The Christian Mindset

Posted on July 13, 2024 by jesustrek

How we think determines how we act. Therefore, it is extremely important to have a proper mindset if we want to behave in a Christian manner. The Bible often addresses this issue. One such passage is Phil.4:4-9.

This Scripture begins with an exhortation to rejoice in the Lord always. We must remember that the apostle Paul was chained up in a prison when he penned these words. Joy does not depend on our circumstances. Rather, it results from being in the Lord. Those who are in Christ should be able to maintain a joyful mindset no matter what life brings our way.

Then Paul encourages us to practice gentleness. This is a trait not always on display nowadays. From business to politics to interactions on social media, gentleness is hard to find. In fact, gruffness and rudeness seem to rule the day. However, we Christians are supposed to go against the flow and stand out against the norm. When it comes to gentleness, we are to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile. Gentleness, in fact, is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) that every Christian is to display.

Another aspect of the Christian mindset is to not be anxious about anything. Jesus speaks against worry in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 6:25-34). The remedy for anxiety is to pray. It is difficult to stay worried while you are conversing with God. Prayer turns anxiety into peace.

Then we are encouraged to think about things that are: true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. The word “meditation” is not found here, but I believe we see the concept. Meditation is not emptying our minds of everything but filling our minds with the wonderful things of God. Time spent thusly will go a long way toward developing a Christian mindset.

Finally, this passage of Scripture tells us to put into practice the teachings of Christianity. It is not enough just to think the right things; we must do them as well. Our thoughts fuel our actions, and our actions in turn fuel our thoughts, cementing the type of mindset that will enable us to be true followers of Christ.

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A Beautiful Bride

Posted on June 29, 2024 by jesustrek

The big day has finally arrived. The wedding is scheduled to take place at 6:30pm. In order to get ready, the bride arrives at the church at 5:00am. She is accompanied by all of her bridesmaids, who have but one job for the day—make her look beautiful!

However, the task is too much for them, so they call in some extra help. A hairdresser is brought in. She will spend several hours making sure that every hair is perfectly in place and will stay that way for the duration of the ceremony. Another professional comes in to apply the makeup. It will take some time, but she will create a masterpiece with blush and mascara. Someone else comes in to do the bride’s nails. With all this preparation, the collective breath of the guests will be taken away when the beautiful bride finally makes her dramatic appearance.

That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but most brides do spend quite a bit of time making themselves look their very best on their wedding day. And who could blame them? Those wedding pictures will be viewed for decades to come!

Revelation 21:2 gives us a picture of the church, the bride of Christ—“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.”

There are several observations we can make about the church as it is portrayed here in Scripture.

First, the church comes from God, not from humans. The church is not a man-made institution that creates its own definition and designs its own purposes. The church was created by God, and it cost him a big price to do so. Acts 20:28 says, “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.” God became a man and died on the cross to pay the price of our sins so that we could become his children and be a part of his church. Let us never forget the price God had to pay for our salvation! This is part of the reason the bride of Christ is so beautiful.

Second, we should note that the church has been prepared by God. It is not of our own efforts that we are saved. It is by the grace and mercy shown by God through Jesus Christ that we have been saved from our sins.

Third, let us not forget the beauty of the church. Oh, we Christians definitely have our faults. We are by no means perfect. But God sees us as though we have never sinned because Jesus has taken our sins away! Those who criticize the church are in danger of saying that the wife of Jesus is ugly!

Fourth, notice that the church is dressed for her husband. When you enter into eternity, you definitely do not want to be found lacking the proper wedding clothing! (Matt.22:11-14). Thankfully, the necessary clothing has been provided by Jesus. Gal.3:26-27 says, “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

Finally, let us never forget that the church is the bride of Christ. We have a special connection with Jesus, one that will endure for all of eternity!

That is a beautiful picture indeed!

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Lessons from Jonah

Posted on June 21, 2024 by jesustrek

The Old Testament book of Jonah has many important truths to teach anyone who wants to live for God.

The book starts with the word of the Lord coming to Jonah, telling him to go to the wicked city of Nineveh and preach. Instead, Jonah went in the other direction, booking passage on a ship. But God wasn’t going to let Jonah get away that easily. The Lord caused a violent storm that threatened to break up the ship. Jonah told the sailors to throw him into the water to calm the sea. They did that, and Jonah prayed a sincere prayer as he sank in the depths of the sea. But God provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah. The fish eventually spit Jonah onto dry land and the word of the Lord again came to Jonah, telling him to preach to Nineveh. This time he obeyed, and the wicked city of Nineveh repented and turned to the Lord. Instead of being happy that the Lord had used him in such a great way, Jonah got angry and pouted. The Lord told Jonah that he was concerned about the people of Nineveh, and that Jonah should have the same concern.

Here are some of the lessons we can learn from Jonah. First, the Lord expects us to obey him. He is the Lord, and we are his creation. Therefore, he has the right to tell us what to do. God gives us commands, not suggestions, and he expects us to do what he says.

Second, we learn that God is full of grace. Grace is the unmerited favor of God. It cannot be earned; it is a free gift. God gave a second chance to his wayward prophet and to the wicked city of Nineveh. Through Jesus, the Lord gives second chances to all who will believe in him and respond to his grace.

Third, we see the necessity of repentance. Jonah had to stop running away from God and turn to go in the opposite direction. Nineveh also had to do an about-face and start to live for God. Jesus says that unless we repent, we, too, will perish (Luke 13:1-5). Anyone who finds themselves running from God must, like the prodigal son, come to their senses and turn toward our heavenly Father.

Another lesson we learn from the life of Jonah is the importance of prayer. Like so many people today, Jonah waited until he was in dire straights before he prayed. How much better off we would be if we did not wait until it is a last resort to pray! When we do pray, God hears the prayers of his children and answers them without fail.

We also learn here of God’s mighty hand to save. God provided salvation to Jonah in the belly of the huge fish. He also relented from destroying Nineveh and saved them from being annihilated. God is able to save all those today who will turn to him in faith and give their lives to his Son Jesus.

A final lesson to learn from this book is that we need to see others through the eyes of the Lord. We should have concern for their salvation just as the Lord does. We can’t be content to experience our own salvation. We must strive for the salvation of others and rejoice when they turn to the Lord.

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Not Listed

Posted on June 12, 2024 by jesustrek

A just read an advertisement for a public auction that was scheduled to take place at 10:00 on a Sunday morning, a time when many people are either worshiping the Lord or on their way to a worship service.

The list of antiques and collectables available for purchase was impressive, including: dishes, stone pots, butter churns, wooden benches, trunks, lanterns, lamps, vintage toys and much more.

What was not listed as being present: Jesus.

“I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”—Psalm 122:1.

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.”—Johne 4:23.

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Living for Jesus

Posted on June 8, 2024 by jesustrek

Our purpose in life is to live for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Bible is filled with instructions on how to do that. Luke 17:1-10 contains some specific teachings on how to live for Jesus.

First, it has to do with holiness. We have been set apart to live for God. This means leaving behind a life that is filled with sin. In verses 1-3 Jesus stresses the importance of not causing anyone else to stumble into a life of sin. We must not lead anyone down the path of sin. If we do, it would be better for us to have a millstone thrown around our neck and be cast into the sea. This is indeed a dire warning not to be a bad influence on those around us. Therefore, Jesus says, “So watch yourselves…” (v.3). We must always strive to be a positive influence on others.

Jesus then talks about forgiveness. We must offer forgiveness to those who sin against us, even if they do the same thing seven times in one day! (vv.3-4). One of the hardest things to do in living for Jesus is to forgive those who do us wrong. It’s difficult because their words or actions really hurt us badly. It is hard to forgive, but then it was not easy for God to forgive us of our sins against him. He had to send his son Jesus to the cross to die for our sins to be forgiven. So, as we have been forgiven, we also must offer forgiveness to others. It is a crucial part of living for Jesus.

In response to his teaching on forgiveness, “The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’” (v.5). The disciples realized that they were not able to offer the kind of forgiveness Jesus was talking about unless they had a different kind of faith. Jesus answered by saying that they only needed faith as small as a mustard seed to do great things. It seems that it is not so much the size of our faith that matters; our faith must be genuine. Real faith will enable us to forgive those who have sinned against us, and to accomplish much more in our effort to live for Jesus.

Jesus concludes this section of teaching by discussing the duties of a servant. A servant should not expect extra congratulations for simply performing their routine tasks. He or she should realize that they are only doing their duty (vv.7-10). Sometimes we get the impression that we should receive special recognition for reading the Bible and praying every day, gathering for worship every week, tithing, witnessing, being involved in the ministries of the local church and a host of other things that are simply the regular on-going duties of someone who is living for Jesus.

Let’s keep striving to do our best to live for Jesus. After all, he did his best for us when he died on the cross to pay for our sins!

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The Precious Word of God

Posted on May 31, 2024 by jesustrek

Young Samuel began his ministry in days when “the word of the Lord was rare” (1 Sam.3:1). The Lord spoke audibly to him one night, but he thought that the priest Eli was calling out to him. Eli realized that the Lord was speaking to Samuel, so he urged the young boy to go back and listen. The Lord told Samuel that he was about to do something in Israel that would make everyone’s ears tingle. It had to do with bringing judgment on Eli’s family because of the wickedness of his sons and his own failure to restrain them. Samuel was reluctant to relay this message to Eli, but the old priest insisted that Samuel tell him the truth, even if it was bad news.

Samuel continued to listen to God, and the Lord was with him in his ministry. Israel recognized that Samuel was a prophet of the Lord, and the Lord’s word came through Samuel to the entire nation. (1 Sam.3:1-4:1).

We live in a time and a place where the word of the Lord is not rare. We have an abundance of Bibles that are readily available. Many Americans have more than one copy of the Scripture. A lot of people have a Bible app on their phone, always giving them easy access to the word of God.

The word of the Lord is not rare in our society. The problem is that people rarely listen to the Lord. Most don’t read the Bible. Many of those who do aren’t really listening to what God is saying. They are attempting to confirm their own pre-existing notions of the truth and affirm their current decisions about how to live their lives. Others are confused by various other voices that are vying for their attention and therefore are unable to understand what the Lord is saying.

The Lord is still speaking today, loudly and clearly. We need to be like Samuel and listen to what the Lord has to say. We also need to be like Eli, who accepted the word of the Lord even though it wasn’t what he wanted to hear. We need to be like Israel was at this time, understanding who is truly speaking the word of God and realizing that the Lord has plans for his people.

If we ignore the word of the Lord, we will most assuredly suffer the consequences. However, if we listen to God and obey him, we will be blessed beyond all measure. The choice is yours. May we all respond as Samuel did— “…Speak, for your servant is listening.” (1Sam.3:10).

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The Christian Mission

Posted on May 18, 2024 by jesustrek

At the conclusion of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus gives his followers their marching orders. He has already given his life as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind and been resurrected from the dead. He claims that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. Then he says, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt.28:19-20).

We call this teaching of Jesus “the Great Commission”. Here he tells his followers to get other people, from all over the world, to follow him. To be a disciple of someone means that you learn from them and obey their teaching, patterning your life after that person. Our mission is to get as many people as possible to become disciples of Jesus Christ.

Jesus says that the first step in making a disciple is to baptize that person. Some will have you believe that you become a disciple by “asking Jesus into your heart” or by saying a “sinner’s prayer”, but these notions are man-made ideas that have no basis in Scripture. Rom.6:3 says that we are “baptized into Christ”, not prayed into Christ. Baptism, not prayer, is for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). Baptism, not prayer, saves us (1 Pet.3:21). Acts 22:16 says, “And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.” If you want to call on the name of the Lord, you get baptized.

There are, of course, some prerequisites to baptism. We can’t just go around dunking people in the water without them knowing what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.

First, a person must have faith in Jesus before being baptized. Jesus says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved…” (Mark 16:16). The candidate for baptism must truly believe that Jesus is the only way to be saved (Acts 4:12) and that Jesus died to pay for their sins and was resurrected on the third day.

Second, a person must be willing to make a profession of their faith. Rom.10:9-10 says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

A third prerequisite for baptism is repentance. Jesus says twice in Luke 13:1-5, “…But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Acts 2:38 says, “…Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” I once had a young man request that I baptize him. After learning that he was living with his girlfriend and had no intention of repenting of that sin, I refused to baptize him. He did not meet the Lord’s requirements for becoming a disciple.

Once a person expresses faith in Jesus and repents of their sins, then they may be baptized into Christ, the first step in becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ.

The second step in making a disciple is to teach them to obey everything that Jesus commands us to do. While baptism is a one-time initiation into Christ, teaching obedience to Jesus’ commands is an on-going process. We are always teaching one another how to better go about obeying the commands of Jesus. And let us remember that obedience is not optional! Many churches rightly stress baptism but could do a better job of teaching obedience. We must not allow anyone to think that their baptism completes their obedience to Jesus. Baptism is a great place to start, but a poor place to finish!

Let’s renew our commitment to the Great Commission of Jesus and be about the business of making disciples!

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An Important Conversation

Posted on May 6, 2024 by jesustrek

John 4 records an occasion when Jesus had a conversation with a woman at a well. It turned out to be quite an important conversation, not only for that woman, but for everyone who wants to learn about eternal life, the mission of Jesus and the importance of spreading the good news about the salvation that is available through him.

It was noon when Jesus sat down at the well, and he was tired and thirsty. This points to the human nature of Jesus. Although he was fully God, he came to earth in the form of a human (John 1:1,14). Therefore, Jesus experienced the difficulties of life just like the rest of us.

When a Samaritan woman came to the well to draw water, Jesus asked her to give him a drink. This was highly unusual, since Jews and Samaritans did not associate with one another. After talking about water for a while, Jesus tried to shift the conversation to the spiritual, by suggesting that he could give her “living water”.

The woman could not seem to get beyond the physical to address the spiritual. Like most people, she was more focused on the basic needs at hand than on more important and more long-lasting spiritual matters.

When Jesus saw that the conversation had stalled, he told the woman to go get her husband. She replied that she did not have a husband. Jesus answered that she was right. In fact, she had had five husbands, and the man she lived with now was not her husband. Technically, she had told the truth.

It is difficult for people to be completely truthful with Jesus. Even though he knows all about them, they somehow think they can hold back information from him, facts about themselves that they would rather no one else knew. However, we can’t fool Jesus. When we encounter Jesus, we must confront the sin in our lives. There is no getting around that fact.

The woman now recognized that Jesus was a prophet, so she started talking about spiritual matters, pointing out the differences between the Jews and the Samaritans. Jesus went beyond her comment and asserted that the time had now come when true worshipers would worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth. These are the kind of worshipers that God seeks.

At that point, the woman said that she knew that the Messiah was coming, and that he would explain everything. Then Jesus plainly declared that he was the Messiah.

This news impacted the woman in such a way that she left her water jar behind and rushed back to tell the people in her village about Jesus. Because of her witness, many people in the village came to hear him for themselves, and many of them became believers in Jesus, professing him to be the Savior of the world.

From this important conversation, we learn that Jesus seeks to bless everyone, regardless of their background, with eternal life. We also learn that, although physical needs do exist, spiritual needs are far more critical, and they must not be neglected. Finally, we learn that it is of the utmost importance to share with others the good news that Jesus really is the Savior of the world!

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Unless the Lord Builds It

Posted on April 26, 2024 by jesustrek

“Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves.”—Psalm 127:1-2.

This psalm is attributed to Solomon, the king who was granted great wisdom from God, but did not always apply God’s wisdom to his life. Here Solomon rightly teaches that only what is done through the Lord will stand the test of time. Everything else is done in vain.

Solomon paints a picture of someone striving to make it on their own, without including God in their plans. Sadly, this describes far too many people today. Their answer to the problems of life is to double down on what they are already doing wrong. They roll up their sleeves and work even harder at what they have already made a mess of—a life without God.

Contrast that philosophy with the last part of v.2, “…for he grants sleep to those he loves.” Those who live for the Lord can lay their heads down on their pillow at night and rest easily, knowing that they have spent their day doing the will of God. Picture Jesus asleep in the boat while his disciples are frantic in the face of a storm that threatens to take their lives. Complete trust in God allows you to rest, even in the face of life’s fiercest storms.

This doesn’t mean that there is no need to labor if you trust in the Lord. No, the Bible is filled with exhortations to work to provide ourselves and our families with the necessities of life and to have something to give to the poor. Trusting God doesn’t mean a life of ease, but a life that is much easier than if you tried to do it on your own. If God doesn’t build it, it’s all in vain.

This is a principle that Jesus expounds on in his teachings. The Sermon on the Mount concludes with the parable of the two builders. The wise man built his house upon the rock, while the foolish man built his house on the sand. When a storm inevitably came, the wise man’s house stood firm, while the foolish man’s house was destroyed. What is the difference between a wise person and a foolish person? Jesus says that the wise person is one who “…hears these words of mine and puts them into practice…” (Matt.7:24). We must heed the words of Jesus and apply them to our lives. We must carefully read his words and obey them if we want to withstand the storms of life.

Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. This biblical principle can be applied to the building of a nation. It is common knowledge that nearly all the leaders of the American revolution were men of faith. Psalm 127 is thought to be especially important to George Washington.

This principle can be applied to building a strong family. Unless the Lord builds it, no family will ever be what it was meant to be. It is critical for households to study and apply the word of God to their lives.

It should be obvious, but perhaps it needs to be stated, this principle must be applied to the building of a church. It is entirely possible for a congregation to stray far from God’s will because they have strayed far from God’s word. The result, of course, would be disastrous.

I hope that you, your family and your church are building something that will last, not only through this life, but through all eternity.

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