The Power of an Invitation

Posted on October 15, 2022 by jesustrek

The opening chapters of John’s gospel shows us examples of people inviting others to come to Jesus. Since this is an important part of living for Christ, let’s take a look at what happens here and see if we can learn how to do a better job of extending invitations for people to follow Jesus.

John 1:40-42a says, “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…”

Here we see that inviting people to come to Jesus should be one of our top priorities. After discovering for himself that Jesus was the Messiah, the very first thing he did was to find his brother and bring him to Jesus. Maybe we should re-evaluate our priorities and put evangelism at the top of the list!

We also see that the first person Andrew thought of was his brother. Out of all the people he could have witnessed to, he thought of his brother first. The people we are closest to are the ones most likely to listen to our thoughts about Jesus and to respond to our invitations. Therefore, we should give our best efforts toward evangelizing family and friends. If we have a close relationship with someone, they are much more likely to accept any invitation we offer to come and experience Jesus for themselves.

We see the same thing happen later in the chapter. Philip responded to Jesus’ invitation to follow him. Philip immediately found Nathanael and told him about Jesus. Nathanael was skeptical at first, but came to check out Jesus and became convinced that he needed to follow Jesus too (John 1:43-51).

Here we see that there might be some initial reluctance on the part of our family and friends to accept the invitations that we offer them to come to church or to truly consider the claims that Jesus made that he was the Savior of the world. Let’s not get discouraged if it takes some time to convince people that following Jesus is the best way to go. Let’s be patient and persistent with our invitations.

Moving on to chapter 4, we find Jesus’ famous encounter with the woman at the well. This woman not only had a sinful past, she was currently living with a man to whom she was not married. But Jesus took the time to talk with her, and she became convinced that he just might be the Messiah. She got so excited that she left her water jar at the well and rushed into town to tell the people there about Jesus.

This was a brave act on the part of this woman. The people of her village probably looked down on her, and possibly shunned her, because of her sinful lifestyle. However, she ignored the stigma and witnessed to them. They made their way toward Jesus to see for themselves what this man was all about. They put their faith in Jesus and accepted him as the Savior of the world, all because of the woman’s testimony.

Here we learn that Jesus can use anyone to bring people to him. It doesn’t matter what you have done in the past, if you put your trust in Jesus and repent of your sins, the Lord can use you to draw others to him.

Finally, let’s remember that the true power of an invitation rests in the personhood of Jesus himself. We are not simply inviting people to a church service. We are inviting them to Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world! That’s a powerful invitation!

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High Price of Lying

Posted on October 14, 2022 by jesustrek
Alex Jones

For years, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones relentlessly promoted the lie that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax. His false claims added greatly to the pain and suffering of the grieving families. Therefore, a jury recently decided that Jones must pay $965 million to the people who were harmed by his lies. That’s almost a billion dollars! That’s a pretty steep price to pay for lying!

However, the ultimate price to pay for lying far exceeds the amount that Jones has been told he must pay. The Bible says that those who love and practice falsehood will be banned from heaven. Instead, they will be assigned their place in hell for all of eternity (Rev.22:15).

There is indeed a high price to pay for lying!

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”—3 John 4.

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Renewed Strength

Posted on October 6, 2022 by jesustrek

A reporter once interviewed the legendary baseball player Ty Cobb long after Cobb’s years as a player had ended. The reporter asked, “What do you think you would hit if you were playing today?” Cobb replied, “About .290 or .300.” Since Cobb had been a lifetime .376 hitter, the reporter asked, “Why is that?” Cobb replied, “Because I’m 70 years old.”

You have to admire Cobb’s confidence!

Those who get their strength from the Lord know that we can continue to do great things through him.

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”—Isaiah 40:28-31.

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The Church Is a Big Deal!

Posted on October 1, 2022 by jesustrek

Some people claim to follow Jesus, but do not see the need to be a part of the church. They want to say “Yes” to Jesus, but “No” to the church. These people have a problem. God doesn’t give us the option to accept Jesus and reject the church. Such a notion is completely foreign to Scripture. In fact, in the Bible, the church is a really big deal.

The church was in the heart of God even before the creation of the world. Ephesians 1:4 says, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight…” Before he created us God knew that we would choose to sin and that we would need to be saved. Therefore he planned to send Jesus to die for the sins of the world so that anyone who would put their full trust in the crucified and resurrected Jesus could be saved. Those who are saved are added to the church at the time of their baptism (Acts 2:41) and are taught to be faithful members of the church (1 Cor.12:27) until the day that they die (Rev.2:10). That’s a big deal!

Being a regular participant in the worship services of the church is also a big deal. Heb.10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Our church friends need our encouraging presence in the Lord’s house on the Lord’s Day. We need to see each other’s smiling faces. We need to hear encouraging words from our brothers and sisters in Christ. We need the hugs and handshakes and the occasional shoulder to cry on. We need to lift up our voices together in song and in prayer. We need to celebrate communion together. We need to pool our resources to further the work of the Lord. We need to open up God’s Word together and reflect on how we will obey him. We need to worship together, therefore, the church is a big deal!

We are not only the church on Sunday morning, we are the church 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Therefore, the church is a big deal as we spread out into the community where we live, being the salt of the earth and the light of the world that Jesus has called us to be. The church is a big deal because we can make a difference in the lives of those around us. In this world where there is so much suffering, you can find a broken heart anywhere you turn. The church can offer hope in times of trouble, and that’s something that the world cannot do. Whenever disaster strikes, it is the church that is quite often the first to arrive with help and the last to leave the scene.

The church is a big deal because God has chosen us to make known his wisdom concerning the gospel message, the good news of salvation through Jesus (Eph.3:10). Jesus says that we will be his witnesses (Acts 1:8). While there is much that we can do individually to bear witness to Jesus, our witness is magnified many times over when we consolidate our efforts to evangelize. Working together we can be a great force in spreading the word about the salvation that is available through Jesus.

There is much, much more to be said about the fact that the church is a big deal, but let me close with this thought—God purchased the church with the precious blood of his Son Jesus (Acts 20:28). It cost God the life of his one and only Son in order for the church to come into existence. If this is how God shows how much he values the church, how do we show how much the church is worth to us?

The church is indeed a big deal!

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Destiny

Posted on September 28, 2022 by jesustrek

A man recently went looking for his sow that had gone missing. When he found her he discovered that she had found a hiding place to give birth to six piglets. Ironically, the birthing site she chose was underneath his BBQ smoker!

The pigs’ destiny might serve to remind us that we too have an appointment with death. Therefore, we ought to make the most of our lives and make sure that we are ready to keep that appointment when our time comes.

“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”—Hebrews 9:27-28.

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Lawn Care

Posted on September 23, 2022 by jesustrek

In a few weeks I will wrap up the seventh summer of mowing the grass at the house that my wife and I built. My how time flies!

We moved into the house on a snowy day in February. There were some delays in the landscaping, so I didn’t get to level the ground and sow grass seed until late spring or early summer. Then it suddenly turned hot and dry, and the seed did not do well in the sandy soil. It seemed like I was mowing nothing but weeds and dust that first year. When the rains did come, it washed out gullies in parts of the yard. I spent a lot of time filling in ruts, working up soil, re-seeding and watering. Still there were few signs that my efforts were being rewarded. We had some people over one day in July. One boy, maybe five years old, looked at my lawn and offered this solemn, unsolicited proclamation: “This is a disaster!”

I continued to work on my disaster for the rest of the year. The next year the lawn finally appeared to be more green than brown. I continued to seed and fertilize and pull up weeds. Slowly but surely, I could see some progress. Year after year I have continued to tweak trouble spots and address any issues that came up. Now I have what might be called an average or above average stand of grass. It will never look like a golf course, but my yard is finally looking somewhat like I always imagined it could be.

That doesn’t mean that mean that my work is finished. I will continue to care for the grass the best way I know how and address any issues that may need attention. It will be an on-going effort to maintain a nice-looking lawn.

We might compare our spiritual life to growing a lawn. Perhaps at one time your soul was a dried up, desert-like wasteland. Others might have looked at your life and proclaimed—“This is a disaster!” And maybe they were right!

However, our current spiritual state can always be improved. Applying the seed of the Word of God to our lives will eventually reap results. The showers of the Lord’s blessings will fall on your life and cause you to be productive for the Lord. We always need to be pulling out the weeds that are the sins that creep into our lives. With careful cultivation and the help of the Lord, our lives can become everything that God envisioned for us.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”—Galatians 6:9.

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From One Little Spark

Posted on September 22, 2022 by jesustrek

A 19-year-old sailor was charged with arson as a result of an incident that happened in the summer of 2020. The sailor allegedly became so disgruntled with his duties that he set off a spark that turned into a blaze that destroyed a $1.2 billion warship.

$1.2 billion! That’s a lot of damage from one little spark!

With that in mind, let’s consider the power of the spoken word. The Bible says that we can do a lot of good with what we say, but it also warns of the potential damage we can do with our words. James 3:5b-6 says, “…Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”

Let us always be on guard against speaking carelessly. A thoughtless word can cause great damage to a relationship, to a family or to a church. Be very careful when you speak!

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First Things First

Posted on September 20, 2022 by jesustrek

There was a knock on the door of the hut where a missionary in Africa lived. The missionary responded to the knock and found one of the boys from the village holding a large fish in his hands. The boy said, “You taught us what tithing is, so here—I’ve brought you my tithe.” As the missionary gratefully took the fish, he asked the young man, “If this is your tithe, where are the other nine fish?” The boy smiled and answered, “Oh, they’re still back in the river. I’m going back to catch them now.”

Now that boy understood what tithing is all about!

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”—Malachi 3:10.

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Are You Prepared?

Posted on September 19, 2022 by jesustrek

I just read this morning that September is “National Preparedness Month”. The headline of the article I read said: “National Preparedness Month: Are you prepared for a disaster?”

That rather ominous warning caught my attention, for sure! As I scanned the article I discovered that it was primarily cautioning us to be prepared for severe weather events. This is indeed something that we need to be concerned about. Many people are injured or killed each year by such occurrences. A lot of these kinds of deaths can be prevented by taking certain precautions.

There is another kind of disaster for which we must be prepared—the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ! Now, for those who are ready for his return, it will not be a disaster at all; it will be a much-welcomed blessing!

However, for those who are caught unaware, it will be the greatest disaster of their lives, one from which there will be no recovery. It is little wonder that the teachings of Jesus contain so many warnings to be ready for his appearance by living a constant life of faithful obedience in anticipation of his return.

“What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”—Mark 13:37.

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Worship

Posted on September 16, 2022 by jesustrek

This is a big subject for the limited space that we have, but let’s talk about worship. We were created to worship God and to bring him pleasure. There are many good definitions of worship. One that I like says that “worship is to recognize the worth of God and to respond appropriately”. In other words, worship is to give God the attention and devotion that only he deserves. There are many ways that we can worship God. Let’s talk about a few of them.

First, we worship God when we gather together as the church on Sunday. The Bible continually speaks of how God’s people throughout the years assembled to give their attention to God. Our gatherings declare that we believe that God is worthy of our time and trouble to get to the meetings. On the other hand, one’s neglect of these worship gatherings betrays a lack of desire to worship God. That’s why Hebrews 10:25-31 urges us to keep meeting together and warns of dire consequences for anyone who deliberately forsakes the assembly of believers.

Second, we worship God when we bring him an offering. Going all the way back to Cain and Abel, we see that mankind knew of the responsibility to bring something of worth to the Lord as an act of worship. We see various offerings described throughout the Old Testament. The early church continued this practice of worshiping God through their giving. It is interesting to note that Jesus watched people bringing their offerings to the Lord and commended one widow for the outstanding faith that she showed by putting her last two coins into the collection. May we always be mindful of how our giving is perceived by the Lord as an act of worship.

We also worship God when we sing. Music has an important place in Scripture, however, worship and music are not synonyms. Singing is but one of many ways we can worship God. Certain Israelites were designated to lead in the playing of instruments and the singing of worshipful songs. In the New Testament, Christians continued to worship the Lord with music and singing. Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”

Another way we worship is to pray. Did you ever notice how many prayers are recorded throughout the Bible? We are urged to follow in the footsteps of those faithful people who came before us by offering our prayers to God. The decision to pray is a sign that we believe the Lord is worthy of our attention and that we believe that he has the power to intervene in our lives in many beneficial ways. Prayer is a crucial part of our worship of God. That’s why 1 Thessalonians 5:17 urges us to “pray continually.”

Participating in the Lord’s Supper is still another important way we worship God. When we take communion we remember the sacrificial death of Jesus and declare that God is worthy of our worship because he sent his only son to die for us. The early church devoted themselves to this “breaking of bread” (Acts 2:42) and met every Sunday for this purpose (Acts 20:7). Let’s make sure that we do not neglect this meaningful act of worship.

Finally (at least in this short study), we worship God when we obey his Word. This is more than listening, more than studying. This is putting the Bible into practice in our daily lives. By doing what God says to do and avoiding what he says not to do, we show that his ways are worthy of our acceptance.

Well, those are a few ways that we can worship the Lord. Let’s devote ourselves to becoming better worshipers of God.

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