Josh1Eight

"Anyone who receives you receives me, and anyone who receives me receives the Father who sent me." Matthew 10:40 I'm pretty sure we can all agree that the bottom line of the mission of the Church is that the people for whom Christ died would receive Him as Savior and know Him as Lord.  Jesus made it pretty clear that He came to, "seek and save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10), and yet there's usually a disconnect when we simply "preach Jesus" but nobody ever receives Christ. Maybe our message is offensive? Yes, both Jesus and Paul assured us it would be (John 16:3; 2 Corinthians 2:15). But what if salvation is not just about trying to get people from point A to point B?What if there's another stop along the way? When Jesus sent out his disciples to prepare the way for His ministry, He charged them with a huge responsibility: becoming receivable. Jesus not only promised that those who received them would receive Him (Matthew 10:40)...

One of the young men went out into the field to gather herbs and came back with a pocketful of wild gourds. He shredded them and put them into the pot without realizing they were poisonous. 40 Some of the stew was served to the men. But after they had eaten a bite or two they cried out, “Man of God, there’s poison in this stew!” So they would not eat it. Elisha said, “Bring me some flour.” Then he threw it into the pot and said, “Now it’s all right; go ahead and eat.” And then it did not harm them. (2 Kings 4:41 NLT) The prophet Elisha was an interesting character in Scripture, almost like an Old Testament super hero with unexplainable powers that ordinary humans couldn't understand. On one occasion, as he and his companions were sitting down to eat, they quickly realized that the new cook's "wild gourd stew" had a secret ingredient: poisonous wild gourds.  As the men were freaking out once they realized they were only minutes from certain death, they called...

"[Tola] was from the tribe of Issachar but lived in the town of Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. 2 He judged Israel for twenty-three years. When he died, he was buried in Shamir." Judges 10:1-2 As we read through this era of Israel's history known as the time of the Judges, we see the rise and fall of many illustrious, and sometimes unscrupulous leaders of the nation.  One of the lesser known rulers was a man named Tola. You've probably never heard of him and there's a perfectly good explanation as to why found right here in this passage. This particular leader was allotted exactly 2 whole verses in Scripture. During his rule (23 years to be exact), we are told volumes about his leadership by the deafening silence surrounding it.  What was his lasting legacy?  Nada.  Surely in 23 years he managed to accomplish something significant, right?  Nope.  Between the time of his birth and his death we known nothing more than his ...

So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. Then they all prayed, “O Lord, you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen as an apostle to replace Judas in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs.” Then they cast lots, and Matthias was selected to become an apostle with the other eleven. (Acts 1:23-26 NLT) Ok, so Jesus gets executed, buried, and then comes back to life. Then He magically appears out of thin air to His disciples three times over a period of 40 days. Then, one day while they are walking down the street, Jesus gives a paragraph's worth of instruction to the Eleven remaining disciples before He blasts off into outer space like Neo at the end of the Matrix. No wait, it gets better. Then, not knowing what hit 'em, the disciples decide to have an on-going prayer meeting/Bible study to discuss what to do next. After a few days Peter stands up and says, "Guys, I've been read...

"And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. “My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.” (John 17:3, 9, 17-19, 21, 23, 26 NLT) In one of the last recorded prayers of Jesus, before He went to th...

“The Lord your God will soon bring you into the land he swore to give you when he made a vow to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is a land with large, prosperous cities that you did not build. The houses will be richly stocked with goods you did not produce. You will draw water from cisterns you did not dig, and you will eat from vineyards and olive trees you did not plant. When you have eaten your fill in this land, be careful not to forget the Lord, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 6:10-12 NLT) On the cusp of entering the Promised Land, Moses delivered a few last instructions for the Israelites. His sermon went something like this: "God's about to make good on everything He ever promised you. I know it seems like its been a very, very long time, but I assure you that your eyes are about to see it happen. You're gonna be amazed at God's goodness! Your lives are going to overflow with blessings!" I can almos...

"Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do." (John 6:5, 6 NLT) One day during a big crusade, a rather large crowd showed up to see Jesus. The disciples were suddenly outnumbered 10:1. Feeling a bit overwhelmed, Jesus decides to throw a wrench in the dinner plans by asking Phillip an unexpected question. Jesus puts Phillip on the spot by asking for an immediate solution to an unexpected "problem". Like a deer caught in headlights, Phillip and the other disciples freeze in a quick panic over Jesus' request. He had asked a question with an impossible answer. What's interesting though is that verse 6 points out that Jesus wasn't looking for a solution for His sake. It points out that He already had a plan and knew what to do. So what's the deal Jesus? Why you gotta mess with Phillip? He w...

This is one of the more baffling verses in the Bible. Jesus, who has been beaten within an inch of his life, is betrayed, publicly mocked, and then marched up a hill to be nailed to a wooden beam while his executioners play craps at his feet. In that dark moment Jesus prays. Not for help, relief, or rescue. He asks God to forgive the very ones who are torturing and killing Him because, "...they don't know what they are doing?" (vs. 24). Hang on. What??? I see a few problems here: 1. The soldiers knew exactly what they were doing- they were trained killers. 2. The leading priests and religious leaders who put them up to this knew exactly what they were doing- they had been planning this for months. Did Jesus mean they didn't haven't any clue what they were doing was wrong? Hardly. Or did He mean they didn't truly understand the full repercussions of their actions? Maybe. Either way, it's a bit of a mystery how God used the deliberate, sinful c...

"Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear. “Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:33-36 NLT) Jesus always made it a habit to talk about things that matter. One of His more popular topics was the "end of the world as we know it". Lots of drama, lots of caution, and warnings all around that probably freaked everybody out. Why did He do it? Because at the end of the day He wanted everyone to be perfectly clear about one thing: you and I don't belong here. On that note, Jesus concludes His speech with a series of sobering thoughts: 1. Guard your heart and keep sin out (vs. 34) 2. Keep your life focused on eternity (vs...