

THE INVITE


Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus. John 1:40-42

Next Sunday is Easter.  Of all the Sundays in the entire year, that’s the Sunday to invite someone to church.  The first thing Andrew did after he had decided to follow Jesus was to find his brother Simon Peter and bring him to Jesus.  For those of us who are convinced that Jesus is our Salvation, the obvious thing to do this week is to invite someone to come to church with us on Easter Sunday.  Bring them to Jesus.

Monday, March 18, 2013

TO BE GREAT


Jesus defines “greatness” differently than the world.  Jesus says “stardom” is really just the opposite of what the ways of the world would lead us to believe.  The disciples were jockeying for positions of greatness in God’s Kingdom, arguing about who would be “stars” with Jesus.  Who would be the ones to be noticed with the King?  Who would be out front and in charge with Jesus? 

Then, Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.  Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-28).

Jesus said the real stars are the servants and the sacrificial.  They are the great ones.  They are the heroes in God’s eyes.  The Apostle Paul said, Our decision all along has been to put up with anything rather than to get in the way or detract from the Message of Christ (1 Corinthians 9:12 Mes).  We must constantly examine our motives and actions.  The message we communicate, the vibe we send, the feeling that is expressed is to be the “message of Christ”, never the “message of me”.  Be great by being a servant who sacrifices as a way of life in order to bring people to salvation in Christ.